JP2017032836A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To collect ultra fine particles emitted from the apparatus body together with sheets without dispersing to the outside of the apparatus and reduce the amount of ultra fine particles to be emitted to the outside.SOLUTION: In an image forming apparatus in which: an image reading part 2 is held on an apparatus body 10 having a fixing device thermally fixing toner images to sheets provided therein via a connection holding part 3; sheets to which toner images are fixed by the fixing device are ejected from a sheet ejection part 16 to a sheet ejection area 30 formed between the apparatus body 10 and image reading part 2; the sheets S are loaded on an ejection tray part 32 provided on a bottom face of the sheet ejection area 30, an intake port 33 is provided in a wall part 31 located on a side of the sheet ejection part 16 of the connection holding part 3, and an air exhausted together with the sheets S ejected from the sheet ejection part 16 is sucked by an exhaust fan 35 from the intake port 33 through a filter 34.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus used in a copying machine, a facsimile machine, and a multifunction machine of these. In particular, an image reading unit is held via a connection holding unit at an upper portion of an apparatus main body in which a fixing device for heating and fixing a toner image on a sheet is provided, and the sheet fixed by the fixing device is transferred from the sheet discharge unit to the sheet discharge unit. In an image forming apparatus in which a sheet is discharged to a sheet discharge area formed between the apparatus main body and an image reading unit, and sheets are stacked on a sheet discharge tray provided on the bottom surface of the sheet discharge area. Then, the discharged air is sucked, and ultrafine particles (hereinafter, abbreviated as UFP) such as volatile organic compounds (hereinafter referred to as VOC) contained in the discharged air. ) Is collected to eliminate the release to the outside.

  In an image forming apparatus used in a copying machine, a facsimile machine, and a composite machine thereof, a sheet on which a toner image is formed in the apparatus main body is guided to a fixing device, and after the toner image is heated and fixed on the sheet by the fixing device, This sheet is discharged from the inside of the apparatus main body.

  Here, in the image forming apparatus as described above, VOC is generated by the resin component blended in the toner being heated to a high temperature and evaporating in the fixing device that heat-fixes the toner image on the paper. This VOC has a problem that the human body may be adversely affected, and the odor may cause discomfort to the person. Further, when the silicone rubber used in the fixing device reaches 160 ° C. or higher, cyclic siloxane is generated. In addition, ultrafine particles (UFP) including VOC have become a problem as an influence factor on health.

  Conventionally, in order to remove UFP including VOC generated in an image forming apparatus, it is known that air is discharged to the outside through a gas removing means including a filter and an exhaust fan inside the apparatus body. Yes.

  However, it is difficult to completely remove the UFP generated in the apparatus main body, and the UFP remains in the apparatus main body, and the remaining UFP is discharged to the outside together with the paper.

  And UFP discharged | emitted outside in this way will also give a user discomfort as an odor. For this reason, Patent Document 1 proposes a technique for reducing discomfort felt by the user due to the odor discharged to the paper discharge tray section.

  Here, an image forming apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a fixing unit that heats and fixes a toner image formed on a sheet to the sheet, a casing that accommodates the fixing unit therein, and an outer side of the casing. An image forming apparatus that can be operated by a user on the front side of the casing, and a sheet receiving portion that discharges a sheet on which a toner image has been fixed by the fixing section from the inside of the casing. On the front side of the housing, the odor discharged together with the paper is blown and diffused by a blower along the paper discharge direction from the inside of the housing to the paper discharge receiving portion.

  Here, the image forming apparatus diffuses the odor discharged together with the paper when the paper is discharged to the paper discharge receiving portion, thereby reducing discomfort felt by the user.

  However, in the image forming apparatus, the odor discharged together with the paper, that is, UFP is diffused to the surroundings and released. Due to the recent increase in environmental awareness, it is desired to reduce the discharge of UFP generated in the fixing unit. However, in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, the air containing UFP is diffused to the surroundings. Still existed.

JP2015-11215A

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus in which a sheet on which a toner image is formed is guided to a fixing device, the toner image is heated and fixed on the sheet by the fixing device, and then the sheet is discharged from the apparatus main body. An object of the present invention is to collect UFP contained in air discharged from the apparatus main body together with paper without diffusing outside the apparatus, and to reduce the amount of UFP released to the outside.

  In the image forming apparatus of the present invention, in order to solve the above-described problems, an image reading unit is provided on the upper part of the apparatus main body in which a fixing device for heating and fixing a toner image on a sheet is provided via a connection holding unit. A sheet that is held and fixed by the fixing device is discharged from a sheet discharge portion to a discharge area formed between the apparatus main body and the image reading portion, and a discharge tray portion provided on the bottom surface of the discharge area In the image forming apparatus on which sheets are stacked, an air inlet is provided in a wall portion located on the paper discharge portion side of the connection holding portion, and the air discharged together with the paper discharged from the paper discharge portion It is configured to be sucked by an exhaust fan through a filter.

  As described above, the wall portion of the connection holding portion is provided with the intake port for sucking the air discharged together with the paper discharged from the paper discharge portion, and the air is sucked by the exhaust fan through the filter from the intake port. The air containing the UFP discharged together with the paper from the paper discharge unit is sucked from the intake port, the UFP is adsorbed and removed by the filter, and the removed air is discharged to the outside. The amount of diffusion is suppressed.

  Further, the paper discharge area can be opened on a side facing the wall portion of the connection holding portion.

  Further, the air inlet is preferably provided above the paper discharge portion, and the air inlet is preferably formed so as to extend in the paper discharge direction from the vicinity of the paper discharge portion.

  Further, in the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the paper discharge tray unit is arranged such that the paper discharged to the paper discharge area contacts the paper discharge tray unit at the end of the paper discharge area on the open side. It is preferable to provide a paper guide portion on the screen.

  The paper guide portion may be provided with a gradient so that the paper contact surface on which the paper discharged to the paper discharge tray portion comes into contact is lower on the wall side than on the open side. . In this case, a paper alignment guide can be installed on the wall side of the paper discharge tray so that the edge of the paper is aligned on the wall side of the paper discharge tray, and further, a ventilation window is provided on the paper alignment guide. Can be provided.

  In the image forming apparatus of the present invention, as described above, an air inlet is provided in the wall portion on the paper discharge portion side of the connection holding portion that holds the image reading portion on the upper portion of the apparatus main body, and the paper discharged from the paper discharge portion. Since the air exhausted together with the sheet is sucked by the exhaust fan through the filter from the intake port, the air containing the UFP discharged together with the sheet from the sheet discharge unit is sucked from the intake port, and the UFP contained in the air It is released to the outside in a state where it is adsorbed and removed by the filter, and UFP is prevented from being diffused and released to the outside, and it is possible to reduce the amount of UFP discharged from the image forming apparatus. Become.

FIG. 3 is a schematic explanatory view showing a state in which a toner image is formed on a recording medium in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic explanatory view of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment viewed from a sheet discharge side. FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic explanatory view of the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment as viewed from the paper discharge side. FIG. 6 is a schematic explanatory view of the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment as viewed from the paper discharge side. FIG. 6 is a schematic explanatory view of the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment as viewed from the paper discharge side. FIG. 6 is a schematic explanatory view of an image forming apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention as viewed from a paper discharge side. It is the schematic perspective view which showed the image forming apparatus which concerns on the 4th Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 10 is a schematic explanatory view of an image forming apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention viewed from a sheet discharge side. It is the schematic perspective view which showed the image forming apparatus which concerns on the 6th Embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic perspective view which showed the image forming apparatus which concerns on the 7th Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 10 is a schematic explanatory view of an image forming apparatus according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention viewed from a sheet discharge side.

  Next, an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the image forming apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to those shown in the following embodiments, and can be implemented with appropriate modifications within a range not changing the gist thereof.

  In the image forming apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an image reading unit 2 is provided on the apparatus main body 10, and the image reading unit 2 is connected to the apparatus main body 10. A paper discharge area 30 is formed between the apparatus main body 10 and the image reading unit 2.

  Here, in the paper discharge area 30, the side of the connection holding unit 3 that faces the wall 31 on the paper discharge unit 16 side is open. That is, the front side in the direction orthogonal to the direction of the paper S discharged from the paper discharge unit 16 is opened, and the back side is the wall portion 31 of the connection holding unit 3. The paper S on which the toner image is formed is discharged to the paper discharge area 30.

  In addition, a discharge tray portion 32 on which the discharged sheets S are stacked is formed on the bottom surface of the discharge area 30.

  In this image forming apparatus 1, when a toner image is formed on the paper S, the paper S is stored in a paper feed cassette 11 provided at the lower part of the apparatus body 10, and the paper S is supplied by the paper feed roller 12. Paper is fed from the paper cassette 11, the paper S thus fed is guided between the pair of registration rollers 13, and the registration rollers 13 send the paper S to the image forming unit 20 at an appropriate timing. .

  Here, in the image forming unit 20, an image carrier 21 made of a photosensitive member, a charging device 22 for charging the surface of the image carrier 21, and image information on the surface of the charged image carrier 21. A latent image forming device 23 that forms an electrostatic latent image by performing exposure based on the image, and a developing device 24 that supplies toner to the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the image carrier 21 to form a toner image. Four imaging cartridges 20A to 20D are provided.

  Each developing device 24 in each of the imaging cartridges 20A to 20D contains toners of different colors of black, yellow, magenta, and cyan, and each image carrier in each of the imaging cartridges 20A to 20D. The toner of each color is supplied from the developing device 24 to the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the image 21 to form a toner image of the color on the surface of the image carrier 21. Yes.

  Then, the toner images of the respective colors formed on the surfaces of the image carriers 21 in the imaging cartridges 20A to 20D in this way are transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 25 that is rotationally driven. In addition, a toner image in which toner images of various colors are combined is formed.

  Next, the toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 25 in this manner is guided to the position of the transfer roller 26, while the registration roller 13 moves the paper S between the intermediate transfer belt 25 and the transfer roller 26. The toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 25 is transferred to the sheet S, and the sheet S on which the toner image is transferred is guided to the fixing device 27.

  The fixing device 27 heats and fixes the toner image transferred onto the paper S to the paper S, and then guides the paper S to the paper discharge roller 15. The paper discharge roller 15 causes the toner image to pass through the paper discharge unit 16. The fixed paper S is discharged to the paper discharge area 30 and the paper S is stacked on the paper discharge tray section 32.

  In this way, when the paper S on which the toner image is fixed is discharged from the paper discharge unit 16 to the paper discharge area 30, air including UFP such as VOC is discharged to the paper discharge area 30 together with the paper S.

  And in this 1st Embodiment, the inlet port 33 for attracting | sucking the air discharge | released with the paper S is provided in the wall part 31 of the connection holding | maintenance part 3 so that UFP discharged | emitted may not spread outside. Yes. Further, in order to suck air from the intake port 33 and release it to the outside, as shown in FIG. 3, the filter 34 and the exhaust fan 35 are connected to the intake port 33 via the duct 33a on the back side of the connection holding portion 3. It is provided in the apparatus main body 10. The filter 34 has a function of adsorbing UFP such as VOC.

  Then, the air containing the UFP released together with the paper S is sucked from the intake port 33, the UFP contained in the air is adsorbed and removed by the filter 34, and the air from which the UFP has been removed is discharged to the outside. Is suppressed from being released and diffused to the outside.

  Here, the intake port 33 extends in the discharge direction of the paper S from the vicinity of the paper discharge unit 16 and is formed in a rectangular shape whose discharge direction of the paper S is longer than the vertical direction. In this embodiment, an air inlet 33 is provided above the paper discharge unit 16. Thus, by providing the air inlet 33 above the paper discharge unit 16, the air discharged together with the paper S discharged from the paper discharge unit 16 is sucked as soon as possible.

  When the length corresponding to the maximum length in the discharge direction of the paper S using the air inlet 33 is formed, the air discharged together with the paper S can be sucked along the discharge direction. The moving air can be sucked efficiently.

  The exhaust fan 35 starts driving when the printing operation of the image forming apparatus 1 starts, starts sucking air from the air inlet 33, and stops driving after a predetermined time has elapsed when printing ends. Further, after printing is completed and the paper S is discharged to the paper discharge tray section 32, the exhaust fan 35 is driven for a predetermined time to suck the air in the paper discharge area 30 and the UFP released together with the paper S. The air containing the air is surely sucked.

  In the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment, an air inlet 33 is provided in the wall 31 of the connection holding unit 3 formed between the apparatus main body 10 and the image reading unit 2, and the air inlet 33 passes through the air inlet 33. Since the air discharged together with the paper S is sucked, the air inlet 33, the duct 33a, the filter 34, and the exhaust fan 35 are arranged in a place where the paper discharge unit mechanism such as the paper discharge roller 15 does not exist. Can do. For this reason, it is possible to easily increase the suction port 33 to increase the amount of air sucked. The air discharged together with the paper S can be sucked reliably, and the filter 34 can collect UFP. It becomes like this.

  Next, an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  Here, in the first embodiment, when the paper S is discharged from the paper discharge unit 16 to the paper discharge area 30, air is pushed out not only on the wall 31 side but also on the open side. , Air may leak from the paper discharge area 30. In the second embodiment, in order to reduce air leakage from the open side, the discharge side of the discharge area 30 of the paper S is placed on the discharge tray unit 32 such that the open side contacts the discharge tray unit 32 first. A paper guide portion 32a is provided.

  4 to 7, as the paper guide portion 32 a, the paper contact surface on which the paper S discharged to the paper discharge tray portion 32 abuts is on the open side in the paper discharge area 30. In comparison, the gradient is provided so that the side of the wall 31 is lower. In addition, the angle of this gradient is about 10-30 degrees.

  In this way, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, due to the gradient of the paper guide portion 32 a, the open side of the paper discharge tray portion 32, which is raised in the paper discharge area 30, is placed on the open side of the paper S. The end of the paper S on the wall 31 side comes into contact with the sheet discharge tray 32 on the side of the wall 31 that has been lowered first. That is, the paper S discharged from the paper discharge unit 16 falls from the opening side of the paper discharge tray unit 32 to the wall 31 side due to the gradient of the paper guide unit 32 a formed in the paper discharge tray unit 32. .

  As a result, the air containing UFP discharged together with the paper S flows toward the wall 31 side without being pushed out to the open side of the paper discharge area 30, and the air containing UFP is provided on the wall 31 side. The suction port 33 is efficiently sucked and UFP contained in the air is efficiently adsorbed by the filter 34 and removed.

  Then, when the next paper S is discharged from the paper discharge unit 16, the next paper S is placed on the previous paper S placed along the gradient of the paper discharge tray unit 32 as shown in FIG. The air containing UFP discharged together with the next paper S is efficiently sucked into the intake port 33 in the same manner as the previous paper S, and this air is UFP contained in the filter 34 is efficiently adsorbed by the filter 34 and removed.

  As in the case of the first embodiment, the intake port 33 extends vertically from the vicinity of the paper discharge unit 16 in the discharge direction of the paper S at a position above the paper discharge unit 16. It is formed in a rectangular shape in which the discharge direction of the paper S is longer than the direction.

  Further, in the third embodiment shown in FIG. 8, in the second embodiment, the air inlet 33 is placed at the position above and below the sheet discharge section 16. It is provided so as to extend in the discharge direction of the paper S from the vicinity of the discharge unit 16. In this way, air including UFP is efficiently sucked through the intake ports 33 provided at a position above and below the paper discharge unit 16.

  In the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 9, a sheet alignment guide 36 is provided on the wall 31 side of the paper discharge tray 32 having a gradient. Here, the sheet aligning guide 36 is installed at a position slightly away from the wall 31 and extending in the sheet discharging direction from substantially directly below the sheet discharging section 16 on the wall 31 side. The paper alignment guide 36 is provided with a plurality of ventilation windows 36a through which air passes.

  The end of the sheet S discharged from the sheet discharge unit 16 on the side of the wall 31 is brought into contact with the sheet alignment guide 36, and the sheet S discharged to the sheet discharge tray unit 32 is moved along the sheet alignment guide 36. At the same time, the air containing the UFP discharged together with the paper S passes through the ventilation window 36a and is sucked into the air inlet 33. In the example shown in FIG. 9, a plurality of rectangular ventilation windows 36 a are provided in parallel. However, the ventilation windows 36 a are not limited to this, and may be a mesh or a round hole. . Further, it is preferable that the size of the ventilation window 36a is set such that the sheets S are not separated and the stackability is not deteriorated.

  Further, as described above, in the paper discharge tray portion 32 that has a slope that is lower on the wall portion 31 side than the open side of the paper discharge area 30, the paper alignment guide 36 is provided on the wall portion 31 side. When the paper S is discharged onto the paper discharge tray section 32 having a gradient, the paper S can be stacked at a predetermined position.

  Further, the sheet alignment guide 36 installed on the wall 31 side can be provided movably on the paper discharge tray 32 so that the distance to the wall 31 can be freely changed. Then, the position of the sheet alignment guide 36 with respect to the wall 31 is changed according to the type and thickness of the sheet S, and the air containing UFP discharged together with the sheet S from the sheet discharge unit 16 is most efficiently sent to the air inlet 33. You can set the distance to go.

  Next, in the fifth embodiment shown in FIG. 10, as described above, the discharge tray 32 is provided with a gradient so that the wall 31 side is lower than the open side of the discharge area 30. The paper discharge tray section 32 on the open side of the paper discharge area 30 is provided with a taper section 32b that projects upward in a taper shape. The taper section 32b causes the paper discharge section 16 and the paper discharge section 16 to be The paper tray unit 32 is in close proximity.

  In this way, the paper S discharged from the paper discharge unit 16 is sent to the wall 31 side along the tapered portion 32b, and the paper S is jammed between the paper discharge unit 16 and the paper discharge tray unit 32. In addition, air containing UFP discharged from the paper discharge unit 16 together with the paper S leaks from between the paper discharge unit 16 and the paper discharge tray unit 32 on the open side of the paper discharge area 30. Can be prevented as much as possible.

  Further, in the sixth embodiment shown in FIG. 11, the protrusion 32 c serves as a paper guide portion on the paper discharge tray portion 32 so that the open side of the paper S discharge area 30 contacts the paper discharge tray portion 32 first. Is provided. Here, the protrusion 32 c is provided on the paper discharge tray portion 32 at a position on the wall portion 31 side that is several cm away from the paper discharge portion 16. Further, the protrusion 32c has a height that does not hinder the discharge of the paper S from the paper discharge portion 16, and is provided at a position where the end of the paper S on the side of the wall portion 31 abuts. Yes.

  When such a protrusion 32c is provided, the paper S discharged from the paper discharge unit 16 is discharged obliquely so that the opening side of the paper discharge area 30 is down, and the paper discharge area 30 of the paper S is opened. The sheet S comes into contact with the sheet discharge tray 32 first, and then the sheet S falls on the wall 31 side of the sheet discharge tray 32.

  As a result, as in the case of the second embodiment, the air containing the UFP discharged together with the paper S flows toward the wall 31 side without being pushed out to the opening side of the paper discharge area 30, and the UFP The air containing the air is efficiently sucked into the intake port 33 provided on the wall 31 side, and the UFP contained in the air is efficiently adsorbed by the filter 34 and removed.

  Further, in the seventh embodiment shown in FIG. 12, a recess is provided as a paper guide portion on the paper discharge tray portion 32 so that the open side of the paper S discharge area 30 contacts the paper discharge tray portion 32 first. 32d is provided. Here, when the recess 32d is provided, a recess is provided on the wall 31 side of the paper discharge tray 32 so that the size and depth do not affect the paper discharge from the paper discharge unit 16. Yes.

  When such a recess 32 d is provided, the sheet S discharged from the sheet discharge unit 16 to the sheet discharge tray unit 32 comes into contact with the sheet discharge tray unit 32 on the open side of the sheet discharge area 30 first. Thereafter, the paper S falls down on the wall 31 side of the paper discharge tray 32 such that the rear wall 31 side of the paper S falls into the recess 32d.

  As a result, as in the case of the second embodiment, the air containing the UFP discharged together with the paper S flows toward the wall 31 side without being pushed out to the opening side of the paper discharge area 30, and the UFP The air containing the air is efficiently sucked into the intake port 33 provided on the wall 31 side, and the UFP contained in the air is efficiently adsorbed by the filter 34 and removed.

  In the eighth embodiment shown in FIG. 13, the paper discharge unit 16 is connected to the discharge area 30 so that the open side of the paper S discharge area 30 contacts the discharge tray unit 32 first. It is provided obliquely so that the open side is low and the wall 31 side is high.

  In this way, when the paper discharge unit 16 is provided obliquely, the paper S discharged from the paper discharge unit 16 is discharged diagonally so that the open side of the paper discharge area 30 is down, and the paper S discharge area. The open side of 30 comes into contact with the paper discharge tray 32 first, and thereafter, the paper S falls on the wall 31 side of the paper discharge tray 32.

  As a result, as in the case of the second embodiment, the air containing the UFP discharged together with the paper S flows toward the wall 31 side without being pushed out to the opening side of the paper discharge area 30, and the UFP The air containing the air is efficiently sucked into the intake port 33 provided on the wall 31 side, and the UFP contained in the air is efficiently adsorbed by the filter 34 and removed.

1: Image forming device 2: Image reading unit 3: Connection holding unit 10: Main body 11: Paper feed cassette 12: Paper feed roller 13: Registration roller 15: Paper discharge roller 16: Paper discharge unit 20: Image forming unit 27: Fixing device 30: paper discharge area 31: wall portion 32: paper discharge tray portion 32a: paper guide portion 32c: projection 32d: recess 33, 33b: air inlet 33a: duct 34: filter 35: exhaust fan 36: paper alignment guide 36a: Ventilation window

Claims (8)

An image reading unit is held via a connection holding unit at an upper portion of an apparatus main body provided with a fixing device for heat-fixing the toner image on the paper, and the paper fixed by the fixing device is transferred from the paper discharge unit to the apparatus main body In an image forming apparatus in which paper is discharged to a paper discharge area formed between the image reading unit and paper is stacked on a paper discharge tray provided on the bottom surface of the paper discharge area.
An image is characterized in that an air inlet is provided in a wall portion located on the paper discharge portion side of the connection holding portion, and the air discharged together with the paper from the paper discharge portion is sucked from the intake port through a filter by an exhaust fan. Forming equipment.   2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the discharge area is open on a side facing the wall portion of the connection holding portion.   3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the air inlet is provided above the sheet discharge portion. 4.   4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the air inlet is formed to extend in the paper discharge direction from the vicinity of the paper discharge portion. 5. .   5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the discharge tray unit is configured to come into contact with the discharge tray unit at an end on an open side of a discharge area of the sheet. 5. An image forming apparatus characterized in that a paper guide section is provided on the image forming apparatus.   6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a sheet contact surface on which a sheet discharged to a sheet discharge tray section contacts as the sheet guide section is inclined such that the wall section side is lower than the open side. An image forming apparatus comprising:   The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein a sheet alignment guide is installed on a wall portion side of the paper discharge tray portion.   8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein a ventilating window is provided in the sheet alignment guide.

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