JP6119186B2 - Air conditioner and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner and an image forming apparatus, and more specifically, an air conditioner that controls the temperature and / or humidity of a specific location in the apparatus to a predetermined temperature and humidity, and a printer, a facsimile, and a copying apparatus including the air conditioner. Furthermore, the present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a digital multi-function peripheral having at least two of these functions.

  Image forming apparatuses such as printers, facsimiles, copiers, and digital multifunction peripherals record images such as characters and symbols on a recording medium such as paper or an OHP sheet based on image information. There are various types of such image forming apparatuses, and the electrophotographic system is widely used because it can record high-definition images on plain paper at high speed.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus that has been generally implemented conventionally. This image forming apparatus is an electrophotographic color copying machine, and is a so-called indirect transfer tandem type full color image forming apparatus in which toner images of respective colors are formed on an intermediate transfer member. Since this type of color image forming apparatus is publicly known, it will be schematically described together with its operation.

  In FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 200 basically includes an apparatus main body 210, an image reading apparatus 220, and a paper feeding apparatus 230. In this image forming apparatus 200, image information is read by an image reading device 220, and laser light for writing electrostatic latent images on the four photosensitive members 212 of the image forming unit 211 of the apparatus main body 210 in accordance with the image information. Is irradiated by the writing device 213. The photoconductor 212 is a photoconductor drum formed in a drum shape in this example and the embodiments described later.

  The image forming unit 211 forms (develops) a toner image by causing the toner in the developer to adhere to the photoreceptor 212 by the yellow, cyan, magenta, and black developing unit 214, and sequentially transfers the toner image to the intermediate transfer belt 215. To do. Then, the secondary transfer device 216 transfers the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 215 to the recording paper fed from the paper feeding device 230. The fixing device 217 heats and presses the recording paper on which the toner image is transferred, melts the toner on the recording paper, and presses the recording paper on the recording paper.

  Thereafter, when recording on only one side of the recording paper, it is discharged to the paper discharge tray 218. When recording on both sides of the recording paper, the front and back sides of the recording paper are reversed in the duplex unit 219 and conveyed again to the upstream secondary transfer device 216 side. The image forming unit 211 repeats the same operation for the next image, transfers the image to the back side of the conveyed recording paper, fixes it, and then discharges it to the paper discharge tray 218.

  In such an electrophotographic image forming apparatus 200, the image forming elements provided in the apparatus are easily affected by environmental changes, and the characteristics change particularly depending on temperature and humidity. Therefore, it is necessary to cope with this change in characteristics.

  Regarding the temperature, heat is generated at various locations such as a driving motor that rotationally drives the writing device 213, the fixing device 217, the developing unit 214, the photoconductor (image carrier) 212, and the like provided in the image forming apparatus 200. However, it is known to raise the temperature inside the apparatus. For example, in the developing unit 214, when a developer stirring / conveying member that stirs and conveys the developer in the developing unit 214 is driven, frictional heat due to friction between the developer stirring / conveying member and the developer, or between developers The frictional heat due to the friction of the material causes a temperature rise in the apparatus.

  In addition, the frictional heat caused by the friction between the developer regulating member and the developer that regulates the layer thickness of the developer carried on the developer carrying body (developing roller) before the developer is conveyed to the developing region, or Frictional heat due to rubbing between the developers at the time of regulation by the developer regulating member also causes the temperature in the developing device to rise.

  Thus, when the temperature in the developing unit 214 rises, the charge amount of the toner decreases, the toner adhesion amount increases, and a predetermined image density cannot be obtained. Further, the toner may melt and aggregate due to the temperature rise, and may adhere to the developer regulating member, the developer carrying member, or the image carrying member, and a streaky abnormal image may be generated on the image. In particular, in recent years, toners having a low melting temperature are often used to reduce the fixing energy, and such low toners tend to cause abnormal images due to toner aggregation.

  Regarding the humidity, since the image forming apparatus 200 forms an image using charged fine particles such as toner and carrier and the charged photosensitive member 212, the charged state thereof is affected by the composition of the air inside the apparatus, particularly the humidity. The image quality becomes unstable due to the change. For example, charged fine particles such as toner and carrier used in an electrophotographic apparatus are designed to stabilize an electrostatic charge state by adding a charge control agent to a polymer resin. However, the electrical properties of the polymer resin take in moisture in the air even if the hydrophobization treatment is exhausted, causing electric resistance, friction coefficient between powders, fluidity change, and the like. As a result, the toner charge amount in the developing unit 214 may be reduced, resulting in image quality fluctuations such as an increase in density.

  In the charging unit using the discharge phenomenon, a nitric acid compound is generated along with the discharge, and this is combined with moisture in the air, so that ionized substances such as nitric acid and nitrate adhere to the surface of the photoreceptor 212. This adhesion accelerates the deterioration of the surface of the photoconductor 212 and causes abnormal wear of the photoconductor 212. Further, blurring of the electrostatic latent image due to the surface being conductive by the ionized substance, so-called image flow, occurs.

  In order to cope with such a problem, basically, air conditioning may be performed on the image forming apparatus 200 or an image forming element in the image forming apparatus 200. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the configuration and operating principle of a general vapor compression refrigerator for performing air conditioning. In FIG. 8A, a vapor compression refrigerator includes a compressor 101 that compresses a refrigerant, a first heat exchanger (condenser) 102 that performs heat exchange between the refrigerant and air, and a second heat exchanger (evaporation). 103), an expansion valve 104 for depressurizing the refrigerant, and a four-way valve 105 for switching the refrigerant flow path. Moreover, air can be heated or cooled by repeating the following cycles.

1. Compression: A low-pressure / low-temperature refrigerant vapor is compressed by the compressor 101 into a high-pressure / high-temperature refrigerant vapor.

2. Condensation: Refrigerant vapor that has become high-pressure and high-temperature in the compressor 101 is sent to the first heat exchanger 102, heat-exchanged with air, cooled to form a refrigerant liquid (air is heated).

3. Expansion: The high-pressure refrigerant liquid liquefied by the first heat exchanger 102 is decompressed by the expansion valve 104.

4). Evaporation: The refrigerant liquid decompressed by the expansion valve 104 is evaporated by the second heat exchanger 103, and heat is taken from the air (the air is cooled).

  The above process is described with reference to the temperature T and entropy S TS diagram of FIG. The compressor 101 compresses the dry saturated steam A of the refrigerant to a pressure equal to or higher than the saturated steam pressure with respect to a predetermined temperature in the first heat exchanger 102, and sends it to the first heat exchanger 102 as the superheated saturated steam B. The superheated saturated steam B sent to the first heat exchanger 102 discards the heat Q1 by heat exchange with air, is cooled and liquefied, and becomes a saturated liquid C. This saturated liquid C is sent to the expansion valve 104, isenthalpy-expanded by the expansion valve 104, becomes wet steam D, and is sent to the second heat exchanger 103. The wet steam D sent to the second heat exchanger 103 absorbs the amount of heat Q2 from the air, vaporizes and returns to the dry saturated steam A.

FIG. 8B is a diagram showing a state when the four-way valve 105 is switched from the state of FIG. That is, as shown in FIG.
Compressor 101 → first heat exchanger 102 → expansion valve 104 → second heat exchanger 103
From this state, as shown in FIG. 8B, the compressor 101 → the second heat exchanger 103 → the expansion valve 104 → the first heat exchanger 102
By switching so as to become, the first heat exchanger 101 and the second heat exchanger 103 can function as a condenser and an evaporator, and an evaporator and a condenser.

  In addition, humidification means for controlling the humidity of the controlled airflow include a steam type that heats water with a heater and changes it to steam, a vaporization type that vaporizes by applying wind to a vaporized medium containing water, and ultrasonic vibration of water There are ultrasonic methods that make finer particles. Further, as a method for controlling the humidity, a cooling method in which water is condensed at a dew point temperature or lower, an adsorption method in which moisture in the air is adsorbed on a solid having a high moisture adsorption property, and the like are generally used.

  However, if the air-conditioning means attempts to air-condition the entire image forming apparatus 200, the capacity to be controlled increases, leading to an increase in cost, size, noise, and power consumption commensurate with the control capability. For this reason, when the air-conditioning means is applied to the image forming apparatus 200, the required electric power is inevitably increased as compared with the conventional fan that has been mainly used for cooling.

  Therefore, for example, Japanese Patent No. 4134208 (Patent Document 1) discloses a technique for air-conditioning only an image forming unit including a photoconductor and a developing unit.

  This technology measures the temperature of the cleaning blade, the temperature adjustment device that performs the heating operation to supply warmed air and the cooling operation to supply cooled air, the air conditioning means that adjusts the temperature of the cleaning blade, and the temperature of the cleaning blade And the air conditioning unit according to a detection value of the temperature sensor and a preset reference value temperature so that the temperature of the cleaning blade can be a temperature at which the residual toner can be scraped off appropriately by the cleaning blade. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus having a temperature control means for driving the photosensitive member, the developing unit, and the cleaning unit are housed in a case, and the inside of the case is a substantially hermetically sealed space so that images of different colors are provided. A plurality of image forming modules to be formed are provided, and a space in which the temperature is adjusted by the air conditioning means is created. A generally enclosed space in the module, in which a reference temperature is set for each imaging module, and a circulation flow path for returning air supplied from the air conditioning means to the air conditioning means to the air conditioning means It is characterized by providing. And by this structure, size reduction of an air-conditioning means is achieved.

  By the way, in this type of image forming apparatus, when operating in an environment of low temperature and low humidity, it is necessary to heat and humidify in order to make the control target portion have a temperature and humidity suitable for image formation. For this reason, an air-conditioning airflow that is higher than the temperature of the control target location and higher in humidity than the surroundings of the control target location is generated and applied to the control target location. The humid air-conditioned airflow is cooled to near the temperature of the control target location near the surface of the control target location, so the air conditioning airflow may reach the dew point locally. When the dew point is reached, dew condensation occurs at the control target location.

  However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, a circulation flow path is provided to recirculate the air supplied from the air conditioning means into the image forming module to the air conditioning means. Condensation is not considered at all. For this reason, when air conditioning is performed, the possibility that condensation occurs on the surface of the control target portion cannot be denied.

  Therefore, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to prevent condensation from occurring in the control target part when controlling the control target part to a temperature and humidity suitable for the operation of the control target in a low temperature and low humidity environment by air conditioning. It is in.

In order to solve the above-described problem, one aspect of the present invention is an air conditioner that supplies an air-conditioned airflow to a control target location, a humidifying unit that humidifies the airflow, and a temperature at which the airflow is heated or cooled Based on the control means, the temperature detected at the control target location , and the humidity of the air flow supplied to the control target location, the absolute humidity of the air flow does not exceed the saturated water vapor amount at the temperature of the control target location. Control means for controlling the humidity of the airflow, and humidifying means for humidifying the airflow , the control means when the heating and humidification operation, the absolute humidity of the airflow of the control target location The humidifying amount by the humidifying means is controlled so as to be the smaller of the saturated water vapor amount at the temperature and the target humidity of the control target portion .

According to one aspect of the present invention, when controlling a control target location to a temperature and humidity suitable for the operation of the control target in an environment of low temperature and low humidity by air conditioning, it is possible to prevent condensation at the control target location. it can. Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will become apparent from the following description of embodiments.

1 is a diagram showing an outline of an air conditioning configuration of an image forming apparatus according to Example 1 in an embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows the control procedure of the air-conditioning control apparatus in Example 1. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an outline of an air conditioning configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the control procedure of the air-conditioning control apparatus in Example 2. FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram in which an air conditioner of Example 2 is applied to a charging unit of an image forming apparatus according to Example 3. FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram in which an air conditioner of Example 2 is applied to a charging unit of an image forming apparatus according to Example 4. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus that has been generally implemented conventionally. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure and operating principle of a vapor compression refrigerator used as a general air conditioning means.

  The present invention is characterized in that control is performed so that the absolute humidity of the control airflow of the air-conditioning means does not exceed the amount of saturated water vapor at the temperature of the control target location.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, components that can be regarded as identical or identical are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description or illustration is omitted as appropriate.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an air conditioning configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. The image forming apparatus itself is the same as the prior art shown in FIG.

  The air conditioning configuration of the image forming apparatus 200 according to the present embodiment basically includes a control target location 1 for temperature / humidity control, a circulation flow path 2, and an air conditioning device 3.

  Also in this embodiment, as in the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1 described above, electrophotographic image forming elements such as a photoreceptor, a developing unit, and a cleaning unit are housed in a case as an image forming module. The inside is a substantially sealed space 4. In the case of FIG. 7, a plurality of image forming modules for performing image formation of different colors are provided. In FIG. 1, the case of one color is taken as an example. That is, a space in which the temperature is adjusted by the air conditioner 3 is a substantially sealed space 4 in the image forming module, and the control target location 1 is set in the substantially sealed space 4.

  The air conditioner 3 includes a temperature control device 31, a humidification device 32, and an air conditioning control device 33. The circulation path 2 connects the first flow path 21 that connects the substantially sealed space 4 and the humidifying device 32, the second flow path 22 that connects the humidifying unit 32 and the temperature control device 31, and the temperature control device 31 and the substantially sealed space 4. A third flow path 23 is provided, and the first to third flow paths 21, 22, and 23 are communicated, and the conditioned control airflow circulates in the one communicated flow path.

  A first humidity sensor 51 and a second humidity sensor 52 are disposed at the humidifying device 32 side of the first flow path 21 and at locations where the first flow path 21 enters the substantially sealed space 4, respectively. Further, a temperature sensor 6 is installed at the control target location 1. As a result, the first humidity sensor 51 detects the humidity of the control airflow generated by the air conditioner 3 in the immediate vicinity of the downstream side of the humidifier 32, and the second humidity sensor 52 detects the humidity around the control target location 1. To do. The temperature sensor 6 detects the temperature of the control target location 1.

  The detection outputs of the first and second humidity sensors 51 and 52 and the temperature sensor 6 are input to the air conditioning control device 3 via signal lines. The temperature control device 31 and the humidification device 32 are connected to the air conditioning control device 33 through signal lines, respectively, and are controlled by a CPU (central processing unit) (not shown) of the air conditioning control device 33. The CPU includes a control unit and a calculation unit. The control unit controls the interpretation of instructions and the flow of program control, and the calculation unit executes calculations. The program is stored in a memory (not shown), an instruction to be executed (a certain numerical value or a sequence of numerical values) is taken out from the memory in which the program is placed, and the program is executed.

  The temperature control device 31 is the air conditioning means shown in FIG. As described above, the air-conditioning means can be switched between the cooling operation and the heating operation by switching the four-way valve 105, and is switched to either one by the air-conditioning control device 33, and from the second flow path 22 to the humidifying device 32 side ( The air is blown in the direction of arrow D1.

  The humidifier 32 is a device having a function of increasing the humidity in the control airflow, and is a steam type that heats water with the above-described heater or the like to change it into steam, a vaporization type that vaporizes by applying wind to a vaporizing medium containing water, An apparatus of any type such as an ultrasonic type that makes water fine particles by ultrasonic vibration is used. When the temperature is low, the humidifier 32 has a small amount of saturated water vapor, so that the right or wrong operation is selected in relation to the temperature. Considering the case where the temperature control device 31 is in the cooling operation, there is a case where condensation occurs when the humidification device 32 is arranged at the front stage of the temperature control device 31, so the humidification device 32 is arranged at the rear stage of the temperature control device 31.

  In the present embodiment, the air whose temperature is controlled by the temperature controller 31 is sent from the second flow path 22 to the humidifier 32 and humidified. The control airflow generated by the air conditioner 3 is guided to the control target location 1 by the first flow path 21 of the circulation path 2, and returns to the air conditioner 3 again through the third flow path 23. The circulation path 2 is preferably configured with a high degree of sealing by a duct, but is not limited thereto, and may be configured such that a gap in the apparatus forms the circulation path.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a control procedure of the air-conditioning control apparatus in this embodiment. In this embodiment, the air-conditioning control device 33 has a desired value (temperature) of the detection value t [° C.] of the temperature sensor 6 and the detection value (volume absolute humidity) h2 [g / m ^ 3] of the second humidity sensor 52. Is controlled to be TL [° C.] or higher, TH [° C.] or lower, and humidity is HL [g / m ^ 3] or higher).

In this embodiment, after the operation of the image forming apparatus is started, the detection value t of the temperature sensor 6 is compared with a desired temperature lower limit value TL (step S101). And
t <TL (1)
Is true (when t is smaller than TL), the temperature control device 31 is set in a heating (heating) operation (step S102), and the process proceeds to step S106.

When the expression (1) is false (when t is not smaller than TL), the process proceeds to step S103, and the detected value t of the temperature sensor 6 is compared with the desired temperature upper limit value TH. And
TH <t (2)
Is false (when t is equal to or less than TH), the temperature control device 31 is stopped (fan operation) (step S104), and the process proceeds to step S106.

  When the formula (2) is true (when t is larger than TH), the temperature control device 31 is set to the cooling (cooling) operation in step S105, and the process proceeds to step S106.

In step S106, the detection value (volume absolute humidity) h2 of the second humidity sensor 52 is compared with the desired humidity lower limit HL,
h2 <HL (3)
Is true (when h2 is smaller than HL), the humidifier 32 is set in a humidifying operation (step S107), the humidification amount is increased or decreased in step S108, and the process proceeds to step S110.

  On the other hand, when Formula (3) is false (h2 is more than HL), operation | movement of the humidifier 32 is stopped by step S109, and it transfers to step S110.

  In the process of step S108, when the humidifier 32 is operated, the detected value (volume absolute humidity) h1 [g / m ^ 3] of the first humidity sensor 51 is the saturated water vapor amount A [g / g at the temperature of the control target location 1. The humidification amount B [g / min] of the humidifier 32 is controlled so as not to exceed m ^ 3]. In the present embodiment, the amount of water per unit volume of the control airflow is increased or decreased by the difference between the multiplication value obtained by multiplying the saturated water vapor amount A by 0.9 and the detection value h1 of the first humidity sensor 51.

  In step S110, the operation stop of the image forming apparatus 200 is checked. If it is determined in this check that the image forming apparatus 200 is in an operating state, the process returns to step S101 and the subsequent processing is repeated. On the other hand, if the operation is stopped, the control is terminated at that time.

In step S108, when the control airflow rate (constant) of the air conditioner 3 is set to L [l / min],
B = (A × 0.9−h1) × L × 10 ^ −3 (4)
The amount of humidification B is increased or decreased.

  When controlled in this way, the detection value h1 of the first humidity sensor 51 is controlled so as to approach A × 0.9, so that the absolute humidity of the control airflow exceeds the saturated water vapor amount at the temperature of the control target location 1. There is nothing. Therefore, even if the control airflow is cooled to near the temperature of the control target location 1 near the surface of the control target location 1, the control airflow does not reach the dew point. Therefore, condensation does not occur on the surface of the control target location 1.

  In this embodiment, A is multiplied by a coefficient of 0.9 and is close to A so that h1 does not exceed A. However, this coefficient may not be 0.9, and the above equation (4) Thus, the method of obtaining the humidification amount and increasing / decreasing it is not necessary. The setting and method of the coefficient are examples, and the present invention is not limited to the coefficient and method.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an air conditioning configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment. The image forming apparatus itself is the same as the prior art shown in FIG.

  In the second embodiment, the first humidity sensor 51 in the first embodiment is provided in the second flow path 22. The first humidity sensor 51 provided in the second flow path 22 detects the humidity of the control airflow generated in the temperature control device 31 immediately upstream of the humidification device 32 (between the temperature control device 31 and the humidification device 32). The second humidity sensor 52 detects the humidity around the control target location 1. Other parts are configured in the same manner as in the first embodiment and function in the same manner.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the control procedure of the air-conditioning control apparatus in this embodiment. In this embodiment, the air-conditioning control device 33 has a desired range (the absolute value of volume h2 [g / m ^ 3]) detected by the temperature sensor 6 and the detected value (volume absolute humidity) h2 [g / m ^ 3] of the second humidity sensor 52. The temperature controller 31 and the humidifier 32 are controlled so that the temperature is TL [° C.] or higher and TH [° C.] or lower and the humidity is HL [g / m ^ 3] or higher.

In this embodiment, after the operation of the image forming apparatus is started, the detected value t of the temperature sensor 6 is compared with a desired temperature lower limit value TL (step S201). And
t <TL (1)
Is true (when t is smaller than TL), the temperature control device 31 is set to the heating (heating) operation (step S202), and the process proceeds to step S206.

When the expression (1) is false (when t is not smaller than TL), the process proceeds to step S203, and the detection value t of the temperature sensor 6 is compared with the desired temperature upper limit value TH. And
TH <t (2)
Is false (when t is less than or equal to TH), the temperature control device 31 is stopped (fan operation) (step S204), and the process proceeds to step S206.

  When the formula (2) is true (when t is greater than TH), the temperature control device 31 is set to the cooling (cooling) operation in step S205, and the process proceeds to step S206.

In step S206, the detection value (volume absolute humidity) h2 of the second humidity sensor 52 is compared with the desired humidity lower limit HL,
h2 <HL (3)
Is true (when h2 is smaller than HL), the process proceeds to step S207, and the saturated water vapor amount A [g / m ^ 3] at the temperature of the control target location 1 is compared with the humidity lower limit value HL in step S207. To do. And
A <HL (5)
Is true (when A is smaller than HL), the humidification amount B [g / min] of the humidifier 32 is set to L [l / min] when the control airflow rate (constant) of the air conditioner 3 is set to L [l / min]. B = (A−h1) × L × 10 ^ −3 (6)
(Step S208), and the process proceeds to Step S211.

When the formula (5) is false (when A is HL or higher), the humidifying amount B [g / min] of the humidifying means is B = (HL−h1) × L × 10 ^ −3 (7)
(Step S209), and the process proceeds to Step S211.

  On the other hand, when the formula (3) is false in step S206 (when h2 is not smaller than HL), the operation of the humidifier 32 is stopped (step S210), and the process proceeds to step S211.

  In step S211, the operation stop of the image forming apparatus 200 is checked. If it is determined in this check that the image forming apparatus 200 is in an operating state, the process returns to step S201 and the subsequent processing is repeated. On the other hand, if the operation is stopped, the control is terminated at that time.

  By controlling in this way, the absolute humidity of the control airflow is controlled to be the smaller of the saturated water vapor amount at the temperature of the control target location 1 and the target humidity of the control target location 1. Therefore, the atmosphere around the control target location 1 can be set to the target humidity while preventing the occurrence of condensation at the control target location 1.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example in which the air conditioner of the second embodiment is applied to the charging portion of the tandem color image forming apparatus of the indirect transfer system shown in FIG.

  In the present embodiment, the control airflow supplied from the airflow supply port 34 of the air conditioner 3 provided in the image forming apparatus 200 passes through the humidifier 32 and is controlled to each environmental control location 1-1, 2, 3, 4. A circulation channel (air duct) 2 that is fed into the air and returns to the control airflow suction port 35 through heat exchange is provided. In the present embodiment, the circulation flow path 2 is arranged in parallel with respect to each of the environmental control locations 1-1, 2, 3, and 4.

  Each environmental control location 1-1, 2, 3, 4 is a charging portion of an image forming module of each color of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (Bk). As shown in FIG. 7, image forming elements such as a developing unit 214, a charging unit, and a cleaning unit are densely arranged around the photosensitive member 212. In the present embodiment, the control airflow passing through the first flow path 21 is supplied to each image forming module constituting each of the environmental control locations 1-1, 2, 3, and 4. In each image forming module, most of the control airflow discharged from the discharge port of the image forming module is sucked from the suction port of the image forming module, collected in the third flow path 23, and returned to the air conditioner 3 side. .

  The air duct provided in parallel to the drum-shaped photoconductor 212 of each image forming module has a drum discharge port for the control airflow on the back side in the axial direction and a drum suction port on the near side in the axial direction. Has been placed. The parts around the photoconductor 212 are not shown, and most of the control airflow discharged from the drum discharge port is sucked from the drum suction port. Since the control airflow transferred to the photoconductor 212 also enters the developing unit 214 due to the airflow generated in the vicinity of the photoconductor 212 and the developing roller, not only the charging unit but also the temperature in the vicinity of the photoconductor 212 and the inside of the developing device. It is possible to control the humidity.

  Further, a first humidity sensor 51 is provided in the second flow path (air duct) 22 between the temperature control device 31 and the humidification device 32, and temperature sensors 6-1, 2, 3, 4 are provided in the case of each developing device. The second humidity sensors 52-1, 2, 3, 4 are arranged in the vicinity of the photoconductor 212, and the control device 33, the temperature control device 31, the humidifier 32, and the second humidity sensors 52-1, 52-2. 3, 4, temperature sensors 6-1, 2, 3, 4 and the first humidity sensor 51 are connected by a signal line (not shown).

  In the present embodiment, the control device 33 is desired to have an average value of detection values of the temperature sensors 6-1, 2, 3, 4 and an average value of detection values of the second humidity sensors 52-1, 2, 3, 4 The temperature control device 31 and the humidification device 32 are controlled in the same manner as in the second embodiment so as to be in the range. At that time, the humidifying device 32 performs the humidifying amount of the humidifying device 32 in the same manner as in the second embodiment based on the saturated water vapor amount at the lowest value among the detection values of the second temperature sensors 6-1, 2, 3, and 4. To control.

  In this embodiment, since the control airflow generated by the temperature control device 31 and the humidification device 32 is supplied by an air duct provided in parallel in the rotation axis direction of each photoconductor 212, each photoconductor 212 has an equivalent temperature.・ Controlled air flow of humidity can be applied. Further, since the humidifier 32 is controlled based on the temperature of the developing unit 214 having the lowest temperature, dew condensation can be reliably prevented in all the developing units 214.

  In this embodiment, the temperature sensor 6 is provided in the case of the developing unit 214, but it is desirable to install it at a location where the temperature is lowest around the developing unit 214 and the photoreceptor 212. Alternatively, a difference between the temperature of the location where the temperature sensor 6 is installed and the temperature of the location where the temperature is the lowest in the vicinity of the developing unit 214 or the photosensitive member 212 is grasped in advance by experiment or simulation, and the temperature sensor 6 detects the temperature sensor 6. It is also possible to make corrections such as subtracting the difference from the value.

  In the present embodiment, the circulation flow path 2 shown in the second embodiment is a gap between the image forming modules constituting each environment control location 1-1, 2, 3, 4 or a case of enclosing each image forming module. Consists of a gap between the inner wall. When the gap between the units or the inner wall of the storage portion is viewed as a duct, it is not a completely closed space, and therefore, a control airflow leaks. However, this leakage is not a problem amount from the viewpoint of the operating efficiency of the air conditioner 3, and the air conditioning effect of the air conditioner 3 can be sufficiently obtained.

  In addition, the same referential mark is attached | subjected to each part which can be considered to be the same as that of Example 2, and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted. Each part not specifically described is configured in the same manner as in the second embodiment and functions in the same manner.

  FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram showing another example in which the air conditioning apparatus of the second embodiment is applied to the charging unit of the tandem color image forming apparatus of the indirect transfer method shown in FIG. The image forming apparatus itself has the same configuration as that of the third embodiment.

  In the present embodiment, the circulation flow path 2 is arranged in series with respect to the control target locations 1-1, 2, 3, and 4 with respect to the third embodiment. That is, the control airflow discharged from the airflow supply port 34 of the air conditioner 3 provided in the image forming apparatus 200 passes through the humidifier 32 and directly to each of the environmental control locations 1-1, 2, 3, and 4. It is sent to each of the environmental control points 1-1, 2, 3, and 4 through the circulation flow path 2 arranged in, and exchanges heat to return to the control airflow suction port 35. In this control air flow circulation process, the temperature and humidity in the case constituting each image forming module is controlled. Other parts not specifically described are configured in the same manner as in the third embodiment.

  Also in the present embodiment, the control device 33 is desired to have an average value of the detection values of the temperature sensors 6-1, 2, 3, and 4 and an average value of the detection values of the second humidity sensors 52-1, 2, 3, and 4. As in the second and third embodiments, the temperature control device 31 and the humidification device 32 are controlled so as to be in the range. At that time, in the control of the humidifier 32, based on the amount of saturated water vapor in the detected value of the temperature sensor 6-4 of the image forming module (Bk) 1-4 arranged on the most downstream side of the control airflow path from the humidifier 32. To control the amount of humidification. This control is performed in the same manner as in the second and third embodiments.

  In this embodiment, since the control airflow generated by the temperature control device 31 and the humidification device 32 is sent in series to the air duct passing in the axial direction of each photoconductor 212, the same flow rate is controlled to each photoconductor 212. Airflow can be applied. In addition, the air duct configuration is simplified because piping in series is sufficient.

  Furthermore, since the control device 33 controls the humidifier 32 based on the temperature of the developing unit 214 arranged on the most downstream side of the circulation path 2 from the humidifier 32, the occurrence of condensation due to the location where the control airflow is most reduced is prevented. As a result, dew condensation can be reliably prevented for all the developing units 214 located on the upstream side.

  Also in the present embodiment, the circulation flow path 2 shown in the second embodiment is a case in which the space between the image forming modules constituting each environment control location 1-1, 2, 3, 4 or the case in which each image forming module is wrapped. It is comprised by the clearance gap between the inner walls. The air conditioning effect by the air conditioner 3 can be sufficiently obtained as in the third embodiment.

  In addition, the same referential mark is attached | subjected to each part which can be considered to be the same as that of Example 2, and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted. Each part not specifically described is configured in the same manner as in the second embodiment and functions in the same manner.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

1) An air conditioner 3 that supplies a conditioned airflow to a control target location 1 has an absolute humidity of the airflow based on the temperature of the control target location 1, the humidity around the control target location 1, and the humidity of the airflow. Since the air-conditioning control device 33 that controls the humidity of the airflow (S106, S107, S108) so as not to exceed the saturated water vapor amount A at the temperature of the control target location 1 is provided, Thus, when controlling the control target location to a temperature and humidity suitable for operation of the control target location, it is possible to prevent condensation from occurring in the control target location.

2) The image forming apparatus includes the air conditioner in 1), and the image forming apparatus detects a temperature sensor 6 that detects the temperature of the control target location 1 and a humidity that detects the humidity around the control target location 1. Two humidity sensors 52, a first humidity sensor 51 for detecting the humidity of the airflow, a humidifying device 32 for humidifying the airflow, and a temperature control device 31 for heating or cooling the airflow, The air-conditioning control device 33 means controls the humidification amount by the humidification device 32 based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 6 and the humidity detected by the first and second humidity sensors 51, 52. It is possible to reliably detect the temperature and humidity and obtain the same effect as the effect 1) in the image forming apparatus. At that time, by increasing or decreasing the amount of water per unit volume of the control air flow by the difference between the product of the saturated water vapor amount A multiplied by 0.9 and the detected value h1 of the first humidity sensor 51, the occurrence of condensation is increased. Can be prevented.

3) In the image forming apparatus of 2), when the air conditioner 3 performs the heating and humidifying operation, the air conditioner control apparatus 33 determines that the absolute humidity of the airflow is equal to the saturated water vapor amount A at the temperature of the control target location 1. The humidification amount is controlled so as to be the smaller of the target humidity of the control target location 1 (humidity lower limit value HL) (steps S207, S08, S209). That is, when the control target location 1 is at a low temperature, the air flow sets the saturated water vapor amount A at the temperature of the control target location 1 as the target humidity (A-h1), and the temperature of the control target location 1 rises and the control target location 1 When the target humidity of the control target location 1 becomes smaller than the saturated water vapor amount A at the temperature of the above, the air flow is controlled as the target humidity (HL-h1) of the control target location 1. Thereby, the circumference | surroundings of the control object location 1 can be made into target humidity, preventing generation | occurrence | production of the dew condensation in the control object location 1. FIG.

4) In the image forming apparatus of 2), the humidifier 32 is disposed on the downstream side of the temperature controller 31, and the first humidity sensor 51 is disposed on the downstream side of the humidifier 32. Therefore, the air conditioning controller 33 can increase or decrease the humidification amount based on the humidity in the airflow after humidification.

5) In the image forming apparatus of 3), the humidifier 32 is disposed downstream of the temperature controller 31, and the first humidity sensor 51 is disposed between the humidifier 32 and the temperature controller 31. Therefore, the air conditioning control device 33 can increase or decrease the humidification amount based on the humidity in the airflow before humidification.

6) The image forming apparatus of 2) or 3) includes a plurality of the control target portions 1 and includes the air conditioner 3 and the plurality of control target portions (environment control portions) 1-1, 2, 3, and 4. Since the air flow circulation path 2 (21, 22, 23) connected in parallel is provided, air-conditioned air of the same temperature and humidity is blown to the plurality of environment control points 1-1, 2, 3, and 4. Air conditioning can be performed.

7) In the image forming apparatus of 6), when the air conditioner 3 performs the heating and humidifying operation, the air conditioner control apparatus 31 is at the temperature of the environmental control points 1-1, 2, 3, and 4 where the temperature is the lowest. Since the humidification amount is controlled based on the saturated water vapor amount, it is possible to reliably prevent dew condensation at all the environmental control locations 1-1, 2, 3, and 4.

8) The image forming apparatus of 2) or 3) includes a plurality of the control target portions 1 and includes the air conditioner 3 and the plurality of control target portions (environment control portions) 1-1, 2, 3, and 4. Since the air flow circulation path 2 (21, 22, 23) connected in series is provided, air-conditioned air of the same flow rate is blown to a plurality of environmental control points 1-1, 2, 3, and 4, and air conditioning is performed. It can be performed. Further, the circulation channel 2 can be realized with a simple configuration.

9) In the image forming apparatus of 8), when the air conditioner 3 performs the heating and humidifying operation, the air conditioner control apparatus 31 saturates at the temperature of the environmental control point 1-4 on the most downstream side of the circulation path 2. Since the amount of humidification is controlled based on the amount of water vapor, it is possible to reliably prevent dew condensation at all control target locations.

10) In the image forming apparatus according to 2) to 9), since the control target portion 1 includes one of the image forming elements that form an image by an electrophotographic method, the air conditioning is performed without condensing the target image forming element. can do.

  In the present embodiment, the control target location in the claims is denoted by reference numeral 1 (or environmental control locations 1-1, 2, 3, 4), the air conditioner is denoted by reference numeral 3, the control means is denoted by the air conditioning control device 33, The image forming apparatus is denoted by reference numeral 200, the temperature detecting means is the temperature sensor 6, the first humidity detecting means is the first humidity sensor 51, the second humidity detecting means is the second humidity sensor 52, and the humidifying means is The humidifier 32 corresponds to the temperature controller 31, the temperature control means corresponds to the temperature controller 31, and the circulation path corresponds to reference numeral 2 (first flow path 21, second flow path 22, third flow path 23).

  Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and all the technical matters included in the technical idea described in the claims are all included. The subject of the present invention. The above-described embodiments show preferred examples, but those skilled in the art can realize various alternatives, modifications, variations, and improvements from the contents disclosed in the present specification. These are included in the technical scope described in the appended claims.

  The air conditioner according to the present invention is not limited to an image forming apparatus, and can be applied to an apparatus that needs to control the temperature and humidity in a predetermined place in an apparatus such as an electronic device, a server, or a storage.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Control object location 1-1, 2, 3, 4 Environmental control location 2 Circulation path 3 Air conditioning apparatus 6 Temperature sensor 21 1st flow path 22 2nd flow path 23 3rd flow path 31 Temperature control apparatus 32 Humidification apparatus 33 Air Conditioning Control Device 51 First Humidity Sensor 52 Second Humidity Sensor 200 Image Forming Device

Japanese Patent No. 4134208

Claims (9)

An air conditioner that supplies air conditioned air to a control target location,
Humidifying means for humidifying the airflow;
Temperature control means for heating or cooling the airflow;
It said control detected temperature in the target location, and the control target point, based on the humidity of the air flow supplied to the air flow absolute humidity of the air flow so as not to exceed the saturated water vapor amount at the temperature of the controlled object point Control means for controlling the humidity ;
Equipped with a,
When the air conditioner performs heating and humidification operation, the control means is configured so that the absolute humidity of the airflow is the smaller of the saturated water vapor amount at the temperature of the control target location and the target humidity of the control target location. An air conditioner characterized by controlling a humidification amount by the humidifying means . And air conditioning system according to claim 1,
Temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the control target part;
And to that humidity detecting means detects humidity of the air flow supplied to the control target point,
An image forming apparatus having a. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2,
The humidifying means is disposed downstream of the temperature control means;
2. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the humidity detecting unit is disposed immediately downstream of the humidifying unit . The image forming apparatus according to claim 2,
The humidifying means is disposed downstream of the temperature control means;
Before Kishime degree detecting means, the image forming apparatus characterized by being arranged between the humidifying means and said temperature control means. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 ,
It has a plurality of the control target locations ,
An image forming apparatus comprising the air flow circulation path that connects the air conditioner and the plurality of control target portions in parallel . The image forming apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein
When the temperature control unit performs heating and humidification operation, the control unit controls the humidification amount based on the saturated water vapor amount at the temperature of the control target part having the lowest temperature . The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 ,
It has a plurality of the control target locations,
An image forming apparatus comprising the air flow circulation path that connects the air conditioner and the plurality of control target portions in series . The image forming apparatus according to claim 7 ,
When the air-conditioning apparatus performs heating and humidification operations, the control unit controls the humidification amount based on the saturated water vapor amount at the temperature of the control target portion on the most downstream side of the circulation path. apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 8 ,
The image forming apparatus, wherein the control target portion includes one of image forming elements .

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