JP2017151402A - Cooling device and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The problem is that a large space is required when the belt member and the cooling member are separated from each other. A belt member (51) that contacts a conveying medium to convey the conveying medium, and a cooling member (40) that is arranged to face a conveying surface of the belt member (51) that contacts the conveying medium and cools the conveying medium. and a belt facing member 61 which is disposed facing the conveying surface of the belt member 51 on the upstream side or the downstream side of the conveying medium conveying direction of the cooling member 40 and performs at least one of conveying and guiding the conveyed medium. 62 , 65 a to 65 c , and the belt facing members 61 , 62 , 65 a to 65 c are brought closer to and away from the belt member 51 without moving the cooling member 40 closer to and away from the belt member 51 . [Selection drawing] Fig. 38

Description

  The present invention relates to a cooling device and an image forming apparatus including the cooling device.

  For example, in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-142573), a recording material heated by a fixing device is sandwiched between opposite belts and conveyed, and the recording material is conveyed on the front side and the back side by a cooling member that contacts each belt. A cooling device for cooling from both sides is described.

  In the configuration described in Patent Document 1, one of the belts arranged to face each other can be separated from the other in order to facilitate maintenance and paper jam processing. However, in this case, since the entire unit including the belt and the cooling member arranged in contact with the belt is separated from the counterpart unit, a large space is required, and there is a problem that the image forming apparatus is increased in size. is there.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention is arranged such that a belt member that contacts a conveyance medium and conveys the conveyance medium, and a conveyance surface that contacts the conveyance medium of the belt member are opposed to the conveyance medium. A cooling member that cools, and a belt facing member that is disposed on the upstream side or the downstream side in the conveyance medium conveyance direction of the cooling member so as to face the conveyance surface of the belt member and performs at least one of conveyance and guidance of the conveyance medium And the belt facing member is moved closer to and away from the belt member without moving the cooling member closer to and away from the belt member.

  According to the present invention, the space required for the approaching / separating operation can be reduced by moving the belt facing member closer to and away from the belt member without approaching or separating the cooling member.

1 is a schematic front view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic front view of the cooling device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic plan view of a cooling device. (A) (b) is a figure which shows the example by which the heat receiving parts were arrange | positioned facing each other. It is a figure which shows the example which comprised both the cooling members with the heat pipe roller. It is a figure which shows the example which shifted and arrange | positioned the position of the fin of both heat pipe rollers to the front-back direction. 1 is a schematic external view of an image forming apparatus. It is a figure which shows the state which opened the door of the image forming apparatus and pulled out the drawer unit. It is a figure for demonstrating the layout of a cooling device and its peripheral member. It is a figure which shows the example by which the conveyance belt was extended in the horizontal direction under the heat sink. (A)-(c) is a figure for demonstrating the layout of a cooling device and a resupply path. It is a figure which compares and shows each outer shape of the thermal radiation part of a heat sink, and a fan. It is a perspective view of the duct connected to the fan for ventilation. It is a front view of an inner duct. It is a rear view of an inner duct. It is a side view of an inner duct. It is the schematic sectional drawing which cut | disconnected the drawer unit in the vicinity of the lever. It is a front view of a cover member. It is the perspective view which looked at the cooling device from diagonally upward. It is the perspective view which looked at the cooling device from diagonally downward. It is a disassembled perspective view of a cooling device. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an arrangement of frames in a state where a cooling device is accommodated in an image forming apparatus main body. It is a figure for demonstrating the assembly method of a cooling device. It is a figure for demonstrating the assembly method of a cooling device. It is a figure for demonstrating the assembly method of a cooling device. It is a figure for demonstrating the assembly method of a cooling device. It is a figure for demonstrating the assembly method of a cooling device. It is a figure for demonstrating the assembly method of a cooling device. It is a figure which shows the example which mounts and attaches a bearing to the outer peripheral surface at the front-end | tip part side of a heat pipe roller. It is a figure which shows the example which formed the hole (recessed part) as a support part in the front-end | tip part of a heat pipe roller. It is a figure which shows the assembly | attachment structure of the front side of the heat sink with respect to a flame | frame. It is a figure which shows the state with which the heat sink was assembled | attached with respect to the flame | frame of the front side. It is a figure which shows the assembly | attachment structure of the back side of the heat sink with respect to a flame | frame. It is a figure which shows the state with which the heat sink was assembled | attached with respect to the flame | frame on the back side. (A)-(c) is a figure which shows the structure of the part which fixes a heat sink. It is a figure which shows the detent structure to the width direction of a conveyance belt. It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between each structural member and the maximum paper passing area | region. It is a schematic block diagram of a conveyance unit. It is a perspective view of a conveyance unit. It is a perspective view of a locking mechanism. It is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement of a locking mechanism. It is a figure for demonstrating arrangement | positioning of a conveyance guide and a belt opposing roller. It is a schematic front view of the cooling device which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic front view of the cooling device which concerns on another embodiment of this invention. It is a front view which expands and shows the most downstream conveyance guide and its peripheral part. It is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement of the most downstream conveyance guide. It is a perspective view which expands and shows a downstreammost conveyance guide and a part of housing | casing. It is a figure which shows the structure of another embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of another embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of another embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of another embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of another embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of another embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of another embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of another embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of another embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of another embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, in each figure, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the part which is the same or it corresponds, The duplication description is simplified or abbreviate | omitted suitably.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
The image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1 includes an image forming apparatus main body 200 having an image forming unit and the like, and a document reading apparatus 100 disposed above the image forming apparatus main body 200. The image forming unit is provided with four process units 1Y, 1C, 1M, and 1Bk as image forming units that can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body 200. Each process unit 1Y, 1C, 1M, 1Bk contains toner of different colors of yellow (Y), cyan (C), magenta (M), and black (Bk) corresponding to the color separation components of the color image. Other than that, the configuration is the same.

  Each of the process units 1Y, 1C, 1M, and 1Bk includes a drum-shaped photosensitive member 2 as a latent image carrier, a charging roller 3 as a charging unit that charges the surface of the photosensitive member 2, and a toner on the surface of the photosensitive member 2. A developing device 4 as a developing unit for forming an image and a cleaning blade 5 as a cleaning unit for cleaning the surface of the photoreceptor 2 are provided. In FIG. 1, only the photoconductor 2, the charging roller 3, the developing device 4, and the cleaning blade 5 included in the yellow process unit 1 </ b> Y are denoted by reference numerals, and the other process units 1 </ b> C, 1 </ b> M, and 1 </ b> Bk are denoted by reference numerals. Omitted.

  In FIG. 1, an exposure device 6 as an exposure means for exposing the surface of the photoreceptor 2 is disposed above each process unit 1Y, 1C, 1M, 1Bk. The exposure device 6 includes a light source, a polygon mirror, an f-θ lens, a reflection mirror, and the like, and irradiates the surface of each photoreceptor 2 with laser light based on image data.

  Further, a transfer device 7 is disposed below each of the process units 1Y, 1C, 1M, and 1Bk. The transfer device 7 has an intermediate transfer belt 10 constituted by an endless belt as a transfer body. The intermediate transfer belt 10 is stretched around a plurality of rollers 21 to 24 as support members. When one of these rollers 21 to 24 rotates as a driving roller, the intermediate transfer belt 10 runs (rotates) in the direction indicated by the arrow in the drawing.

  Four primary transfer rollers 11 as primary transfer means are arranged at positions facing the four photoconductors 2. Each primary transfer roller 11 is in contact with the photoreceptor 2 via the intermediate transfer belt 10, and a primary transfer nip is formed between the intermediate transfer belt 10 and each photoreceptor 2.

  A secondary transfer roller 12 as a secondary transfer unit is disposed at a position facing one of the rollers (roller 24) that stretches the intermediate transfer belt 10. The secondary transfer roller 12 comes into contact with the opposing roller 24 via the intermediate transfer belt 10, and a secondary transfer nip is formed between the secondary transfer roller 12 and the intermediate transfer belt 10.

  A plurality of paper feed cassettes 13 that store sheet-like recording material P such as paper or an OHP film are disposed at the lower part of the image forming apparatus main body 200. The recording material P may be a continuous material wound in a roll shape. Each paper feed cassette 13 is provided with a paper feed roller 14 for feeding out the stored recording material P.

  The image forming apparatus main body 200 includes a fixing device 8 that fixes an image on the recording material P, a cooling device 9 that cools the recording material P, and a pair of registration rollers 15 that serve as a conveying unit that conveys the recording material P. A pair of discharge rollers 16 for discharging the recording material P to the outside of the apparatus and a discharge tray 20 for stocking the recording material P discharged to the outside of the apparatus are provided. The fixing device 8 includes a fixing roller 17 as a fixing member that is heated by a heating source such as a heater, and a pressure roller 18 as a pressure member that is pressed against the fixing roller 17. A fixing nip is formed at a position where the fixing roller 17 and the pressure roller 18 are in contact with each other. The fixing member and the pressure member may be belts in addition to rollers.

  In the image forming apparatus main body 200, a conveyance medium conveyance path 25 for conveying the recording material P that is also a conveyance medium is formed. The conveyance medium conveyance path 25 includes a main conveyance path 26 for conveying the recording material P from the paper feed cassette 13 to the outside of the apparatus, a reversing path 27 for conveying the recording material P by switching back, and a reversing path 27. And a re-feeding path 28 for re-feeding the recording material P to the main transport path 26. The reverse path 27 is branched between the cooling device 9 and the discharge roller 16 with respect to the main transport path 26. The resupply path 28 branches off from the reversing path 27 and joins the main transport path 26 in the vicinity of the upstream side of the registration roller 15 in the transport direction. Switching claws 29 </ b> A and 29 </ b> B as path switching members for switching paths are swingably provided at a branching point of the reversing path 27 with respect to the main conveyance path 26 and a branching point of the resupply path 28 with respect to the reversing path 27. Further, conveyance rollers 19 </ b> A to 19 </ b> G are provided in the main conveyance path 26, the reverse path 27, and the resupply path 28, respectively.

The basic operation of the image forming apparatus will be described below with reference to FIG.
When the image forming operation is started, the photoreceptors 2 of the process units 1Y, 1C, 1M, and 1Bk are rotated counterclockwise in the drawing, and the surface of each photoreceptor 2 is made to have a predetermined polarity by the charging roller 3. It is charged like this. Based on the image information of the document read by the document reading device 100 or the print information instructed to be printed from the terminal, the surface of each photoconductor 2 charged from the exposure device 6 is irradiated with laser light, and each photoconductor 2. An electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface. At this time, the image information to be exposed on each photoconductor 2 is monochromatic image information obtained by separating a desired full-color image into color information of yellow, cyan, magenta, and black. The electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive member 2 is supplied with toner by each developing device 4 so that the electrostatic latent image is visualized (visualized) as a toner image.

  A roller that stretches the intermediate transfer belt 10 is driven to rotate, and the intermediate transfer belt 10 runs in the direction of the arrow in the figure. The primary transfer roller 11 is applied with a constant voltage having a polarity opposite to the charging polarity of the toner or a voltage controlled by a constant current, whereby transfer is performed at the primary transfer nip between each primary transfer roller 11 and each photoreceptor 2. An electric field is formed. Then, the toner images of the respective colors formed on the respective photoreceptors 2 are sequentially superimposed and transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 10 by the transfer electric field formed in the primary transfer nip. Thus, the intermediate transfer belt 10 carries a full-color toner image on its surface. Further, the toner on each photoreceptor 2 that could not be transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 10 is removed by the cleaning blade 5.

  The recording material P is supplied from the paper feed cassette 13 as the paper feed roller 14 rotates. The supplied recording material P is timed by the registration roller 15 and is sent to the secondary transfer nip between the secondary transfer roller 12 and the intermediate transfer belt 10. At this time, a transfer voltage having a polarity opposite to the toner charging polarity of the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 10 is applied to the secondary transfer roller 12, and a transfer electric field is formed in the secondary transfer nip. Then, the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 10 is collectively transferred onto the recording material P by the transfer electric field formed in the secondary transfer nip. Thereafter, the recording material P is fed into the fixing device 8, and the recording material P is pressurized and heated by the fixing roller 17 and the pressure roller 18, and the toner image is fixed on the recording material P. The recording material P is cooled by the cooling device 9 and then discharged to the paper discharge tray 20 by the discharge roller 16.

  In the case of double-sided printing, the switching claw 29A provided at the branch point of the reversing path 27 is arranged in the direction indicated by the two-dot chain line in the figure, and the recording material P that has passed through the cooling device 9 is guided to the reversing path 27. In the reverse path 27, the recording material P is switched back and conveyed in the reverse direction. At this time, the switching claw 29B provided at the branch point of the resupply path 28 is arranged in the direction indicated by the two-dot chain line in the drawing, whereby the recording material P is guided from the reversing path 27 to the resupply path 28. The Then, the recording material P is re-supplied to the main conveyance path 26 through the re-supply path 28 while being reversed.

  The re-supplied recording material P is sent to the secondary transfer nip by the registration roller 15, and the toner image for the back surface formed on the intermediate transfer belt 10 is transferred. Then, the recording material P is conveyed to the fixing device 8, and after the toner image on the back surface is fixed, the recording material P is cooled by the cooling device 9. At this time, the switching claw 29A provided at the branch point of the reversing path 27 is returned to the direction indicated by the solid line in the figure, and the recording material P that has passed through the cooling device 9 is placed on the paper discharge tray 20 by the discharge roller 16. The two-sided printing is completed.

  The above description is an image forming operation when a full-color image is formed on a recording material. A single color image is formed using any one of the four process units 1Y, 1C, 1M, and 1Bk, and 2 Two or three process units can be used to form a two or three color image.

Hereinafter, the configuration of the cooling device according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of the cooling device 9 shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of the cooling device 9.
The cooling device 9 is a heat sink 30 as a first cooling member that cools the back surface (non-image surface during single-sided printing) of the recording material P, and a second that cools the surface (image surface during single-sided printing) of the recording material P. And a heat pipe roller 40 as a cooling member.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the heat sink 30 includes a heat receiving portion 32 that removes heat from the back surface side of the recording material P conveyed along the main conveyance path 26, and a heat radiating portion 33 that radiates the heat deprived by the heat receiving portion 32. And a stiffening portion 35 having high rigidity. The heat receiving portion 32, the heat radiating portion 33, and the reinforcing portion 35 are respectively provided continuously from the front side to the back side of the cooling device 9.

  The heat receiving portion 32 is formed in a flat plate shape and is disposed on the main transport path 26 side. A flat surface on the main conveyance path 26 side of the heat receiving portion 32 is a heat receiving surface (first heat receiving surface) 32 a that takes heat from the recording material P. The heat radiation part 33 has a plurality of flat fins 31 as heat radiation members. The plurality of fins 31 extend from the heat receiving portion 32 to the side opposite to the heat receiving surface 32a, and are arranged at intervals from each other in the transport medium transport direction (hereinafter simply referred to as “transport direction”). The reinforcing portion 35 is disposed on the upstream side and the downstream side in the transport direction with respect to the heat radiating portion 33, that is, on the opposite side to each other via the heat radiating portion 33. The reinforcing portion 35 has a side wall portion 36 extending from the heat receiving portion 32 in the same direction as the fin 31 (opposite side to the heat receiving surface 32a) and a protruding portion 37 protruding from the side wall portion 36 to the opposite side of the heat radiating portion 33. . The side wall portion 36 is a flat plate-like portion extending from the heat receiving portion 32 in the same manner as the fin 31. However, since the thickness in the transport direction is larger than that of the fin 31 (t 1> t 2 in FIG. 2), the fin 31. More rigid than

  The heat sink 30 is provided with a lid member 79 that covers the opening on the tip end side of the fin 31. The lid member 79 is provided continuously from the front side to the back side of the heat sink 30, and both end portions in the transport direction are fixed to the protruding portions 37. The fin 31 is surrounded by the lid member 79, the heat receiving portion 32, and the reinforcing portion 35. Thus, the air passage 34 through which the airflow passes along the fin 31 is formed by surrounding the periphery of the fin 31.

  The heat pipe roller 40 includes a heat receiving part 42 that takes heat away from the surface side of the recording material P that is conveyed along the main conveying path 26, and a heat radiating part 43 that radiates heat taken by the heat receiving part 42. The heat receiving portion 42 is formed of a cylindrical member and is disposed to face the main transport path 26. The outer peripheral surface of the heat receiving portion 42 facing the main conveyance path 26 is a heat receiving surface (second heat receiving surface) 42 a that takes heat away from the recording material P. The heat radiating portion 43 has a plurality of ring-shaped fins 41 as heat radiating members. The plurality of fins 41 are provided on the outer peripheral surface on the one end portion side of the cylindrical member constituting the heat receiving portion 42, and are arranged at intervals in the axial direction.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a first fan 80 </ b> A and a second fan 80 </ b> B are disposed as airflow generating means on the front side (lower side in the figure) and the rear side (upper side in the figure) of the fins 31 of the heat sink 30. ing. The first fan 80 </ b> A on the front side sends air from the front side of the heat sink 30 toward the air passage 34 (see FIG. 2) formed between the fins 31 and around the fins 31. On the other hand, the second fan 80 </ b> B on the back side sucks air from the air passage 34 and discharges air to the back side of the heat sink 30.

  A third fan 80 </ b> C serving as an airflow generating unit is also disposed on the downstream side of the heat pipe roller 40 in the conveying direction of the fins 41. The third fan 80 </ b> C sends air toward the air passage 44 formed between the fins 41, and the air flows along the air passage 44 from the downstream side to the upstream side in the transport direction. On the other hand, the third fan 80C may be arranged on the upstream side in the transport direction with respect to the fins 41 so as to send air from the upstream side toward the downstream side. The airflow generation direction of the first fan 80A and the second fan 80B intersects the airflow generation direction of the third fan 80C.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the cooling device 9 serves as a conveyance unit that conveys the recording material P, and conveys and conveys the conveyance belt 51 that carries the recording material P on the surface and rotates the conveyance belt 51 (surface movement). A driving roller 52 as a belt driving means to be driven, two belt facing rollers 61 and 62 as opposed conveying members opposed to the conveying belt 51, and upstream conveying arranged upstream of the conveying belt 51 in the conveying direction A pair of upstream conveyance rollers 63 and 64 as members, and conveyance guides 65a to 65c and 66 as guide members for guiding the recording material P in the conveyance direction are included.

  The conveyor belt 51 is an endless belt member made of a resin such as polyimide. The conveying belt 51 is stretched by a plurality of belt stretching members including three driven rollers 53 to 55 in addition to the driving roller 52. When the driving roller 52 is rotationally driven by a driving source such as a motor, the conveyance belt 51 is rotationally driven counterclockwise in FIG. Of the outer peripheral surface of the conveyance belt 51, the surface facing the main conveyance path 26 is a conveyance surface that contacts the recording material P and conveys the recording material P.

  The conveyor belt 51 is given a predetermined tension by a tension roller 56 as a tension applying member and a spring 57 as a biasing member that biases the tension roller 56. In this embodiment, the tension roller 56 is disposed between the driving roller 52 and the driven roller 55 adjacent thereto, so that the winding angle of the conveying belt 51 with respect to the driving roller 52 is increased. Thereby, a large contact area of the conveying belt 51 with respect to the driving roller 52 can be secured, and slip of the driving roller 52 with respect to the conveying belt 51 can be suppressed.

  The heat sink 30 is disposed on the inner peripheral side of the conveyor belt 51. On the other hand, the heat pipe roller 40 is disposed on the outer peripheral surface side of the transport belt 51. That is, the heat sink 30 and the heat pipe roller 40 are arranged on the opposite sides with respect to the transport belt 51. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the heat sink 30 is disposed below and the heat pipe roller 40 is disposed above the main conveyance path 26. The contact surface of the heat receiving portion 32 in the heat sink 30 that contacts the inner peripheral surface of the conveyor belt 51 is the heat receiving surface 32a. A contact surface of the heat receiving portion 42 in the heat pipe roller 40 that contacts the outer peripheral surface of the conveyor belt 51 is a heat receiving surface 42a. The heat pipe roller 40 is in contact with the transport belt 51 on the downstream side in the transport direction with respect to the heat sink 30. That is, the heat receiving surface 42 a of the heat pipe roller 40 is disposed downstream of the heat receiving surface 32 a of the heat sink 30 in the transport direction. Further, the fins 41 of the heat pipe roller 40 are arranged outside the conveyance belt 51 in the conveyance width direction (in the present embodiment, on the back side of the cooling device 9) so as not to interfere with the conveyance belt 51 (see FIG. 3). ).

  The belt facing rollers 61 and 62 are arranged in the transport direction upstream of the heat pipe roller 40 in the transport direction, and contact the outer peripheral surface of the transport belt 51 in the contact area between the heat receiving surface 32a of the heat sink 30 and the transport belt 51. ing.

  The upstream-side transport rollers 63 and 64 are a driven roller and a drive roller that are arranged in contact with each other with the main transport path 26 interposed therebetween. The upstream conveyance roller 64 disposed below the main conveyance path 26 may be a driven roller, and the upstream conveyance roller 63 disposed above may be a driving roller.

  Each of the transport guides 65a to 65c has a guide surface that is inclined so as to approach the main transport path 26 from the upstream side to the downstream side in the transport medium transport direction. Of the transport guides 65a to 65c, the transport guide 65a disposed on the most upstream side in the transport direction is disposed between the upstream transport roller 63 and the (upstream) belt facing roller 62, and on the downstream side thereof. The conveyance guide 65b disposed is disposed between the belt facing rollers 61 and 62, and the conveyance guide 65c disposed further downstream (most downstream) receives heat of the belt facing roller 61 and the heat pipe roller 40 (on the downstream side). It arrange | positions between the parts 42. FIG. In the present embodiment, these conveyance guides 65a to 65c are integrally configured, but may be configured separately.

  The conveyance guide 66 is disposed below the main conveyance path 26 and between the upstream conveyance roller 64 and the conveyance belt 51. The transport guide 66 has a guide surface that is inclined so as to approach the main transport path 26 from the upstream side to the downstream side in the transport direction. The recording material P is guided by the conveyance guide 66 toward the conveyance belt 51 facing the main conveyance path 26 or above the conveyance belt 51.

Next, the basic operation of the cooling device 9 will be described with reference to FIG.
When the recording material P is transported from the fixing device 8 to the cooling device 9, the recording material P is transported to the transport belt 51 by a pair of rotating upstream transport rollers 63 and 64. The recording material P transported to the transport belt 51 is carried on the transport belt 51 and is transported by the transport belt 51 and the respective belt facing rollers 61 and 62 that are driven to rotate together with the transport belt 51. At this time, when the recording material P passes through the heat receiving surface 32a of the heat sink 30, the heat of the recording material P is taken away from the back surface side by the heat receiving surface 32a, and the recording material P is cooled. Further, the heat taken away by the heat receiving surface 32a is transferred to the fins 31, and is forced out of the apparatus together with air by the fans 80A and 80B (outside the cooling device 9 or outside the image forming apparatus main body 200). Is discharged.

  After passing through the heat receiving surface 32 a of the heat sink 30, the recording material P is transported by the transport belt 51 and the heat pipe roller 40 that rotates along with the transport belt 51. At this time, when the recording material P comes into contact with the heat receiving surface 42a of the heat pipe roller 40, the heat of the recording material P is taken from the surface side, and the recording material P is cooled. Further, the heat taken away by the heat receiving portion 42 is radiated from the fins 41 into the air. Specifically, the liquid refrigerant accommodated in the cylindrical member constituting the heat pipe roller 40 is vaporized by the heat from the recording material P, and moves to the fin 41 side through the central fluid passage in the cylindrical member. . The portion where the fins 41 are provided is cooled by the airflow sent from the fan 80C, and heat is exchanged when the refrigerant touches the inner surface of the cooled portion. As a result, the refrigerant aggregates into a liquid state and moves to the heat receiving portion 42 side again through the fluid flow path in the cylindrical member. As described above, the refrigerant repeats vaporization and liquefaction (aggregation), thereby moving the heat from the heat receiving portion 42 side to the heat radiating portion 43 side to radiate heat.

  As described above, in the cooling device 9 according to this embodiment, since the recording material P is cooled from the front side and the back side by the heat sink 30 and the heat pipe roller 40, the recording material P can be effectively cooled. Thereby, when the recording material P is discharged out of the apparatus and stocked, it is possible to prevent problems such as so-called blocking in which the softened toner sticks to another recording material P.

  As an apparatus mounted on the image forming apparatus, there is a gloss imparting apparatus that gives a gloss by heating after the recording material is heated. The cooling apparatus according to the present invention is different from the gloss imparting apparatus in configuration and function and effect. Is completely different. That is, the cooling device according to the present invention is not only between the first cooling member and the second cooling member, but also on the upstream side in the transport direction of the first cooling member and the downstream side in the transport direction of the second cooling member. The heating member which heats is not provided. In short, the cooling device according to the present invention is a cooling device that cools the conveyance medium without heating.

  As described above, since the heat pipe roller 40 is used as the second cooling member in the present embodiment, the contact width in the transport direction of both members, that is, by winding the transport belt 51 around the outer peripheral surface of the heat pipe roller 40, that is, A large heat receiving surface 42a can be secured. Further, since the conveyance direction of the recording material P can be changed by adjusting the winding angle of the conveyance belt 51 with respect to the heat pipe roller 40, a conveyance guide for changing the conveyance direction can be omitted, and the layout can be omitted. Improves. Further, since the transport direction can be changed by the heat pipe roller 40 without using the transport guide, image defects due to rubbing between the transport guide and the image surface of the recording material P do not occur when the transport direction is changed.

  On the other hand, since the first cooling member is the heat sink 30 having the planar heat receiving surface 32a, the recording material P can be guided to the heat pipe roller 40 while being cooled while being conveyed linearly. In particular, in the present embodiment, since the upstream end portion (winding start position of the conveyor belt 51) of the heat receiving surface 42a of the heat pipe roller 40 is located substantially on the extended line of the heat receiving surface 32a of the heat sink 30, the recording material P is It can be transported smoothly.

  Further, since the heat receiving surface 32a of the heat sink 30 is arranged on the upstream side in the transport direction with respect to the heat receiving surface 42a of the heat pipe roller 40, the recording material P is hardly curled. That is, the recording material P immediately after being discharged from the fixing device 8 is in a high temperature state, but first, the recording material P is cooled while being transported along a heat receiving surface 32a of the heat sink 30 in a flat state with a small load. . After that, the recording material P is conveyed while being curved along the curved heat receiving surface 42a. At this time, the recording material P is cooled to some extent by the heat sink 30 and is in a stable state. Less susceptible to curling.

  In addition, since the heat receiving portions 32 and 42 of the heat sink 30 and the heat pipe roller 40 are arranged at positions that are shifted from each other in the transport direction and separated from each other, for example, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, Each of the heat receiving surfaces 32a and 42a can be ensured larger than the case where the members 32 and 42 are arranged to face each other (so as to contact each other via the conveyor belt 51).

  The fin 41 of the heat pipe roller 40 according to this embodiment has an outer diameter larger than the outer peripheral surface of the heat receiving portion 42. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 5, if the first cooling member is also composed of the same heat pipe roller 40, the two heat pipe rollers 40 are arranged to avoid interference between the fins 41 of the two heat pipe rollers 40. Must be placed away from the transport direction. On the other hand, as in this embodiment, by using the heat sink 30 different from the heat pipe roller 40 as the first cooling member, the heat sink 30 and the heat pipe roller 40 can be arranged close to each other in the transport direction. Specifically, the downstream end portion in the transport direction of the heat receiving surface 32a of the heat sink 30 can be disposed so as to approach the radially inner side of the outer peripheral surface of the fin 41 of the heat pipe roller 40 (see FIG. 2). Thereby, the size in the transport direction can be reduced, and the area Z (see FIGS. 2 and 5) where the recording material P is not cooled between the heat receiving portions 32 and 42 is shortened, so that the cooling performance is improved.

  Further, as in the example shown in FIG. 6, in the configuration in which the heat pipe rollers 40 are used in both cooling units, when the positions of the fins 41 are shifted in the front-rear direction, both heat pipe rollers are compared with FIG. 5. It is possible to arrange the heat receiving portions 42 close to each other in the transport direction while avoiding interference between the 40 fins 41. However, the fins 41 protrude from one side and the other side of the conveyance belt 51 in the width direction. Therefore, the cooling device 9 or the image forming apparatus main body 200 becomes large in the front-rear direction. On the other hand, the size of the cooling device 9 or the image forming apparatus main body 200 in the front-rear direction can be reduced by using the heat sink 30 different from the heat pipe roller 40 as the first cooling member as in the present embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a schematic external view of the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 7, an openable / closable door 201 is provided in front of the image forming apparatus main body 200.

FIG. 8 is a view showing a state where the door 201 is opened and the drawer unit 300 is pulled out.
As shown in FIG. 8, by opening the door 201, the drawer unit 300 accommodated in the image forming apparatus main body 200 can be pulled out to the near side (front side) from the opened position. Specifically, after the door 201 is opened, a lever 90 as a lock operation unit provided on the front side surface of the drawer unit 300 is rotated to release the locked state of the drawer unit 300 with respect to the image forming apparatus main body 200. The drawer unit 300 can be pulled out. In the drawing unit 300, the fixing device 8, the cooling device 9, the discharge roller 16, and a part of the transport medium transport path 25 (a part of the main transport path 26, the reverse path 27, and the resupply path 28) are integrated. It is configured. As described above, by configuring such a part of the apparatus and the conveyance medium conveyance path as a unit so that the apparatus can be pulled out of the image forming apparatus main body 200, maintenance work and paper jam processing can be easily performed.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the tips 31 of the fins 31 of the heat sink 30 (ends opposite to the heat receiving surface 32 a) 31 a are arranged so as to be obliquely arranged in the horizontal direction. However, the heat sink 30 is not limited to such a shape, and the tips of the fins 31 may be arranged in the horizontal direction as in the example shown in FIG. In this case, since the fins 31 have the same length and have the same heat dissipation effect, a uniform cooling effect can be obtained from the upstream side to the downstream side in the transport direction.

  On the other hand, when the tip portions 31a of the fins 31 of the heat sink 30 are arranged obliquely as in the present embodiment, the apparatus can be downsized. That is, by arranging the tip portions 31a of the fins 31 obliquely, the portion 51a stretched below the heat sink 30 in the conveyor belt 51 can be disposed obliquely along the tip portions 31a of the fins 31. A space for placing the support shaft 91 of the lever 90 in the vicinity of the lower portion of the device 9 (a space surrounded by a dotted line F in FIG. 9) can be secured. Thereby, size reduction of the cooling device 9 can be achieved. In addition, since other structures can be easily placed close to the lower portion of the cooling device 9, a dead space (a space surrounded by a dotted line in FIG. 10) below the cooling device 9 is smaller than the example shown in FIG. 10. Can be reduced. In the present embodiment, the arrangement space of the support shaft 91 secured in the vicinity of the lower portion of the cooling device 9 is a space in which the support shaft 91 can be placed close to the cooling device 9 in order to reduce the size. This is a space that can be obtained by arranging the tip portions 31a of 31 at an angle. Specifically, a region (a space surrounded by a dotted line F in FIG. 9) between a portion 51a stretched below the heat sink 30 of the conveyor belt 51 and a horizontal plane X passing through the lowermost end Y of the portion 51a. ). By disposing at least a part of the support shaft 91 in this region, it becomes easy to dispose other structures close to the lower portion of the cooling device 9 while reducing the size.

  In order to further reduce the size, in this embodiment, the two driven rollers 53 and 54 disposed on the upstream side in the transport direction are disposed so as to sandwich the protruding portion 37 of the heat sink 30. That is, at least a part of each driven roller 53, 54 is within the range facing the end surface of the heat sink 30 on the side where the driven rollers 53, 54 are arranged, closer to the heat sink 30 than the tip of the protrusion 37. By arranging in the space surrounded by the dotted line G in FIG. 9, the driven rollers 53 and 54 are arranged close to the projecting portion 37, and the size can be reduced.

  In the present embodiment, the length of the fin 31 in the direction intersecting the heat receiving surface 32a (the length from the root portion of the fin 31 connected to the heat receiving portion 32 to the tip portion 31a) is the length in the conveying direction of the main conveying path 26. It is comprised so that it may become short toward the downstream from the upstream. The longer the fins 31, the higher the heat dissipation. Therefore, in this embodiment, the cooling performance of the heat sink 30 can be improved by elongating the fins 31 on the upstream side in the transport direction, and the recording material P can be effectively cooled on the upstream side where the amount of heat of the recording material P is large. It is.

  Further, the positions of the tip portions 31 a of the fins 31 are made different, and the conveyor belt 51 is arranged obliquely, so that the resupply path 28 arranged below the cooling device 9 interferes with the cooling device 9 and the fixing device 8. It is possible to place them close to these while avoiding the above. In this embodiment, since the resupply path 28 is formed so as to bulge upward on the upstream side in the conveying direction, when the resupply path 28 is moved closer to the fixing device 8 and the cooling device 9 as a whole, In particular, a portion that swells upward in the resupply path 28 may interfere with the cooling device 9. Therefore, in order to avoid interference with the portion that swells upward in the resupply path 28, the position of the tip portion 31a of the fin 31 (distance from the heat receiving surface 32a) in the transport direction corresponds to the shape of the portion. The conveying belt 51 is arranged obliquely. The resupply path 28 according to the present embodiment includes an inclined portion 280 (see FIG. 9) that is inclined downward from the upstream side to the downstream side in the transport direction below the cooling device 9. Corresponding to the inclination direction, the tip portions 31a of the fins 31 and the conveyor belt 51 are arranged so as to incline downward from the upstream side in the conveyance direction of the resupply path 28 toward the downstream side.

  Here, the reason why the resupply path 28 is formed so as to expand upward will be described. For example, in the configuration shown in FIG. 11A, in order to reduce the size of the image forming apparatus, the vertical interval W1 between the reversing path 27 and the resupply path 28 is reduced and the distance shown in FIG. When W2, the curvature of the approach path from the reversing path 27 to the resupply path 28 must be increased (the radius of curvature decreases from R1 to R2). In this case, since the conveyance load with respect to the recording material P becomes large, the conveyance property of the recording material P may deteriorate. Therefore, in the present embodiment, in order to realize good transportability and downsizing of the recording material P, as shown in FIG. 11C, the resupply path 28 is swelled upward on the upstream side in the transport direction. Forming. Thereby, it is possible to make the curvature of the approach path to the resupply path 28 a small curvature (large curvature radius R1) while maintaining the distance between the reversing path 27 and the resupply path 28 at a small interval (W2). Become.

  As described above, if the resupply path 28 is formed so as to bulge upward in order to realize good transportability and downsizing, a new problem arises that the resupply path 28 interferes with the cooling device 9. On the other hand, if the resupply path 28 is lowered and disposed in order to avoid this, it is difficult to achieve downsizing. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the positions of the tip portions 31a of the fins 31 are varied in the transport direction, and the transport belt 51 is disposed obliquely, thereby approaching each other while avoiding interference of the resupply path 28 with the cooling device 9. So that they can be placed.

  As described above, since the length of the fin 31 of the heat sink gradually decreases from the upstream side in the transport direction in the main transport path 26 toward the downstream side, the heat dissipation of the heat sink 30 as shown in FIG. The part 33 exhibits a substantially trapezoidal outline as a whole. On the other hand, the outer sides of the fans 80A and 80B arranged on the near side and the far side of the heat sink 30 are formed in a substantially square shape. As described above, the outer shapes of the heat radiating portion 33 of the heat sink 30 and the fans 80A and 80B do not match. Therefore, a flow path is provided between the heat sink 30 and each of the fans 80A and 80B so that the air flow from the fan 80A for blowing to the heat sink 30 and the air flow from the heat sink 30 to the suction fan 80B can be reliably induced. A duct as a forming member is arranged.

FIG. 13 shows a duct connected to the fan 80A for blowing air.
Since the duct connected to the suction fan 80B is configured in the same manner, the configuration will be described here taking the duct connected to the blower fan 80A as an example.

  The duct as the flow path forming member includes an inner duct 81 as the first flow path forming member disposed between the fan 80A and the heat sink 30, and a second flow path formed at the outer side of the inner duct 81. And an outer duct 82 as a member. The airflow generated by the blower fan 80 </ b> A passes through the outer duct 82 and the inner duct 81 in this order and is guided to the heat sink 30. On the contrary, the air flow generated by the suction fan 80B passes through the inner duct 81 and the outer duct 82 in this order and is discharged outside the apparatus.

14 is a front view of the inner duct 81 viewed from the fan 80A side, FIG. 15 is a rear view of the inner duct 81 viewed from the heat sink 30 side, and FIG. 16 is a side view of the inner duct 81 viewed from the right side in FIG. FIG.
The opening 81a on the fan 80A side and the opening 81b on the heat sink 30 side of the inner duct 81 have different shapes. Specifically, the opening 81a on the fan 80A side is formed in a substantially square shape corresponding to the outer shape of the fan 80A (see the two-dot chain line in FIG. 14). On the other hand, the opening 81b on the heat sink 30 side is formed in a substantially trapezoidal shape corresponding to the outer shape of the heat radiating portion 33 of the heat sink 30 (see the two-dot chain line in FIG. 15). Specifically, the opening 81b on the heat sink 30 side includes a right side portion 811 and a left side portion 812 that extend in the vertical direction so as to be parallel to each other, an upper side portion 813 that extends in a direction orthogonal to these, and an upper side portion 813. And a lower side portion (inclined side portion) 814 extending so as to be inclined.

  Here, the fan 80 </ b> A (and the fan 80 </ b> B) is configured by a fan that is larger than the heat radiating unit 33 in order to ensure the flow rate of the airflow to the heat sink 30. Specifically, the length L1 in the vertical direction of the fan 80A (and the fan 80B) is longer than the length L2 of the longest fin 31 in the heat radiating section 33 (see FIG. 12). For this reason, the inner duct 81 is formed so that the opening area 80a on the fan 80A side has a larger opening area than the opening 80b on the heat sink 30 side. Accordingly, the inner duct 81 has a flow path reducing portion 81c whose sectional area decreases from the opening portion 81a on the fan 80A side having a large opening area toward the opening portion 81b on the heat sink 30 side having a small opening area (see FIG. 16). . In other words, the flow path expanding portion 81c has a cross-sectional area that increases from the opening 81b on the heat sink 30 side toward the opening 81a on the fan 80A side.

  The inner duct 81 has a fitting portion 81d into which the fan 80A is fitted. The fitting portion 81d is configured by a substantially rectangular frame corresponding to the outer shape of the fan 80A. A hole 81e for inserting a fixing member such as a screw for fixing the inner duct 81 to the frame of the drawer unit 300 is formed at the edge of the fitting portion 81d.

FIG. 17 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the drawer unit 300 cut in the vicinity of the lever 90. In FIG. 17, the near side orthogonal to the paper surface is the upstream side in the transport direction, and the far side is the downstream side in the transport direction.
As shown in FIG. 17, a cover member 83 is disposed between the fan 80 </ b> A for blowing air and the lever 90.

FIG. 18 is a front view of the cover member 83.
As shown in FIG. 18, the cover member 83 has a plurality of air holes 83a at positions facing the fan 80A. When the fan 80A is driven, external air can flow into the inside through the vent 83a, and airflow can be reliably generated in the heat sink 30 (see arrows in FIG. 17). Further, the cover member 83 is formed with a recess 83b for avoiding a hand from contacting the cover member 83 when the operator holds the lever 90. The recess 83b is provided in a substantially fan shape over the entire movable range of the lever 90. Further, the support shaft 91 of the lever 90 is disposed in the vicinity of the lower portion of the fan 80A, thereby reducing the size while avoiding interference between the support shaft 91 and the fan 80A.

  Next, support structures for the heat sink 30, the heat pipe roller 40, the transport belt 51, and the like will be described.

19 is a perspective view of the cooling device 9 as viewed from obliquely above, FIG. 20 is a perspective view of the cooling device 9 as viewed from obliquely below, and FIG. 21 is an exploded perspective view of the cooling device 9. In each figure, the near side is the front side, and the far side is the back side.
As shown in FIGS. 19 to 21, the cooling device 9 includes a back frame 71 that is a first support member, a front inner frame 72 that is a second support member, and a third member as support members that support each component. A front outer frame 73 which is a support member. The rear frame 71 is a frame disposed on the back side with respect to the heat sink 30, and the front inner frame 72 and the front outer frame 73 are frames disposed on the front side with respect to the heat sink 30. The front outer frame 73 is disposed on the front side (outer side) of the front inner frame 72.

  As shown in FIG. 20, the front outer frame 73 includes a side surface portion 731 disposed to face the front inner frame 72, and a bottom surface portion 732 extending from the lower portion of the side surface portion 731 to the back side (back frame 71 side). It has a substantially L-shape. The side surface portion 731 is disposed on the front side (outer side) of the front inner frame 72 and is fixed to the front inner frame 72 by a plurality of screws 75. On the other hand, the bottom surface portion 732 is fixed to the back frame 71 with a plurality of screws 76.

  The heat sink 30, the driving roller 52 that stretches the conveyor belt 51, and the plurality of driven rollers 53 to 55 are supported by the rear frame 71 and the front inner frame 72. The heat sink 30 is fixed to the rear frame 71 and the front inner frame 72, and both ends of the driving roller 52 and the driven rollers 53 to 55 are bearings as rotation support members for the rear frame 71 and the front inner frame 72. It is attached to be rotatable.

  As shown in FIG. 21, the heat pipe roller 40 is supported by a rear frame 71 and a front outer frame 73, unlike the heat sink 30 and the like. Specifically, the back frame 71 is formed with a hole 71 a for inserting and supporting the cylindrical portion of the heat pipe roller 40. On the other hand, the side surface portion 731 of the front outer frame 73 is formed with a hole portion 73 a for inserting and supporting the convex portion 45 provided at the front end portion of the heat pipe roller 40. Moreover, the cylindrical part and the convex part 45 of the heat pipe roller 40 inserted in these hole parts 71a and 73a are rotatably supported through bearings 46 and 47 (refer FIG. 19) as a rotation support member.

  Further, in addition to the heat pipe roller 40, a tension roller 56, an upstream side conveyance roller 64 (located below the main conveyance path 26), and a conveyance guide (located below the main conveyance path 26) 66, the transport unit 60 is also supported by the rear frame 71 and the front outer frame 73 (see FIG. 21). The transport unit 60 is disposed above the two belt facing rollers 61 and 62 shown in FIG. 2, the upstream transport roller 63 disposed above the main transport path 26, and the main transport path 26. The transport guides 65a to 65c are configured as an integral unit.

  Holes for inserting and supporting the support shafts 71b and 73b for supporting the transport unit 60 and both ends of the upstream transport roller 64 are provided in the side surface portion 731 of the back frame 71 and the front outer frame 73, respectively. 71c, 73c and insertion holes 71d, 73d for inserting screws 77 for fixing both ends of the conveyance guide 66 are provided.

  The tension roller 56 is supported by attaching a holding frame 59 that holds the tension roller 56 together with the spring 57 to the rear frame 71 and the side surface portion 731 of the front outer frame 73. Specifically, it is provided at each of the rear and front end portions of the holding frame body 59 on a support protrusion 71e provided on the rear frame 71 and an attachment member 74 fixed to the side surface portion 731 of the front outer frame 73. A plurality of insertion holes 59a into which the support protrusions 74a are inserted are formed. When the support projection 71e of the back frame 71 is inserted into the insertion hole 59a on the back side of the holding frame 59, and the support projection 74a of the mounting member 74 is inserted into the insertion hole 59a on the front side of the holding frame 59, the attachment By fixing the member 74 to the front outer frame 73, the tension roller 56 is supported by the rear frame 71 and the front outer frame 73.

  The rear frame 71, the front inner frame 72, and the front outer frame 73 are vent holes for allowing air to flow into or out of the heat radiating portion 33 at positions facing the heat radiating portion 33 of the heat sink 30. 71f, 72f, and 73f are formed. These vent holes 71f, 72f, 73f are formed in a substantially trapezoidal shape corresponding to the outer shape of the heat radiating portion 33.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 19, on the front side (outside) of the side surface portion 731 of the front outer frame 73, a timing belt 84 as a driving force transmission member that transmits the driving force of the driving roller 52 to the upstream conveying roller 64. And a plurality of pulleys 85 to 88 are arranged. Of the plurality of pulleys 85 to 88, the two pulleys 85 and 87 are provided at the front end portions of the driving roller 52 and the upstream conveying roller 64, and the remaining two pulleys 86 and 88 are the side surfaces of the front outer frame 73. The part 731 is rotatably provided. The timing belt 84 is stretched around the pulleys 85 to 88. Further, the timing belt 84 is disposed so as not to overlap the air holes 72 f and 73 f formed in the front inner frame 72 and the front outer frame 73. That is, the timing belt 84 is arranged so as not to enter the air flow path so as not to block the air flow from the first fan 80A to the heat sink 30.

  When the driving roller 52 is rotationally driven, the driving force is transmitted to the upstream conveying roller 64 via the pulleys 85 to 88 and the timing belt 84. In this way, by transmitting the driving force of the driving roller 52 to the upstream conveying roller 64, it is not necessary to separately provide a driving source for driving these rollers 52 and 64, thereby reducing the size and cost of the apparatus. I can plan.

  By the way, it is desirable that the conveyance speed (surface movement speed) of the conveyance belt 51 by the drive roller 52 being rotationally driven is set to be faster than the conveyance speed (surface movement speed) of the upstream-side conveyance roller 64. On the contrary, if the conveying speed of the conveying belt 51 is slower than the conveying speed of the upstream conveying roller 64, the recording material P sits on the recording material P when the recording material P is conveyed from the upstream conveying roller 64 to the conveying belt 51. This is because bending (waved bending) occurs, the contact area between the recording material P and the conveyance belt 51 is reduced, and the cooling effect by the heat sink 30 may be reduced.

  The conveying speed of the conveying belt 51 is determined at least by the diameter of the driving roller 52, the thickness of the conveying belt 51, and the rotational speed of the driving roller 52. Further, the transport speed of the upstream transport roller 64 is determined at least by the diameter of the upstream transport roller 64 and its rotational speed. Further, the rotation speed of the upstream transport roller 64 is determined by the rotation speed of the drive roller 52 and the ratio of the number of teeth of the pulleys 85 and 87 provided on the drive roller 52 and the upstream transport roller 64. Therefore, by appropriately determining these conditions, the conveyance speed of the conveyance belt 51 can be made faster than the conveyance speed of the upstream conveyance roller 64.

  For example, when the sum of the diameter of the driving roller 52 and the thickness of the conveying belt 51 and the diameter of the upstream conveying roller 64 are the same, the teeth of the pulleys 85 and 87 provided on the driving roller 52 and the upstream conveying roller 64 are the same. The ratio of the numbers (reduction ratio) may be larger than 1. When the ratio of the number of teeth of the pulleys 85 and 87 (reduction ratio) is 1, the sum of the diameter of the driving roller 52 and the thickness of the conveying belt 51 is made larger than the diameter of the upstream conveying roller 64. That's fine. When the sum of the diameter of the driving roller 52 and the thickness of the transport belt 51 is smaller than the diameter of the upstream transport roller 64, the transport speed of the upstream transport roller 64 is slower than the transport speed of the transport belt 51. In addition, the number of teeth of the pulley 87 provided on the upstream-side transport roller 64 may be made larger than the number of teeth of the pulley 85 provided on the drive roller 52.

FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating the arrangement of the frames 71 to 73 in a state where the cooling device 9 is accommodated in the image forming apparatus main body.
As shown in FIG. 22, in the state where the cooling device 9 is housed in the image forming apparatus main body, the support shaft 91 of the lever 90 is disposed in the vicinity of the lower side of each of the frames 71 to 73. For this reason, the lower portions of the frames 71 to 73 facing the support shaft 91 of the lever 90 are disposed obliquely in the same manner as those facing the tip portions 31a of the fins 31 and the conveyor belt 51 of the heat sink 30. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the size by avoiding interference between the frames 71 to 73 and the support shaft 91 of the lever 90. In addition, by arranging the lower portions of the frames 71 to 73 obliquely, it is possible to avoid interference with a portion (inclined portion 280) that swells upward in the resupply path 28.

  Next, a method for assembling the cooling device 9 will be described.

  First, as shown in FIG. 23, the heat sink 30, the driving roller 52 that stretches the conveyor belt 51, and the driven rollers 53 to 55 are assembled to the rear frame 71 and the front inner frame 72.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 24, the conveyor belt 51 is attached. In the present embodiment, since the outer peripheral length M1 of the front inner frame 72 is set shorter than the inner peripheral length M2 of the conveyor belt 51, the driving roller 52 passes through the outer peripheral side of the front inner frame 72 from the front side. And can be mounted around each driven roller 53-55.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 25, the transport unit 60, the upstream transport roller 64, and the transport guide 66 are assembled to the rear frame 71 and the front outer frame 73, and the front outer frame 73 is connected to the rear frame 71 and the front inner frame. Fix to frame 72. Specifically, first, the front outer frame 73 is fixed to the rear frame 71 and the front inner frame 72 with screws 75 and 76 (see FIG. 20). Next, the transport unit 60 is attached to the respective support shafts 71b and 73b provided on the rear frame 71 and the front outer frame 73, and both ends of the upstream transport roller 64 are connected to the rear frame 71 and the front outer frame 73 via bearings. It inserts in each hole part 71c, 73c provided. Then, screws 77 are inserted through the insertion holes 71 d and 73 d provided in the rear frame 71 and the front outer frame 73, and the conveyance guide 66 is fixed to the rear frame 71 and the front outer frame 73 by the screws 77. Thereby, the assembly of the transport unit 60, the upstream transport roller 64, and the transport guide 66 to the rear frame 71 and the front outer frame 73 and the fixing of the front outer frame 73 to the rear frame 71 and the front inner frame 72 are completed.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 26, the heat pipe roller 40 is assembled to the back frame 71 and the front outer frame 73 fixed to each other. In this embodiment, since the hole 71a provided in the back frame 71 is formed with a diameter D1 (D1> D2) larger than the outer diameter D2 of the cylindrical portion of the heat pipe roller 40, the heat pipe is passed through the hole 71a. The roller 40 can be assembled. Specifically, the heat pipe roller 40 is inserted into the hole 71a of the back frame 71 from the back side of the back frame 71 with the end of the heat pipe roller 40 provided with the convex portion 45 as the tip, and the conveyor belt 51 The projection 45 is inserted into the hole 73 a of the front outer frame 73 through the top.

  When the convex portion 45 of the heat pipe roller 40 is inserted into the hole 73 a of the front outer frame 73, the bearing 46 on the side of the heat radiating portion 43 mounted on the heat pipe roller 40 in advance is the edge of the hole 71 a of the back frame 71. It abuts on a positioning portion 71i (see FIG. 27) provided on the surface. Thereby, positioning of the insertion direction of the heat pipe roller 40 is made. Then, the bearing 47 is mounted on the convex portion 45 from the front side (outer side) of the front outer frame 73. Further, a retaining member 48 (see FIG. 27) is attached to the convex portion 45 from the front side (outer side) of the front outer frame 73 so that the heat pipe roller 40 is not detached to the rear side.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 28, the tension roller 56 is assembled. Specifically, first, the support protrusion 71e provided on the back frame 71 is inserted into the insertion hole 59a formed at the end on the back side of the holding frame body 59 that holds the tension roller 56. Next, the tension roller 56 is pressed against the conveyor belt 51, and the insertion hole 59 a formed at the front end of the holding frame body 59 is made to coincide with the insertion hole 73 e formed in the front outer frame 73. In this state, the support protrusion 74a of the mounting member 74 is inserted from the front side (outside) into the insertion hole 73e of the front outer frame 73 and the insertion hole 59a on the front side of the holding frame body 59, and the mounting member 74 is moved to the front outer side. The frame 73 is fixed with screws 78. Thereby, the tension roller 56 is supported between the back frame 71 and the front outer frame 73.

  Finally, pulleys 85 to 88 are attached to the front end portions of the driving roller 52 and the upstream conveying roller 64 and the front outer frame 73, respectively, and the timing belt 84 is passed over these pulleys 85 to 88 (see FIG. 19). ).

  As described above, in the present embodiment, one support member (back frame 71) disposed on the back side and two support members (front inner frame 72 and front outer frame 73) disposed on the front side, Since each component member is configured to be supported, it is easier to assemble each component member than when each component member is supported by a pair of support members on the back side and the front side. That is, when each component member is supported by a pair of support members, the number of component members assembled to one support member inevitably increases, and the assembly work tends to be complicated. By separating the supporting members to be supported in this manner, the number of constituent members assembled to one supporting member can be reduced, and the assembling work can be easily performed.

  Further, by separating the supporting members to be supported according to the constituent members, the remaining constituent members can be assembled after the assembly of some of the constituent members is completed. As a result, the assembling work can be performed reliably, and the assembling accuracy is improved. In particular, in the present embodiment, the heat sink 30 and the heat pipe roller 40 which are relatively heavy components are assembled to separate support members (the front inner frame 72 and the front outer frame 73). After completing the assembly, the heat pipe roller 40 can be assembled, and the assembly workability is improved.

  The front outer frame 73 that supports the heat pipe roller 40 is fixed to the front inner frame 72 that supports the heat sink 30, the drive roller 52, and the driven rollers 53 to 53, so that the heat pipe roller 40, the heat sink 30, The positioning accuracy between the driving roller 52 and the driven rollers 53 to 55 can be ensured. In addition, since the front outer frame 73 can be fixed to the front inner frame 72 from the front side (outer side), it is easy to perform the fixing operation.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the conveyance belt 51 can be attached after the heat sink 30, the driving roller 52, and the driven rollers 53 to 55 are assembled to the back frame 71 and the front inner frame 72. Assembly workability is improved. That is, it is not necessary to assemble the rear frame 71 and the front inner frame 72 in a state where the conveyor belt 51 is first wound around the rollers 52 to 55 and the heat sink 30 is disposed inside the conveyor belt 51. Since it is good, the assembly work becomes easier. In addition, when the surface of the driving roller 52 is covered with a member having a high friction coefficient such as rubber, the conveying belt 51 is difficult to slip with respect to the driving roller 52, so that only the driving roller 52 among the rollers 52 to 55 is included. The conveying belt 51 may be attached in a state where it is not assembled, and then the driving roller 52 may be assembled.

  In addition, when disassembling the cooling device 9, each constituent member may be removed by a procedure reverse to the procedure at the time of assembly. In that case, the conveyor belt 51 can be removed by sliding it to the front side as opposed to during assembly. Further, in the present embodiment, the driven rollers 53 to 55 are arranged so as to slightly protrude outward from the outline of the front inner frame 72 (see the protruding amount E in FIG. 22). By causing the conveyor belt 51 to slide along 55, the conveyor belt 51 is not easily caught on the front inner frame 72 and can be easily removed.

  In addition, since the tension roller 56 is assembled not to the front inner frame 72 but to the front outer frame 73 as in this embodiment, there is no need to provide a portion for assembling the tension roller 56 to the front inner frame 72. The inner frame 72 can be configured compactly. This facilitates the design such that the outer peripheral length M1 of the front inner frame 72 is shorter than the inner peripheral length M2 of the transport belt 51, and the transport belt 51 can be mounted after the heat sink 30 and the rollers 52 to 55 are assembled. It becomes easy to realize the configuration.

  Further, when the heat pipe roller 40 is assembled, the convex portion 45 at the distal end in the insertion direction does not protrude outward from the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion of the heat pipe roller 40, so the convex portion 45 interferes with surrounding members. Can be avoided. For example, as in the example shown in FIG. 29, when the bearing 49 is mounted on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion of the heat pipe roller 40 as a support portion that supports the tip end side of the heat pipe roller 40, the heat pipe roller 40 When inserting the bearing 49, the bearing 49 may come into contact with the conveyor belt 51 to damage it. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the convex portion 45 as the support portion does not protrude outward (in the direction intersecting the moving direction at the time of assembly) from the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion of the heat pipe roller 40. Interference with the member can be avoided. As a result, damage to the member due to interference can be prevented, and the assembling work can be performed smoothly.

  In the present embodiment, the protrusion 45 is provided at the tip of the heat pipe roller 40, and the hole 73a is provided in the portion of the front outer frame 73 that receives the protrusion 45, but this is not restrictive. For example, as shown in the example shown in FIG. 30, a hole (recess) 92 is provided at the tip of the heat pipe roller 40, and a protrusion 93 inserted into the hole (recess) 92 is provided on the front outer frame 73. Also good. Also in this case, the heat pipe roller 40 can be assembled while avoiding interference with surrounding members.

  As described above, according to the configuration according to the present embodiment, the assembling workability of the cooling device 9 is improved and the assembling can be surely performed. The occurrence of is reduced. Thereby, the adhesiveness of the heat sink 30 and the heat pipe roller 40 with respect to the conveyance belt 51 can be ensured satisfactorily, and a stable cooling function can be exhibited.

  Subsequently, an assembly structure of the heat sink 30 to each of the frames 71 to 73 will be described.

First, the assembly structure on the front side will be described with reference to FIG.
Positioning projections 38 </ b> A as positioning portions for positioning both the front inner frame 72 and the front outer frame 73 are provided on the front end surfaces of the pair of protrusions 37 of the heat sink 30. The positioning protrusion 38A is a metal pin formed in a round bar shape, and is pressed into a hole provided in the protruding portion 37 and attached. Further, a screwing hole 39 </ b> A as a fixing portion fixed to the front inner frame 72 is provided on the front end face of each protruding portion 37. In addition, two screwing holes 39A are provided side by side in the up-down direction in the protruding portion 37 arranged on the downstream side in the transport direction (the back side in FIG. 31), and upstream in the transport direction (the near side in FIG. 31). One screwing hole 39A is provided in the projecting portion 37 arranged in the above, but the number and arrangement of the screwing holes 39A can be appropriately changed.

  On the other hand, in the front inner frame 72 and the front outer frame 73, positioning holes 72g and 73g are formed as positioning portions that fit into the positioning protrusions 38A of the heat sink 30. Further, the front inner frame 72 and the front outer frame 73 are formed with insertion holes 72h and 73h through which screws 89 fastened to the screw fixing holes 39A of the heat sink 30 are inserted. Of the positioning holes 73g formed in the front outer frame 73, the positioning hole 73g on the upstream side in the transport direction (front side in FIG. 31) and the insertion holes 73h on both sides are formed integrally with the vent hole 73f. ing.

  In order to assemble the heat sink 30 to the front inner frame 72 and the front outer frame 73, first, the positioning protrusions 38A of the heat sink 30 are inserted through the positioning holes 72g of the front inner frame 72. Next, each positioning projection 38 </ b> A is further inserted into each positioning hole 73 g of the front outer frame 73. Thereby, the positioning protrusion 38A is fitted into the positioning holes 72g and 73g of the frames 72 and 73, and the heat sink 30 and the frames 72 and 73 are positioned. Then, the screw 89 is fastened from the front side (outside) to the screw fixing hole 39A of the heat sink 30 through the insertion hole 73h of the front outer frame 73 and the insertion hole 72h of the front inner frame 72. Thereby, the heat sink 30 and the front inner frame 72 are fixed by the screw 89. The heat sink 30 and the front inner frame 72 are fixed by fastening the screws 89, but the heat sink 30 and the front outer frame 73 are not fixed (as shown in FIG. 32, the screws 89 are fastened). The head of the screw 89 is inserted into the insertion hole 73h of the front outer frame 73. As described above, the front outer frame 73 is fixed to the heat sink 30 via the front inner frame 72 by being fixed to the front inner frame 72 with the screws 75 (see FIG. 20).

Next, the assembly structure on the back side will be described with reference to FIG.
Positioning holes 38 </ b> B serving as positioning portions for positioning the back frame 71 are provided on the back end surfaces of the pair of protrusions 37 of the heat sink 30. Further, a screwing hole 39 </ b> B as a fixing portion that is fixed to the rear frame 71 is formed on the rear end face of each protruding portion 37. Note that the number and arrangement of the screwing holes 39B provided on the back side can be changed as appropriate, similarly to the screwing holes 39A provided on the front side.

  On the other hand, the rear frame 71 is formed with positioning protrusions 71g as positioning portions that fit into the positioning holes 38B of the heat sink 30. Further, the rear frame 71 is formed with an insertion hole 71h through which a screw 89 fastened to the screwing hole 39B of the heat sink 30 is inserted.

  In order to assemble the heat sink 30 to the back frame 71, first, each positioning projection 71g of the back frame 71 is inserted into each positioning hole 38B of the heat sink 30. As a result, the positioning projection 71g is fitted into the positioning hole 38B, and the heat sink 30 and the rear frame 71 are positioned. Then, the screw 89 is fastened from the back side (outside) to the screwing hole 39B of the heat sink 30 through the insertion hole 71h of the back frame 71. Thereby, the heat sink 30 and the back frame 71 are fixed by the screw 89. FIG. 34 shows a state where the heat sink 30 is assembled to the back frame 71.

  As described above, in this embodiment, screw holes 39A and 39B are formed in the reinforcing portion 35 (projecting portion 37) which is a highly rigid portion in the heat sink 30, and screws 89 are fastened to the screw holes 39A and 39B. By doing so, the heat sink 30 is fixed to the front inner frame 72 and the rear frame 71. That is, since the high-strength reinforcing portion 35 (projecting portion 37) of the heat sink 30 is fixed to the frames 71 and 72, the rigidity of the structure when the heat sink 30 is fixed to the frames 71 and 72 is improved. It is possible to suppress the occurrence of distortion and the unstable posture of the heat sink 30. Thereby, the adhesiveness of the heat sink 30 with respect to the conveyance belt 51 can be ensured favorably, and a desired cooling performance can be obtained. Moreover, since the contact nonuniformity of the heat sink 30 with respect to the conveyance belt 51 can also be suppressed, the movement of the conveyance belt 51 toward one side in the width direction can also be suppressed, and the conveyance performance of the conveyance belt 51 can be obtained well.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, the protruding portion 37 is thicker and more rigid than any of the side wall portion 36, the fin 31, and the heat receiving portion 32 (t4> t1, t2, t3 in FIGS. 31 and 33). By fixing the portion 37 and the frames 71 and 72, the rigidity of the entire structure is increased. Further, in the present embodiment, the side wall 36 is formed thicker than the fin 31 to increase the rigidity of the side wall 36 (t1> t2 in FIGS. 31 and 33), and the connection between the side wall 36 and the protrusion 37 is achieved. Even if stress concentration occurs in the portion, the side wall portion 36 is less likely to be bent or twisted.

  In the present embodiment, the reinforcing portion 35 of the heat sink 30 is directly contacted and fixed to the front inner frame 72 and the rear frame 71, but is in direct contact by interposing a spacer between the two members or providing a gap. You may fix without letting it. For example, by using an elastic member having a small repulsive force such as a sponge as the spacer, the bending of the front inner frame 72 and the rear frame 71 can be suppressed, and interference between the frames 71 and 72 and the protruding portion 37 can be avoided. it can.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, each frame 71 and 72 is fixed in contact with the end surface (end surface facing the front surface or the back surface) of the front side or the back side of the reinforcing portion 35 (projection portion 37). May be a surface other than the end surface on the front side or the back side as long as it is on the end side in the transport width direction intersecting the transport direction of the reinforcing portion 35. For example, the frames 71 and 72 may be fixed in contact with a surface facing the upstream side or the downstream side in the transport direction of the reinforcing portion 35 (projecting portion 37), or an upper surface or a lower surface.

  Further, in this embodiment, since the front inner frame 72 and the front outer frame 73 are both positioned by the positioning protrusions 38A provided on the heat sink 30, the relative positional accuracy between these frames 72 and 73 is improved. To do. That is, since each positioning reference is the same, the relative positional accuracy of the constituent members assembled to these frames 72 and 73 is also improved. Thereby, since the heat sink 30 and the heat pipe roller 40 can be positioned close to each other with high precision, the distance between the heat receiving portions 32 and 42 (the distance indicated by the symbol Z in FIG. 2) is shortened. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size and improve the cooling performance.

  In the present embodiment, the positioning portions (positioning protrusions 38A and positioning holes 38B) provided in the heat sink 30 are separated from each other in the transport direction than the fixing portions (screw fixing holes 39A and screw fixing holes 39B) provided in the heat sink 30. It is arranged at the position. That is, on the front side shown in FIG. 31, the distance H1 in the conveyance direction between the positioning protrusions 38A is longer than the distance H2 in the conveyance direction between the screwing holes 39A, and on the back side shown in FIG. The distance H3 in the direction is also longer than the distance H4 in the transport direction between the screw holes 49B. Thus, since the positioning parts are arranged at positions separated from each other, the positioning accuracy is improved as compared with the case where the positioning parts are arranged at positions close to each other.

  Further, the positioning portions (positioning protrusions 38A and positioning holes 38B) and the fixing portions (screw fixing holes 39A and screw fixing holes 39B) provided on the heat sink 30 can be arranged side by side in the vertical direction. They are arranged side by side in the direction (conveyance direction). Thereby, the size increase of the protrusion part 37 especially in an up-down direction can be suppressed.

FIG. 35 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a portion for fixing the heat sink 30.
In the example shown in FIG. 35 (a), the side wall portion 36 that is the reinforcing portion 35 of the heat sink 30 is configured to be thicker than the heat receiving portion 32 (t1> t3), and the side wall portion 36 is provided with a screw hole 39A. is there. In this case, since the screwing hole 39A is provided in the thick side wall portion 36, the rigidity of the structure when the heat sink 30 is fixed to the front inner frame 72 and the rear frame 71 is improved. On the other hand, since the heat receiving part 32 is configured to be thin, the heat conductivity to the fins 31 is good and the cooling performance is high.

  In the example shown in FIG. 35 (b), contrary to the example shown in FIG. 35 (a), the heat receiving portion 32 is configured to be thicker than the side wall portion 36 (t3> t1), and the screw receiving hole 39A is formed in the heat receiving portion 32. Is provided. In this case, since the heat receiving portion 32 having a large thickness is fixed to the front inner frame 72 and the rear frame 71, the rigidity of the structure is improved. Further, in this case, the side wall portion 36 does not need to be provided with the screwing hole 39A. Therefore, by making the side wall portion 36 the same thickness as the fin 31 (t1 = t2), it can function as a heat radiating portion. .

  In the example shown in FIG. 35 (c), both the side wall portion 36 and the heat receiving portion 32 are configured to be thick and provided with a screwing hole 39A. In this case, the rigidity as the structure is higher than in the example shown in FIGS.

  As described above, the example shown in FIG. 35A has an advantage that the cooling performance is improved because the heat receiving portion 32 can be made thinner than the examples shown in FIGS. However, when the side wall portion 36 is formed uniformly thick as in the example shown in FIG. 35A, there are disadvantages that the cost is increased and the apparatus is enlarged. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the side wall portion 36 is not uniformly thickened, but is partially thickened to form the projecting portion 37, and the screwing hole 39A is provided in the projecting portion 37. As shown in FIGS. 31 and 33, t4> t1 and t3> t2. Moreover, the thickness t3 of the heat receiving part 32 shown in FIGS. 31 and 33 is made thin like the heat receiving part 32 in FIG. Further, t3 and t1 shown in FIGS. 31 and 33 have substantially the same thickness, and t1 is approximately twice t2. With this configuration, it is possible to reduce the cost and size as compared with the example in which the side wall portion 36 is uniformly thickened. However, the cooling device according to the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and the configuration of each example shown in FIG. 35 may be adopted according to required cooling performance, rigidity, and the like.

FIG. 36 is a view showing a structure for preventing the conveyance belt 51 from shifting in the width direction.
As shown in FIG. 36, on the inner peripheral surface of the end portion in the width direction of the conveyor belt 51, a restricting convex portion 51b as a width direction movement restricting portion that restricts the movement of the convey belt 51 in the width direction extends over the entire circumferential direction. Is provided. In FIG. 36, only the configuration on the one end portion side of the conveyor belt 51 is shown, but the restricting convex portion 51b is similarly provided on the opposite end portion. As described above, since the regulation convex portions 51b are provided at both ends in the width direction of the transport belt 51, even if the transport belt 51 moves to one side in the width direction, the one regulation convex portion 51b becomes the driving roller. The movement of the conveyance belt 51 in the width direction is restricted by contacting one end of the roller portion 52a.

  The restricting convex portion 51 b is made of a flexible resin or rubber like the main body portion of the transport belt 51. On the other hand, the drive roller 52 is made of metal. For this reason, if the resin or rubber regulating convex portion 51b directly contacts the metal roller portion 52, the regulating convex portion 51b may be worn heavily. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a resin protective member 94 is provided at both ends of the roller portion 52 of the drive roller 52 in order to suppress wear of the restricting convex portion 51b. The protection member 94 is formed in a ring shape, and is attached to the shaft portion 52b of the drive roller 52 so as to be rotatable. Further, a retaining member 95 that prevents the protection member 94 from falling off the shaft portion 52b is attached to the shaft portion 52b of the driving roller 52.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 36, a groove 32 b for avoiding interference with the regulating convex portion 51 b of the transport belt 51 is formed on the heat receiving surface 32 a side of the heat receiving portion 32 of the heat sink 30. It is formed continuously in the (conveying direction). The grooves 32b are formed on both the front side and the back side of the heat sink 30.

  As shown in FIG. 37, the restricting convex portion 51b has a maximum sheet passing area (maximum conveying medium passing area) Q through which the recording material P having the maximum width size passes so as not to affect the conveyance performance of the recording material P. It arrange | positions outside the width direction edge part. In addition, the end portions of the heat pipe roller 40 and the roller facing rollers 61 and 62 that convey the recording material P while being sandwiched between the conveyance belt 51 are in the maximum sheet passing area (maximum conveyance medium passing area) Q. It arrange | positions outside a width direction edge part. Thereby, the recording material P can be stably conveyed while being cooled.

  Next, the configuration of the transport unit 60 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 38, the transport unit 60 includes a housing 67 that holds two belt facing rollers 61 and 62 and an upper upstream transport roller 63. Each casing guide 65a to 65c is integrally formed in the housing 67. The housing 67 is rotatably supported by the respective support shafts 71b and 73b provided on the rear frame 71 and the front outer frame 73. As a result, the transport unit 60 rotates in the vertical direction (in the direction of the arrow in the figure) around the respective support shafts 71 b and 73 b, and approaches and separates from the transport belt 51.

  When the transport unit 60 is close to the transport belt 51 (shown by a solid line in FIG. 38), the belt facing rollers 61 and 62 are in contact with the transport belt 51, and the upper upstream transport roller 63 is on the lower side. Are arranged in contact with the upstream conveying roller 64. Further, in this state, the belt facing rollers 61 and 62 and the upstream conveying roller 63 are contacted by springs 96 to 98 as urging members provided on the casing 67 (the conveying belt 51, the upstream conveying roller). The roller 64) is biased.

  On the other hand, in a state where the conveyance unit 60 is separated from the conveyance belt 51 (a state indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 38), the belt facing rollers 61 and 62 are separated from the conveyance belt 51, and the upper upstream conveyance roller 63 is arranged in a state of being separated from the lower upstream conveying roller 64. As a result, the upper portion of the main transport path 26 is opened, and it becomes easy to perform maintenance work and paper jam processing.

  Further, the conveyance unit 60 includes an engagement claw 110 as a lock member that locks the conveyance unit 60 so as not to be separated from the conveyance belt 51, and a lock release operation unit that releases the locked state by the engagement claw 110. A release lever 111 is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 39, the engaging claws 110 are provided on both the front and rear end sides of the transport unit 60. Correspondingly, the rear frames 71 and the front outer frame 73 are provided with engaging claws. Engaging protrusions 71j and 73j are provided as engaging portions that engage with 110. The engaging claws 110 are rotatably attached to both ends of the support shaft 112 to which the release lever 111 is fixed. Further, the engaging claw 110 is attached with the other end of a spring 99 which is an urging member having one end attached to the housing 67. By this spring 99, the engaging claw 110 is always urged in a direction to engage with the engaging protrusions 71j and 73j.

  As shown in FIG. 40, a pushing portion 113 that pushes and moves the engaging claw 110 is provided at the end of the support shaft 112 provided with the release lever 111. The pushing portion 113 is a portion that protrudes upward from a plate-like member provided at the end of the support shaft 112 and is bent by 90 °. And the front-end | tip part of this bent pushing part 113 is inserted in the hole 110a formed in the upper part of the engaging nail | claw 110. FIG.

  The release lever 111 and the pushing portion 113 are fixed so as not to rotate with respect to the support shaft 112. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 41, when the release lever 111 is rotated upward about the support shaft 112, the pushing portion 113 is also rotated accordingly. On the other hand, the engaging claw 110 is rotatable with respect to the support shaft 112, but the engaging claw 110 is pushed and moved by the pushing portion 113 when the pushing portion 113 is rotated. As a result, the engaging claw 110 rotates about the support shaft 112 against the biasing force of the spring 99, and the engagement with the engaging protrusions 71j and 73j is released. At this time, the place where the pushing portion 113 pushes the engagement claw 110 is a position away from the rotation center of the engagement claw 110 (the center of the support shaft 112) in the radial direction. The engagement can be released by pushing. Then, the transport unit 60 can be separated from the transport belt 51 by rotating the transport unit 60 upward in the disengaged state (see FIG. 38).

  Further, when the transport unit 60 is rotated downward from this state, the transport unit 60 approaches the transport belt 51 (the belt facing rollers 61 and 62 are in contact with the transport belt 51). At this time, the engaging claws 110 are reengaged with the engaging protrusions 71j and 73j, and the transport unit 60 is held so as not to rotate.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the transport unit 60 is configured to be separated from the transport belt 51 in order to facilitate maintenance work and paper jam processing, but the heat pipe roller 40 is connected to the transport belt 51. It is made not to leave apart. Thus, by moving the transport unit 60 closer to and away from the transport belt 51 without moving the heat pipe roller 40 closer to and away from, the transport unit 60 and the heat pipe roller 40 are closer together and separated, Space required for the approaching / separating operation can be reduced. As a result, the apparatus can be miniaturized.

  Further, in the present embodiment, since the support shafts 71b and 73b serving as the rotation center of the transport unit 60 are provided on the heat pipe roller 40 side, when the transport unit 60 is moved closer to and away from the transport belt 51, the transport unit The end of 60 opposite to the heat pipe roller 40 side rotates greatly. On the contrary, since the end of the transport unit 60 on the heat pipe roller 40 side does not rotate greatly, the transport unit 60 is less likely to interfere with the heat pipe roller 40 when the transport unit 60 approaches and separates.

  As shown in FIG. 42, particularly in the present embodiment, in order to reduce the size or to reliably guide the recording material P to the heat pipe roller 40, the heat pipe of the conveyance guide 65c on the most downstream side in the conveyance direction of the conveyance unit 60 is provided. An end portion (downstream end portion in the transport direction) 651 on the roller 40 side is disposed at a position close to the heat pipe roller 40. Specifically, when viewed from the axial direction of the heat pipe roller 40, the downstream end 651 of the conveyance guide 65 c is in the vicinity of the entrance of the nip where the heat pipe roller 40 and the conveyance belt 51 come into contact with each other, and the heat radiating unit 43. Is disposed inside the outer peripheral surface of the fin 41 constituting the. Furthermore, the downstream end 651 of the conveyance guide 65c is downstream of the most upstream end in the conveyance direction on the outer peripheral surface of the heat receiving portion 42 of the heat pipe roller 40 (the position indicated by the dashed line α in FIG. 42). The heat pipe roller 40 and the conveyor belt 51 are arranged in the vicinity of the entrance of the nip portion. Thus, in this embodiment, the conveyance guide 65c is disposed in the vicinity of the heat pipe roller 40. However, as described above, the rotation center of the conveyance unit 60 is provided on the heat pipe roller 40 side, whereby the conveyance guide 65c is conveyed. The conveyance guide 65c is less likely to interfere with the heat pipe roller 40 when the unit 60 approaches and separates.

  In FIG. 42, an arc indicated by a one-dot chain line C1 is a rotation trajectory through which the downstream end 651 passes when the most downstream conveyance guide 65c rotates about the support shafts 71b and 73b. As shown in FIG. 42, by preventing the rotation trajectory C1 from coming into contact with the conveyor belt 51 (C1 is disposed on the inner side of a virtual circle C2 passing through a contact S described below), the conveyor unit 60 is provided. It is possible to avoid contact of the conveyance guide 65c with the conveyance belt 51 when the two are moved closer to and away from each other, and damage to the conveyance belt 51 can be prevented.

  Further, in FIG. 42, a point S is a contact point between the imaginary circle C2 centering on the support shafts 71b and 73b and the conveyor belt 51. By disposing the belt facing rollers 61 and 62 on the side opposite to the heat pipe roller 40 (or on the downstream side in the separating operation direction of the transport unit 60 (right side in the figure)) with the contact S as a boundary, When the conveyance unit 60 is separated, the belt facing rollers 61 and 62 are separated without approaching the conveyance belt 51. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the belt facing rollers 61 and 62 from being rubbed strongly against the conveyance belt 51, and to avoid the occurrence of image defects due to rubbing traces on the conveyance belt 51. Become.

FIG. 43 is a schematic front view of a cooling device according to another embodiment of the present invention.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 43, unlike the above-described embodiment, support shafts 71 b and 73 b that are the rotation center of the transport unit 60 are provided on the side opposite to the heat pipe roller 40 side of the transport unit 60. In this case, similarly to the above-described embodiment, the release lever 111 is operated to release the engagement between the engagement claw 110 and the engagement projections 71j and 73j, and as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. The conveyance unit 60 can be separated from the conveyance belt 51 by rotating the 60 upward. As described above, even when the positions of the support shafts 71b and 73b are arranged on the side opposite to the above-described embodiment, the transport unit 60 is rotated about the support shafts 71b and 73b to be separated from the transport belt 51. This facilitates maintenance work and paper jam handling. Also in this case, the transport unit 60 is moved closer to and away from the transport belt 51 without moving the heat pipe roller 40 closer to and away from the transport belt 51, thereby reducing the space required for the approach and separation operation and reducing the size of the apparatus. ing.

  In FIG. 43, the alternate long and short dash line indicated by reference symbol C <b> 3 is the rotation trajectory of the closest approach end 67 a of the housing 67 that is the portion closest to the heat pipe roller 40 when the transport unit 60 approaches and separates from the transport belt 51. . The rotation path C3 of the closest end portion 67a is set at a position where it does not contact the heat receiving portion 42 of the heat pipe roller 40 so that the closest end portion 67a does not interfere with the heat pipe roller 40.

  Here, also in the embodiment shown in FIG. 43, the transport unit 60 is arranged as close as possible to the heat pipe roller 40, thereby reducing the size of the cooling device 9 and improving the transportability of the recording material P. it can. However, in the configuration in which the support shafts 71b and 73b are on the opposite side to the heat pipe roller 40 side as in this embodiment, the heat pipe roller 40 side of the transport unit 60 is on the support shaft 71b, contrary to the above-described embodiment. , 73b and the like, the conveyance guides and the like provided in the conveyance unit 60 are difficult to dispose close to the nip portion between the heat pipe roller 40 and the conveyance belt 51.

  Therefore, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 43, the most downstream conveyance guide 65c disposed on the heat pipe roller 40 side is configured not to move. In the present embodiment, the most downstream conveyance guide 65 c is configured separately from the casing 67 of the conveyance unit 60, and is attached and fixed to the rear frame 71 and the front outer frame 73. As a result, even when the transport unit 60 approaches and separates from the transport belt 51, the most downstream transport guide 65 c does not follow the transport unit 60 and does not approach and separate from the transport belt 51. In this way, the most downstream conveyance guide 65c does not approach or separate from the conveyance belt 51, so that it does not interfere with the heat pipe roller 40 or other peripheral members. For this reason, the most downstream conveyance guide 65 can be disposed close to the nip portion between the heat pipe roller 40 and the conveyance belt 51.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 43, when viewed from the axial direction of the heat pipe roller 40, the most downstream conveyance guide 65c is connected to the nip where the downstream end 651 contacts the heat pipe roller 40 and the conveyance belt 51. In the vicinity of the inlet of the part, the fins 41 can be arranged so as to be located inside the outer peripheral surface of the fins 41. Furthermore, the downstream end 651 of the most downstream conveyance guide 65c is downstream of the most upstream end in the conveyance direction (the position indicated by the one-dot chain line α in FIG. 43) on the outer peripheral surface of the heat receiving section 42 of the heat pipe roller 40. The heat pipe roller 40 and the conveyance belt 51 can be disposed near the entrance of the nip portion. As a result, the recording material P can be reliably guided to the heat pipe roller 40 and the size in the transport direction can be reduced.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 43, of the belt facing members (the two belt facing rollers 61 and 62 and the three transport guides 65a to 65c), the most downstream transport guide 65c is not approached or separated from the transport belt 51. A non-contact / separation member (fixed member) is used, and the other members are contact / separation members that approach and separate from the transport belt 51, but the configuration is not limited to this. Of the belt facing members, which member is the contact / separation member or the non-contact / separation member can be appropriately changed. For example, in addition to the most downstream conveyance guide 65c shown in FIG. 43, the downstream belt facing roller 61 may be a non-contact / separation member. In order to reduce the size and improve the transportability, it is desirable that the belt facing member disposed relatively on the heat pipe roller 40 side (downstream in the transport direction) is a non-contact / separation member.

  As described above, the cooling device according to another embodiment of the present invention has been described with a focus on the parts that are different from the above-described embodiment. Omitted.

FIG. 44 is a schematic front view of a cooling device according to another embodiment of the present invention.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 44, as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 43, the support shafts 71 b and 73 b of the transport unit 60 are on the side opposite to the heat pipe roller 40 side, and the transport unit 60 approaches the transport belt 51. The separation direction (rotation direction) is the same. However, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 44, unlike the embodiment shown in FIG. 43, the most downstream conveyance guide 65 c is attached to the housing 67 of the conveyance unit 60. Accordingly, when the transport unit 60 approaches and separates from the transport belt 51, the most downstream transport guide 65c also approaches and separates together. In such a configuration, another measure for avoiding the interference of the most downstream conveyance guide 65c with the heat pipe roller 40 is required. In this regard, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 44, the most downstream conveyance guide 65c is configured to be rotatable with respect to the casing 67, thereby realizing a configuration in which the conveyance guide 65c does not interfere with the heat pipe roller 40. ing.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 45, the uppermost portion of the most downstream conveyance guide 65c in the drawing is rotatably attached to a shaft portion 67b provided on the downstream side of the casing 67 in the conveyance direction. The most downstream conveyance guide 65c rotates around the shaft portion 67b, so that the lower portion (downstream end portion 651 in the conveyance direction) of the drawing approaches and separates from the heat pipe roller 40.

  As shown in FIG. 45, the cooling device 9 according to the present embodiment is provided with a groove-shaped guide recess 114 that guides the most downstream conveyance guide 65c when the conveyance unit 60 approaches and separates from the conveyance belt 51. Yes. On the other hand, the most downstream conveyance guide 65 c is provided with a pin-shaped guide protrusion 115 guided along the guide recess 114. Here, the guide protrusion 115 is provided at the front end portion of the conveyance guide 65 c, and the guide recess 114 is provided in the front outer frame 73. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the guide protrusion 115 and the guide recess 114 may be provided on the back side, or may be provided on both the front side and the back side. Further, the concavo-convex relationship is reversed from that of the present embodiment, a rail-shaped guide protrusion is provided on the front outer frame 73 or the rear frame 71, and the guide recess guided along the rail-shaped guide protrusion is the most downstream conveyance guide. You may provide in 65c.

Based on FIG. 46, the operation of the most downstream transport guide 65c will be described.
FIG. 46A shows a state before the transport unit 60 starts to be separated from the transport belt 51. When the separation of the conveyance unit 60 from the conveyance belt 51 is started from this state as shown in FIG. 46B, the most downstream conveyance guide 65c starts to move upward in the drawing as the conveyance unit 60 is separated. To do. At this time, the guide protrusion 115 is guided along the guide recess 114, so that the most downstream conveyance guide 65c rotates counterclockwise in the drawing around the shaft portion 67b. That is, the guide path of the guide recess 114 is different from the rotation path C4 of the shaft portion 67b and is not an arc track centered on the support shafts 71b and 73b of the transport unit 60. By being guided along, the relative position between the shaft portion 67b and the guide projection 115 changes. As a result, the most downstream conveyance guide 65c rotates around the shaft portion 67b, and the attitude of the most downstream conveyance guide 65c with respect to the heat pipe roller 40 changes. As shown in FIG. 46C, when the most downstream conveyance guide 65c moves further upward in the drawing, the guide protrusion 115 is guided along the guide recess 114, so that the most downstream conveyance guide 65c is Furthermore, it rotates counterclockwise in the figure.

  Here, an alternate long and short dash line C5 shown in FIG. 46 (c) indicates that the downstream most downstream conveyance guide 65c is downstream of the most downstream conveyance guide 65c, assuming that the most downstream conveyance guide 65c is fixed so as not to rotate with respect to the housing 67. This is a rotational trajectory that the end portion 651 is supposed to pass through. As described above, if the transport unit 60 is moved close to and away from the housing 67 while the most downstream transport guide 65c is fixed so as not to rotate with respect to the housing 67, the downstream end 651 of the most downstream transport guide 65c is heated. Interferes with the pipe roller 40.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, since the most downstream conveyance guide 65c is configured to be rotatable about the shaft portion 67b, the downstream end portion 651 has a structure as shown in FIGS. The posture of the most downstream conveyance guide 65c can be changed so as to be separated from the heat receiving portion 42 of the heat pipe roller 40. Thereby, it can avoid that the downstream end part 651 of the most downstream conveyance guide 65c interferes with the heat receiving part 42 of the heat pipe roller 40.

  In FIG. 46 (c), an alternate long and short dash line C6 indicates a rotation trajectory centered on the support shafts 71b and 73b of the closest approach end portion 67a, which is the portion of the housing 67 that is closest to the heat pipe roller 40. It is. Of course, the closest end portion 67a of the casing 67 does not interfere with the heat receiving portion 42 of the heat pipe roller 40, as indicated by the rotation path C6.

  After the most downstream conveyance guide 65c passes through the position closest to the heat pipe roller 40, the most downstream conveyance guide 65c may or may not be rotated about the shaft portion 67b. . In FIG. 46, the guide recess 114 is shown only halfway, but the guide recess 114 is provided so as to extend further upward in the drawing. That is, the guide recess 114 is provided so that the guide protrusion 115 can be guided until the transport unit 60 is completely separated (a state indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 44).

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the most downstream conveyance guide 65 c rotates away from the heat pipe roller 40 when the conveyance unit 60 approaches and separates from the conveyance belt 51, so that the most downstream with respect to the heat pipe roller 40. The interference of the transport guide 65c can be avoided. For this reason, also in this embodiment, it is possible to arrange the most downstream conveyance guide 65c close to the nip portion between the heat pipe roller 40 and the conveyance belt 51.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 44, when viewed from the axial direction of the heat pipe roller 40, the most downstream conveyance guide 65 c is connected to the nip where the downstream end 651 contacts the heat pipe roller 40 and the conveyance belt 51. In the vicinity of the inlet of the part, the fins 41 can be arranged so as to be located inside the outer peripheral surface of the fins 41. Furthermore, the downstream end 651 of the most downstream conveyance guide 65c is downstream of the most upstream end in the conveyance direction (the position indicated by the one-dot chain line α in FIG. 44) on the outer peripheral surface of the heat receiving section 42 of the heat pipe roller 40. The heat pipe roller 40 and the conveyance belt 51 can be disposed near the entrance of the nip portion. As a result, the recording material P can be reliably guided to the heat pipe roller 40 and the size in the transport direction can be reduced.

  The cooling device according to another embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the configuration other than the above-described portion is the same as that of the above-described embodiment shown in FIG.

FIG. 47 is an enlarged perspective view showing a part of the most downstream conveyance guide 65c and the casing 67. As shown in FIG.
In the example shown in FIG. 47, the opposed surfaces of the most downstream conveyance guide 65c and the casing 67 that are close to each other are recessed portions 652, 67c and protruding portions 653, 67d in the width direction (from the front side to the back side), respectively. Are formed in a concavo-convex shape (comb shape) alternately arranged. And the mutual convex parts 653 and 67d are arrange | positioned so that the other party concave parts 652 and 67c may be opposed. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent the recording material P from entering between the opposing surfaces. In the example shown in FIG. 47, the opposing surface of the most downstream conveyance guide 65c and the casing 67 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 43 is formed in an uneven shape, but such an opposing surface is formed in an uneven shape. The configuration to be applied is also applicable to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 44 to 46.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  In the above embodiment, the heat receiving surface 32a of the heat sink 30 is arranged in the horizontal direction, and the tip portions 31a of the fins 31 are arranged obliquely (see FIG. 2), but the present invention is such an embodiment. Not limited to. For example, as in the example shown in FIG. 48, the present invention can also be applied to a cooling device in which the heat receiving surface 32a is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction. That is, by changing the distance from the heat receiving surface 32a to the tip 31a of each fin 31 in the conveying direction, the outer shape of the heat sink 30 can be formed in a shape other than a square or a rectangle, and the layout is improved. To do. In this example, the fins 31 are shortened toward the upstream side in the conveying direction, and the tip portions 31a of the fins 31 are arranged in the horizontal direction, so that the portion of the conveying belt 51A stretched below the heat sink 30 is horizontally aligned. Is arranged.

  Further, as in the example shown in FIG. 49, the tip portions 31a of the fins 31 of the heat sink 30 may be arranged in a curved line instead of a straight line.

  Further, as in the example shown in FIG. 50, the fins 31 of the heat sink 30 may be arranged so as to be aligned in the width direction intersecting the transport direction (the direction of the arrow U in the figure). In this case, the tip portions 31a of the fins 31 extend in the transport direction U, but by changing the distance from the heat receiving surface 32a in the tip portions 31a of the fins 31 in the transport direction U, As in the above embodiment, the layout is improved. Further, the first fan 80A and the second fan 80B are arranged on one end side in the width direction of the conveyor belt 51, and the upstream duct 81f and the downstream duct 81g are accommodated in the loop of the conveyor belt 51. Then, an airflow flowing between the fins 31 is generated in the direction opposite to the conveyance direction U. Thereby, since the air current is generated from the downstream side where the heat amount of the recording material P is low toward the upstream side where the heat amount is large, the recording material P can be cooled more efficiently. On the other hand, since the upstream portion of the fin 31 having a large amount of heat is hotter than the downstream portion, if it is desired to actively cool the upstream portion of the fin 31, an air flow may be generated in the same direction as the transport direction U. Good. In this example, the heat sink 30 is fixed to the frame 710 as a support member on the end side (left side in the drawing) of the reinforcing portion 35 of the heat sink 30 in the transport width direction.

  In the above embodiment, one support member (back frame 71) is arranged on the back side, and two support members (front inner frame 72 and front outer frame 73) are arranged on the front side. The configuration on the back side may be reversed. When the conveyance direction of the recording material P that conveys the cooling device 9 is the front-rear direction of the image forming apparatus, these support members are arranged on the right side and the left side that intersect the front or back of the image forming apparatus main body. You may arrange. Further, each component member may be supported not by three support members (back frame 71, front inner frame 72, front outer frame 73) but by two support members (for example, rear frame 71 and front outer frame 73). Good.

  Further, unlike the above embodiment, as in the example shown in FIG. 51, the distance from the heat receiving surface 32a of each fin 31 of the heat sink 30 to the tip portion 31a is formed in the same direction in the transport direction, and the horizontal plane You may position so that the position of each front-end | tip part 31a may incline upwards from the downward direction. Moreover, you may make the position of the height direction of each front-end | tip part 31a with respect to a horizontal surface the same. Further, as in this example, the heat sink 30 and the transport unit 60 may be arranged on the downstream side of the heat pipe roller 40 in the transport direction. Further, as in this example, in addition to the driven rollers 53 and 54 arranged on the upstream side in the conveying direction, the driving roller 52 and the driven roller 55 arranged on the downstream side in the conveying direction also have the protrusion 37 of the heat sink 30. Further downsizing can be achieved by placing them close to each other.

  As in the example shown in FIG. 52, the cooling device 9 may include only one cooling member (in this example, the heat pipe roller 40). Further, the cooling device 9 may include three or more cooling members.

  The approaching / separating operation of the conveyance unit 60 with respect to the conveyance belt 51 is not limited to the rotation operation. For example, as in the example shown in FIG. 53, a pair of guide rails 68 extending in the vertical direction are provided, and the transport unit 60 is linearly moved along the guide rails 68 in the vertical direction so that the transport unit 60 is transported by the transport belt 51. You may make it approach and space apart.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although belt opposing rollers 61 and 62 and the conveyance guides 65a-65c are provided as a belt opposing member which approaches / separates with respect to the conveyance belt 51, it has either one of these. There may be. For example, as an example of a configuration in which only the conveyance guide is provided, as illustrated in FIG. 54, the conveyance is sandwiched and conveyed between the guide plate 69 and the conveyance belt 51. The guide plate 69 is provided in the transport unit 60 and biases the transport belt 51 via the elastic member 70. Here, since the image surface of the recording material P faces the conveyance belt 51, in the case of FIG. 54, it is more preferable that the conveyance belt 51 is electrostatically attracted so that the image rubbing of the recording material P can be reduced. The positional relationship between the guide plate 69 and the conveyor belt 51 with respect to the main conveyance path 26 may be turned upside down.

  Further, as the belt facing member that approaches and separates from the transport belt 51, an opposing transport belt stretched by a plurality of rollers may be provided. For example, as shown in FIG. 55, the recording material P is nipped and conveyed between the opposing conveyance belt 120 and the conveyance belt 51. The opposite conveyance belt 120 is provided in the conveyance unit 60. Note that the positional relationship between the opposing conveyance belt 120 and the conveyance belt 51 with respect to the main conveyance path 26 may be turned upside down.

  Moreover, each cooling system of the said 1st cooling member and the said 2nd cooling member may be a cooling system other than the said embodiment. For example, the first cooling member is replaced with the heat sink 30, and the liquid cooling is performed by circulating the cooling liquid between the plate-shaped heat receiving part 131 and the heat radiating part 132 outside the conveying belt 51 by the pump 130 as shown in FIG. It is also possible to adopt a method. In FIG. 56, reference numeral 133 denotes a fluid flow path, and reference numeral 134 denotes a tank for storing a coolant. It is also possible to adopt a liquid cooling system in which the second cooling member is replaced with the heat pipe roller 40 and the coolant is circulated between the roller-shaped heat receiving portion and the heat radiating portion outside the conveying belt 51 by a pump. It is. Furthermore, the first cooling member may be replaced with the heat sink 30 and the liquid cooling method may be used, and the second cooling member may be the roller-shaped liquid cooling method.

  In the above embodiment, the front inner frame 72 to which the heat sink 30 is attached is fixed to the front outer frame 73. However, the heat sink 30 may be directly attached to the front outer frame 73.

  Further, the image forming apparatus equipped with the cooling device according to the present invention is not limited to the color image forming apparatus as shown in FIG. 1, and may be a monochrome image forming apparatus. Note that the image forming apparatus includes a printer, a copier, a facsimile, or a complex machine of these.

  Furthermore, the transport medium cooled by the cooling device according to the present invention is not limited to the recording material used in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus as described above. For example, a sheet-shaped or roll-shaped recording material P used in an ink jet recording type image forming apparatus as shown in FIG. 57 may be used. In the ink jet recording type image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 57, the recording material P is transported by the transport member 210, and liquid is ejected onto the recording material P by the ink jet head 211 to form an image. A heating member 213 such as an electric heater that heats the recording material P via the platen 212 is provided below the platen 212 through which the recording material P is guided. The heating member 213 forcibly heats the solvent ink droplets landed on the surface of the recording material P, and quickly evaporates the highly permeable organic solvent contained in the ink droplets in the outside air. Then, it cools with the cooling device 9 in any one of the said embodiment. The heating member may be provided on the downstream side in the transport direction with respect to the inkjet head 211.

  Furthermore, the cooling device according to the present invention is not limited to the one that cools the conveyance medium conveyed in the image forming apparatus. For example, the present invention can also be applied to a cooling device that cools an electronic substrate or the like while transporting it.

  In the examples shown in FIGS. 48, 49, 51, 52, 54, 55, and 57, the support shafts 71b and 73b that are the rotation centers of the transport unit 60 are arranged on the heat pipe roller 40 side. However, in these configurations, the support shafts 71b and 73b may be arranged on the side opposite to the heat pipe roller 40 side. In that case, the same configuration as the embodiment shown in FIG. 43 or the embodiment shown in FIGS. 44 to 46 may be applied, and the configuration shown in FIG. 47 is also applicable.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 8 Fixing device 9 Cooling device 25 Conveyance medium conveyance path 26 Main conveyance path 27 Inversion path 28 Resupply path 30 Heat sink (1st cooling member)
31 Fin (Heat dissipation member)
31a Tip (end opposite to the heat receiving surface)
32 heat receiving part 32a heat receiving surface (first heat receiving surface)
33 Radiation part 35 Reinforcement part 36 Side wall part 37 Projection part 38A Positioning protrusion (positioning part)
38B Positioning hole (positioning part)
39A Screw hole (fixed part)
39B Screw hole (fixed part)
40 Heat pipe roller (second cooling member)
41 Fin (Heat dissipation member)
42 heat receiving part 42a heat receiving surface (second heat receiving surface)
43 Heat dissipation part 45 Convex part (support part)
51 Conveyor belt (belt member)
52 Driving roller (belt driving means, stretching member)
53 Follower roller (stretching member)
54 Followed roller (stretching member)
55 Follower roller (stretching member)
56 Tension roller (tensioning member)
60 Conveyance unit 61 Belt facing roller (belt facing member, facing transporting member)
62 Belt facing roller (belt facing member, facing conveying member)
63 Upstream conveying roller (Upstream conveying member)
64 Upstream conveying roller (Upstream conveying member)
65a Conveyance guide (belt facing member, guide member)
65b Conveyance guide (belt facing member, guide member)
65c Conveyance guide (belt facing member, guide member)
71 Rear frame (first support member)
71b Support shaft 71f Vent hole 72 Front inner frame (second support member)
72f Ventilation hole 73 Front outer frame (third support member)
73b Support shaft 73f Ventilation hole 80A Fan (Airflow generating means)
80B fan (air flow generation means)
80C fan (air flow generation means)
81 Inner duct (flow path forming member)
81a opening 81b opening 82 outer duct (flow path forming member)
83 Cover member 83a Vent P Recording material (conveyance medium)

JP 2014-142573 A

Claims (10)

A belt member that contacts the conveyance medium and conveys the conveyance medium;
A cooling member that is disposed opposite to a conveyance surface that contacts the conveyance medium of the belt member, and that cools the conveyance medium;
A belt facing member that is disposed opposite to the transport surface of the belt member on the upstream side or the downstream side in the transport medium transport direction of the cooling member, and that performs at least one of transport and guidance of the transport medium;
With
The cooling device, wherein the belt facing member is moved closer to and away from the belt member without being moved closer to and away from the belt member.   The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the belt facing member can be moved closer to and away from the belt member by rotating around a support shaft provided on the cooling member side. As the belt facing member, a guide member for guiding the transport medium is provided,
The cooling device according to claim 2, wherein a rotation track when the guide member rotates about the support shaft does not contact the belt member.   The cooling device according to claim 3, wherein the guide member is disposed closer to the cooling member than a contact point between a virtual circle centered on the support shaft and the belt member. The cooling member is
A heat receiving portion that contacts the carrier medium and cools the carrier medium;
A heat radiating portion having an outer diameter larger than that of the heat receiving portion;
Have
5. The cooling device according to claim 3, wherein an end portion of the guide member on the cooling member side is disposed on an inner side than an outer peripheral surface of the heat radiating portion when viewed from an axial direction of the cooling member. As the belt facing member, an opposing transport member that transports the transport medium,
The cooling according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the counter conveying member is disposed on a side farther from the cooling member than a contact point between a virtual circle centered on the support shaft and the belt member. apparatus. A first cooling member that opposes the belt facing member via the belt member and contacts a surface of the belt member opposite to the conveying surface to cool the conveying medium via the belt member; ,
A second cooling member that is disposed to face a conveying surface that contacts the conveying medium of the belt member and cools the conveying medium;
The cooling device according to any one of claims 1 to 6. As the belt facing member,
A contact / separation member that is close to and away from the belt member by rotating around a support shaft provided on the opposite side of the cooling member;
A non-contact / separation member that is disposed closer to the cooling member than the contact / separation member and does not approach or separate from the belt member;
The cooling device according to claim 1 provided with.   An image forming apparatus comprising the cooling device according to claim 1. The carrier medium is a recording material on which an image is carried,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a fixing device that heats the recording material and fixes an image carried on the recording material upstream of the cooling device in a recording material conveyance direction.

Images