JPH04368929A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide an image forming device capable of preventing the rising of temperature in a main body housing and the prevention of dust entering. CONSTITUTION:A high dust collecting performance filter 52 and air intake means 53 are provided on a part near to the one end of a bar-shape light source 28 illuminating an original 25 and a low dust collecting performance filter 55 and an exhaust means 54 are provided on a part near to another end, then outdoor air removed dust in high efficiently is sucked into the main body housing of the image forming device. Consequently, the rising of the temperature in the main body is prevented and the entering into the main body of the dust is eliminated.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that forms an image by exposing a photosensitive material to light reflected from an original, and more particularly to a cooling and dust-proof structure within the image forming apparatus.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art There is known an apparatus that forms an image by exposing a photosensitive material to the reflected light of the light that illuminates the original or the transmitted light of the light that illuminates the original. The reflective document illumination device is provided below the platen glass, that is, within the main body. As a light source for illuminating a document, there are various rod-shaped light sources such as halogen lamps, which are housed in a light source unit and configured to scan the document. Since the rod-shaped light source generates heat as it emits light, the atmosphere around the rod-shaped light source becomes hot. Therefore, the main body housing of the image forming apparatus is not sealed, and the atmosphere inside the exposure unit is exhausted to the outside. In order to prevent the atmosphere inside the image forming apparatus from increasing in temperature due to the rise in temperature of the original abutment plate and the surface of the platen glass, intake holes and exhaust holes are provided in the main body housing. Generally, only an intake fan is provided.

0003

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] When the exhaust fan is driven, the inside of the image forming apparatus is ventilated, which has the effect of preventing a rise in temperature. However, since air is also taken in through the intake holes along with the exhaust, dust is sucked in along with the outside air. Furthermore, in order to actively suppress the temperature rise inside the image forming apparatus, it is also conceivable to provide an intake fan in the intake hole. However, by providing an intake fan, a large amount of dust is sucked into the main body along with the outside air, and the sucked dust adheres to the optical system such as mirrors, lenses, and filters, causing flare and reducing resolution. This may be a contributing factor, or the color balance may be disrupted in color images. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and to provide an image forming apparatus that can prevent a rise in temperature within the main body and take dust-proof measures.

0004

[Means for Solving the Problems] The above object of the present invention is to provide a standby position of a rod-shaped light source that illuminates an original in an image forming apparatus that forms an image by exposing a photosensitive material to light reflected from light that illuminates the original. An intake means and an exhaust means are respectively provided in the vicinity of both ends in the axial direction of the rod-shaped light source, a highly dust-collecting filter is provided in the gas intake path by the intake means, and the gas is exhausted by the exhaust means. This is achieved by an image forming apparatus characterized in that a low dust collection filter is provided in the path, outside air is introduced by the intake means, and the atmosphere inside the main body is exhausted by the exhaust means.

[0005]

[Operation] In other words, a high dust collection filter and suction means such as an intake fan are provided near one end in the axial direction of the rod-shaped light source that illuminates the original, and a low dust collection filter and an exhaust fan are installed near the other end. Since an exhaust means such as the above is provided, it is possible to suck outside air from which dust has been removed with high accuracy into the main body and exhaust the atmosphere whose temperature has increased. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the temperature inside the image forming apparatus from rising, and also to prevent dust from adhering to the lenses, etc. that make up the optical system, thereby preventing malfunctions, lowering of resolution, and loss of color balance due to rising temperature. be able to.

The method of processing the photosensitive material in the present invention is not particularly limited, and may be either wet processing or dry processing. Examples of the photosensitive material used in the present invention include heat-developable photosensitive materials. Regarding the heat-developable photosensitive materials, US Pat. No. 4,500,626, US Pat. No. 4,483,914,
4,430,415, 4,503,137, JP 59-154445, 59-180548
No. 59-165054, No. 61-88256,
It is disclosed in No. 60-120356, No. 59-218443, No. 61-238056, etc.

The above-mentioned heat-developable photosensitive material basically has a photosensitive silver halide, a binder, a dye-providing compound, and a reducing agent (the dye-providing substance may also serve as a reducing agent) on a support. Furthermore, organic silver salts and other additives can be contained as necessary.

The above-mentioned heat-developable photosensitive material may be one that gives a negative image or one that gives a positive image when exposed to light. Methods that provide positive images include methods that use a direct positive emulsion as a silver halide emulsion (there are two types: a method that uses a nucleating agent and a method that uses light fogging), and a method that uses a dye that releases a positive diffusive dye image. Any method using a donating compound can be adopted.

[0009] Examples of the image forming solvent used in diffusion transfer include water, and this water is not limited to so-called pure water, but includes water in the widely customary sense. Also,
A mixed solvent of pure water and a low boiling point solvent such as methanol, DMF, acetone, or diisobutyl ketone may be used. moreover,
A solution containing an image formation accelerator, an antifoggant, a development stopper, a hydrophilic heat solvent, etc. may also be used.

0010

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. Figure 1
2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an image forming apparatus that is an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a main part, and FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of the image forming apparatus.

To explain the external appearance of the image forming apparatus, a document cover 2 is provided at the top of the image forming apparatus 1, and is configured to open upward from the front side as shown by arrow A. This document cover 2 is used when copying is performed using the reflected light of the light that illuminates the document, and there is a platen glass 25 on the underside of the document cover 2 as shown in FIG.
is provided. On the other hand, a transmitted light source unit 30 is provided above the image forming apparatus 1 so as to be movable in the direction of arrow X. This transmitted light source unit 30 is for copying using the transmitted light of an original such as a negative film, and when copying is performed using the transmitted light source unit 30, the original cover 2 is rotated in the direction of arrow A and the platen is moved. A transmitted light source unit 30 is allowed to move on the glass 25. The shell opening/closing door 3 is configured to be able to open in the direction of arrow B, and the lower part of the shell opening/closing door 3 is provided with an intake means, an exhaust means, and a dust collection filter, as will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 2 later. It is provided. Also, the left side door 4 on the left side opens outward from the front side as shown by arrow C, and the right side door 5 shown by a dotted line on the right side also opens outward from the front side as shown by arrow D. It is configured as follows.

Further, the left front door 6 on the front side moves from the center to the left as shown by arrow E, the right front door 7 moves from the center to the right as shown by arrow F, and the lower door 8 moves from the center to the right as shown by arrow G. As shown, it is configured to open outward from the front side. By the way, the light source unit 50 that illuminates the original placed on the platen glass 25 is positioned at the upper left inside the image forming apparatus 1 when in a standby state, as shown in FIG. This position corresponds to the lower part of the shell opening/closing door 3 described with reference to FIG. 1, and the lower part of the shell opening/closing door 3 is provided with an intake means, an exhaust means, and a dust collection filter as shown in FIG.

A rod-shaped light source 28 such as a halogen lamp constituting the light source unit 50 is installed from the front side of the image forming apparatus 1 toward the back. This mounting direction is shown by imaginary lines in FIG. 2, and the rod-shaped light source 28
A high dust collection filter 52 and an intake fan 53 serving as air intake means are provided near the end of the image forming apparatus 1 on the front side of the image forming apparatus 1, and an exhaust fan 54 and a low dust collection filter are provided on the rear side of the image forming apparatus 1. 55 are provided. Note that the image forming apparatus 1
There are no air intake holes in the part that can be seen from the front. An intake path 3b communicating with the inside of the main body housing is formed on the lower side of a projecting portion 3a formed on the shell opening/closing lid 3. The intake fan 53 and the high dust collection filter 52 are
Since it is disposed within the intake path 3b as shown in FIG. 2, by driving the intake fan 53, outside air from which dust has been removed is sucked into the main body housing.

Since the highly dust-collecting filter 52 easily gets dirty, it is preferable to have a mounting structure that allows it to be easily attached and detached for cleaning or replacement. Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the image forming apparatus 1 is configured so that it can be easily inserted and removed from the top. On the other hand, regarding the exhaust side, a low dust collection filter 55 is attached to the back side of the main body housing, and an exhaust fan 54 is provided inside thereof. Therefore, by driving the exhaust fan 54, the air whose temperature has increased inside the image forming apparatus 1 is discharged to the outside, and in combination with the air intake action, the atmosphere inside the image forming apparatus 1 is cooled. Note that while the device is in operation, dust will not enter through the intake port, but if the exhaust port remains open, there is a possibility that dust will enter while the device is stopped. Therefore, a low dust collection filter 55 is provided to block the exhaust port to prevent the above-mentioned inconvenience.

As the high dust collection filter 52, for example, Filterlet LP-3 manufactured by Sumitomo 3M Ltd. can be used. The low dust collection filter 55 is, for example, Everlite SF-13 manufactured by Bridgestone Corporation.
can be used. Here, the high dust collection filter 52
The relationship between the low dust collection filter 55 and wind speed will be explained. Using Filterlet LP-3 manufactured by Sumitomo 3M Ltd. as the highly dust-collecting filter 52, we tried to suction 0.5 μm dust by changing the wind speed, and obtained the collection results shown in the table below. .

[0016]

[0017] Furthermore, when we used Everlight SF-13 manufactured by Bridgestone Corporation as the low dust collection filter 55 on the exhaust side and tried to suck in dust of 5 to 74 μm by changing the wind speed, the results are shown in the table below. I obtained the following supplementary results.

[0018]

As described above, the image forming apparatus according to this embodiment can remove dust suction with high efficiency, and can also cool the atmosphere inside the main body housing by the effect of wind speed.

Next, the overall configuration of the image forming apparatus will be explained with reference to FIG. There is a photosensitive material magazine 1 inside the image forming device 1.
A photosensitive material 14 is wound into a roll and stored in the photosensitive material magazine 12. The photosensitive material 14 includes photosensitive silver halide, a binder,
It contains a dye-providing substance and a reducing agent, and by overlapping it with an image-receiving material and heat-developing it, the dye-providing substance is transferred to the image-receiving material.

The thermal development transfer process of the photosensitive material 14 is accelerated in the presence of an image forming solvent such as water. Sensitive material magazine 1
Photosensitive material 14 pulled out from 2 and cut into a predetermined length
is transported to the exposure section 16. A receiving material magazine 18 is arranged below the photosensitive material magazine 12, and an image receiving material 20 is wound in a roll and stored in the receiving material magazine 18. The image forming surface of the image receiving material 20 is coated with a dye fixing material having a mordant. The image receiving material 20 pulled out from the receiving material magazine 18 and cut into a predetermined length is conveyed to a thermal development transfer section 22, which will be described later.

A platen glass 25 is provided at the top of the main body, and when a reflective original is used, an original cover 2 is attached to cover the upper surface of the original. Immediately above the exposure section 20, a light source 28, a first movable mirror 22A that moves together with the light source 28, and a plurality of second movable mirrors 22B whose relative movements with respect to the first movable mirror 22A are variable are arranged as a reflective document illumination device. Both of them are movable along the platen glass 25. Furthermore, through the imaging lens unit 19,
A photometric device 2 that measures the image density of a document based on image light reflected by a fixed mirror 23 and a movable mirror 24
1 is arranged, and the exposure conditions are determined by the photometric device 21. Exposure of the photosensitive material 14 is carried out by a light source 28 and a first
The second moving mirror 22 is moved while moving the moving mirror 22A.
B is followed at a predetermined speed, and the light from the light source 28 is irradiated along the document, and the reflected light is reflected by the mirrors 22A and 22.
B, 23, the exposure section 16 using the imaging lens unit 19;
An image is formed on the photosensitive material 14 located at , and scanning exposure is performed.

[0023] Also, on the top of the main body, there is a transparent original illumination device (
A proof unit) 30 is removably attached. The transparent original illumination device 30 is movable between an illumination position on the platen glass 25 and a standby position off the platen glass 25.

A transmission light source 36 is provided in the transmission document illumination device 30 for illuminating the document on the platen glass 25 from the back side (upper side in the figure).
The light-sensitive material 14 is exposed by moving in the direction of the arrow a within the transparent document illumination device 30 and scanning the document with a slit.

Photosensitive material 14 scanned and exposed in exposure section 16
is conveyed in an inverted state, and is coated with water as an image forming solvent by a water coating section 38. The photosensitive material 14 coated with water by the water coating section 38 is superimposed on the image receiving material 20 in the heat development transfer section 29, and heat development transfer is performed. The thermal development transfer section 29 includes a heating drum 42 containing a heating element 40 such as a halogen lamp, and an endless pressure belt 44. The photosensitive material 14 and the image-receiving material 20 are overlapped and pressed against the outer periphery of the heating drum 42 by the endless pressure belt 44, and are conveyed while being sandwiched over the circumferential surface of the heating drum 42 in the overlapping state so that they are thermally developed. It has become. As a result, the photosensitive material 14 emits a mobile dye, and at the same time, this dye is transferred to the dye fixed layer of the image-receiving material 20, so that an image can be obtained.

The photosensitive material 14 separated from the image receiving material 20 after the thermal transfer is sent to a waste photosensitive material tray 46 provided below the thermal development transfer section 29. Further, the image receiving material 20 separated from the photosensitive material 14 is
It is adapted to be accumulated in a discharge tray 48.

[0027]

As explained above, the image forming apparatus according to the present invention is provided with a highly dust-collecting filter and a suction means near one end of a rod-shaped light source that illuminates an original, and near the other end. Since the low dust collection filter and the exhaust means are provided, outside air from which dust has been removed can be drawn into the image forming apparatus with high efficiency, and the atmosphere inside the image forming apparatus can be cooled with clean air. In addition, since a low dust collection filter is installed on the exhaust side, it is possible to prevent dust from entering even when the image forming apparatus is stopped. It is possible to efficiently prevent dust from entering the forming apparatus and perform cooling.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an image forming apparatus that is an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a YY cross-sectional view of the device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Image forming device 2　Manuscript cover 12 Sensitive material magazine 14 Photosensitive material 16 Exposure section 18 Received material magazine 20 Image receiving material 29 Heat development transfer section 25 Platen glass 30 Transparent original illumination device 38 Water application part 50 Light source unit 52 High dust collection filter 53 Intake fan 54 Low dust collection filter 55 Exhaust fan

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In an image forming apparatus that forms an image by exposing a photosensitive material to light reflected from light that illuminates an original, a standby position of a rod-shaped light source that illuminates the original, wherein both ends of the rod-shaped light source in the axial direction An intake means and an exhaust means are respectively provided in the vicinity of the intake means, a high dust collection filter is provided in the gas intake path by the intake means, a low dust collection filter is provided in the gas exhaust path by the exhaust means, and the gas intake path is provided with a low dust collection filter. An image forming apparatus characterized in that outside air is introduced by a means and the atmosphere inside the main body is exhausted by the exhaust means.