Cooling device and image forming apparatus

Abstract

To provide a cooling device that can prevent an increase in the temperature of a heat source, and an image forming apparatus.SOLUTION: A cooling device has a heat source, a storage unit, a duct, a filter, a fan, and a communication hole. The storage unit stores the heat source. The duct is arranged inside the storage unit. The duct has a suction port and an exhaust port communicating with the outside of the storage unit. The duct forms a channel connecting the suction port and the exhaust port to each other. The filter is arranged on the channel. The fan sends air from the suction port toward the exhaust port. The communication hole is formed in the duct. The communication hole communicates between an outside space of the duct inside the storage unit and a portion of the channel where pressure is reduced compared to the outside space due to operation of the fan.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD An embodiment of the present invention relates to a cooling device and an image forming device. [Background technology]

[0002] An image forming apparatus forms an image on a sheet. The image forming apparatus includes a developing device that stores toner, a fixing device that fixes the toner to the sheet, a conveying device that conveys the sheet, and a collecting device that collects toner scattered from the developing device. Heat sources such as motors that drive moving parts of the image forming apparatus are located inside the housing of the image forming apparatus. There is a need for a cooling device that can suppress the temperature rise of the heat sources. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-090645 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a cooling device and an image forming apparatus that can suppress a temperature rise of a heat source. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The cooling device has a heat source, a housing, a duct, a filter, a fan, and a communication hole. The housing contains the heat source. The duct is arranged inside the housing. The duct has an intake port and an exhaust port that communicate with the outside of the housing. The duct forms a flow path connecting the intake port and the exhaust port. The filter is arranged in the flow path. The fan blows air from the intake port toward the exhaust port. The communication hole is formed in the duct. The communication hole connects the outer space of the duct inside the housing with a portion of the flow path that becomes lower pressure than the outer space when the fan is operating. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of an image processing apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the rear part of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 3. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the collection device according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the collection device shown in FIG. 5. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a part of a collection device according to a modified example of the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0007] The cooling device and the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, components having the same or similar functions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions of those components may be omitted.

[0008] The image forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment performs a process of forming an image on a sheet S. The sheet S may be paper. In this application, the Z direction, X direction, and Y direction of the Cartesian coordinate system are defined as follows: The Z direction is the up-down direction of the image forming apparatus 1, and the +Z direction is the upward direction. The X direction is the left-right direction of the image forming apparatus 1, and the +X direction is the rightward direction. The Y direction is the front-to-back direction of the image forming apparatus 1. For example, the Z direction is the vertical direction, and the X and Y directions are horizontal directions.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a housing 10, a scanner unit 2, an image forming unit 3, a sheet supply unit 4, a conveying unit 5, a control unit 6, a paper output tray 7, a reversing unit 9, and a control panel 8.

[0010] The housing 10 includes an exterior panel 40 that forms the outer shape of the image forming apparatus 1 . The scanner unit 2 reads image information of the object to be copied as light and darkness, and generates an image signal. The scanner unit 2 outputs the generated image signal to the image forming unit 3.

[0011] The image forming unit 3 forms a toner image using a recording agent such as toner based on an image signal received from the scanner unit 2 or an image signal received from an external source. The image forming unit 3 transfers the toner image onto the surface of the sheet S. The image forming unit 3 applies heat and pressure to the toner image on the surface of the sheet S to fix the toner image to the sheet S. The image forming unit 3 has a plurality of image forming sections 25, a laser scanning unit 26, an intermediate transfer belt 27, a primary transfer section 28, a secondary transfer section 29, and a fixing device 30.

[0012] The image forming units 25 form images using toner of each color (four colors in the example shown in FIG. 1). The image forming units 25 are arranged in sequence along the intermediate transfer belt 27. The image forming units 25 each contain toner of a color corresponding to the four colors used for color printing. The four colors used for color printing are yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K). The image forming units 25 include a developing unit 33, a photosensitive drum 34, and a charger 35.

[0013] The photosensitive drum 34 is a specific example of an image carrier. The photosensitive drum 34 has a photosensitive body on its outer circumferential surface. For example, the photosensitive body is an organic photoconductor (OPC). The charger 35 uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 34 .

[0014] The developing unit 33 contains a developer. The developer includes toner. The developing unit 33 deposits the toner on the photosensitive drum 34. For example, the toner is used as a one-component developer, or as a two-component developer in combination with a magnetic carrier. For example, the carrier may be iron powder or polymer ferrite particles with a particle size of several tens of microns. In this embodiment, a two-component developer containing non-magnetic toner is used. The developing unit 33 includes a case for containing the developer, a mixer for stirring the developer in the case, and a developing roller disposed opposite the photosensitive drum 34 for supplying the toner contained in the developer to the photosensitive drum 34. The developing unit 33 supplies the toner to the photosensitive drum 34 to develop the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 34. As a result, a toner image using toner of each color is formed on the photosensitive drum 34.

[0015] The laser scanning unit 26 scans the charged photosensitive drum 34 with laser light L to expose the photosensitive drum 34. The laser scanning unit 26 exposes the photosensitive drum 34 of the image forming unit 25 for each color with separate laser light LY, LM, LC, and LK. In this way, the laser scanning unit 26 forms an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 34.

[0016] A primary transfer unit 28 is provided for each image forming unit 25. The primary transfer unit 28 includes a primary transfer roller. The primary transfer roller faces the photosensitive drum 34 across the intermediate transfer belt 27. The primary transfer roller transfers the toner image formed by each image forming unit 25 onto the intermediate transfer belt 27. The toner image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 34 is primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 27.

[0017] The secondary transfer unit 29 transfers the toner image that has been primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 27 onto the front surface of the sheet S at the secondary transfer position. The fixing device 30 applies heat and pressure to the toner image transferred onto the sheet S to fix the toner image onto the sheet S.

[0018] The sheet supply unit 4 supplies the sheets S one by one to the conveyance unit 5 in synchronization with the timing at which the image forming unit 3 forms a toner image. The sheet supply unit 4 has a sheet storage unit 20 and a pickup roller 21. The sheet storage unit 20 stores sheets S of a predetermined size and type. The pickup roller 21 takes out the sheets S one by one from the sheet storage unit 20. The pickup roller 21 supplies the taken-out sheets S to the conveyance unit 5.

[0019] The conveying section 5 conveys the sheet S supplied from the sheet supply section 4 to the image forming unit 3. The conveying section 5 has a conveying roller 23 and a registration roller 24. The conveying roller 23 conveys the sheet S supplied from the pickup roller 21 to the registration roller 24. The conveying roller 23 abuts the leading edge of the sheet S in the conveying direction against the nip N of the registration roller 24. The registration roller 24 aligns the position of the leading edge of the sheet S in the conveying direction by bending the sheet S at the nip N. The registration roller 24 conveys the sheet S in accordance with the timing at which the image forming unit 3 transfers a toner image onto the sheet S.

[0020] The sheet discharge tray 7 holds the sheet S on which an image has been formed and discharged. The reversing unit 9 reverses the sheet S to form an image on the back side of the sheet S. The reversing unit 9 reverses the sheet S discharged from the fixing device 30 by a switchback. The reversing unit 9 conveys the inverted sheet S toward the registration rollers 24. The reversing unit 9 may be part of the conveying section 5. The control panel 8 is a part of an input unit through which an operator inputs information for operating the image forming apparatus 1. The control panel 8 has a touch panel and various hard keys.

[0021] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the image processing apparatus according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 91, a memory 92, an auxiliary storage device 93, and other components connected via a bus, and executes a program. By executing the program, the image forming apparatus 1 functions as a device including a scanner unit 2, an image forming unit 3, a sheet supply unit 4, a conveyance unit 5, a reversing unit 9, a control panel 8, and a communication unit 90. The CPU 91 functions as a control unit 6 by executing programs stored in the memory 92 and the auxiliary storage device 93. The control unit 6 controls the operation of each functional unit of the image forming apparatus 1. The auxiliary storage device 93 is configured using a storage device such as a magnetic hard disk drive or a semiconductor storage device. The auxiliary storage device 93 stores information. The communication unit 90 includes a communication interface for connecting the image forming apparatus to an external device. The communication unit 90 communicates with the external device via the communication interface.

[0022] Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the rear of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the image forming apparatus shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 4 shows a state in which the rear panel 41 of the exterior panel 40 has been removed. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , the housing 10 includes a rear panel 41, a pair of side walls 42, and a partition 43. The rear panel 41 is part of the exterior panel 40. The rear panel 41 forms the rear surface of the image forming apparatus 1. The pair of side walls 42 are plate-shaped and extend in the up-down and down-front directions. The pair of side walls 42 are arranged with a gap between them in the left-right direction. The pair of side walls 42 are arranged along the inner surfaces of the side panels of the exterior panel 40 that form the left and right sides of the image forming apparatus 1. The partition 43 is plate-shaped and extends in the up-down and down-front directions. The partition 43 is arranged in front of the rear panel 41 with a gap between them. The partition 43 is approximately parallel to the rear panel 41. The partition 43 divides the space inside the exterior panel 40 into a front space 15 (see FIG. 1 ) and a rear space 16. 1 are arranged in front of the partition section 43. A partition window section 46 is formed in the partition section 43, connecting the front space 15 and the rear space 16 (see FIG. 1). A panel window section 44 is formed in the rear panel 41, connecting the rear space 16 and the space behind the exterior panel 40. The panel window section 44 is located below the partition window section 46.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 4 , the image forming apparatus 1 further includes a drive unit 11 and a cooling unit 12. The drive unit 11 is an example of a heat source. The drive unit 11 and the cooling unit 12, together with a substrate 13, are disposed in a rear space 16 between a partition 43 and a rear panel 41 within the space inside the exterior panel 40. A portion of the housing 10 that defines the rear space 16 between the partition 43 and the rear panel 41 is referred to as an accommodating section 45. The accommodating section 45 includes the partition 43, the rear panel 41, and a pair of side walls 42.

[0024] The drive device 11 drives movable parts arranged in the front space 15 inside the exterior panel 40 when the image forming apparatus 1 performs a process of forming an image on a sheet S. The drive device 11 includes an image creation system motor 50 that drives the image forming unit 3 and a transport system motor 51 that drives the transport section 5. The transport system motor 51 may drive the pickup roller 21 of the sheet supply section 4. These motors are arranged behind the objects they drive, with a partition section 43 sandwiched between them. The drive device 11 is supported by the partition section 43. The image creation system motor 50 is arranged in the upper part of the rear space 16 inside the exterior panel 40, extending in the left-right direction. The transport system motor 51 is arranged in the right part of the rear space 16 inside the exterior panel 40, extending in the up-down direction.

[0025] The cooling device 12 includes a collector 60 that collects toner scattered from the developing device 33, and a cooling fan 80 that agitates the air inside the storage section 45. The collector 60 draws air from the front space 15 inside the exterior panel 40 in which the developing device 33 is arranged, filters the drawn air, and exhausts it to the space behind the exterior panel 40.

[0026] Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the collection device of the embodiment, and Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the collection device shown in Fig. 5. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the collection device 60 includes a duct 61, a filter 65, and a fan motor 67.

[0027] The duct 61 is formed in a cylindrical shape extending between a first end 611 and a second end 612. The duct 61 includes an intake port 62 and an exhaust port 63 that communicate with the outside of the storage section 45. The intake port 62 is located at the first end 611. The exhaust port 63 is located at the second end 612. The duct 61 defines a flow path 64 inside the duct 61 that connects the intake port 62 and the exhaust port 63. A filter 65 is located in the flow path 64. The filter 65 captures toner flowing through the flow path 64 with air. A fan motor 67 is located in the flow path 64. The fan motor 67 blows air from the intake port 62 toward the exhaust port 63 inside the duct 61. The fan motor 67 is located in the flow path 64 downstream of the filter 65 (closer to the exhaust port 63). The fan motor 67 is located in the flow path 64 closer to the filter 65 than the exhaust port 63. The fan motor 67 is a centrifugal fan.

[0028] The duct 61 and its surrounding structure will be described in detail. The duct 61 extends in the vertical direction. The first end 611 is located higher than the second end 612. The duct 61 extends downward from the first end 611 to the second end 612. The duct 61 is disposed at a distance in the left-right direction from all the conveying system motors 51. The duct 61 is disposed in the left part of the rear space 16 inside the exterior panel 40 along the vertical direction. The duct 61 includes a fan housing section 70 in which the fan motor 67 is disposed, an upstream section 71 connecting the first end 611 and the fan housing section 70, and a downstream section 72 connecting the second end 612 and the fan housing section 70.

[0029] The fan housing 70 houses the fan motor 67 so that the axis of the fan motor 67 is perpendicular to the left-right direction and extends upward toward the rear. The fan housing 70 forms an introduction space 73 that directly faces the fan motor 67 in the axial direction of the fan motor 67. An airflow is drawn into the fan motor 67 when the fan motor 67 is operating in the introduction space 73. The fan housing 70 has an introduction port 74 that communicates with the introduction space 73. The introduction port 74 opens the introduction space 73 upward. The fan housing 70 has a fan facing portion 75 that extends downward and rearward from the opening edge of the introduction port 74 in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the fan motor 67. The fan housing 70 is located on the opposite side of the introduction space 73 from the fan motor 67 and faces the fan motor 67. The fan housing 70 has an exhaust port 76. The exhaust port 76 opens the space inside the fan housing 70 downward and rearward. The exhaust port 76 faces the fan motor 67 from the radially outer side thereof.

[0030] The upstream section 71 extends upward from the opening edge of the inlet 74 to a first end 611. The suction port 62 opens the space inside the upstream section 71 to the front. The first end 611 is connected to the partition section 43. The downstream section 72 extends rearward and downward from the opening edge of the outlet 76 to a second end 612. The exhaust port 63 opens the space inside the downstream section 72 to the rear. The exhaust port 63 extends from a position overlapping with the exhaust port 76 to a position below the exhaust port 76 when viewed from the rear. The second end 612 is connected to the rear panel 41.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 1 , the suction port 62 faces the front space 15 inside the exterior panel 40 through a partition window 46 formed in the partition 43. The partition window 46 connects the front space 15 inside the exterior panel 40 to a flow path 64 of the duct 61 via the suction port 62. For example, the suction port 62 is at the same height as the developing unit 33. However, the suction port 62 may be offset in the vertical direction relative to the developing unit 33. The suction port 62 directly connects the front space 15 inside the exterior panel 40 to the flow path 64 of the duct 61.

[0032] 3 and 4, exhaust port 63 faces the outside of exterior panel 40 through panel window 44 formed in rear panel 41. Panel window 44 connects the outside of image forming apparatus 1 with flow path 64 of duct 61 via exhaust port 63. Exhaust port 63 directly connects the outside of image forming apparatus 1 with flow path 64 of duct 61.

[0033] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 , a communication hole 77 is formed in the duct 61. The communication hole 77 connects the space outside the duct 61 inside the housing 45 with the flow path 64 of the duct 61. The communication hole 77 faces a portion of the flow path 64 that, when the fan motor 67 is operating, has a lower pressure than the space outside the duct 61 that the communication hole 77 faces. The communication hole 77 opens into a region of the flow path 64 between the filter 65 and the fan motor 67. The communication hole 77 is formed upstream of the fan motor 67 and facing the fan motor 67. The communication hole 77 is formed in the fan facing portion 75. The communication hole 77 opens upward in the outer surface of the duct 61. In the illustrated example, the communication hole 77 opens upward and rearward in the outer surface of the duct 61. The multiple communication holes 77 are aligned in the left-right direction.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 4, the cooling fan 80 can agitate the air around the drive unit 11. The cooling fan 80 is disposed below all of the image-forming system motors 50 arranged in the left-right direction and to the left of all of the transport-system motors 51 arranged in the up-down direction. The cooling fan 80 is an axial fan with its rotation axis aligned in the left-right direction. The cooling fan 80 draws in air around the transport-system motors 51 and exhausts it to the left, away from the transport-system motors 51. The cooling fan 80 exhausts air along the image-forming system motors 50 toward the duct 61. The rotation axis of the cooling fan 80 is located above the communication hole 77 of the duct 61.

[0035] The substrate 13 is a high-voltage power supply substrate equipped with a high-voltage transformer. The substrate 13 is disposed below the imaging system motor 50. The substrate 13 is disposed between the transport system motor 51 and the duct 61.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 6 controls the drive device 11 and the cooling device 12. The control unit 6 drives the fan motor 67 of the cooling device 12 when the image forming unit 3 is operating and / or immediately after the image forming unit 3 has started operating. This allows the toner that is scattered from the developing device 33 and floats in the front space 15 inside the exterior panel 40 due to the operation of the image forming unit 3 to be collected. The control unit 6 may drive the fan motor 67 of the cooling device 12 regardless of the operating status of the image forming unit 3. For example, the control unit 6 may drive the fan motor 67 of the cooling device 12 when the drive device 11 is operating and / or immediately after the drive device 11 has started operating.

[0037] As described above, the cooling device 12 of this embodiment includes the housing 45 that houses the drive unit 11, the duct 61 arranged inside the housing 45, the filter 65 arranged in the flow path 64, the fan motor 67 that blows air from the suction port 62 to the exhaust port 63, and the communication hole 77 formed in the duct 61. The communication hole 77 connects the space outside the duct 61 inside the housing 45 with a portion of the flow path 64 that becomes lower in pressure than the space outside the duct 61 when the fan motor 67 is operating. With this configuration, by operating the fan motor 67, air in the space outside the duct 61 inside the housing 45 can be drawn into the flow path 64 of the duct 61 through the communication hole 77 and exhausted to the outside of the housing 45. This makes it possible to suppress a temperature rise in the drive unit 11, which is a heat source housed in the housing 45.

[0038] The fan motor 67 is disposed in a region of the flow path 64 downstream of the filter 65. The communication hole 77 opens to a region of the flow path 64 between the filter 65 and the fan motor 67. With this configuration, a pressure loss occurs in the filter 65 when the fan motor 67 is operated, and therefore the region of the flow path 64 between the filter 65 and the fan motor 67 has a lower pressure than the space outside the duct 61. Therefore, air in the space outside the duct 61 inside the housing 45 can be drawn into the flow path 64 of the duct 61 through the communication hole 77.

[0039] The communication hole 77 is formed in a position facing the fan motor 67. With this configuration, air in the space outside the duct 61 inside the housing portion 45 can be efficiently drawn into the flow path 64 of the duct 61 through the communication hole 77.

[0040] The cooling device 12 is further provided with a cooling fan 80 that is disposed inside the housing portion 45 and is capable of stirring the air around the drive unit 11. This configuration promotes heat exchange between the drive unit 11 and the air inside the housing portion 45. This allows the heat from the drive unit 11 to escape into the air inside the housing portion 45, and the air heated by the drive unit 11 can be exhausted to the outside of the housing portion 45 by operating the fan motor 67. Therefore, the temperature rise of the drive unit 11 housed in the housing portion 45 can be effectively suppressed.

[0041] Communication hole 77 opens upward on the outer surface of duct 61. With this configuration, hot air that accumulates at the top inside accommodation section 45 due to thermal convection can be drawn into flow path 64 of duct 61 through communication hole 77 and exhausted to the outside of accommodation section 45. Therefore, the temperature rise of drive unit 11 accommodated in accommodation section 45 can be effectively suppressed.

[0042] The image forming apparatus 1 includes the above-described cooling device 12. With this configuration, the driving device 11 that drives the image forming units 3 and the conveying section 5 can be cooled efficiently.

[0043] The storage section 45 has a partition 43 disposed between the developing device 33 and the imaging motor 50. The suction port 62 opens into the front space 15 on the side of the partition 43 where the developing device 33 is disposed. The communication hole 77 opens into the rear space 16 on the side of the partition 43 where the imaging motor 50 is disposed. With this configuration, the cooling device 12 can suck toner scattered from the developing device 33 together with air in the front space 15 through the suction port 62 into the inside of the duct 61 and collect it with the filter 65. Therefore, the collector 60 that collects toner scattered from the developing device 33 can be used as at least a part of the cooling device 12. Therefore, compared to when the cooling device is provided separately from the collector 60, an increase in manufacturing costs of the image forming apparatus 1 can be suppressed, and the configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 can be suppressed from becoming complicated.

[0044] The storage section 45 includes a rear panel 41 disposed on the opposite side of the partition 43 with the drive unit 11 and the duct 61 interposed therebetween. The partition 43 has a partition window 46 that connects the front space 15 on the side where the developing unit 33 is disposed to the flow path 64 of the duct 61 via a suction port 62. The rear panel 41 also has a panel window 44 that connects the flow path 64 of the duct 61 to the outside of the image forming apparatus 1 via an exhaust port 63. With this configuration, the duct 61 can be disposed together with the drive unit 11 in the space between the rear panel 41 and the partition 43, thereby preventing the image forming apparatus 1 from becoming larger due to the presence of the duct 61. Furthermore, air drawn into the duct 61 can be exhausted to the outside of the image forming apparatus 1 through the panel window 44 of the rear panel 41.

[0045] Panel window 44 is positioned lower than partition window 46. With this configuration, air is exhausted from duct 61 to a relatively low position outside image forming apparatus 1, making it less likely for the exhaust air to hit a user of image forming apparatus 1. This makes it possible to prevent the user from feeling uncomfortable.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 7 , the cooling device 12 may include an opening / closing unit 85 that opens and closes the communication hole 77 and a driving unit 86 that drives the opening / closing unit 85. The opening / closing unit 85 is disposed along the outer surface of the duct 61. The opening / closing unit 85 is movable along the outer surface of the fan-opposing portion 75. The opening / closing unit 85 is movable between an open position that opens the communication hole 77 and a closed position that closes the communication hole 77. The driving unit 86 moves the opening / closing unit 85 between the open position and the closed position. For example, the driving unit 86 is a motor controlled by the control unit 6. The structure of the transmission mechanism that transmits the output of the driving unit 86 to the opening / closing unit 85 is not particularly limited. In the illustrated example, the transmission mechanism is a so-called Scotch yoke mechanism in which an eccentric pin that rotates upon receiving the output of the driving unit 86 slides in an elongated hole provided in the opening / closing unit 85. The driving unit may rotate the opening / closing unit. Alternatively, the driving unit may be a linear actuator that directly moves the opening / closing unit linearly.

[0047] When the cooling device 12 includes the opening / closing unit 85, it is desirable that the control unit 6 perform the following control. The control unit 6 drives the fan motor 67 and controls the drive unit 86 so that the opening / closing unit 85 is located in the closed position while the image forming unit 3 is operating and / or immediately after the image forming unit 3 has started operating. The control unit 6 continues to control the fan motor 67 to operate while the opening / closing unit 85 closes the communication hole 77 for a certain period of time, and then controls the drive unit 86 to move the opening / closing unit 85 toward the open position. The control unit 6 may execute the control to operate the fan motor 67 while the opening / closing unit 85 closes the communication hole 77 only when the number of sheets printed by the image forming unit 3 within a certain period of time exceeds a predetermined number.

[0048] 7, the fan motor 67 can be driven with the opening / closing part 85 closing the communication hole 77, which prevents air from inside the storage part 45 from being drawn into the flow path 64 of the duct 61 through the communication hole 77. This allows air in the front space 15 inside the exterior panel 40 to be efficiently sucked through the suction port 62 of the duct 61. Therefore, toner floating in the front space 15 inside the exterior panel 40 can be more effectively collected.

[0049] Note that when the number of sheets printed by the image forming unit 3 within a predetermined time is relatively small, the amount of toner scattered from the developing device 33 is sufficiently small. In this modified example, by closing the communication hole 77 only when the number of sheets printed by the image forming unit 3 within a predetermined time exceeds a predetermined number, the cooling operation of the drive device 11 is stopped only when a relatively large amount of toner is scattered from the developing device 33. Therefore, the temperature rise of the drive device 11, which is a heat source housed in the housing section 45, can be suppressed while the toner can be efficiently collected.

[0050] In the above embodiment, the drive device 11 is provided in the image forming apparatus 1 as a component separate from the image forming units 3 and the transport section 5, but the drive device 11 may be a part of each of the image forming units 3 and the transport section 5. In other words, the image creation system motor 50 may constitute a part of the image forming units 3, and the transport system motor 51 may constitute a part of the transport section 5.

[0051] In the above embodiment, the filter 65 of the collection device 60 is disposed upstream of the fan motor 67, but this configuration is not limiting. The filter of the collection device may be disposed downstream of the fan motor. In this case, the communication hole may be open, for example, in the flow path between the suction port of the duct and the fan motor.

[0052] In the above embodiment, the collection device 60 is provided with the fan motor 67, which is an integrated fan and motor, but the collection device may be provided with a fan and a motor separately instead of the fan motor.

[0053] In the above embodiment, the communication hole 77 of the duct 61 opens at a position in the flow path 64 between the filter 65 and the fan motor 67, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, a nozzle may be disposed in the flow path within the duct to form a location where static pressure drops at an arbitrary position in the flow path, and a communication hole may be formed so as to face the location where static pressure drops.

[0054] In the above embodiment, the cooling fan 80 is disposed inside the housing portion 45, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The image forming apparatus does not necessarily have to be provided with a cooling fan inside the housing portion 45.

[0055] According to at least one embodiment described above, the communication holes formed in the duct communicate the space outside the duct inside the storage unit with a portion of the flow path where the pressure is lower than that of the space outside the duct due to operation of the fan motor, so that air in the space outside the duct inside the storage unit can be drawn into the flow path of the duct through the communication holes and then exhausted to the outside of the storage unit, thereby suppressing a temperature rise of the heat source housed in the storage unit.

[0056] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as within the scope of the invention described in the claims and their equivalents.

[0057] The inventions described in the specification and drawings of this application are as follows: (Appendix 1) A heat source and a housing portion that houses the heat source; a duct that is disposed inside the storage unit, has an intake port and an exhaust port that communicate with the outside of the storage unit, and forms a flow path that connects the intake port and the exhaust port; a filter disposed in the flow path; a fan that blows air from the suction port toward the exhaust port; a communication hole formed in the duct, which communicates an outer space of the duct inside the accommodation portion with a portion of the flow path where the pressure becomes lower than that of the outer space due to operation of the fan; A cooling device comprising: (Appendix 2) The fan is disposed in a region of the flow path downstream of the filter. 10. The cooling device of claim 1. (Appendix 3) the communication hole is open to a region of the flow path between the filter and the fan. 10. A cooling device as described in claim 2. (Appendix 4) The communication hole is formed at a position facing the fan. 4. The cooling device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. (Appendix 5) an opening / closing portion that opens and closes the communication hole; a drive unit that drives the opening / closing unit; 5. The cooling device according to claim 1, further comprising: (Appendix 6) a cooling fan disposed inside the housing and capable of stirring the air around the heat source; 6. The cooling device of any one of claims 1 to 5. (Appendix 7) The communication hole opens upward on the outer surface of the duct. 7. The cooling device of any one of claims 1 to 6. (Appendix 8) A cooling device according to any one of Supplementary Note 1 to Supplementary Note 7; an image forming unit having a photoreceptor for forming an electrostatic latent image on its surface and a developing device for developing the electrostatic latent image on the photoreceptor with toner; a conveying section that conveys a sheet onto which the toner image formed by the image forming unit is transferred; a motor that drives at least one of the image forming unit and the conveying unit; Equipped with the motor is the heat source; Image forming device. (Appendix 9) the container has a partition disposed between the developing unit and the heat source, the suction port opens into a space on a side of the partition where the developing unit is disposed, the communication hole is open to a space on the side of the partition where the heat source is disposed. 9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8. (Appendix 10) the storage section includes a panel disposed on the opposite side of the heat source and the duct from the partition section, the partition section has a partition window section that connects a space on the side where the developing unit is disposed to the flow path via the suction port, the panel has a panel window portion that connects the outside of the image forming apparatus with the flow path through the exhaust port; 10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9. (Appendix 11) The panel window portion is located below the partition window portion. 11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10. [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1...image forming apparatus 3...image forming unit 5...conveying section 12...cooling device 33...developing device 43...partition section 45...storing section 61...duct 62...suction port 63...exhaust port 64...flow path 65...filter 67...fan motor (fan) 77...communicating hole 85...opening / closing section 86...driving section S...sheet

Claims

1. A heat source and a housing portion that houses the heat source; a duct that is disposed inside the storage unit, has an intake port and an exhaust port that communicate with the outside of the storage unit, and forms a flow path that connects the intake port and the exhaust port; a filter disposed in the flow path; a fan that blows air from the suction port toward the exhaust port; a communication hole formed in the duct, which communicates an outer space of the duct inside the accommodation portion with a portion of the flow path where the pressure becomes lower than that of the outer space due to operation of the fan; A cooling device comprising:

2. the fan is disposed in a region of the flow path downstream of the filter, the communication hole is open to a region of the flow path between the filter and the fan. The cooling device of claim 1 .

3. an opening / closing portion that opens and closes the communication hole; a drive unit that drives the opening / closing unit; The cooling device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising:

4. The cooling device according to claim 1 or 2; an image forming unit having a photoreceptor for forming an electrostatic latent image on its surface and a developing device for developing the electrostatic latent image on the photoreceptor with toner; a conveying section that conveys a sheet onto which the toner image formed by the image forming unit is transferred; a motor that drives at least one of the image forming unit and the conveying unit; Equipped with the motor is the heat source; Image forming device.

5. the container has a partition disposed between the developing unit and the heat source, the suction port opens into a space on a side of the partition where the developing unit is disposed, the communication hole is open to a space on the side of the partition where the heat source is disposed. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4 .

Images