Image forming apparatus

Abstract

To provide an image forming apparatus comprising an open-close portion, in which areas of an opening provided in the open-close portion can be easily enlarged, as well as, strength of the open-close portion can be increased.SOLUTION: Reinforcement beams (31A, 31B, 32A, 32B) are arranged, for reinforcement, on a back surface of an open-close door 1 where a door opening portion 2 is formed. The reinforcement beams 31A and 31B and the reinforcement beams 32A, and 32B are arranged across a door opening portion 2 in a vertically divided configuration. That is, the reinforcement beams 31A and 31B in the divided configuration and the reinforcement beams 32A and 32B in the divided configuration are respectively arranged across the door opening portion 2 at the positions not overlapping the door opening portion 2 in a vertical direction. Since these reinforcement beams do not overlap the door opening portion 2, an opening area of the door opening portion 2 is not reduced, Therefore, an airflow through the door opening portion 2 of the open-close door 1 is not obstructed, and it is possible to ensure a sufficient airflow rate.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a copying machine, a facsimile machine, or a multifunction machine. [Background technology]

[0002] In a conventional image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording material, an opening may be formed in a door (opening / closing portion) that is provided on the apparatus body in an openable / closable manner. The opening is used as a window for viewing the inside or as a vent for drawing outside air into the apparatus body or exhausting air from the apparatus body to the outside. In the apparatus described in Patent Document 1, an opening consisting of multiple holes is formed on the side of the door, and air is drawn in through this opening and flows into the apparatus body via a duct located on the back surface of the door. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-99374 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, if it is desired to ensure a wider visibility range or a larger intake or exhaust volume, it is advisable to form an opening with a larger opening area. In the device described in Patent Document 1, an opening is provided on the side of the door. In general, the area of ​​the side of a door is relatively small. Therefore, the conventional technology has a problem in that it is difficult to increase the area of ​​the opening. Furthermore, forming an opening in the door reduces the rigidity of the door, making it more susceptible to distortion.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an image forming apparatus equipped with an opening / closing section, in which it is easy to increase the area of ​​the opening provided in the opening / closing section and the strength of the opening / closing section can be improved. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An image forming apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention has a first surface that forms part of an exterior, and a second surface opposite the first surface, and is equipped with an opening / closing portion having an opening that penetrates from the first surface to the second surface, a first reinforcing member provided on the second surface, and a second reinforcing member provided on the second surface, and is characterized in that the first reinforcing member and the second reinforcing member are arranged at a distance in a first direction along the second surface so that the opening is positioned between the first reinforcing member and the second reinforcing member in the first direction. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, in an image forming apparatus having an opening / closing section, the area of ​​the opening provided in the opening / closing section can be easily increased, and the strength of the opening / closing section can be improved. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an inkjet recording apparatus. [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. [Figure 5] 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining the manufacturing order of opening holes in odd-numbered rows and even-numbered columns using a mold. [Figure 6] 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining the manufacturing order of opening holes in odd-numbered rows and odd-numbered columns using a mold. [Figure 7] 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining the manufacturing sequence of opening holes in even-numbered rows and even-numbered columns using a mold. [Figure 8] 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining the manufacturing order of opening holes in even-numbered rows and odd-numbered columns using a mold. [Figure 9] FIG. 2A is a perspective view showing the back side of the opening and closing door, and FIG. 2B is an exploded perspective view showing the opening and closing door and a reinforcing plate. [Figure 10]FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] <Inkjet recording device> An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, an inkjet recording apparatus will be described as an example of an image forming apparatus to which a door according to this embodiment is provided, with reference to FIG. 1. The inkjet recording apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 is a so-called sheet-fed inkjet recording apparatus that forms an image on a recording material using ink and a reaction liquid based on image information input from an external device such as a computer or document reader. The recording material may be any ink-receiving material, such as paper, such as plain paper or cardboard, plastic film, such as a recording material for overhead projectors, specially shaped recording materials, such as envelopes or index paper, or cloth.

[0010] In this specification, the side on which a user stands when operating the inkjet recording apparatus 100 is referred to as the "front (or front)," and the opposite side is referred to as the "rear (or back)." Furthermore, the left side when viewed from the front is referred to as the "left," and the right side when viewed from the front is referred to as the "right." Figure 1 shows the inkjet recording apparatus 100 as viewed from the front. Note that some modules may not perform processes directly related to image formation. However, the above-described modules 1000 to 7000 as a whole constitute a single image forming system. In other words, each of the modules 1000 to 7000 can be referred to as a single image forming apparatus. Of course, the modules 1000 to 7000 as a whole may also be considered as a single image forming apparatus.

[0011] 1, the inkjet recording apparatus 100 includes a feeding module 1000, a printing module 2000, a drying module 3000, a fixing module 4000, a cooling module 5000, an inverting module 6000, and a stacking module 7000. The recording material S supplied from the feeding module 1000 undergoes various processes as it is transported along the transport path within each module, and is finally discharged to the stacking module 7000.

[0012] The feeding module 1000 includes cassettes 1500a, 1500b, and 1500c for storing recording materials S, and the cassettes 1500a to 1500c are provided so that they can be pulled out toward the front side to store the recording materials S. The recording materials S are fed one by one in each of the cassettes 1500a to 1500c by a separation belt and a conveying roller, and are conveyed to the print module 2000. The number of cassettes 1500a to 1500c is not limited to three, and the configuration may include one, two, four or more.

[0013] The print module 2000 has a pre-imaging transport unit (not shown), a print belt unit 2200, and a recording unit 2300. The recording material S transported from the feeding module 1000 has its tilt and position corrected by the pre-imaging transport unit before being transported to the print belt unit 2200. The recording unit 2300 is located opposite the print belt unit 2200 along the transport path of the recording material S. The recording unit 2300 forms an image by ejecting ink onto the recording material S from above using multiple recording heads as it is transported by the print belt. The recording material S is transported by suction using the print belt unit 2200, ensuring clearance between the recording material S and the recording heads. In this embodiment, a total of five line-type recording heads, one for each of the four colors Y (yellow), M (magenta), C (cyan), and Bk (black) and the corresponding reaction liquid, are aligned along the transport direction.

[0014] The number of ink colors and recording heads is not limited to five. The inkjet method for ejecting ink can be a method using a heat generating element, a method using a piezoelectric element, a method using an electrostatic element, a method using a MEMS element, or the like. Each color of ink is supplied to the recording head from an ink tank (not shown) via an ink tube.

[0015] The recording material S on which an image has been formed in the recording section 2300 is conveyed by the print belt unit 2200 to an inline scanner (not shown), which reads the image formed on the recording material S. Here, the misalignment and color density of the image formed on the recording material S are detected, and based on this image misalignment and color density, the image to be formed on the recording material S, its density, etc. are corrected.

[0016] The drying module 3000 has an outside air blowing unit 3100, a decoupling section 3200, a drying belt unit 3300, and a warm air blowing unit 3400. The drying module 3000 reduces the liquid content of the ink applied to the recording material S in order to improve the fixability of the ink to the recording material S by the subsequent fixing module 4000.

[0017] The recording material S on which the image has been formed is transported to a decoupling section 3200 arranged in the drying module 3000. In the decoupling section 3200, a frictional force is generated between the recording material S and the belt by the wind pressure of air blown from an outside air blowing unit 3100 arranged above the decoupling section 3200, causing the belt to transport the recording material S. In this way, the recording material S placed on the belt is transported by frictional force, thereby preventing the recording material S from shifting as it is transported between the print belt unit 2200 and the decoupling section 3200.

[0018] The recording material S conveyed from the decoupling section 3200 is attracted and conveyed by the drying belt unit 3300. A warm air blowing unit 3400 is disposed above the drying belt unit 3300, and the warm air blowing unit 3400 blows hot air heated by a heater to a high temperature onto the recording material S being conveyed by the drying belt unit 3300. This dries the ink and reaction liquid applied to the recording material S. When the ink and reaction liquid on the recording material S are heated by the drying module 3000 in this way, the ink is less likely to be absorbed at the ink-applied portions of the recording material S, and so-called cockling, in which the recording material S stretches and wrinkles locally, can be suppressed. Note that, as a heater for heating the air, heating using, for example, an electric heating wire or an infrared heater is preferred from the standpoints of safety and energy efficiency. In addition, as a drying method, in addition to the method of blowing hot air, a method of irradiating the recording material S with electromagnetic waves (ultraviolet rays, infrared rays, etc.), or a conductive heat transfer method by contact with a heating element may be used, or a combination of these may be used.

[0019] The fixing module 4000 has a fixing belt unit 4100. The fixing belt unit 4100 fixes ink onto the recording material S by passing the recording material S conveyed from the drying module 3000 between a heated upper belt unit and a lower belt unit.

[0020] The cooling module 5000 has a plurality of cooling sections 5001, which cool the high-temperature recording material S transported from the fixing module 4000. Although not shown, the cooling section 5001 uses a fan to draw air (outside air) from outside the frame 5010 into a cooling box to increase the pressure inside the cooling box, and the air that is ejected from the cooling box through a nozzle due to the pressure is applied to the recording material S to cool the recording material S. The cooling sections 5001 are arranged on both sides of the transport path of the recording material S, and cool both sides of the recording material S.

[0021] The cooling module 5000 is also provided with a conveying path switching unit 5002. The conveying path switching unit 5002 switches the conveying path of the recording material S depending on whether the recording material S is conveyed to the reversing module 6000 or conveyed to a double-sided conveying path for double-sided printing, in which images are formed on both sides of the recording material S.

[0022] The reversing module 6000 has a reversing section 6400. The reversing section 6400 reverses the recording material S being conveyed, and changes the front and back orientation of the recording material S when it is discharged to the stacking module 7000. The stacking module 7000 has a top tray 7200 and a stacking section 7500, and stacks the recording material S conveyed from the reversing module 6000.

[0023] During double-sided printing, the recording material S is conveyed to a conveyance path below the cooling module 5000 by the conveyance path switching unit 5002. The recording material S then passes through a double-sided conveyance path including the fixing module 4000, drying module 3000, print module 2000, and feeding module 1000, before being returned to the print module 2000. The double-sided conveyance section of the fixing module 4000 is provided with an inverting unit 4200 that inverts the recording material S. After the recording material S is returned to the print module 2000, an image is formed on the other side with ink, and the recording material S passes through the drying module 3000, fixing module 4000, cooling module 5000, and inverting module 6000 before being ejected to the stacking module 7000. The stacking module 7000 has a top tray 7200 and a stacking unit 7500, and is used to stack the recording material S conveyed from the inverting module 6000.

[0024] <Opening and closing door> Next, an overview of the door 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 2 . In the following description, the door 1 of this embodiment is applied to the cooling module 5000 as an example, but this is not limiting. For example, the door 1 of this embodiment may also be applied to other modules that require an air intake or exhaust port for intake or exhaust, such as the print module 2000, drying module 3000, and fixing module 4000. The door 1 does not necessarily need to have an air intake or exhaust port. For example, even if a window for observing the interior of the door 1 is provided, an opening is also formed in the door 1. Because a typical window has a transparent cover, the opening has almost no ventilation. As such, the embodiment described below can be applied regardless of the purpose of the opening.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 2, the opening / closing door 1 as an opening / closing part is provided openably and closably on the front surface of the frame 5010 of the cooling module 5000. The front surface (first surface) of the opening / closing door 1 constitutes part of the exterior of the cooling module 5000. A reinforcing plate 41 is disposed on the back surface (second surface) opposite to the front surface of the opening / closing door 1. The reinforcing plate 41 is attached to reinforcing beams (31A, 31B, 32A, 32B) described below that are disposed to reinforce the opening / closing door 1 (see FIG. 9(a)), thereby reinforcing the opening / closing door 1 together with the reinforcing beams (31A, 31B, 32A, 32B). The reinforcing plate 41 is disposed with a gap between it and the back surface of the opening / closing door 1 to form a back duct P.

[0026] The retractable door 1 has a door opening 2 formed therein, penetrating between its inner and outer surfaces. In the present embodiment, as an example, the door opening 2 is formed to draw air from outside the frame 5010 into the frame 5010. The door opening 2 is preferably formed with a large opening area to ensure a sufficient flow rate of air flowing through it. In this embodiment, the door opening 2 is formed in a rectangular shape whose width in the left-right direction is greater than its width in the up-down direction. The reinforcing plate 41 has a plurality of reinforcing plate openings 5 ​​(four in this example) aligned vertically as communication ports that communicate with the space within the frame 5010 (inside the frame). Air flowing in through the door opening 2 passes through a space surrounded by the reinforcing door 1, the reinforcing plate 41, the reinforcing beams (31A, 31B, 32A, 32B), and the end reinforcing plates 45 (see FIG. 9(b) described below), and then flows out of the plurality of reinforcing plate openings 5 ​​into the frame 5010 (see dotted arrow W). Each reinforcing plate opening 5 has a smaller opening area than the door opening 2 so that air can flow out efficiently at a required flow rate.

[0027] In this embodiment, the door 1, the reinforcing plate 41, the reinforcing beams (31A, 31B, 32A, 32B), and the end reinforcing plates 45 (see FIG. 9B) form a duct (hereinafter, for convenience, referred to as a rear duct) on the rear surface of the door 1. The duct supplies air drawn in through the door opening 2 to the cooling unit 5001 and the power supply unit 5004 disposed within the frame 5010. Air is supplied to the cooling unit 5001 to cool the recording material S, and air is supplied to the power supply unit 5004 to cool the power supply unit 5004 itself. By forming the rear duct in the door 1 in this way, a flow path for the drawn air can be secured without increasing the size of the apparatus. Furthermore, by forming the door opening 2 with a large opening area in the door 1 provided on the front surface of the frame 5010, the risk of attracting dust and the like can be reduced compared to when the opening is located on the lower surface, and the flow rate of air required for the cooling unit 5001 and the power supply unit 5004 can be secured.

[0028] The reinforcing plate 41 is also provided with an upper duct unit 60 and a lower duct unit 70 for blowing the air drawn in through the door opening 2 as an air intake, passing through the rear duct P, and supplied from the reinforcing plate opening 5 toward a predetermined position within the frame 5010. In this embodiment, the upper duct unit 60 is provided for blowing air toward the upper cooling section 5001 across the conveyance path of the recording material S, and the lower duct unit 70 is provided for blowing air toward the lower cooling section 5001 across the conveyance path of the recording material S. As shown in FIG. 2 , the upper duct unit 60 and the lower duct unit 70 are provided on the reinforcing plate 41 so that a portion of the outlet side from which the air is blown enters the frame 5010. More specifically, the upper duct unit 60 and the lower duct unit 70 have their respective outlets close to the upper cooling section 5001 and the lower cooling section 5001, respectively, to ensure that the air drawn in through the door opening 2 is supplied reliably.

[0029] Furthermore, if the recording material S becomes stuck in the conveyance path of the recording material S between the upper cooling section 5001 and the lower cooling section 5001 (so-called jam), the user must remove the recording material S stuck in the conveyance path. In order to remove the recording material S stuck in the conveyance path, the user must open the opening / closing door 1 and move the upper cooling section 5001 upward relative to the lower cooling section 5001 to open the conveyance path. As described above, in this embodiment, the upper duct unit 60 and the lower duct unit 70 are provided in the rear surface duct P of the opening / closing door 1, which is formed by the opening / closing door 1, the reinforcing plate 41, and the reinforcing beams (31A, 31B, 32A, 32B), so that a portion of them enters the frame body 5010. The upper duct unit 60 and the lower duct unit 70 move together with the rear duct P in accordance with the opening and closing operation of the opening and closing door 1, and therefore when the opening and closing door 1 is opened, they transition from a state in which they are inserted into the frame body 5010 to a state in which they are retracted outside the frame body 5010. This ensures that when a user opens the opening and closing door 1, sufficient space is secured within the frame body 5010 to enable the upper cooling section 5001 to be retracted upward and the recording material S to be removed.

[0030] It is preferable to provide a sponge material or the like at the connection parts between the upper duct unit 60 and the lower duct unit 70 and the rear surface duct P, and at the connection parts between the upper duct unit 60 and the lower duct unit 70 and the cooling unit 5100, in order to prevent air leakage and to suppress load on the connection parts when the opening and closing door 1 is opened and closed. It is not necessary for the rear surface duct P itself to be highly airtight, and as long as the rear surface duct P can ensure a flow rate sufficient to supply air to the cooling unit 5001 and the power supply unit 5004, there may be a gap therein that does not affect the flow rate of air.

[0031] Next, the door opening 2 of the door 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing the door opening 2 of the door 1, and FIG. 4 is a partial enlarged view showing the openings 2a of the door opening 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the door opening 2 is formed in a mesh shape with a large number of openings 2a, which are through-holes of a certain size, arranged to prevent the intrusion of foreign matter. As shown in FIG. 4, in this embodiment, the openings 2a are squares measuring, for example, 4 mm long and 4 mm wide, and the spacing between adjacent openings 2a is, for example, 1.9 mm. As shown on the left side of FIG. 3, these openings 2a are formed below the center of the door 1 in the vertical direction, aligned in the vertical and horizontal directions.

[0032] In this embodiment, the door opening 2 is longer in the left-right direction than in the up-down direction relative to the opening door 1, and is as wide as possible in the opening door 1. The opening area of ​​the door opening 2 is set depending on the flow rate of air required for supply. The position where the door opening 2 is formed in the up-down direction may be set depending on the appearance requirements with respect to the exterior covers of the fixing module 4000 and the reversing module 6000 (see FIG. 1) connected to the cooling module 5000, a size that makes it difficult for dust to be sucked in, and other conditions.

[0033] <Method for forming opening holes> The square-shaped openings 2a (also called rectangular holes) in the door opening 2 are formed in the door opening 2 using a die to minimize the manufacturing cost of the retractable door 1. To simultaneously form all of the openings 2a in the door opening 2 using a typical simultaneous punching process using a press, the spacing between adjacent openings 2a needs to be at least three times the thickness of the retractable door 1. However, because a thin plate, e.g., 0.8 mm thick, is used for the retractable door 1 to achieve weight and cost reduction, it is difficult to achieve a spacing of 1.9 mm between adjacent openings 2a using a single simultaneous punching process. Therefore, a method is employed in which multiple dies with square hole punches arranged in a staggered pattern are combined to form the openings 2a in multiple steps rather than forming all of the openings 2a in a single step. When multiple dies with square hole punches arranged in a staggered pattern (described below) are combined and used, the staggered arrangement of the square hole punches in each die allows for the formation of a large number of openings 2a without the spacing between the openings 2a being greater than three times the plate thickness (0.8 mm). An example of a method for forming the opening 2a will be described below with reference to FIG. 3 and FIGS. 6 to 8. FIG.

[0034] To form the openings 2a in a strip-like arrangement as shown in FIG. 3, in addition to using two large molds, a method using a mold about half the size of the larger mold and a smaller mold can be considered. In this case, molds of different sizes can also be used to form openings in doors that can be opened and closed in modules other than the cooling module 5000. In other words, the frame size may vary depending on the module, and in that case, the size of the doors also varies. In this case, creating a dedicated mold for each door of different sizes to form the openings would be costly. Therefore, by changing the combination of molds of different sizes, it is possible to reuse molds to form openings even for doors of different sizes. Although this increases the number of steps required to form the openings, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost of the doors by reducing the mold size and the number of molds.

[0035] Whether a mold can be reused is determined by the odd / even combination of the number of rows and columns of the opening holes. This is because the number of molds required to manufacture a single part varies depending on the number of rows and columns. Note that in this embodiment, it is not assumed that opening holes will be formed by punching a part in the opposite direction on the same surface. This is because opening holes form the exterior, and punching a part in the opposite direction will result in the punching burrs being partially reversed, requiring processing such as chamfering to improve the appearance, which increases the manufacturing cost of the opening and closing door.

[0036] To form aperture holes in odd rows and even columns, a first mold A1 and a second mold B1 are required, as shown on the right side of Figure 5. The process of forming aperture holes using the first mold A1 and the second mold B1 is shown on the left side of Figure 5. As shown here, the first mold A1 is used twice in a staggered manner, and then the second mold B1 is used twice on each of the left and right sides, forming an opening consisting of a large number of aperture holes.

[0037] To form openings in odd rows and odd columns, a first mold A2, a second mold B2, and a third mold C2 are required, as shown on the right side of Figure 6. The left side of Figure 6 shows the process of forming openings using the first mold A2, the second mold B2, and the third mold C2. As shown here, the first mold A2 is used twice in a staggered manner, and then the second mold B2 is used on the left side and the third mold C2 is used on the right side, thereby forming an opening consisting of a large number of openings.

[0038] FIG. 7 shows the case where aperture holes are formed in even rows and even columns. In this case, as with the case where aperture holes are formed in odd rows and even columns (see FIG. 5), two types of first molds A3 (same as A1) and second molds B3 (same as B1) can be used to form the aperture holes. FIG. 8 shows the case where aperture holes are formed in even rows and odd columns. In this case, two types of first molds A4 and second molds B4 can be used to form the aperture holes. As shown here, the first mold A4 is used twice in a shifted state, and then the second mold B4 is used twice on each of the left and right sides in a state rotated 180 degrees, thereby forming an opening consisting of a large number of aperture holes.

[0039] When forming two types of opening holes with different numbers of columns using the above method, if opening holes with different numbers of columns are formed in odd-numbered rows, the number of columns can be changed by changing the amount of shifting of the first mold A1. Therefore, the second molds B1 at both ends will be different shapes depending on the number of columns, and can be formed using three types of molds. One method is to use a common second mold B1 and change the shape of the first mold A1, but in this case, the second mold B1 will be smaller than the first mold A1, so it is more cost-effective to use a common first mold A1, which is larger in size, than to use a common second mold B1.

[0040] When forming opening holes with odd-odd column numbers in odd rows, the second mold B2 and third mold C2 in Figure 6 can be reused and the number of columns in the first mold changed, thereby reducing the total number of molds and making it possible to form them with four types of molds.When forming odd-even column combinations in odd rows, the first mold is made into the first mold A2 for forming odd columns, and when forming odd columns, the first mold is rotated 180° and punched out with a shift as shown in Figure 6, and when forming even columns, the first mold is rotated 180° and punched out with a shift, making it possible to form them with four types of molds.

[0041] Next, when forming opening holes in even rows with unequal even-even column numbers, it is possible to use three types of molds, just as with odd rows. When forming opening holes in even rows with unequal odd-odd column numbers, it is also possible to use three types of molds. Finally, when forming opening holes in even rows with unequal odd-even column numbers, the first mold cannot be shared because the even / odd nature of the first mold is determined, but by sharing the second mold, it is possible to similarly use three types of molds. However, with these methods, if the difference in column numbers is large, it may not be possible to create the desired combination of column numbers by shifting the first mold by a certain amount, and the number of molds may be further reduced under certain conditions.

[0042] In this embodiment, the number of rows is 28, and the number of columns of different widths is 113 and 96. Therefore, for example, if the first mold has 70 columns, to form 113 columns of opening holes, the first mold must be offset by 43 columns, resulting in a second mold with 43 columns. Next, by using a 53-column mold offset by 10 columns, 96 columns of opening holes can be formed. In this way, for example, two types of opening holes, 113 columns and 96 columns, can be formed using three types of molds, each with 70 columns, 43 columns, and 53 columns.

[0043] <About reinforced beams> As described above, in this embodiment, a large and wide door opening 2 is formed in the opening / closing door 1 made of a thin plate. Reinforcing beams 31A, 31B, 32A, and 32B are arranged on the back surface of the opening / closing door 1 for reinforcement. The reinforcing beams 31A, 31B, 32A, and 32B are reinforcing members that reinforce the opening / closing door 1. Reinforcing plates 41 are attached to the reinforcing beams 31A, 31B, 32A, and 32B with screws or the like to form the back surface duct P. The reinforcing beams 31A, 31B, 32A, and 32B will be described using FIGS. 9(a) to 10 with reference to FIG. 2.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 9(a), reinforcing beams 31A and 31B are provided at the right end of the rear surface of the door 1 as first and second reinforcing members. Reinforcing beams 32A and 32B are provided at the left end of the rear surface of the door 1 as third and fourth reinforcing members. Note that FIGS. 9(a) to 10 are drawings of the door 1 as seen from the rear side, so the left and right sides are reversed. The reinforcing beams 31A and 31B are provided to reinforce the door 1 at one end (right end) in the longitudinal direction (left-right direction) of the door opening 2, and the reinforcing beams 32A and 32B are provided to reinforce the door 1 at the other end (left end) in the longitudinal direction of the door opening 2. The reinforcing beams 31A and 31B are spaced apart in the vertical direction (first direction). The door opening 2 is formed between the reinforcing beam 31A and the reinforcing beam 31B in the vertical direction. When viewed from a direction perpendicular to the rear surface of the opening / closing door 1, the reinforcing beams 31A and 31B do not overlap the door opening 2. Furthermore, each of the reinforcing beams 31A and 31B has a shape that extends in the vertical direction. From another perspective, the reinforcing beams 31A and 31B are a pair of reinforcing beams that extend in the short direction (vertical direction) that intersects with the longitudinal direction of the door opening 2. Similarly, the reinforcing beams 32A and 32B are a pair of reinforcing beams that extend in the short direction (vertical direction) of the door opening 2. The configuration of the reinforcing beams 32A and 32B and their relative positioning with respect to the door opening 2 are similar to those of the reinforcing beams 31A and 31B, and therefore will not be described here.

[0045] The reinforcing beams 31A and 31B are arranged at a distance from each other, and the door opening 2 is formed between the reinforcing beams 31A and 31B, which allows the area of ​​the door opening 2 to be easily increased. This is because if a single reinforcing beam were arranged at each of the right and left ends of the rear surface of the retractable door 1 so as to overlap the door opening 2, the reinforcing beams would narrow the area of ​​the door opening 2. Furthermore, if the reinforcing beams overlap the door opening 2, the reinforcing beams would be visible through the door opening 2 when the retractable door 1 is viewed from the front, which would degrade the appearance quality. Therefore, in this embodiment, the reinforcing beams are arranged at the right end, divided into reinforcing beam 31A and reinforcing beam 31B with the door opening 2 in between, and at the left end, divided into reinforcing beam 32A and reinforcing beam 32B with the door opening 2 in between, to reinforce the retractable door 1. These reinforcing beams 31A, 31B, 32A, and 32B do not overlap the door opening 2, and therefore do not narrow the opening area of ​​the door opening 2. Therefore, the flow of air through the door opening 2 of the retractable door 1 is not obstructed, and a sufficient air flow rate can be ensured. Furthermore, when the retractable door 1 is viewed from the front, the reinforcing beams 31A, 31B, 32A, and 32B are not visible from the door opening 2, so there is no risk of degrading the appearance quality. Note that, when a portion of the reinforcing beam 31A or the reinforcing beam 31B overlaps with the door opening 2, the opening area is reduced accordingly. However, even in this case, since the reinforcing beams 31A and 31B are arranged with a gap between them, a sufficient opening area can be obtained.

[0046] Each of the reinforcing beams 31A, 31B, 32A, and 32B is formed to have a convex cross-section with a convex portion that protrudes toward the rear (in other words, toward the frame body 5010 when the door 1 is closed). As a representative example, FIG. 10 shows a cross-section of the reinforcing beam 31A taken along a plane that runs along the rear surface of the door 1 and includes a second direction (left-right direction) that intersects with the up-down direction and a direction perpendicular to the rear surface of the door 1. As shown in FIG. 10, each of the reinforcing beams 31A, 31B, 32A, and 32B has a first sheet metal portion 311, a second sheet metal portion 312, and a third sheet metal portion 313. The first sheet metal portion 311 faces the rear surface of the door 1 at an interval and extends in the up-down direction (first direction). The first sheet metal part 311 has a right end (first end) and a left end (second end) opposite the first end in the second direction (left-right direction), and the second sheet metal part 312 is formed by bending from the right end of the first sheet metal part 311 toward the back surface of the opening and closing door 1. Similarly, the third sheet metal part 313 is formed by bending from the left end of the first sheet metal part 311 toward the back surface of the opening and closing door 1.

[0047] 9(b), the reinforcing plate 41 is fixed to the protruding portions of the reinforcing beams 31A, 31B and 32A, 32B to form the back duct P. Both left and right ends of the reinforcing plate 41 are bent once toward the front, and then the tips of the bent ends are bent again toward the outside of the opening and closing door 1 to form mounting portions 41a extending in the vertical direction for mounting to the protruding portions. Therefore, by changing the height of the protruding portions of the reinforcing beams 31A, 31B, 32A, 32B, the distance between the back surface of the opening and closing door 1 and the reinforcing plate 41 can be changed to suit the required air flow rate.

[0048] Louver components 21, which have airflow rectifying blades (so-called louvers) for rectifying air, are attached to the door opening 2 of the retractable door 1 so as to cover the door opening 2 from the back side. The louver components 21 are folded once toward the rear at both left and right ends, and then the tips of the folded ends are further folded toward the center of the retractable door 1 to form mounting portions 21a extending in the vertical direction so that a reinforcing plate 41 can be attached. In this way, the louver components 21 are bent twice at both left and right ends to form mounting portions 21a so that the reinforcing plate 41 can be attached, and the reinforcing plate 41 is attached to the mounting portions 21a. As a result, the louver components 21 complement the reinforcement of the reinforcing door 1 by suppressing a decrease in the rigidity of the reinforcing beams 31A, 31B and the reinforcing beams 32A, 32B themselves, which would be caused by the separate arrangement of the reinforcing beams.

[0049] Further, at both ends of the door opening 2, end reinforcing plates 45 for attaching the reinforcing plates 41 to the reinforcing beams 31A, 31B and the reinforcing beams 32A, 32B and the louver component 21 are provided. The end reinforcing plates 45 are disposed to extend between the upper and lower reinforcing beams 31A and 31B and between the reinforcing beams 32A and 32B, respectively. The end reinforcing plates 45 each have a plate-shaped portion 451 that overlaps and is connected to the first sheet metal portion 311 of the upper reinforcing beam 31A (32A) and the first sheet metal portion 311 of the lower reinforcing beam 31B (32B) (see FIG. 10 ), and a bent portion 452 formed by bending the plate-shaped portion 451 toward the back surface (second surface) of the opening / closing door 1. The end reinforcing plates 45 are attached to the reinforcing beams 31A, 31B and the louver component 21, and to the reinforcing beams 32A, 32B and the louver component 21 with screws or the like. That is, one of the end reinforcing plates 45 is a first connecting portion that connects the reinforcing beams 31A and 31B, and the other end reinforcing plate 45 is a second connecting portion that connects the reinforcing beams 32A and 32B. The end reinforcing plates 45 are attached so that the bent portions 452 close the gaps between the opening / closing door 1, the reinforcing plate 41, and the reinforcing beams 31A and 31B, and the gaps between the opening / closing door 1, the reinforcing plate 41, and the reinforcing beams 32A and 32B. In this way, the bent portions 452 prevent air from leaking from the rear duct P through the gaps.

[0050] The reinforcing plate 41 is attached to the louver component 21 with its mounting portion 41a sandwiched between the mounting portion 21a of the louver component 21 and the end reinforcing plates 45. The end reinforcing plates 45 are also attached with screws or the like to the mounting portions 1a of the opening and closing door 1, which are formed by bending both ends of the opening and closing door 1 twice. In this way, by arranging the end reinforcing plates 45 between the reinforcing beams 31A and 31B, which are arranged separately above and below, and between the reinforcing beams 32A and 32B, a decrease in the rigidity of the reinforcing beams themselves, which would be caused by the divided arrangement of the reinforcing beams 31A, 31B and the reinforcing beams 32A, 32B, is suppressed, thereby complementing the reinforcement of the opening and closing door 1.

[0051] As described above, in this embodiment, reinforcing beams 31A, 31B, 32A, and 32B are arranged on the back surface of a thin-plate retractable door 1 having a large, wide door opening 2 for reinforcement. However, in this embodiment, reinforcing beams 31A and 31B are arranged separately, and reinforcing beams 32A and 32B are arranged separately at positions on either side of the door opening 2 so as not to overlap the door opening 2 in the vertical direction. Because these reinforcing beams 31A, 31B, 32A, and 32B do not overlap the door opening 2, the opening area of ​​the door opening 2 is not narrowed, and the reinforcing beams are not visible from the door opening 2 when the retractable door 1 is viewed from the front. Therefore, the opening area of ​​the door opening 2 can be kept wide without narrowing it while maintaining the appearance quality of the retractable door 1. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 1...opening / closing portion (opening / closing door), 2...opening (air intake port, door opening), 2a...through hole (opening hole), 5...communication port (reinforcing plate opening), 31A...first reinforcing member (reinforcing beam), 31B...second reinforcing member (reinforcing beam), 32A...third reinforcing member (reinforcing beam), 32B...fourth reinforcing member (reinforcing beam), 41...reinforcing plate, 45...first connecting portion (second connecting portion, both end reinforcing plates), 60...duct (upper duct unit), 70...duct (lower duct unit), 100...image forming apparatus (inkjet recording apparatus), 311...first sheet metal portion, 312...second sheet metal portion, 313...third sheet metal portion, 451...plate-shaped portion, 452...bent portion, S...recording material

Claims

1. an opening / closing section having a first surface constituting a part of the exterior and a second surface opposite to the first surface, the opening penetrating from the first surface to the second surface; a first reinforcing member provided on the second surface; a second reinforcing member provided on the second surface, the first reinforcing member and the second reinforcing member are spaced apart in a first direction along the second surface so that the opening is located between the first reinforcing member and the second reinforcing member in the first direction. An image forming apparatus characterized by:

2. a first connecting portion extending in the first direction between the first reinforcing member and the second reinforcing member and connected to each of the first reinforcing member and the second reinforcing member; 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

3. The first connecting portion constitutes a part of a duct communicating with the opening portion.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

4. When viewed in a direction perpendicular to the second surface, the first reinforcing member does not overlap the opening, When viewed in a direction perpendicular to the second surface, the second reinforcing member does not overlap the opening, When viewed from a direction perpendicular to the second surface, the first connecting portion overlaps the opening.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

5. Each of the first reinforcing member and the second reinforcing member is a first sheet metal portion that faces the second surface at a distance, extends in the first direction, and has a first end and a second end opposite to the first end in a second direction that is along the second surface and intersects with the first direction; a second sheet metal portion formed by bending from the first end toward the second surface; a third sheet metal portion formed by bending from the second end toward the second surface, 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

6. a first connecting portion extending in the first direction between the first reinforcing member and the second reinforcing member and connected to each of the first reinforcing member and the second reinforcing member; The first connecting portion is a plate-shaped portion overlapping and connected to the first sheet metal portion of the first reinforcing member and the first sheet metal portion of the second reinforcing member; a bent portion formed by bending the plate-shaped portion toward the second surface, The first connecting portion forms a part of a duct communicating with the opening portion.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5,

7. a third reinforcing member provided on the second surface; a fourth reinforcing member provided on the second surface, the third reinforcing member and the fourth reinforcing member are arranged at a distance from each other in the first direction so that the opening is located between the third reinforcing member and the fourth reinforcing member in the first direction; The opening is formed along the second surface and with a second direction intersecting the first direction as a longitudinal direction, the first reinforcing member and the second reinforcing member are disposed on one end side of the opening in the second direction, the third reinforcing member and the fourth reinforcing member are disposed on the other end side of the opening opposite to the one end side in the second direction.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

8. further comprising a reinforcing plate extending between the first reinforcing member and the third reinforcing member and extending between the second reinforcing member and the fourth reinforcing member; 8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7,

9. The reinforcing plate has a communication hole formed therein for passing air taken in or exhausted from the opening.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8,

10. a first connecting portion extending in the first direction between the first reinforcing member and the second reinforcing member and connected to each of the first reinforcing member and the second reinforcing member; a second connecting portion extending in the first direction between the third reinforcing member and the fourth reinforcing member and connected to each of the third reinforcing member and the fourth reinforcing member, The reinforcing plate, the first connecting portion, and the second connecting portion constitute at least a part of a duct that communicates from the opening portion to the communication port.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9,

11. Each of the first reinforcing member to the fourth reinforcing member is a first sheet metal portion that faces the second surface at a distance, extends in the first direction, and has a first end and a second end opposite to the first end in a second direction that is along the second surface and intersects with the first direction; a second sheet metal portion formed by bending from the first end toward the second surface; a third sheet metal portion formed by bending from the second end toward the second surface, The reinforcing plate is connected to the first sheet metal portion of each of the first reinforcing member to the fourth reinforcing member.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8,

12. The air conditioner further includes a duct that communicates with the opening and forms a flow path for air to be taken in or exhausted from the opening, The duct is attached to the opening and closing part so as to move in accordance with the opening and closing operation of the opening and closing part.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

13. The opening includes a plurality of through holes.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

Images