JP2018005198A - Image forming apparatus, image forming system, and housing structure - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus, an image forming system, and a housing structure that can reduce an installation space in the fore-and-aft direction for a configuration including an exhaust path.SOLUTION: In a copier 10 being an image forming apparatus comprising: a printer part 20 being an image forming part that includes a paper feed conveyance path and a reverse conveyance path being sheet conveyance paths that convey a transfer sheet being a sheet and forms images on the transfer sheet; and a vertical exhaust duct 50 being an exhaust path that guides an exhaust air exhausted from the printer part 20 toward the outside of the apparatus, the vertical exhaust duct 50 is provided on the outside of the printer part 20 in the transverse direction of the body of the apparatus when a sheet width direction being a sheet width direction orthogonal to a conveyance direction of the transfer sheet on the paper feed conveyance path and reverse conveyance path is determined to be the fore-and-aft direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, an image forming system, and a housing structure.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an image forming apparatus, an apparatus that cools an image forming unit with air sucked from outside and discharges air whose temperature has increased in the image forming unit to the outside of the apparatus via an exhaust path exhaust duct is known.
As an image forming apparatus of this type, Patent Document 1 discloses an image forming apparatus in which a sheet width direction orthogonal to a sheet conveyance direction such as a sheet is a front-rear direction of the apparatus, and an exhaust duct is disposed on the rear side of the image forming unit. However, a configuration is described in which exhaust gas is guided downward from the upper part of the apparatus.

In the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1, since the exhaust duct is provided on the rear side of the image forming unit having the sheet conveying path, the length in the front-rear direction of the image forming apparatus is equal to the width of the sheet conveying path. It becomes the length which added the width | variety of the exhaust duct extended in an up-down direction.
The direction in which the exhaust duct guides the exhaust is not limited to the one that guides the exhaust downward, but the exhaust duct is arranged outside the image forming unit in the front-rear direction, even if the exhaust duct guides upward or in the left-right direction. For example, the length in the front-rear direction of the image forming apparatus is a length obtained by adding the width of the exhaust duct.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention has a sheet conveyance path for conveying a sheet, and forms an image on the sheet, and the gas discharged from the image formation unit is directed to the outside of the apparatus. And an exhaust path for guiding the outer side of the image forming unit in the left-right direction of the apparatus main body when a sheet width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction in the sheet conveying path is a front-rear direction of the apparatus main body. Further, at least a part of the exhaust path is provided.

  According to the present invention, there is an excellent effect that space saving in the front-rear direction of an image forming apparatus including an exhaust path can be achieved.

A plan view schematically showing the positional relationship between the space in the case of the copying machine and the jam processing rotation unit, (a) is in a closed state, (b) is in an open state, and (c) is a moving region in the case. FIG. FIG. 2 is an external view of the copying machine according to the first embodiment when viewed from the front side. FIG. 3 is an external view of the copying machine with a jam processing unit front cover opened, as viewed from the front side. Sectional drawing of a copying machine. FIG. 2 is a schematic explanatory diagram of a printer unit provided in a copying machine. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the copier with an exterior cover and the like removed. Explanatory drawing which added the movement area | region to the external view shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram in which a movement region is added to an external view of a copying machine in which a jam processing rotation unit rotates around an inner side surface of a rotation unit extending in a horizontal direction when viewed from the front side. Explanatory drawing which added the movement area | region to the external view which looked at the copying machine of a structure provided with a jam processing slide part from the front side. FIG. 3 is an external view of a copying machine installation example viewed from the front side. FIG. 3 is an external view of a copying machine installation example viewed from an oblique direction. The perspective view which looked at the copier of the state which removed the exterior cover etc. from the front left side. The perspective view which looked at the copying machine shown in FIG. 12 from the back left side. The perspective view which looked at the copier of the state which removed the exterior cover from the diagonal right side. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the copying machine viewed from the right side of the apparatus. The perspective view which looked at the copier of the state which removed the exterior cover etc. from the slightly lower front right side. The perspective view which looked at the lower part of the copying machine shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the suction fan as seen from the front side of the copying machine. FIG. 6 is an external view of a state in which an image forming unit front cover and a jam processing unit front cover of the copier according to the second embodiment are opened from the front side. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a state where an outer cover or the like of the copier of Embodiment 2 is removed. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the copier of Embodiment 2 as viewed from the right side of the apparatus. FIG. 9 is an explanatory perspective view of a front lower exterior cover and a rear lower exterior cover provided in the copier according to the second embodiment. The top view which shows typically the positional relationship of the space in the housing | casing of the copying machine of a modification, a jam process rotation part, and a vertical exhaust duct.

Embodiment 1
A first embodiment (hereinafter referred to as “embodiment 1”) in which the present invention is applied to a copying machine (hereinafter referred to as a copying machine 10) as an image forming apparatus will be described below.
FIG. 2 is an external view of the copying machine 10 as viewed from the front side. As shown in FIG. 2, the copying machine 10 includes an image forming unit front cover 21 and a jam processing unit front cover 31 as an exterior cover on the front side.

FIG. 3 is an external view of the copying machine 10 shown in FIG. 2 as viewed from the front side when the jam processing unit front cover 31 is opened. As shown in FIG. 3, when the jam processing unit front cover 31 is opened, the jam processing space 30 is exposed. In the jam processing space 30, a vertical exhaust duct 50 that extends in the vertical direction and guides the exhaust downward, and an exhaust gas that extends in the front-rear direction of the apparatus and passes through the vertical exhaust duct 50 is disposed on the front side of the apparatus. A horizontal exhaust duct 51 is disposed to guide the air. An exhaust port 53 for discharging the exhaust gas that has passed through the horizontal exhaust duct 51 to the outside of the copying machine 10 is provided in the front cover 31 of the jam processing unit. An exhaust filter 52 that collects the gas is provided.
Further, a jam processing rotation unit 81 (to be described later) is provided on the right side of the jam processing space 30 in FIG. 3, and an operator who performs jam processing opens the jam processing unit front cover 31, thereby rotating the jam processing. The unit 81 can be operated.

4 is a cross-sectional view of the copying machine 10 at the center of the copying machine 10 shown in FIG. 2 in the front-rear direction (front-back direction in FIG. 2).
As shown in FIG. 4, the copying machine 10 includes a printer unit 20 that is an image forming unit inside a housing 100 that includes a frame and an exterior cover, and a scanner unit 40 that is an image reading device is added to information of the printer unit 20. And an electrical component 60 next to the scanner unit 40.

FIG. 5 is a schematic explanatory diagram of the printer unit 20 provided in the copying machine 10.
The printer unit 20 includes process cartridges 1 (Y, M, C, K) as four process units, an intermediate transfer belt 7, a fixing device 12 as fixing means, and the like. The intermediate transfer belt 7 is an intermediate transfer member that is stretched by a plurality of stretching rollers and moves in the direction of arrow A in FIG.
The suffixes Y, M, C, and K attached to the four process cartridges 1 indicate the specifications for yellow, magenta, cyan, and black. Since the four process cartridges 1 (Y, M, C, K) have substantially the same configuration except that the colors of the toners used are different, the subscripts Y, M, C, K are omitted below. To explain.

  The process cartridge 1 is a unit that integrally supports a photosensitive member 2 as a latent image carrier, a charging member 3 as a charging unit, a developing device 4 as a developing unit, and a photosensitive member cleaning device 5 as a cleaning unit. The configuration is shaped like Each process cartridge 1 can be attached to and detached from the copying machine 10 main body by releasing the respective stoppers.

  The photoconductor 2 rotates in the clockwise direction in FIG. 5 as indicated by an arrow in the figure. The charging member 3 is a roller-shaped charging roller, is pressed against the surface of the photoreceptor 2, and is rotated by the rotation of the photoreceptor 2. At the time of image formation, a predetermined bias is applied to the charging member 3 by a high voltage power source, and the surface of the photoreceptor 2 is charged. In the process cartridge 1 of the first embodiment, the roller-shaped charging member 3 that contacts the surface of the photoreceptor 2 is used as the charging unit. However, the charging unit is not limited to this, and non-contact such as corona charging. A charging method may be used.

The exposure device 6 exposes the surface of the photoconductor 2 based on the image information of the original image read by the scanner unit 40 or image information input from an external device such as a personal computer. An electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface. In the first embodiment, an LED array is used as the exposure device 6 and is arranged over the entire image area in the longitudinal direction on the photoreceptor 2 (direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 5).
The photoconductor cleaning device 5 cleans the transfer residual toner remaining on the surface of the photoconductor 2 that has passed the position facing the intermediate transfer belt 7.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the four process cartridges 1 are arranged in parallel in the surface movement direction of the intermediate transfer belt 7, and form toner images for the respective colors of yellow, cyan, magenta, and black on the photoreceptor 2. To do. The four process cartridges 1 transfer the toner images formed on the respective photoreceptors 2 so as to be superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt 7 in order, and form a visible image on the intermediate transfer belt 7.

  As shown in FIG. 5, primary transfer rollers 8 serving as primary transfer means are disposed at positions facing the four photoconductors 2 across the intermediate transfer belt 7. A primary transfer bias is applied to the primary transfer roller 8 by a high-voltage power source, and a primary transfer electric field is formed between the primary transfer roller 8 and the photoreceptor 2. By forming a primary transfer electric field between the photosensitive member 2 and the primary transfer roller 8, the toner image formed on the surface of the photosensitive member 2 is transferred to the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 7. One of the plurality of stretching rollers that stretch the intermediate transfer belt 7 is rotated by the drive motor, so that the intermediate transfer belt 7 moves on the surface in the direction of arrow A in FIG. A full color image is formed on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 7 by sequentially transferring the toner images of the respective colors on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 7 moving on the surface.

  A secondary transfer roller 9 is disposed on the downstream side of the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 7 with respect to the position where the four process cartridges 1 face the intermediate transfer belt 7. The secondary transfer roller 9 is disposed at a position facing the secondary transfer counter roller 9a, which is one of the stretching rollers, with the intermediate transfer belt 7 therebetween, and the secondary transfer nip between the secondary transfer roller 9 and the intermediate transfer belt 7 is provided. Form. A predetermined voltage is applied between the secondary transfer roller 9 and the secondary transfer counter roller 9a to form a secondary transfer electric field.

  The printer unit 20 includes a paper feeding device 70 having a plurality of paper feeding trays 71 below the four process cartridges 1. Further, on the right side of the intermediate transfer belt 7 in FIG. 5, a paper transport device 80 having a paper feed transport path 17 and a reverse transport path 18 is provided. In the paper feed conveyance path 17, the transfer paper P is conveyed from below to above, and in the reverse conveyance path 18, the transfer paper P is conveyed from above to below. The paper conveyance device 80 is configured to transfer the transfer paper in the vertical direction. 2 is a vertical sheet conveying apparatus that conveys P;

  The transfer paper P fed from any of the plurality of paper feed trays 71 of the paper feeding device 70 is guided to the paper feeding / conveying path 17 of the paper conveying device 80 and abuts on the registration roller pair 19 and stops. The registration roller pair 19 starts driving so that the transfer paper P reaches the secondary transfer nip in accordance with the timing at which the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 7 reaches the secondary transfer nip. It is conveyed toward the next transfer nip. When the transfer paper P passes through the secondary transfer nip, a full color image formed on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 7 is formed between the secondary transfer roller 9 and the secondary transfer counter roller 9a. It is transferred onto the transfer paper P by the next transfer electric field.

  In the printer unit 20, the fixing device 12 is disposed on the downstream side in the transport direction of the transfer paper P with respect to the secondary transfer nip. The transfer paper P that has passed through the secondary transfer nip reaches the fixing device 12. Then, the full color image transferred onto the transfer paper P is fixed by heating and pressing in the fixing device 12. In the case of single-sided printing or when an image is formed on the second side of double-sided printing, the transfer paper P on which the image has been fixed is discharged from the discharge port 15a into the cylinder of the copying machine 10 by the discharge roller pair 15. It is output to the paper discharge tray 13 of the paper section 14.

On the other hand, when an image is formed on the first surface in the case of duplex printing, the transfer paper P on which the image is fixed is conveyed toward the pair of reverse rollers 16. Then, the leading end side of the transfer paper P passes through the reverse roller pair 16 and comes out from the reverse opening portion 16 a into the in-body sheet discharge portion 14, and reverses before the rear end of the transfer paper P passes through the reverse roller pair 16. The roller pair 16 rotates in the reverse direction to guide the transfer paper P to the reverse conveyance path 18. The transfer paper P that has passed through the reverse conveyance path 18 is again guided to the paper feed conveyance path 17 and abuts against the registration roller pair 19. Thereafter, an image is formed on the second surface and output to the paper discharge tray 13.
The toner remaining on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 7 without being transferred to the transfer paper P at the secondary transfer nip is collected by the transfer belt cleaning device 11.

As shown in FIG. 5, above the intermediate transfer belt 7, toner bottles 90 (Y, M, C, K) that store toner of each color are detachably disposed on the copying machine 10 main body.
The toner stored in the toner bottle 90 for each color is supplied to the developing device 4 for each color by a toner replenishing device corresponding to each color.
As shown in FIG. 4, the copier 10 has a printer unit 20 arranged in a left-justified manner in a housing 100, and a jam processing space 30 is provided on the right side of the printer unit 20 in the housing 100.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the copying machine 10 with the scanner unit 40, the electrical unit 60, and the outer cover removed.
As shown in FIG. 6, the copying machine 10 includes a front right frame 101, a front left frame 102, a rear right frame 103, a rear left frame 104, a bottom frame 106, a top frame 105, and the like as frames forming the casing 100. Prepare.

As shown in FIG. 4, a flat right exterior cover 32 is provided as an exterior cover on the right side of the copying machine 10 so as to cover between the front right frame 101 and the back right frame 103. As shown in FIG. 4, a flat left outer cover 33 is provided as an outer cover on the left side of the copying machine 10 so as to cover the space between the front left frame 102 and the rear left frame 104.
Further, a flat rear exterior cover 34 is provided as an exterior cover on the back side of the copying machine 10 so as to cover the space between the rear right frame 103 and the rear left frame 104 (see FIG. 1).

As shown in FIG. 6, a caster 41 that supports the bottom frame 106 is provided, and as shown in FIG. 2, a front lower exterior cover 35 that hides the caster 41 when viewed from the front of the apparatus is provided. An air inlet 42 is provided near the left end of the front lower exterior cover 35 in FIG.
The front lower exterior cover 35 can be attached to and detached from the main body of the copying machine 10. When the copying machine 10 is moved using the casters 41, it is removed, moved to the installation position, and then attached to the copying machine 10.
The copying machine 10 constitutes the casing 100 with the above-described frame and exterior cover.

As shown in FIG. 6, the paper conveying device 80 is rotatable about a jam processing rotation shaft 81b (see FIG. 1 described later) extending in the vertical direction on the back side (back side) of the copying machine 10. A jam processing rotating unit 81 and a jam processing fixing unit 82 fixed to the printer unit 20 are provided.
As described above, since the paper transport device 80 transports the transfer paper P in the vertical direction, the paper feed transport path 17 for transporting the transfer paper P in the vertical direction by moving the jam processing rotation unit 81 in the horizontal direction and The reverse conveying path 18 can be exposed.

  FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing the positional relationship between the space in the casing 100 of the copying machine 10 and the jam processing rotation unit 81. 1A shows a state in which the jam processing rotation unit 81 is closed, FIG. 1B shows a state in which the jam processing rotation unit 81 is opened, and FIG. 1C shows a jam in the housing 100. It is explanatory drawing which shows the movement area | region (alpha) of the process rotation part 81. FIG.

  When the image forming apparatus 10 forms an image, as shown in FIG. 1A, the jam processing rotating portion 81 is closed, the transfer paper P is transported by the paper transport device 80, and the image is transferred onto the transfer paper P. Form. When a paper jam occurs in the paper feed conveyance path 17 or the reverse conveyance path 18 of the paper conveyance device 80, as shown in FIG. 1B, the jam processing rotation unit 81 is opened to cause a paper jam. Jam processing for removing the transfer paper P is performed.

As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming unit front cover 21 and the jam processing unit front cover 31 are closed when the copying machine 10 forms an image.
When a paper jam occurs in the paper feed conveyance path 17 and the reverse conveyance path 18 of the paper conveyance device 80, the operator opens the jam processing unit front cover 31 as shown in FIG. The rotating part 81 is exposed. Next, the jam processing rotation portion 81 is rotated around the jam processing rotation shaft 81b in the direction indicated by the arrow B in FIG. 1B, and the jam processing rotation is performed as shown in FIG. 1B or FIG. The moving part 81 is opened. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 6, the inner surface 81 a of the rotating portion of the jam processing rotating portion 81 and the inner surface 82 a of the fixing portion of the jam processing fixing portion 82 are exposed.

  When a paper jam occurs in the paper feeding / conveying path 17, the fixing part inner side opening / closing cover that is provided on the inner surface 82 a of the fixing part and is rotatable about a rotating shaft extending in the vertical direction is opened, and the paper feeding / conveying path 17 is exposed, and the transfer paper P jammed in the paper feed conveyance path 17 is removed. When a paper jam occurs in the reversing conveyance path 18, the revolving conveyance path is provided on the inner surface 81 a of the revolving part, and the revolving conveying path is opened around the revolving conveyance axis that extends about the rotation axis extending in the vertical direction. 18 is exposed, and the transfer paper P jammed in the reverse conveyance path 18 is removed.

As shown in FIG. 1, the copying machine 10 has a jam processing rotation unit 81 opened and a jam processing space 30 for performing jam processing is provided inside the housing 100.
Further, in the jam processing space 30, the jam processing rotating portion 81 passes vertically when moving between the closed state and the open state, in a region other than the moving region α that is a passing space when the cover member is opened and closed. An extending vertical exhaust duct 50 is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the copying machine 10 has an intake port 42 and an exhaust port 53 provided in front of the copying machine 10. Further, a horizontal exhaust duct 51 for guiding the exhaust from the vertical exhaust duct 50 to the exhaust port 53 disposed on the back side of the apparatus is provided.

  FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram in which a movement region α of the jam handling rotation unit 81 is added to the external view shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 1C and FIG. 7, when the copying machine 10 is viewed from the front, the jamming operation is performed so that at least a part of the projected view of the moving area α and the projected view of the vertical exhaust duct 50 overlap. The moving part 81 and the vertical exhaust duct 50 are arranged. That is, as shown in FIGS. 1B and 6, when the jam processing rotation unit 81 is opened, the vertical exhaust duct 50 is positioned on the back side of the jam processing rotation unit 81. . Thereby, the enlargement of the copying machine 10 in the left-right direction can be suppressed.

  In the copying machine 10 according to the first embodiment, the movement region α of the jam processing rotation unit 81 that rotates about the jam processing rotation shaft 81 b provided on the back side and extends in the vertical direction is within the housing 100. Thus, a jam processing space 30 is provided. However, since the rotation angle of the jam processing rotation unit 81 is less than 90 °, there is a dead space that does not contribute to securing the movement area α of the jam processing rotation unit 81 on the right back side of the jam processing space 30. Exists. From the viewpoint of securing the moving area α, the empty area of the jam processing space 30 can be utilized by arranging the vertical exhaust duct 50 in an area that becomes a dead space. Thereby, the enlargement of the copying machine 10 in which the jam processing space 30 is provided in the housing 100 can be suppressed.

  As shown in FIG. 1C, an area that does not contribute to securing the movement area α of the jam processing rotation unit 81 also exists on the right front side of the jam processing space 30. However, if a member fixed to the apparatus main body such as the vertical exhaust duct 50 is arranged in this region, the front side of the jam processing rotating section 81 is fixed to the apparatus main body when the jam processing rotating section 81 is opened. There is a possibility that it is blocked by the member and hinders the jam processing. Therefore, when a member fixed to the apparatus main body is disposed on the right front side of the jam processing space 30, it is desirable to dispose the jam processing space so as not to interfere with the jam processing.

In the copying machine 10 according to the first embodiment, the jam processing rotating unit 81 rotates around the jam processing rotating shaft 81b extending in the vertical direction, but a movement region α is secured in the housing 100. The configuration is not limited to this.
FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram in which a movement region α is added to an external view of the copying machine 10 in which the jam processing rotation unit 81 rotates around a rotation axis extending in the horizontal direction when viewed from the front side.
FIG. 9 is an external view of the copying machine 10 including a jam processing slide portion 81c that exposes the conveyance path of the transfer paper P by sliding in the left-right direction instead of the jam processing rotation portion 81, as viewed from the front side. It is explanatory drawing which added the movement area | region (alpha).
Also in the configuration shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, when the copying machine 10 is viewed from the front, the jam processing rotation unit 81 or the jam processing slide unit so that at least a part of the moving area α and the vertical exhaust duct 50 overlap each other. 81c and the vertical exhaust duct 50 are arranged. Thereby, the enlargement of the copying machine 10 in which the jam processing space 30 is provided in the housing 100 can be suppressed.

10 is an external view of an installation example of the copying machine 10 according to the first embodiment as viewed from the front side, and FIG. 11 is an external view of the installation example of the copying machine 10 illustrated in FIG. 10 as viewed from an oblique direction.
In the installation example shown in FIG. 10, a first cabinet 301 is installed on the left side of the copying machine 10 that can store a bundle of transfer sheets P and documents to be set on the paper feed tray 71. Further, a second cabinet 302 that can store supplies such as the process cartridge 1 and the toner bottle 90 and a document discarding box is installed on the right side of the copying machine 10.

The copying machine 10 has a jam processing space 30 provided inside the housing 100, and includes a flat plate-like right outer cover 32 outside the jam processing space 30, as shown in FIGS.
On the other hand, in the conventional image forming apparatus, the conveyance path cover member that opens in the left-right direction of the apparatus when performing jam processing on the sheet conveyance path that vertically conveys a sheet of transfer paper P or the like from below to the apparatus includes: Generally, it is a side exterior cover. For this reason, when a conventional image forming apparatus is installed, a side exterior cover having a function as a transport path cover member secures a cover member opening / closing passage space to open / close and store cabinets, furniture, electronic It was necessary to install equipment. Since storage, furniture, and electronic equipment cannot be installed close to the outside of the side exterior cover, there is a gap on the side of the image forming apparatus when the conveyance path cover member is closed, and the installation state is beautiful. Damaged.

  In the copying machine 10 according to the first embodiment, the jam processing space 30 including the moving area α, which is a passing space when the cover member is opened and closed, is provided inside the casing 100. There is no need to secure. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the side surfaces of the first cabinet 301 and the second cabinet 302 and the side surface of the copying machine 10 can be arranged close to or in contact with each other, and the aesthetics of the installed state can be improved. Can be planned.

  In the copying machine 10 according to the first embodiment, air sucked from the air inlet 42 by suction of a suction fan 47 described later enters an area below the bottom frame 106 inside the front lower exterior cover 35. Thereafter, it passes through a bottom frame opening 48 and a suction fan 47, which will be described later, and is to be cooled such as an image forming unit in which four process cartridges 1 are arranged and a fixing device 12 through a vertical intake duct 43 and a horizontal intake duct 44. To be supplied. The air whose temperature has risen through the objects to be cooled is discharged from the objects to be cooled, passes through the vertical exhaust duct 50 and the horizontal exhaust duct 51, and is discharged from the exhaust port 53 to the outside of the copying machine 10.

If the intake and exhaust ports are located on the side of the image forming device, install storage, furniture, and electronic equipment close to the outside of the side exterior cover to prevent a reduction in intake and exhaust efficiency. I can't. In addition, when the air inlet and exhaust port are arranged on the back surface of the image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus can be installed so that the back surface of the image forming apparatus is close to the wall surface, or stored close to the back surface of the image forming apparatus. And furniture and electronic devices cannot be installed.
The copying machine 10 according to the first embodiment has an intake port 42 and an exhaust port 53 provided on the front surface of the copying machine 10. For this reason, the first cabinet 301 and the second cabinet 302 can be installed so as to be close to or in contact with the left and right side surfaces of the copying machine 10, and the back surface of the copying machine 10 is close to or in contact with the wall surface 401. A copier 10 can be installed.
The intake port 42 and the exhaust port 53 are obtained by providing louvers on the jam processing unit front cover 31 and the front lower exterior cover 35 which are exterior covers.

The height of the copying machine 10 of the first embodiment is 1100 [mm], and if an exhaust port is provided on the upper surface of the copier 10 to exhaust the air, the air is exhausted toward a position close to the user's face, and the user feels uncomfortable. There is a risk of giving.
On the other hand, the copying machine 10 according to the first embodiment is used for cooling, the temperature rises, and the air that has reached the upper part in the apparatus is guided to the lower part in the apparatus by the vertical exhaust duct 50, and jammed near the floor surface. The air is exhausted from the exhaust port 53 of the front cover 31. As a result, exhaust is performed at the user's feet, and exhaust is not performed toward a position close to the user's face, thereby improving user comfort.

As a configuration for exhausting from a low position of the copying machine 10, an exhaust port is provided in the bottom frame 106, and air guided to the lower part in the apparatus by the vertical exhaust duct 50 is directed from the exhaust port provided in the bottom frame 106 to the floor surface. Can be considered. However, the space between the bottom frame 106 and the floor surface is narrow, and if exhaust is performed toward this space, the exhaust efficiency is reduced, and the cooling performance by the airflow may be reduced. Further, in the configuration in which the air in the space between the bottom frame 106 and the floor surface is sucked from the bottom frame opening 48 and used for cooling as in the copying machine 10 of the first embodiment, the exhaust gas is discharged from the bottom frame opening 48. Returning to the copying machine 10, the cooling performance may be reduced.
On the other hand, in the copying machine 10 according to the first embodiment, the air guided to the lower part in the apparatus by the vertical exhaust duct 50 is guided to the front side (front side) end of the copying machine 10 by the horizontal exhaust duct 51 to copy. The gas is discharged from an exhaust port 53 provided in the front of the machine 10 into an open space. Thereby, the fall of exhaust efficiency can be suppressed and the cooling performance by airflow can be maintained.

  Further, by arranging the exhaust port 53 in the vicinity of the lower end portion of the jam processing unit front cover 31 and arranging the intake port 42 in the lower front exterior cover 35, the exhaust port 53 and the intake port 42 become inconspicuous. Can improve the aesthetics.

  Further, in an image forming apparatus provided with an exhaust duct extending in the vertical direction in a conventional image forming apparatus, as in the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1, it is located on the inner side in the left-right direction with respect to the vertical conveyance sheet conveyance path. It is common to arrange an exhaust duct. In the configuration including such an exhaust duct, the length of the exhaust duct in addition to the longitudinal direction in which various members necessary for forming an image on the maximum width sheet such as the back side of the image forming apparatus are arranged. In addition to the front-rear direction, the length (depth) of the image forming apparatus in the front-rear direction becomes longer. When such an image forming apparatus is arranged side by side along a wall surface together with an office cabinet that stores documents and the like, the depth of the image forming apparatus is sufficiently longer than the cabinet, and the image forming apparatus protrudes to the front side. Become. In such an installation state, the appearances of the image forming apparatus and the cabinet are not unified, and the aesthetic appearance of the installation state is impaired.

  The copier 10 according to the first embodiment includes a vertical exhaust duct 50 that is an exhaust path for guiding exhaust discharged from the printer unit 20 toward the outside of the apparatus. In addition, the paper width direction, which is the sheet width direction orthogonal to the transfer direction of the transfer paper P in the paper feed conveyance path 17 and the reverse conveyance path 18, is the front-rear direction of the main body of the copying machine 10. A vertical exhaust duct 50 is provided outside the printer unit 20 in the left-right direction of the copying machine 10 in which the paper width direction is the front-rear direction. As a result, the depth of the copying machine 10 can be reduced as compared with the configuration in which the exhaust path is disposed outside the image forming unit in the front-rear direction.

  By shortening the depth of the copying machine 10, when the first cabinet 301 and the second cabinet 302 and the copying machine 10 are arranged along the wall surface 401 as shown in FIGS. It is possible to align. By aligning the end portions on the front side, the appearances of the copying machine 10, the first cabinet 301, and the second cabinet 302 are gathered, and the aesthetics of the installed state can be improved.

Further, in the copying machine 10, an electrical component 60 that stores electrical components such as an electronic board is disposed above the printer unit 20. Electrical components include a motor that drives the imaging unit and electrical components that are placed near the motor for motor drive control, but these drive transmissions to various components such as the rollers included in the imaging unit. In order to achieve this, it is arranged on the back side of the printer unit 20. On the other hand, electrical components such as a control board including a central processing unit (CPU) that can function even if not disposed on the back side of the printer unit 20 other than these are electrical components disposed above the printer unit 20. It arranges in part 60.
In this way, the configuration in which the arrangement of the electrical components is divided makes it possible to reduce the depth of the copying machine 10 compared to a configuration in which most of the electrical components including the control board and the like are collectively arranged on the back side of the printer unit 20. Space can be achieved. Furthermore, the aesthetics of the installed state can be improved by making the depth of the copying machine 10 shorter than before and aligning the depth of the cabinet (301, 302) with the depth.

  The copying machine 10 is shorter in depth than a conventional image forming apparatus, and can be disposed with the back surface close to or in contact with the wall surface 401. For this reason, by arranging the back surface close to or in contact with the wall surface 401, the length of the space occupied by the copying machine 10 from the wall surface 401 to the front end of the copying machine 10 can be shortened. The installation space can be saved.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, in the first embodiment, the copying machine 10 has a back surface in contact with the wall surface 401, a left side surface in contact with the first cabinet 301, and a right side surface in contact with the second cabinet 302. . On the other hand, nothing is installed in an area necessary for opening and closing the image forming unit front cover 21 and the jam processing unit front cover 31 on the front side of the copying machine 10, and the opening of the in-body discharge unit 14 is the copying machine. 10 is provided on the front side. For this reason, the user can take out the transfer sheet P output to the in-body sheet discharge section 14 even when a wall or cabinet is disposed close to or in contact with the back surface or both side surfaces.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, in the first embodiment, the image forming system 200 is configured by the copying machine 10 and cabinets (301, 302) having the same depth (“W” in FIG. 11). As a result, the appearance of the copying machine 10 and the cabinets disposed on the sides thereof are gathered, and the aesthetic appearance of the installed state can be improved.
Further, since the length in the front-rear direction of the copying machine 10 can be shortened, the length in the front-rear direction of the cabinets (301, 302) having the same depth can be shortened, and the entire image forming system 200 can be reduced in size.

The image forming system 200 arranged on the side of the copying machine 10 is not limited to the cabinet. In addition to cabinets such as desks, electronic devices such as furniture and shredders may be incorporated into the image forming system 200.
In the first embodiment, the depth “W” is 45 [cm], but is not limited thereto.

Next, the exhaust duct will be described.
FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the copying machine 10 with the scanner unit 40, the electrical unit 60, and the outer cover removed, as viewed from the left side of the front, and FIG. 13 shows the copying machine 10 shown in FIG. FIG. FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the copier 10 with the exterior cover removed as viewed obliquely from the right side, and FIG. 15 shows the copier 10 as viewed from the right side of the apparatus at the center position of the vertical exhaust duct 50 in the left-right direction. FIG.
12 and 13, the outer shape of the front side in each drawing of the exhaust fans (54, 55, 56, 62, 64 and 66) disposed in the exhaust duct (50, 51, 61, 63 and 65). For convenience, the line indicating is indicated by a solid line.

  As shown in FIGS. 12, 13, and 15, a first exhaust fan 54 and a second exhaust fan 55 are provided in a vertical exhaust duct 50 arranged so as to extend vertically from the upper part to the lower part of the copying machine 10. . By disposing one or more exhaust fans in the vertical exhaust duct 50 at an arbitrary position, the exhaust efficiency can be improved, and the cooling performance in the copying machine 10 can be improved by exhausting.

  As shown in FIGS. 4, 12, 13, and 15, a third exhaust fan 56 is provided in a horizontal exhaust duct 51 that is disposed so as to extend horizontally from the back side to the front side of the copying machine 10. By arranging one or more exhaust fans in the horizontal exhaust duct 51 at an arbitrary position, the exhaust efficiency can be improved, and the cooling performance in the copying machine 10 can be improved by exhausting.

  As shown in FIGS. 3, 12, and 13, an exhaust filter 52 is provided at an end of the horizontal exhaust duct 51 on the front side of the apparatus, and the exhaust filter 52 is configured to be replaceable. By arranging one or more exhaust filters 52 in the horizontal exhaust duct 51 at an arbitrary position, when solid particles are included in the exhaust, the exhaust filters 52 collect the solid particles and put them outside the copier 10. The scattering of solid particles can be suppressed. Furthermore, by making the exhaust filter 52 replaceable, it is possible to maintain the air permeability of the exhaust filter 52 and the ability to collect solid particles over time by replacing the exhaust filter 52 after use over time.

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, a paper discharge unit 22 is disposed above the fixing device 12. The paper discharge unit 22 includes a paper discharge roller pair 15 and a reverse roller pair 16, and further includes a part of a paper feed conveyance path 17 and a reverse conveyance path 18.
Further, as shown in FIG. 13, a discharge unit exhaust duct 65 that guides air in the in-body discharge unit 14 to the vertical exhaust duct 50 and a discharge unit exhaust duct 65 are disposed above the discharge unit 22. In addition, a discharge unit exhaust fan 66 for sucking air in the in-body discharge unit 14 is provided.

In the copying machine 10, the air in the in-body paper discharge unit 14 is sucked and guided to the vertical exhaust duct 50 by the paper discharge unit exhaust duct 65 and the paper discharge unit exhaust fan 66, and the vertical exhaust duct 50 and the horizontal exhaust duct 51 are connected. Through the exhaust port 53.
A part of the air whose temperature has risen due to heating of the fixing device 12 reaches the in-cylinder paper discharge unit 14, or the transfer paper P heated by the fixing device 12 is discharged to the in-cylinder paper discharge unit 14. Then, the temperature of the air in the in-body discharge unit 14 rises. When the temperature in the in-body paper discharge unit 14 rises, there is a possibility that the user who tries to take the transfer paper P output to the in-body paper discharge unit 14 may be uncomfortable.

  As in the copying machine 10 of the first embodiment, a discharge unit exhaust duct 65 that sucks air in the in-cylinder discharge unit 14 is provided, and is discharged from the exhaust port 53 through the vertical exhaust duct 50 and the horizontal exhaust duct 51. By adopting the configuration, it is possible to suppress an increase in the temperature in the in-body sheet discharge unit 14. Thereby, a user's comfort can be improved.

As shown in FIG. 13, the copying machine 10 includes an image forming unit exhaust duct 61 that guides air that has passed through the vicinity of the process cartridge 1 of each color to the vertical exhaust duct 50. Further, an image forming unit exhaust fan 62 that sucks air in the vicinity of the process cartridge 1 of each color through the image forming unit exhaust duct 61 is provided.
Further, as shown in FIG. 13, a fixing unit exhaust duct 63 that guides the air that has passed through the fixing device 12 to the vertical exhaust duct 50 is provided, and fixing that sucks air in the fixing device 12 through the fixing unit exhaust duct 63. A partial exhaust fan 64 is provided.

As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the electrical unit 60 is installed at the upper part of the copying machine 10, and the electrical unit intake port 69 for sucking the air that cools the electrical unit 60 is an exterior cover on the front of the upper side of the copying machine 10. It is provided on an electrical component front exterior cover 68. As shown in FIGS. 12 and 15, the upper end of the vertical exhaust duct 50 is a duct opening 57 that opens upward.
The arrows in FIG. 15 indicate the outline of the route through which the air sucked from the electrical equipment intake port 69 is exhausted from the exhaust port 53 as exhaust gas.

  When the first exhaust fan 54 and the second exhaust fan 55 are driven, the duct opening 57 becomes a negative pressure, and the air in the electrical component 60 disposed above the duct opening 57 is sucked. This suction of air generates an airflow in which air flows from the electrical component intake port 69 through the electrical component 60 to the vertical exhaust duct 50, and the electrical component 60 is cooled by the air sucked from the electrical component intake port 69. It becomes possible. If the exhaust of the electrical component 60 disposed at the upper part of the copier 10 is exhausted from the vicinity of the electrical component 60 to the outside, the exhaust may be directed toward a position close to the user's face, which may cause discomfort to the user. There is.

  In the copying machine 10 according to the first embodiment, the exhaust from the electrical component 60 is guided downward by the vertical exhaust duct 50 and discharged from the exhaust port 53 disposed at a low position of the apparatus via the horizontal exhaust duct 51. It has become. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the exhaust of the electrical component 60 from being discharged toward a position close to the user's face, and to improve the user's comfort.

Next, a configuration for sucking outside air from the air inlet 42 will be described.
FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the copying machine 10 with the scanner unit 40, the electrical unit 60, and the exterior cover removed, as viewed from the lower side on the right side of the front. FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the lower part of the copying machine 10 shown in FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the copying machine 10 includes a vertical intake duct 43 that guides air sucked from the intake port 42 upward. Further, as shown in FIG. 17, a suction fan 47 that sucks the air in the space between the bottom frame 106 and the floor through the bottom frame opening 48 is provided at the lower end of the vertical intake duct 43.

FIG. 18 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the suction fan 47 as viewed from the front side of the copying machine 10. In FIG. 18, the front lower exterior cover 35 located on the front side of the suction fan 47 is indicated by a solid line for convenience, and the air inlet 42 provided in the front lower exterior cover 35 is indicated by a two-dot chain line. A broken-line arrow in FIG. 18 indicates the flow of air sucked from the air inlet 42.
As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, a bottom frame opening 48 is provided on the front side of the left end portion of the bottom frame 106, a gap formed between the suction fan 47 and the left exterior cover 33, and the bottom frame The space between 106 and the floor is communicated.

When the suction fan 47 is driven, air outside the copying machine 10 passes through the air inlet 42 and is guided to the space between the bottom frame 106 and the floor surface. Furthermore, the air in this space passes through the bottom frame opening 48 by the suction force of the suction fan 47 and is guided to the gap formed between the suction fan 47 and the left outer cover 33 and passes through the suction fan 47. Then, it is guided to the vertical intake duct 43.
A horizontal intake duct 44 is connected to the upper end portion of the vertical intake duct 43, and the air that has reached the horizontal intake duct 44 is guided to the vicinity of the process cartridge 1 of each color, the interior of the fixing device 12, and the like.
As shown by the broken lines in FIG. 12, four image forming unit suction fans 45 (Y, M, C, K) are connected to the horizontal intake duct 44, and cooling adjacent to each of the four process cartridges 1 is performed. The air is supplied to the duct.

  It is conceivable that the intake port for sucking outside air is provided at the same height as the image forming portion of the process cartridge 1 or the like of the exterior cover in front of the copying machine 10. However, if the suction port is arranged at the same height as the image forming unit, the suction port is easily noticeable, and the aesthetic appearance of the copying machine 10 is deteriorated. In addition, sound generated from the image forming unit is likely to leak to the outside of the apparatus through the intake port provided in the front exterior cover via the intake path.

The copying machine 10 includes a vertical intake duct 43 that sucks air in a space below the bottom frame 106 into the copying machine 10 and a suction fan 47. A bottom frame opening 48 that is a bottom suction port that sucks air in a space below the bottom frame 106 is provided in the bottom frame 106, and an outside air suction port that guides air outside the copying machine 10 to a space below the bottom frame 106. Is provided in the front lower exterior cover 35.
By providing a bottom frame opening 48 in the bottom frame 106 for guiding the air in the space below the bottom frame 106 into the copying machine 10, the bottom frame opening 48 cannot be seen from the outside, and the copying machine 10 The aesthetics can be improved. Further, an air inlet 42 for guiding the air outside the copying machine 10 to the space below the bottom frame 106 is provided in the front lower exterior cover 35 disposed at the lower end of the copying machine 10. Since the air inlet 42 is located at the lower part of the copying machine 10 which is not easily noticeable, the aesthetics of the copying machine 10 can be improved.

  In the first embodiment, the air sucked from the air inlet 42 of the front lower exterior cover 35 is the bottom frame opening 48 of the bottom frame 106, the gap between the suction fan 47 and the left exterior cover 33, the vertical intake duct 43 and the horizontal intake duct. It passes through a complicated suction path such as 44. The sound transmitted from the image forming unit via the intake path is sufficiently attenuated until it is transmitted to the intake port 42 via the complicated suction path, so that the sound generated from the image forming unit is transmitted from the intake port 42 to the outside of the apparatus. It is possible to suppress leakage.

[Embodiment 2]
Hereinafter, a second embodiment (hereinafter referred to as “embodiment 2”) in which the present invention is applied to a copying machine (hereinafter referred to as a copying machine 10) as an image forming apparatus will be described.
FIG. 19 is an external view of the image forming unit front cover 21 and the jam processing unit front cover 31 of the copying machine 10 according to the second embodiment viewed from the front side. FIG. 20 is a perspective view of the copying machine 10 according to the second embodiment with the scanner unit 40 and the exterior cover removed. FIG. 21 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the position of the central portion in the left-right direction of the vertical exhaust duct 50 of the copying machine 10 according to the second embodiment when viewed from the right side of the apparatus. In each drawing of the second embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the same parts as those of the copying machine 10 of the first embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 19 and 21, in the copying machine 10 according to the second embodiment, the scanner unit 40 is disposed above the upper frame 105, and the electrical unit 60 is disposed inside the scanner unit 40 as shown in FIG. 21. It differs from the copier 10 of the first embodiment in that it is arranged on the back side.
As shown in FIG. 20, the copier 10 of the second embodiment is different from the copier 10 of the first embodiment in that a scanner holding frame 107 is provided above the upper frame 105.
Further, the configuration for forming an exhaust path from the vertical exhaust duct 50 to the exhaust port 53 is different from that of the copier 10 of the first embodiment.

The exhaust path of the copying machine 10 according to the second embodiment will be described below.
As shown in FIG. 21, a vertical exhaust fan 58 is disposed in the vertical exhaust duct 50, and a lower guide exhaust fan 59 is disposed obliquely in the horizontal exhaust duct 51.
As shown in FIGS. 19 to 21, in the copying machine 10 according to the second embodiment, the bottom frame through hole 106 a through which the exhaust path passes is provided in the bottom frame 106. The front side of the apparatus, which is the downstream side of the horizontal exhaust duct 51 in the exhaust passage direction, is positioned below the bottom frame 106 through the bottom frame through hole 106a, and an exhaust port 53 is provided in the front lower exterior cover 35. It has been.

FIG. 22 is a perspective explanatory view of the front lower exterior cover 35 and the rear lower exterior cover 36 provided in the copying machine 10 according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 22, the front lower exterior cover 35 and the rear lower exterior cover 36 are separated from each other, but when mounted on the copying machine 10, the rear end of the front lower exterior cover 35 and the front end of the rear lower exterior cover 36 are shown. Is in the state of proximity or contact.
As shown in FIG. 22, the front lower exterior cover 35 includes an exhaust duct coupling portion 37 that opens upward, and a lower exterior cover exhaust duct 38 that guides the gas that has reached the exhaust duct coupling portion 37 to the exhaust port 53.

  As shown in FIG. 21, in a portion that passes through the bottom frame through hole 106 a on the front side of the horizontal exhaust duct 51, a downward guide exhaust fan that generates an airflow in which the gas in the horizontal exhaust duct 51 is directed below the bottom frame 106. 59 is arranged. A replaceable exhaust filter 52 is provided on the downstream side of the horizontal exhaust duct 51 in the exhaust passage direction of the lower guide exhaust fan 59. The exhaust filter 52 can be removed from the horizontal exhaust duct 51 and replaced by being pulled out in the direction indicated by the arrow D in FIG.

The downstream end in the exhaust passage direction of the horizontal exhaust duct 51 further downstream of the exhaust filter 52 in the exhaust passage direction is an opening that opens downward in the vertical direction, and the exhaust duct coupling portion 37 that opens in the vertical upward direction. It becomes the composition to combine.
The lower exterior cover exhaust duct 38 has a shape in which the width in the left-right direction is wider toward the front side of the apparatus, which is the downstream side in the exhaust passage direction. As a result, the area of the exhaust port 53 is increased, and the flow rate of the exhaust gas coming out of the exhaust port 53 can be reduced.

In the copying machine 10 according to the second embodiment, the horizontal exhaust duct 51 guides gas from the bottom frame through hole 106 a provided in the bottom frame 106 that is a member constituting the housing 100 to the lower side of the bottom frame 106. Yes. Further, an exhaust duct coupling portion 37 and a lower exterior cover exhaust duct 38 that form an exhaust path provided below the bottom frame 106, and an exhaust port 53 are provided in the front lower exterior cover 35.
The appearance of the copying machine 10 can be improved by disposing the exhaust port 53 at an inconspicuous position of the front lower exterior cover 35 that is the lowermost part of the copying machine 10.

  In the copying machine 10 of the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 21, a lower guide exhaust fan 59 is provided in a portion where the horizontal exhaust duct 51 guides gas from the bottom frame through hole 106a to the bottom of the bottom frame 106. By disposing one or more exhaust fans at arbitrary positions in the portion that guides the gas below the bottom frame 106, the exhaust efficiency from the exhaust port 53 provided below the bottom frame 106 is improved. The cooling performance can be improved.

  In the copying machine 10 according to the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 21, an exhaust filter 52 is provided in a portion where the horizontal exhaust duct 51 guides gas from the bottom frame through hole 106a to the bottom of the bottom frame 106. One or more exhaust filters 52 are arranged in an arbitrary position in the horizontal exhaust duct 51 that guides the exhaust generated in the printer unit 20 toward the exhaust port 53, so that when solid particles are included in the exhaust, Solid particles can be collected by the filter 52. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the solid particles from being scattered outside the copying machine 10. Furthermore, by making the exhaust filter 52 replaceable, it is possible to maintain the air permeability of the exhaust filter 52 and the ability to collect solid particles over time by replacing the exhaust filter 52 after use over time.

In the copying machine 10 according to the second embodiment, the exhaust duct coupling portion 37 and the lower exterior cover exhaust duct 38 that form an exhaust path below the bottom frame 106, and the exhaust port 53 are connected to the apparatus body of the copying machine 10. It is provided in the detachable front lower exterior cover 35.
In the copying machine 10 of the second embodiment, the caster 41 is rotated and moved to the installation position with the front lower exterior cover 35 and the rear lower exterior cover 36 removed. And when it arrives at an installation position, the front lower exterior cover 35 and the back lower exterior cover 36 are mounted | worn.

If the copying machine 10 is moved with the members that form the exhaust path below the bottom frame 106 attached to the copying machine 10, it will collide with a floor ledge or an object placed on the floor. There is a possibility that the member forming the exhaust path may be damaged.
On the other hand, in the copying machine 10 of the second embodiment, the front lower exterior in which the portions (37, 38 and 53) forming the exhaust path below the bottom frame 106 can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body of the copying machine 10. The cover 35 is provided. After the copying machine 10 is moved to the installation position, the lower front cover 35 is attached to the apparatus body of the copying machine 10.
In this way, the portion that forms the exhaust path below the bottom frame 106 is configured to be detachable from the copying machine 10, and after the copying machine 10 is moved and mounted on the copying machine 10, It is possible to prevent the exhaust path from being damaged during movement.

  In the copying machine 10 according to the second embodiment, the exhaust port 53 is provided in the front lower exterior cover 35. Therefore, the exhaust port 53 can be disposed at a lower position than the copying machine 10 according to the first embodiment. As a result, the exhaust port 53 becomes more inconspicuous, and the aesthetic appearance of the copying machine 10 can be improved.

  In the copying machine 10 of the second embodiment, the air guided to the lower part in the apparatus by the vertical exhaust duct 50 is guided to the middle of the front side of the copying machine 10 by the horizontal exhaust duct 51, and then guided below the bottom frame 106. Thereafter, the air that has reached the downstream end of the horizontal exhaust duct 51 in the discharge direction is guided to the front end of the copier 10 by the exhaust duct coupling portion 37 and the lower exterior cover exhaust duct 38. The air is discharged from an exhaust port 53 provided to the open space. Thereby, the fall of exhaust efficiency can be suppressed and the cooling performance by airflow can be maintained.

  As the conveyance path cover member that exposes the sheet conveyance path from the closed state to the open state, one that exposes the sheet conveyance path just by opening the sheet conveyance path is conceivable, but is not limited thereto. A member that exposes the sheet conveying path by moving another member after the opened state as in the jam handling rotating portion 81 of the above-described embodiment may be released, and the sheet is released from the closed state when the sheet conveying path is exposed. Any member that moves to the state in the left-right direction may be used.

[Modification]
Next, a modified example of the copying machine 10 will be described.
FIG. 23 is a plan view schematically showing the positional relationship among the space in the casing 100 of the copier 10 of the modified example, the jam processing rotation unit 81, and the vertical exhaust duct 50. As shown in FIG.
In the first embodiment and the second embodiment described above, the vertical exhaust duct 50 is disposed on the back side of the jam processing space. As an arrangement of the vertical exhaust duct 50, as shown in FIG.
In the copying machine 10 according to the second modification, an exhaust duct that connects the printer unit 20 and the vertical exhaust duct 50 is disposed above the movement region α, so that the exhaust discharged from the printer unit 20 is sent to the vertical exhaust duct 50. It is possible to discharge from an exhaust port 53 provided below the apparatus.

  The copying machine 10 described in the above-described embodiments and modifications has a configuration in which the printer unit 20 and the housing 100 cannot be separated. As a configuration in which the moving region α is positioned in the casing, the image forming apparatus can be accommodated in the casing structure as a separate casing structure from the image forming apparatus, and the conveyance path cover member of the image forming apparatus can be accommodated in the casing structure. It is good also as a structure which ensured the space used as a passage area at the time of the cover member opening and closing for opening and closing. By securing a space as a passing area when the cover member is opened and closed in the housing structure, it is possible to arrange other structures on the side surface and the back surface of the housing structure. In addition, the exhaust duct that guides the exhaust gas generated from the image forming apparatus to the outside of the casing is arranged in a region outside the left and right direction of the image forming apparatus in the casing structure so that the casing that can accommodate the image forming apparatus is An increase in size in the direction can be suppressed.

  What was demonstrated above is an example, and there exists an effect peculiar for every following aspect.

(Aspect A)
An image forming unit such as a printer unit 20 that forms an image on the sheet and a sheet conveying path such as a sheet feeding conveying path 17 and a reverse conveying path 18 that convey a sheet such as transfer paper P, and the like is discharged from the image forming part. In an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine 10 provided with an exhaust path such as a vertical exhaust duct 50 and a horizontal exhaust duct 51 that guides an exhaust gas or the like toward the outside of the apparatus, it is orthogonal to the sheet transport direction in the sheet transport path At least a part of the exhaust path is provided outside the image forming unit in the left-right direction of the apparatus main body when the sheet width direction to be performed is the front-rear direction of the apparatus main body.
According to this, as described in the first embodiment, the exhaust path is provided outside the image forming unit in the front-rear direction by providing the exhaust path outside the image forming unit having the sheet conveyance path in the left-right direction. Thus, it is possible to save space in the front-rear direction.

(Aspect B)
In the aspect A, the jam processing rotation unit 81 or the like that exposes the sheet conveyance paths such as the sheet feeding conveyance path 17 and the reverse conveyance path 18 by moving from the closed state to the outside in the left-right direction to be in the open state. A housing such as a housing 100 provided with a road cover member and having a passage region when the cover member is opened and closed, such as a movement region α, which passes when the conveyance path cover member moves between a closed state and an open state; In addition, a direct exhaust path such as a vertical exhaust duct 50 and a horizontal exhaust duct 51 is arranged in the casing.
According to this, as described in the first embodiment, since the cover member opening / closing passage area is located inside the housing, the space for opening and closing the conveyance path cover member on the outer side in the left-right direction of the image forming apparatus. Need not be secured. In addition, by providing an exhaust path in an empty space in the internal space of the housing that is widened in the left-right direction of the image forming unit in order to secure a space for opening and closing the transport path cover member that moves in the left-right direction, the entire apparatus Increase in size can be suppressed.

(Aspect C)
In aspect B, a projection view at a viewpoint along the front-rear direction such as the viewpoint as viewed from the front of the apparatus, a projection view of the passing area when the cover member is opened and closed such as the movement area α, the vertical exhaust duct 50 and the horizontal exhaust duct 51 And at least a part of the projected view of the exhaust path and the like overlap.
According to this, as described in the first embodiment, it is possible to suppress an increase in size of the apparatus in the left-right direction.

(Aspect D)
In any one of the aspects A to C, the sheet conveyance paths such as the sheet feeding conveyance path 17 and the reverse conveyance path 18 convey a sheet such as the transfer paper P in the vertical direction.
According to this, as described in the first embodiment, the sheet conveyance path that conveys the sheet in the vertical direction can be exposed by moving the conveyance path cover member such as the jam handling rotation unit 81 in the left-right direction. State.

(Aspect E)
In any of the aspects A to D, an exhaust port such as an air inlet 42 that sucks a gas such as air outside the apparatus to the inside, and an exhaust gas such as an exhaust port 53 that discharges a gas such as the exhaust gas inside the apparatus to the outside. A mouth is provided in front of the apparatus such as the image forming unit front cover 21 and the jam processing unit front cover 31.
According to this, as described in the first embodiment, it is possible to arrange the image forming apparatus such as a copying machine 10 such as a cabinet or a wall surface close to or in contact with the back surface or side surface of the image forming apparatus.

(Aspect F)
In aspect E, the exhaust path extends in the front-rear direction such that the vertical exhaust path such as the vertical exhaust duct 50 extending in the vertical direction, and the gas in the vertical exhaust path directs the gas such as the exhaust toward the exhaust port such as the exhaust port 53. And a horizontal exhaust path such as a horizontal exhaust duct 51 that is guided along.
According to this, as described in the first embodiment, the exhaust in the upper part in the apparatus can be guided to the lower part in the apparatus, and the exhaust can be discharged from a low position on the front surface of the apparatus. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the exhaust from being performed toward a position close to the user's face, and to improve the comfort of the user.

(Aspect G)
In the aspect F, air flow generating means such as the first exhaust fan 54 and the second exhaust fan 55 are provided in the vertical exhaust path such as the vertical exhaust duct 50.
According to this, as described in the first embodiment, the exhaust efficiency is improved, and the cooling performance in the copying machine 10 can be improved by exhausting.

(Aspect H)
In the aspect F or G, the air flow generating means such as the third exhaust fan 56 is provided in the horizontal exhaust path such as the horizontal exhaust duct 51.
According to this, as described in the first embodiment, the exhaust efficiency is improved, and the cooling performance in the copying machine 10 can be improved by exhausting.

(Aspect I)
In any of the aspects F to H, the horizontal exhaust path such as the horizontal exhaust duct 51 is provided with filtering means such as the exhaust filter 52.
According to this, as described in the first embodiment, it is possible to suppress scattering of solid particles outside the apparatus.

(Aspect J)
In any one of the aspects F to I, an electrical component such as the electrical component 60 having electrical components such as a CPU is provided above the image forming unit such as the printer unit 20, and gas such as external air is provided in the electrical component. A duct opening for receiving the gas in the electrical component at the upper part of the vertical exhaust path such as the vertical exhaust duct 50 provided with an electrical component intake such as the electrical component intake 69 on the front side of the device such as the front exterior cover 68 An opening such as 57 is provided.
According to this, as described in the first embodiment, it is possible to prevent the exhaust of the electrical component from being discharged toward a position close to the user's face, and to improve the comfort of the user. .

(Aspect K)
In any of the aspects F to J, the end on the exhaust port side such as the exhaust port 53 of the horizontal exhaust path such as the horizontal exhaust duct 51 is the bottom frame 106 that forms the bottom surface of the apparatus such as the copying machine 10. The bottom plate member communicates with the bottom plate member through holes such as the bottom frame through hole 106a provided in the bottom plate member, and connects the horizontal exhaust path and the exhaust port located below the bottom plate member. A bottom plate lower exhaust path such as a duct coupling portion 37 and a lower exterior cover exhaust duct 38 is provided.
According to this, as described in the second embodiment, the aesthetic appearance of the image forming apparatus such as the copying machine 10 can be improved by disposing the exhaust port at a position that is less conspicuous below the bottom plate member. it can.

(Aspect L)
In the aspect K, airflow generating means such as a lower guide exhaust fan 59 is provided between a horizontal exhaust path such as the horizontal exhaust duct 51 and a bottom plate lower exhaust path such as the exhaust duct coupling portion 37 and the lower exterior cover exhaust duct 38.
According to this, as described in the second embodiment, the cooling performance can be improved with the configuration in which the exhaust port is provided below the bottom plate member such as the bottom frame 106 to improve the aesthetic appearance.

(Aspect M)
In the aspect K or L, filtering means such as an exhaust filter 52 is provided between a horizontal exhaust path such as the horizontal exhaust duct 51 and a bottom plate lower exhaust path such as the exhaust duct coupling portion 37 and the lower exterior cover exhaust duct 38.
According to this, as described in the second embodiment, solid particles are scattered outside the apparatus with a configuration in which an exhaust port is provided below the bottom plate member such as the bottom frame 106 to improve the aesthetic appearance. Can be suppressed.

(Aspect N)
In any one of the aspects K to M, the exterior cover such as the front lower exterior cover 35 that can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body includes the exhaust port such as the exhaust port 53 and the exhaust duct coupling portion 37 and the lower exterior cover exhaust duct 38. And a bottom plate lower exhaust path.
According to this, as described in the second embodiment, it is possible to prevent the exhaust path from being damaged when the apparatus is moved.

(Aspect O)
In any of the aspects A to N, the gas such as the exhaust of the sheet discharge unit such as the in-body discharge unit 14 from which the sheet such as the transfer paper P on which the image is formed by the image forming unit in the printer unit 20 is discharged Is provided with a discharge portion exhaust path such as a discharge portion exhaust duct 65 that guides the sheet toward a portion other than the sheet discharge portion.
According to this, as described in the first embodiment, it is possible to suppress an increase in the temperature of the sheet discharge portion, and it is possible to improve the comfort of the user.

(Aspect P)
In any one of the aspects A to O, the intake mechanism for sucking gas such as air outside the apparatus is provided in an exterior cover such as the front lower exterior cover 35 at the lower part of the apparatus, and the bottom surface of the apparatus such as the copier 10 is An outside air suction port such as an air inlet 42 that guides gas outside the apparatus to a space between the bottom plate member such as the bottom frame 106 and the floor surface to be formed, and the bottom plate member, between the bottom plate member and the floor surface A lower surface suction port such as a bottom frame opening 48 that guides the gas in the space above the bottom plate member, and a vertical intake duct 43 and a horizontal intake duct 44 that guide the gas that has passed through the lower surface suction port to the object to be cooled in the apparatus. A suction airflow generating means such as a suction fan 47 for generating an airflow in the intake path and an airflow path is provided.
According to this, as described in the first embodiment, the lower surface suction port is disposed at a position where it cannot be visually recognized from the outside, and the suction port is disposed at a position less conspicuous below the bottom plate member. Thus, the aesthetics of the image forming apparatus can be improved.

(Aspect Q)
An image including an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine 10 that forms an image on a sheet such as transfer paper P, and additional units such as a first cabinet 301 and a second cabinet 302 arranged in the left-right direction of the image forming apparatus. The image forming system such as the forming system 200 includes the image forming apparatus according to any one of the aspects A to P as the image forming apparatus.
According to this, as described in the first embodiment, it is possible to reduce the size of the image forming system. This is due to the following reason.
That is, an additional unit such as a cabinet arranged on the side of the image forming apparatus can improve the aesthetics of the image forming system by making the length in the front-rear direction the same as that of the image forming apparatus. However, if the image forming apparatus is long in the front-rear direction, the entire image forming system is also long in the front-rear direction, leading to an increase in the size of the image forming system. By shortening the image forming apparatus in the front-rear direction, the size of the image forming system can be reduced.

(Aspect R)
An image forming unit housing case such as a housing for housing an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet, having a sheet transport path such as a paper feed transport path 17 and a reverse transport path 18 for transporting a sheet such as transfer paper P. In this case, when the sheet width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction of the image forming apparatus is the front-rear direction of the housing body, the sheet body is moved to the outer side in the left-right direction of the housing body to open the sheet transportation path. In the configuration in which the passage area when the cover member opening and closing such as the movement area α through which the conveyance path cover member such as the jam handling rotation part 81 to be exposed moves between the closed state and the opened state is located inside, At least a part of an exhaust path such as a vertical exhaust duct 50 and a horizontal exhaust duct 51 that guides gas such as exhaust discharged from the image forming apparatus to the outside of the housing is provided on the outer side in the left-right direction of the image forming apparatus.
According to this, as described in the above embodiment, the exhaust path is provided outside the image forming apparatus in the left-right direction, so that the front and rear sides of the housing are arranged more than the configuration in which the exhaust path is provided outside in the front-rear direction of the image forming apparatus. Space saving in the direction can be achieved.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Process cartridge 2 Photoconductor 3 Charging member 4 Developing device 5 Photoconductor cleaning device 6 Exposure device 7 Intermediate transfer belt 8 Primary transfer roller 9 Secondary transfer roller 9a Secondary transfer counter roller 10 Copying machine 11 Transfer belt cleaning device 12 Fixing device 13 paper discharge tray 14 in-body paper discharge unit 15 paper discharge roller pair 15a paper discharge port 16 reverse roller pair 16a reverse opening 17 paper feed conveyance path 18 reverse conveyance path 19 registration roller pair 20 printer unit 21 image forming unit front cover 22 Paper discharge unit 30 Jam processing space 31 Jam processing unit front cover 32 Right side outer cover 33 Left side outer cover 34 Rear outer cover 35 Front lower outer cover 36 Rear lower outer cover 37 Exhaust duct coupling unit 38 Lower outer cover exhaust duct 40 Scanner unit 41 Caster 42 Intake port 43 Vertical intake duct 4 Horizontal intake duct 45 Image forming section suction fan 47 Suction fan 48 Bottom frame opening 50 Vertical exhaust duct 51 Horizontal exhaust duct 52 Exhaust filter 53 Exhaust port 54 First exhaust fan 55 Second exhaust fan 56 Third exhaust fan 57 Duct opening 58 Vertical exhaust fan 59 Lower guide exhaust fan 60 Electrical part 61 Image forming part exhaust duct 62 Image forming part exhaust fan 63 Fixing part exhaust duct 64 Fixing part exhaust fan 65 Paper discharge part exhaust duct 66 Paper discharge part exhaust fan 68 Front of electrical part Outer cover 69 Electrical part intake port 70 Paper feeding device 71 Paper feeding tray 80 Paper transport device 81 Jam processing rotating portion 81a Rotating portion inner side surface 81b Jam processing rotating shaft 81c Jam processing sliding portion 82 Jam processing fixing portion 82a Fixing portion inner side surface 90 Toner bottle 100 Housing 101 Front right frame 102 Front left frame 103 Rear right frame 104 Rear left frame 105 Top frame 106 Bottom frame 106a Bottom frame through hole 107 Scanner holding frame 200 Image forming system 301 First cabinet 302 Second cabinet 401 Wall surface P Transfer paper α Moving region

JP 2005-17881 A

Claims (18)

An image forming unit having a sheet conveyance path for conveying the sheet and forming an image on the sheet;
An image forming apparatus comprising: an exhaust path for guiding the gas discharged from the image forming unit toward the outside of the apparatus;
Providing at least a part of the exhaust path outside the image forming unit in the left-right direction of the apparatus main body when the sheet width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction in the sheet conveyance path is the front-rear direction of the apparatus main body. An image forming apparatus. In claim 1,
A conveyance path cover member that exposes the sheet conveyance path by moving from the closed state to the outside in the left-right direction to be in an open state;
A cover member opening and closing passage region that passes when the transport path cover member moves between a closed state and an open state;
An image forming apparatus, wherein the exhaust path is disposed in the casing. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2.
An image forming apparatus having a configuration in which at least a part of a projected view of the passage area when the cover member is opened and closed and a projected view of the exhaust path overlap in a projected view along the front-rear direction. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The image forming apparatus, wherein the sheet conveying path conveys a sheet in a vertical direction. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,
An image forming apparatus comprising an intake port for sucking gas inside the apparatus inside and an exhaust port for discharging gas inside the apparatus to the outside. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5.
The exhaust path includes a vertical exhaust path extending in the vertical direction, and a horizontal exhaust path for guiding the gas in the vertical exhaust path toward the exhaust port along the front-rear direction. An image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6.
An image forming apparatus comprising an airflow generating means in the vertical exhaust path. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6 or 7,
An image forming apparatus comprising an airflow generating means in the horizontal exhaust path. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 8,
An image forming apparatus comprising a filtering means in the horizontal exhaust path. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 9,
An electrical component having electrical components is provided above the image forming unit,
Provided with an electrical equipment inlet on the front of the equipment for guiding external gas to the electrical equipment,
An image forming apparatus comprising an opening for receiving the gas in the electrical component at an upper part of the vertical exhaust path. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein:
The exhaust port side end of the horizontal exhaust path communicates with the bottom of the bottom plate member through a hole provided in the bottom plate member forming the bottom surface of the device,
An image forming apparatus comprising: a bottom plate lower exhaust path that connects the horizontal exhaust path and the exhaust port positioned below the bottom plate member. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11.
An image forming apparatus comprising: an airflow generating means between the horizontal exhaust path and the bottom plate lower exhaust path. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11 or 12,
An image forming apparatus comprising a filtering means between the horizontal exhaust path and the bottom plate lower exhaust path. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11,
An image forming apparatus, wherein an exterior cover detachable from the apparatus main body includes the exhaust port and the bottom plate lower exhaust path. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,
An image forming apparatus comprising: a discharge unit exhaust path that guides a gas in a sheet discharge unit from which a sheet on which an image has been formed in the image forming unit is discharged toward other than the sheet discharge unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,
As an intake mechanism for sucking gas outside the apparatus, an external air suction port that is provided in an exterior cover at the lower part of the apparatus and guides gas outside the apparatus to a space between a bottom plate member that forms the bottom surface of the apparatus and the floor surface;
A lower surface suction port that is provided in the bottom plate member and guides gas in a space between the bottom plate member and the floor surface above the bottom plate member;
An intake path that guides the gas that has passed through the lower surface suction port to a cooling target in the apparatus;
An image forming apparatus comprising: a suction airflow generation means for generating an airflow in the intake path. An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet;
In an image forming system comprising: an additional unit disposed in the left-right direction of the image forming apparatus,
An image forming system comprising the image forming apparatus according to claim 1 as the image forming apparatus. In a case structure having a sheet conveyance path for conveying a sheet and accommodating an image forming apparatus for forming an image on the sheet,
When the sheet width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction of the image forming apparatus is the front-rear direction of the housing body, the sheet body is moved to the outer side in the left-right direction of the housing body to open the sheet transportation path. In the configuration in which the passage area at the time of opening and closing the cover member that passes when the conveying path cover member to be exposed moves between the closed state and the open state is located inside,
A housing structure characterized in that at least a part of an exhaust path for guiding the gas discharged from the image forming apparatus toward the outside of the housing is provided on the outer side in the left-right direction of the image forming apparatus.

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