JP4890935B2 - Waste heat structure and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide heat-emission structure having; composition which obtains proper cooling effect without increasing the installation space inside a device and enhances the designability of a device, and composition which prevents the contamination and damage of a device due to an aged toner, dust or the like, when cooling effect is obtained. <P>SOLUTION: The heat-emission structure takes in the open air from part of a housing 200, in which a heat generation source is provided for cooling the heat generation source. In addition, an open-air taking-in part 203 is provided at the front of the housing 200. The taking-in part 203 is constituted of an opening part 204 which is provided at a position which is adjacent to opening-closing members 201 and 202, which are provided in the housing 200, and is not covered by the opening-closing members 201 and 202. In the inside of the taking-in part 203, an accommodation part for small components is made, and water-repellent/oil-repellent treatment is carried out on an outer surface. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a heat exhaust structure and an image forming apparatus.

  As is well known, one of image forming methods is an electrophotographic method. In this system, when an electrostatic latent image formed on a photoconductor corresponding to a latent image carrier is subjected to visible image processing upon receiving toner from a developing device, the toner image is recorded on a recording medium such as recording paper. The transferred toner image is fixed by a melting / penetrating action using heat and pressure in a fixing device.

In the fixing device, a fixing roller having an internal heat source and a pressure roller are used to heat and fix the recording sheet while nipping and conveying the recording sheet. Unlike a roller or the like, a belt having a small heat capacity is wound between the rollers. There is a configuration.
By the way, the image forming apparatus is equipped with a number of devices that serve as heat sources, including the fixing device described above.
Devices that can be a heat source include electromagnetic devices such as motors and clutches, as well as microchips used for control. Heat from a fixing device that generates a large amount of heat is generated in the image forming apparatus. May increase the ambient temperature and may have a thermal adverse effect on the equipment.

  For example, toner is used as a developer in the developing device, and the toner supply may be solidified due to a temperature rise in the developing device or in a toner replenishment tank for the developing device. There is. Also, in an optical system, since an optical lens such as an fθ lens is often made of resin, a regular imaging optical path is changed due to thermal deformation or the like, and an abnormal image such as a color shift is generated. Defects may occur.

  Therefore, conventionally, as a configuration for discharging the heat generated in the image forming apparatus to the outside, a configuration in which a heat exhaust fan is provided in the vicinity of the heat source inside the apparatus (for example, Patent Document 1), A configuration is proposed in which a duct is provided between the heat source and the wall of the apparatus housing, and a fan for taking in outside air is provided at a position where the duct communicates with the outside to introduce outside air into the heat source (for example, Patent Document 2). Has been.

  However, in such a configuration, since the space occupied by the structural parts for taking in outside air is required, there is a possibility that the apparatus is increased in size.

In view of this, a configuration has been proposed in which an opening is provided in the front wall portion of the device casing, and the opening is made inconspicuous when the cover provided on the front of the device casing is closed. (For example, Patent Document 3).
On the other hand, dust or dust may be floating in the device or in the periphery of the device, and at the position where the dust is taken into the device, it may adhere to the surface of the casing and cause contamination. Therefore, as a means for avoiding such dust adhesion, it is generally known to coat a surface with a water-repellent or oil-repellent member (for example, Patent Document 4).

JP-A-11-231760 (paragraph "0009" column) JP 2000-98857 A (paragraph 0017) column) JP 2003-233292 A (paragraph “0040” column) JP 2005-260831 A (paragraph “0007” column)

  In the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 3, unlike the configuration disclosed in other Patent Documents, it is not necessary to attach a special structure for cooling inside the device, but the wall of the device housing is not provided. When it is used, it is difficult to set a size capable of taking in the outside air necessary for cooling because it is a portion covered with a cover. In addition, when covered by the cover, it is difficult to secure the original opening area, and this also causes the opening area to be smaller than the original area when the image forming apparatus is in a closed state. The state will be maintained. For this reason, there exists a problem that it cannot cool efficiently with respect to the heat-generation source in an apparatus.

  When such a configuration is used, it is possible to cope with the tendency for heat generation from electrical components and heating members to increase due to higher recording speed and higher recording density that have been realized in recent years. In other words, there is a risk that image quality deterioration due to toner coagulation in the developing device and image quality deterioration due to temperature increase in the cleaning device, the fixing device, and the writing device cannot be reliably prevented.

  Therefore, it is also conceivable to enlarge the opening for the purpose of increasing the amount of outside air taken up. However, if the opening area is increased, dust such as floating toner or dust may be sucked up along with the air flow, and the vicinity of the opening may be soiled with dust, which is detrimental to the appearance of the housing. There is a risk of problems.

  An object of the present invention is, in view of the problems in the conventional heat exhaust structure and the image forming apparatus using the same, firstly, an effective cooling action can be obtained without causing an increase in installation space in the apparatus, and In addition to this, it is an object of the present invention to provide an exhaust heat structure and an image forming apparatus having a configuration capable of enhancing the design of the apparatus, and second, due to toner or dust over time when obtaining a cooling action. An object of the present invention is to provide an exhaust heat structure and an image forming apparatus having a configuration capable of preventing the apparatus from being soiled.

The invention according to claim 1 is an exhaust heat structure that cools the heat source by taking outside air from a part of the housing that is internally equipped with the heat source, and the outside air intake section that takes in the outside air is the housing. provided in the front, the capture unit is in a position which is not blocked by the closing member a closing member near provided in the housing, and the approach direction of the outside air entering from the front side of the housing An opening that can be introduced into the casing in a direction perpendicular to the opening, and an opening / closing edge that faces the opening in the opening / closing member is aligned with the opening in the thickness direction of the opening / closing member toward the outside of the casing. It is characterized by comprising an inclined surface with a wide interval.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the exhaust heat structure according to the first aspect, the opening provided in the outside air intake portion is a slit-like shape provided in the vicinity of the opening / closing edge of the opening / closing member in the housing. It is characterized by being composed of holes.

According to a third aspect of the invention, the waste heat structure according to claim 2, wherein said slit-shaped holes, the capture portion facing adjacent the opening edge of the opening and closing member when the closing member is closed It is characterized in that it is formed on the wall part.

Invention of claim 4, in the exhaust heat structure according to claim 1, wherein the opening and closing edge facing the said opening in the closing member, the direction of its surface than the housing side, the casing It is characterized in that an inclination direction descending toward the floor surface to be installed is set.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the exhaust heat structure according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the outside air intake portion is coated with a substance having oil repellency and water repellency.

The invention according to claim 6 is characterized in that, in the exhaust heat structure according to claim 5 , the opening / closing edge of the opening / closing member facing the opening is coated with a substance having oil repellency and water repellency. Yes.

The invention described in claim 7 is characterized in that the exhaust heat structure according to any one of claims 1 to 6 is used in an image forming apparatus.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the seventh aspect, in the vicinity of the opening, a product / brand display portion exposed on the surface of the housing is provided .

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the eighth aspect , the product / brand display portion is provided with a display member and a detachable portion of a transparent member covering the surface on the surface.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the attaching / detaching portion of the transparent member is coated with a substance having oil repellency and water repellency.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the eighth to tenth aspects, the product / brand display section is detachably provided to the housing. .

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the eleventh aspect , a flexible member is accommodated in the product / brand display section.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the twelfth aspect , the flexible member is made of a foam material.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the thirteenth aspect , the flexible member has a plurality of slits.

According to the first and fifth aspects of the present invention, the taking-in part that is provided on the surface of the housing and does not change the take-in area when the open / close member is closed is provided. It is possible to secure a sufficient amount of outside air necessary for cooling by providing it at a position where it is not covered by the cover, and to obtain a reliable cooling effect with a simple configuration that simply uses the vicinity of the installation space of the opening and closing member. Is possible.

According to the second and third aspects of the present invention, the opening used as the outside air intake portion is constituted by a slit-like hole provided in the vicinity of the opening / closing edge of the opening / closing member in the housing, and particularly, the invention according to claim 4. Since the opening / closing edge of the opening / closing member is formed in the adjacent wall, an opening that is not covered even when the opening / closing member is closed can be provided simply by using the wall of the housing It becomes.

According to the invention of claim 4 , the opening / closing edge of the opening / closing member is an inclined surface, and in particular, it is inclined so that the surface side of the opening / closing member is widened, so that outside air is easily introduced toward the opening, It is possible to improve outside air intake efficiency without providing a special guide mechanism such as a duct.

According to the fifth and sixth aspects of the invention, since the open / close end edges of the outside air intake part and the opening / closing member are coated with a substance having oil repellency / water repellency, toner and dust adhere to the outside air during intake. Even if it adheres, it can be removed by simple cleaning.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the outside air intake portion for the heat source in the housing is provided in the vicinity of the opening / closing edge of the opening / closing member so that the outside air can be taken in without being covered by the opening / closing member, and the temperature inside the apparatus is increased. It becomes possible to eliminate the trouble caused by.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, since the wall portion of the housing having the opening portion is constituted by a part of the product / brand display portion, the outside air necessary for cooling can be taken in using the existing component portion. It becomes possible to.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, since the product / brand display section is provided with a display member and a transparent member covering the surface in a detachable manner, it influences the outside air intake by a simple operation depending on the situation of the shipping destination. The display content can be changed without affecting

According to the invention of claim 10 , since the attaching / detaching portion of the transparent member is coated with a substance having oil and water repellency, the toner and dust are less likely to adhere when adsorbed to the outside air. Since it can be removed by simple cleaning, it is possible to prevent the appearance from being impaired.

According to the eleventh aspect of the invention, since the product / brand display part is detachable from the housing, the form of the outside air intake part provided in the part is changed and the space inside the part is used. It is possible to improve the usability when performing the process.

According to the inventions of claims 12 and 13, when the components are housed and fixed using the internal space of the outside air intake portion, it is excellent in flexibility by using a general-purpose foam material for the fixing member. Therefore, it can be provided at a low cost regardless of the part shape.

According to the invention of claim 14 , since a plurality of slits are provided, a thin storage component such as a card-type portable memory represented by an SD card can be stored in the plurality of slits. Become.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is an external view of an image forming apparatus 1 to which the exhaust heat structure according to the present embodiment is applied. In FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 is a printer having the internal structure shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 is provided with a pair of covers 201 and 202 that are supported to be openable and closable on the front side of a main body case 200. In this embodiment, the covers 201 and 202 are provided. The double door structure has a base end on the side of the casing and an open / close end positioned at the center in the width direction of the casing.

  In the main body case 200, a product / brand display unit 203 constituting an outside air taking-in unit described later is provided separately from the covers 201 and 102, and near the upper and lower ends of the covers 201 and 202 at the upper edge of the covers 201 and 202. It is provided in a sandwiched state.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the internal configuration of the image forming apparatus 1. The schematic configuration is described as follows.
The image forming apparatus 1 has an image forming processor P1 at the center in the height direction, a paper feed bank P2 at the lower side of the image forming processor P1, and a document scanning unit P3 at the upper side. Has been.

  In the image forming processing section P1, a drum-shaped photoconductor (hereinafter referred to as a photoconductor drum) 2 is disposed as a latent image carrier, and around the photoconductor drum 2, the rotation direction of the photoconductor drum 2 is provided. In FIG. 1, a charging device 3, a writing device 4, a developing device 5, a transfer device 6, and a cleaning device 7 for sequentially executing image forming processing along a clockwise rotation direction are arranged.

  In this embodiment, the writing device 4 uses a configuration capable of forming a latent image for image formation for a single color. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and latent image formation for image formation of different colors is used. For example, it is possible to provide two writing optical paths.

  The paper feed bank P2 is a paper feed cassette (for the sake of convenience, in FIG. 1, the size of the paper feed cassette P2) stores a sheet of a size selected toward the registration roller 8 disposed in front of the transfer position in the image forming processing unit P1. Different cassettes are indicated by the symbols P2A and P2B). For this reason, the feed bank P2 uses the feeding roller 9 having the same configuration on the outlet side of the plurality of feed cassettes P2A and P2B, and the friction force between the sheet and the roller is utilized by reversing one of them. In addition, a separation roller 10 capable of feeding one sheet at a time and a feeding roller 11 for feeding a sheet in a single feeding state are arranged (in FIG. 1, for convenience, reference numerals are used for one cassette). )

  The document scanning section P3 is provided with an optical device 12 and an automatic document feeder (ADF) 13 for scanning a document placed on the document placement table P3A. Although not provided, a light source, a mirror and a lens mounted on the moving carriage, and a photoelectric conversion element capable of receiving reflected light from an original collected by the mirror and the lens are provided.

The automatic document feeder 13 has a configuration generally known in this type of image forming apparatus, and feeds a document placement unit and a document from the document placement unit toward a document placement table. A feeding roller group and a discharging roller group for feeding from the document placing table P3A to the document discharging table 13A after scanning are provided.
The automatic document feeder is also provided with a configuration for reversing the document in order to perform double-sided scanning of the document, but a description thereof is omitted.

In the image forming processing unit P1, the transfer device 6 used when transferring the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 2 to a sheet is provided with a conveyance belt and can also serve as a sheet suction conveyance unit. The sheet on which the toner image carried on the photosensitive drum 2 is transferred while being conveyed by the transfer belt passes through the transfer device 6 and is then introduced into the fixing device 14 to fix the toner image.
The fixing device 14 is a device capable of fixing by a heat roller fixing system including a heating roller having a built-in heat source and a pressure roller, and is configured to be able to sandwich and convey the sheet together with fixing of the sheet.

  The sheet that has passed through the fixing device 14 moves on a conveyance path provided as a path to the paper discharge tray A. In this conveyance path, a sheet discharged from the fixing device 14 is discharged to a paper discharge tray (not shown) and A sheet conveyance switching unit 15 is provided for conveying toward the refeeding unit 16 for reversing the front and back surfaces and feeding the photosensitive drum 2 again.

  In FIG. 1, the symbol OP indicates an operation panel. The operation panel OP is provided with a display section for various messages including selection of a copy mode and a sheet size and a trouble state, and a start switch. Yes.

  The fixing roller 14A used in the fixing device 14 includes a heat source (not shown) using an AC power source (not shown) provided in the apparatus housing as a power source for the built-in heat source, and a DC power source. A heat source (not shown) using 100 is provided, and an AC power source is provided in the apparatus casing as a power source for the image forming apparatus 1. In the image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 2, a photoconductive photoconductor is used as the photoconductor drum 2, but a silver salt photographic film may be used. In this case, a desired image can be obtained by developing the latent image by the writing device by a normal silver salt photographic process. Such an image forming apparatus can be used as an optical plate making machine, for example. Further, as the latent image carrier in which the photosensitive member is used, a sheet of zinc oxide can be used. In this case, the toner image can be fixed using the latent image carrier itself as a recording medium. . Furthermore, a method of transferring and fixing a toner image obtained by developing the electrostatic latent image formed on the latent image carrier onto a sheet-like recording medium (transfer paper, OHP sheet film, etc.) can be used. The electrostatic latent image may be transferred to a sheet-like recording medium and then developed, and the obtained toner image may be fixed on the recording medium. To transfer the toner image, either a direct transfer from a latent image carrier to a recording medium or an intermediate transfer medium using an intermediate transfer belt may be used.

  The product / brand display unit 203 which is provided in the vicinity of the upper edge of the open / close ends of the covers 201 and 202 shown in FIG. 1 and constitutes the outside air intake unit is configured as shown in FIG. Since the covers 201 and 202 shown in this embodiment need to be able to be opened when working inside the apparatus housing 200, a pair of double doors is adopted. It is also possible to adopt a sheet or open / close direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction, and it can also be a protective wall as a fire barrier, so easy workability corresponding to the increase in size It is made by blow molding or the like obtained to increase the internal space, and has both strength and flame retardancy.

  FIG. 3 is an exploded view of a product / brand display unit 203 used as an outside air intake unit. In FIG. 3, the product / brand display unit 203 of the main body case 200 that supports the covers 201 and 202 so as to be openable and closable. It is a resin molded member that can be attached to and detached from the support portion 200A by fastening and has a hollow portion inside, and a recess 203A for loading a product / brand display member is provided on the front surface.

  The product / brand display unit 203 includes a wall portion for forming a hollow inside, and among the wall portions, a side wall portion 203B located on both sides of the front and a bottom wall 203C corresponding to the bottom portion are illustrated in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of openings 204 that can take in outside air are provided.

Opening 204, products and brands from the display unit 203 is provided in a state of being sandwiched between the opening and closing end on the edge of the cover 201, 202, slit shape formed in a position not covered by the cover 201, 202 The side walls 203 </ b> B and 203 </ b> C correspond to the walls facing each other adjacent to the opening and closing edges of the covers 201 and 202, respectively. For this reason, when the covers 201 and 202 are closed, as shown by reference numerals S1 and S2 in FIG. A space between the generated gap corresponds to a communication portion between the opening 204 and the outside, and can be used as a place where outside air can be taken into the opening 204.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, one end of a duct 205 is connected to the rear of the product / brand display unit 203, and outside air is forced to the duct 205 as shown in FIG. 5. A cooling fan 206 for capturing is provided.

  The duct 205 is attached to the stationary part 200B of the main body casing 200, and communicates with a cooling fan 206 attached to the opposite side of the stationary part 200B through a through hole 200B1 formed in the stationary part 200B. The cooling fan 206 is a suction fan that can take outside air into the main body casing, and can take outside air from the opening 204 by reducing the pressure inside the product / brand display unit 203. As the cooling fan 206, an axial fan, a sirocco fan, a cross flow fan, or the like is used.

  Since the present embodiment is configured as described above, outside air is taken into the main body housing from the opening portion 204 due to the negative pressure in the product / brand display portion 203 generated by the cooling fan 206. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the circulation state of the outside air taken in from the front side of the apparatus. In FIG. 6A, the outside air taken in from the opening 204 in the product / brand display portion 203 is When the cooling fan 206 is introduced into the apparatus through the duct 205 and flows below the writing unit indicated by the reference numeral LU in FIG. 6, the exhaust heat fan F1 provided in the vicinity of the exhaust heat opening 200C of the main body casing is used. It is discharged outside.

In the present embodiment, the opening 204 is provided in the side wall portion 203B and the bottom wall 203C corresponding to portions that are difficult to see from the front side of the apparatus in the product / brand display portion 203 constituting the outside air intake portion. There is no exposure of the parts that are noticeable when viewed from the front, and the design is not impaired. Moreover, when the covers 201 and 202 are closed, the covers 201 and 202 and the product / brand display unit 203 can be impressed as a part of the design on the front side of the apparatus. You can avoid damaging it.
In addition, since the product / brand display unit 203 can be attached to and detached from the main body housing 200, a small part or the like can be put in the internal cavity.
FIG. 10 shows a configuration in this case. In FIG. 10, the product / brand display unit 203 has the above-mentioned storage component (in FIG. 10, an SD card is shown as a small component) in a space formed inside. ), And the parts housed by the flexible member 300 having a cushion function are sandwiched, and the housed parts can be fixedly held by a so-called sandwich structure.
As the flexible member 300, it is desirable to adopt a foamable material such as foamed urethane foam or foamed polystyrene foam in the sense that it is versatile and can be obtained at low cost, and has a high foaming ratio and is not easily hydrolyzed. Forms are more desirable. By using the flexible member 300, a small three-dimensional object can be accommodated by its flexibility.

Further, in the storage component, it is also possible to use a configuration that can be stored in the foamable material 300 for storing a portable memory medium such as the SD card or a thin card type component such as an IC tag.
FIG. 11 shows a configuration related to the storage structure in this case. As shown in FIG. 11A, a foamable material used as a flexible member (hereinafter, the foamable material is denoted by reference numeral 300). A plurality of cuts 300a are formed so that a plurality of SD cards 301 can be stored.
FIG. 11B shows another structure. In the structure shown in FIG. 11, a plurality of foamable materials 302 are overlapped and a suitable place other than a position where a storage part is inserted is joined and integrated. The SD card 301 can be inserted between the respective foamable materials 302, and further, a slit that can be prevented from falling off by holding the inserted SD card 301 is configured.

  With such a configuration of the product / brand display unit 203, for example, a serviceman can perform maintenance inspection by removing the product / brand display unit 203 from the main body housing 200 and using the stored parts for maintenance inspection. It is possible to improve convenience in the case of such as. The parts to be stored correspond to, for example, a portable memory medium such as an SD card that is a replacement target part, an electronic part such as an IC tag, a manual, a simple cleaning part, or the like.

  The opening 204 provided in the product / brand display unit 203 does not change the opening area regardless of whether the covers 201 and 202 are opened or closed, so that the required amount of outside air can be maintained. Occurrence of a situation in which the cooling air to the heat generation source in the apparatus is changed by opening and closing 202 can be prevented.

In addition, the opening 204 is provided in each of the side wall 203B and the side wall 203C corresponding to the walls facing each other adjacent to the open / close edges of the covers 201 and 202. Therefore, since the gap at the position where the product / brand display unit 203 and the opening and closing edges of the covers 201 and 202 face is closest to the external space, the opening 204 is directed from the outside toward the inside of the apparatus. It is provided at the first position to be taken in.
For this reason, since the outside air taken in from the outside can enter the inside of the apparatus through the opening 204 when it enters the gap exposed on the front of the apparatus, the outside air has entered the back side of the product / brand display section 203. Unlike the case of taking in the apparatus, there is almost no resistance loss in the flow path, that is, pressure loss due to the length of the flow path or the degree of bypass. As a result, a decrease in the amount of outside air required for cooling the inside of the apparatus is suppressed, and there is almost no possibility that the cooling efficiency will be reduced.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the product / brand display unit 203 has a configuration for detachably supporting the display member 207 and the transparent member 208 covering the display member 207.

In FIG. 7, the recess 203A provided on the front surface of the product / brand display portion 203 is formed with a fitting recess 203A1 formed of a notch on the inner upper edge and lower edge thereof, this fitting recess 203A1 is fitting projection 301A which is formed on the transparent member 301 may cover the display element 300 such as paper is adapted to be fitted.

By the way, in the said Example, although the goods and brand display part 203 was provided in the state which sandwiched the opening / closing edge upper part vicinity of the covers 201 and 202 which can be opened and closed, in this invention, it is restricted to such a structure. Absent.
For example, it is possible to target a cover that can be opened and closed in the vertical direction instead of double doors. FIG. 8 shows the configuration in this case. In FIG. 8, a cover 201A that can be opened and closed in the vertical direction is provided on the front surface of the image forming apparatus 1A.
The cover 201A has a substantially flat surface, and a product / brand display section 400 is provided on a part of the cover 201A.

  As shown in FIG. 8 (B), the product / brand display section 400 includes a recess 400A formed in the cover 201A. The recess 400A has an upper surface and a lower surface as shown in FIG. A similar fitting recess 400B is provided. A fitting convex portion 402A formed on a transparent member 402 covering the display member 401 similar to that shown in FIG. 7 can be fitted into the fitting concave portion 400B.

  Also in the cover 201 </ b> A shown in FIG. 8, the product / brand display unit 400 is used as an outside air intake unit. For this reason, the recess 400A constituting the product / brand display unit 400 is provided with openings 403 each formed of a slit-like hole on both side surfaces and the lower side surface thereof.

  The opening 403 is provided on the inner wall surface of the recess facing the outer peripheral edges of the display member 401 and the transparent member 402, and a gap is formed between the inner wall surface of the recess and the outer peripheral edge of each member. For this reason, when outside air from the front of the apparatus enters the gap, the direction when entering the gap turns to the direction toward the opening and is taken into the apparatus.

In the configuration shown in FIG. 8, the form of the gap formed between the inner wall surface of the recess 400A and the outer peripheral edges of the display member 401 and the transparent member 402 facing each other is as shown in FIG. It is not restricted to the parallel form.
For example, as shown in FIG. 8C, on the transparent member 402 side facing the opening 403 in the recess 400A, a stepped portion is formed on the outer peripheral surface thereof toward the front side of the apparatus, in other words, a recess is formed on the front side of the apparatus. It is also possible to form a space. By setting it as such a structure, compared with the case where an outer periphery metropolitan inner wall surface is parallel, more external air can be taken in. The step form described above is not limited to setting the transparent member 402 alone, but can be set using the display member 401 or on the display member side.

  Further, as a means for increasing the amount of outside air taken in, as will be described in the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, an inclined surface in which the facing distance between both faces toward the front of the apparatus is increased on either the outer peripheral edge or the inner wall surface facing each other. It is also possible.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described.
The present embodiment corresponds to the embodiment of the invention described in claims 5 and 6, and is characterized by having a structure for improving the intake efficiency of the outside air for the structure shown in FIG. In addition, since the present embodiment is applied to the same apparatus as the above example, the same description as the above example is omitted.

  In FIG. 9, the opening / closing edge on the cover 201, 202 side facing the opening 204 of the product / brand display unit 203 opens toward the surface of the housing (front of the apparatus) in the thickness direction of the cover 201, 202. It is comprised by the inclined surface SF where the space | interval between 204 spreads. In FIG. 9, the surface of the upper edge of the opening / closing end on the side of the covers 201 and 202 facing the opening 204 formed in the bottom wall 203C of the product / brand display unit 203 is an inclined surface. The condition that the upper inner edge of the opening / closing end on the side of the covers 201 and 202 facing the opening 204 formed in the side wall 203B of the part 203 is also the inclined surface SF is not impaired in the design from the front visibility. If there is, it is possible.

  The inclined surface SF is set so that the surface side of the covers 201 and 202, that is, the front surface side of the apparatus is lowered toward the floor surface side where the casing is installed, rather than the casing side. Is larger than the opening 204 side.

  In the present embodiment, the volume of the gap serving as a flow path for taking in outside air toward the opening 204 is increased unlike the configuration of the linear opposed surface relationship shown in FIG. The outside air can be taken in, and the cooling operation in the apparatus can be performed more efficiently.

By the way, when more outside air is taken in as described above, dust such as toner and dust is sucked up along with the air flow, and the vicinity of the opening 204 may be stained over time, which may impair the appearance of the housing.
In the present embodiment, in order to eliminate such problems, water and oil repellency are provided on the opening and closing edge of the cover 201 and 202 facing the opening 204 in the vicinity of the opening 204 of the product / brand display unit 203. A material having performance is coated.
This structure prevents dust from adhering and has a water- and oil-repellent material that also has the effect of reducing the friction coefficient. The dust can be easily removed by spraying. As a material used for water and oil repellency, an organic resin having water repellency such as Teflon (registered trademark) is applied and coated.
Similarly, if the transparent member 402 is also coated, the appearance of the product / brand display unit 203 is not impaired.

  In the above example, the cover 201, 202 is provided with the inclined surface SF and the product / brand display unit 203 is not inclined. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the cover 201, 202 is inclined. The surface may be provided with an inclined surface on the outer periphery of the product / brand display unit 203, or the outer surfaces of the covers 201 and 202 and the product / brand display unit 203 may be provided with an inclined surface, respectively. In addition, more outside air can be taken in, and the cooling operation in the apparatus can be performed more efficiently.

  Further, the opening 204 and the covers 201 and 202 are not inclined surfaces, but the opening and the covers 201 and 202 form a flow path through which outside air can be taken from the front of the apparatus, and then the flow path is changed to the opening side. It may be something like this. For example, as shown in FIG. 9B, the concave portion SF1 is formed on the surface corresponding to the opening 204 of the covers 201 and 202. With this configuration, as in the configuration shown in FIG. 9A, more outside air can be taken in, and the cooling operation in the apparatus can be performed more efficiently. The recess may be formed not on the cover 201, 202 side but on the outer periphery of the product / brand display unit 201.

  Further, the opening 204 is provided on the surface side of the cover 201, 202, that is, on the inner side of the surface on the front side of the apparatus, and the opening 204 faces the inclined surface of the cover 201, 202. The outside air passes through the gap between the opening and the inclined surface, changes the flow path, and enters the opening. With this configuration, dust around the outside of the apparatus is less likely to enter as compared with the case where the opening surface of the opening 204 is provided on the surface side. For example, since the product / brand display unit 203 is disposed on the front side of the apparatus, dust attached to clothes or the like of a user who operates while standing in front of the apparatus is less likely to enter the opening 204.

1 is an external view showing an example of an image forming apparatus to which an exhaust heat structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining an internal configuration of the image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1. It is an exploded view for demonstrating the structure of the goods and brand display part used for the principal part of the waste heat structure by a present Example. It is a figure for demonstrating the structure of the opening part provided in the goods and brand display part shown in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the installation structure of the duct and fan connected with the goods and brand display part shown in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the distribution | circulation state of the external air taken in from the goods and brand display part shown in FIG. 3, (A) is a typical external view, (B) is a code | symbol (B) in (A). FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the installation structure of the display member with respect to the goods and brand display part shown in FIG. 2A and 2B are diagrams for explaining a configuration of a product / brand display unit for an opening / closing member having a configuration different from that of the image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1, in which FIG. It is the figure which extracted and showed only. It is a figure for demonstrating the principal part modification of the goods and brand display part shown in FIG. It is a perspective view for demonstrating the internal structure of the goods and brand display part shown in FIG. It is a perspective view for demonstrating the structure of the flexible member used for the goods and brand display part shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 14 Fixing apparatus which is one of the heat generation sources 200 Main body casing 201, 202 Cover which is an opening / closing member 203 Product / brand display portion corresponding to outside air intake portion 203A Recessed portion 203B, 203C Side wall portion 204 Opening portion 300, 302 Flexible member 300a Slit 301 SD card which is one of the storage components SF Inclined surface facing the opening in the cover S1, S2 Clearance between the opening and the opening / closing edge of the cover facing this

Claims (14)

An exhaust heat structure that cools the heat source by taking outside air from a part of the housing equipped with the heat source,
External air intake section for taking the outside air is provided on the front surface of the housing, the capturing unit is a position that is not blocked by the closing member a closing member near provided in the housing, the housing An opening that can introduce outside air entering from the front side of the housing into the casing in a direction perpendicular to the direction of entry;
The opening / closing edge of the opening / closing member that faces the opening is formed by an inclined surface that increases in distance from the opening toward the outside of the housing in the thickness direction of the opening / closing member. Waste heat structure. The exhaust heat structure according to claim 1,
An opening provided in the outside air intake section is constituted by a slit-like hole provided in the vicinity of an opening / closing edge of the opening / closing member in the housing. The exhaust heat structure according to claim 2,
The heat-dissipating structure according to claim 1, wherein the slit-shaped hole is formed in a wall portion on the side of the intake portion facing the opening / closing edge of the opening / closing member when the opening / closing member is closed. The exhaust heat structure according to claim 1,
The opening / closing edge of the opening / closing member that faces the opening is set to have an inclined direction in which the surface side of the opening / closing member descends to the floor surface side where the housing is installed rather than the housing side. Exhaust heat structure. The exhaust heat structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
An exhaust heat structure characterized in that a substance having oil repellency and water repellency is coated on the outside air intake portion. The exhaust heat structure according to claim 5,
An exhaust heat structure characterized in that an opening / closing edge facing the opening of the opening / closing member is coated with a substance having an oil repellency and a water repellency.   An image forming apparatus using the exhaust heat structure according to claim 1. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7.
An image forming apparatus characterized in that a product / brand display part exposed on the surface of the housing is provided in the vicinity of the opening. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8.
The product / brand display unit is provided with an image forming apparatus having a display member and a detachable part for a transparent member covering the display member on the surface. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9.
An image forming apparatus, wherein an attaching / detaching portion of the transparent member is coated with a substance having oil repellency and water repellency. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8,
The image forming apparatus, wherein the product / brand display unit is detachable from the housing. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11.
An image forming apparatus, wherein a flexible member is accommodated in the product / brand display section. The image forming apparatus according to claim 12.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the flexible member is made of a foam material. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13.
The image forming apparatus, wherein the flexible member has a plurality of slits.

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