Sheet drying apparatus and image forming system equipped therewith

Abstract

The present invention provides a sheet drying apparatus and an image forming system equipped therewith that can suppress thermal degradation of electronic components caused by the diffusion of high-temperature air into the apparatus during jam processing in the drying section. [Solution] The sheet drying apparatus comprises a transport unit, a drying unit, and a control unit. The transport unit transports sheets on which an image has been formed with water-containing ink. The drying unit has a heater for heating the sheets and includes a heating unit that can move up and down between a heating position where the sheet is heated by the heater and a retracted position separated from the transport unit, and a unit lifting mechanism for moving the heating unit up and down. When a jam in the sheet is detected between the transport unit and the heating unit, the control unit turns off the power to the heater, stops the transport unit, and places the heating unit in the heating position until its temperature falls below a first temperature. When the temperature of the heating unit falls below the first temperature, the control unit raises the heating unit from the heating position to the retracted position.

Claims

1. A transport unit that transports sheets on which images have been formed using water-containing ink, A drying section is positioned opposite the conveying section and heats and dries the sheet, A control unit that controls the transport unit and the drying unit, In a sheet drying apparatus equipped with, The drying section is A heating unit having a heater for heating the sheet, which is movable up and down between a heating position where the sheet is heated by the heater and a retracted position separated from the transport unit, A unit lifting mechanism for raising and lowering the heating unit, Equipped with, When the control unit detects jam in the sheet between the conveying unit and the heating unit, it turns off the power supply to the heater and stops the conveying unit. A sheet drying apparatus characterized by positioning the heating unit in the heating position until the temperature of the heating unit falls below a first temperature, and then raising the heating unit from the heating position to the retracted position by the unit lifting mechanism when the temperature of the heating unit falls below the first temperature.

2. The sheet drying apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit estimates that the temperature of the heating unit has fallen below the first temperature based on the elapsed time after the power supply to the heater has been turned off.

3. The sheet drying apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit raises the heating unit from the heating position to the retracted position, and then prohibits jam processing until the temperature of the drying space between the heating unit and the conveying unit falls below a second temperature, which is lower than the first temperature.

4. The system comprises at least one of the following: a heat dissipation device for dissipating heat from the heating unit or the drying space, and a cooling device for cooling the heating unit or the drying space. The sheet drying apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that when jam is detected in the sheet between the conveying unit and the heating unit, the control unit drives the heat dissipation device or the cooling device to forcibly lower the temperature of the heating unit or the drying space.

5. The sheet drying apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that the heat exhaust device comprises a duct and a suction fan unit that draw in air from the drying space and exhaust it to the outside.

6. The sheet drying apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that the cooling device is an outside air introduction fan for introducing outside air into the heating unit and the drying space.

7. The device includes a notification unit that can notify when the sheet is in a jam-processing-ready state, The sheet drying apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the control unit notifies the jam processing ready state using the notification unit after the temperature of the drying space falls below the second temperature.

8. The sheet drying apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that the control unit notifies the waiting time until the jam processing state is reached and at least one of the temperature of the drying space using the notification unit.

9. An image forming apparatus that forms an image using a water-containing ink on a sheet, A sheet drying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, which is connected to the downstream side of the image forming apparatus with respect to the transport direction, An image forming system comprising the following features.

Images