JP6833393B2 - Image forming device, cooling control method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to cooling control in an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a copying machine, and a multifunction device.

The internal temperature (internal temperature) of the main body of the image forming apparatus rises as the image forming apparatus operates continuously. Parts that cause the temperature rise include a toner transporting part that easily generates frictional heat, a rubbing part between the photosensitive drum and the intermediate transfer belt, a power supply, a motor, a fuser, and the like. As the temperature inside the machine rises, the temperature of recording media such as paper that come into contact with these parts also rises. Therefore, when the recording medium is discharged to the outside of the machine and loaded on the paper ejection tray, the toner on the surface may not be completely solidified by heat and may adhere to the next discharged recording medium.

In order to prevent the recording media from adhering to each other due to the influence of heat on the output tray, an image forming apparatus provided with a cooling mechanism for cooling the recording media loaded on the output tray has been proposed. The cooling mechanism is, for example, a fan that blows air to the output tray. The cooling effect is improved by increasing the number of fans. However, increasing the number of fans increases the size of the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus of Patent Documents 1 and 2 has a configuration for efficiently cooling by detecting the temperature in the vicinity of a component that causes a temperature rise in the machine and controlling the operation of the fan according to the detection result. Disclose. These image forming devices reduce the number of fans by efficiently cooling and prevent the device from becoming large in size. The image forming apparatus of Patent Document 3 includes a motion sensor that detects a person in the vicinity within a predetermined distance from the apparatus, and by detecting a person, it wakes up from the sleep state and forms an image such as a temperature rise of the fuser. Disclose the configuration to start the preparation. In this image forming apparatus, the fan in the apparatus operates after a lapse of a predetermined time from the start of heating of the fuser, and when a person is not detected within the predetermined time, the heating of the fuser is stopped and the fan is stopped. ..

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-5614 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 11-272147 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9-251259

In an image forming apparatus in which the distance between the fuser and the paper ejection port is relatively short, the fan is arranged in the vicinity of the fuser in the configuration in which the recording medium loaded on the paper ejection tray is cooled by the fan. In this case, the odor generated when the toner melts is discharged to the outside of the machine by the fan. This odor is unpleasant for the user. If the amount of air blown by the fan is reduced in order to suppress the emission of odors, the recording medium loaded on the paper ejection tray is not sufficiently cooled, and the temperature of the recording medium rises. It is possible to suppress the temperature rise of the recording medium at intervals of the image forming process, but in this case, the productivity is lowered. Therefore, there is a demand for an image forming apparatus that suppresses odor emission by a fan without causing a decrease in productivity.

The image forming apparatus of the present invention includes an image forming means for forming an unfixed toner image on a recording medium and a fixing means for fixing the unfixed toner image formed on the recording medium by the image forming means by heat. A cooling means for cooling the recording medium by blowing air to the recording medium in which the toner image is fixed by the fixing means and discharged to the outside of the machine, and a human sensory means for detecting a person within a predetermined distance from the main body. And, when the human sensory means detects the person, the cooling means is provided with a control means for suppressing the cooling capacity of the cooling means by reducing the amount of air blown by the cooling means or stopping the cooling means. It is characterized by.

According to the present invention, by suppressing the cooling capacity of the cooling means when a person is within a predetermined distance, the odor emitted by the cooling means blowing air is suppressed without causing a decrease in productivity. be able to.

The block diagram of the image forming apparatus. Explanatory drawing of the controller. Explanatory drawing of temperature change of a recording medium and operation of a paper ejection fan. Explanatory drawing of temperature change of a recording medium and operation of a paper ejection fan. Explanatory drawing of temperature change of a recording medium and operation of a paper ejection fan. A flowchart showing a cooling control process of a recording medium by a paper ejection fan.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(overall structure)
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus 10 includes image forming units Pa to Pd that form an image corresponding to each color of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K). Each image forming unit Pa to Pd has a similar configuration. Hereinafter, when the components are distinguished by color, "ad" is added after the reference numeral, and when they are not distinguished, "ad" is not added after the reference numeral. “A” corresponds to yellow, “b” corresponds to magenta, “c” corresponds to cyan, and “d” corresponds to black. For example, the yellow image forming unit is described as "image forming unit Pa", and when not distinguished, it is described as "image forming unit P".

The image forming unit P includes a photosensitive drum 11 which is an image carrier on which a toner image is formed. The photosensitive drum 11 is rotated at a constant speed in the direction of arrow A by a drive mechanism (not shown). A charging roller 12, a developing device 14, and a drum cleaner 15 are provided around the photosensitive drum 11. The charging roller 12 uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 11. The exposure device 13 exposes the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 uniformly charged by the charging roller 12 with a laser beam modulated based on the image data. As a result, an electrostatic latent image based on the image data is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 11.

The developer 14 develops the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 11 with a developer having toner and a carrier. The electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 11 is visualized as a toner image. The developer 14a forms a yellow toner image. The developer 14b forms a magenta toner image. The developer 14c forms a cyan toner image. The developer 14d forms a black toner image.

An intermediate transfer belt 16 is provided above the image forming unit P as an intermediate transfer body on which the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 11 is transferred. A primary transfer roller 17 is provided at a position facing the photosensitive drum 11 with the intermediate transfer belt 16 interposed therebetween. The toner image of the photosensitive drum 11 is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 16 by the primary transfer roller 17. The intermediate transfer belt 16 rotates at a constant speed in the direction of arrow B. A full-color toner image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 16 by sequentially superimposing and transferring the toner images on the photosensitive drums 11a to 11d on the intermediate transfer belt 16. The residual toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 11 without being transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 16 is removed by the drum cleaner 15. The photosensitive drum 11 whose surface has been cleaned by the drum cleaner 15 prepares for the next image forming process. The drum cleaner 15 discharges the removed residual toner as recovery toner into the recovery toner box 30.

The toner image transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 16 is transferred to a recording medium such as paper by the secondary transfer roller 19 constituting the transfer unit. At this point, the toner image has only been transferred to the recording medium and is unfixed. The recording medium is housed in the paper feed tray, and is conveyed one by one from the paper feed tray to the secondary transfer roller 19 by the paper feed roller 20. The recording medium on which the toner image is transferred by the secondary transfer roller 19 is conveyed to the fixing device 21. The unfixed toner image on the recording medium is fixed on the recording medium by being heated and pressurized by the fixing device 21. The recording medium on which the toner image is fixed is discharged from the fixing device 21 to the paper output tray 22.

A belt cleaner 18 is arranged around the intermediate transfer belt 16. The belt cleaner 18 removes residual toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 16 after transfer to the recording medium by the secondary transfer roller 19. The belt cleaner 18 discharges the removed residual toner as recovery toner into the recovery toner box 30.

The recording medium immediately after being discharged to the paper output tray 22 has residual heat heated by the fixing device 21. When the number of recording media discharged to the paper ejection tray 22 increases by continuously performing the image forming process, the heat of the recording media is hard to escape because the recording media are placed on top of each other. The heat of the recording medium melts the toner on the recording medium. Due to the melting of the toner, the overlapping recording media adhere to each other. The image forming apparatus 10 of the present embodiment includes a paper ejection fan 40 in order to dissipate the heat of the recording medium discharged to the paper ejection tray 22. The paper ejection fan 40 is a cooling mechanism that positively cools the recording medium by blowing air to the recording medium ejected to the paper ejection tray 22. The paper ejection fan 40 of the present embodiment does not blow air to prevent adhesion due to toner melting of the recording medium, but is such that the temperature rise of the recording medium is slowed down. Therefore, when the image forming process is continuously performed for a long time, the recording medium reaches a temperature at which adhesion with other recording media is a concern. In this case, the image forming apparatus 10 secures the cooling time by lengthening the execution interval of the image forming process. Specifically, the transport interval of the recording medium is widened.

The image forming apparatus 10 includes a motion sensor 60 that detects a person within a predetermined distance from the main body of the image forming apparatus 10. The motion sensor 60 includes, but is not limited to, an infrared sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, and the like. The image forming apparatus 10 is configured to positively switch the power mode from the normal power mode to the sleep mode (power saving mode) that consumes less power from the viewpoint of energy saving. The image forming apparatus 10 of the present embodiment returns from the sleep mode by detecting a person with the motion sensor 60. When the motion sensor 60 detects a person, the image forming apparatus 10 returns the power mode from the sleep mode to the normal power mode, and starts a preparatory operation for image forming processing such as residual heat of the fuser 21. Usability is improved by such a motion sensor 60. The image forming apparatus 10 includes an outside temperature sensor 61 that detects the temperature around the outside of the main body of the image forming apparatus 10 and an in-machine temperature sensor 62 that detects the temperature inside the main body.

The operation of the image forming apparatus 10 having the above configuration is controlled by the built-in controller 23. The controller 23 returns the power mode of the image forming apparatus 10 from the sleep mode to the normal power mode when the motion sensor 60 detects a person. The controller 23 adjusts the control parameters at the time of image formation processing according to the detection results of the outside temperature sensor 61 and the inside temperature sensor 62. Further, the controller 23 of the present embodiment controls the operation of the paper ejection fan 40.

(controller)
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the controller 23. The controller 23 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 100, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 101, and a RAM (Random).
Access Memory) 102. The CPU 100 controls the operation of the image forming apparatus 10 by reading a computer program from the ROM 101 and executing the RAM 102 in the work area. The controller 23 includes image forming units Pa to Pd, a user interface operation unit 104, a primary transfer output unit 105, a secondary transfer output unit 106, an exposure device 13, a motion sensor 60, an external temperature sensor 61, and an in-machine temperature sensor. It is connected to 62 and the output fan 40.

The controller 23 receives a request for starting the image forming process from the operation unit 104, controls each part of the image forming apparatus 10, and executes the image forming process. During the image forming process, the controller 23 controls the operations of the image forming units Pa to Pd, the primary transfer output unit 105, the secondary transfer output unit 106, and the exposure device 13. The operations of the image forming units Pa to Pd and the exposure device 13 are as described above. The primary transfer output unit 105 controls the operation of the primary transfer rollers 17a to 17d to transfer the toner image from the photosensitive drums 11a to 11d to the intermediate transfer belt 16. The secondary transfer output unit 106 controls the operation of the secondary transfer roller 19 to transfer the toner image from the intermediate transfer belt 16 to the recording medium. The controller 23 calculates the amount of the developer (toner amount) that adheres to the recording medium during the image forming process. The amount of toner to be adhered is calculated based on, for example, image data that modulates the laser beam emitted from the exposure device 13. The controller 23 calculates the total amount of toner adhering to each recording medium when the image forming process is continuously performed on a plurality of recording media.

The controller 23 acquires the detection results of the motion sensor 60, the outside temperature sensor 61, and the inside temperature sensor 62. The controller 23 constantly monitors the detection results of these sensors. The controller 23 controls the operation of the paper ejection fan 40 based on the detection results of the motion sensor 60, the external temperature sensor 61, and the internal temperature sensor 62, and cools the recording medium discharged on the paper ejection tray 22. To do.

(Operation mode)
When the conventional fan control method is adopted, the image forming apparatus 10 having the above-described configuration operates the paper ejection fan 40 with a uniform cooling capacity from the start to the end of the image forming process. By operating the paper ejection fan 40, as described above, it is possible to prevent the recording medium on the paper ejection tray 22 from adhering due to melting of the toner. However, the paper ejection fan 40 is arranged in the vicinity of the fuser 21 and blows air immediately after melting the toner in the vicinity of the fuser 21 to the recording medium, so that the cooling air is generated when the toner is melted. Contains odor. This odor is unpleasant for the user.

In the present embodiment, the operation of the paper ejection fan 40 is controlled based on the detection result of the motion sensor 60. The controller 23 determines that there is no person in the vicinity of the image forming apparatus 10 when the motion sensor 60 does not detect a person. In this case, the controller 23 continues the operation of the paper ejection fan 40 with the normal cooling capacity. The controller 23 determines that there is a person in the vicinity of the image forming apparatus 10 when the motion sensor 60 detects the person. In this case, the controller 23 suppresses the cooling capacity of the paper ejection fan 40 more than usual to suppress the emission of odors.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a temperature change of a recording medium and an operation of a paper ejection fan 40 when a motion sensor 60 detects a user who approaches the image forming apparatus 10 during continuous image forming processing. When the image forming process is started (printing), the controller 23 operates the paper ejection fan 40 at the normal full speed. When the motion sensor 60 detects a person, the controller 23 suppresses the operation of the paper ejection fan 40 (t1, t3). In the present embodiment, the controller 23 halves the driving power of the paper ejection fan 40. As a result, the rotation speed of the paper ejection fan 40 is halved, the amount of air blown is reduced, and the cooling capacity is suppressed. It should be noted that the suppression of the operation of the paper ejection fan 40 is not limited to halving the rotation speed as long as the amount of air blown is suppressed and the odor of the melted toner is sufficiently suppressed as compared with the operation in the state where no person is detected. .. Further, in order to enhance the effect of suppressing the odor, the operation of the paper ejection fan 40 may be completely stopped. When the motion sensor 60 stops detecting a person, the controller 23 releases the suppression of the operation of the paper ejection fan 40 (t2, t4). When the image forming process is completed (stopped), the controller 23 stops the operation of the paper ejection fan 40.

When the image forming process on several recording media is executed at intervals, the amount of temperature rise of the storage medium discharged to the paper output tray 22 is small, and the recording medium is naturally cooled. Therefore, even if the cooling capacity of the paper ejection fan 40 is suppressed when the motion sensor 60 detects a person, the toner of the recording medium is prevented from melting and the recording media are prevented from adhering to each other. However, in the continuous image forming process for a long time, if the operation of the paper ejection fan 40 is suppressed, the discharged recording medium cannot be cooled in time for the temperature rise. In this case, the recording medium is cooled at the expense of productivity by spacing the execution of the image forming process. As shown in FIG. 3, when the operation of the paper ejection fan 40 is suppressed, the temperature of the recording medium changes sharply (t1, t3), so that the decrease in productivity due to the cooling of the recording medium causes the paper ejection fan 40 to decrease in productivity. It occurs earlier than when the operation is not suppressed.

Therefore, during continuous image formation processing for a long time, priority is given to not reducing productivity over suppressing odor. In this case, the controller 23 does not suppress the cooling capacity of the paper ejection fan 40 even when the motion sensor 60 detects a person, and continues the normal operation. The long-term continuous image forming process may be the result of several continuous image forming processes being requested without a gap. Therefore, it is not possible to determine the continuous image forming process for a long time from the start request of one image forming process. In this case, the controller 23 determines the continuous image formation process for a long time based on the detection results of the outside temperature sensor 61 and the inside temperature sensor 62.

FIG. 4 shows a description of the temperature change of the recording medium and the operation of the paper ejection fan 40 based on the detection results of the motion sensor 60, the outside temperature sensor 61, and the inside temperature sensor 62 during the continuous image forming process for a long time. It is a figure. When the temperature (outside temperature) detected by the outside temperature sensor 61 is lower than the threshold temperature A ° C. (for example, 15 ° C.), the recording medium discharged to the output tray 22 dissipates heat toward the threshold temperature A ° C. .. When the outside temperature is lower than the threshold temperature A ° C., heat dissipation becomes faster. Therefore, the operation of the paper ejection fan 40 can be suppressed even during the continuous image forming process for a long time.

When the outside temperature is higher than the threshold temperature A ° C., there is a possibility that the recording medium cannot be cooled in time only by the paper ejection fan 40 that suppresses natural heat dissipation and operation. In this case, if the execution interval of the image forming process is long, the cooling efficiency of the recording medium is improved. Therefore, the controller 23 determines the state of the image forming apparatus 10 based on the temperature (internal temperature) detected by the in-machine temperature sensor 62. When the in-flight temperature is lower than the threshold temperature B ° C. (for example, 38 ° C.), the controller 23 determines that the image forming apparatus 10 is performing the image forming process at sufficiently long intervals. In this case, the controller 23 can suppress the operation of the paper ejection fan 40. When the in-flight temperature exceeds the threshold temperature B ° C., the controller 23 determines that the image forming apparatus 10 is performing continuous image forming processing for a long time. In this case, the controller 23 does not suppress the operation of the paper ejection fan 40, but causes the controller 23 to perform a normal operation.

As shown in FIG. 4, when the image forming process is started (printing), the controller 23 operates the paper ejection fan 40 at the normal full speed. When the motion sensor 60 detects a person, the controller 23 suppresses the operation of the paper ejection fan 40 (t1, t3). When the image forming process is completed (stopped), the controller 23 stops the operation of the paper ejection fan 40. When the motion sensor 60 detects a person during the first image forming process (t1), the detection result (outside temperature) of the outside temperature sensor 61 exceeds the threshold temperature A ° C., but the inside temperature sensor 62 The detection result (inside the machine temperature) does not exceed the threshold temperature B ° C. Therefore, the controller 23 suppresses the operation of the paper ejection fan 40 while the motion sensor 60 detects a person (t1 to t2).

When the motion sensor 60 detects a person during the second image forming process (t3), the detection result (outside temperature) of the outside temperature sensor 61 exceeds the threshold temperature A ° C., and the inside temperature sensor The detection result (internal temperature) of 62 does not exceed the threshold temperature B ° C. during human detection. Therefore, the controller 23 suppresses the operation of the paper ejection fan 40 at the same time that the motion sensor 60 detects a person. The controller 23 releases the suppression of the operation of the paper ejection fan 40 at the timing when the machine temperature exceeds the threshold temperature B ° C., even though the motion sensor 60 detects a person (t5). The controller 23 sets the threshold temperature B ° C. to a temperature higher than the threshold temperature A ° C.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a temperature change of the recording medium and an operation of the paper ejection fan 40 based on the detection result of the motion sensor 60 during the continuous image formation process and the amount of toner of the image formed on the recording medium. In addition to temperature, the amount of toner that adheres to the recording medium during image formation is another factor that causes the recording media to adhere to each other due to melting of the toner. A recording medium on which an image having a large amount of toner is formed has a high heat capacity, so that heat dissipation is difficult to proceed. On the contrary, the recording medium on which the image with a small amount of toner is formed tends to dissipate heat because the heat capacity is low. Therefore, when the amount of toner adhering to the recording medium is large, it is necessary to release the suppression of the operation of the paper ejection fan 40 according to the temperature inside the machine. When the amount of toner adhering to the recording medium is small, the operation of the paper ejection fan 40 can be continuously suppressed regardless of the temperature inside the machine.

Here, the toner amount of the recording medium is not the toner amount of each sheet, but the cumulative value (cumulative toner amount) of the toner amount of the recording medium discharged to the paper ejection tray 22 by executing the continuous image forming process. .. The cumulative amount of toner affects the heat capacity of the recording medium discharged to the paper ejection tray 22. The controller 23 calculates, as the cumulative toner amount, a cumulative density value that is the sum of the densities of each image during image formation. The cumulative density value is represented by the cumulative density value, assuming that the density of the image having the highest density of a single color per image is 100%. When the cumulative density value becomes the threshold density value C% (for example, the cumulative density value of the density of each color is 20000%) or more, the controller 23 releases the suppression of the operation of the paper ejection fan 40. The cumulative concentration value is reset when the in-flight temperature drops by a predetermined temperature ΔD ° C. (for example, Δ3 ° C.).

As shown in FIG. 5, when the image forming process is started (printing), the controller 23 operates the paper ejection fan 40 at the normal full speed. When the motion sensor 60 detects a person, the controller 23 suppresses the operation of the paper ejection fan 40 (t3). When the image forming process is completed (stopped), the controller 23 stops the operation of the paper ejection fan 40.

When the motion sensor 60 detects a person during the first image forming process, the cumulative density value exceeds the threshold density value C%. Therefore, the controller 23 detects the person even though the motion sensor 60 detects the person. Therefore, the suppression of the operation of the paper ejection fan 40 is not started (t1). When the motion sensor 60 detects a person during the second image forming process, the controller 23 suppresses the operation of the paper ejection fan 40 because the cumulative density value does not exceed the threshold density value C% ( t3).

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a cooling control process of the recording medium by the paper ejection fan 40 of the image forming apparatus 10 having such a configuration. Conventionally, the odor of the melted toner is diffused around the image forming apparatus 10 by the operation of the paper ejection fan 40. The image forming apparatus 10 of the present embodiment detects that there is a person in the vicinity of the image forming apparatus 10 by the motion sensor 60, and suppresses the operation of the paper ejection fan when there is a person. This prevents the odor of the melted toner from making people uncomfortable. When there is no person in the vicinity of the image forming apparatus 10, the image forming apparatus 10 cools the recording medium discharged to the paper ejection tray 22 by the paper ejection fan 40. This prevents the recording media from adhering to each other and maintains productivity.

The controller 23 receives a request for starting the image forming process from the operation unit 104 and starts the image forming process. At the start of the image forming process, the controller 23 starts the operation of the paper ejection fan 40 (S10). After the operation of the paper ejection fan 40 is started, the controller 23 monitors the detection result of the motion sensor 60 (S11). When the motion sensor 60 does not detect a person (S11: N), the controller 23 controls the image forming process without suppressing the operation of the paper ejection fan 40.

When the motion sensor 60 detects a person (S11: Y), the controller 23 suppresses the operation of the paper ejection fan 40 (S12). For example, the controller 23 reduces the rotation speed of the paper ejection fan 40. As a result, the cooling effect of the paper ejection fan 40 is reduced, but the influence of the odor of the melted toner on the surroundings of the image forming apparatus 10 is reduced. After that, when the motion sensor 60 no longer detects a person (S13: N), the controller 23 releases the operation suppression of the paper ejection fan 40 and returns to the normal operation (S14). The fact that the motion sensor 60 does not detect a person means that there is no person around the image forming apparatus 10. Therefore, the controller 23 releases the operation suppression of the paper ejection fan 40 and returns the cooling effect to the normal state.

When the motion sensor 60 detects a person (S13: Y) and the cumulative density value is the threshold density value C% or more (S15: Y) while the operation of the paper ejection fan 40 is suppressed, the controller 23 is continuous. It is determined that the image formation process is in progress. In this case, since it is necessary to actively cool the recording medium, the controller 23 releases the operation suppression of the paper ejection fan 40 and returns to the normal operation (S14). When the cumulative concentration value is less than the threshold concentration value C% (S15: N), the controller 23 controls the operation of the paper ejection fan 40 according to the detection results of the outside temperature sensor 61 and the inside temperature sensor 62.

When the outside temperature is the threshold temperature A ° C. or higher and the inside temperature is the threshold temperature B ° C. or higher (S16: Y, S17: Y), the controller 23 determines that it is necessary to improve the cooling effect of the recording medium. In this case, the controller 23 releases the operation suppression of the paper ejection fan 40 and returns to the normal operation (S14). When the outside temperature is below the threshold temperature A ° C, or the outside temperature is above the threshold temperature A ° C and the inside temperature is below the threshold temperature B ° C (S16: N, or S16: Y, S17: N), the controller 23 , Continue to suppress the operation of the paper ejection fan 40.

The image forming apparatus 10 having the above configuration suppresses the operation of the paper ejection fan 40 that cools the recording medium on the paper ejection tray 22 when a person approaches. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the emission of the odor caused by the melting of the toner when a person is in close proximity. In particular, by stopping the paper ejection fan 40 when a person is in close proximity, the emission of odor can be completely suppressed. When the paper ejection fan 40 operates normally when people are not in close proximity to each other, it is possible to prevent a decrease in productivity as much as possible.

Further, the image forming apparatus 10 predicts the temperature of the recording medium by detecting the outside temperature and the inside temperature, and if the temperature of the recording medium is high, it is discharged regardless of whether or not a person is in close proximity. The operation of the paper fan 40 is continued as usual to suppress a decrease in productivity. Further, the image forming apparatus 10 controls the operation of the paper ejection fan 40 according to the density of the image formed on the recording medium. For example, when recording media on which high-density images that facilitate adhesion between recording media are formed are continuously formed, the image forming apparatus 10 operates the paper ejection fan 40 regardless of whether or not people are in close proximity to each other. Continue as usual to suppress the decline in productivity.

Claims (7)

An image forming means for forming an unfixed toner image on a recording medium,
A fixing means for heat-fixing the unfixed toner image formed on the recording medium by the image forming means,
A cooling means for cooling the recording medium by blowing air to the recording medium in which the toner image is fixed by the fixing means and discharged to the outside of the machine.
Human sensation means to detect people within a predetermined distance from the main body,
When the human sensory means detects the person, the cooling means is provided with a control means for suppressing the cooling capacity of the cooling means by reducing the amount of air blown by the cooling means or stopping the cooling means. To
Image forming device. The cooling means is arranged in the vicinity of the fixing means, and is characterized in that air in the vicinity of the fixing means is blown to the recording medium.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. It is further provided with a first temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature outside the main body.
The control means is characterized in that, after the human sensory means detects the person, if the detection result of the first temperature detecting means becomes higher than the first threshold temperature, the suppression of the cooling capacity of the cooling means is released. To
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. It is further provided with a second temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature inside the main body.
In the control means, after the human sensory means detects the person, the detection result of the first temperature detecting means is higher than the first threshold temperature, and the detection result of the second temperature detecting means is higher than the second threshold temperature. When the temperature becomes higher, the suppression of the cooling capacity of the cooling means is released.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 3. The control means is characterized in that the second threshold temperature is set to a temperature higher than the first threshold temperature.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 4. When the image forming means continuously forms an image on the plurality of recording media, the image forming means further includes a calculation means for calculating the total amount of the developing agent adhering to the plurality of recording media.
The control means is characterized in that, after the human sensory means detects the person, if the total amount of the developer is larger than a predetermined threshold concentration value, the suppression of the cooling capacity of the cooling means is released.
The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5. An image forming means for forming an unfixed toner image on a recording medium, a fixing means for fixing the unfixed toner image formed on the recording medium by the image forming means by heat, and the toner image by the fixing means. An image forming apparatus including a cooling means for cooling the recording medium by blowing air to the recording medium in which the image is fixed and discharged to the outside of the machine, and a human sensory means for detecting a person within a predetermined distance from the main body. Is the method performed by
It is characterized in that the cooling capacity of the cooling means is suppressed by reducing the amount of air blown by the cooling means or stopping the cooling means while the human sensing means detects the person.
Cooling control method.

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