Image forming apparatus including heater with movable shield

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11835892-B2
Application number	US-202117529867-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 18, 2021
Priority date	Jul 2, 2019
Publication date	Dec 5, 2023
Grant date	Dec 5, 2023

Abstract

An image forming apparatus, includes: an image forming unit that forms a toner image on a medium; a heating unit that is provided on a downstream side in a transport path from the image forming unit and that is configured to heat a medium being transported in a non-contact manner; a fixing unit that is provided on a downstream side in the transport path from the heating unit and fixes the toner image on the medium; a shielding unit to which force is applied so as to be inform a closed state in which the heating unit is shielded; and an open state forming unit configured to receive power supply to drive the shielding unit so as to form an open state in which the heating unit is opened, and maintain the open state while the power is being supplied.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image forming apparatus, comprising:
an image former that forms a toner image on a medium;
a heater that is provided on a downstream side in a transport path from the image former and that is configured to heat the medium being transported in a non-contact manner;
a fixer that is provided on a downstream side in the transport path from the heater and fixes the toner image on the medium;
a shield to which force is applied so as to form a closed state in which the heater is shielded; and
an open state former configured to receive power to drive the shield so as to form an open state in which the heater is opened, and maintain the open state while the power is being supplied, wherein
the closed state is maintained while the power is off,
the shield includes a shutter movable along the heater,
the image forming apparatus further comprises a changing roll configured to move the shutter to the open state in a separating direction away from the transport path, and
the open state former includes a folding roll that folds the shutter, that is moving in the separating direction, in an approaching direction approaching the transport path, a fixing bar that fixes an end portion side of the shutter at a position closer than the folding roll to the transport path, and a rectangular frame shaped member to which the folding roll is attached and which moves the folding roll in the separating direction.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
a region of the transport path heated by the heater has an upward gradient from an upstream side in the transport path to the heater to a downstream side in the transport path from the heater.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising
a blower that blows air toward a back surface of the medium being transported between the image former and the heater.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising
a blower that blows air toward a back surface of the medium being transported between the image former and the heater.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 , further comprising
a guide plate that is disposed between the heater and the image former and that is configured to guide air from the blower to a downstream side in the transport path from the image former.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4 , further comprising
a guide plate that is disposed between the heater and the image former and that is configured to guide air from the blower to a downstream side in the transport path from the image former.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the shield is operated from a side close to the image former such that the closed state in which the heater is shielded is formed from the side close to the image former.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
the shield is operated from a side close to the image former such that the closed state in which the heater is shielded is formed from the side close to the image former.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein
the shield is operated from a side close to the image former such that the closed state in which the heater is shielded is formed from the side close to the image former.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein
the shield is operated from a side close to the image former such that the closed state in which the heater is shielded is formed from the side close to the image former.

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein
the shield is operated from a side close to the image former such that the closed state in which the heater is shielded is formed from the side close to the image former.

12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein
the shield is operated from a side close to the image former such that the closed state in which the heater is shielded is formed from the side close to the image former.

13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein
the shield includes a single shielding portion.

14. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein
the shield includes a single shielding portion.

15. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein
the shield includes a single shielding portion.

16. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein
the shield includes a single shielding portion.

17. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein
the shield includes a single shielding portion.

18. The image forming apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein
the shield includes a single shielding portion.

Assignees

• Fujifilm Business Innovation Corp

Inventors

• Kuge Hideki
• Ogawahara Norio
• Kimura Kouichi
• Hongo Mitsutoshi

Classifications

• G03G15/2017 Primary

  Structural details of the fixing unit in general, e.g. cooling means, heat shielding means (G03G15/2053 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G03G15/2007

  using radiant heat, e.g. infrared lamps, microwave heaters · CPC title

• G03G15/2021

  Plurality of separate fixing and/or cooling areas or units, two step fixing · CPC title

• H05B3/00

  Ohmic-resistance heating · CPC title