Image forming apparatus, image reading device, and liquid discharge device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023398786-A1
Application number	US-202318205821-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 5, 2023
Priority date	Jun 14, 2022
Publication date	Dec 14, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes: a housing having an opening; a drum configured to rotate around a rotation axis to convey a medium in a conveyance direction; an image former configured to form an image on the medium on the drum; a reader downstream of the image former in the conveyance direction, the reader configured to read the image on the medium formed by the image former; a first space accommodating the reader; a second space downstream of the first space in the conveyance direction; a path between the first space and the second space; and a shield configured to openably close the path. The image former and the reader are radially arranged with respect to the rotation axis of the drum.

First claim

1 . An image forming apparatus comprising:
a housing having an opening; a drum configured to rotate around a rotation axis to convey a medium in a conveyance direction; an image former configured to form an image on the medium on the drum; a reader downstream of the image former in the conveyance direction, the reader configured to read the image on the medium formed by the image former; a first space accommodating the reader; a second space downstream of the first space in the conveyance direction; a path between the first space and the second space; and a shield configured to openably close the path, wherein the image former and the reader are radially arranged with respect to the rotation axis of the drum.

2 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising multiple readers including the reader, the multiple readers including:
a first reader configured to read the image in a first range in an axial direction parallel to the rotation axis; and a second reader configured to read the image in a second range different from the first range in the axial direction.

3 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a support supporting the reader and thermally insulating the first space from the second space, and wherein the support includes the shield.

4 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a support supporting the reader and thermally insulating the first space from the second space, wherein the shield is adjacent to the support.

5 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the reader is drawable from the opening of the housing in an axial direction parallel to the rotation axis of the drum.

6 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 5 ,
wherein a drawing movement of the reader is restricted within a predetermined distance in the axial direction, and the predetermined distance is equal to or more of a half of an entire length of the reader in the axial direction.

7 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a third space between the first space and the second space, the third space including the path,
wherein the second space accommodates a heat source configured to generate gas, the shield is closed to restrict the gas flowing from the second space into the first space, the image former discharges a liquid onto the medium to form the image on the medium, and the reader includes an optical portion to read the image.

8 . An image reading device comprising:
a reader configured to read an image formed by an image former on a medium conveyed by a drum in a conveyance direction; a first space accommodating the reader; a second space downstream of the first space in the conveyance direction; a path between the first space and the second space; and a shield configured to openably close the path, wherein the reader is: radially arranged with respect to a rotation axis of the drum; and disposed downstream of the image former in the conveyance direction.

9 . A liquid discharge apparatus comprising:
a housing having an opening; a drum configured to rotate around a rotation axis to convey a medium in a conveyance direction; a liquid discharge head configured to discharge a liquid onto the medium on the drum to form an image on the medium; a reader downstream of the liquid discharge head in the conveyance direction, the reader configured to read the image on the medium formed by the liquid discharge head; a first space accommodating the reader; a second space downstream of the first space in the conveyance direction; a path between the first space and the second space; and a shield configured to openably close the path, wherein the liquid discharge head and the reader are radially arranged with respect to the rotation axis of the drum.

Assignees

• Tokunaga Yusuke
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Tokunaga Yusuke

Classifications

• B41J2/2146 Primary

  for line print heads · CPC title

• B41J25/34

  Bodily-changeable print heads or carriages · CPC title

• B41J2025/008

  comprising a plurality of print heads placed around a drum · CPC title

• B41J2202/21

  Line printing · CPC title

• G06K15/16

  Means for paper feeding or form feeding · CPC title