Air exhausts and image forming apparatus comprising the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10082767-B2
Application number	US-201715585522-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 3, 2017
Priority date	May 20, 2016
Publication date	Sep 25, 2018
Grant date	Sep 25, 2018

Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion, a housing, and a partition wall portion. The housing is configured to store the image forming portion and comprising first and second exhaust ports disposed on a same side wall portion of the housing. The first and second exhaust ports are configured to discharge air which has been taken into the housing and has passed through the image forming portion. The partition wall portion is provided so as to project from the side wall portion and configured to separate an outside space, facing the first exhaust port and to which the air discharged out of the first exhaust port is discharged, of the housing from an outside space, facing the second exhaust port and to which the air is discharged out of the second exhaust port, of the housing.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image forming apparatus, comprising:
an image forming portion;
an outer casing in which the image forming portion is provided, the outer casing including:
a first exhaust opening provided on a back surface of the outer casing and configured to discharge an air, taken into the outer casing and passing through a first ventilation path formed in the outer casing, from the back surface; and
a second exhaust opening provided on the back surface of the outer casing and configured to discharge an air, taken into the outer casing and passing through a second ventilation path formed in the outer casing, from the back surface; and

a guide cover configured to cover the second exhaust opening in such a manner that the first exhaust opening is not covered and the air discharged out of the second exhaust opening is guided toward a space other than a space facing the first exhaust opening,
wherein at least a portion of the guide cover is aligned with at least a portion of the first exhaust opening in a vertical direction and the guide cover is positioned backward of the first exhaust opening.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the guide cover includes a filter for filtering the air discharged out of the second exhaust opening.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising an electric board provided on the way of the first ventilation path,
wherein the first exhaust opening discharges the air passing around the electric board.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the image forming portion is provided on the way of the second ventilation path, and
the second exhaust opening discharges air passing around the image forming portion.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the guide cover is formed separately from the outer casing and attached to the back surface of the outer casing.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the guide cover is an exhaust duct comprising a intake configured to take in the air discharged out of the second exhaust opening and an outlet configured to discharge the air, taken from the intake, out of the guide cover.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the exhaust duct disposed around the first exhaust opening so as to surround the first exhaust opening,
wherein the exhaust duct includes a concave portion whose projection amount from the back surface of the outer casing is smaller than that of other part of the exhaust duct.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a quantity of the air discharged out of the second exhaust opening is greater than a quantity of the air discharged out of the first exhaust opening.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the guide cover guides the air discharged out of the second exhaust opening vertically downward.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a fixing unit disposed on the way of a third ventilation path which is provided in the outer casing,
wherein the outer casing comprises a third exhaust opening provided on the back surface of the outer casing and configured to discharge an air passing around the fixing unit through the third ventilation path.

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein a quantity of the air discharged out of the third exhaust opening is greater than a quantity of the air discharged out of the first exhaust opening.

12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the guide cover is configured to cover the second and third exhaust openings and both of the air discharged out of the second exhaust opening and the air discharged out of the third exhaust opening are filtered by a filter.

13. An image forming apparatus, comprising:
an image forming portion;
an outer casing in which the image forming portion is provided, the outer casing including:
a first exhaust opening provided on a back surface of the outer casing and configured to discharge an air, taken into the outer casing and passing through a first ventilation path formed in the outer casing, from the back surface; and
a second exhaust opening provided on the back surface of the outer casing and configured to discharge an air, taken into the outer casing and passing through a second ventilation path formed in the outer casing, from the back surface; and

an exhaust duct configured to cover the second exhaust opening and disposed around the first exhaust opening so as to surround the first exhaust opening, the exhaust duct comprising a concave portion through which the air discharged out of the first exhaust opening passes.

14. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the outer casing comprises a third exhaust opening provided on the back surface of the outer casing and configured to discharge an air, taken into the outer casing and passing through a third ventilation path formed in the outer casing, from the back surface, and
the exhaust duct covers both of the second exhaust opening and the third exhaust opening.

15. An image forming apparatus, comprising:
an image forming portion;
an outer casing in which the image forming portion is provided, the outer casing including:
a first exhaust opening provided on a back surface of the outer casing and configured to discharge an air, taken into the outer casing and passing through a first ventilation path formed in the outer casing, from the back surface; and
a second exhaust opening provided below the first exhaust opening on the back surface of the outer casing and configured to discharge an air, taken into the outer casing and passing through a second ventilation path formed in the outer casing, from the back surface; and
a third exhaust opening provided below the first exhaust opening on the back surface of the outer casing and configured to discharge an air, taken into the outer casing and passing through a third ventilation path formed in the outer casing, from the back surface,

an exhaust duct configured to cover the second and third exhaust openings and configured to guide both of the air discharged out of the second exhaust opening and the air discharged out of the third exhaust opening vertically downward.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Matsumura Takuya

Classifications

• G03G21/20

  Humidity or temperature control {also ozone evacuation; Internal apparatus environment control} · CPC title

• G03G2221/1645

  for conducting air through the machine, e.g. cooling · CPC title

• G03G21/206 Primary

  Conducting air through the machine, e.g. for cooling, filtering, removing gases like ozone · CPC title

• G03G21/203

  Humidity · CPC title

• G03G21/1619

  Frame structures · CPC title