JP2008096488A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

An image forming apparatus that can perform dehumidification without complicating the inside of the apparatus main body, and that can improve maintainability and save space in the apparatus main body.
A dehumidifying unit 120, a dehumidifying airflow fan 121 for sending wind to the dehumidifying unit 120, a heat exhausting fan, and a dehumidifying airflow path 151 are configured as an integrated dehumidifying device 110 covered with a case 111. Yes. By installing the dehumidifying device 110 in the vicinity of a portion where dehumidification is required in the apparatus main body, the dehumidified air is passed through the dehumidifying air flow path 151 by the fan, and directly from the dehumidifying device 110 to the portion requiring dehumidification. Dehumidified air can be sent. Thereby, since it is not necessary to provide in the apparatus main body the air duct which connects the dehumidifying apparatus 110 and the part which needs the said dehumidification, it can suppress that the inside of an apparatus main body becomes complicated, and the improvement of the maintainability of an apparatus main body is also possible. And space saving.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, and a facsimile, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus provided with a dehumidifying means for dehumidifying air in the apparatus main body.

Conventionally, it is known that when an image is formed in a high humidity environment, various problems occur in an image forming process such as charging, development, and transfer, and a good image cannot be obtained. For example, due to the influence of high humidity, the resistance value on the surface of the photoreceptor may be low, and an image may be blurred because a good latent image cannot be formed by the charging means. Also, when the resistance value of the paper or the intermediate transfer belt decreases due to moisture, the transfer current for transferring the toner image on the photosensitive member to the paper or the intermediate transfer belt leaks to the paper, causing problems such as density unevenness. There is.
In addition to the above-described problems caused by the low resistance of the components in the image forming apparatus due to the high humidity environment, the image is defective due to changes in the characteristic values (hardness, Young's modulus, etc.) of the rubber member in the image forming apparatus. In some cases. For example, the characteristic value of the cleaning blade formed of a rubber member may change, and the residual toner on the photoconductor cannot be removed well, resulting in a worm-like image. In addition, the charge amount of the developer may change or the flow characteristics may change, causing a problem that the development performance is deteriorated.

  Patent Document 1 proposes an image forming apparatus in which a dehumidifying device that performs dehumidification is provided in the lower part of the image forming apparatus. In this image forming apparatus, air sucked into the apparatus main body is cooled to a dew point or lower using a Peltier element, and moisture in the air is condensed in the dehumidifying device to dehumidify the air. Then, the dehumidified air is sent from the dehumidifying device to the respective parts through a blower duct connecting the dehumidifying apparatus and the respective parts that need to be dehumidified in the electrophotographic process, thereby dehumidifying the respective parts. By performing dehumidification of each part in this way, fluctuations in the characteristic values of the members due to humidity can be suppressed, and a stable image can be obtained.

JP-A-6-83153

  However, in the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1, since the air duct that connects the dehumidifying device and each part that needs to be dehumidified is provided, there is a problem that the inside of the apparatus main body becomes complicated. Furthermore, the increase in the number of air ducts makes the problem more remarkable. For this reason, there are problems that the maintainability in the apparatus main body is deteriorated and that the apparatus main body cannot be saved in space.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and the object of the present invention is to perform dehumidification without complicating the inside of the apparatus body, and to improve the maintainability and save space in the apparatus body. It is an object to provide a possible image forming apparatus.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 1 includes a dehumidifying means having at least a Peltier element, a cooling and dehumidifying member, and a heat exhausting member, and a plurality of fans including a fan for sending air to the dehumidifying means; In an image forming apparatus including at least an air flow path through which air dehumidified by the dehumidifying means passes, the dehumidifying means, the plurality of fans, and the air flow path are provided as an integrated unit covered with a case. It is characterized by this.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, the image forming apparatus of the first aspect further includes a water absorption diffusion member that absorbs water droplets generated from the cooling and dehumidification member, and the water absorption diffusion member is provided in the case. It is characterized by that.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the control means for changing the air volume sent from the plurality of fans between when the dehumidifying means is dehumidified and when not dehumidifying. It is characterized by having.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first, second, or third aspect, the wind direction changing member is configured to change a wind direction of the wind sent from the plurality of fans between the time of dehumidification and the time other than the time of dehumidification. It is characterized by providing.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first, second, third, or fourth aspect, when the apparatus main body is on standby, air blown by the plurality of fans and dehumidification by the dehumidifying means are performed. The air is blown by a plurality of fans, and the dehumidifying means is not dehumidified.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first, second, third, fourth, or fifth aspect, the image forming apparatus further includes a plurality of single-color image forming means including at least a black single-color image forming means. , Provided in the vicinity of the black monochrome image forming means.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the sixth aspect, the plurality of single-color image forming means includes an image carrier and at least one means selected from a developing device, a charging means, and a cleaning means. And a process cartridge that is detachably attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus.

  In the present invention, a dehumidifying means, a plurality of fans including a fan for sending air to the dehumidifying means, and an airflow path through which air dehumidified by at least the dehumidifying means passes are configured as an integrally configured unit covered with a case. ing. By installing this unit in the vicinity of the part in the apparatus body where dehumidification is required, the dehumidified air is passed through the air flow path by the fan, and the dehumidified air is directly passed from the unit to the part requiring dehumidification. Can be sent in. Thereby, since it is not necessary to provide the ventilation duct which connects the said unit and the part which needs the said dehumidification in an apparatus main body, it can suppress that the inside of an apparatus main body becomes complicated.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to perform dehumidification without complicating the inside of the apparatus main body, and there are excellent effects such as improvement in maintainability and space saving in the apparatus main body.

Embodiments in which the present invention is applied to a tandem type color image forming apparatus will be described below.
FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a copying machine as an image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. The copying machine includes a copying machine main body (hereinafter referred to as a printer unit 100), a paper feed table (hereinafter referred to as a paper feed unit 200), a scanner attached to the printer unit 100 (hereinafter referred to as a scanner unit 300), and a scanner unit 300. An automatic document feeder (ADF) (hereinafter referred to as a document feeder 400) attached to the printer. A control unit (not shown) for controlling the operation of each device in the copying machine is also provided.

The printer unit 100 includes an intermediate transfer belt 10 as an intermediate transfer member at the center thereof. The intermediate transfer belt 10 is wound around the first support roller 14, the second support roller 15, and the third support roller 16, and can move on the surface in the clockwise direction in the drawing. Then, the four photosensitive members 3K, Y, M, and C serving as latent image carriers that respectively carry black, yellow, magenta, and cyan toner images on the surface so as to face the intermediate transfer belt 10. It has.
Around the photoreceptors 3K, Y, M, and C, charging devices 4K, Y, M, and C, which are charging means for uniformly charging the surfaces of the photoreceptors 3K, Y, M, and C, and toner images are formed. Developing devices 5K, Y, M, and C, which are developing means for performing the above, are provided. Furthermore, cleaning devices 6K, Y, M, and C for removing toner remaining on the surfaces of the photoreceptors 3K, Y, M, and C after the primary transfer are also provided.
A toner image forming unit including the photoreceptors 3K, Y, M, and C, the developing devices 5K, Y, M, and C, the charging devices 4K, Y, M, and C, and the cleaning devices 6K, Y, M, and C. A certain image forming unit 1K, Y, M, C is configured. Further, the tandem image forming unit 20 is configured by arranging the four image forming units 1K, 1Y, 1M, and 1C side by side.
A belt cleaning device 17 that removes residual toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 10 after the toner image is transferred onto a transfer sheet as a recording medium so as to face the third support roller 16 and the intermediate transfer belt 10. I have. In addition, the printer unit 100 includes an exposure device 21 above the tandem image forming unit 20.

  Primary transfer rollers 8K, Y, M, and C are provided at positions on the inner side of the intermediate transfer belt 10 that face the photoreceptors 3K, Y, M, and C with the intermediate transfer belt 10 interposed therebetween. The primary transfer rollers 8K, Y, M, and C are provided so as to be pressed against the photoreceptors 3K, Y, M, and C with the intermediate transfer belt 10 interposed therebetween to form a primary transfer portion.

  On the other hand, a secondary transfer device 29 is provided on the opposite side of the intermediate transfer belt 10 from the tandem image forming unit 20. The secondary transfer device 29 is configured such that a secondary transfer belt 24 is stretched between a secondary transfer roller 22 and a secondary transfer belt stretching roller 23. In the secondary transfer device 29, the secondary transfer belt 24 is pressed against the third support roller 16 via the intermediate transfer belt 10 at a position supported by the secondary transfer roller 22. A secondary transfer nip portion as a secondary transfer portion is formed between the secondary transfer belt 24 and the intermediate transfer belt 10.

  A fixing device 25 for fixing the transfer image on the transfer paper is provided on the left side of the secondary transfer device 29 in the drawing. The fixing device 25 is configured by pressing a pressure roller 27 against a fixing belt 26 that is an endless belt. Further, the above-described secondary transfer device is also provided with a transfer paper transport function for transporting the transfer paper that has received the transfer of the toner image to the fixing device 25 at the secondary transfer nip portion. Note that a transfer roller or a non-contact charger may be disposed as the secondary transfer device. In such a case, it is difficult to provide this transfer paper conveyance function together.

  Under the secondary transfer device and the fixing device 25, a transfer paper reversing device 28 for reversing the transfer paper so as to record an image on both sides of the transfer paper is provided in parallel with the tandem image forming unit 20 described above. As a result, after the image is fixed on one side of the transfer paper, the transfer paper path is switched to the transfer paper reversing device side with the switching claw, and the transfer paper is transferred again to the secondary transfer nip portion to transfer the toner image. After that, the paper can be discharged onto a paper discharge tray.

  The scanner unit 300 reads the image information of the document placed on the contact glass 32 by the reading sensor 36 and sends the read image information to the control unit.

  Based on the image information received from the scanner unit 300, a control unit (not shown) controls lasers and LEDs (not shown) disposed in the exposure device 21 of the printer unit 100 to write lasers toward the photosensitive drum. Light L is irradiated. By this irradiation, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photoconductor 3, and this latent image is developed into a toner image through a predetermined development process.

  The paper feed unit 200 includes paper cassettes 44 provided in multiple stages in the paper bank 43, a paper feed roller 42 for feeding transfer paper from the paper feed cassette, a separation roller 45 for separating the fed transfer paper P and feeding it to the paper feed path 46, A conveyance roller 47 that conveys transfer paper is provided in the paper feed path 48 of the printer unit 100.

  In the copying machine of the present embodiment, manual paper feeding is possible in addition to the paper feeding unit 200, and the manual feed tray 51 for manual feeding and the transfer paper on the manual tray 51 are directed toward the manual paper feed path 53. A separation roller 52 for separating the sheets one by one is also provided on the side of the apparatus.

  The registration roller 49 discharges only one sheet of transfer paper P placed on the paper feed cassette 44 or the manual feed tray 51, and is positioned between the intermediate transfer belt 10 as an intermediate transfer member and the secondary transfer device. Send to the secondary transfer nip.

In the copying machine according to the present embodiment, when copying a color image, an original is set on the original platen 30 of the original conveying unit 400 or the original conveying unit 400 is opened and the original is placed on the contact glass 32 of the scanner unit 300. Is set and the original conveying unit 400 is closed to hold the original.
When a start switch (not shown) is pressed, the original is conveyed onto the contact glass 32 when the original is set on the original conveying unit 400, and immediately after the original is set on the other contact glass 32, the scanner The part 300 is driven to travel the first traveling body 33 and the second traveling body 34. Then, the first traveling body 33 emits light from the light source and further reflects the reflected light from the document surface toward the second traveling body 34 and reflects by the mirror of the second traveling body 34 and passes through the imaging lens 35. The image information of the original is read by putting in the reading sensor 36.

The surfaces of the photoreceptors 3K, Y, M, and C are uniformly charged by the charging devices 4K, Y, M, and C, and the image information read by the scanner unit 300 is color-separated, and the exposure device 21 performs color separation for each color. Laser writing is performed on the photoreceptors 3K, Y, M, and C. Thereby, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photoreceptors 3K, Y, M, and C. For example, a description will be given with respect to C (cyan) image formation. The electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photoreceptor 3C is developed by developing the C toner with the latent image by the developing device 5C to form a single color toner image. Similarly, a monochrome toner image is formed on the photosensitive member 3 in the same manner in each of the image forming units 1M, Y, and K in the order of M (magenta), Y (yellow), and K (black). Thus, a toner image is formed on each photoconductor 3 and one of the four paper feed rollers is operated to feed a transfer paper having a size corresponding to the image information.
At the same time, one of the first support roller 14, the second support roller 15 or the third support roller 16 is rotationally driven by a drive motor (not shown), and the other two support rollers are driven to rotate. The intermediate transfer belt 10 is rotated and conveyed. Then, along with the conveyance of the intermediate transfer belt 10, monochromatic toner images on the photoreceptors 3 </ b> K, Y, M, and C are sequentially transferred to form a composite color image on the intermediate transfer belt 10.

On the other hand, in the paper feed unit 200, one of the paper feed rollers 42 is selectively rotated, the transfer paper P is fed out from one of the paper feed cassettes 44, separated one by one by the separation roller 45, and put into the paper feed path 46. The transfer roller P is led to a paper feed path 48 in the printer unit 100 which is a copying machine main body, and the transfer paper P is abutted against the registration roller 49 and stopped. Alternatively, the sheet feeding roller 50 is rotated to feed the transfer paper P on the manual feed tray 51, separated one by one by the separation roller 52, put into the manual sheet feed path 53, and abutted against the registration roller 49 and stopped. When the transfer paper on the manual feed tray 51 is used, the paper feed roller 50 is rotated to feed out the sheets on the manual feed tray 51, separated one by one by the separation roller 52, and put into the manual feed path 53. Stop against the registration roller 49.
Then, the registration roller 49 is rotated in synchronization with the composite color image on the intermediate transfer belt 10, and the transfer paper is sent to the secondary transfer nip portion where the intermediate transfer belt and the secondary transfer roller 22 are in contact with each other. The color image is secondarily transferred by the influence of the transfer electric field and contact pressure formed in the nip, and the color image is recorded on the transfer paper.

The transfer paper after the color image is transferred at the secondary transfer nip portion is sent to the fixing device 25 by the secondary transfer belt 24 of the secondary transfer device 29, and the pressure roller 27 and the fixing belt are fixed by the fixing device 25. The color image is fixed by applying pressure and heat. Thereafter, the paper is discharged by a discharge roller 56 and stacked on a paper discharge tray 57. Further, after the color image is fixed, the transfer paper on which images are formed on both sides is switched by the switching claw 55 and conveyed to the transfer paper reversing device 28, where it is reversed and led again to the secondary transfer nip portion, After the image is also recorded on the back surface, the paper is discharged onto a paper discharge tray 57 by a discharge roller 56.
On the other hand, the residual toner remaining on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 10 after the color image is transferred onto the transfer paper at the secondary transfer nip portion is removed by the belt cleaning device 17, so that the tandem image forming unit 20 can form an image again. Prepare.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic explanatory diagram of the black image forming unit 1K among the four image forming units 1K, Y, M, and C. As shown in FIG. 3, the image forming unit 1 includes a unit frame 2 that includes a photosensitive member 3 and a charging device 4, a developing device 5, a cleaning device 6 and the like as a process unit, and an apparatus main body as a process cartridge. It is detachable from. In the present embodiment, the image forming unit 1 itself as a process cartridge is replaced. However, the image forming unit 1 itself is replaced with a new one in units such as the photosensitive member 3, the charging device 4, the developing device 5, and the cleaning device 6. It may be a simple configuration.

[Configuration example 1]
Next, the dehumidifying device 110 as dehumidifying means will be described. FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the dehumidifying device 110 in a state where the upper portion of the case 111 is present, and FIG. 4B is a perspective view of the dehumidifying device 110 in a state where the upper portion of the case 111 is not present. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the dehumidifying device 110. As shown in FIG. 5, the dehumidifying device 110 is provided with a waste heat stream path 152 and a dehumidified stream path 151 adjacent to each other. The exhaust heat flow path 152 includes an exhaust heat unit 130, and heat generated from the exhaust heat unit 130 is exhausted to the outside by the exhaust heat fan 131. The dehumidified air flow path 151 includes a dehumidifying unit 120 and discharges air dehumidified by the dehumidifying unit 120 to an air flow path connected to each image forming unit. As shown in FIG. 4A, the wall surface of the dehumidified airflow path 151 from the dehumidifying unit 120 to the airflow path is covered with the heat insulating member 112. Further, a dustproof filter 113 is provided at the outside air intake port of the dehumidified airflow path 151 and the exhaust heat airflow path 152 to prevent dust and dust in the air from flowing into each airflow path. A dehumidifying airflow fan 121 that sucks outside air into the dehumidifying airflow path 151 is provided in the vicinity of the suction port in the dehumidifying airflow path 151.

The dehumidifying part 120 uses a Peltier element 122 of an electronic cooling element. The Peltier element 122 utilizes a “Peltier effect” in which heat is transferred from one metal (semiconductor) to the other metal (semiconductor) when a current is passed through a junction between two different metals or semiconductors. For this reason, the metal surface on the side from which heat is taken becomes a cooling surface, and the metal surface on the side from which heat is taken becomes a heat radiating surface. The Peltier element 122 is provided between the exhaust heat air flow path 152 and the dehumidification air flow path 151, the cooling surface faces the dehumidification path air flow side, and the heat radiation surface faces the exhaust heat air flow path 152 side.
Cooling fins 123 are attached to the cooling surface of the Peltier element 122 with a heat conduction member (not shown) interposed therebetween. The air around the cooling fins 123 is cooled to a dew point or lower, and moisture in the air is condensed. By doing so, the air is dehumidified. A heat radiating fin 132 is attached to the heat radiating surface of the Peltier element 122 with a heat conducting member (not shown) interposed therebetween. The heat of the heat radiating surface is released from the heat radiating fin 132 to the surrounding air, so that the heat of the heat radiating surface is efficiently obtained. It can dissipate heat well. Further, a heat insulating member 112 that insulates between the cooling fin 123 and the heat radiating fin 132 is provided between the cooling fin 123 and the heat radiating fin 132 without using the Peltier element 122. Note that, as in the present configuration example, the dehumidifying device 110 includes at least a dehumidifying unit 120 including a Pace element 121, a cooling fin 123, and a heat exhausting fin 132, and a dehumidifying airflow path 151 through which air dehumidified by the dehumidifying unit 120 passes. In addition, by integrating the dehumidifying airflow fan 121 and the exhaust heat fan 131 with the case 111, it is possible to obtain effects such as downsizing, energy saving, and improvement in maintainability.

  Further, in this configuration, the direction change plate 12 that changes the direction of the wind from the exhaust heat fan 131 is provided. As shown in FIG. 5, the direction change plate 12 includes a position g where the wind sent from the exhaust heat fan 131 is discharged outside the apparatus main body as exhaust heat, and the wind sent from the exhaust heat fan 131 is dehumidified 120. The position f is fed into the apparatus main body from the main body intake port b together with the air dehumidified by the above operation by a solenoid (not shown).

  For example, the deflection plate 12 is moved to the position g when the apparatus main body is on standby. Further, the dehumidified air flow fan 121 is operated LOW to weaken the amount of wind from the dehumidified air flow fan 121. As a result, the amount of wind sent from the dehumidified airflow fan 121 to the cooling fin 123 is weakened, and the time during which the wind is in contact with the cooling fin 123 becomes longer. Therefore, the efficiency of cooling and dehumidification in the dehumidifying unit 120 is increased. Therefore, by setting the direction change plate 12 to the position g, the air sent from the heat exhaust fan 131 is not mixed with the air efficiently dehumidified by the dehumidifying unit 120, so the dehumidification in the apparatus main body is efficiently performed. It can be carried out. Furthermore, by performing the LOW operation of the exhaust heat fan 131, noise generated by the rotation of the exhaust heat fan 131 can be reduced. Further, when the apparatus main body is in operation, the direction change plate 12 is moved to the position f. And the dehumidification cooling in the dehumidification part 120 is not performed, but the dehumidification airflow fan 121 and the exhaust heat fan 131 perform HIGH operation, and the wind volume from each fan is increased. As a result, a large amount of wind is sent from each fan into the apparatus main body, so that ozone removal, toner odor removal, and the like in the apparatus main body can be efficiently performed. The solenoid, the dehumidifying airflow fan 121 and the exhaust heat fan 131 are controlled by a control unit 40 (not shown) provided in the apparatus main body. The control unit 40 performs process control of the entire copying machine, and includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like.

Further, in a state where the temperature and humidity in the apparatus main body are low temperature and high humidity, by reducing the humidity by the dehumidifying unit 120, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of abnormal images caused by high humidity conditions such as image blur. However, since the air dehumidified by the dehumidifying unit 120 is also cooled at the same time, the temperature inside the apparatus body becomes too low, and the characteristic values (hardness, Young's modulus, etc.) of the rubber parts change, the developer charge. Inconveniences such as a change in amount and a change in toner characteristics (fluidity, etc.) occur. In particular, components such as a charging roller and a transfer roller made of a rubber material or a polymer material having an ionic conductive material change electrical characteristics when cooled. Therefore, in order to suppress the occurrence of the problem, it is necessary to perform temperature management by heating the air in the apparatus main body. Therefore, the direction change plate 12 is moved to the position h, and the air heated by the exhaust heat fins 132 is again sent into the apparatus main body by the exhaust heat fan 131. Thereby, since the air cooled simultaneously with dehumidification in the dehumidification part 120 is heated by the said warmed air, the temperature in an apparatus main body can be stabilized. Further, in the hot and humid state, the deflecting plate 12 is moved to the position g, and the air heated by the heat radiating fins is exhausted out of the apparatus main body as exhaust heat by the exhaust heat fan 131, and the temperature inside the apparatus main body rises. Don't pass too much. Furthermore, the temperature in the apparatus main body can be lowered by sending the air dehumidified and cooled by the dehumidifying unit 120 into the apparatus main body.
As described above, in this configuration, the temperature in the apparatus main body can be easily managed by switching the position of the direction change plate 12. In addition, in a color image forming system having a plurality of photoconductors as in this configuration example, by suppressing the above problems, the difference in image forming between each image forming system is reduced, and color misregistration is reduced. Therefore, high image quality is possible.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the dehumidifying device 110 is provided with a water absorbing and diffusing member 140 that can absorb and diffuse water condensed in the dehumidifying unit 120. The water absorption diffusion member 140 is provided so as to cover the wall surface and the lower surface of the exhaust heat air flow path 152. In addition, a part of the water absorbing / diffusing member 140 extends to the lower surface of the dehumidifying part 120 and receives the condensed water adhering to the cooling fins 123. The condensed water received by the water absorption diffusion member 140 is diffused to the exhaust heat flow path 152 side and evaporated by the heat of the heat radiating unit 130. Further, a part of the water absorbing / diffusing member 140 is provided to face the exhaust heat fan 131. Therefore, in a part of the water absorption diffusion member 140, the wind warmed by the exhaust heat fins 132 directly hits, improving the evaporation performance of the condensed water in this part.

  By adapting the configuration as described above, there is no need to provide a tank or the like for storing condensed water, and water leakage due to vibration or inclination can be prevented. In addition, it is not necessary to periodically replace the tank in which water is stored, and the maintainability can be improved. Furthermore, since the tank or the like does not have to be provided in the apparatus main body, space saving can be achieved.

  In addition, the structure of the case 111 has the lowest surface to which the water absorbing / diffusing member 140 is attached, and the surfaces to which the exhaust heat fan 131, the exhaust heat fin 132, the Peltier element 122, and the cooling fin 123 are attached in this order. Is high. Further, in the dehumidifying airflow path 151 (AA) shown in FIG. 6, there is a gradient so that water droplets do not flow into the body body from the body inlet b. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7A, the intake port 41 for taking in outside air is the highest, and then the surfaces to which the dehumidifying airflow fan 121 and the cooling fin 123 are attached are inclined downward. Further, in the exhaust heat air flow path 152 (BB) shown in FIG. 6, as shown in FIG. 7B, the intake port 43 for taking in outside air is positioned higher than the mounting surface of the exhaust heat fins 132. Is provided.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8, ribs 51, 53, and 55 which are water droplet leakage preventing members are provided below the openings of the intake ports 41 and 43 and the exhaust port 45 for taking in outside air. Thus, by providing the ribs 51, 53, and 55, it is possible to prevent the condensed water generated from the cooling fins 123 from leaking out of the case 111. In addition, since the attachment surface of the water absorption diffusion member 140 is at the lowest position in the case 111, the rib 55 provided in the exhaust port 45 is sufficiently high.

Next, an outline of a path when air dehumidified by the dehumidifying device 110 is sent to the image forming unit 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. In the conventional configuration, as shown in FIG. 9, the dehumidifying device and the image forming unit 1 are connected via the air flow path 150. The air dehumidified by the dehumidifying device 110 flows into the image forming unit 1 from the dehumidifying device 110 through the air flow path 150 and is discharged out of the apparatus main body through the exhaust path 160. In the configuration of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the dehumidifying device 110 is provided in the vicinity of the image forming unit 1 without using the air flow path 150. As a result, the air dehumidified by the dehumidifying device 110 is sent directly from the dehumidifying device 110 to the image forming unit 1 and then discharged out of the apparatus main body through the exhaust path 160. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, by providing the temperature / humidity sensor 170 in the image forming unit 1, the detection result of the temperature / humidity of the image forming unit 1 can be fed back for various controls.
As can be seen by comparing FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, the configuration of the present embodiment is less complicated than that of the conventional configuration because the air flow path 150 is not complicated, so the interior of the apparatus body is not complicated. It is possible. Further, since the inside of the apparatus main body is not complicated, the maintainability in the apparatus main body can be improved as compared with the conventional case.

  The air dehumidified by the dehumidifying device is preferably blown around the photoconductor in the image forming unit 1. By limiting the image forming unit 1 to be dehumidified to the periphery of the photosensitive member and other process means close to the photosensitive member, the apparatus can be reduced in size and energy can be saved. Further, since the image forming unit 1 to be dehumidified is a substantially sealed process cartridge including a photoconductor and at least one other process means, the efficiency of dehumidification and temperature adjustment of the image forming unit 1 is increased. The apparatus can be reduced in size and energy can be saved.

  Further, when the dehumidifying target part is located in the vicinity of the transfer sheet of the paper supply unit 200 and the paper supply roller 42 and in the paper supply cassette 44, the transfer paper and the paper supply roller 42 absorb excessive moisture. Can be suppressed, and stable transportability and transferability can be obtained.

[Configuration example 2]
Next, a configuration example 2 will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, description of the part substantially the same as the structural example 1 is abbreviate | omitted, and the characteristic part in the structural example 2 is demonstrated.
In the configuration example 2, as can be seen from FIG. 1, the dehumidifying device 110 includes at least a dehumidifying unit 120 including a Peiche element 121, a cooling fin 123, and a heat exhausting fin 132, and air dehumidified by the dehumidifying unit 120. It can be seen that the dehumidifying airflow path 151, the dehumidifying airflow fan 121, and the exhaust heat fan 131 are integrally covered with the case 111, but the direction of the wind flowing through the dehumidifying airflow path 151, It is comprised so that the direction of the wind which flows through the thermal airflow path | route 152 may become a reverse direction. Further, the exhaust heat fan 131 is provided on the upstream side of the exhaust heat flow path 152 of the exhaust heat fin 132. The direction change plate 13 in the drawing can be moved by a solenoid (not shown), and the direction of the wind sent from the exhaust heat fan 131 can be freely changed.

  During standby of the apparatus main body, the direction change plate 13 is moved to the position X shown in FIG. 1 and the wind from the exhaust heat fan 131 is sent to the exhaust heat fins 132. At this time, the dehumidifying airflow fan 121 performs the LOW operation as shown in FIG. As a result, the amount of wind sent from the dehumidified airflow fan 121 is weakened, and the time during which the wind is in contact with the cooling fins 123 becomes longer, so that the efficiency of cooling and dehumidification in the dehumidifying unit 120 is increased. Similarly, the exhaust heat fan 131 can also reduce noise generated by the rotation of the exhaust heat fan 131 by performing the LOW operation.

  Further, when the apparatus main body is in operation, it is necessary to send strong air into the apparatus main body in order to remove ozone generated by the charging means in the apparatus main body or to remove toner odor. When the apparatus main body is operating, dehumidifying cooling is not required due to the temperature rise in the apparatus main body due to the operation of the apparatus main body. Therefore, the dehumidifying unit 120 is not dehumidified during operation of the apparatus main body, and the exhaust heat fan 131 and the dehumidified airflow fan 121 can be used as a removal fan for removing ozone, toner odor, and the like in the apparatus main body. Therefore, when the apparatus main body is in operation, the deflecting plate 13 is moved to the position Y shown in FIG. 1 so that the wind from the exhaust heat fan 131 is not sent to the exhaust heat fins 132, and the wind from the exhaust heat fan 131 is Is sent from the main body inlet b into the apparatus main body, for example, the image forming unit 1. At this time, as shown in FIG. 11, both the exhaust heat fan 131 and the dehumidified airflow fan 121 perform a HIGH operation, and send strong wind from the main body inlet b to the image forming unit 1. Thereby, the efficiency of ozone removal and toner odor removal in the apparatus main body such as the image forming unit 1 can be increased. Further, in the present configuration example, unlike the configuration example 1, the exhaust heat fan 131 is provided on the upstream side of the exhaust heat flow path 152 of the exhaust heat fin 132 and air is taken directly from the intake port. Efficient because there is no resistance and no pressure loss.

  FIG. 12 shows an example in which the dehumidifying device 110 is arranged at a position closest to the image forming unit 1K among the image forming units 1K, Y, M, and C. In general, the image forming ratio in the color copying machine as in this embodiment is often 20% to 30% for color image formation, and the rest for black monochrome image formation in many cases. Therefore, since the imaging unit 1K is used more frequently than the other three-color imaging units 1C, M, and Y, the lifetime of the imaging unit 1K is longer than the lifetimes of the other imaging units 1Y, M, and C. Will also be shorter. Therefore, it is necessary that the lifetime of the image forming unit 1K be approximately the same as the lifetime of the other image forming units 1Y, 1M, 1C. Therefore, the dehumidifying device 110 is installed in the vicinity of the image forming unit 1K. Accordingly, since the distance from the dehumidifying device 110 to the image forming unit 1K is short, the pressure loss of the wind sent from the dehumidifying device 110 is most unlikely to occur. Therefore, since the air dehumidified and temperature-controlled by the dehumidifier 110 can be efficiently sent to the image forming unit 1K, the life of the image forming unit 1K can be extended.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the Peltier element 122, the cooling fin 123 that is a cooling and dehumidifying member, and the dehumidifying unit 120 that is a dehumidifying means including at least the exhaust heat fin 132 that is a heat exhausting member, and the dehumidifying unit 120 The image forming apparatus includes a dehumidifying airflow fan 121 and a heat exhausting fan 131 that are a plurality of fans including a fan for sending wind, and a dehumidifying airflow path 151 that is an airflow path through which air dehumidified by at least the dehumidifying unit 120 passes. In the copying machine, a dehumidifying unit 120, a dehumidifying airflow fan 121, a heat exhausting fan 131, and a dehumidifying airflow path 151 are provided as a dehumidifying device 110 that is an integrated unit covered with a case 111. By installing the dehumidifying device 110 in the vicinity of a portion in the apparatus body where dehumidification is necessary, for example, in the vicinity of the image forming unit 1, the dehumidified air is passed through the dehumidified air flow path 151 by the dehumidifying air flow fan 121, and is directly dehumidified. 110 can be sent to the image forming unit 1. Thereby, since it is not necessary to provide the ventilation duct which connects the dehumidification apparatus 110 and the image formation part 1 in an apparatus main body, it can suppress that the inside of an apparatus main body becomes complicated. Further, since the inside of the apparatus main body is not complicated, it is possible to improve the maintainability within the apparatus main body and save space.
Further, according to the present embodiment, the water absorbing / diffusing member 140 that absorbs water droplets generated from the cooling fins 123 is provided, and the water absorbing / diffusing member 140 is provided in the case 111. As a result, it is not necessary to provide a tank or the like for storing dew condensation water inside and outside the dehumidifying device 110, so that the dehumidifying device 110 can be miniaturized, space can be saved in the device body, and vibration and inclination can be reduced. Can prevent water leakage. In addition, since it is not necessary to periodically replace the tank in which water is stored, the maintainability can be improved.
Moreover, according to this embodiment, it is a control means which changes the air volume of the wind sent from the said dehumidification airflow fan 121 and the exhaust heat fan 131 at the time of the cooling dehumidification by the said dehumidification part 120, and other than the time of the said cooling dehumidification. A control unit 40 is provided. At the time of standby of the apparatus main body, which is when the dehumidifying unit 120 performs cooling and dehumidification, the dehumidifying airflow fan 121 performs a LOW operation, so that the air volume from the dehumidifying airflow fan 121 is weakened, and thus the time for the air to contact the cooling fins 123 becomes longer. The efficiency of cooling and dehumidification can be increased. At this time, the exhaust heat fan 131 also performs the LOW operation, so that noise generated by the rotation of the exhaust heat fan 131 is reduced. In addition, when the apparatus main body is in operation, when the dehumidifying unit 120 does not perform cooling and dehumidification, a strong wind can be sent into the apparatus main body by operating the dehumidifying airflow fan 121 and the exhaust heat fan 131 in a HIGH manner. It is possible to efficiently remove ozone and toner odor present in the body. Moreover, in the structure of this embodiment, since strong wind can be sent directly into the apparatus main body from the dehumidification apparatus 110, high removal efficiency can be obtained.
Further, according to the present embodiment, the wind direction change member that changes the wind direction of the wind sent from the dehumidifying airflow fan 121 and the exhaust heat fan 131 between the cooling dehumidification and other than the cooling dehumidification. Direction plates 12 and 13 are provided. In addition, the following effects are acquired by providing the direction change plates 12 and 13 so that especially the wind direction of the wind sent from the exhaust heat fan 131 may change a lot. At the time of cooling and dehumidification, the air whose humidity and temperature are reduced by dehumidification and cooling by the dehumidifying unit 120 is mixed with warm air sent from the exhaust heat unit 130 by the exhaust heat fan 131 or air from outside the dehumidifier 110. The deflection plates 12 and 13 are moved to positions where they can be moved. Thereby, the humidity management and temperature management in an apparatus main body can be performed by heating the air which temperature fell in the dehumidification part 120. FIG. In addition, when the cooling and dehumidification is not performed, the direction change plates 12 and 13 are switched so that the wind sent from both the absorption fan 121 and the exhaust heat fan 131 is sent from the main body intake port b into the apparatus main body, for example, the image forming unit 1. To send. Thereby, it is possible to efficiently remove ozone, toner odor, and the like present in the image forming unit 1. Further, in the configuration of the present embodiment, since the air can be sent directly from the dehumidifying device 110 to the image forming unit 1, the air volume from the dehumidifying device 110 is not reduced, so that high removal efficiency can be obtained.
Further, according to the present embodiment, when the apparatus main body is on standby, the dehumidified airflow fan 121 and the exhaust heat fan 131 perform air blowing and the dehumidifying unit 120 performs cooling and dehumidification. The exhaust air is blown by the exhaust heat fins 131, and the cooling and dehumidification by the dehumidifying unit 120 is not performed. By performing cooling dehumidification in the dehumidifying unit 120 during standby of the apparatus main body, the temperature and humidity in the apparatus main body can be adjusted. In addition, when the device main body is operating, cooling dehumidification is not required due to the temperature rise caused by the operation of the device main body, so cooling dehumidification is not performed in the dehumidifying unit 120, and each fan removes ozone, toner odor, etc. existing in the device main body. Therefore, the removal can be performed efficiently.
Further, according to the present embodiment, the image forming unit 1K, Y, M, and C that are a plurality of monochrome image forming units including at least the image forming unit 1K that is a black monochrome image forming unit are provided. The device 110 is provided in the vicinity of the image forming unit 1K. Since the imaging unit 1K is used more frequently than the other three-color imaging units 1C, M, and Y, the lifetime of the imaging unit 1K is shorter than the lifetimes of the other imaging units 1Y, M, and C. turn into. Therefore, by installing the dehumidifying device 110 in the vicinity of the image forming unit 1K, since the distance from the dehumidifying device 110 to the image forming unit 1K is short, the pressure loss of the wind sent from the dehumidifying device 110 is least likely to occur. Therefore, since the air dehumidified and temperature-controlled by the dehumidifier 110 can be efficiently sent to the image forming unit 1K, the life of the image forming unit 1K can be extended.
Further, according to the present embodiment, the image forming unit 1 includes at least one selected from the photosensitive member 3 that is an image carrier, the developing device 5, the charging device 4 that is a charging unit, and the cleaning device 6 that is a cleaning unit. It is configured as a process cartridge that supports the apparatus integrally and is detachable from the copying machine main body. Since the image forming unit 1 to be dehumidified is a substantially sealed process cartridge including a photoconductor and at least one other process unit, the efficiency of dehumidification is increased, and thus the dehumidifying device 110 can be reduced in size and energy can be saved.

The cross-sectional schematic block diagram of the dehumidification apparatus which is the characteristic part of this invention. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a copier according to an embodiment. Schematic explanatory drawing of the image forming part for black. (A) The perspective view of the dehumidification apparatus 110 in the state with the upper part of a case. (B) The perspective view of the dehumidification apparatus in the state without the upper part of a case. The cross-sectional schematic block diagram of the dehumidification apparatus which is the characteristic part of this invention. Explanatory drawing of a dehumidification airflow path | route (AA) and a waste heat airflow path | route (BB). (A) Explanatory drawing of the case shape in a dehumidification airflow path | route (AA). (B) Explanatory drawing of the case shape in a waste heat airflow path | route (BB). The schematic block diagram showing the state which provided the rib which is a water-drop leak prevention member. Explanatory drawing of the path | route which sends the air dehumidified with the dehumidifier in the conventional structure to an image forming part. Explanatory drawing of the path | route which sends the air dehumidified with the dehumidification apparatus in this embodiment to an image creation part. ON / OFF switching timing chart of various members. The schematic block diagram at the time of providing a dehumidifier in the image-forming part for black.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming part 12 Direction change board 13 Direction change board 40 Control part 51 Rib 53 Rib 55 Rib 110 Dehumidifier 111 Case 120 Dehumidification part 121 Dehumidification air flow fan 122 Peltier element 123 Cooling fin 130 Heat exhaust part 131 Exhaust heat fan 132 Exhaust heat Fin 140 Water-absorbing diffusion member 151 Dehumidified air flow path 152 Waste heat air flow path

Claims (7)

A dehumidifying means having at least a Peltier element, a cooling and dehumidifying member, and an exhaust heat member;
A plurality of fans including a fan for sending wind to the dehumidifying means;
An image forming apparatus including at least an air flow path through which air dehumidified by the dehumidifying means passes.
An image forming apparatus, wherein the dehumidifying means, the plurality of fans, and the air flow path are provided as an integrated unit covered with a case. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.
It has a water absorbing and diffusing member that absorbs water droplets generated from the cooling and dehumidifying member,
The image forming apparatus, wherein the water absorbing / diffusing member is provided in the case. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
An image forming apparatus comprising: a control unit configured to change an amount of air sent from the plurality of fans between dehumidification by the dehumidification unit and other than the time of dehumidification. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, 2 or 3.
An image forming apparatus comprising: a wind direction changing member that changes a wind direction of the wind sent from the plurality of fans between the time of dehumidification and the time other than the time of dehumidification. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, 2, 3, or 4.
An image forming apparatus characterized in that when the apparatus main body is on standby, air is blown by the plurality of fans and dehumidified by the dehumidifying means, and when the apparatus main body is in operation, air is blown by the plurality of fans and is not dehumidified by the dehumidifying means. . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5.
A plurality of monochrome image forming means including at least black monochrome image forming means;
An image forming apparatus, wherein the unit is provided in the vicinity of the black monochromatic image forming means. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6.
The plurality of single-color image forming units integrally support an image carrier and at least one unit selected from a developing device, a charging unit, and a cleaning unit, and are configured as a process cartridge that is detachable from the image forming apparatus main body. An image forming apparatus.

Images