JP2023015762A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To devise the configuration of a duct in an image forming apparatus to reduce ventilation resistance, thereby improving exhaust efficiency.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus 1 comprises: a drum unit; a power supply section 70; an exhaust fan 81 that exhausts air inside the apparatus to the outside; and a housing 2 that includes a duct 23 having a first partition wall 231 that partitions a first channel 23A guiding air from the drum unit toward the exhaust fan 81 and a second channel 23B guiding air from the power supply section 70 toward the exhaust fan 81 from each other. The first partition wall 231 is in contact with or proximity to the exhaust fan 81 at one end.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an image forming apparatus such as a laser printer is provided with an exhaust fan for discharging heat and ozone generated inside the apparatus body to the outside. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-100000 discloses a process unit having a photoreceptor, a fixing unit for thermally fixing toner onto a sheet, a power supply unit to which electricity is supplied from an external power supply, and air from the process unit, fixing unit, and power supply unit. and an exhaust fan for discharging the air in the duct to the outside of the apparatus body.

JP 2012-78424 A

According to the configuration of Patent Document 1, the air from the power supply section and the fixing section that flows from left to right and the air from the processing section that flows from front to back join in the duct. As a result, the air from the power supply section and the fixing section is smoothly exhausted from the exhaust fan, while the air from the process section joins the air flow from the power supply section and the fixing section perpendicularly to collide with each other. Poor flow. In this way, the air flowing in different directions collides with each other, causing airflow resistance and reducing the exhaust efficiency.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to reduce ventilation resistance and improve exhaust efficiency by devising a configuration of a duct in an image forming apparatus.

The image forming apparatus of the present invention comprises a first section, a second section, an exhaust fan for discharging air inside the apparatus to the outside, and a first flow path for guiding the air from the first section toward the exhaust fan. and a second flow path that guides air from the second part toward the exhaust fan. One end of the first partition wall abuts or approaches the exhaust fan.

According to the above configuration, the duct is divided into the first flow path and the second flow path by the first partition wall, and by eliminating the confluence of the air in the duct, the air from the first section and the air from the second section are separated. Air can be led to the exhaust fan without colliding with each other. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the ventilation resistance in the duct and improve the exhaust efficiency.

In the image forming apparatus described above, a third section is provided, the duct partitions the second flow path from a third flow path that guides air from the third section toward the exhaust fan, and one end of the duct is connected to the exhaust fan. You may make it provide the 2nd partition wall which contact|abuts or adjoins a fan.

According to the above configuration, the duct is divided into the second flow path and the third flow path by the second partition wall, and by eliminating the confluence of the air in the duct, the air from the second section and the air from the third section are separated. Air can be led to the exhaust fan without colliding with each other. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the ventilation resistance in the duct and improve the exhaust efficiency.

In the above image forming apparatus, the first section is a process section having a photosensitive member, the second section is a power supply section having a power supply board, and the third section is a fixing section having a heating roller. There may be.

According to the above configuration, the air from the process section, the air from the power supply section, and the air from the fixing section can be led to the exhaust fan without colliding with each other.

In the image forming apparatus described above, the housing may include a wall portion having a slit and arranged between the power supply portion and the second flow path.

According to the above configuration, by arranging the wall portion having the slit, it is possible to adjust the amount of ventilation from the power supply unit to the second flow path.

In the image forming apparatus described above, the housing may include a first shielding member that shields an air flow from the end of the heating roller on the exhaust fan side to the third flow path.

According to the above configuration, by suppressing the flow of the air heated by the heating roller from the end of the heating roller to the third flow path, the temperature of the end of the heating roller on the exhaust fan side is reduced to that of the heating roller. It is possible to suppress lowering than other parts.

In the image forming apparatus described above, the housing may include a bearing member that supports the end portion of the heating roller, and the inner diameter of the first shielding member may be larger than the outer diameter of the bearing member.

According to the above configuration, even if the bearing member moves due to the linear expansion of the heating roller, it is possible to prevent the bearing member from interfering with the first shielding member.

In the image forming apparatus described above, the power supply unit includes a cover having a side surface extending in a vertical direction, and the housing is fixed to the side surface of the cover to shield the fixing unit and the processing unit. A shielding member may be provided.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to suppress the flow of air containing water vapor after fixing from the fixing section to the processing section.

The above-described image forming apparatus includes a belt unit that is positioned upstream of the fixing section in the sheet conveying direction and that conveys the sheet, and a belt cleaner that is positioned below the belt unit and cleans the belt unit, The housing includes a first support portion that supports an end portion of the belt unit on the side of the exhaust fan, and a space below the first support portion to support the end portion of the belt cleaner on the side of the exhaust fan. and a second support portion that supports the portion.

According to the above configuration, by using the space between the first support section and the second support section as a part of the exhaust path between the process section and the first flow path, the air from the process section can be removed. Exhaust efficiency can be improved.

According to the present invention, by devising the structure of the duct in the image forming apparatus, the ventilation resistance can be reduced and the exhaust efficiency can be improved.

1 is a perspective view of an image forming apparatus according to one embodiment; FIG. 2 is a central sectional view of the image forming apparatus of FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the main configuration of the exhaust structure and its surroundings; 4 is a cross-sectional view of the periphery of a heating roller cover; FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a heating roller cover; FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the periphery of a second shielding member; It is a perspective view of the periphery of the first support and the second support. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the periphery of a first support and a second support; FIG.

In the following description, the right side and left side in FIG. 2 are defined as the front side and the rear side of the image forming apparatus 1, respectively, and the front side and the back side of the paper surface in FIG. 2 are defined as the left side and the right side of the image forming apparatus 1, respectively. do. Further, the upper side and the lower side in FIG. 2 are defined as the upper side and the lower side of the image forming apparatus 1, respectively. In this embodiment, the vertical direction is the vertical direction.

[Overall Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an image forming apparatus 1 of one embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a central sectional view of the image forming apparatus 1 of FIG. The appearance of the image forming apparatus 1 is formed by a substantially rectangular parallelepiped housing 2 . The housing 2 has a body frame 20 (see FIG. 4) that supports each member, and a body cover 21 that covers the body frame 20 and forms an appearance. The body frame 20 has a left frame 201 (see FIG. 4) arranged on the left side and a right frame 202 (see FIG. 4) arranged on the right side. The body cover 21 has a discharge tray 211 on its upper surface.

The image forming apparatus 1 is a color laser printer that forms a multi-color image on a sheet S such as paper or an OHP sheet by electrophotography. The housing 2 accommodates a sheet tray 3 , a conveying section 4 , an image forming section 5 , a re-conveying section 6 , and a control section 7 . In the housing 2 , roughly speaking, the image forming section 5 is located at the upper and central portions, the transport section 4 is located below and behind the image forming section 5 , and the front and rear portions of the housing 2 and below the transport section 4 are arranged. Control units 7 are arranged on the left and right sides of the main body frame 20, between the re-conveying unit 6 and the image forming unit 5 and the re-conveying unit 6, respectively.

An opening 22 is formed in the front lower portion of the housing 2 to serve as an insertion port for the sheet tray 3 . The sheet tray 3 is a box-shaped body having a sheet storage portion 31 with an open top, and supports a plurality of sheets S stacked one on top of another. The sheet tray 3 can be inserted into and removed from the housing 2 by moving it in the front-rear direction through the opening 22 .

The transport unit 4 is configured by members arranged along the transport path P1, and transports the sheet S along the transport path P1. A transport path P1 is a path that connects the sheet tray 3 to the discharge tray 211 via the image forming unit 5 . The transport section 4 is composed of a supply section 41, a belt unit 42, and a discharge section 43 in order from the upstream side in the transport direction of the transport path P1.

The supply unit 41 includes a supply roller 411 , a separation roller 412 , a separation pad 413 , a pair of conveying rollers 414 , a pair of registration rollers 415 , and a support member 416 that supports some rollers of the supply unit 41 . The sheets S accommodated in the sheet tray 3 are fed one by one to the transport path P1 by the supply roller 411, the separation roller 412, and the separation pad 413. As shown in FIG. The sheet S sent to the conveying path P1 is conveyed toward the image forming portion 5 by the pair of conveying rollers 414 and the pair of registration rollers 415 .

The belt unit 42 is detachable from the housing 2, and includes a driving roller 421 that rotates in conjunction with the image forming unit 5, and a driven roller 422 that is rotatably disposed at a position separated from the driving roller 421. , and a transport belt 423 wound between a drive roller 421 and a driven roller 422 . By rotating the conveying belt 423 with the sheet S thereon, the sheet S is conveyed along the conveying path P1, sent below the drum unit 51 of the image forming section 5, and then sent to the fixing section 53.

The discharge section 43 includes an intermediate discharge roller pair 431 and a discharge roller pair 432 arranged between the branch portion P11 of the transport path P1 and the discharge tray 211 . The intermediate discharge roller pair 431 and the discharge roller pair 432 are switchback rollers configured to switch rotation between forward and reverse directions. The intermediate discharge roller pair 431 and the discharge roller pair 432 rotate forward when the sheet S conveyed from the fixing unit 53 is discharged onto the discharge tray 211, and when the sheet S is reversed and conveyed to the re-conveyance path P2. rotates in the opposite direction.

The image forming unit 5 employs an electrophotographic system in this embodiment. In addition, other image forming methods such as a thermal method and an inkjet method may be used. The image forming unit 5 is of a so-called direct tandem system capable of color printing, and includes four drum units 51 arranged in parallel in the front-rear direction, an exposure LED head 52, a fixing unit 53, and a belt cleaner 54. Prepare. The drum unit 51 is an example of a process section.

Each drum unit 51 is provided corresponding to four color toners (developers) of black, yellow, magenta, and cyan. Each drum unit 51 includes a photosensitive drum 511, which is an example of a photosensitive member, a developing roller 512, and a transfer roller 513 arranged at each position facing the photosensitive drum 511 with the transport belt 423 interposed therebetween.

In such an image forming section 5 , each photosensitive drum 511 uniformly charged by the charger is selectively exposed by the exposure LED head 52 . This exposure selectively removes charges from the surface of each photosensitive drum 511 and forms an electrostatic latent image on the surface of each photosensitive drum 511 .

A developing bias is applied to each developing roller 512 , and when the electrostatic latent image formed on each photosensitive drum 511 faces each developing roller 512 , the potential difference between the electrostatic latent image and each developing roller 512 causes , developing rollers 512 to supply toner to the electrostatic latent image. Thereby, a toner image is formed on the surface of each photosensitive drum 511 .

The sheet S conveyed toward the image forming portion 5 is conveyed by the conveying belt 423 and sequentially passes between the conveying belt 423 and each photosensitive drum 511 . Then, the toner image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 511 is transferred to the sheet S by the transfer bias applied to the transfer roller 513 when the sheet S faces the photosensitive drum 511 .

The fixing unit 53 is arranged downstream of the four photosensitive drums 511 in the transport direction on the transport path P1. The fixing section 53 includes a heating roller 531 and a pressure roller 532 that presses against the heating roller 531 . The heating roller 531 is arranged on the image forming surface side of the sheet S, is rotationally driven in synchronization with the conveying belt 423, and applies a conveying force to the sheet S while heating the toner.

On the other hand, the pressure roller 532 is disposed on the side opposite to the heating roller 531 with the sheet S interposed therebetween, and presses the sheet S toward the heating roller 531 side. As a result, the pressure roller 532 receives a rotational force from the heating roller 531 via the sheet S in contact with the heating roller 531 and is driven to rotate.

The fixing unit 53 also includes a pair of fixing discharge rollers 533 arranged downstream of the heating roller 531 and the pressure roller 532 in the sheet S conveying direction.

In the image forming section 5 , the toner image is thermally fixed to the sheet S while the sheet S having the toner image transferred thereon passes between the heating roller 531 and the pressure roller 532 . The sheet S on which the toner image is thermally fixed is conveyed to the intermediate discharge roller pair 431 while being nipped by the fixing discharge roller pair 533 .

The belt cleaner 54 is detachably arranged between the belt unit 42 and the re-conveying section 6 and is a member for collecting waste toner from the conveying belt 423 .

The belt cleaner 54 has a backup roller 541 , a cleaning roller 542 , a recovery roller 543 , a scraping blade 544 , a recovery chamber 545 and a waste toner box 546 .

The backup roller 541 is arranged inside the conveying belt 423 and contacts the conveying belt 423 from above. The cleaning roller 542 is arranged at a position facing the backup roller 541 with the transport belt 423 interposed therebetween, and is in contact with the transport belt 423 from below.

In the belt cleaner 54 , waste toner adhering to the conveying belt 423 is collected by a cleaning roller 542 , a collection roller 543 , a scraping blade 544 and a collection chamber 545 , and the collected waste toner is stored in a waste toner box 546 . It is configured.

The cleaning operation is started after image formation by the image forming section 5 is completed. In the cleaning operation, the waste toner adhering to the surface of the conveying belt 423 is electrostatically held on the surface of the cleaning roller 542 by the bias applied to the cleaning roller 542 and then electrostatically transferred to the collection roller 543 . be. The waste toner transferred to the collection roller 543 is scraped off by the scraping blade 544 and falls into the collection chamber 545 . The waste toner that has fallen into the collection chamber 545 is transported backward by transport means (not shown) and stored in the waste toner box 546 .

The re-conveying section 6 is configured by members arranged along the re-conveying path P2, and conveys the sheet S along the re-conveying path P2. The re-conveying path P2 branches off from a branching portion P11 between the fixing section 53 and the intermediate discharge roller pair 431 in the conveying path P1, passes above the sheet tray 3, and merges between the sheet tray 3 and the image forming section 5. This is the route that merges with the part P12. With this configuration, the re-conveying path P2 can be made shorter than the configuration in which the re-conveying path P2 is arranged below the sheet tray 3 .

The re-conveying section 6 includes a lower chute 61 for guiding the lower surface of the sheet S and an upper chute 62 for guiding the upper surface of the sheet S above the sheet tray 3 and below the image forming section 5 . The lower chute 61 includes a skew feed roller pair 611 and a re-conveyance roller 612 for guiding the sheet S along the re-conveyance path P2. A driven roller 613 forming a nip with the re-conveying roller 612 is supported by a support member 416 of the supply section 41 located above the re-conveying roller 612 .

An opening 24 serving as an insertion opening for the lower chute 61 is formed in the rear surface of the housing 2 . The lower chute 61 can be inserted into and removed from the housing 2 by moving it in the front-rear direction through the opening 24 .

The re-conveying section 6 conveys the sheet S having an image formed on one side, which is conveyed from the intermediate discharge roller pair 431, to the confluence section P12. The sheet S re-conveyed from the confluence portion P12 to the image forming portion 5 is ejected onto the ejection tray 211 by the ejection portion 43 after an image is formed on the other side thereof by the image forming portion 5 . If a jam occurs in the re-conveying section 6, the jam can be cleared by pulling out the lower chute 61. As shown in FIG.

As described above, in the image forming apparatus 1, the sheet S on which an image is formed on one side by the image forming section 5 is re-conveyed to the image forming section 5 through the re-conveying path P2, and the other side of the sheet S is reconveyed. It is possible to form an image, that is, to perform so-called double-sided printing.

The control unit 7 includes a main circuit board (not shown), a low voltage circuit board 71 that is an example of a power supply board, a sheet metal member 72 that is an example of a cover, and a high voltage circuit board that applies a voltage higher than that of the low voltage circuit board 71 . and a voltage circuit board (not shown). The low voltage circuit board 71 and the sheet metal member 72 constitute a power supply section 70 .

The main circuit board is arranged on the left side of the left frame 201 and has a control section for controlling the entire image forming apparatus 1 including the low voltage circuit board 71 and the high voltage circuit board. The low-voltage circuit board 71 is arranged behind the belt cleaner 54 and between the re-conveying section 6 and the image forming section 5, and is a board that applies a low voltage to a power supply circuit or the like.

The sheet metal member 72 is an enclosure that covers the top, bottom, front and back of the low voltage circuit board 71 . The high-voltage circuit board is arranged on the right side of the right frame 202 and applies a high voltage to the image forming section 5 and the like.

Next, in such an image forming apparatus 1, an exhaust structure for exhausting the air in the housing 2 to the outside for cooling or the like and a configuration around the exhaust structure will be described. In particular, a detailed description will be given of a configuration that reduces airflow resistance and improves exhaust efficiency.

[Exhaust structure]
3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the exhaust structure and its surroundings, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view around the heating roller cover 26, and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the periphery of the second shielding member 27, FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the periphery of the first support portion 291 and the second support portion 292, and FIG. 9 is the periphery of the first support portion 291 and the second support portion 292 is a cross-sectional view of.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the image forming apparatus 1 has an exhaust structure including an exhaust fan 81, an exhaust port portion 212, a duct 23, a wall portion 25, and a first shielding member 261 (FIGS. 5 and 4). 6) and a second shielding member 27 (see FIG. 7). The exhaust port portion 212 , the duct 23 , the wall portion 25 , the first shielding member 261 and the second shielding member 27 are included in the housing 2 .

As shown in FIG. 3, the exhaust fan 81 is a fan that is attached near the rear lower portion of the right frame 202 and exhausts the air inside the housing 2 to the outside. The exhaust port portion 212 is formed at a position facing the exhaust fan 81 on the right side surface 21A of the body cover 21 . The exhaust port portion 212 is a substantially rectangular opening formed to have approximately the same size as the exhaust fan 81, and has a louver. Exhaust air from the exhaust fan 81 is discharged to the outside through the exhaust port portion 212 .

The duct 23 has a first flow path 23A, a second flow path 23B, and a third flow path 23C in order from the bottom. The first flow path 23A is an exhaust path that guides air from the process section (drum unit 51), which is an example of the first section, toward the exhaust fan 81. As shown in FIG. The second flow path 23B is an exhaust path that guides air from the power supply section 70 as an example of the second section toward the exhaust fan 81 . The third flow path 23</b>C is an exhaust path that guides air from the fixing section 53 as an example of the third section toward the exhaust fan 81 .

The duct 23 has a first partition wall 231 that separates the first channel 23A and the second channel 23B, and a second partition wall 232 that separates the second channel 23B and the third channel 23C. The first partition wall 231 is a horizontally extending wall that vertically partitions the first flow path 23A and the second flow path 23B. The second partition wall 232 is a horizontally extending wall that vertically partitions the second flow path 23B and the third flow path 23C. The first partition wall 231 and the second partition wall 232 divide the interior of the duct 23 into the first flow path 23A, the second flow path 23B, and the third flow path 23C. Therefore, in the duct 23, the confluence of the air flowing through the first flow path 23A, the air flowing through the second flow path 23B, and the air flowing through the third flow path 23C can be eliminated.

The arrangement of the first flow path 23A, the second flow path 23B, and the third flow path 23C in the duct 23 is not particularly limited. In this case, the first partition wall 231 and the second partition wall 232 are walls extending in the vertical direction.

A right end 233 that is one end of the first partition wall 231 and a right end 234 that is one end of the second partition wall 232 are in contact with the exhaust fan 81 . Note that the right end 233 and the right end 234 may be configured to be close to the exhaust fan 81 . Since the right end 233 of the first partition wall 231 and the right end 234 of the second partition wall 232 are in contact with or close to the exhaust fan 81, the first flow path 23A is formed between the duct 23 and the exhaust fan 81. , air flowing through the second flow path 23B, and air flowing through the third flow path 23C.

Therefore, the duct 23 having the first partition wall 231 and the second partition wall 232 exhausts air from the process section (drum unit 51), air from the power supply section 70, and air from the fixing section 53 without colliding with each other. It can lead to fan 81 . Therefore, it is possible to reduce the ventilation resistance in the duct 23 and improve the exhaust efficiency.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the wall portion 25 is arranged at the boundary between the power source portion 70 and the second flow path 23B, and is a member that restricts the amount of air flow from the power source portion 70 to the second flow path 23B. The wall portion 25 is a plate material covering the entire left end of the second flow path 23B and has a plurality of slits 251 . By adjusting the size and number of the slits 251, the amount of airflow from the power supply unit 70 to the second flow path 23B can be adjusted.

As shown in FIG. 3, the first shielding member 261 is a member that shields the flow of air from the right end of the heating roller 531 on the exhaust fan 81 side to the third flow path 23C. The first shielding member 261 in this embodiment is a part of the heating roller cover 26, as shown in FIGS. The heating roller cover 26 is a member that covers the lower right end portion of the heating roller 531 . The first shielding member 261 is an arcuate projecting piece positioned at the left end of the heating roller cover 26 .

The air heated by the heating roller 531 is suppressed by the first shielding member 261 from flowing from the right end of the heating roller 531 to the third flow path 23C. As a result, the temperature of the right end portion of the heating roller 531 on the side of the exhaust fan 81 is suppressed from being lower than that of the other portions of the heating roller 531 .

As shown in FIG. 5, the housing 2 includes an inner bearing member 28 that supports the right end of the heating roller 531 and an outer bearing member 282 that rotatably supports the bearing member 281 . In this embodiment, the bearing members 281 and 282 constitute slide bearings. The inner diameter R1 of the first shielding member 261 is formed to be larger than the outer diameter R2 of the bearing member 281 . Accordingly, even when the bearing member 28 moves rightward due to the linear expansion of the heating roller 531 , it is possible to prevent the bearing member 281 from interfering with the first shielding member 261 .

A gap between the left end of the first shielding member 261 and the right end of the bearing member 282 forms a labyrinth. This makes it difficult for the heated air inside the heating roller 531 to leak to the outside of the heating roller 531 .

As shown in FIG. 7, the second shielding member 27 is a member that is fixed to a side surface 72A of a vertically extending sheet metal member 72 and shields the fixing section 53 and the drum unit 51 from each other. The second shielding member 27 is a resin film, and is supported with its upper end pressed against the bottom surface of the transport guide 91 between the driving roller 421 and the fixing section 53 . As a result, air containing water vapor after fixing can be prevented from flowing from the fixing section 53 to the drum unit 51 .

A registration sensor 92 for detecting the toner test pattern on the conveying belt 423 is arranged on the drive roller 421 side of the second shielding member 27 . The second shielding member 27 also serves to shield the fixing portion 53 and the registration sensor 92 and suppress the air containing water vapor after fixing from flowing from the fixing portion 53 to the registration sensor 92 .

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 , the housing 2 has a first support portion 291 and a second support portion 292 on the right frame 202 . The first support portion 291 is a member that supports the right end portion of the belt unit 42 on the side of the exhaust fan 81 . The first support portion 291 is a rail that protrudes leftward from the left surface of the right frame 202 and extends in the front-rear direction. The upper surface of the first support portion 291 guides the right end portion of the belt unit 42 that is attached and detached in the front-rear direction, and supports the attached belt unit 42 .

The second support portion 292 is positioned below the first support portion 291 with a space B therebetween, and is a member that supports the right end portion 54A of the belt cleaner 54 on the side of the exhaust fan 81 . The second support portion 292 is a hook-shaped member that protrudes leftward from the left surface of the right frame 202 . The second support portion 292 positions the right end portion 54A of the belt cleaner 54 mounted from the upper front side and supports the mounted belt cleaner 54 .

A space B is a gap between the lower surface 293 at the front end of the first support portion 291 and the upper surface 294 of the second support portion 292 . The space B constitutes part of the exhaust path C between the drum unit 51 and the first flow path 23A. A filter 93 is arranged downstream of the space B on the exhaust path C. As shown in FIG. The filter 93 is a stack of a filter for trapping dust such as toner and a filter for trapping ozone and volatile organic compounds.

Thus, by using the space B between the first support portion 291 and the second support portion 292 as part of the exhaust path C between the drum unit 51 and the first flow path 23A, the space B is eliminated. The air exhaust efficiency from the drum unit 51 can be improved more than the form. Note that the front end of the upper surface 294 of the second support portion 292 is located behind the front end of the lower surface 293 of the first support portion 291 . As a result, the right end portion 54A of the belt cleaner 54 attached from above is less likely to get caught on the upper surface 294 of the second support portion 292 .

Although the image forming apparatus 1 of the above-described embodiment is configured to include the first section, the second section, and the third section, it may include at least the first section and the second section. As a result, the duct is divided into the first flow path and the second flow path by the first partition wall, and by eliminating the confluence of the air in the duct, the air from the first part and the air from the second part It can lead to the exhaust fan without collision. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the ventilation resistance in the duct and improve the exhaust efficiency.

In the above embodiment, the first section is the processing section, the second section is the power supply section, and the third section is the fixing section. Any configuration may be employed as long as it generates air containing ozone, toner, etc., which needs to be exhausted.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 image forming apparatus 2 housing 23 duct 23A first channel 23B second channel 23C third channel 25 wall portion 27 second shielding member 42 belt unit 51 drum unit (first part)
53 Fixing section (Part 3)
54 belt cleaner 70 power supply section (second section)
71 low voltage circuit board (power supply board)
72 sheet metal member (cover)
81 exhaust fan 231 first partition wall 232 second partition wall 251 slit 261 first shielding member 511 photosensitive drum (photoconductor)
531 heating roller 281 bearing member 291 first support portion 292 second support portion B space

Claims (8)

Part 1;
a second part;
an exhaust fan that exhausts the air inside the device to the outside;
A first partition wall partitions a first flow path for guiding air from the first section toward the exhaust fan and a second flow path for guiding air from the second section toward the exhaust fan. a housing comprising a duct,
The image forming apparatus, wherein one end of the first partition wall abuts on or is close to the exhaust fan. comprising a third part,
The duct partitions the second flow path and a third flow path for guiding air from the third section toward the exhaust fan, and includes a second partition wall having one end in contact with or close to the exhaust fan. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The first section is a process section having a photoreceptor,
The second part is a power supply unit having a power supply board,
3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the third section is a fixing section having a heating roller. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the housing has a wall portion that has a slit and is arranged between the power supply portion and the second flow path. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the housing includes a first shielding member that shields an air flow from an end of the heating roller on the exhaust fan side to the third flow path. . the housing includes bearing members that support the ends of the heating roller;
6. An image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the inner diameter of said first shielding member is larger than the outer diameter of said bearing member. The power supply unit includes a cover having a side surface extending in a vertical direction,
4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the housing includes a second shielding member fixed to the side surface of the cover and shielding the fixing section and the processing section. a belt unit positioned upstream of the fixing unit in the sheet conveying direction and conveying the sheet;
a belt cleaner positioned below the belt unit for cleaning the belt unit;
The housing is
a first support that supports an end of the belt unit on the side of the exhaust fan;
4. The image according to claim 3, further comprising a second support positioned with a space below the first support and supporting an end of the belt cleaner on the side of the exhaust fan. forming device.

Images