Image forming apparatus

Abstract

To provide an image formation device which can receive water that entered the inside and fell down on a side surface.SOLUTION: An image formation device includes: a housing 140 covering a device body; a ventilation unit 150 located in a side surface of the housing 140, the ventilation unit supplying or discharging air; and a water leakage reception unit 160 located below the ventilation part 150 to protrude into the inside of the device body.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus including a housing that covers an apparatus main body.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, image forming apparatuses that form images on paper are installed in various environments such as offices, stores, and homes. Depending on the installation environment of the image forming apparatus, various situations can be assumed. For example, due to a sudden accident, water may pour onto the image forming apparatus. When a liquid such as water enters the inside of the image forming apparatus, the liquid may splash on important parts such as a substrate, hindering normal operation and causing damage. Therefore, a printing apparatus (image forming apparatus) is known that provides a drainage port for guiding the liquid outside the housing to reduce the liquid that enters the inside (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The printing apparatus described in Patent Document 1 includes a main body unit that prints on paper and a housing that covers the main body unit, and discharges the paper from a paper discharge port provided on the top surface of the housing. Further, the printing apparatus includes a liquid receiving unit that receives the liquid that enters from the top surface, a first flow path that guides the liquid received by the liquid receiving unit in the outer edge direction of the main body unit, a second flow path that guides the liquid guided by the first flow path to the bottom surface of the housing, and a drainage port that discharges the liquid guided by the second flow path to the outside of the housing.

[0005] Incidentally, in image forming apparatuses, ventilation holes (louvers) for internal cooling are sometimes provided on the sides of the housing, so the entry route for liquid is not limited to the paper outlet on the top of the housing. Therefore, the aforementioned printing apparatus may not be able to cope if liquid enters from the side of the housing.

[0006] The present invention was made to solve the above problems and aims to provide an image forming apparatus that can receive water that has entered the interior and dripped down the sides. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The image forming apparatus according to the present invention is characterized by comprising a housing that covers the main body of the apparatus, a ventilation section provided on the side of the housing for supplying and exhausting air, and a water leakage receiving section provided below the ventilation section and protruding toward the interior of the main body of the apparatus.

[0008] In the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, the water leakage receiving portion may be configured to have a receiving portion bottom surface that extends inward toward the interior of the apparatus body, located below the ventilation portion, and a receiving portion upright surface erected on the edge of the receiving portion bottom surface.

[0009] In the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, the bottom surface of the receiving portion may be configured to be inclined such that it becomes higher as it moves away from the side surface of the housing.

[0010] In the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, the bottom surface of the receiving portion may be configured to be inclined with respect to the width direction along the side surface of the housing.

[0011] In the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, the receiving portion's vertical mounting surface may be configured to be inclined so as it extends upward, it widens outward from the edge of the receiving portion's bottom surface.

[0012] In the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, the water leakage receiving section may be configured to face the lowest part of the ventilation section.

[0013] In the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, the water leakage receiving section may be configured such that its width in the width direction along the side surface of the housing is greater than the width of the ventilation section in the width direction.

[0014] In the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, the water leakage receiving section may be arranged in a plurality of locations on the housing, and the plurality of water leakage receiving sections may be connected to each other. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the present invention, water that enters the inside of the device body through the ventilation section and drips down the side is collected by the water leakage receiving section, thereby preventing other components housed inside from getting wet and avoiding fire or malfunction of the image forming apparatus. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0016] [Figure 1] This is an external perspective view showing an image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the image forming apparatus shown. [Figure 3] This is an enlarged front view showing a magnified portion of the front surface of the housing. [Figure 4] This is an enlarged front view showing a magnified portion of the back side of the enclosure. [Figure 5] This is an enlarged perspective view showing a close-up of a portion of the back side of the enclosure. [Figure 6] This is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the cross-section at arrow AA in Figure 4. [Figure 7] This is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the cross-section at arrow BB in Figure 4. [Figure 8] This is a schematic front view showing an enlarged portion of the rear side of the housing in a second embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0017] (First Embodiment) Hereinafter, an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0018] FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

[0019] The image forming apparatus 100 is a multifunction device having a scanner function, a copier function, a printer function, a facsimile function, etc. It transmits the image of the original read by the image reading device 110 to the outside (corresponding to the scanner function), and forms an image of the read original image or the image received from the outside on paper in color or monochrome (corresponding to the copier function, printer function, and facsimile function).

[0020] Above the image reading device 110, there is provided an original conveying device 120 (ADF) that is supported so as to be openable and closable with respect to the image reading device 110. When the original conveying device 120 is opened, the upper part of the image reading device 110 is opened, and an original (paper) can be placed by hand. Also, the original conveying device 120 automatically conveys the placed original onto the image reading device 110. The image reading device 110 reads the placed original or the original conveyed from the original conveying device 120 and generates image data.

[0021] The image forming apparatus 100 is configured to include an exposure device 1, a developing device 2, a photoreceptor drum 3, a cleaner device 4, a charger 5, an intermediate transfer belt device 6, a fixing device 7, a paper feed tray 81, a manual feed tray 82, a paper discharge tray 91, and a paper conveyance path S, and forms multi-color and monochrome images on a predetermined paper according to the image data transmitted from the outside.

[0022] The image data handled by the image forming apparatus 100 corresponds to a color image using the colors black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y). Accordingly, four of each of the developing apparatus 2, photoreceptor drum 3, charger 5, and cleaning apparatus 4 are provided to form four types of latent images corresponding to each color, and are set to black, cyan, magenta, and yellow respectively, and these constitute four image stations.

[0023] The photoreceptor drum 3 is located approximately in the center of the image forming apparatus 100. The charger 5 uniformly charges the surface of the photoreceptor drum 3 to a predetermined potential. The exposure apparatus 1 exposes the surface of the photoreceptor drum 3 to form an electrostatic latent image. The developing apparatus 2 develops the electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photoreceptor drum 3 to form a toner image on the surface of the photoreceptor drum 3. Through the above series of operations, toner images of each color are formed on the surface of each photoreceptor drum 3. The cleaning apparatus 4 removes and recovers residual toner from the surface of the photoreceptor drum 3 after development and image transfer.

[0024] The intermediate transfer belt device 20 is located above the photoreceptor drum 3 and includes an intermediate transfer belt 21, an intermediate transfer belt drive roller 22, an intermediate transfer belt driven roller 23, and an intermediate transfer belt cleaning device 25.

[0025] The intermediate transfer belt drive roller 22 and the intermediate transfer belt driven roller 23 are configured to tension the intermediate transfer belt 21 and move the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21 in a predetermined direction (direction E of arrow in the figure).

[0026] The intermediate transfer belt 21 moves in a circular motion in the direction of arrow E, and residual toner is removed and collected by the intermediate transfer belt cleaning device 25. The toner images of each color formed on the surface of each photoreceptor drum 3 are sequentially transferred and superimposed, forming a color toner image on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21.

[0027] The image forming apparatus 100 further comprises a secondary transfer apparatus 10 including a transfer roller 10a. The transfer roller 10a has a nip area formed between it and the intermediate transfer belt 21, and transports the paper that has been transported through the paper transport path S by gripping it in the nip area. As the paper passes through the nip area, the toner image on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21 is transferred to it.

[0028] The paper feed tray 81 is a tray for storing paper used for image formation and is located on the underside of the exposure unit 1. The manual feed tray 82 is located on the side of the image forming apparatus 100 and is a tray on which paper used for image formation can be placed. The output tray 91 is located on the upper side of the image forming apparatus 100 and is a tray for placing paper that has already been image formed.

[0029] The paper transport path S comprises a main path S1 arranged in an S-shape and a reversal path S2 that branches off from the main path S1 and rejoins it. Along the main path S1, a pickup roller 11a, a manual feed pickup roller 11b, a pre-register roller 12a, a register roller 13, a secondary transfer device 10, a fuser device 7, and a paper discharge roller 12b are arranged. The reversal path S2 branches off between the fuser device 7 and the paper discharge roller 12b and rejoins between the pre-register roller 12a and the register roller 13 via the reversal transport roller 12c and the reversal transport roller 12d.

[0030] The pickup roller 11a is located near the end of the paper feed tray 81 and is a guide roller that supplies paper one sheet at a time from the paper feed tray 81 to the paper transport path S. The registration roller 13 temporarily holds the paper being transported from the paper feed tray 81 and transports the paper to the transfer roller 10a at the timing when the leading edge of the toner image on the photoreceptor drum 3 aligns with the leading edge of the paper. The pre-resist roller 12a is a small roller that assists in accelerating the transport of the paper.

[0031] The fuser unit 7 includes a heating unit 73 that heats the fuser roller 71 by pressing a pressure roller 72 against it. The fuser unit 7 receives paper on which an unfixed toner image has formed and transports the paper by sandwiching it between the fuser roller 71 and the pressure roller 72. After fixing, the paper is discharged onto the output tray 91 by the output roller 12b.

[0032] Furthermore, if image formation is to be performed on the back side of the paper as well as the front side, the paper is transported in the reverse direction from the paper output roller 12b to the reversal path S2 to reverse the front and back sides of the paper, guided back to the registration roller 13, where image formation is performed on the back side in the same way as on the front side, and the paper is then delivered to the paper output tray 91.

[0033] An operation panel 130, which includes an input unit and a display unit, is provided on the upper side of the front of the image forming apparatus 100. On the operation panel 130, buttons and the like may be provided outside the frame of the display unit, or the display unit may be a touch panel that also serves as the input unit.

[0034] As shown in Figure 1, the image forming apparatus 100 has a document transport device 120 at the top, and an image reading device 110 below the document transport device 120. A paper output tray 91 is located below the image reading device 110, approximately in the center of the image forming apparatus 100.

[0035] The image forming apparatus 100 has a housing 140 that covers the main body of the apparatus. In this embodiment, a ventilation section 150 for supplying and exhausting air is provided on the side of the housing 140 corresponding to the rear of the image forming apparatus 100. Next, a part of the housing 140 on the rear side of the image forming apparatus 100 will be described with reference to Figures 3 to 7.

[0036] Figure 3 is an enlarged front view showing a magnified portion of the front surface of the housing.

[0037] Figure 3 shows a magnified view of a part of the housing 140, near the ventilation section 150. The surface of the housing 140 (housing surface 140a) faces the outside of the image forming apparatus 100, and the back surface of the housing 140 (housing back surface 140b shown in Figure 4) faces the inside of the image forming apparatus 100. For explanatory purposes below, the lateral direction along the side of the housing 140 may be referred to as the width direction X, the vertical direction along the side of the housing 140 may be referred to as the height direction Z, and the direction penetrating the housing 140 itself may be referred to as the thickness direction Y.

[0038] The ventilation section 150 is composed of a plurality of ventilation holes arranged in a row, and air is supplied and exhausted between the outside and inside of the image forming apparatus 100 through these ventilation holes. In the image forming apparatus 100, duct openings or the like may be located in the areas facing the ventilation section 150. The ventilation section 150 only needs to have holes that penetrate the housing 140 itself, and may be composed of holes that extend long in one direction, such as louvers or slits. In this embodiment, the ventilation section 150 is provided in two locations on the rear side of the housing 140, and in order to distinguish them, one ventilation section 150 (on the right in Figure 3) may be called the first ventilation group 151, and the other ventilation section 150 (on the left in Figure 3) may be called the second ventilation group 152. Furthermore, the ventilation hole located at the lowest position (bottom) in the height direction Z of the first ventilation group 151 is sometimes called the first bottom 151a, and the ventilation hole located at the bottom of the second ventilation group 152 is sometimes called the second bottom 152a.

[0039] Figure 4 is an enlarged front view showing a portion of the back side of the housing, and Figure 5 is an enlarged perspective view showing a portion of the back side of the housing.

[0040] Figures 4 and 5 show a view of a portion of the housing 140 shown in Figure 3 from the rear side. On the rear side of the housing 140, a water leakage receiving section 160 is provided at a position corresponding to the ventilation section 150. The water leakage receiving section 160 is located below the ventilation section 150 and protrudes toward the interior of the device body. In this embodiment, the water leakage receiving section 160 is provided corresponding to each of the two ventilation sections 150. To distinguish between them, the water leakage receiving section 160 corresponding to the first ventilation group 151 may be referred to as the first receiving section 161, and the water leakage receiving section 160 corresponding to the second ventilation group 152 may be referred to as the second receiving section 162.

[0041] In this embodiment, since a water leakage receiving section 160 is provided, water that enters the inside of the device body through the ventilation section 150 and drips down the side is caught by the water leakage receiving section 160, preventing other components housed inside from getting wet, and thus preventing ignition and malfunction of the image forming apparatus 100.

[0042] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the leak receiving section 160 is provided facing the lowest part of the ventilation section 150. Specifically, the first receiving section 161 faces the first lowest part 151a, and the second receiving section 162 faces the second lowest part 152a. In this way, since the leak receiving section 160 is in communication with the lowest part of the ventilation section 150, the ventilation section 150 itself can function as a drain, and water accumulated in the leak receiving section 160 can be discharged to the outside from the lowest part of the ventilation section 150 without the need to provide a separate drain.

[0043] Figure 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the cross-section at arrow AA in Figure 4, and Figure 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the cross-section at arrow BB in Figure 4.

[0044] Figure 6 shows a cross-section of the housing 140 near the first ventilation group 151 and the first receiving portion 161. Figure 7 shows a cross-section of the housing 140 near the second ventilation group 152 and the second receiving portion 162. The water leakage receiving portion 160 is located below the ventilation portion 150 and has a receiving portion bottom surface 160a that extends toward the interior of the device body and a receiving portion upright surface erected on the edge of the receiving portion bottom surface 160a. Specifically, the receiving portion bottom surface 160a is located slightly lower than the lowest part of the ventilation portion 150 and extends toward the interior of the device body from the housing back surface 140b. At the tip of the receiving portion bottom surface 160a, a receiving portion opposing surface 160b (an example of a receiving portion upright surface) is erected, extending toward the top. Furthermore, on the bottom surface 160a of the receiving portion, opposing edges in the width direction X are provided with receiving portion side surfaces 160c (an example of a receiving portion upright surface) that extend upward. In the above configuration, the receiving portion bottom surface 160a receives the water that enters, and the received water is blocked by the receiving portion upright surface, thus preventing the water received by the leak receiving portion 160 from spilling into the main body of the device.

[0045] The bottom surface 160a of the receiving section is sloped so that it becomes higher as it moves away from the side of the housing 140. In other words, the side of the tip that protrudes from the back surface 140b of the housing (the right end in Figures 6 and 7) is higher than the part that connects to the back surface 140b of the housing (the left end in Figures 6 and 7). By providing a slope in the water leakage receiving section 160, it becomes easier to discharge water accumulated on the bottom surface 160a of the receiving section to the outside of the housing.

[0046] The receiving portion's opposing surface 160b is inclined so as it extends upward, it widens outward from the edge of the receiving portion's bottom surface 160a. The first opposing distance L1 shown in Figure 6 is the distance from the housing's back surface 140b to the lower end of the receiving portion's opposing surface 160b in the thickness direction Y. The second opposing distance L2 is the distance from the housing's back surface 140b to the upper end of the receiving portion's opposing surface 160b in the thickness direction Y, and is longer than the first opposing distance L1. By providing an inclination to the receiving portion's opposing surface 160b (the receiving portion's vertical mounting surface) in this way, the water leakage receiving portion 160 has a shape that is wider at the upper end, allowing it to collect water leakage from a wider area. As shown in Figure 7, which will be described later, the receiving portion's side surface 160c may also be inclined in the same way as the receiving portion's opposing surface 160b.

[0047] As in this embodiment, when multiple leak receiving sections 160 are arranged in the housing 140, the leak receiving sections 160 may be connected to each other. In this case, holes may be made in part of the leak receiving sections 160, and a flow path connected to the holes may be provided to connect the leak receiving sections 160 to each other. The flow path can be appropriately formed by walls, pipes, etc. By consolidating the drainage points in this way, the area of ​​the housing 140 that gets wet can be narrowed down to a small area, and the areas that require waterproofing or other treatment can be identified.

[0048] (Second Embodiment) Next, an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the structure of the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 7, so the same reference numerals are used, and the description and drawings are omitted.

[0049] Figure 8 is a schematic front view showing an enlarged portion of the back side of the housing in a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0050] In the second embodiment, the structure of the receiving portion bottom surface 160a differs from that of the first embodiment. Figure 8 schematically shows the relationship between the lowest part (third lowest part 153a) of the third ventilation group 153 (an example of a ventilation portion 150) and the third receiving portion 163 (an example of a water leakage receiving portion 160) corresponding to the third ventilation group 153. The receiving portion bottom surface 160a in the third receiving portion 163 is inclined with respect to the width direction X. Specifically, the receiving portion bottom surface 160a is lowest near the center in the width direction X, and higher at both ends in the width direction X. In this way, the inclination allows water accumulated on the receiving portion bottom surface 160a to be collected in one place, and the area of ​​the housing 140 that gets wet can be narrowed down to a small area.

[0051] As described above, the receiving portion side surface 160c is inclined to widen outward from the edge of the receiving portion bottom surface 160a as it extends upward. The first receiving portion width W1 shown in Figure 8 is the distance between the lower ends of opposing receiving portion side surfaces 160c in the width direction X. The second receiving portion width W2 is the distance between the upper ends of opposing receiving portion side surfaces 160c in the width direction X, and is longer than the first receiving portion width W1.

[0052] The water leakage receiving section 160 has a width in the width direction X (first receiving section width W1 and second receiving section width W2) that is larger than the width of the ventilation section 150 in the width direction X. In other words, it is preferable that the ventilation section 150 (especially the lowest part) is located within the range in which the corresponding water leakage receiving section 160 is provided. By making the width of the water leakage receiving section 160 larger than that of the ventilation section 150 in this way, water that enters through the ventilation section 150 can be reliably caught by the water leakage receiving section 160.

[0053] Furthermore, the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and do not constitute a basis for restrictive interpretation. Accordingly, the technical scope of the present invention is not to be interpreted solely by the embodiments described above, but is defined based on the claims. This also includes all modifications within the meaning and scope of equivalents to the claims. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0054] 100 Image forming apparatus 140 cabinets 150 Ventilation section 160 Leakage receiving section 160a Bottom surface of the receiving part 160b Opposing surface of the receiving part (an example of the surface on which the receiving part is erected) 160c Side view of the support section (an example of the mounting surface of the support section) X Width direction Y thickness direction Z (height direction)

Claims

1. The enclosure that covers the main body of the device, A ventilation section is provided on the side of the housing, and ventilation holes penetrate the side of the housing are used to supply and exhaust air, It comprises a water leakage receiving portion located below the aforementioned ventilation portion and protruding toward the interior of the device body, The aforementioned ventilation sections are arranged in a row in the vertical direction. The aforementioned leak receiving portion has a receiving portion bottom surface extending toward the interior of the device body and a receiving portion upright surface erected on the edge of the receiving portion bottom surface, The bottom surface of the receiving portion abuts against the side surface of the housing below the ventilation hole located at the lowest part of the ventilation portion. The receiving portion's erected surface extends to above the ventilation hole located at the lowest part of the ventilation section. An image forming apparatus characterized by the following.

2. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, The bottom surface of the receiving portion is inclined to become higher as it moves away from the side surface of the housing. An image forming apparatus characterized by the following.

3. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, The bottom surface of the receiving portion is inclined with respect to the width direction along the side surface of the housing. An image forming apparatus characterized by the following.

4. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, The receiving portion's mounting surface is inclined to widen outward from the edge of the receiving portion's bottom surface as it extends upward. An image forming apparatus characterized by the following.

5. An image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, The aforementioned water leakage receiving section is provided facing the lowest part of the ventilation section. An image forming apparatus characterized by the following.

6. An image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, The water leakage receiving portion has a width in the width direction along the side surface of the housing that is greater than the width in the width direction of the ventilation portion. An image forming apparatus characterized by the following.

7. An image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, Multiple leak receiving sections are arranged on the housing, and the multiple leak receiving sections are connected to each other. An image forming apparatus characterized by the following.

Images