JP7782183B2 - Drive device and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a drive device and an image forming device.

Technologies related to drive devices used in image forming devices have already been proposed, such as those disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3.

Patent Document 1 discloses a device comprising an internal structure having a metal portion, a housing attached to the metal portion of the internal structure and incorporating a drive transmission gear, and a drive motor attached to the outside of the housing opposite the metal portion and rotating the drive transmission gear. The housing is made of a thermally conductive resin, and a ventilation duct is provided inside the housing to connect the inside of the internal structure to the outside of the housing.

Patent Document 2 discloses an image forming apparatus equipped with a fixing device, which includes a cooling duct provided at the location of the operating mechanism or components that make up the image forming apparatus, a cooling fan that generates an air flow in the duct, an opening/closing body that can be opened and closed and serves as a wall for the duct when closed and exposes the inside of the duct when open, and an opening/closing drive unit that closes the opening/closing body when the fixing device is operating and opens the opening/closing body when the fixing device is stopped.

Patent Document 3 discloses a device comprising: a blower; a first support frame that supports the blower and has a first groove extending from the blower's air outlet to a predetermined exhaust port; and a second support frame that supports a drive unit for transmitting drive force to a driven unit provided in an image forming apparatus and is configured to be connectable to the first support frame and has a second groove that engages with the first groove when the first support frame is connected to form an air duct that guides air blown out from the blower to the exhaust port. The device further comprises a third support frame that supports a motor that supplies drive force to the driven unit, the second support frame being configured to be attachable to a support surface of the third support frame on which the motor is supported, the first support frame being connectable to a connecting surface of the second support frame opposite the connecting surface to the third support frame, and the second support frame having a through opening that exposes the motor to the connecting surface when attached to the third support frame.

JP 2008-51937 A Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-218213 Patent No. 6337843

The object of this invention is to allow part of the gap between adjacent regions of multiple drive units arranged adjacent to each other with a gap between them to function as a duct.

The invention described in claim 1 comprises a plurality of drive units arranged adjacent to each other with a gap therebetween;
an airflow generating unit that circulates air through gaps between adjacent regions of the plurality of drive units from one surface of the drive units to the other surface;
a sealing means for sealing a part of the gap from the one surface toward the other surface;
Equipped with
An arc-shaped duct forming plate portion with a built-in gear is arranged on one side of the drive unit so as to face the other side, and the lower end of the arc-shaped duct forming plate portion is sealed by the sealing means .

The invention described in claim 2 is the drive device described in claim 1, in which the sealing means seals the gap by elastically deforming.

The invention described in claim 3 is the drive unit described in claim 2, in which the sealing means is made of urethane foam.

The invention described in claim 4 is the driving device described in claim 1, wherein the gap is adjacent to a position corresponding to a heat-generating area of a driven device driven by the driving device.

The invention described in claim 5 is the driving device described in claim 4, in which the driven device is a developing device driven by the driving device.

The invention described in claim 6 is the drive device described in claim 1, wherein the gap is a recess provided in an adjacent area of the multiple drive units.

The invention described in claim 7 is the drive device described in claim 6, in which the recesses that form the gaps are formed by cutting out the multiple drive units while leaving cylindrical bearing portions that rotatably support the drive shafts.

The invention described in claim 8 is a method for manufacturing a recording medium, comprising: a plurality of image forming means for forming images;
a driving means for driving the plurality of image forming means;
Equipped with
The image forming apparatus uses the driving device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 as the driving means.

According to the invention described in claim 1, a portion of the gap between adjacent regions of multiple drive units arranged adjacent to each other with a gap between them can function as a duct.

According to the invention described in claim 2, the gap can be sealed with a simpler sealing means than when the sealing means seals the gap in the adjacent area of multiple drive units without elastic deformation.

According to the invention described in claim 3, gaps can be effectively sealed with simpler sealing means than when the sealing means is made of a material other than urethane foam.

According to the invention described in claim 4, the gap can create an air flow in the heat-generating area of the driven device driven by the driving device, compared to when the gap is not adjacent to a position corresponding to the heat-generating area of the driven device.

According to the invention described in claim 5, air flow can be effectively formed in a developing device having multiple adjacent drive units, compared to when the driven device is not a developing device.

According to the invention described in claim 6, the gap is easier to form than when it is formed from a location other than a recess provided in the adjacent area of multiple drive units.

According to the invention described in claim 7, the recess that forms the gap can be formed near the drive shaft, which is a heat-generating area, compared to when the recess is formed somewhere other than the cylindrical support portion that rotatably supports the drive shaft in multiple drive units.

According to the invention described in claim 8, compared to when the drive device described in any of claims 1 to 7 is not used as the drive means, part of the gap between adjacent regions of multiple drive units arranged adjacent to each other with a gap between them can function as a duct, thereby suppressing temperature increases inside the device body.

1 is an overall configuration diagram showing an image forming apparatus to which a drive device according to a first embodiment of the present invention is applied; 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of an image forming device of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a perspective configuration diagram showing a drive unit of a drive device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a perspective configuration diagram showing a state in which a duct device is attached to a drive device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a perspective configuration diagram showing a drive unit of a drive device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a front configuration view showing a drive unit of a drive device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 1 is an enlarged perspective configuration view showing a main part of a drive device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a perspective configuration diagram showing a state in which a duct device is attached to a drive device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a front configuration view showing a drive device according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

[Embodiment 1]
1 shows an image forming apparatus to which a drive device according to embodiment 1 is applied. In the figure, the width direction along the horizontal direction of the image forming apparatus is defined as the X direction, the depth direction along the horizontal direction of the image forming apparatus is defined as the Y direction, and the height direction along the vertical direction of the image forming apparatus is defined as the Z direction.

<Overall Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus>
The image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment is configured as, for example, a color printer. The size of the apparatus main body 1a along the X direction of this image forming apparatus 1 is equivalent to that of a conventional full-color printer, and it is capable of simultaneously forming images of full-color images consisting of four colors, yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K), as well as images of metallic colors such as gold (G) and silver (S), monochrome colors such as red (R), green (G), and blue (B), corporate colors such as Mizuho Financial Group's Cosmic Blue and Horizon Red, and specific colors (hereinafter referred to as "spot colors") consisting of various hues such as transparency and white.

This image forming apparatus 1 includes multiple image creating devices 10 that form toner images developed with toner constituting the developer 4; an intermediate transfer device 20 that holds the toner images formed by each image creating device 10 and transports them to a secondary transfer position where they are ultimately secondarily transferred onto recording paper 5 (an example of a recording medium); a paper feeder 50 that stores and transports the required recording paper 5 to be supplied to the secondary transfer position of the intermediate transfer device 20; and a fixing device 40 that fixes the toner image on the recording paper 5 that has been secondarily transferred by the intermediate transfer device 20. The multiple image creating devices 10 and intermediate transfer device 20 constitute the image forming unit 2 that forms an image on the recording paper 5. The device body 1a of the image forming apparatus 1 is made up of supporting structural members, an exterior cover, and the like. The two-dot chain line in the figure indicates the main transport path along which the recording paper 5 is transported within the device body 1a.

The imaging device 10 is composed of four imaging devices 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K, each dedicated to forming a toner image of one of the four colors: yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K), and an imaging device 10S, which forms a toner image of a special color (S). These five imaging devices 10 (S, Y, M, C, K) are arranged in a line along the X direction in the internal space of the device main body 1a. In the illustrated embodiment, the special color imaging device 10S is located most upstream along the direction of movement of the intermediate transfer belt 21 of the intermediate transfer device 20, and the yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) imaging devices 10 (Y, M, C, K) are arranged sequentially along the direction of movement of the intermediate transfer belt. However, the placement of the spot color image forming device 10S is not limited to this, and it may be placed at the most downstream side along the direction of movement of the intermediate transfer belt, or it may be placed between the yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) image forming devices 10 (Y, M, C, K).

Each imaging device 10 (S, Y, M, C, K) is configured identically except for the color of the image it forms. Each imaging device 10 (S, Y, M, C, K) is equipped with a rotating photosensitive drum 11 as an example of an image carrier (image forming means). Around the photosensitive drum 11, the following devices as examples of image forming means are mainly arranged. The main devices are a charging device 12 that charges the image-forming peripheral surface (image bearing surface) of the photosensitive drum 11 to the required potential; an exposure device 13 that irradiates the charged peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 11 with light based on image information (signals) to form electrostatic latent images (for each color) with different potentials; developing devices 14 (S, Y, M, C, K) that develop the electrostatic latent images with toner of the corresponding color (S, Y, M, C, K) developer 4 to form toner images; primary transfer devices 15 (S, Y, M, C, K) that transfer each toner image to the intermediate transfer device 20; and drum cleaning devices 16 (S, Y, M, C, K) that remove and clean any toner or other deposits remaining on the image bearing surface of the photosensitive drum 11 after primary transfer.

The photoreceptor drum 11 is an image-bearing surface formed on the circumferential surface of a grounded cylindrical or columnar substrate, with a photoconductive layer (photosensitive layer) made of a photosensitive material. Power is transmitted to the photoreceptor drum 11 from a drive unit (not shown), and the photoreceptor drum 11 is supported so that it rotates in the direction indicated by arrow A.

The charging device 12 consists of a contact-type charging roll 121 that is placed in contact with the photosensitive drum 11. A cleaning roll 122 that cleans the circumferential surface of the charging roll 121 is placed on the back side of the charging roll 121. A charging voltage is supplied to the charging device 12. If the developing device 14 performs reversal development, the charging voltage supplied is a voltage or current of the same polarity as the charging polarity of the toner supplied from the developing device 14. Note that the charging device 12 may also be a non-contact charging device such as a scorotron that is placed in a non-contact state on the surface of the photosensitive drum 11.

The exposure device 13 consists of an LED print head that forms an electrostatic latent image by irradiating the photosensitive drum 11 with light corresponding to image information using multiple light-emitting diodes (LEDs) arranged along the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 11. Note that the exposure device 13 may also be one that deflects and scans laser light configured according to the image information along the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 11.

As shown in FIG. 2, each of the developing devices 14 (S, Y, M, C, K) is configured with a housing 140 having an opening and a developer 4 storage chamber, and includes a developing roll 141 as an example of a developer holder that holds the developer 4 and transports it to a development area facing the photosensitive drum 11; a supply auger 142 as an example of agitation and supply means that agitates the developer 4 and transports it past the developing roll 141; an admix auger 143 as an example of agitation and transport means that agitates the developer 4 and transports it to the supply auger 142; a counter auger 144 that transports the developer 4 peeled from the developing roll 141 in the direction opposite to the transport direction of the admix auger 143; and a layer thickness regulating member 145 that regulates the amount (layer thickness) of developer held on the developing roll 141. A power supply (not shown) supplies a development voltage between the developing roll 141 and the photosensitive drum 11 to the developing device 14. The developing roll 141, supply auger 142, and admix auger 143 rotate in the required direction by power transmitted from a drive device described below. Furthermore, two-component developers containing non-magnetic toner and magnetic carriers are used as the five color developers 4 (S, Y, M, C, K).

The developing devices 14 (S, Y, M, C, K), particularly the spot color developing device 14S, are configured to be detachable from the device main body 1a of the image forming apparatus 1. The developing devices 14 (S, Y, M, C, K) can be replaced by the user with new developing devices 14 (Y, M, C, K) or developing devices 14S for other spot colors.

The primary transfer device 15 (S, Y, M, C, K) is a contact-type transfer device equipped with a primary transfer roll that rotates in contact with the periphery of the photosensitive drum 11 via the intermediate transfer belt 21 and is supplied with a primary transfer voltage. The primary transfer voltage is a DC voltage with a polarity opposite to the toner charge polarity, supplied from a power supply device (not shown).

The drum cleaning device 16 is composed of a container-shaped main body 160 with a portion open, a cleaning plate 161 that is positioned to contact the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 11 after primary transfer with the required pressure to remove and clean any remaining toner and other adhering matter, and a delivery member 162 such as a screw auger that collects the toner and other adhering matter removed by the cleaning plate 161 and transports it to a collection system (not shown). The cleaning plate 161 is a plate-shaped member (e.g., a blade) made of a material such as rubber.

As shown in FIG. 1, the intermediate transfer device 20 is positioned below each of the image forming devices 10 (S, Y, M, C, K) in the Z direction. This intermediate transfer device 20 primarily consists of an intermediate transfer belt 21 that rotates in the direction indicated by arrow B while passing through a primary transfer position between the photosensitive drum 11 and the primary transfer device 15 (primary transfer roll); multiple belt support rolls 22-25 that rotatably support the intermediate transfer belt 21 while maintaining a desired state from its inner surface; a secondary transfer device 30 (an example of secondary transfer means) that is positioned on the outer surface (image bearing surface) of the intermediate transfer belt 21 supported by the belt support roll 25 and performs a secondary transfer of the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 21 to the recording paper 5; and a belt cleaning device 26 that removes and cleans any toner, paper dust, and other debris remaining on the outer surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21 after passing through the secondary transfer device 30.

The intermediate transfer belt 21 is an endless belt made of a material in which a resistance adjuster such as carbon black is dispersed in a synthetic resin such as polyimide resin or polyamide resin. The belt support roll 22 is configured as a drive roll rotated by a drive unit (not shown) that also serves as the opposing roll of the belt cleaning device 26. The belt support roll 23 is configured as a surface finishing roll that forms the image formation surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21. The belt support roll 24 is configured as a tension applying roll that applies tension to the intermediate transfer belt 21. The belt support roll 25 is configured as an opposing roll that faces the secondary transfer device 30.

As shown in FIG. 1, the secondary transfer device 30 is a contact-type transfer device equipped with a secondary transfer roll 31 that rotates in contact with the circumferential surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21 at a secondary transfer position, which is the outer circumferential surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21 supported by the belt support roll 25 of the intermediate transfer device 20, and to which a secondary transfer voltage is supplied. A DC voltage having the same or opposite polarity as the charge polarity of the toner is supplied as a secondary transfer voltage from a power supply device (not shown) to the secondary transfer roll 31 or the belt support roll 25 of the intermediate transfer device 20.

The fixing device 40 is configured inside a housing (not shown) that has an inlet and outlet for the recording paper 5. The housing contains a heating belt 41 that rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow and is heated by a heating means so that its surface temperature is maintained at a predetermined temperature, and a pressure roll 42 that rotates in contact with the heating belt 41 at a predetermined pressure and is driven to rotate substantially along the axial direction of the heating belt 41. In this fixing device 40, the contact area between the heating belt 41 and the pressure roll 42 forms the fixing processing section where the required fixing process (heating and pressure) is performed.

The paper feed device 50 is positioned below the intermediate transfer device 20 in the Z direction. This paper feed device 50 is mainly composed of one (or more) paper containers 51 that store stacks of recording paper 5 of the desired size and type, and feed devices 52, 53 that feed the recording paper 5 one sheet at a time from the paper container 51. The paper container 51 is attached so that it can be pulled out, for example, from the front side of the device main body 1a (the side that the user faces during operation).

Examples of recording paper 5 include plain paper used in electrophotographic copiers and printers, thin paper such as tracing paper, and overhead projector sheets. To further improve the smoothness of the image surface after fixing, it is preferable that the surface of the recording paper 5 is as smooth as possible. For example, coated paper, which is plain paper coated with a resin or the like, or so-called thick paper with a relatively high basis weight, such as art paper for printing, can also be used.

Between the paper feed device 50 and the secondary transfer device 30, a paper feed transport path 56 is provided, which is composed of one or more paper transport roll pairs 54, 55 and a transport guide (not shown) that transport the recording paper 5 fed from the paper feed device 50 to the secondary transfer position. The paper transport roll pair 55, located immediately before the secondary transfer position on the paper feed transport path 56, is configured as, for example, a roll (registration roll) that adjusts the transport timing of the recording paper 5. Between the secondary transfer device 30 and the fixing device 40, a transport belt 57 is provided for transporting the recording paper 5 fed from the secondary transfer device 30 after secondary transfer to the fixing device 40. A curl correction device 58 is located downstream of the fixing device 40 to correct curls in the recording paper 5 that has been fixed by the fixing device 40. Near the paper exit formed in the device main body 1a of the image forming apparatus 1, a discharge transport path 60 is provided, which includes a paper discharge roll pair 59 that discharges the fixed recording paper 5 fed by the curl correction device 58 to a paper discharge section (not shown) located on one side of the device main body 1a.

Upstream of the discharge conveying path 60 in the conveying direction of the recording paper 5 is a branch conveying path 62 equipped with a paper conveying roll pair 61 that branches the conveying direction of the recording paper 5 sent out by the curl correction device 58 diagonally downward. Below the branch conveying path 62 is a reversing conveying path 64 equipped with a reversing roll pair 63 that reverses the front and back of the recording paper 5. Above the reversing conveying path 64 are branched into a discharge conveying path 66 equipped with a paper discharge roll pair 65 for discharging the recording paper 5 reversed by the reversing conveying path 64 to a paper discharge section (not shown), and a duplex conveying path 68 equipped with a duplex conveying roll pair 67 for forming an image on the back of the recording paper 5 reversed by the reversing conveying path 64.

In Figure 1, reference numerals 147 (S, Y, M, C, K) indicate toner cartridges containing at least the corresponding color toner to be supplied to the developing devices 14 (S, Y, M, C, K) of the imaging devices 10 (S, Y, M, C, K) for the spot colors (S), yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K).

The reference numeral 200 denotes a control device that comprehensively controls the operation of the image forming apparatus 1. The control device 200 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. (not shown), as well as buses and communication interfaces that connect the CPU, ROM, etc.

<Image forming unit>
In order to improve maintainability, the image forming apparatus 1 according to this embodiment 1 has the image forming devices 10 (Y, M, C, K) for the special colors (S), yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C) and black (K) and the intermediate transfer device 20 each integrated into a unit, and is configured to be detachable from the main body 1a of the image forming apparatus 1.

In the image forming devices 10 (Y, M, C, K) for the spot colors (S), yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K), the photosensitive drum 11, charging device 12, and drum cleaning device 16 are integrated as a photosensitive unit, excluding the exposure device 13. Furthermore, in the image forming devices 10 (Y, M, C, K) for the spot colors (S), yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K), as mentioned above, the developing device 14 (S, Y, M, C, K) is integrated as a developing unit. Furthermore, in the intermediate transfer device 20, the intermediate transfer belt 21, the belt support rolls 22-26 that support the intermediate transfer belt 21, and the belt cleaning device 27 are integrated as an intermediate transfer unit.

When replacing these photosensitive units, development units, and intermediate transfer units, they can be replaced by first placing them in a retracted state where they are not in contact with other components, and then opening the front cover and inner cover (not shown) of the image forming apparatus 1 to remove and attach them from the device main body 1a.

For this reason, the drive device 70 (described below) that drives these photosensitive unit, development unit, and intermediate transfer unit is configured to be able to separate the photosensitive unit, development unit, and intermediate transfer unit so that driving force can be transmitted via couplings provided on the photosensitive unit, development unit, and intermediate transfer unit.

<Operation of Image Forming Apparatus>
The basic image forming operation of the image forming apparatus 1 will be described below.

Here, we will explain operation in the spot color + full color mode, which uses the five image creating devices 10 (S, Y, M, C, K) to form a full color image composed of a combination of four color (Y, M, C, K) toner images, and a spot color (S) image.

When the image forming device 1 receives image information and command information requesting full-color image formation (printing) from a personal computer (not shown) or image reading device (not shown) via a communication unit (not shown), the control device 200 starts the five image forming devices 10 (S, Y, M, C, K), intermediate transfer device 20, secondary transfer device 30, fixing device 40, etc.

In each imaging device 10 (S, Y, M, C, K), as shown in FIG. 1, first, each photosensitive drum 11 rotates in the direction indicated by arrow A, and each charging device 12 charges the surface of each photosensitive drum 11 to the required polarity (negative polarity in embodiment 1) and potential. Next, the exposure device 13 irradiates the charged surface of the photosensitive drum 11 with light emitted based on image information obtained by converting image information input to the image forming device 1 into each color component (S, Y, M, C, K), and forms electrostatic latent images of each color component composed of the required potential difference on the surface.

Next, each image forming device 10 (S, Y, M, C, K) supplies toner of the corresponding color (S, Y, M, C, K) charged to the required polarity (negative polarity) from the developing roll 141 to electrostatically adhere to the electrostatic latent image of each color component formed on the photosensitive drum 11, thereby developing it. Through this development, the electrostatic latent image of each color component formed on each photosensitive drum 11 is visualized as a toner image of five colors (S, Y, M, C, K) developed with the corresponding color toner.

Next, when the toner images of each color formed on the photosensitive drum 11 of each image forming device 10 (S, Y, M, C, K) are transported to the primary transfer position, the primary transfer device 15 (S, Y, M, C, K) performs primary transfer of the toner images of each color onto the intermediate transfer belt 21 of the intermediate transfer device 20, which rotates in the direction indicated by arrow B, so that the toner images are superimposed in order.

Furthermore, after the primary transfer is completed for each imaging device 10 (S, Y, M, C, K), the drum cleaning device 16 cleans the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 by scraping off any adhering material. This prepares each imaging device 10 (S, Y, M, C, K) for the next imaging operation.

Next, the intermediate transfer device 20 holds the primarily transferred toner image as the intermediate transfer belt 21 rotates and transports it to the secondary transfer position. Meanwhile, the paper feeder 50 sends the required recording paper 5 to the paper feed path 56 in accordance with the image creation operation. In the paper feed path 56, a pair of paper transport rolls 55, which act as registration rolls, feeds and supplies the recording paper 5 to the secondary transfer position in accordance with the transfer timing.

At the secondary transfer position, the secondary transfer device 30 performs secondary transfer of the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 21 onto the recording paper 5 all at once. After the secondary transfer is completed, the belt cleaning device 26 cleans the intermediate transfer device 20, removing any toner or other adhering matter remaining on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21 after the secondary transfer.

The recording paper 5 onto which the toner image has been secondarily transferred is then peeled off the intermediate transfer belt 21 and transported to the fixing device 40 via a transport belt 57. In the fixing device 40, the recording paper 5 after the second transfer is introduced and passed through the contact area between the rotating heating belt 41 and pressure roll 42, where the necessary fixing process (heating and pressure) is performed to fix the unfixed toner image to the recording paper 5. Finally, after fixing, the recording paper 5 is straightened by a curl straightening device 58 and is then ejected by a pair of paper ejection rolls 59 to a paper ejection section (not shown) located, for example, on one side of the device main body 1a.

When forming images on both sides of the recording paper 5, the recording paper 5 with an image formed on one side is not discharged to a paper discharge section (not shown), but is transported again to the secondary transfer device 30 via a reversing transport path 64, which reverses the recording paper 5, and a double-sided transport path 68, and a toner image is transferred to the back side of the recording paper 5. The recording paper 5 with the toner image transferred to the back side is transported by a transport belt 57 to the fixing device 40, where it is subjected to a fixing process (heating and pressure), and then discharged by a paper discharge roll pair 59 to a paper discharge section (not shown) installed on the side of the image forming apparatus 1.

Through the above operations, a recording sheet 5 is output, on one or both sides of which a full-color image composed of a combination of five color toner images is printed, with a special color image added.

<Configuration of driving device>
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a drive unit applied to the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 3, the drive device 70 includes first to third drive units 71 to 73 arranged to correspond to the image forming devices 10 (S, Y, M, C, K) for the spot colors (S), yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K). The first to third drive units 71 to 73 are arranged adjacent to each other with gaps in between along the X direction.

The first drive unit 71 drives the spot color (S) image forming device 10S and intermediate transfer device 20, the second drive unit 72 drives the yellow (Y) and magenta (M) image forming devices 10(Y, M), and the third drive unit 73 drives the cyan (C) and black (K) image forming devices 10(C, K). Of the first to third drive units 71 to 73, the second and third drive units 72, 73 are configured similarly.

The first drive unit 71 includes a photosensitive motor 711 that drives the photosensitive drum 11 of the special color (S) imaging device 10S and the developing roll 141 of the developing device 14, an auger motor 712 that drives the supply auger 142, admix auger 143, etc. of the developing device 14 of the special color (S) imaging device 10S, and a belt motor 713 that drives the belt support roll 22 of the intermediate transfer device 20.

The first drive unit 71 includes a first drive unit body 714 formed in the shape of a base with a required depth and a roughly square front shape. The first drive unit body 714 is composed of a support frame made of injection-molded synthetic resin, sheet metal, or the like.

As shown in Figure 4, the first drive unit main body 714 is rotatably mounted with a photosensitive coupling 715 that is driven by the photosensitive motor 711 and transmits a rotational driving force to the photosensitive drum 11S. Also rotatably mounted on the first drive unit main body 714 are a developing roll coupling 716 that is also driven by the photosensitive motor 711 and transmits a rotational driving force to the developing roll 141 of the developing device 14, and a drum cleaning coupling 717 that is also driven by the photosensitive motor 711 and transmits a rotational driving force to the recovery device 162 of the drum cleaning device 16. Furthermore, the first drive unit body 714 is rotatably mounted on the side of the developing roll coupling 716 with a supply auger coupling 718a and an admix auger coupling 718b, which are driven by the auger motor 712 and transmit rotational driving force to the supply auger 142 and admix auger 143 of the developing device 14.

In the first drive unit main body 714, an intermediate transfer body coupling 719 is rotatably arranged diagonally below the developing roll coupling 716. The intermediate transfer body coupling 719 is driven by the intermediate transfer motor 713 and transmits rotational driving force to the belt support roll 22.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, the second drive unit 72 includes a photosensitive motor 721 (Y, M) that drives the photosensitive drum 11 of the yellow (Y) and magenta (M) imaging devices 10 (Y, M) and the developing roll 141 of the developing device 14, respectively, and an auger motor 722 (Y, M) that drives the supply auger 142 and admix auger 143 of each developing device 14 of the yellow (Y) and magenta (M) imaging devices 10 (Y, M).

The second drive unit 72 is equipped with a second drive unit body 724 formed in the shape of a base with a required depth and a roughly rectangular shape from the front. The second drive unit body 724 is composed of a support frame made of injection-molded synthetic resin or sheet metal.

As shown in Figure 4, the second drive unit main body 724 is rotatably mounted with photosensitive couplings 725(Y,M) that are driven by the photosensitive motors 721(Y,M) and transmit rotational driving force to the photosensitive drums 11(Y,M). Also rotatably mounted on the second drive unit main body 724 are a developing roll coupling 726(Y,M) that is driven by the photosensitive motors 721(Y,M) and transmits rotational driving force to the developing roll 141 of the developing device 14, and a drum cleaning coupling 727(Y,M) that is driven by the photosensitive motors 721(Y,M) and transmits rotational driving force to the recovery device 162 of the drum cleaning device 16, both of which are driven by the photosensitive motors 721(Y,M). Furthermore, the second drive unit main body 724 is rotatably mounted on the side of the developing roll coupling 726 (Y, M) with a supply auger coupling 728 (Y, M) a and an admix auger coupling 728 (Y, M) b, which are driven by the auger motor 722 (Y, M) to transmit rotational driving force to the supply auger 142 and admix auger 143 of the developing device 14.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3, the third drive unit 73 includes photosensitive motors 731 (C, K) that drive the photosensitive drums 11 of the cyan (C) and black (K) imaging devices 10 (C, K) and the developing rolls 141 of the developing devices 14, respectively, and auger motors 732 (C, K) that drive the supply augers 142 and admix augers 143 of the developing devices 14 of the cyan (C) and black (K) imaging devices 10 (C, K).

Like the second drive unit 7, the third drive unit 73 has a third drive unit main body 734 formed in the shape of a base with a generally rectangular front shape and a required depth. The third drive unit main body 734 is composed of a support frame made of injection-molded synthetic resin or sheet metal.

As shown in Figure 4, the third drive unit main body 734 is rotatably mounted with photosensitive couplings 735(C, K) that are driven by the photosensitive motors 731(C, K) and transmit rotational driving force to the photosensitive drums 11(C, K). Also rotatably mounted on the third drive unit main body 734 are developing roll couplings 736(C, K) that are driven by the photosensitive motors 731(C, K) and transmit rotational driving force to the developing rolls 141 of the developing device 14, and drum cleaning couplings 737(C, K) that are driven by the photosensitive motors 731(C, K) and transmit rotational driving force to the collection device 162 of the drum cleaning device 16, respectively. Furthermore, the third drive unit body 734 is rotatably mounted on the side of the developing roll coupling 736 (C, K) with a supply auger coupling 738 (C, K) and an admix auger coupling 738 (C, K)b, which are driven by the auger motor 732 (C, K) to transmit rotational driving force to the supply auger 142 and admix auger 143 of the developing device 14.

As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the drive unit bodies 724, 734 of the second drive unit 72 and the third drive unit 73 have flat upper end faces 724a, 734a and flat lower end faces 724b, 734b. The second and third drive unit bodies 724, 734 have a downward, generally L-shaped first gap (opening) forming portion 74 at the upper end of the left side face 724c, 734c, which protrudes toward the adjacent drive unit.

As shown in Figure 7, the gap forming portion 74 comprises a horizontal plate portion 741 extending horizontally toward the adjacent drive unit so as to form the same plane as the upper end surfaces 724a, 734a of the drive unit bodies 724, 734, and a vertical plate portion 742 formed by bending a short portion downward in the Z direction from the tip of the horizontal plate portion 741.

Furthermore, the second and third drive unit bodies 724, 734 are provided with a shaft support portion 75 below the gap forming portion 74, which forms part of a generally cylindrical shape and rotatably supports the rotation shaft of the supply auger coupling 738 (C, K). Below the shaft support portion 75, a second gap forming portion 76 is provided so as to protrude from the shaft support portion 75 toward the adjacent drive unit.

The second gap forming portion 76 is formed in a generally crank-shaped shape protruding from the lower end of the pivot support portion 75 toward the adjacent drive unit. The second gap forming portion 76 comprises an upper vertical plate portion 761 located at its upper portion, a horizontal plate portion 762 formed on a short flat plate at the lower end of the vertical plate portion toward the adjacent drive unit, and a lower vertical plate portion 763 formed on the end of the horizontal plate portion facing downward in the Z direction. The lower vertical plate portion 763 of the second gap forming portion 76 is arranged to form a single plane from one surface (inner surface) to the other surface (outer surface) of the second and third drive unit bodies 724, 734.

The second and third drive unit bodies 724, 734 have a flat portion 78 below their second gap forming portion 76, which includes a recess 781 of the same shape that accommodates the approximately semi-cylindrical protrusion 77 provided on the right side surface 724d, 734d of the drive unit body 724, 734. Furthermore, below the flat portion 78, a short flat portion 80 is formed that extends downward in the Z direction via an inwardly sloping surface 79.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6 , the drive unit bodies 724, 734 of the second and third drive units 72, 73 are provided with a third gap forming portion 81 at the upper end of their right side surfaces 724d, 734d, facing the first gap forming portion 74. The third gap forming portion 81 includes a horizontal plate portion 811 extending horizontally toward the adjacent drive unit so as to form the same plane as the upper end surfaces 724a, 734a of the drive unit bodies 724, 734, and a vertical plate portion 812 formed by bending a short portion downward in the Z direction from the tip of the horizontal plate portion 811. The base end of the horizontal plate portion 811 is provided with a duct forming plate portion 813 formed as a flat plate extending downward in the Z direction. The lower end of the duct forming plate portion 813 is connected to an arc-shaped duct forming plate portion 814, which has a frontal arc shape and incorporates a gear for rotating the photosensitive member coupling. Furthermore, a duct forming plate 815 formed as a flat plate facing downward in the Z direction is provided at the lower end of the arc-shaped duct forming plate 814. The duct forming plate 815 is positioned opposite the lower vertical plate 763 of the second gap forming portion 76.

Furthermore, below the duct forming plate portion 815, a vertical plate portion 82 having a roughly semi-cylindrical convex portion 77 midway is formed in a flat plate shape facing downward in the Z direction.

Furthermore, as shown in Figure 6, the drive unit bodies 724, 734 of the second and third drive units 72, 73 are provided at the center of their upper ends with a duct forming plate portion 83 having the same shape as the duct forming plate portions 813-815.

The duct forming plate portion 83 comprises a ceiling plate portion 831 located at its upper end, a side wall portion 832 formed in a flat plate shape extending downward in the Z direction from one end of the ceiling plate portion 831, an arc-shaped portion 833 provided at the lower end of the side wall portion 832 and formed in an arc-shaped front shape with a built-in gear for rotating the photosensitive member coupling, and a lower end portion 834 provided at the lower end of the arc-shaped portion 833 and having an upwardly facing U-shaped cross section.

A shaft support portion 84 for rotatably supporting the rotation shaft of the supply auger coupling 738 is provided on the right side of the duct forming plate portion 83, forming part of a roughly cylindrical shape.

The interior of the duct forming plate portion 83 may be open so as to penetrate from one surface (inner surface) of the second and third drive unit bodies 724, 734 to the other surface (outer surface). However, in the illustrated embodiment, a restricting plate 85 for restricting the air flow rate is provided inside the duct forming plate portion 83, closing it off except for a substantially vertically elongated opening 851.

Also, like the duct forming plate portion 83, the inside of the duct forming plate portions 813-815 are provided with multiple (two) divided restricting plates 86 for restricting the air flow rate inside, so as to close off the entire area except for a roughly vertically elongated opening 861.

Incidentally, the image forming apparatus 1, in which the imaging devices 10 (S, Y, M, C, K) and intermediate transfer device 20 are driven by the drive device 70 configured as described above, has the same size in the X direction of the device main body 1a as a conventional full-color machine, as described above, and is configured to be able to simultaneously form spot color images in addition to full-color images consisting of the four colors yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K).

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the image forming apparatus 1 has a reduced size in the X direction of each imaging device 10 (S, Y, M, C, K) and narrow spacing between each imaging device 10 (S, Y, M, C, K), keeping the width of the device main body 1a in the X direction to the same level as a conventional full-color machine. In the image forming apparatus 1, the supply auger 142 and admix auger 143 in the developing device 14 are arranged vertically, thereby keeping the size of each imaging device 10 (S, Y, M, C, K) in the X direction small. Furthermore, in the image forming apparatus 1, the developing devices 14 and drum cleaning devices 16 of adjacent imaging devices 10 (S, Y, M, C, K) are arranged close to each other.

When the image forming device 1 is in operation, multiple motors in the drive device 70 are activated, and image forming means such as the photosensitive drum 11 of the imaging device 10 (S, Y, M, C, K), the developing device 14, and the drum cleaning device 16 are driven to rotate. This can cause the internal temperature of the device main body 1a to rise, and cloud toner can be scattered from the developing device 14, drum cleaning device 16, etc. For this reason, the image forming device 1 creates an air flow in the imaging device 10 (S, Y, M, C, K) and the drive device 70 to prevent the temperature from rising inside the device main body 1a.

As shown in Figure 6, the drive device 70 is configured so that openings 851, 86 are provided in the surfaces of the drive unit bodies 714-734 of the first to third drive units 71-73, creating an airflow from the inside of the imaging device 10 (S, Y, M, C, K) toward the rear side of the drive device 70.

As shown in Figure 8, the drive unit 70 has a duct device 90 attached to its rear side, which is configured to suck air through the openings 851 of the first to third drive units 71-73 and exhaust it to the outside through a filter (not shown). The duct device 90 has suction ducts 91 branching off at their ends 911-915. The ends 911-915 of the suction duct 91 are airtightly connected to the openings 851 of the first to third drive units 71-73 and to the openings of duct forming portions 813-815 located between adjacent first to third drive units 71-73.

However, in the conventional drive device 70, the first to third drive units 71-73 were arranged adjacent to each other, with only small gaps between them, making it difficult to effectively generate ether flow from the imaging devices arranged close to each other and sufficiently suppress temperature increases inside the device main body 1a.

The drive device 70 according to embodiment 1 is configured to include a plurality of drive units 71-73 arranged adjacent to each other with gaps between them, and a sealing means for sealing the gaps in the adjacent areas of the drive units 71-73 to allow air to circulate from one side of the drive units to the other.

That is, as shown in FIG. 7, the drive device 70 according to this embodiment 1 is configured so that urethane foam 88, 89 is provided on the top of the drive unit bodies 724, 734 of the second and third drive units 72, 73, as an example of sealing means for sealing gaps to allow air to circulate from one side of the drive units to the other in the adjacent areas of the adjacent drive units 71-73.

As shown in Figure 7, the urethane foam 88, 89 is fixed by double-sided tape, adhesive, or other means toward the adjacent drive units on the vertical plate portion 742 of the first gap forming portion 74 and the lower vertical plate portion 763 of the second gap forming portion 76.

As shown in Figure 9, when the first to third drive units 71 to 73 are assembled adjacent to each other with gaps between them, the urethane foam 88, 89 seals the gaps between the first drive unit 71 and the second drive unit 72, and between the second drive unit 72 and the third drive unit 74 from one side to the other, thereby providing a duct function between the adjacent first to third drive units 71 to 73.

<Operation of the driving device>
In the drive device 70 according to this embodiment 1, it is possible to make part of the gap between adjacent areas of multiple drive units arranged adjacent to each other with a gap between them function as a duct in the following manner.

That is, in the image forming apparatus 1 to which the drive device 70 according to this embodiment 1 is applied, as shown in Figures 1, 3, and 4, five image forming devices 10 (S, Y, M, C, K) for spot colors (S), yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) and an intermediate transfer device 20 are driven by the drive device 70.

The drive device 70 includes first to third drive units 71 to 73, which are arranged adjacent to each other with a gap between them. As shown in Figure 9, the first to third drive units 71 to 73 are connected and fixed so that the drive unit bodies 714 to 734 of adjacent first to third drive units 71 to 73 are adjacent to each other with a gap between them.

At this time, the drive unit bodies 714-734 of adjacent first to third drive units 71-73 are connected and fixed to each other with a gap between them, so that the upper ends of adjacent drive unit bodies 714-734 are sealed with urethane foam 88, 89, and duct-like gaps (openings) are formed at the upper ends of adjacent drive unit bodies 714-734, sealed from one side to the other by the urethane foam 88, 89.

As a result, the gaps between adjacent first to third drive units 71-73 can function as ducts. As shown in Figure 8, by installing a duct device 90, airflow can be effectively generated from the duct-like gaps formed at the upper ends of adjacent drive unit bodies 714-734, sucking air from the developing devices, drum cleaning devices, and other devices located in corresponding positions and discharging it to the outside, thereby preventing the temperature inside the device body 1a from rising.

In the above embodiment, an image forming apparatus that forms full-color images has been described as the image forming apparatus, but it can of course also be a monochrome image forming apparatus.

In addition, while the above embodiment describes the use of urethane foam as the sealing means, any sealing means that can seal the gaps that exist between adjacent drive units may be used. For example, a labyrinth structure in which multiple plate-shaped members face each other with a gap between them to provide a sealing effect may also be used.

Furthermore, while the present invention has been described using an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, it is not limited to electrophotographic image forming apparatuses. For example, it can also be applied to inkjet image forming apparatuses, which contact transported paper carrying an undried ink layer image (unfixed ink image) and fix the unfixed ink image onto the paper.

1...image forming apparatus 1a...apparatus main body 14...developing device 142...supply auger 143...admix auger 70...driving devices 71 to 73...driving units 88, 89...urethane foam

Claims (8)

a plurality of drive units arranged adjacent to each other with gaps therebetween;
an airflow generating unit that circulates air through gaps between adjacent regions of the plurality of drive units from one surface of the drive units to the other surface;
a sealing means for sealing a part of the gap from the one surface toward the other surface;
Equipped with
A drive device in which an arc-shaped duct forming plate portion with a built-in gear is arranged on one surface of the drive unit so as to face the other surface, and the lower end portion of the arc-shaped duct forming plate portion is sealed by the sealing means . The drive unit described in claim 1, wherein the sealing means seals the gap by elastically deforming. The drive unit described in claim 2, wherein the sealing means is made of urethane foam. The driving device described in claim 1, wherein the gap is adjacent to a position corresponding to a heat-generating area of a driven device driven by the driving device. The driving device described in claim 4, wherein the driven device is a developing device driven by the driving device. The drive device described in claim 1, wherein the gap consists of a recess provided in the adjacent area of the multiple drive units. The drive device described in claim 6, wherein the recesses that define the gaps are formed by cutting out the drive units while leaving cylindrical bearing portions that rotatably support the drive shafts. a plurality of image forming means for forming images;
a driving means for driving the plurality of image forming means;
Equipped with
8. An image forming apparatus using the driving device according to claim 1 as the driving means.