JP5253338B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus including an image forming main body and a cleaning air discharge unit.

An electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, or a facsimile, for example, forms an electrostatic latent image on the surface of a photosensitive drum, develops it with toner, and forms a toner image on the surface of the photosensitive drum. This is an apparatus for forming an image on a recording sheet by transferring the image from the photosensitive drum to the recording sheet, and fixing the toner image on the recording sheet by heating and pressurizing.
For example, as a conventional technique, an image forming main body having a casing in which a plurality of ventilation windows are formed, a plurality of first cleaning air discharge units provided in the vicinity of the ventilation windows in the casing of the main body, and one An image forming apparatus including a second cleaning air discharge unit is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
The first cleaning air discharge unit includes a first plasma dust collection unit having a negative ion generation unit and a positively charged filter.
The second cleaned air discharge unit includes a negative ion generation unit, a second plasma dust collection unit having a positively charged filter and an ozone removal filter, and a negative ion supply unit.

The image forming main body is provided with a cooling fan inside, and when the cooling fan rotates, outside air flows into the casing from the ventilation window via the first cleaning air discharge unit. At this time, the first cleaning air discharge unit removes dust, mold, virus, tobacco odor, smoke and the like in the outside air, and introduces the cleaning air from which these particulate foreign matters are removed into the casing. This prevents the particulate foreign matter from adversely affecting image formation.
The second cleaning air discharge unit cleans the air in the casing by removing dust, mold, toner powder and the like generated in the casing, and discharges cleaning air containing negative ions to the outside from the ventilation window. .

JP 2005-4144 A

The conventional image forming apparatus is configured to purify air in the vicinity of the image forming apparatus by discharging clean air containing negative ions to the outside from the ventilation window. It is not configured to purify even large areas of air.
On the other hand, air purifiers are prevalent in various offices, and there are many cases where both an image forming apparatus and an air purifier are provided side by side. Therefore, an economical burden is increased for these offices. In this case, the main purpose of air purification by the air purifier is to purify air in a wide area in the room, and actively purifies the vicinity of the image forming apparatus and the portion operated by the user of the image forming apparatus. Is not the focus.

In addition, users generally thought that air purification in a wide indoor area should be performed by an air purifier, so it is economical to install an air purifier and an image forming apparatus. It seems that he was not conscious of the extra burden.
However, since the increase in the purchase cost of office equipment and the increase in installation space are a heavy burden on the user, the user and the supplier of the office equipment are constantly seeking new proposals that can reduce the user burden.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides an image forming apparatus that can perform purification by switching between the vicinity of the image forming apparatus and a remote position with simple control. .

Thus, according to the present invention, the image forming main body portion, and a cleaning air discharge portion attached to the image forming main body portion via the support member at a rear position above the image forming main body portion and opposite to the front surface , With
The cleaning air discharge unit has a duct body having a first duct port and a second duct port, and a blower fan and an ion generator that are disposed in the duct body and can rotate in the forward and reverse directions. By switching to one of the rotations, outside air is introduced into the duct body from the first duct port or the second duct port, and the purified air containing ions generated in the duct body by the ion generator is supplied to the second duct port or It is configured to discharge from the first duct port to the outside,
The duct body has a curved duct and a suction port for sucking outside air into the duct body between the first duct port and the second duct port,
The ion generator is disposed inside the curved shape of the duct and in the vicinity of the suction port of the duct body,
The first duct port is disposed at the upper surface position of the cleaning air discharge part so that the cleaning air can be discharged to an area away from the image forming main body part.
Second duct opening, as can emit clean air to the vicinity of the image forming main body area, the image forming apparatus disposed in front position below the first duct opening of the cleaning air release portion is provided The

The image forming apparatus according to the present invention has the following effects.
[1] Depending on the state of the image forming main body, the blower fan of the cleaning air discharge unit is switched to either forward rotation or reverse rotation, and outside air is introduced into the duct body from the first duct port or the second duct port. And the cleaning air containing the ion produced | generated in the duct body by the ion generator can be discharge | released outside from the 2nd duct opening or the 1st duct opening.
Thereby, the area away from the image forming main body can be purified by the cleaning air discharged from the first duct port, and the area near the image forming main body can be cleaned by the cleaning air discharged from the second duct port.

[2] Since the purified air discharge section is configured to switch the wind direction by switching the rotation direction of the blower fan, a wind direction control mechanism for switching the wind direction such as a louver is not required, and the wind direction is switched by a simple structure and control. Is possible.
[3] By installing the image forming apparatus according to the present invention in the office, it is not necessary to install an air cleaner, so that the burden on the user such as an increase in the purchase cost of the air cleaner and an increase in installation space can be reduced. Can do.
[4] The cleaning air discharged from the first duct port can be easily blown to a distant area. In addition, the cleaning air discharged from the second duct port can be easily blown to the nearby area, and the cleaning panel discharged from the second duct port can be touched by the user's hand to hold the operation panel or the document supply unit. It is possible to effectively sterilize the upper part of the image forming main body part.
[5] When air passes through the curved duct body due to the rotation of the blower fan, the pressure inside the duct body is lower than that outside the duct body due to the air flow inside the duct body. Suction pressure is generated. Therefore, ions generated by the ion generator are easily and efficiently introduced into the duct body by the outside air flowing into the duct body from the suction port. Further, since the inside of the curved shape of the duct is an empty space, it is possible to suppress an increase in the size of the cleaning air discharge portion by disposing an ion generator here.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing Embodiment 1 of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram viewed from the front of the image forming main body according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view showing the cleaned air discharge part in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the flow of the cleaning air discharged from the cleaning air discharge unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 5A and 5B are diagrams for explaining the disturbance member according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5A is a perspective view, and FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. FIG. 5C is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the operation flow of the cleaning air discharge unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a schematic right side view showing Embodiment 2 of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 8 is a partial perspective view showing Embodiment 3 of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 9 is a schematic right side view showing Embodiment 4 of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 10 is a schematic right side view showing Embodiment 5 of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

  An image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes an image forming main body portion and a cleaning air discharge portion attached to the image forming main body portion. The cleaning air discharge portion includes a first duct port and a second duct port. A duct body having an air generator fan and an ion generator arranged in the duct body and capable of rotating in the forward and reverse directions. The first duct is configured to discharge clean air, which is introduced into the duct body from the two duct openings and includes ions generated in the duct body by the ion generator, from the second duct opening or the first duct opening. The mouth is arranged so that the cleaning air can be discharged to an area away from the image forming main body, and the second duct port can release the cleaning air to an area near the image forming main body. It is located.

Here, “the first duct port is arranged so that cleaning air can be discharged to an area away from the image forming main body” means, for example, 1 m or more away in the direction in which the cleaning air flows from the image forming main body. It means that the position, direction, shape, size, number, etc. of the first duct port are set so that the cleaning air can be blown to the area. In this case, the cleaning air may be flown far along the ceiling in the room. Hereinafter, the “area away from the image forming main body” may be referred to as a “far area”.
In addition, “the second duct port is arranged so that cleaning air can be discharged to an area near the image forming main body” means, for example, that the cleaning air flows in a direction in which the cleaning air flows from the image forming main body and the image forming main body. It means that the position, direction, shape, size, number, etc. of the second duct port are set so that the cleaning air can be blown into an area of 1 m or less. Hereinafter, the “area in the vicinity of the image forming main body” may be referred to as a “neighboring area”.

The ions generated in the duct by the ion generator may be only positive ions or only negative ions, but the inclusion of both positive ions and negative ions is effective for purification including sterilization and deodorization. It is preferable because it can be performed more effectively.
Further, the blower fan is not particularly limited as long as it can blow clean air in both directions of the first duct port and the second duct port by switching its rotation direction. For example, a cross flow fan, A forward / reverse bidirectional axial fan (so-called jet fan) or the like can be used.

In the present invention, the image forming main unit includes, for example, a function for printing an image on a recording sheet based on input image data, a copying function for copying a document image on a recording sheet based on image data read from the document, A function for transferring image data read from an image to an external PC (personal computer), and a facsimile for transmitting image data read from a document or input image data and printing an image on recording paper based on the received image data Among the functions, one or more functions are provided.
The image forming main body may be either an electrophotographic system or an inkjet system.

This image forming apparatus may be configured as follows.
(1) A control unit that controls the cleaned air discharge unit is further provided, and the control unit controls the ion generator and the blower fan according to the state of the image forming main body unit.
By doing so, purification of a wide area away from the image forming body (sterilization and deodorization) according to the state of the image forming apparatus, for example, the power on / off state, operation and standby state, etc. It is possible to switch to purification (disinfection and deodorization) of a local area in the vicinity of the image forming main body.

(2) a function of controlling the control unit so that the cleaning air discharge unit is switched on and off according to the power on / off state of the image forming main unit and the operation and standby state of the image forming main unit; It has a function to control the rotation direction of the blower fan to be switched.
In this way, according to the four states of the image forming main body, either the distant area purification or the near area purification can be selectively performed, and the cleaning air discharge unit is turned on and off. It can be done automatically.

(3) The rotation direction of the blower fan so that the control unit preferentially discharges the cleaning air from the second duct port when the image forming main unit is switched from power-off to on and when the image forming main unit is activated. To control.
In this way, the user can use a clean image forming main body since the user can clean the vicinity area immediately before and during use of the image forming main body, and the user can use a clean image forming main body. Since exhaust gas can be deodorized at the same time as exhaust gas is discharged from the section, it is possible to effectively suppress the odor of the exhaust gas from spreading into the room.

(4) the image forming main body is, for have a control panel on the top of the front side.
In this way, the cleaning air discharge unit can be attached to the image forming main body unit without interfering with the opening / closing door of the document placing table or the openable / closable document supply unit above the image forming main body unit. I can .

(5) The length of the first duct port in the left-right direction with respect to the front of the image forming main body is equal to the length of the second duct port, and the width in the direction orthogonal to the left-right direction is narrower than the width of the second duct port. It is formed in size.
In this way, even if the forward rotation output and the reverse rotation output of the blower fan are the same, the cleaning air discharged from the second duct port is the purified air discharged from the first duct port. It can be longer than the reach distance. Therefore, when the rotation direction of the blower fan is switched so as to release the cleaning air from the first duct port, it is possible to expand a distant area that can be purified without controlling the rotation output.

(6) The ion generator is configured to generate positive ions and negative ions in the air, and is disposed closer to the first duct than the blower fan.
The ion generator that generates positive ions and negative ions is H ⁺ (H ₂ O) _n (n is a natural number) and negative ions by ionizing oxygen and water vapor in the air by plasma discharge. A so-called plasma cluster ion generator that generates O ₂ ⁻ (H ₂ O) _m (m is a natural number) can be used.
The positive ions and negative ions generated by the plasma cluster ion generator have a form in which a plurality of water molecules are attached around hydrogen ions (H ⁺ ) or oxygen ions (O ₂ ⁻ ), so-called cluster ion forms. There is no.

According to the plasma cluster ion generator, positive ions and negative ions released into the air chemically react to form hydrogen peroxide water (H ₂ O ₂ ) or hydroxyl radical (.OH) as an active substance, and suspended particles Alternatively, by performing an oxidation reaction for extracting hydrogen from airborne bacteria, the airborne particles can be inactivated or airborne bacteria can be sterilized.

Moreover, since the ion generator is arrange | positioned rather than the ventilation fan at the 1st duct side, the following effects arise.
When the cleaning air is discharged from the second duct port, the air containing the positive ions and negative ions (cleaning air) passes through the blower fan so that the positive ions and the negative ions are uniformly mixed. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a high purification action due to the synergistic effect of positive ions and negative ions.
On the other hand, when the cleaning air is discharged from the first duct port, positive ions and negative ions are uniformly mixed in the process of the cleaning air reaching the distant area, so that a high purification action can be obtained even in the distant area. .

( 7 ) The blower fan is a cross flow fan, and the purified air discharge part further has a disturbing member on the first duct opening side or the second duct side than the blower fan in the duct body, and passes through the disturbing member. It is configured to disturb the flow.
Since the cross flow fan can generate an air flow in a direction perpendicular to its rotation axis, the cross flow fan is disposed in the left-right direction and has a first and second duct port that is long in the left-right direction. The air discharge portion can be attached to the image forming main body portion.
Therefore, in the case of the above (3), the horizontal cleaning air discharge part is arranged at the upper rear position of the image forming main body part so that it looks good and extends over a wider range from the first and second duct ports. Clean air can be released.
In addition, the rotation of the cross flow fan causes the cleaning air to flow in a laminar flow in the duct, but the air flow is disturbed by the disturbance member, so that the ions generated in the ion generator mix with the air in the duct. It becomes easy. As a result, the cleaning air containing uniformly dispersed ions can be discharged to the outside from the first or second duct port, and in particular, the mixing of positive ions and negative ions becomes non-uniform and the purification action is reduced. This is effective in suppressing the occurrence of the error.

(8) The cleaned air discharge part further includes an exterior case that covers the duct body, the ion generator is disposed outside the duct body, and the exterior case is formed in the vicinity of the ion generator, It has the external air intake port which communicates, and the filter provided in the external air intake port.
This is safe because the ion generator to which a high voltage is applied is not exposed to the outside, and dust is removed from the outside air flowing from the outside air intake port to the suction port through the ion generator. Therefore, it becomes difficult to attach dust to the ion generator, and maintenance of the ion generator can be reduced.

(9) A filter is provided at the suction port.
In this way, since the duct and the ion generator are blocked by the filter, it is difficult for dust in the air in the duct to adhere to the ion generator, and maintenance of the ion generator can be reduced. In particular, while the feed air fan is stopped, since the outside air does not flow into the duct through the suction port, but the dust that has entered into the duct from the first and second duct opening is attached to the ion generator, By providing a filter at the suction port, dust in the duct can be made difficult to adhere to the ion generator.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing Embodiment 1 of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram viewed from the front of the image forming main body according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the image forming apparatus of the present invention includes an image forming main body A, a cleaning air discharge portion B attached to the image forming main body A, and a cleaning air discharge portion B. And a control unit c for controlling.

<Description of image forming main body>
In this embodiment, as the image forming main body A, a function for printing an image on recording paper based on input image data, a copying function for copying a document image on recording paper based on image data read from the document, and As a representative example, an electrophotographic multifunction machine having a function of transmitting image data read from a document to an external device such as a PC (personal computer) will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming main body A includes a document supply unit 100, a document reading unit 200, an image forming unit 300, a paper feeding unit 400, and a paper discharge unit 500, and the document reading unit 200. The image forming unit 300 and the paper feeding unit 400 are accommodated in the casing C.

[Original Supply Section]
The document supply unit 100 includes a document set tray 101 on which documents are set, a paper discharge tray 102, and a document transport unit 103 that sends documents from the document set tray 101 to the paper discharge tray 102. It is pivotally supported on the rear side so that it can be opened and closed.
In the document supply unit 100, the document set on the document set tray 101 passes through the reading glass 201 by the document transport unit 103 and is discharged to the discharge tray 102.

[Original reading section]
The document reading unit 200 includes the reading glass 201, a first scanning unit 202 having a light source and a mirror, a second scanning unit 203 having a mirror, an imaging lens 204, and a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) 205. Then, the surface of the original is irradiated with light through the reading glass 201 and the reflected light is imaged on the CCD 205 to convert the image of the original into image data.
When the document supply unit 100 is opened, the document table glass 206 is released, so that the document on the document table glass 206 is read by the document reading unit 200 by placing the document on the document table glass 206. You can also.
The image data of the document image is sent to a laser exposure unit 301 of the image forming unit 300 described later, and the document image is printed on the recording paper in the image forming unit 300.

(Image forming part)
The image forming unit 300 includes the laser exposure unit 301, the developing unit 302, the photosensitive drum 303, the cleaner unit 304, the charger 305, the intermediate transfer belt unit 306, the secondary transfer unit 307, the fixing unit 308, and the sheet conveyance path S. In addition, the developing unit 302, the photosensitive drum 303, the cleaner unit 304, and the charger 305 constitute an image station.
The image forming unit 300 supports color images using black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y) toner, or monochrome images using a single color (for example, black) toner. There are four image stations Pa, Pb, Pc, Pd for forming four types of latent images and toner images corresponding to the respective colors.

The intermediate transfer belt unit 306 is disposed above the four image stations Pa, Pb, Pc, and Pd, and includes an intermediate transfer belt 306a, a driving roller 306b, a driven roller 306c, and a plurality of transfer rollers corresponding to the respective photoreceptors 303. 306d and a belt cleaning unit 306e are provided.
The driving roller 306b, the plurality of transfer rollers 306d, the driven roller 306c, and the like support the intermediate transfer belt 306a in a stretched position in contact with the respective photosensitive drums 303, and rotate in the arrow X direction.
The intermediate transfer belt 306 a forms a color toner image by sequentially superimposing and transferring the toner images of the respective colors on the surface of the respective photosensitive drums 303.

The secondary transfer unit 307 includes a secondary transfer roller 307a that is in pressure contact with the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 306a wound around the driving roller 306b. The secondary transfer roller 307a is configured so that a nip region between the secondary transfer roller 307a and the driving roller 306b is constantly obtained.
The fixing unit 308 includes a heating roller 308a and a pressure roller 308b. The toner image transferred onto the recording paper is melted, mixed, and pressed by heat-pressing the recording paper with the heating roller 308a and the pressure roller 308b. And has a function of thermally fixing the recording paper.

[Paper Feeder]
The paper feed unit 400 is disposed below the image forming unit 300, and is provided with a paper feed tray 401 that can be pulled out to the front side of the casing C, and a sheet of recording paper that will be described later one by one from the paper feed tray 401. And a pickup roller 402 for supplying the conveyance path S.

[Paper output section]
The paper discharge unit 500 is disposed between the document reading unit 200 and the image forming unit 300 and is a shelf-like space in which recording paper printed by the image forming unit 300 is discharged.

[Other configurations]
Inside the casing C, a paper transport path S for sending the recording paper of the paper feed unit 400 to the paper discharge unit 500 through the image forming unit 300 is provided.
Further, in the vicinity of the paper transport path S, a plurality of pairs of transport rollers r1 for promoting and assisting the transport of the recording paper are arranged at a predetermined interval. In addition, a pair of sheet registration rollers r <b> 2 is disposed in the sheet conveyance path S on the downstream side of the secondary transfer unit 307.

Further, the image forming main body A includes an operation panel a, an interface unit (I / F) b, and the control unit c.
The operation panel a includes operation switches, a touch panel, and the like for selecting and executing the plurality of functions, and is disposed on the front side (front side) of the upper surface of the casing C.
The control unit c includes, for example, an input circuit unit to which an operation signal from the operation panel a or an external signal from an external device such as a PC is input via the interface unit b, an image forming main body unit A, and a cleaning air discharge unit B. A command unit for outputting a control signal for controlling the image forming main body A and the cleaning air discharge unit B to a predetermined state based on a memory unit in which program data for controlling the image is written, an operation signal or an external signal And an output circuit unit that transmits a control signal from the command unit to each of the image forming main body A and the cleaning air discharge unit B, and a timer unit that outputs a signal to the command unit when a predetermined time is reached. Prepare.
The interface unit b transfers a signal from the external device to the control unit c.

  In addition, the image forming main body A includes a cooling fan for cooling the image forming unit 300, and an air inlet and an exhaust port with a filter are formed on the rear wall and side wall of the casing C. The exhaust port filter is preferably capable of adsorbing exhaust gas generated inside the image forming main body A.

[Operation of image forming main unit]
According to the image forming main body A configured as described above, the toner images of the respective colors formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 303 corresponding to the respective colors are sequentially transferred onto the rotating intermediate transfer belt 306. Further, a recording sheet is sent from the sheet feeding unit 400 to the secondary transfer unit 307 through the sheet conveyance path S.
Then, in the secondary transfer unit 307, the color toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 306 as described above is secondarily transferred to the recording paper, and then the color toner image is fixed on the recording paper in the fixing unit 308. The recording paper on which the toner image is fixed is discharged face down to the paper discharge unit 500.

<Description of clean air release part>
FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view showing the cleaned air discharge part in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the flow of the cleaning air discharged from the cleaning air discharge unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, the cleaning air discharge part B will be described with reference to FIGS.
The cleaning air discharge part B includes a duct body 10, a blower fan 20, an ion generator 30, a disturbance member 40, a motor 50 that rotates the blower fan 20 forward and backward, and the duct body 10. And an exterior case 60 that covers the motor 50.

[Duct body]
The duct body 10 is a cylindrical body that is composed of a front wall 11, a rear wall 12, and left and right side walls and that is long in the left-right direction. The duct body 10 has a duct 10a therein and communicates with the upper end and the lower end of the duct 10a. It has a first duct port 10b and a second duct port 10c.
The duct 10a has a curved shape in which the upper and lower ends of the front wall 11 and the rear wall 12 are curved forward, and is cleaned diagonally forward from the first duct port 10b or diagonally forward from the second duct port 10c. It is formed in a curved shape that can release the liquefied air.

Further, the first duct port 10b and the second duct port 10c are formed to have the same length in the left-right direction with respect to the front surface of the image forming main body, and have different widths with respect to the length in the left-right direction.
Specifically, the width W1 of the first duct port 10b is narrower than the width W2 of the second duct port 10c. For example, the width W1 is about 50 to 60 mm, and the width W2 is about 65 to 80 mm.

The duct body 10 has a suction port 10d for sucking outside air into the duct body 10 (duct 10a) in a vertical portion of the front wall 11 between the first duct port 10b and the second duct port 10c, And a filter 13 attached to the outer periphery of the suction port 10d.
The suction port 10d has a size slightly larger than that of the ion generator 30 and is formed at an intermediate position between the front wall 11 and the lower end edge of the suction port 10d so as to protrude forward in order to install the ion generator 30. A piece 11 a is connected to the front wall 11.

[Blower fan]
The blower fan 20 has a shaft portion 21 that is long in the left-right direction, and a plurality of blades 22 that are provided radially and integrally with the shaft portion 21 along the axial direction. The other end is connected to the drive shaft, and the other end is pivotally attached to the side wall of the duct body 10.
The blower fan 20 is disposed at a position closer to the second duct port 10c than the suction port 10d in the duct 10a.
The cleaning air discharge part B causes the outside air to flow into the duct body 10 from the second duct port 10c and releases the cleaning air from the first duct port 10b when the blower fan 20 rotates in the direction of arrow A in the forward direction. . The air flow at this time is indicated by a dotted arrow F1.
Further, the cleaning air discharge section B causes the outside air to flow into the duct body 10 from the first duct port 10b and the cleaning air from the second duct port 10c when the blower fan 20 rotates reversely in the direction of arrow B. discharge. The air flow at this time is represented by a dotted arrow F2.

[Ion generator]
The ion generator 30 is fixed on the protruding piece 11a of the duct body 10, thereby being outside the duct body 10, near the suction port 10d, inside the curved shape of the duct 10a, and blowing air. It is arranged at a position closer to the first duct port 10b than the fan 20.
The ion generator 30 ionizes oxygen and water vapor in the air by plasma discharge, and H ⁺ (H ₂ O) _n (n is a natural number) which is a positive ion and O ₂ ⁻ (H ₂ O) which is a negative ion. _This is a so-called plasma cluster ion generator that generates _m (m is a natural number) (see, for example, JP 2009-66073 A).

The ion generator 30 will be described with the drawing omitted. The ion generator 30 is opposed to the insulating substrate, the needle-like positive and negative electrodes penetrating the insulating substrate and projecting on the one surface side, and facing the one surface side of the insulating substrate. And a plate-like ground electrode.
The ground electrode has a pair of round holes centered on the positive electrode and the negative electrode, and has legs fixed to the insulating substrate at a plurality of locations around the periphery, and is connected to the ground potential.
On the other hand, a high voltage of the positive electrode is applied to the base end of the positive electrode protruding to the other surface side of the insulating substrate, and a high voltage of the negative electrode is applied to the base end of the negative electrode protruding to the other surface side of the insulating substrate. .

When a high voltage is applied to each of the positive and negative electrodes, the edge of the round hole of the ground electrode becomes a strong electric field, plasma discharge is generated from the ground electrode, and oxygen and water vapor in the air are ionized by the plasma discharge. Ions are generated. At this time, generation of ozone, which is a harmful substance, can be suppressed as much as possible by optimizing the shape of the electrode and the applied voltage.
By plasma discharge, positive ions H ⁺ (H ₂ O) _n are stably released from the positive electrode side of the ground electrode round hole, and negative ions O ₂ ⁻ from the negative electrode side of the ground electrode round hole. (H ₂ O) _m is released stably.

The ions of H ⁺ (H ₂ O) _n and O ₂ ⁻ (H ₂ O) _m generated by the ion generator 30 chemically react to generate H ₂ O ₂ or .OH as an active species. Since H ₂ O ₂ or .OH exhibits extremely strong activity, these active species can surround and remove suspended particles such as suspended particles and suspended bacteria in the air. Here, .OH is a kind of active species and represents radical OH.
Generation of H ₂ O ₂ or _.OH from H ⁺ (H ₂ O) _n and O ₂ ⁻ (H ₂ O) _m is represented by the following chemical formulas (1) to (3).
H ⁺ (H ₂ O) _n + O ₂ ⁻ (H ₂ O) _m
→ OH + 1 / 2O ₂ + (m + n) H ₂ O (1)
_{^{H + (H 2 O) n}} + H + (H 2 O) n '+ O 2 - (H 2 O) m + O 2 - (H 2 O) m'
→ 2.OH + O ₂ + (m + m ′ + n + n ′) H ₂ O (2)
_{^{H + (H 2 O) n}} + H + (H 2 O) n '+ O 2 - (H 2 O) m + O 2 - (H 2 O) m'
→ H ₂ O ₂ + O ₂ + (m + m ′ + n + n ′) H ₂ O (3)

[Disturbance members]
5A and 5B are diagrams for explaining the disturbance member according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5A is a perspective view, and FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. FIG. 5C is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, the disturbance member 40 is disposed on the second duct port 10c side of the blower fan 20 in the duct body 10, and is a cross-sectional circle formed with a length slightly shorter than the second duct port 10c. It is an arc-shaped plate member.
As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 5 (A), the disturbance member 40 has a plurality of rectangular openings 41a and 41b of the same size, and the recess having an arc cross section is directed toward the inside of the duct body 10. Both ends are attached to the duct body 10 with screws, for example.

The plurality of openings 41a and 41b are configured as follows, for example.
The plurality of openings 41a and 41b are arranged in two rows in the longitudinal direction, and the openings 41a and 41b in each row are grouped into groups I and II adjacent to each other by a predetermined number (three in this case). ing. Further, the group I or II in one column is arranged adjacent to the group II or I in the other column.
Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 5B and 5C, the opening 41a of group I and the opening 41b of group II are inclined such that the inner wall surfaces of the long sides thereof are opposite in the longitudinal direction. .

Therefore, the airflow that has passed through the opening portion 41a of the group I and the airflow that has passed through the opening portion 41b of the group II flow in diagonal directions opposite to each other, and as a result, air or duct that flows into the duct body 10 from the outside. The flow of air discharged from the inside of the body 10 to the outside is disturbed.
The disturbing member 40 also functions as a safety fence that prevents a human hand from entering the second duct port 10c that opens to the front side of the image forming apparatus.

[Exterior case]
The exterior case 60 includes, for example, a first member 61 that covers the front wall 11 of the duct body 10, and a second member 62 that covers the rear wall 12, the left and right side walls, and the motor 50 of the duct body 10. The two members 61 and 62 are screwed to the duct body 10.
The first member 61 has an outside air intake 61a formed near the ion generator 30 and communicating with the suction port 10d of the duct body 10, and a filter 14 provided in the outside air intake 61a.

The filter 14 is attached to the periphery of the outside air intake 61 a inside the first member 61.
Further, the outside air intake 61a is composed of a plurality of small holes so that an external object or a human finger does not come into contact with the filter 14.
In the first embodiment, the outside air intake ports 61a are arranged at two positions in the left-right direction of the first member 61 of the exterior case 60 (see FIG. 2), and the suction port 10d is also 2 on the front wall 11 of the duct body 10. Although the case where it is arrange | positioned in two places and the two ion generators 30 are also illustrated is illustrated, these numbers are not specifically limited.

[Other configurations]
The cleaning air discharge part B is provided with a display part 70 on the front wall 61 of the outer case 60. The display unit 70 includes a plurality of LEDs arranged vertically, and each color LED indicates an operating state of the cleaning air discharge unit B.
For example, when the cleaning air is discharged from the first duct port 10b, the upper LED is lit. When the cleaning air is discharged from the second duct port 10c, the lower LED is lit and stopped. The middle LED lights up when These LEDs may have different emission colors.
Furthermore, an LED may be provided for notifying the time of maintenance such as cleaning of the filters 13 and 14 and the ion generator 30 when the cumulative operation time reaches a predetermined time.

Further, the ion generator 30, the motor 50, and the display unit 70 of the cleaned air discharge unit B are electrically connected to the control unit c of the image forming main body unit A through signal lines, and are controlled by the control unit c. Is done. The ion generator 30, the motor 50, and the display unit 70 are supplied with power from a power source unit (not shown) of the image forming main body unit A via a power line.
In this case, if the signal line and power line on the cleaned air discharge part B side and the signal line and power line on the image forming body part A side are detachably connected by a connector method, the image forming body part A It is possible to easily assemble the support member 80 and the purified air discharge part B. Further, if the signal line and the power line are inserted into the cylindrical support member 80, they can be protected and the appearance is improved (see FIG. 10).

[Attachment structure of clean air discharge part]
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the cleaning air discharge portion B is located above the image forming main body portion A and at a rear position opposite to the front surface via a cylindrical support member 80. Is attached.
More specifically, for example, an insertion hole for inserting the lower end of the support member 80 is provided in the right rear position on the upper surface of the casing C of the image forming main body A, while the cleaning air discharge unit An insertion hole for inserting the upper end of the support member 80 is provided on the right side portion of the second member 62 of the outer case 60 of B. Further, the upper and lower ends of the support member 80 inserted into the insertion holes of the image forming main body A and the cleaning air discharge part B are fixed with screws.

Thus, the cleaning air discharge part B attached to the image forming main body A in a cantilever manner by the support member 80 has the first duct port 10b at the upper position and the second duct port 10c on the front surface. In the vicinity of the image forming main body A by the discharge of the cleaning air from the first duct port 10b and the vicinity of the image forming main body A by the discharge of the cleaning air from the second duct port 10c. It can be switched to air purification.
It is preferable to insert a signal line and a power line that connect the cleaned air discharge part B and the image forming main part A into the cylindrical support member 80 because they can be protected and look good.

[Operation and action of the cleaning air discharge unit]
FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the operation flow of the cleaning air discharge unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 6, “Y” means YES, and “N” means NO.
As shown in FIG. 6, the cleaning air discharge unit B is programmed in advance in the control unit c so as to interlock with the image forming main body unit A, and is controlled by the control unit c.
Hereinafter, an example of the operation flow of the purified air discharge part B will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation after the power switch of the image forming main body A is turned on.

First, when the initialization of the image forming main body A is started in step S1, the ion generator 30 of the cleaning air discharge unit B is switched from the off state (stop state) to the on state (drive state) (step S2).
Next, the timer part of the control part c is set to the timer T1 value (step S3), the timer T1 is started (step S4), and the blower fan 20 of the cleaning air discharge part B rotates in the direction of arrow B (step). S5).

As the blower fan 20 rotates in the reverse direction, as indicated by the dotted arrow F2, outside air flows into the duct 10a from the first duct port 10b, and positive ions and negative ions are mixed with the air in the duct 10a to be cleaned. Air is generated, and the cleaning air is discharged to the outside through the disturbance member 40 from the second duct port 10c.
At this time, since the duct 10a is curved rearward, the pressure inside the duct 10a (front side) becomes lower than the pressure outside (rear side), and as shown by the dotted arrow F3, in the vicinity of the outside air intake 61a. Outside air flows into the periphery of the ion generator 30 through the outside air intake 61a, and positive ions and negative ions are generated from the outside air by the ion generator 30, and the positive ions and negative ions flow into the duct 10a.

Further, since the cleaning air that has passed through the opening 41a of the disturbing member 40 and the cleaning air that has passed through the opening 41b collide with each other and the air flow is disturbed, the cleaning air in which positive ions and negative ions are uniformly dispersed is the first. It is discharged to the outside from the 2-duct port 10c.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, since the cleaning air discharged from the second duct port 10 c flows to the upper part and the front side of the image forming main body A, the opening and closing of the document supply unit 100 of the image forming main body A is performed. In addition to sterilizing the gripping part for operation, the operation panel a, the casing C, etc., sterilization and deodorization of air in the area near the image forming main body A is performed.

After step S5, it is determined whether the timer T1 has been reached. If it is determined that the timer T1 has not been reached, step 6 is repeatedly executed. If it is determined that the timer T1 has not been reached, reverse rotation of the blower fan 20 in the direction of arrow B is performed. , Switching to forward rotation in the direction of arrow A (step S7).
As a result, as indicated by the dotted arrow F1, the outside air flows from the second duct port 10c through the disturbance member 40 into the duct 10a, and positive ions and negative ions are mixed with the air in the duct 10a and purified air. Is generated, and the cleaning air is discharged to the outside from the first duct port 10b.
At this time, since the outside air passes through the disturbing member 40 and the outside air of the disturbed flow flows into the duct 10a, positive ions and negative ions are uniformly dispersed in the air inside the duct 10a.

Moreover, since the width W1 of the first duct port 10b is narrow, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the cleaning air is expelled from the first duct port 10b toward the front obliquely upward, and the cleaning air is Disinfection and deodorization of air in a distant area that flows along the indoor ceiling H and away from the image forming main body A is performed.
The timer T1 value is preferably about the same as the warm-up time (for example, 20 seconds to 90 seconds) until the image forming main body A is turned on by turning on the power switch, but it can be longer.

After step S7, it is determined whether the user has operated the image forming main body A (step S8). Here, “operation” means copying of a document by the image forming main unit A, printing image data output from the external device by the image forming main unit A, and reading a document image read by the image forming main unit A to the external device. It means an operation for operating the image forming main body A, such as transferring to a printer or transmitting by facsimile.
If it is determined that there is no operation, the process proceeds to step S13. If it is determined that there is an operation, the timer unit is set to the timer T1 value (step S9), the timer T1 is started (step S10), and the cleaning is performed. The forward rotation in the direction of arrow A of the blower fan 20 of the activated air discharge part B is switched to the reverse rotation in the direction of arrow B (step S11).
As a result, as in step S1, the cleaning air is discharged from the second duct port 10c to the image forming main body A and a nearby area in the vicinity thereof, so that sterilization and deodorization are performed.
After step S11, it is determined whether the timer T1 has been reached. If it is determined that the timer T1 has not been reached, step S12 is repeatedly executed. If it is determined that the timer T1 has not been reached, the process proceeds to step S7.

In step S13, it is determined whether the power switch of the image forming main body A is on. If it is determined that the power switch is on, the process proceeds to step S8, and if it is determined that it is not on (off), the timer is set. Is set to the timer T2 value (step S14), and the timer T2 is started (step S15).
For example, the timer T2 value is suitably 10 to 30 minutes.
After step S15, it is determined whether the timer T2 has been reached. If it is determined that the timer T2 has not been reached, step S16 is repeatedly executed. If it is determined that the timer T2 has not been reached, the ion generator 30 of the cleaning air discharge unit B is determined. Is turned off (step S17), the blower fan 20 is turned off (step S18), and the operation flow ends.

Thus, according to this image forming apparatus, the outside air is switched to either the normal rotation or the reverse rotation according to the state of the image forming main body A, whereby the outside air is switched to the first duct port 10b or the second duct. The cleaning air introduced into the duct body 10 from the duct opening 10c and containing ions generated in the duct body 10 by the ion generator 30 is discharged to the outside from the second duct opening 10c or the first duct opening 10b. It is configured.
In particular, at least one or more before, during and after the operation of the image forming main body A, the cleaning air is discharged from the second duct port 10c to the area in the vicinity of the image forming main body A so as to eliminate the bacteria. By performing the deodorization, the user can use the clean image forming main body A, and the odor from the image forming main body A can be effectively suppressed from giving discomfort to people in the vicinity. In other cases when the image forming body A is turned on, a wide area distant from the image forming body A can be sterilized and deodorized. Therefore, the same as when an air cleaner is separately installed. An indoor purification effect is obtained.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 7 is a schematic right side view showing Embodiment 2 of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention. In FIG. 7, the same elements as those in FIGS. 1 to 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals.
In the first embodiment, the case where the support member 80 that supports the cleaning air discharge portion B is erected at the rear position on the upper surface of the image forming main body A is illustrated. However, the image forming main body A2 in the second embodiment Since the width in the direction is narrower than that of the first embodiment, the upper surface of the image forming main body A2 does not have a space for standing the support member 80.
Therefore, in the case of Embodiment 2, the protrusion part 601 which supports the lower end of the support member 80 is provided in the upper part of the rear surface 600 of the casing C2.
In the second embodiment, other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 8 is a partial perspective view showing Embodiment 3 of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention. In FIG. 8, the same elements as those in FIGS. 1 to 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals.
In the case of Embodiment 3, the installation stand 90 for installing the cleaning air discharge | release part B attached to the upper end of the support member 80 is provided.
Since this installation base 90 has a bearing portion 90a joined to the upper end of the support member 80 at the center position of the lower surface, it can be rotated 360 ° (swingable) about the support member 80 as an axis.
Therefore, the purified air discharge portion B installed on the installation table 90 can also be rotated 360 ° around the support member 80.

As a result, not only the area near the front side of the image forming main body A but also the area near the left and right side surfaces and the rear side of the image forming main body A is cleaned by the cleaning air discharged from the second duct port 10c. It becomes possible.
On the other hand, not only the distant area on the front side of the image forming main body A but also the distant areas on the left and right side surfaces and the rear surface side of the image forming main body A are cleaned by the cleaning air discharged from the first duct port 10b. Is possible.
In the third embodiment, other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

(Embodiment 4)
FIG. 9 is a schematic right side view showing Embodiment 4 of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention. In FIG. 9, the same elements as those in FIGS. 1 to 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals.
In the fifth embodiment, the image forming main body A3 is a printer installed on the desk D. This printer has a paper discharge unit on its upper surface, and the printed recording paper is discharged to the paper discharge unit.
In this case, a protrusion 701 that supports the lower end of the support member 80 is provided on the rear surface 700 of the casing C3 of the image forming main body A3.
In the fourth embodiment, other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

(Embodiment 5)
FIG. 10 is a schematic right side view showing Embodiment 5 of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention. In FIG. 10, elements similar to those in FIGS. 1 to 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals.
In the case of the fifth embodiment, a base 800 for standing the support member 80 and installing the image forming main body A4 is provided.
The base 800 has a short cylindrical portion 801 for inserting and fixing the lower end of the support member 80 at a rear position on the upper surface thereof.
In the fifth embodiment, other configurations are the same as those of the fourth embodiment.

(Other embodiments)
1. In the first, second, fourth, and fifth embodiments, the cleaned air discharge part B may be swingable around the vertical axis. In this case, although the structure provided with the installation stand 90 like Embodiment 3 may be sufficient, it may be possible to swing the head by providing a bearing portion directly at the left and right center position of the lower surface of the exterior case 60 of the cleaning air discharge portion B. Good.
The image forming main body is provided with a paper discharge unit, a paper feed tray, an opening / closing door for taking out a jammed recording paper on the left and right sides, and it is not preferable to stand a support member on the left and right sides. .
2. By providing a striped or grid-like safety fence or net at the first duct port 10b of the cleaning air discharge part B, an object (for example, a stationery such as a pen or a ruler) is accidentally inserted into the duct 10a from the first duct port 10b. ) May be prevented and the blower fan 20 may be prevented from being damaged.
3. In the first embodiment, the case where a cross flow fan is used as the blower fan 20 is illustrated, but a jet fan may be used. In this case, the shape of the duct body, the positions of the first and second duct ports, and the like are taken into consideration so that the purified air can be blown to the distant area and the vicinity area.

4). In the first embodiment, the horizontal cleaning air discharge portion that is long in the left-right direction is illustrated, but a vertical cleaning air discharge portion that is long in the vertical direction may be attached to the image forming main body portion. In this case, the shape of the duct body, the positions of the first and second duct ports, the attachment position to the image forming main body, and the like are taken into consideration so that the cleaning air can be blown to the far and near areas.
5. In the operation flow of the first embodiment, for example, when the power switch of the image forming main body A is on and the operation of the image forming main body A is not performed for a predetermined time or longer, the image forming main body A is cleaned until it is operated or a certain time elapses The activated air discharge unit may be in a resting state. Further, the discharge of the cleaning air from the first duct port 10b or the second duct port 10c may be simply switched at regular intervals, and may be arbitrarily selected by an operation using the operation panel a. In addition, a pause state for a certain time may be interposed.
6). The cleaning air discharge part B may be retrofitted as an optional equipment.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Duct body 10a Duct 10b 1st duct port 10c 2nd duct port 10d Suction port 13, 14 Filter 20 Blower fan 30 Ion generator 40 Disturbing member 60 Exterior case 61a Outside air intake port 80 Support member A Image formation main-body part B Cleaning Air release part a Operation panel c Control part

Claims (10)

An image forming main body, and a cleaning air discharge unit attached to the image forming main body via a support member at a rear position above the image forming main body and opposite to the front surface ;
The cleaning air discharge unit has a duct body having a first duct port and a second duct port, and a blower fan and an ion generator that are disposed in the duct body and can rotate in the forward and reverse directions. By switching to one of the rotations, outside air is introduced into the duct body from the first duct port or the second duct port, and the purified air containing ions generated in the duct body by the ion generator is supplied to the second duct port or It is configured to discharge from the first duct port to the outside,
The duct body has a curved duct and a suction port for sucking outside air into the duct body between the first duct port and the second duct port,
The ion generator is disposed inside the curved shape of the duct and in the vicinity of the suction port of the duct body,
The first duct port is disposed at the upper surface position of the cleaning air discharge part so that the cleaning air can be discharged to an area away from the image forming main body part.
Second duct opening, as can emit clean air to the vicinity of the image forming main body area, the image, characterized in that arranged in front position below the first duct opening of the cleaning air release portion Forming equipment.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit that controls the cleaning air discharge unit, wherein the control unit controls the ion generator and the blower fan according to a state of the image forming main body unit.   The control unit controls the switching of the cleaning air discharge unit on and off according to the power on / off state of the image forming main unit and the operation and standby state of the image forming main unit, and the blower fan The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, having a function of controlling the rotation direction to be switched.   The control unit controls the rotation direction of the blower fan so that the cleaning air is preferentially discharged from the second duct port when the power source of the image forming main unit is switched from OFF to ON and when the image forming main unit is operated. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3. Image forming main body portion, an image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4 have a control panel on the top of the front side. The length of the first duct port in the left-right direction with respect to the front of the image forming main body is equal to the length of the second duct port, and the width in the direction orthogonal to the left-right direction is smaller than the width of the second duct port. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is formed.   The ion generator according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the ion generator is configured to generate positive ions and negative ions in the air and is disposed closer to the first duct port than the blower fan. Image forming apparatus. The blower fan is a cross flow fan,
The cleaning air discharge section further includes a disturbance member on the first duct opening side or the second duct side than the blower fan in the duct body, and is configured to disturb the flow of air passing through the disturbance member. 8. The image forming apparatus according to 7. The cleaning air discharge part further has an exterior case covering the duct body,
An ion generator is arranged outside the duct body,
The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the outer case includes an outside air intake port formed in the vicinity of the ion generator and communicating with the suction port, and a filter provided at the outside air intake port. . The image forming apparatus according to any one of the filter is provided to the suction port claims 1-9.

Images