Patent
Image forming apparatus having air duct facing fixing member
| العنوان: | Image forming apparatus having air duct facing fixing member |
|---|---|
| Patent Number: | 8,478,156 |
| تاريخ النشر: | July 02, 2013 |
| Appl. No: | 13/034888 |
| Application Filed: | February 25, 2011 |
| مستخلص: | An image forming apparatus includes a fixing member having a cylindrical or annular shape for fixing an image onto a sheet which is in pressure contact with an outer surface thereof; and a heating source for heating the fixing member to a fixing temperature. A duct is provided in a position facing the fixing member with respect to a width direction perpendicular to a circumferential direction of the fixing member and which has an inlet for taking in fine particles generated from the fixing member. An exhaust fan is provided inside the duct or in an outlet of the duct for generating an air flow going from the inlet to the outlet of the duct. A first filter member is provided upstream or downstream from the exhaust fan inside the duct and the first filter can trap the fine particles which flow through the duct getting on the air flow. A control section controls an amount of the air flow passing through the first filter member according to initial burst conditions under which the fine particles are emitted from the fixing member. |
| Inventors: | Shimoyama, Atsuhiko (Tahara, JP); Watanabe, Tooru (Toyokawa, JP); Tashiro, Shigeru (Toyokawa, JP); Oomoto, Noboru (Toyokawa, JP); Toso, Yoshiyuki (Toyokawa, JP); Matsunaga, Tou (Okazaki, JP) |
| Assignees: | Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc (Chiyoda-Ku, Tokyo, JP) |
| Claim: | 1. An image forming apparatus, comprising: a fixing member having a cylindrical or annular shape for fixing an image onto a sheet which is in pressure contact with an outer surface thereof; a heating source for heating the fixing member to a fixing temperature; a duct which is provided in a position facing the fixing member and which has an inlet for taking in fine particles generated from the fixing member; an exhaust fan provided inside the duct or in an outlet of the duct for generating an air flow going from the inlet to the outlet of the duct; the duct includes a first path having a first filter member therein and a second path parallel to the first path and having a second filter member therein; the first filter member is provided upstream or downstream from the exhaust fan inside the duct and can trap the fine particles which flow through the duct in the air flow; the second filter member capable of trapping particles other than the fine particles; a switching mechanism inside the duct, the switching mechanism capable of switching between a first state in which the air flows through the first path and a second state in which the air flow passes through the second path; and a control section for controlling the switching mechanism so as to switch between the first state and the second state according to initial burst conditions under which the fine particles are emitted from the fixing member. |
| Claim: | 2. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first filter member is an electrostatic filter. |
| Claim: | 3. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the fine particles are ultra fine particles. |
| Claim: | 4. An image forming apparatus, comprising: a fixing member having a cylindrical or annular shape for fixing an image onto a sheet which is in pressure contact with an outer surface thereof; a heating source for heating the fixing member to a fixing temperature; a duct which is provided in a position facing the fixing member and which has an inlet for taking in fine particles generated from the fixing member; an exhaust fan provided inside the duct or in an outlet of the duct for generating an air flow going from the inlet to the outlet of the duct; a first filter member which is provided upstream or downstream from the exhaust fan inside the duct and which can trap the fine particles which flow through the duct in the air flow; and a control section for controlling an amount of the air flow passing through the first filter member according to initial burst conditions under which the fine particles are emitted from the fixing member; wherein the control section controls the air flow according to the initial burst conditions, depending on whether or not a preset standby time has elapsed after start of heating of the fixing member upon turning on a main body of the image forming apparatus or upon returning from standby state of the main body of the image forming apparatus. |
| Claim: | 5. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 4 , further comprising: a switching mechanism capable of switching between a first state in which the air flow passes through the first filter member and a second state in which the air flow avoids the first filter member; and wherein the control section controls the switching mechanism so as to switch from the second state to the first state only for a preset first operating time after the preset standby time has elapsed. |
| Claim: | 6. An image forming apparatus, comprising: a fixing member having a cylindrical or annular shape for fixing an image onto a sheet which is in pressure contact with an outer surface thereof; a heating source for heating the fixing member to a fixing temperature; a duct which is provided in a position facing the fixing member and which has an inlet for taking in fine particles generated from the fixing member; an exhaust fan provided inside the duct or in an outlet of the duct for generating an air flow going from the inlet to the outlet of the duct; a first filter member which is provided upstream or downstream from the exhaust fan inside the duct and which can trap the fine particles which flow through the duct in the air flow; a control section for controlling an amount of the air flow passing through the first filter member according to initial burst conditions under which the fine particles are emitted from the fixing member; a temperature sensor for measuring temperature of the fixing member, wherein the control section controls the air flow according to the initial burst conditions, depending on whether or not the temperature of the fixing member measured with the temperature sensor has reached a preset threshold temperature; a switching mechanism capable of switching between a first state in which the air flow passes through the first filter member and a second state in which the air flow avoids the first filter member; and wherein the control section controls the switching mechanism so as to switch from the second state to the first state only for a preset operating time after the temperature of the fixing member measured with the temperature sensor has reached the preset first threshold temperature. |
| Claim: | 7. An image forming apparatus, comprising: a fixing member having a cylindrical or annular shape for fixing an image onto a sheet which is in pressure contact with an outer surface thereof; a heating source for heating the fixing member to a fixing temperature; a duct which is provided in a position facing the fixing member and which has an inlet for taking in fine particles generated from the fixing member; an exhaust fan provided inside the duct or in an outlet of the duct for generating an air flow going from the inlet to the outlet of the duct; a first filter member which is provided upstream or downstream from the exhaust fan inside the duct and which can trap the fine particles which flow through the duct in the air flow; a control section for controlling an amount of the air flow passing through the first filter member according to initial burst conditions under which the fine particles are emitted from the fixing member; an outside air introduction port provided upstream from the first filter member with respect to the air flow in the duct; and an opening and closing mechanism capable of switching between an opened state in which air from outside a casing of the image forming apparatus or from a part distant from the fixing member inside the casing is introduced into the duct through the outside air introduction port and a closed state in which the outside air introduction port is blocked, wherein the control section controls the opening and closing mechanism so as to switch between the opened state and the closed state according to the initial burst conditions; wherein the control section controls the air flow according to the initial burst conditions, depending on whether or not a preset standby time has elapsed after start of heating of the fixing member upon turning on a main body of the image forming apparatus or upon returning from standby state of the main body of the image forming apparatus. |
| Claim: | 8. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the control section controls the opening and closing mechanism so as to switch from the opened state to the closed state only for a preset operating time after the preset standby time has elapsed. |
| Claim: | 9. An image forming apparatus, comprising: a fixing member having a cylindrical or annular shape for fixing an image onto a sheet which is in pressure contact with an outer surface thereof; a heating source for heating the fixing member to a fixing temperature; a duct which is provided in a position facing the fixing member and which has an inlet for taking in fine particles generated from the fixing member; an exhaust fan provided inside the duct or in an outlet of the duct for generating an air flow going from the inlet to the outlet of the duct; a first filter member which is provided upstream or downstream from the exhaust fan inside the duct and which can trap the fine particles which flow through the duct in the air flow; a control section for controlling an amount of the air flow passing through the first filter member according to initial burst conditions under which the fine particles are emitted from the fixing member; an outside air introduction port provided upstream from the first filter member with respect to the air flow in the duct; and an opening and closing mechanism capable of switching between an opened state in which air from outside a casing of the image forming apparatus or from a part distant from the fixing member inside the casing is introduced into the duct through the outside air introduction port and a closed state in which the outside air introduction port is blocked, wherein the control section controls the opening and closing mechanism so as to switch between the opened state and the closed state according to the initial burst conditions; a temperature sensor for measuring temperature of the fixing member, wherein the control section controls the air flow according to the initial burst conditions, depending on whether or not the temperature of the fixing member measured with the temperature sensor has reached a preset threshold temperature; wherein the control section controls the opening and closing mechanism so as to switch from the opened state to the closed state only for a preset operating time after the temperature of the fixing member measured with the temperature sensor has reached the preset threshold temperature. |
| Claim: | 10. An image forming apparatus, comprising: a fixing member having a cylindrical or annular shape for fixing an image onto a sheet which is in pressure contact with an outer surface thereof; a heating source for heating the fixing member to a fixing temperature; a duct which is provided in a position facing the fixing member and which has an inlet for taking in fine particles generated from the fixing member; an exhaust fan provided inside the duct or in an outlet of the duct for generating an air flow going from the inlet to the outlet of the duct; a first filter member which is provided upstream or downstream from the exhaust fan inside the duct and which can trap the fine particles which flow through the duct in the air flow; a control section for controlling an amount of the air flow passing through the first filter member according to initial burst conditions under which the fine particles are emitted from the fixing member; an outside air introduction port provided upstream from the first filter member with respect to the air flow in the duct; and an opening and closing mechanism capable of switching between an opened state in which air from outside a casing of the image forming apparatus or from a part distant from the fixing member inside the casing is introduced into the duct through the outside air introduction port and a closed state in which the outside air introduction port is blocked, wherein the control section controls the opening and closing mechanism so as to switch between the opened state and the closed state according to the initial burst conditions; an auxiliary duct communicating with the outside air introduction port; and an outside air introduction fan provided inside the auxiliary duct or in an inlet thereof for introducing air from outside of the casing of the image forming apparatus or from a part inside the casing distant from the fixing member into the duct, wherein the control section controls rotation frequency of the outside air introduction fan according to the initial burst conditions. |
| Claim: | 11. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the control section controls the air flow according to the initial burst conditions, depending on whether or not a preset standby time has elapsed after start of heating of the fixing member upon turning on a main body of the image forming apparatus or upon returning from standby state of the main body of the image forming apparatus. |
| Claim: | 12. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the control section decreases rotation frequency of the outside air introduction fan only for a preset operating time after the preset standby time has elapsed as compared with before the preset standby time has elapsed. |
| Claim: | 13. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 10 , further comprising: a temperature sensor for measuring temperature of the fixing member, wherein the control section controls the air flow according to the initial burst conditions, depending on whether or not the temperature of the fixing member measured with the temperature sensor has reached a preset threshold temperature. |
| Claim: | 14. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the control section decreases the rotation frequency of the outside air introduction fan only for a preset operating time after the temperature of the fixing member measured with the temperature sensor has reached the preset threshold temperature as compared with before the temperature of the fixing member measured with the temperature sensor has reached the preset threshold temperature. |
| Current U.S. Class: | 399/93 |
| Patent References Cited: | 6141512 October 2000 Nagano et al. 7146120 December 2006 Ogane et al. 7558502 July 2009 Kanai 7973291 July 2011 Kagawa et al. 03139682 June 1991 03-220555 September 1991 5-019582 January 1993 06-059550 March 1994 08101626 April 1996 09292804 November 1997 2003-140514 May 2003 2004053973 February 2004 2005181870 July 2005 2006215307 August 2006 2007322753 December 2007 2008-251514 October 2008 2009-031577 February 2009 |
| Other References: | Office Action (Preliminary Notice of Rejection) dated Jan. 17, 2012, issued in the corresponding Japanese Patent Application No. 2010-042144, and an English Translation thereof. (9 pages). cited by applicant |
| Primary Examiner: | Beatty, Robert |
| Attorney, Agent or Firm: | Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC |
| رقم الانضمام: | edspgr.08478156 |
| قاعدة البيانات: | USPTO Patent Grants |
| الوصف غير متاح. |