Image formation device

Abstract

To provide an image formation device that suppresses heating of an exposure device, while securing high manufacturability.SOLUTION: An image formation device comprises: an exposure device; a housing that includes a support member supporting the exposure device; and a cooling device that is configured to flow a coolant in a first direction in a space between the exposure device and the support member. The exposure device has first leg parts and second leg parts each of which line in the first direction and protrudes downward. The support member has, in a plane facing a lower plane of the exposure device: first convex parts that extend in a second direction crossing the first direction and line side by side with the first leg part in the second direction; and second convex parts that extend in the second direction, line side by side with the second leg parts in the second direction, and have a plurality of separated parts in the second direction. The first leg part and the second leg part are away from the support member.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer installed in a workplace.

Background Art

[0002] An image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer includes an exposure device. The exposure device forms an electrostatic latent image on the surface of a photosensitive drum by irradiating the surface of the photosensitive drum with a light beam and performing exposure scanning on the surface of the photosensitive drum. As a configuration for scanning the light beam, inside the exposure device, for example, there are a polygon mirror and a polygon motor for driving the polygon mirror.

[0003] There is a method of suppressing heat generation of the polygon motor by cooling the exposure device with cooling air. For example, there is an image forming apparatus that forms an air passage for cooling air between the exposure device and the mounting base of the exposure device.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] On the other hand, for an image forming apparatus, there is a high requirement for productivity during assembly at the factory. For this reason, the mounting base may be equipped with a guide function for stably inserting the exposure device into the housing.

[0006] However, the guide function is located between the exposure device and the mounting base. Therefore, the presence of the guide function may limit the air passage of the cooling air, and the cooling function of the exposure device may be reduced.

[0007] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that suppresses heat generation of an exposure device while ensuring high productivity.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0008] The image forming apparatus according to the embodiment includes an exposure device, a housing including a support member that supports the exposure device, and a cooling device configured to flow a refrigerant in a first direction in a space between the exposure device and the support member. The exposure device has a first leg portion and a second leg portion that are arranged apart from each other in the first direction and protrude downward. The support member has a first convex portion and a second convex portion on a surface facing the lower surface of the exposure device. The first convex portion extends in a second direction intersecting the first direction and is aligned with the first leg portion in the second direction. The second convex portion extends in the second direction, is aligned with the second leg portion in the second direction, and has a plurality of portions spaced apart from each other in the second direction. The first leg portion and the second leg portion are separated from the support member.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, the image forming apparatus 100 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the scales of the respective drawings used in the following description of the embodiment may be appropriately changed. Also, the respective drawings used in the following description of the embodiment may show the configuration with omissions for easier understanding of the description.

[0011] <Overall Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus 100> First, the overall configuration of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the image forming apparatus 100 according to the embodiment.

[0012] In the following description, the front - rear, up - down, and left - right directions are defined when viewing the image forming apparatus 100 from the direction of FIG. 1. The plane including the front - rear direction and the left - right direction is substantially horizontal with respect to, for example, the plane on which the image forming apparatus 100 is placed. The up - down direction is substantially vertical with respect to, for example, the plane on which the image forming apparatus 100 is placed. The front - rear direction is an example of the first direction. The left - right direction is an example of the second direction. The up - down direction is an example of the third direction.

[0013] The image forming apparatus 100 is, for example, an MFP (multifunction peripheral). The image forming apparatus 100 has functions such as a printing function, a scanning function, a copying function, an erasing function, and a facsimile function. The printing function is a function of forming an image on a sheet P. The scanning function is a function of reading an image from a document on which an image is formed. The copying function is, for example, a function of printing an image read from a document or the like using the scanning function onto a sheet P using the printing function. The erasing function is a function of erasing an image formed with a developer that can be erased on the sheet P. The facsimile function is a function of converting an image read from a document or the like using the scanning function into an electrical signal and transmitting it to another device.

[0014] The image forming apparatus 100 has a housing 1 that forms the outer shell of the apparatus. The image forming apparatus 100 includes a printer 10, a scanner 20, and an operation panel 30. The image forming apparatus 100 includes the printer 10 and the scanner 20 inside the housing 1, and includes the operation panel 30 on the front side of the housing 1.

[0015] The printer 10 includes a plurality of paper feed cassettes 11, a manual feed tray 12, and a plurality of paper feed rollers 13. The paper feed cassette 11 stores the paper P used for printing. The manual feed tray 12 is for manually inserting the paper P. The paper feed roller 13 selectively takes out the paper P from either the paper feed cassette 11 or the manual feed tray 12 by rotating.

[0016] The printer 10 includes four toner cartridges 141, 142, 143, 144, four image forming units 151, 152, 153, 154, an exposure device 16, a cooling device 160, a transfer belt 17, a secondary transfer roller 18, and a fixing unit 19. The printer 10 includes the exposure device 16 below the four image forming units 151, 152, 153, 154.

[0017] The toner cartridges 141 to 144 respectively store the toner to be supplied to the image forming units 151 to 154. The toner cartridge 141 stores yellow (Y) toner. The toner cartridge 142 stores magenta (M) toner. The toner cartridge 143 stores cyan (C) toner. The toner cartridge 144 stores black (K) toner. The combination of toner colors is not limited to YMCK, and other color combinations may also be used. Also, the toner may be a toner that fades at a temperature higher than a predetermined temperature.

[0018] The image forming units 151 to 154 respectively receive the supply of toner from the toner cartridges 141 to 144 and form toner images of different colors. The image forming unit 151 forms a yellow (Y) toner image. The image forming unit 152 forms a magenta (M) toner image. The image forming unit 153 forms a cyan (C) toner image. The image forming unit 154 forms a black (K) toner image.

[0019] The image forming units 151 to 154 have the same configuration except for the difference in toner. Therefore, here, with reference to FIG. 2, the yellow image forming unit 151 will be described as a representative, and the descriptions of the image forming units 152 to 154 for other colors will be omitted.

[0020] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the yellow image forming unit 151 of the image forming apparatus 100 in FIG. 1. The yellow image forming unit 151 includes a photosensitive drum 41, a charging device 42, a developing device 43, a primary transfer roller 44, a cleaner 45, and a charge removing lamp 46.

[0021] The photosensitive drum 41 has a surface that receives the light beam BY irradiated from the exposure device 16. The exposure device 16 forms an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 41. The charging device 42 charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 41 with positive charges. The developing device 43 develops the electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 41 using the yellow toner D supplied from the toner cartridge 141. That is, the developing device 43 forms a yellow toner image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 41.

[0022] The image forming unit 151 includes a primary transfer roller 44 at a position facing the photosensitive drum 41 with the transfer belt 17 interposed therebetween. The primary transfer roller 44 generates a transfer voltage between itself and the photosensitive drum 41. Thereby, the primary transfer roller 44 transfers (primary transfer) the toner image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 41 to the surface of the transfer belt 17 that is in contact with the photosensitive drum 41.

[0023] The cleaner 45 removes the toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 41. The charge removing lamp 46 removes the charges remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 41.

[0024] Referring to FIG. 1 again, the overall configuration of the image forming apparatus 100 will be described.

[0025] The exposure device 16 irradiates the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 41 of the image forming units 151, 152, 153, and 154 with light beams BY, BM, BC, and BK respectively according to the input image data. Specifically, inside the exposure device 16, there are a polygon mirror and a motor for rotating the polygon mirror. The exposure device 16 scans and exposes the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 41 of the image forming units 152, 153, and 154 with the light beams BY, BM, BC, and BK respectively by reflecting the light beams BY, BM, BC, and BK on the rotated polygon mirror. The light beams BY, BM, BC, and BK are respectively based on the image data of each color obtained by color-separating the image data into Y, M, C, and K colors. The exposure device 16 emits the light beam BY according to the Y-component image data to form an electrostatic latent image for yellow on the surface of the photosensitive drum 41 of the image forming unit 151. Similarly, the exposure device 16 emits the light beams BM, BC, and BK according to the M, C, and K-component image data to form electrostatic latent images for each color on the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 41 of the image forming units 152, 153, and 154.

[0026] Note that the image data input to the exposure device 16 is, for example, image data read from a document or the like by the scanner 20. Alternatively, the image data input to the exposure device 16 is image data transmitted to the image forming apparatus 100 from a device different from the image forming apparatus 100.

[0027] The cooling device 160 includes, for example, a fan. The fan of the cooling device 160 is, for example, on the right side of the image forming apparatus 100. The cooling device 160 sends the air generated by the fan below the exposure device 16 through a duct to cool the exposure device 16.

[0028] The transfer belt 17 is stretched in an endless shape and rotates by rotating the driving roller 171 around which the transfer belt 17 is wound. By rotating, the transfer belt 17 conveys the toner images of each color formed on the surface of the transfer belt 17 by the image forming units 151 to 154 to the transfer area facing the secondary transfer roller 18.

[0029] The secondary transfer roller 18 faces the driving roller 171 with the transfer belt 17 interposed therebetween. The secondary transfer roller 18 transfers (secondary transfer) the toner image formed on the transfer belt 17 onto the sheet P passing between the secondary transfer roller 18 and the sheet P.

[0030] The fixing unit 19 heats and presses the sheet P. The fixing unit 19 includes a heating roller 191 and a pressure roller 192 that face each other with the conveyance path of the sheet P interposed therebetween. The heating roller 191 includes a heat source such as a heater. The heating roller 191 heated by the heat source contacts the sheet P and heats the sheet P. The pressure roller 192 presses the sheet P passing between the pressure roller 192 and the heating roller 191. Therefore, the fixing unit 19 fixes the toner image transferred onto the sheet P to the sheet P.

[0031] In addition, the printer 10 includes a duplex unit 50 and a paper discharge tray 60. The duplex unit 50 makes the sheet P printable on the back side. The duplex unit 50 reverses the front and back of the sheet P by switching it back and forth, and feeds it into the transfer area between the transfer belt 17 and the secondary transfer roller 18. The paper discharge tray 60 is for discharging the sheet P after printing.

[0032] The scanner 20 reads an image from a document or the like. The scanner 20 includes a reading module 70 and a document feeder 80.

[0033] The reading module 70 irradiates the surface of a document having an image to be read (hereinafter referred to as the document surface) with illumination light, receives the reflected light with an image sensor (not shown), and converts it into a digital signal. Thereby, the reading module 70 reads an image from the document surface.

[0034] The original document feeder 80 is, for example, an ADF (auto document feeder) or the like. The original document feeder 80 successively conveys the original documents placed on the original document tray 81 through the original document glass 82. The reading module 70 reads an image from the original document conveyed to the original document glass 82. The original document feeder 80 may be provided with another reading module for reading an image from the back side of the original document.

[0035] The operation panel 30 is a man-machine interface for inputting and outputting between the image forming apparatus 100 and the operator of the image forming apparatus 100. The operation panel 30 includes, for example, a touch panel 31 and an input device 32.

[0036] The touch panel 31 is, for example, a stack of a display such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display and a pointing device by touch input. The display of the touch panel 31 displays a screen for notifying various information to the operator of the image forming apparatus 100. Further, the touch panel 31 accepts a touch operation by the operator.

[0037] The input device 32 accepts an operation by the operator of the image forming apparatus 100. The input device 32 is, for example, a keyboard, a keypad, or a touch pad.

[0038] <Overview of the structure of the housing 1> Next, with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, an overview of the structure of the housing 1 will be described.

[0039] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the exposure device 16 of the image forming apparatus 100 in FIG. 1 and a part of the housing 1. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a part of the housing 1 of the image forming apparatus 100 in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 shows the housing 1 and the exposure device 16 in a state where the image forming units 151 to 154 and the toner cartridges 141 to 144 above the exposure device 16 are removed. FIG. 4 shows the housing 1 in a state where the exposure device 16 is further removed from FIG. 3.

[0040] The housing 1 includes a rear frame 91, a front frame 92, a support base 93, and a support stay 94 as a configuration for incorporating the exposure device 16. Further, the housing 1 has an insertion port 101 on the left side surface thereof for inserting and attaching the exposure device 16 into the housing 1.

[0041] The rear frame 91 is a member formed of sheet metal extending in the vertical and horizontal directions. The rear frame 91 is located on the back side of the image forming apparatus 100, that is, behind the exposure device 16. There is a cooling device 160 on the back side of the rear frame 91. The cooling device 160 sucks air from the space between the support base 93 and the exposure device 16.

[0042] The front frame 92 is a member formed of sheet metal extending in the vertical and horizontal directions. The front frame 92 is located substantially parallel to the rear frame 91 on the front side of the image forming apparatus 100, that is, in front of the exposure device 16. The front frame 92 includes a duct (not shown) between it and the exposure device 16 at the rear. The duct functions as a flow path for sending outside air into the space in response to the suction of air from the space between the support base 93 and the exposure device 16 by the cooling device 160.

[0043] The support base 93 is a flat plate-like member formed of sheet metal extending in the front-rear and horizontal directions. The support base 93 is slightly shorter than the exposure device 16 in the horizontal direction and wider than the lower surface of the exposure device 16. The support base 93 is disposed substantially horizontally below the exposure device 16 and supports the exposure device 16. The rear end of the support base 93 is fixed to the front surface of the rear frame 91, and the front end thereof is fixed to the rear surface of the front frame 92. The fixing of the support base 93 to the rear frame 91 and the front frame 92 is, for example, by welding. The support base 93 is an example of a support member.

[0044] When the exposure device 16 is inserted into and attached to the housing 1 from the insertion port 101 on the left side of the housing 1, the support base 93 includes a rail that functions as an insertion guide for slidably contacting and guiding the lower surface of the insertion foot portion 161 (FIG. 6) protruding from the lower surface of the exposure device 16. Further, the support base 93 forms a space SPa (FIG. 7) through which air for cooling the polygon motor PM (FIG. 7) in the exposure device 16 flows between the support base 93 and the lower surface of the exposure device 16.

[0045] The support stay 94 is a member formed of a sheet metal extending in the front-rear direction. The support stay 94 is located away from the right side of the support base 93 and supports the exposure device 16 together with the support base 93. The rear end of the support stay 94 is fixed to the front surface of the rear frame 91, and the front end thereof is fixed to the rear surface of the front frame 92. The fixing of the support stay 94 to the rear frame 91 and the front frame 92 is, for example, by welding.

[0046] In addition, in the present embodiment, a gap S exists between the support base 93 and the support stay 94, and the case where the support base 93 and the support stay 94 are different members from each other will be described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the support base 93 and the support stay 94 may be an integral member.

[0047] <Details of the structure of the support base 93> Next, with reference to FIGS. 5, 6, and 7, the details of the structure of the support base 93 will be described.

[0048] FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the support base 93 and the support stay 94 of the housing 1 in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view of the housing 1 taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view of the housing 1 taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 5. FIGS. 5, 6, and 7 show together the outer edge of the exposure device 16 and the polygon mirror and the polygon motor PM which are the internal configuration of the exposure device 16.

[0049] The exposure apparatus 16 has two insertion feet 161 and four support feet 162 that project from the lower surface side respectively. Further, the exposure apparatus 16 has an opening OPa on the lower surface and an opening OPb on the front side surface respectively. There is a space inside the exposure apparatus 16 that connects the openings OPa and OPb by passing through it.

[0050] The two insertion feet 161 have a flat lower surface that can move while contacting the upper surface of the support base 93 when inserting and attaching the exposure apparatus 16 through the insertion port 101 of the housing 1. Each of the two insertion feet 161 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped portion 1611 and a substantially frustum-shaped portion 1612 that further projects from the lower surface side of the portion 1611. The two insertion feet 161 are spaced apart in the front-rear direction on the right side of the lower surface of the exposure apparatus 16. The two insertion feet 161 are an example of a first foot and a second foot.

[0051] The four support feet 162 are near the four corner portions of the lower surface of the exposure apparatus 16. Two of the four support feet 162 located on the left side contact the upper surface of the support base 93 in a state where the exposure apparatus 16 is arranged at a predetermined position within the housing 1. Two of the four support feet 162 located on the right side contact the upper surface of the support stay 94 in a state where the exposure apparatus 16 is arranged at a predetermined position within the housing 1. The four support feet 162 are an example of a plurality of third feet.

[0052] The support base 93 has a base portion 930, two convex portions 931, a concave portion 932, and two concave portions 933 on the surface (opposing surface) that faces the lower surface of the exposure apparatus 16.

[0053] The base portion 930 is the main part of the support base 93 and is the flat plate-shaped portion among the members forming the support base 93.

[0054] The two convex portions 931 are portions that bulge upward with respect to the base portion 930. The two convex portions 931 extend in the left-right direction at positions spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction. The upper surfaces of each of the two convex portions 931 are located in substantially the same horizontal plane. That is, the heights of the upper surfaces of each of the two convex portions 931 are substantially equal. Among the two convex portions 931, the convex portion 931 located rearward (hereinafter referred to as the rear convex portion 931) has three portions 9311, 9312, and 9313 spaced apart in the left-right direction. The three portions 9311, 9312, and 9313 are arranged in this order from the left side to the right side. The two portions 9311 and 9313 on the left and right are examples of the first portion. The central portion 9312 is an example of the second portion.

[0055] The support base 93 has two support regions 934 on the upper surface near the left end thereof. The support stay 94 has two support regions 944 on the upper surface thereof. The two support regions 934, together with the two support regions 944, are regions that support the entire weight of the exposure apparatus 16. Each of the support regions 934 and 944 is in contact with the lower surface of a corresponding one of the four support feet 162 of the exposure apparatus 16. The upper surface of each support region 934 is at a position higher than the upper surface of the convex portion 931. The upper surface of each support region 944 is at a position higher than the upper surface of the support region 934.

[0056] The concave portion 932 is a portion that is recessed downward with respect to the base portion 930. The concave portion 932 has, for example, a hexagonal shape when viewed from above and is located at a position vertically overlapping the polygon motor PM in the exposure apparatus 16. The lower surface of the exposure apparatus 16 includes a sheet metal portion Ha that supports the polygon motor PM at a position vertically overlapping the concave portion 932 and a resin portion Hb that surrounds the sheet metal portion Ha. The sheet metal portion Ha on the lower surface of the exposure apparatus 16 functions as a heat sink. The sheet metal portion Ha has a substantially circular hole, and a part of the polygon motor PM passes through the hole and reaches below the lower surface of the exposure apparatus 16. That is, the polygon motor PM has a lower portion PML located on the support base 93 side rather than the lower surface of the exposure apparatus 16.

[0057] The front end of the recess 932 is located at a position overlapping the opening OPa provided on the lower surface of the exposure apparatus 16 when viewed from above. The rear end of the recess 932 extends in the front-rear direction so as to reach behind the rear convex portion 931. Specifically, the recess 932 passes through in the front-rear direction between the portions 9311 and 9313 of the rear convex portion 931. And the portion 9312 of the rear convex portion 931 is located inside the recess 932. In other words, the recess 932 has a groove portion 9321 located between the portions 9311 and 9312 of the rear convex portion 931, and a groove portion 9322 located between the portions 9312 and 9313. The length in the left-right direction of the groove portions 9321 and 9322 is shorter than the length in the left-right direction of the portion 1611 of the insertion foot portion 161.

[0058] Inside the recess 932, there is a seal member 935 that contacts the two left side surfaces and the two right side surfaces among the six side surfaces forming a hexagonal shape. The seal member 935 has a width such that it does not embed the groove portions 9321 and 9322. The seal member 935 is, for example, a sponge-like low-rebound elastic body. The length in the vertical direction of the seal member 935 is equal to or greater than the length from the bottom surface of the recess 932 to the lower surface of the exposure apparatus 16. Thus, in a state where the exposure apparatus 16 is inserted and arranged inside the housing 1 (the state shown in FIG. 3), the upper end of the seal member 935 contacts the lower surface of the exposure apparatus 16 in a state of being contracted by the exposure apparatus 16. For this reason, the seal member 935, together with the upper surface of the support base 93 and the lower surface of the exposure apparatus 16, divides the space between the support base 93 and the exposure apparatus 16 into a space SPa corresponding to the recess 932, a space SPb corresponding to the portion to the left of the recess 932, and a space SPc corresponding to the portion to the right of the recess 932.

[0059] In the present embodiment, the case where a sponge-like elastic body is used for the seal member 935 has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, as the seal member 935, any member that can suppress the entry and exit of air between the space SPa and the spaces SPb and SPc without hindering the insertion of the exposure apparatus 16, such as a brush-like member or a sheet-like member, can be applied. Further, in the present embodiment, the case where the seal member 935 is not provided on the front side surface of the recess 932 has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, as long as the connection between the space SPa via the opening OPa and the duct is not inhibited, the seal member 935 may also be provided on the front side surface of the recess 932.

[0060] The space SPa is connected to a duct (not shown) at its front end via a space inside the exposure apparatus 16 having the openings OPa and OPb at both ends. The bottom surface of the recess 932, the seal member 935, and the exposure apparatus 16 form the opening OPc at their rear ends. The space SPa is connected to the cooling apparatus 160 via the opening OPc. Note that the length in the left-right direction of the front side surface of the recess 932 is sufficiently longer than the length in the left-right direction of the opening OPa. This is to supply the air flowing in from the opening OPa to the space SPa without leaving any. Further, the length in the left-right direction of the rear side surface of the recess 932 is equal to the length in the left-right direction of the opening OPc. This is to efficiently discharge the air in the recess 932 from the space SPa by guiding it to the opening OPc.

[0061] The two recesses 933 are portions that are recessed downward with respect to the base 930. The two recesses 933 are each near the gap S between the support stay 94 so as to be aligned in the left-right direction with the two convex portions 931. The two recesses 933 are located at positions facing the two insertion feet 161 in a state where the exposure apparatus 16 is inserted and arranged at a predetermined position in the housing 1. The bottom surfaces of the two recesses 933 are located below the upper surfaces of the two convex portions 931. That is, in a state where the exposure apparatus 16 is arranged at a predetermined position in the housing 1 and the entire weight of the exposure apparatus 16 is supported by the four support feet 162, the two insertion feet 161 are separated from the bottom surfaces of the recesses 933.

[0062] <Insertion Operation of Exposure Device 16> Next, an insertion operation for inserting the exposure device 16 from the insertion port 101 into the inside of the housing 1 will be described. The insertion operation is performed by an operator, for example, when assembling the image forming apparatus 100 in a factory.

[0063] When the operator inserts the exposure device 16 rightward from the insertion port 101 on the left side of the housing 1, the lower surfaces of the substantially frustum-shaped portions 1612 of the two insertion feet 161 arranged on the right side of the exposure device 16 are respectively in sliding contact with the upper surfaces of the two convex portions 931. As a result, the two convex portions 931 and the operator's both hands holding the left end of the exposure device 16 stably support the exposure device 16 at four points.

[0064] When the exposure device 16 is slid rightward, the substantially frustum-shaped portion 1612 of the insertion foot 161 located at the rear among the two insertion feet 161 (hereinafter referred to as the rear insertion foot 161) separates from the support base 93 by reaching the groove portion 9321. However, at this time, the substantially frustum-shaped portion 1612 of the insertion foot 161 located at the front among the two insertion feet 161 (hereinafter referred to as the front insertion foot 161) maintains the state of being in contact with the convex portion 931 located at the front among the two convex portions 931 (hereinafter referred to as the front convex portion 931). For this reason, the front convex portion 931 and the operator's both hands holding the left end of the exposure device 16 stably support the exposure device 16 at three points.

[0065] Subsequently, when the exposure device 16 is continuously slid rightward, the substantially frustum-shaped portion 1612 of the rear insertion foot 161 comes into sliding contact with the upper surface of the central portion 9312 of the rear convex portion 931. As a result, the two convex portions 931 and the operator's both hands holding the left end of the exposure device 16 stably support the exposure device 16 at four points.

[0066] Continuing, when the exposure apparatus 16 is slid rightward, the substantially frustoconical portion 1612 of the rear insertion foot 161 separates from the support base 93 by reaching the groove portion 9322. However, at this time, the substantially frustoconical portion 1612 of the front insertion foot 161 maintains contact with the front convex portion 931. For this reason, the front convex portion 931 and the two hands of the operator holding the left end of the exposure apparatus 16 stably support the exposure apparatus 16 at three points.

[0067] Continuing, when the exposure apparatus 16 is slid rightward, the substantially frustoconical portion 1612 of the rear insertion foot 161 comes into slidable contact with the upper surface of the right-side portion 9313 of the rear convex portion 931. As a result, the two convex portions 931 and the two hands of the operator holding the left end of the exposure apparatus 16 stably support the exposure apparatus 16 at four points.

[0068] Continuing, when the exposure apparatus 16 is slid rightward, immediately before the exposure apparatus 16 is pushed into the predetermined position, each of the two insertion feet 161 disengages from the corresponding convex portion 931 and moves toward positions facing the two recesses 933 respectively.

[0069] On the other hand, when each of the two insertion feet 161 disengages from the corresponding convex portion 931, the two support feet 162 on the right side of the exposure apparatus 16 contact the upper surface of the support stay 94. When the exposure apparatus 16 is further pushed into the predetermined position, the lower surfaces of the two support feet 162 on the right side of the exposure apparatus 16 overlap the support region 944 of the support stay 94. And when the exposure apparatus 16 is pushed into the predetermined position, instead of each of the two insertion feet 161 of the exposure apparatus 16 overlapping the corresponding recess 933 and floating from the support base 93, it comes into contact with the support region 944 of the support stay 94. That is, a part of the weight of the exposure apparatus 16 is supported by the support stay 94.

[0070] Also, at this time, the lower surfaces of the two support feet 162 on the left side of the exposure apparatus 16 are in contact with the upper surface of the support region 934 of the support base 93. As a result, the support base 93 supports the remaining weight of the exposure apparatus 16. That is, in this state, substantially all of the weight of the exposure apparatus 16 is supported by the upper surface of the support base 93 and the upper surface of the support stay 94 via the four support feet 162, and the exposure apparatus 16 does not contact the support base 93 except in the support region 934.

[0071] As described above, the length of the substantially rectangular parallelepiped portion 1611 of the insertion foot 161 in the left - right direction is longer than the length of the grooves 9321 and 9322 in the left - right direction. Thus, even if the exposure apparatus 16 tilts from the state of being supported at three points, before the exposure apparatus 16 tilts to an extent that inhibits the insertion of the exposure apparatus 16 by the operator, the substantially rectangular parallelepiped portion 1611 of the insertion foot 161 contacts the rear convex portion 931. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the deterioration of the manufacturability in the insertion operation due to the presence of the grooves 9321 and 9322.

[0072] <Cooling operation of the exposure apparatus 16> Next, the cooling operation for cooling the exposure apparatus 16 will be described. The cooling operation is executed by the cooling device 160, for example, during the operation of the exposure apparatus 16, particularly when the polygon motor PM generates heat.

[0073] The cooling device 160 sucks out the air in the space SPa. Along with the exhaust from the space SPa, air (outside air) flows into the space SPa through the front duct. The air flowing in through the duct is cooler than the air in the space SPa. Thus, the cooling device 160 functions to flow the cooler air from the front to the rear in the space SPa.

[0074] As described above, the sheet metal portion Ha on the lower surface of the exposure apparatus 16 supports the polygon motor PM and is in contact with the air in the space SPa. As a result, the polygon motor PM can exchange heat with the air in the space SPa through the sheet metal portion Ha. Therefore, the cooling device 160 functions to supply cold air from the opening OPa (flow path Fa in FIG. 7), cool the polygon motor PM with the cold air (flow path Fb in FIG. 7), and discharge the warm air that has absorbed heat from the polygon motor PM from the opening OPc (flow path Fc in FIG. 7). That is, the air flowing in the space SPa can function as a refrigerant that continuously absorbs heat from the polygon motor PM when the polygon motor PM generates heat.

[0075] <Effects according to the embodiment> According to the embodiment, the exposure apparatus 16 has two insertion feet 161 that are arranged in the front-rear direction and protrude downward. The support base 93 has, on the surface facing the lower surface of the exposure apparatus 16, a front convex portion 931 that extends in the left-right direction and is aligned with the front insertion foot 161 in the front-rear direction, and a rear convex portion 931 that extends in the left-right direction and is aligned with the rear insertion foot 161 in the front-rear direction. Thus, in the insertion operation, the operator can hold the left side of the exposure apparatus 16 with both hands and slide the exposure apparatus 16 from left to right while bringing the two insertion feet 161 into contact with the upper surfaces of the two convex portions 931, respectively. In this way, by using the two convex portions 931 as insertion guides, the exposure apparatus 16 can be smoothly inserted to a predetermined position within the housing 1. Therefore, the manufacturability during assembly can be ensured.

[0076] Further, the two insertion feet 161 are separated from the support base 93 when the exposure apparatus 16 is inserted and arranged at a predetermined position within the housing 1. As a result, when the exposure apparatus 16 is inserted and arranged at a predetermined position within the housing 1, the exposure apparatus 16 does not contact the support base 93 except in the support region 934. Therefore, even if the support base 93 vibrates, it is possible to make it difficult for the vibration to be transmitted to the exposure apparatus 16. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the quality of the image output by the image forming apparatus 100 due to the structure used for the insertion operation of the exposure apparatus 16.

[0077] Further, the rear convex portion 931 has a plurality of portions 9311, 9312, and 9313 that are spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction. As a result, the recess 932 has groove portions 9321 and 9322 that extend in the front-rear direction between the left portion 9311 and the central portion 9312 of the rear convex portion 931, and between the central portion 9312 and the right portion 9313, respectively. For this reason, when an air flow from the front to the rear is generated between the exposure apparatus 16 and the support base 93 by the cooling device 160, the influence of the rear convex portion 931 on obstructing the air flow can be suppressed. Therefore, the air flowing from the front to the rear by the cooling device 160 can function efficiently as a refrigerant.

[0078] Also, the substantially rectangular parallelepiped portion 1611 of the rear insertion foot portion 161 is longer in the left-right direction than each of the groove portions 9321 and 9322. As a result, when the substantially frustum-shaped portion 1612 of the rear insertion foot portion 161 is in a position facing the groove portion 9321 or 9322 during the insertion operation, even if the exposure apparatus 16 is tilted, an increase in the tilt of the exposure apparatus 16 can be suppressed. For this reason, it is possible to suppress a decrease in manufacturability during assembly due to the rear convex portion 931 having a plurality of portions 9311, 9312, and 9313.

[0079] Further, the support base 93 has a recess 932 that extends in the front-rear direction so as to intersect the rear convex portion 931 at a position overlapping the polygon motor PM when viewed from above. As a result, the amount of air flowing between the exposure apparatus 16 and the support base 93 can be increased. For this reason, the air that absorbs heat from the polygon motor PM can be increased. Therefore, the cooling function of the polygon motor PM by the cooling device 160 can be improved.

[0080] Further, inside the concave portion 932, there is a seal member 935 that contacts the side surface thereof. As a result, the space between the exposure device 16 and the support base 93 can be divided into three spaces SPa, SPb, and SPc without inhibiting the insertion operation. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the deformation of the components that fix the mirrors other than the polygon mirror in the exposure device 16 due to the warm air heated by the polygon motor PM leaking into the spaces SPb and SPc. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the unintentional movement of the mirrors from their predetermined positions due to the deformation of the components, and to prevent the quality of the images output by the image forming apparatus 100 from deteriorating.

[0081] Further, the upper end of the seal member 935 contacts the lower surface of the exposure device 16 in a state where the exposure device 16 is inserted and arranged at a predetermined position within the housing 1. As a result, the entry and exit of air between the space SPa and the spaces SPb and SPc can be further suppressed. Therefore, the cooling function of the polygon motor PM by the cooling device 160 can be improved.

[0082] Further, the sheet metal portion Ha on the lower surface of the exposure device 16 contacts the space SPa. As a result, in the cooling operation, the polygon motor PM can continue to release heat to the cold air in the space SPa through the sheet metal portion Ha. Therefore, the sheet metal portion Ha can function as a heat sink, and the cooling device 160 can absorb heat from the polygon motor PM more efficiently.

[0083] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described. However, the above-described embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The above-described embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. The detailed embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the invention described in the claims and its equivalent scope.

[0084] Hereinafter, other embodiments will be appended. (Appended Note 1) An exposure device, A housing including a support member that supports the exposure apparatus, A cooling device configured to flow a refrigerant in a first direction in a space between the exposure apparatus and the support member, and is provided with, The exposure apparatus is arranged in the first direction, and has a first foot portion and a second foot portion that protrude downward, The support member, on the surface facing the lower surface of the exposure apparatus, extends in a second direction intersecting the first direction, and has a first convex portion aligned with the first foot portion in the second direction, extends in the second direction, is aligned with the second foot portion in the second direction, and has a second convex portion divided into a plurality of portions in the second direction, and has, The first foot portion and the second foot portion are separated from the support member, An image forming apparatus. (Appendix 2) The support member further has a concave portion extending in the first direction so as to intersect the second convex portion on the opposing surface, The image forming apparatus according to Appendix 1. (Appendix 3) The exposure apparatus further has a plurality of third foot portions that protrude downward separately from the first foot portion and the second foot portion, The support member supports the exposure apparatus in contact with the lower surfaces of the plurality of third foot portions, The image forming apparatus according to Appendix 1. (Appendix 4) The upper surfaces of the first convex portion and the second convex portion are located in substantially the same horizontal plane, The image forming apparatus according to Appendix 1. (Appendix 5) The plurality of portions are, a first portion located outside the concave portion, a second portion located inside the concave portion, and have, The concave portion has a groove portion located between the first portion and the second portion, The image forming apparatus according to Appendix 2. (Appendix 6) The second foot portion is longer than the groove portion in the second direction, The image forming apparatus described in Supplementary Note 5. (Supplementary Note 7) The exposure device includes a polygon mirror and a polygon motor that drives the polygon mirror. When viewed from a third direction intersecting the first direction and the second direction, the polygon motor overlaps with the concave portion. The image forming apparatus described in Supplementary Note 2. (Supplementary Note 8) The lower part of the polygon motor is located within the space. The image forming apparatus described in Supplementary Note 7.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0085] 1... housing, 16... exposure device, 161... insertion foot, 1611, 1612... parts of the insertion foot, 162... support foot, 91... rear frame, 92... front frame, 93... support base, 930... base, 931... convex portion, 9311, 9312, 9313... parts of the convex portion, 932... concave portion, 9321, 9322... groove portions, 933... concave portion, 934... support area, 935... seal member, 94... support stay, 944... support area, 100... image forming apparatus, 101... insertion port, PM... polygon motor, PML... lower part of the polygon motor, S... gap, OPa, OPb, OPc... openings, SPa, SPb, SPc... spaces, Fa, Fb, Fc... flow paths, Ha... sheet metal part, Hb... resin part.

Claims

1. An exposure apparatus, a housing including a support member that supports the exposure apparatus, a cooling device configured to flow a refrigerant in a first direction in a space between the exposure apparatus and the support member, and is provided with, the exposure apparatus is arranged in the first direction, and has a first foot portion and a second foot portion that protrude downward, the support member is on a surface facing the lower surface of the exposure apparatus, extends in a second direction intersecting the first direction, and has a first convex portion arranged in the second direction with the first foot portion, extends in the second direction, has a second convex portion having a plurality of portions arranged in the second direction with the second foot portion and spaced apart in the second direction, and has, the first foot portion and the second foot portion are separated from the support member, an image forming apparatus.

2. the support member further has a recess extending in the first direction so as to intersect the second convex portion on the facing surface, The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.

3. further having a seal member provided on a side surface of the recess, The image forming apparatus according to claim 2.

4. the upper end of the seal member is in contact with the lower surface of the exposure apparatus, The image forming apparatus according to claim 3.

5. the housing has an insertion port on a side surface for inserting and attaching the exposure apparatus, the support member is a plate-like member arranged substantially horizontally adjacent to the insertion port, and when the exposure apparatus is inserted and attached into the housing through the insertion port in the second direction, the first foot portion is brought into sliding contact with the first convex portion while the second foot portion is brought into sliding contact with the second convex portion to guide the insertion of the exposure apparatus, functioning as an insertion guide, The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.

Images