JP4566711B2 - Heating device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an improvement of a heating device using far infrared rays.

  Conventionally, a heating device that heats an object to be heated using far infrared rays is known as a heating device. In this thing, the mechanism to move a to-be-heated material to an up-down direction is provided (for example, refer patent document 1).

Moreover, the heating apparatus which reverses and heats a to-be-heated material is also known for a heating apparatus (for example, refer patent document 2).
JP 07-159768 A JP-A-11-172026

  By the way, as a heating device, there is one used to heat a charging roller (cylindrical object) used in a developing portion of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus. As shown in FIG. 1, this type of charging roller 1 has recently been formed by forming a conductive resin layer 3 on the outer periphery of a cylindrical cored bar 2 and forming a surface layer portion 4 on the outer periphery thereof. A non-contact type is being developed for the body (not shown).

  The core metal 2 is made of, for example, an iron-based (SUM) material, and its outer diameter is about 8 mm to about 10 mm. The resin layer 3 is made of, for example, a resin material mainly composed of ABS, and its outer diameter is The thickness is about 12 mm to about 14 mm (thickness is about 1 mm to about 2 mm), the surface layer portion 4 is made of a ceramic paint, and the film thickness is about 10 μm. FIG. 2 shows the outer shape of the charging roller 1, and reference numeral 5 denotes a bearing portion of the charging roller 1.

  According to the non-contact type charging roller 1, since the environmental fluctuation is small, the gap with respect to the photosensitive member can be stabilized (the gap between the photosensitive member and the charging roller), and the filming of the photosensitive member can be reduced. There is an advantage that durability can be improved.

  When the charging roller 1 is manufactured, a ceramic coating is sprayed on the surface layer portion 4 by a spray method and solidified by a heating means. In this type of charging roller 1, a gap between the core metal 2 and the surface layer portion 4 is obtained. Since the resin layer 3 is present, the resin layer 3 is thermally deformed by heating the surface layer portion 4 or the dimension is changed due to a change in the internal residual stress of the resin layer 3. There is a problem of deterioration.

  That is, conventionally, a convection type heating device such as a hot air heating furnace is used to heat the surface layer portion 4 of the charging roller 1 as this kind of article to be heated, but due to the difference in position in the furnace. Since the heating temperature is varied and not only the resin layer 3 but also the cored bar 2 is heated for a long time, there are problems that the surface property of the charging roller 1 is deteriorated and mechanical dimensions are likely to be distorted.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and the object of the present invention is to selectively heat only the surface layer portion of the article to be heated at a uniform temperature and solidify it in a short time. A heating device is provided.

The heating device according to claim 1, a pair of heating means disposed opposite to each other and radiating far-infrared rays toward the opposite side,
A plurality of holders for holding the cylindrical shaped object while rotating while maintaining the alignment of the cylindrical shaped object to be heated in the vertical direction so as to pass between the pair of opposed members;
Temperature measuring and temperature adjusting means for adjusting the temperature of the heating means;
A transfer means provided in a pair facing each other and transferring the cylindrical object along the heating means while pulling the plurality of holders;
Cooling means for cooling the cylindrical object ,
The holder is composed of a holding cylinder that holds the cylindrical object, and a support bracket that supports the holding cylinder and is pulled by the transfer means,
The cylindrical object held by the holder of one transfer means of the pair of transfer means and the cylindrical object held by the holder of the other transfer means are mutually passing between the pair of heating means. In order to receive far-infrared rays of the heating means, between the holding positions of the cylindrical objects held by the holder of one transfer means of the pair of transfer means, the other transfer means The holding interval of each cylindrical object is determined so that the holding position of the cylindrical object held by the holder exists.

The heating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the cylindrical object is held vertically to the holder, wherein the heating means comprises a far infrared panels plurality arranged in a vertical direction, the far-infrared panel A temperature sensor is provided, and the temperature of each far-infrared panel is measured by the temperature sensor, and the temperature measurement / temperature adjustment means controls the current flowing through the far-infrared panel based on the measurement result of the temperature. To do.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a heating apparatus in which the heating means is covered with a structure having a heat insulating property, and an exhaust heat means for exhausting the internal hot air covered with the structure to outside is provided. Features.

The heating apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the transfer unit passes between the opposed pairs of heating units and holds a plurality of objects to be aligned and circulates in opposite directions to each other. It is characterized by comprising.

According to the heating device of the first to fourth aspects , since the surface layer portion of the cylindrical object is heated by radiant heat (radiant heat) using far infrared rays, the surface layer portion can be mainly heated. The heating efficiency is extremely excellent. Since the cylindrical object is rotated during heating, the uniformity of temperature can be improved, and it can be solidified in a short time and the stability of heating quality is improved. There is an effect.
Even when the shape of the cylindrical object is different, it is possible to perform an appropriate heat treatment for the cylindrical object by adjusting the temperature.
Since a plurality of cylindrical objects are arranged between the heating means and heated at the same time, the production efficiency can be improved.

According to the first and fourth aspects of the present invention, in particular, the cylindrical shape held by one holder of the pair of transfer means or the pair of circulation mechanisms and the cylindrical shape held by the other holder Since the object is transferred so as to be able to receive the far infrared rays of the heating means while passing between the pair of heating means, each cylindrical object can be efficiently heated evenly.

According to invention of Claim 2 , the temperature difference of the up-down direction of the cylindrical shaped object extended in the perpendicular direction can be made small, and uniform heating can be implement | achieved.
It can also be used for heat treatment of cylindrical objects having different dimensions.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the hot air accumulated in the upper layer portion of the heating means is exhausted, it is possible to contribute to equalization of the temperature between the upper and lower sides between the pair of heating means. Moreover, the safety of the heat treatment apparatus can be ensured.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the heating device is made compact by circulating the cylindrical object using the pair of circulation mechanisms and passing between the opposed portions of the pair of heating means. The production efficiency can be improved while achieving the above.
Furthermore, in the case of a cylindrical object whose surface is wet-coated, an air-drying area for drying the solvent can be provided, so that the heat treatment can be performed more efficiently.

  Embodiments of a heating apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 3 is an external view showing an outline of the heating apparatus according to the present invention. In FIG. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the apparatus main body 10 includes a lower placement plate 11, an intermediate placement plate 12, and an upper placement plate 13.

  A cover plate 14 is provided between the lower mounting plate 11 and the intermediate mounting plate 12 so as to cover them from the side surface, and is covered between the intermediate mounting plate 12 and the upper mounting plate 13 from the side surface. A cover plate 15 is provided.

  Drive motors 16 and 17 are provided on the lower mounting plate 11. As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 6, the intermediate mounting plate 12 is provided with a pair of circulation mechanisms 18, a rotation mechanism 19, a pair of heating means 20, and a pair of positioning clamp mechanisms 21.

  Here, the pair of circulation mechanisms 18 is mainly composed of a chain 22 and a sprocket 23. The sprocket 23 is urged by a tension applying mechanism (auto tensioner) 24, and the chain 22 is stretched over the sprocket 23 so that the tension is automatically applied by the tension applying mechanism 24.

  A holder 25 shown in FIGS. 7 to 9 is attached to the chain 22. The holder 25 is generally composed of a support bracket 26 and a holding cylinder 27. The support bracket 26 is provided with a roller 28 at a lower portion thereof. The roller 28 rolls on the intermediate mounting plate 12.

  A connecting plate 29 to which the chain 22 is connected is provided at an intermediate portion of the support bracket 26. The drive motor 16 is used to drive any one of the sprockets 23, and the chain 22 is transferred by driving the drive motor 16. Here, the circulation directions of the pair of circulation mechanisms 18 are opposite to each other as indicated by arrows A and B in FIG.

  A holding cylinder 27 is rotatably supported on the support bracket 26. In FIG. 8, reference numeral 27a indicates the rotation axis. A sprocket 30 is integrally attached to the holding cylinder 27. The sprocket 30 constitutes a part of a rotation mechanism 19 having an action described later.

  A fitting hole 31 is formed in the upper portion of the holding cylinder 27 as shown in FIG. The other bearing portion 5 of a charging roller (cylindrical shape) 1 as a heated object is inserted into the fitting hole 31, and the charging roller 1 is aligned and supported as shown in FIGS.

  A pair of heating means 20 is comprised from the far-infrared panel 32 here. Here, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 10, four far-infrared panels 32 are arranged in the vertical direction and six in the horizontal direction, for a total of 24 sheets. As shown in FIG. 6, the charging roller 1 is transported so as to pass between the pair of heating means 20 facing each other.

  The rotation mechanism 19 has a pair of sprockets 33 and 34 as shown in FIG. The pair of sprockets 33, 34 are arranged at intervals in the transfer direction via the heating means 20, and a drive chain 35 is stretched over the pair of sprockets 33, 34. The drive chain 35 is engaged with the sprocket 30 integral with each holding cylinder 27. The sprocket 33 is driven by the drive motor 17 shown in FIG.

  The far-infrared panel 32 is covered with a heat-insulating structure 36 shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, and the charging roller 1 passes between the opposite sides of the pair of heating means 20 from one side to the other side. Heated while rotating.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the upper mounting plate 13 is provided with an exhaust blower 37 as a heat exhausting means and a blower blower 38 as a cooling means. The exhaust blower 37 is used to exhaust hot air staying in the upper part of the structure 36. The blowing blower 38 is used to rapidly cool the heated charging roller 1 with its blowing port facing the charging roller 1. The exhaust blower 37 and the blower 38 are covered with a sound insulation cover member 39.

  The far infrared panel 32 is provided with a temperature sensor (for example, thermocouple) 40 (see FIG. 10) for measuring the surface temperature of the far infrared panel 32 inside each panel. Based on the measurement result, the current flowing through the far-infrared panel 32 is controlled by the temperature measurement / temperature adjustment means.

  Here, the far-infrared panel 32 is divided into 12 zones as shown in FIG. 10, and as a result, the temperature rise curve Q in the transfer direction of the charging roller 1 can be controlled as shown in FIG. ing. Thereby, the temperature increase rate from the entrance side to the far-infrared panel 32 to the exit side is controlled.

  Note that the temperature rise curve Q shown in FIG. 11 indicates the temperature measurement result of the intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction of the charging roller 1, for example.

  In the middle of the path of the pair of circulation mechanisms 18, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 12, a charging roller 1 insertion portion 41 and a charging roller 1 take-out portion 42 as a pair of positioning clamp mechanisms 21 are provided in the circulation mechanism. 18 is provided.

  The insertion part 41 has a pair of clamp mechanisms 43 as shown in FIGS. The pair of clamp mechanisms 43 is generally composed of a pair of clamp cylinders 46 and a pair of clamp claws 47. The pair of clamping claw members 47 are attached to the distal ends of the advance / retreat rods 48 of the clamping cylinder 46. The pair of clamping claws 47 has a V-shaped gripping portion 48a.

  Each holding cylinder 27 passes between the pair of clamping claw members 47 facing each other. A pair of charging roller presence / absence detection sensors 49 and 50 that detect the presence / absence of the charging roller 1 are provided between the pair of clamping claw members 47.

  The holding cylinder 27 is transferred one pitch at a time, and whether or not the charging roller 1 is set on the holding cylinder 27 is determined by the charging roller presence / absence detection sensors 49 and 50. When the charging roller 1 is not set on the holding cylinder 27, the clamping claw member 47 is advanced, and the holding cylinder 27 is sandwiched and clamped by the clamping claw member 47. Next, a robot arm (not shown) is driven. The robot arm holds one bearing portion 5 of the charging roller 1 that has been spray-coated before heating. By driving the robot arm, the other bearing portion 5 of the charging roller 1 is positioned directly above the fitting hole 31 of the holding cylinder 27, and the other bearing portion 5 of the charging roller 1 is inserted into the fitting hole 31. The

  FIG. 14 shows a state where every other charging roller 1 before heating is held by the holding cylinder 27, and the pair of clamping cylinders 46 are charged by the charging roller presence / absence detection sensors 49 and 50. Is detected, the clamping claw member 47 is retracted. As a result, the holding and fixing of the holding cylinder 27 by the clamping claw member 47 is released.

  Next, the holder 25 is moved one pitch in the direction of the arrow. A pair of position detection sensors 51 and 52 are used to detect the one-pitch transfer. When the holder 25 is moved by 1 pitch, the transfer of the holders 25 is stopped, the pair of clamp cylinders 46 is driven, and the pair of clamp claws 47 are moved in the approaching direction. The holding cylinder 27 facing the V-shaped gripping portion 48 a of the clamping claw member 47 is clamped and fixed by the clamping claw member 47.

  Next, the robot arm is moved so that the other bearing portion 5 of the charging roller 1 is positioned directly above the fitting hole 31 of the holding cylinder 27, and the other bearing portion 5 of the charging roller 1 is brought into the fitting hole 31. Inserted. By repeating this operation, two charging rollers 1 before heating are set on the holder 25 two by two.

  The holder 25 holding the charging roller 1 is pulled by the chain in the direction indicated by the arrow. During the pulling of the holder 25, the solvent is dried. Next, the pair of far-infrared panels 32 pass between the facing portions of the far-infrared panel 32 while repeating transfer and stop by one pitch. As enlarged and schematically shown in FIG. 19, the charging roller 1 held by the holder 25 of one circulation mechanism of the pair of circulation mechanisms 18 and the charge held by the holder 25 of the other circulation mechanism. In order to receive the far-infrared rays of the far-infrared panels 32 while passing between the pair of far-infrared panels 32, the roller 1 is a holder for one circulation mechanism of the pair of circulation mechanisms 18. The holding interval P of each charging roller 1 is determined so that the holding position of the charging roller 1 held by the holder 25 of the other circulation mechanism exists between the holding positions of the charging roller 1 held by 25. . The holder 25 rotates while being rotated as indicated by an arrow by meshing between the chain 35 and the sprocket 30 while passing through the pair of far infrared panels 32 from the entrance side to the exit side of the far infrared panel 32. .

  When the charging roller 1 reaches the exit side of the far-infrared panel 32, it reaches a predetermined temperature. The heated charging roller 1 is cooled by the blower 38 for blowing. The blower 38 faces the cooling zone, and an air supply duct and a suction duct are provided in the cooling zone, and air blown by the blower blower 38 is exhausted by the suction duct.

  Next, the heated and cooled charging roller 1 is transferred toward the take-out unit 42. As shown in FIGS. 16 to 18, the take-out portion 42 is generally composed of elevating cylinders 53 and 54 and a pair of clamp mechanisms 55 and 56. The elevating cylinders 53 and 54 are used for height adjustment of the pair of clamp mechanisms 55 and 56.

  The pair of clamp mechanisms 55 and 56 includes a pair of clamp cylinders 57 and 58 and a pair of clamp claws 59 and 60. The pair of clamping cylinders 57 and 58 are supported by mounting plates 61 and 62 attached to the rod ends of the pair of lifting cylinders 53 and 54, respectively.

  The pair of clamp pawl members 59 and 60 are attached to the distal ends of the advance and retreat rods 63 and 64 of the clamp cylinders 57 and 58, respectively. The pair of clamping claw members 59 and 60 have V-shaped gripping portions 59a and 60a.

  Each charging roller 1 passes between a pair of clamping claws 59 and 60 facing each other. A pair of charging roller presence / absence detection sensors 65 and 66 for detecting the presence / absence of the charging roller 1 are provided between the pair of clamping claw members 59 and 60.

  The holding cylinder 27 is transferred one pitch at a time, and it is determined by the charging roller presence / absence detection sensors 65 and 66 whether or not the charging roller 1 is set on the holding cylinder 27. When the charging roller 1 is set on the holding cylinder 27, the pair of clamping claw members 59, 60 are advanced, and one bearing portion 5 of the charging roller 1 is clamped by the clamping claw members 59, 60 to be positioned and fixed. It will be in the state. Next, a robot arm (not shown) is driven.

  The robot arm grips one bearing portion 5 of the charging roller 1. When one bearing portion 5 is gripped by the robot arm, the pair of clamping claw members 59 and 60 are retracted, and the clamping and fixing of the one bearing portion 5 by the pair of clamping claw members 59 and 60 is released. . Next, the robot arm is raised, the other bearing portion 5 of the charging roller 1 is extracted from the fitting hole 31 of the holding cylinder 27, and the charging roller 1 is removed from the holder 25. FIG. 17 shows a state where every other charging roller 1 is removed from the holding cylinder 27.

  When the axial dimensions of the charging roller 1 are different, the heights of the clamping claw members 59 and 60 are adjusted using the lifting cylinders 53 and 55.

It is sectional drawing of the charging roller concerning this invention. It is a side view of the charging roller according to the present invention. It is an external view which shows the outline | summary of the heating apparatus concerning this invention. It is a front view of the heating apparatus shown in FIG. It is a side view of the heating apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view schematically showing a planar configuration of the heating device shown in FIG. 3, and shows a state where an upper mounting plate is removed. It is a front view of the holder concerning the present invention. It is a side view of the holder shown in FIG. It is a perspective view of the holder shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the arrangement | positioning state of the infrared panel shown in FIG. It is a temperature change curve figure which shows the relationship between the heating temperature of the charging roller concerning this invention, and a transfer position. It is the elements on larger scale of the heating apparatus shown in FIG. It is a front view which shows the detailed structure of the injection | throwing-in part shown in FIG. It is a top view which shows the detailed structure of the injection | throwing-in part shown in FIG. It is a side view which shows the detailed structure of the insertion part shown in FIG. It is a front view which shows the detailed structure of the taking-out part shown in FIG. It is a top view which shows the detailed structure of the extraction part shown in FIG. It is a side view which shows the detailed structure of the taking-out part shown in FIG. It is a top view which expands and shows typically the positional relationship of the charging roller which is passing through a pair of infrared panel.

Explanation of symbols

1 ... Charging roller (object to be heated)
18 ... Circulation mechanism (transfer means)
20 ... Heating means 25 ... Holder

Claims (4)

A pair of heating means arranged opposite to each other and emitting far-infrared rays toward the opposite side;
A plurality of holders for holding the cylindrical shaped object while rotating while maintaining the alignment of the cylindrical shaped object to be heated in the vertical direction so as to pass between the pair of opposed members;
Temperature measuring and temperature adjusting means for adjusting the temperature of the heating means;
A transfer means provided in a pair facing each other and transferring the cylindrical object along the heating means while pulling the plurality of holders;
Cooling means for cooling the cylindrical object ,
The holder is composed of a holding cylinder that holds the cylindrical object, and a support bracket that supports the holding cylinder and is pulled by the transfer means,
The cylindrical object held by the holder of one transfer means of the pair of transfer means and the cylindrical object held by the holder of the other transfer means are mutually passing between the pair of heating means. In order to receive far-infrared rays of the heating means, between the holding positions of the cylindrical objects held by the holder of one transfer means of the pair of transfer means, the other transfer means A heating apparatus, wherein a holding interval of each cylindrical object is determined so that a holding position of the cylindrical object held by the holder exists.   The cylindrical object is vertically held by the holder, and the heating means includes a far-infrared panel arranged in the vertical direction. The far-infrared panel is provided with a temperature sensor, and the temperature sensor 2. The heating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the temperature of each far-infrared panel is measured, and the temperature measurement / temperature adjustment unit controls a current flowing through the far-infrared panel based on the measurement result of the temperature.   3. A heat exhausting means for exhausting heat inside the structure covered with the heat insulating means to the outside is provided. The heating device according to 1. 2. The transfer means comprises a pair of circulation mechanisms that pass between the opposed pairs of heating means and that hold a plurality of heated objects in alignment and circulate in opposite directions. The heating apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 3.

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