JP5984039B2 - Cooling device and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a cooling device used in an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a facsimile machine, and a copying machine, and an image forming apparatus provided with the cooling device.

  As an image forming apparatus, an apparatus that forms a toner image on a recording material using electrophotographic technology and fixes the toner transferred onto the recording material by heating and pressing with a heat fixing device is known. . When the recording material after fixing is stacked on the paper discharge tray with heat, the toner may be softened by the heat accumulated in the stack of stacked recording materials. When the toner that forms a toner image on the recording material stacked on the paper discharge tray is softened and the recording materials are further overlapped, pressure is generated due to the weight of the recording material bundle, and the softened toner causes a gap between the recording materials. There is a case where the phenomenon of blocking that sticks occurs. If the recording materials with blocking are forcibly removed, the toner image will be broken.

  In order to suppress this phenomenon called blocking, an apparatus for sufficiently cooling the recording material after heating and fixing is necessary. Currently, as a means for cooling the recording material, there is already known one that cools the recording material by two conveying means and provides cooling means for efficiently absorbing heat from both sides of the recording material. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration of a cooling unit using a belt as a transport unit as follows. A cooling member is provided on the inner peripheral surface of each endless belt on the side where the recording material is sandwiched and conveyed, while the recording material is sandwiched and conveyed by a pair of endless belts that are stretched and rotated by two rollers. The heat absorption is performed efficiently from both sides.

  However, the configuration of the cooling means disclosed in Patent Document 1 has the following problems. The configuration of the cooling means disclosed in Patent Document 1 is a configuration in which a recording material is sandwiched from both sides by a cooling member over a conveying belt. For this reason, the distorted cooling surfaces are matched unless each cooling surface of the cooling member facing the conveying belt is provided with a very good processing accuracy plane with very little distortion and twist. When the distorted cooling surfaces are put together, a gap is generated between each cooling surface and the conveyor belt, which causes a problem of uneven cooling and a decrease in cooling performance.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and the object of the present invention is to provide a cooling device that cools a recording material from both sides, even if a cooling member with low cooling surface processing accuracy is used, cooling unevenness and cooling performance decrease. It is providing the cooling device which can suppress.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention of claim 1 is characterized in that a conveying means for nipping and conveying a recording material by a pair of endless belts that are respectively stretched and rotated by a plurality of rollers, and each endless belt of the conveying means. And a cooling member disposed so as to be in sliding contact with the inner peripheral surface on the side where the recording material is sandwiched and conveyed, and at least one inner peripheral surface of the endless belt includes a plurality of cooling members. cooling member is disposed, said plurality of cooling member is movably supported on their respective independently rotatable independently moving regulation of each cooling member in the transport direction of the recording medium And is biased toward the inner peripheral surface of the endless belt.
In the present invention, a plurality of cooling members are arranged on the inner peripheral surface of at least one endless belt, and at least one cooling member can be a small cooling member instead of one large cooling member. By arranging such a small cooling member, compared to the configuration in which one large cooling member is arranged on the inner peripheral surface of both endless belts, the cooling surface is distorted and twisted between the opposing cooling members. The gap can be reduced. This is because the gap due to distortion / twisting of the cooling surfaces of the opposing cooling members becomes larger as the opposing cooling surfaces are wider, so that at least one of the opposing cooling surfaces is narrowed to reduce the distortion / twisting. This is because the void caused by the can be reduced.
Further, the plurality of cooling members disposed on the inner peripheral surface of at least one endless belt are independently supported to be movable and are urged toward the inner peripheral surface of the endless belt. et applying a pressure is in a posture such as to follow the shape of the cooling surface opposing the other of the cooling member via the.
Therefore, even if a cooling member with low cooling surface processing accuracy is used, the gap between the recording material and the endless belt can be reduced compared to a configuration in which there are not a plurality of cooling members arranged on the inner peripheral surface of any endless belt. Cooling unevenness and cooling performance degradation can be suppressed.

The present invention provides a gap between the recording material and the endless belt as compared with a configuration in which there are not a plurality of cooling members disposed on the inner peripheral surface of any endless belt, even if a cooling member with low cooling surface processing accuracy is used. It is possible to reduce the size, and it is possible to suppress uneven cooling and deterioration of cooling performance.
Therefore, in the cooling device that cools the recording material from both sides, it is possible to provide a cooling device that can suppress cooling unevenness and a decrease in cooling performance even when a cooling member with low cooling surface processing accuracy is used.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a printer including a cooling device according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration in which cooling members of the cooling device according to the first embodiment are divided and arranged in the paper transport direction. Explanatory drawing at the time of clamping a sheet | seat with the conventional cooling device. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram when a sheet is sandwiched by the cooling device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a pressurizing mechanism that pressurizes a cooling member of the cooling device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration in which the cooling member of the cooling device according to the second embodiment is divided and arranged in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction. Explanatory drawing of the structure which all arrange | positioned the cooling member arrange | positioned in both endless belts which pinch | interpose a sheet | seat from the upper and lower sides of the cooling device which concerns on Example 3. FIG. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration in which a liquid example method is applied to a cooling member of a cooling device according to a fourth embodiment. The perspective explanatory drawing of the flow path which connects between each cooling member at the time of operating the cooling device which concerns on Example 4. FIG. Side surface explanatory drawing of the flow path which connects between each cooling member at the time of separating the upper and lower cooling means of the cooling device which concerns on Example 4. FIG. The perspective explanatory drawing of the flow path which connects between each cooling member at the time of separating the cooling means of the upper and lower sides of the cooling device which concerns on Example 4. FIG.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the cooling device 100 to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the drawings by giving a plurality of examples. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a printer 300 that is a tandem intermediate transfer belt type color image forming apparatus including the cooling device 100 according to the present embodiment. Here, the cooling apparatus 100 to which the present invention is applied is not limited to that provided in the image forming apparatus, and can be applied to any apparatus that needs to cool the sheet-like member.

  In the printer 300, an intermediate transfer belt 21 as an intermediate transfer medium is stretched by a plurality of rollers (a first stretching roller 22, a second stretching roller 23, a third stretching roller 24, etc.). When one of these rollers is rotationally driven, it rotates in the direction of arrow a in the figure. In addition, the printer 300 has image forming process means disposed around the intermediate transfer belt 21. Here, the subscripts Y, C, M, and Bk added after the symbols indicate that the specifications are for yellow, cyan, magenta, and black.

  When the direction of rotation of the intermediate transfer belt 21 is indicated by an arrow a in the figure, an image is formed for each color between the first stretching roller 22 and the second stretching roller 23 above the intermediate transfer belt 21. As the process means, four image stations 10 (Y, C, M, Bk) are arranged. In the printer 300 shown in FIG. 1, a Y image station 10Y, a C image station 10C, an M image station 10M, and a Bk image station 10Bk are arranged in this order from the upstream side in the surface movement direction of the intermediate transfer belt 21. .

  The four image stations 10 (Y, C, M, Bk) have substantially the same configuration except that the colors of the toners used are different. In each image station 10, a charging device 5, an optical writing device 2, a developing device 3, and a cleaning device 4 are arranged around a drum-shaped photoconductor 1. Further, a primary transfer roller 11 as a transfer unit to the intermediate transfer belt 21 is provided at a position facing the photoreceptor 1 with the intermediate transfer belt 21 interposed therebetween. Such four image stations 10 (Y, C, M, Bk) are arranged along the surface movement direction of the intermediate transfer belt 21 so as to have a predetermined pitch interval.

  In the printer 300, the optical writing device 2 is an optical system using an LED as a light source. However, the optical writing device 2 may be configured by a laser optical system using a semiconductor laser as a light source, and exposes the photoconductor 1 according to image information. .

  Below the intermediate transfer belt 21, a paper storage unit 31, a paper supply roller 42, and a registration roller pair 41 for a paper P that is a recording material of a sheet-like member are disposed. Further, the secondary transfer as a toner image transfer unit from the intermediate transfer belt 21 to the paper P so as to face the third stretching roller 24 that stretches the intermediate transfer belt 21 via the intermediate transfer belt 21. A roller 25 is arranged. Further, the front surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21 is cleaned so that the cleaning counter roller 26 that is in contact with the back surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21 contacts the front surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21 at a position in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 21. A cleaning device 27 is provided.

  A paper transport path 32 extending from the paper storage section 31 to the paper discharge storage section 34 extends, and heat fixing is performed downstream of the secondary transfer roller 25 in the paper transport path 32 in the paper transport direction (hereinafter simply referred to as the downstream side). A device 15 is arranged. A cooling device 100 that cools the paper P from both sides is disposed downstream of the heat fixing device 15 in the paper conveyance path 32. Further, on the further downstream side of the cooling device 100, a paper discharge accommodating portion 34 that is a discharge portion of the paper P after toner fixing is disposed. Further, when forming an image on the back side of the paper P during the double-sided image formation, the reverse side of the double-sided image forming sheet that reverses the front and back of the paper P that has once passed through the cooling device 100 and is conveyed to the registration roller pair 41 again. A conveyance path 33 is also provided.

  The image forming process will be described with respect to one image station 10. In accordance with a general electrostatic recording system, the photowriting device 2 exposes the photosensitive member 1 uniformly charged by the charging device 5 in the dark. Thus, an electrostatic latent image is formed. The electrostatic latent image is visualized as a toner image by the developing device 3. The toner image is transferred from the photoreceptor 1 to the intermediate transfer belt 21 by the primary transfer roller 11. The surface of the photoreceptor 1 after the transfer is cleaned by the cleaning device 4. Such an image forming process is performed in each of the four image stations 10 (Y, C, M, Bk).

  Each of the developing devices 3 (Y, C, M, Bk) in the four image stations 10 (Y, C, M, Bk) has a visible image forming function using different four color toners. Therefore, if each image station 10 (Y, C, M, Bk) shares yellow, cyan, magenta, and black, a full color image can be formed. Each image station 10 includes a primary transfer roller 11 provided to face each photoconductor 1 with the intermediate transfer belt 21 interposed therebetween. A transfer bias is applied to the primary transfer roller 11. The next transfer portion is configured. With such a configuration, the transfer bias applied to the primary transfer roller 11 while the same image forming area of the intermediate transfer belt 21 sequentially passes through the four image stations 10 (Y, C, M, Bk), Each toner image is transferred so as to be superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt 21. As a result, when the same image forming area described above passes through the primary transfer portion of each image station 10 (Y, C, M, Bk) once, a full color toner image is obtained by overlapping transfer on the same image area. Can do.

In this way, the full color toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 21 is transferred onto the paper P. The intermediate transfer belt 21 after the transfer is cleaned by a cleaning device 27. When transferring to the paper P, a transfer bias is applied to the secondary transfer roller 25 during transfer, and a transfer electric field is formed between the secondary transfer roller 25 and the third stretching roller 24 via the intermediate transfer belt 21. This is performed by passing the sheet P through the nip portion between the secondary transfer roller 25 and the intermediate transfer belt 21. After the transfer of the full color toner image from the intermediate transfer belt 21 to the paper P, the full color toner image carried on the paper P is fixed on the paper P by the thermal fixing device 15, so that a full color final image is formed on the paper P. It is formed. Thereafter, the paper P is cooled by the cooling device 100 and is stacked in the paper discharge accommodating portion 34. For this reason, when the paper P is stacked in the paper discharge accommodating portion 34, the toner on the paper P can be surely cured and the blocking phenomenon can be avoided.
Next, the configuration of the cooling device 100 of the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to a plurality of examples.

Example 1
Example 1 which is the 1st Example of the cooling device 100 of this embodiment is demonstrated using figures. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration in which the cooling member of the cooling device 100 according to the present embodiment is divided and arranged in the paper conveyance direction, FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram when the paper P is sandwiched by the conventional cooling device, and FIG. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram when a sheet is sandwiched by the cooling device 100 according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a pressurizing mechanism that pressurizes the cooling member of the cooling device 100 according to the present embodiment, wherein (a) is an explanatory diagram of a configuration that rotatably supports the cooling member, and (b) It is explanatory drawing of the structure which controls the movement of the paper conveyance direction of a cooling member.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the cooling device 100 according to the present embodiment includes an upper endless belt 113 that is stretched and rotated by a plurality of driven rollers 114 and drive rollers 115, and is stretched by a plurality of driven rollers 154 and drive rollers 155. The lower endless belt 153 is rotated up and down. Then, the sheet P is conveyed while nipping the high-temperature sheet P immediately after the surface toner image is heated and fixed. One lower heat sink 152, which is a large cooling member, is disposed in the lower endless belt 153 provided on the lower side to constitute the lower cooling unit 150. Further, in the upper endless belt 113 provided on the upper side, the upper heat sink 111 which is a small cooling member in which the upper heat sink is divided into three pieces along the sheet conveying direction with the same length as the lower heat sink 152. Is provided to constitute the upper cooling unit 110. That is, in the upper endless belt 113 provided on the upper side, the three upper heat sinks 111 are arranged along the sheet conveyance direction with the same length as the lower heat sink 152 to constitute the upper cooling unit 110.

  In the lower cooling unit 150, the lower heat sink 152 absorbs heat from the high-temperature paper P through the lower endless belt 153 while slidingly contacting the inner peripheral surface of the lower endless belt 153, Heat is dissipated by blowing air. In the upper cooling section 110, the three upper heat sinks 111 absorb heat from the high-temperature paper P through the upper endless belt 113 while slidingly contacting the inner peripheral surface of the upper endless belt 113, respectively. Heat is dissipated by blowing air from the corresponding fan 117.

  With respect to the upper heat sink 111 of the upper cooling section 110, an appropriate pressure is applied to the inner peripheral surface direction of the upper endless belt 113 by the spring member 116, and normally the cooling surface of the opposing lower heat sink 152 is followed. It is in posture. When the paper P passes, the three upper heat sinks 111 are independently pushed upward by the thickness of the paper P to perform a minute movement. With this applied pressure, the upper heat sink 111, the upper endless belt 113, the paper P, the lower endless belt 153, and the lower heat sink 152 are brought into close contact with each other, and heat conduction by contact is promoted. In other words, each upper heat sink 111 is independently elastically movable, and independently applies pressure to the inner peripheral surface of the upper endless belt 113, so that the upper heat sink 111, the upper endless belt 113, the paper P, the lower endless The belt 153 and the lower heat sink 152 are brought into close contact with each other to promote heat conduction by contact.

  Here, when cooling with a large heat sink is performed from above and below (both sides) of the paper P via an endless belt as in the conventional configuration, the following problems may occur. As shown in FIG. 3, if the cooling surfaces of the two heat sinks 152 and 191 are distorted or twisted due to a processing method during mass production, the upper and lower endless belts or A large gap is generated between each heat sink and the endless belt. In the section where the gap is generated, the heat sink, the endless belt, and the paper P are not sufficiently adhered to each other, and there is a problem that the cooling effect of the paper P due to heat conduction is lowered. In addition, there is a problem that the cooling effect is uneven at the place where the contact is tight and the place where the gap is generated. When mass production of each heat sink is actually carried out in large quantities, for example, with a mold, for example, a high processing accuracy is given to the cooling surface of a large heat sink so that the cooling effect is not reduced and the influence of uneven cooling is eliminated. Is difficult.

  Therefore, in the cooling device 100 of the present embodiment, the heat sink in the upper endless belt 113 of the upper cooling unit 110 (one side) is replaced with a single large heat sink as shown in FIG. Three (plural) upper heat sinks 111 were arranged. As described above, by disposing at least one upper heat sink in a divided manner, it is possible to reduce a gap caused by distortion and twist in the paper transport direction of the three upper heat sinks 111 arranged along the paper transport direction.

  Further, with respect to the three small upper heat sinks 111, the following effects can be obtained by applying pressure to the inner peripheral surface of the upper endless belt 113 independently. Each of the upper heat sinks 111 arranged along the paper transport direction assumes a posture following the distortion / twist in the paper transport direction on the cooling surface of the large lower heat sink 152 facing each other. Thus, since the posture follows the lower heat sink 152, the gap due to the distortion and twist of the lower heat sink 152 in the sheet conveyance direction can be further reduced.

Therefore, even if a cooling member with low cooling surface processing accuracy is used, the gap due to distortion / twisting in the paper transport direction is reduced compared to a configuration in which there are not a plurality of cooling members arranged on the inner peripheral surface of any endless belt. It is possible to improve the cooling effect and cooling unevenness. In other words, compared to a configuration in which the cooling member arranged on the inner peripheral surface of any endless belt is not divided, the gap caused by distortion and twist in the paper transport direction can be reduced, and the cooling effect and cooling unevenness are improved. can do. As described above, since the cooling effect can be reduced and the uneven cooling can be improved, the configuration of this embodiment can provide a sufficient cooling effect for the paper P even if a heat sink having a low processing accuracy on the cooling surface is used.
Therefore, in the cooling device that cools the paper P from both sides, it is possible to provide the cooling device 100 that can suppress uneven cooling and a decrease in cooling performance even when a cooling member with low cooling surface processing accuracy is used.

  The pressurizing mechanism for the upper heat sink 111 can be configured as follows, for example. As shown in FIG. 5A, a rotation shaft 118 is provided at the center of the width of the upper heat sink 111 in the sheet conveyance direction, and symmetrical positions on the upstream and downstream sides of the upper heat sink 111 in the sheet conveyance direction. In addition, a spring member 116 for adjusting the pressure is provided. By supporting the upper heat sink 111 in this way, the upper heat sink 111 is given a degree of freedom of rotation in the R direction in FIG. 5A with the axis of the rotating shaft 118 as the center of rotation. Further, the rotation shaft 118 has a degree of freedom in the Z direction in FIG. 5A perpendicular to the paper transport direction of the paper P, and moves in the X direction in FIG. 5A, which is the paper transport direction. Is regulated.

  By being supported in this manner, the upper heat sink 111 is arranged according to the shape of the cooling surface of the opposed lower heat sink 152 without being dragged by the movement of the upper endless belt 113. Further, as shown in FIG. 5A, when the paper P is nipped and transported, the posture is changed by slightly rotating in the R direction according to the transport state, so that the transport load of the paper P is reduced. . At this time, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, when the curvature is given to the end of the cooling surface of the upper heat sink 111, the conveyance load when the heat sink portion of the paper P enters is further reduced.

  Here, the support method of the rotating shaft 118 can be configured, for example, as shown in FIG. The rotating shaft 118 provided at the center of the upper heat sink 111 is supported by support members 120 provided on both side surfaces perpendicular to the axis of the rotating shaft 118 of the upper heat sink 111. In the support member 120, two pins 121 fixed vertically to a table 123 having a surface parallel to the paper transport direction pass through two holes provided in the support member 120. These pins 121 restrict the support member 120 from moving in the X direction in FIG. 5B, which is the paper transport direction, and slide in the Z direction in FIG. 5B perpendicular to the paper transport direction. Is possible. For the purpose of adjusting the pressure applied by the upper heat sink 111, a spring 122 is provided on the outer periphery of the pin 121 between the base 123 on which the pin 121 is fixed and the support member 120, and the upper heat sink is interposed via the support member 120. 111 is pressed.

(Example 2)
Example 2 which is the 2nd example of cooling device 100 of this embodiment is explained using a figure. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration in which the cooling member of the cooling device 100 according to the present embodiment is divided and arranged also in a direction orthogonal to the paper transport direction. Here, the present embodiment is different from the first embodiment only in that the cooling device 100 of the present embodiment is divided and arranged in the direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction. Therefore, the configuration and operation similar to those of the first embodiment will be described by omitting them as appropriate. Further, members having the same function will be described with the same reference numerals.

In the first embodiment described above, the upper heat sink in the upper endless belt 113 of the upper cooling unit 110 is divided into three upper heat sinks 111 along the sheet conveyance direction. That is, the three upper heat sinks 111 are arranged in the upper endless belt 113 of the upper cooling unit 110 along the sheet conveyance direction. However, when the upper heat sink 111 or the lower heat sink 152 is processed, if distortion or twist occurs in the direction orthogonal to the paper conveyance direction, that is, the A direction in FIG. 6, the upper heat sink further along the A direction as shown in FIG. 111 may be divided. By comprising in this way, the space | gap between the upper endless belt 113 and the lower endless belt 153 in A direction can be reduced, and a cooling efficiency fall and generation | occurrence | production of a cooling nonuniformity can be prevented.
Therefore, even if a cooling member with low cooling surface processing accuracy is used, it is caused by distortion / twisting in the direction perpendicular to the paper transport direction as compared to a configuration in which there are not a plurality of cooling members arranged on the inner peripheral surface of any endless belt. Thus, the gap can be reduced, and the cooling effect can be reduced and cooling unevenness can be suppressed. In other words, compared to a configuration in which the cooling member disposed on the inner peripheral surface of any of the endless belts is not separately disposed, the gap due to distortion / twist in the direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction can be reduced, and the cooling effect can be reduced. Cooling unevenness can be suppressed.

(Example 3)
Example 3 which is a third example of the cooling device 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration in which the cooling members disposed in both endless belts that sandwich the sheet from above and below of the cooling device 100 according to the present embodiment are separately disposed. Here, in the present embodiment and the first or second embodiment, the cooling members disposed in both endless belts that sandwich the sheet from above and below the cooling device 100 of the present embodiment are separately disposed. Only the points related to. Therefore, the same configuration and operation as those of the first or second embodiment described above will be omitted as appropriate. Further, members having the same function will be described with the same reference numerals.

  As shown in FIG. 7, in the cooling device 100 of the present embodiment, the lower cooling unit 150 is similar to the upper cooling unit 110 in which the upper heat sink on the inner peripheral surface of the upper endless belt 113 is divided into three upper heat sinks 111. The lower heat sink on the inner peripheral surface of the lower endless belt 153 is divided into three lower heat sinks 151. That is, three (a plurality) of the upper heat sink 111 and the lower heat sink 151 are arranged on the inner peripheral surfaces of both the upper endless belt 113 and the lower endless belt 153 that sandwich the paper P, respectively.

  In this way, by arranging the heat sinks in a divided manner, the generation of gaps between the endless belts or between the heat sinks and the endless belts that are in sliding contact with each other is reduced, and the cooling effect of the paper P is reduced or cooled. The occurrence of unevenness can be reduced as compared with the configuration in which the heat sink is divided and arranged only on one side.

Example 4
Next, Example 4 which is a 4th Example of the cooling device 100 of this embodiment is demonstrated using figures. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration in which the liquid example method is applied to the cooling member of the cooling device 100 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 9 illustrates the space between the cooling members when the cooling device 100 according to the present embodiment is operated. It is perspective explanatory drawing of the flow path to connect. FIG. 10 is an explanatory side view of the flow path connecting the cooling members when the upper and lower cooling means of the cooling device 100 according to the present embodiment are separated from each other. FIG. 11 is a side view of the cooling device 100 according to the present embodiment. It is perspective explanatory drawing of the flow path which connects between each cooling member at the time of separating an upper and lower cooling means. Here, the present embodiment differs from the first to third embodiments only in that the cooling device 100 according to the present embodiment applies a liquid cooling method to the cooling member. Therefore, the configuration and operation similar to those of the first to third embodiments described above will be omitted as appropriate. Further, members having the same function will be described with the same reference numerals.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the cooling device 100 of the present embodiment uses a liquid cooling type cooling member as a cooling member, unlike the cooling examples 1 to 3 in which a heat sink is used as a cooling member and cooling is performed by fan blowing. The liquid cooling system 200 was used for cooling. In the present embodiment, a large lower liquid cooling cooling member 162 having a coolant flow path is disposed on the inner peripheral surface of the lower endless belt 153 of the lower cooling unit 150, and the upper endless belt 113 of the upper cooling unit 110 is disposed inside. Three (plural) small upper liquid cooling / cooling members 131 each having a coolant flow path therein are arranged on the peripheral surface.

  The mechanism of the liquid cooling system 200 will be described. As shown in FIG. 8, the coolant is stored in the tank 201 and is sent by the coolant pump 203, and the amount of heat is released to the outside air by the radiator 202, and the coolant once becomes a low temperature. Thereafter, the coolant flows into the lower liquid-cooled cooling member 162, takes heat from the lower liquid-cooled cooling member 162, and then flows into the three upper liquid-cooled cooling members 131 in order, and takes heat from each. In this way, the cooling liquid takes heat from all the cooling members, returns to the tank 201 after reaching a high temperature, and is sent again by the cooling liquid pump 203. By this cycle, the liquid cooling system 200 takes heat from the lower liquid cooling member 162 and the three upper liquid cooling members 131 and keeps them at a low temperature. In this way, by taking the amount of heat of each liquid cooling member and cooling it, a higher cooling effect can be obtained as compared with the air cooling method.

  When such a liquid cooling system 200 is applied to the cooling device 100 of the present embodiment, the cooling liquid flow path connecting the upper liquid cooling cooling member 131 and the lower liquid cooling cooling member 162 is a hard tube such as a metal tube. If this happens, the following problems will occur. The plurality of upper liquid cooling / cooling members 131 restrain movement and rotation from each other by the flow paths connecting them, and each of them is independently displaced, so that pressurization in the inner peripheral surface direction of the upper endless belt 113 cannot be performed. In order to prevent such inconveniences, it is necessary to use a flexible fluid channel such as a rubber tube as the coolant flow path connecting the cooling members. Therefore, in the present embodiment, among the flow paths connected to the upper liquid cooling cooling member 131 and the lower liquid cooling cooling member 162, a place where there is a possibility of restraining the movement and rotation of each upper liquid cooling cooling member 131 is a rubber tube. The flow paths are connected by 145a, b, c, and d.

  As a result, each upper liquid cooling / cooling member 131 is movably supported independently and can pressurize the inner peripheral surface of the upper endless belt 113. In addition, by using the metal tubes 205a, 205b, and 205c in the passages where the movement and rotation of each upper liquid cooling cooling member 131 cannot be restricted, the risk of leakage of the cooling liquid at these places is reduced. Can do.

  Specifically, the lower liquid cooling cooling member 162 includes a cooling liquid inlet 171a and an outlet 171b. Each upper liquid cooling cooling member 131 has a cooling liquid inlet 141a and an outlet 141b. The inflow port 171a provided on the downstream side of the lower liquid cooling / cooling member 162 in the sheet conveying direction is connected to the other end side of the metal tube 205c having one end connected to the radiator 202, and the outflow port provided on the upstream side. One end side of the rubber tube 145a is connected to 171b. The other end of the rubber tube 145a is connected to the inlet 141a of the upper liquid-cooling cooling member 131 disposed at the uppermost stream in the sheet conveying direction.

  And the outflow port 141b of the uppermost liquid cooling cooling member 131 of the uppermost stream and the inflow port 141a of the upper liquid cooling cooling member 131 arrange | positioned in the center are connected by the rubber tube 145b. Further, the outlet 141b of the upper liquid cooling cooling member 131 disposed at the center and the inlet 141a of the uppermost downstream liquid cooling cooling member 131 are connected by a rubber tube 145c, and the lowermost upper liquid cooling cooling member 131 is connected. One end of a rubber tube 145d is connected to the outlet 141b. The other end of the rubber tube 145d is connected to a tank 201 included in the liquid cooling system 200. The tank 201 and the coolant pump 203 are connected by a metal pipe 205a, and the coolant pump 203 and the radiator 202 are connected by a metal pipe 205b.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 9, each of the upper liquid cooling cooling member 131 and the lower liquid cooling cooling member 162 is operated by the user on each rubber tube 145 connected to each upper liquid cooling cooling member 131 of the liquid cooling system 200. When it is viewed from the user, it is concentrated on the back side. Thus, the following effects can be produced by arranging each rubber tube 145 so as to be concentrated on the back side surface as viewed from the user.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 10, when a jam occurs during conveyance of the paper P in the cooling device 100, a mechanism for lifting the upper cooling unit 110 is provided so that the user can remove the paper P. To do. When the user lifts the upper cooling unit 110 to remove the paper P in the cooling device 100, each rubber tube 145 changes from the state shown in FIG. 9 to the state shown in FIG. That is, the rubber tubes 145a and 145d connecting the two upper liquid cooling members 131 of the upper cooling unit 110 and the lower liquid cooling member 162 of the lower cooling unit 150 are deformed as each upper liquid cooling member 131 is lifted. To do.

  At this time, when each inlet 141a or outlet 141b, 171b, which is a connection portion of each liquid cooling member connecting each rubber tube 145, is provided on the side where the user performs work, each rubber tube 145 is This obstructs the work when the user removes the paper P. Or, by the carelessness of the user, the rubber tube 145a, d or the other rubber tube 145b, c may be caught and the rubber tube 145 may be pulled out, or some damage may be caused. There is. Therefore, in the cooling device 100 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 11, the rubber tubes 145 are arranged on the back side when viewed from the users of the upper liquid cooling member 131 and the lower liquid cooling member 162. In addition, the rubber tubes 145 are arranged so as not to touch the user's hand. By arranging in this way, it is possible to prevent the user from working or being touched by the user's hand and causing any one of the rubber tubes 145 to be detached or damaged.

  Here, the order of the flow paths connecting the elements of the liquid cooling system 200 is not limited to the order of the present embodiment. For example, the cooling liquid is allowed to flow to each upper liquid cooling cooling member 131 before the lower liquid cooling cooling member 162. The coolant may be flowed in any order.

What has been described above is merely an example, and the present invention has a specific effect for each of the following modes.
(Aspect A)
Conveying means for sandwiching and conveying a recording material such as paper P by a pair of endless belts such as an upper endless belt 113 and a lower endless belt 153 which are respectively stretched and rotated by a plurality of rollers such as a driven roller 114 and a driving roller 115; And a cooling member such as an upper heat sink 111 and a lower heat sink 152 disposed so as to be in sliding contact with the inner peripheral surface of each endless belt of the conveying means on the side where the recording material is nipped and conveyed. In the cooling device such as the device 100, a plurality of the cooling members such as the upper heat sink 111 are disposed on the inner peripheral surface of the endless belt such as at least one upper endless belt 113. The members are movably supported independently of each other, and are biased toward the inner peripheral surface of the endless belt. It is.
According to this, as described in the first embodiment, in the cooling device such as the cooling device 100 that cools the recording material such as the paper P from both sides, the upper heat sink 111 and the lower heat sink 152 that have low cooling surface processing accuracy are used. Even if a cooling member is used, it is possible to provide a cooling device that can suppress cooling unevenness and a decrease in cooling performance.
(Aspect B)
In (Aspect A), the plurality of cooling members such as the upper heat sink 111 are arranged along the conveyance direction of the recording material such as the paper P.
According to this, as described in the first embodiment, even if a cooling member such as the upper heat sink 111 or the lower heat sink 152 having a low cooling surface processing accuracy is used, any of the upper endless belt 113, the lower endless belt 153, etc. Compared with a configuration in which there are not a plurality of cooling members such as the upper heat sink 191 and the lower heat sink 152 disposed on the inner peripheral surface of the endless belt, the gap caused by distortion and twist in the paper conveyance direction can be reduced, and the cooling effect is reduced and the cooling is reduced. Unevenness can be suppressed.
(Aspect C)
In (Aspect A) or (Aspect B), the plurality of cooling members such as the upper heat sink 111 are arranged along a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the recording material such as paper P. Is.
According to this, as described in the second embodiment, even if a cooling member with low cooling surface processing accuracy is used, it is arranged on the inner peripheral surface of any endless belt such as the upper endless belt 113 or the lower endless belt 153. Compared with a configuration in which there are not a plurality of cooling members such as the upper heat sink 191 and the lower heat sink 152, the gap due to distortion / twist in the direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction can be reduced, and the cooling effect and cooling unevenness can be suppressed.
(Aspect D)
In any one of (Aspect A) to (Aspect C), the plurality of cooling members such as the upper heat sink 111 can rotate independently of each other, and each cooling member in the conveyance direction of the recording material such as the paper P The movement of is restricted.
According to this, as described in the first embodiment, the plurality of cooling members such as the upper heat sink 111 can cool the opposing lower heat sink 152 and the like without being dragged by the movement of the endless belt such as the upper endless belt 113. The arrangement follows the shape of the cooling surface of the member. Further, when the recording material such as the paper P is nipped and conveyed, the posture of the recording material is changed by rotating slightly according to the conveying state, so that the conveyance load of the recording material is reduced.
(Aspect E)
In any one of (Aspect A) to (Aspect D), the cooling of the upper liquid cooling cooling member 131 and the lower liquid cooling cooling member 162 provided on each of the endless belts such as the upper endless belt 113 and the lower endless belt 153 Each member is characterized in that it is cooled by a liquid cooling system such as a liquid cooling system 200 that performs heat transport by flowing a cooling liquid through a flow path provided inside, and performs heat dissipation provided outside. .
According to this, as described in the fourth embodiment, a high cooling effect can be obtained as compared with the air cooling method.
(Aspect F)
(Embodiment E), each of the cooling members such as the upper liquid cooling member 131 and the lower liquid cooling member 162 provided in each of the endless belts such as the upper endless belt 113 and the lower endless belt 153 is provided inside each endless belt. The above-described flow path of the coolant is connected to the outside by a flow path such as rubber tubes 145a, b, c, d having flexibility.
According to this, as described in the fourth embodiment, the movement and rotation of the metal pipe is performed as in the case where a metal pipe is used for a flow path that connects a plurality of cooling members such as the upper liquid cooling cooling member 131 to the outside. Without being constrained, each of them can be displaced independently to apply pressure to the inner circumferential surface of the endless belt such as the upper endless belt 113.
(Aspect G)
In (Aspect F), the connection portion of the flow path having flexibility such as rubber tubes 145a, b, c, and d to be connected externally is based on the side on which the user performs maintenance work, and the cooling device 100 or the like. It is provided in the apparatus back | inner side surface.
According to this, as described in the fourth embodiment, the user's work is hindered, or the user's hand touches, so that any of the flexible flow paths such as one of the rubber tubes 145 can be removed. Damage can be prevented from occurring.
(Aspect H)
A fixing unit such as a thermal fixing device 15 that heats and fixes an unfixed image formed on a recording material such as paper P, and a cooling unit that cools the recording material on which the image is fixed by the fixing unit. In an image forming apparatus such as a printer 300, a cooling device such as the cooling device 100 of any one of (Aspect A) to (Aspect G) is used as the cooling unit.
According to this, as described in the present embodiment, the image forming apparatus such as the printer 300 that can achieve the same effect as the cooling apparatus such as the cooling apparatus 100 according to any one of (Aspect A) to (Aspect G). Can be provided.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Photoconductor 2 Optical writing device 3 Each developing device 4 Cleaning device 5 Charging device 10 Image station 11 Primary transfer roller 15 Heat fixing device 21 Intermediate transfer belt 22 First tension roller 23 Second tension roller 24 Third tension roller Roller 25 Secondary transfer roller 26 Cleaning counter roller 27 Cleaning device 31 Paper storage section 32 Paper transport path 33 Reverse paper transport path 34 Paper discharge storage section 41 Registration roller pair 42 Paper feed roller 100 Cooling device 110 Upper cooling section 111 Upper heat sink 113 Upper endless belt 114 driven roller (upper)
115 Driving roller (upper part)
116 Spring member (upper part)
117 Fan (upper part)
118 Rotating shaft 120 Support member 121 Pin 122 Spring 123 Stand 131 Upper liquid cooling member 145a, b, c, d Rubber tube 150 Lower cooling part 151 Lower heat sink (small)
152 Lower heat sink (large)
153 Lower endless belt 154 Driven roller (lower part)
155 Drive roller (bottom)
156 Spring member (lower part)
157 Fan (bottom)
162 Lower liquid cooling member 191 Heat sink (conventional upper part)
200 Liquid Cooling System 201 Tank 202 Radiator 203 Coolant Pump 205a, b, c Metal Pipe 300 Printer P Paper

Japanese Patent No. 4231756

Claims (3)

And conveying means for its being stretched by respectively a plurality of rollers for nipping and conveying the recording material by a pair of endless belts to rotate, the inner peripheral surface of the recording material to sandwich the conveying side of the endless belt of said conveying means And a cooling device that is arranged so as to be in sliding contact with each other,
A plurality of cooling members are disposed on the inner peripheral surface of at least one of the endless belts,
The plurality of cooling members are movably supported independently of each other and can be independently rotated, and the movement of the cooling members in the recording material conveyance direction is restricted, toward the inner peripheral surface of the endless belt. A cooling device characterized by being energized. The cooling device according to claim 1 , wherein
The cooling members provided in the endless belts are cooled by a liquid cooling system that transports heat by flowing a coolant through a flow path provided in the endless belt and dissipates heat, and is provided to the outside. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the flow paths of the cooling liquid provided inside each of the cooling members provided on the outside are connected to each other by a flexible flow path. Fixing means for heating and fixing an unfixed image formed on the recording material;
An image forming apparatus comprising: a cooling unit that cools the recording material on which the image is fixed by the fixing unit;
An image forming apparatus using the cooling device according to claim 1 or 2 as the cooling unit.

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