JP7172688B2 - DRYING DEVICE, IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, AND DRYING DEVICE CONTROL METHOD - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a drying device, an image forming apparatus, and a drying device control method.

2. Description of the Related Art Today, ink jet printers are known that form images by ejecting ink droplets onto paper from nozzles of a liquid ejection head, for example. This inkjet printer device has a drying device that dries the ink applied to the paper with heaters such as a plurality of halogen lamps.

Here, when a so-called jam occurs in which the paper is caught in the conveying roller or the like, the rotational driving of the conveying roller or the like is stopped, the driving of the heater is stopped, and the drying device is cooled by the cooling section.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-008475 discloses an image forming apparatus including such a cooling device. In this image forming apparatus, when a transport failure is detected, the transport of the paper by the transport unit is stopped, the temperature of the guide surface is set to a temperature lower than the first temperature, and the temperature of the gas blown from the gas outlet is set to the second temperature. The temperature is set lower than the temperature to cool the main part. In addition, the front door that can be opened and closed by the user is locked and closed to prevent the user from touching the hot interior.

However, it is preferable to improve the safety of the image forming apparatus by using a safer drying device that reaches a high temperature.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and provides a drying apparatus and an image forming apparatus capable of further improving the safety of equipment equipped with the drying apparatus by making the drying apparatus safer. It is an object of the present invention to provide a control method for an apparatus and a drying apparatus.

In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the present invention heats a sheet of paper on which ink is applied that is carried in through a carry-in port with a heat source, thereby drying the ink and A drying apparatus that carries out a paper out from a dryer, comprising: a first shutter section that closes the inlet when a paper jam occurs; and a second shutter section that closes the outlet when a paper jam occurs. a third shutter section for blocking a heat source in the event of a paper jam; a first lock section for inhibiting movement of the closed first shutter section in an opening direction; and a second locking portion that prevents the second shutter portion from moving in the opening direction.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it is effective in the ability to make a drying apparatus safer and to aim at the further improvement in the safety of the apparatus provided with a drying apparatus.

FIG. 1 is a front view of the main part of the MFP of the first embodiment, and is a view of a drying device provided inside as seen through. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the drying device. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the notification unit provided in the MFP according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a front view of a drying device provided in the MFP of the second embodiment. FIG. 5 is a front view of the MFP drying apparatus according to the third embodiment. FIG. 6 is a front view of an MFP drying apparatus according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 7 is a front view of the MFP drying apparatus according to the fifth embodiment.

A multifunction peripheral (MFP) according to an embodiment to which a drying device, an image forming apparatus, and a control method for the drying device are applied will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[First embodiment]
(Structure of main part of multi-function machine)
FIG. 1 is a front view of the main parts of MFP 1 of the first embodiment, and is a view in a see-through state of drying device 100 provided therein. The MFP 1 has image forming functions such as a copy function, a scanner function, a printer function, and a facsimile transmission/reception function, as well as the drying device 100 shown in FIG. A copy function, a scanner function, a printer function, and a facsimile transmission/reception function are examples of image forming functions.

(Configuration of drying device)
In FIG. 1, the drying device 100 has a roller 111a provided on the inlet 300 side of the paper 112 coated with ink, and a roller 111b provided on the outlet 301 side of the paper 112 . The ring-shaped belt 109 has, for example, an air suction function. The ring-shaped belt 109 is rotationally driven by the rollers 111a and 111b to convey the paper 112 coated with ink from the conveyance start side to the conveyance end side.

The drying apparatus 100 also includes a drying heater 110 for drying the paper 112 coated with ink, and intake air (and exhaust air) through a channel for efficiently transferring the heat of the drying heater 110 to the paper 112 . It has a blowing fan 108 that does. The blowing fan 108 forms hot air based on the heat of the drying heater 110 and blows the hot air onto the ink-coated paper 112 conveyed through the drying apparatus 100 to accelerate drying of the ink. The drying heater 110 and the blowing fan 108 are examples of heat sources.

In addition, the drying apparatus 100 includes a carry-in side shutter 101 (an example of a first shutter section) for closing the carry-in port 300 for the paper 112, and a carry-out side shutter 201 (for closing the carry-out port 301 for the paper 112). (an example of a second shutter portion). In addition, the drying apparatus 100 is designed so that the hot air from the drying heater 110 does not flow into the drying apparatus 100 when, for example, the paper 112 is wrapped around the rollers 111a and 111b and the printing operation is stopped. It has a fan shutter 107 (an example of a third shutter section) for shutting off the blowing fan 108 and the drying heater 110 . The fan shutter 107 is positioned immediately before the blowing fan 108 and the drying heater 110 when closed. As a result, the suction port of the blowing fan 108 is closed, and intake air from the outside is blocked. Also, the heat of the drying heater 110 flowing into the drying apparatus 100 is cut off.

The drying device 100 also detects the paper 112 carried into the drying device 100 through the carry-in port 300 and the paper 112 carried out of the drying device 100 through the carry-out port 301. It has an outlet sensor 118 that The drying device 100 also has a temperature sensor 113 that detects the temperature of the drying device 100 .

(Structure of the shutter on the carry-in side)
The entrance-side shutter 101 includes a shutter door 101b that closes the loading port 300 for the paper 112, a rack 102 that is linearly provided on the inner wall side of the shutter door 101b along the opening/closing direction of the loading-side shutter 101, and a geared shutter. and a motor 104 of . The gear of the motor 104 meshes with the rack 102, and by rotating the motor 104, the shutter door 101b is moved in the direction of arrow A (close direction) or in the direction of arrow B (open direction). .

The drying apparatus 100 also has a so-called bi-directional drive solenoid 103 that projects a plunger (movable core) 103a and retracts the projecting plunger 103a. Along with this, a lock bar 101a is provided at the upper end of the carry-in side shutter 101 and protrudes in a direction orthogonal to the two dimensions on the plane of FIG. 1 with respect to the opening/closing direction.

The solenoid 103 is an example of a first locking unit, and is normally controlled so that the plunger 103a is retracted. However, for example, when the paper 112 winds around the rollers 111a and 111b, etc. and the printing operation or the like stops, a so-called jam occurs, the carry-in side shutter 101 is driven to close, and the carry-in port 300 for the paper 112 is closed. Solenoid 103 is controlled to project plunger 103a in this state. The protruding plunger 103a is positioned directly above the lock bar 101a (an example of a first lock bar) of the loading-side shutter 101 that is driven to close, and prevents the loading-side shutter 101 from moving in the opening direction.

(Structure of unloading side shutter)
The carry-out side shutter 201 includes a shutter door 201b that closes the carry-out port 301 for the paper 112, a rack 202 that is linearly provided on the inner wall side of the shutter door 201b along the opening/closing direction of the carry-out side shutter 201, and a gear. and a motor 204 of . The gear of the motor 204 meshes with the rack 202, and by rotating the motor 204, the shutter door 201b is moved in the direction of arrow A (close direction) or the direction of arrow B (open direction). .

The drying apparatus 100 also has a so-called bi-directional solenoid 203 (an example of a second lock section) that projects a plunger (movable core) 203a and retracts the projected plunger 203a. Along with this, a lock bar 201a (an example of a third lock bar) is provided at the upper end of the carry-out side shutter 201 and protrudes in a direction orthogonal to two dimensions on the plane of FIG. 1 with respect to the opening/closing direction. there is

The solenoid 203 is normally controlled so that the plunger 203a is retracted. However, for example, when the paper 112 winds around the rollers 111a and 111b and the printing operation stops, that is, a so-called jam occurs, the carry-out side shutter 201 is driven to close, and the carry-out port 301 for the paper 112 is closed. Solenoid 203 is controlled to project plunger 203a in this state. The projecting plunger 203a is positioned directly above the lock bar 201a of the unloading shutter 201 that is driven to close, and prevents the unloading shutter 201 from moving in the opening direction.

The carry-in side shutter 101 and the carry-out side shutter 201 keep the drying device 100 in a sealed state, and maintain this sealed state (maintain a locked state) from the time a jam occurs until the inside of the drying device 100 reaches a safe temperature. This prevents inconveniences such as the user accidentally putting his or her hand into the drying apparatus 100, which may be at a high temperature.

The solenoids 103 and 203 may be so-called one-way drive solenoids that electrically protrude the plungers 103a and 203a and manually retract the protruded plungers 103a and 203a. The positional relationship between the solenoid 103 and the lock bar 101a of the loading-side shutter 101 is such that the loading-side shutter 101 can be locked so that it does not open when the loading-side shutter 101 is closed. I wish I had. For this reason, a lock bar 101a may be provided in the intermediate portion of the carry-in side shutter 101, and the solenoid 103 may be provided accordingly.

(Configuration of fan shutter)
The fan shutter 201 has, for example, a rectangular shape that covers the front surfaces of the blowing fan 108 and the drying heater 110 by being positioned in front of the blowing fan 108 and the drying heater 110 when closed. Racks 106 and 206 are linearly provided along the opening/closing direction of the fan shutter 201 on both side surfaces corresponding to the short sides of the fan shutter 201 . Rack 106 meshes with gears of motor 105 and rack 206 meshes with gears of motor 205 . Therefore, by synchronously driving the motor 105 and the motor 205 to rotate, the movement of the fan shutter 201 can be controlled in the opening direction (direction A) or the closing direction (direction B).

Such a fan shutter 201 is controlled to a closed state when the jam described above occurs. As a result, the suction port of the blowing fan 108 is closed, and intake air from the outside is blocked. Also, the heat source of the drying device 100 is shut off (the heat source is isolated) to prevent the inconvenience of hot air flowing into the drying heater 110 after the occurrence of a jam. Therefore, it is possible to prevent problems that may occur when hot air flows into the drying apparatus 100 when a jam occurs.

(Electrical configuration of dryer)
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the drying apparatus 100. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the drying apparatus 100 has a motor 301 that rotationally drives the rollers 111, which are the rollers 111a and 111b described above, and a motor drive controller 302 that drives and controls the motor 301. As shown in FIG. The drying apparatus 100 also has a heater drive control section 303 that drives the drying heater 110 serving as a heat source, and a fan drive control section 304 that rotationally drives the blowing fan 108 that causes hot air to flow into the drying apparatus 100 .

The drying apparatus 100 also has a loading-side shutter drive control unit 305 that rotationally drives the motor 104 of the loading-side shutter 101, and an unloading-side shutter driving control unit 308 that rotationally drives the motor 204 of the unloading-side shutter 201. there is It is preferable that the carry-in side shutter drive control section 305 and the carry-out side shutter drive control section 308 synchronously drive and control the respective shutters 101 and 201 .

The drying apparatus 100 also includes a loading-side lock control unit 307 that drives the solenoid 103 that locks the loading-side shutter 101 that is closed, and a loading-side lock control unit that drives the solenoid 203 that locks the loading-side shutter 201 that is closed. and a side lock control unit 401 . Also. The drying apparatus 100 has a fan shutter driving section 402 that synchronously drives the motors 105 and 205 of the fan shutter 107 to rotate. The drying apparatus 100 also has a notification unit 406 that performs a notification operation to notify the user of the occurrence of a jam or the like, and a notification control unit 407 that performs notification control of the notification unit 406 .

The drying apparatus 100 also has a counter 408 that counts the number of sheets 112 detected by the inlet sensor 117 and a counter 409 that counts the number of sheets 112 detected by the outlet sensor 118 . The drying apparatus 100 also has a comparison section 410 that compares the count values of the counters 408 and 409 . When the comparison unit 410 detects that the number of sheets passing through the outlet sensor 118 is smaller than the number of sheets passing through the inlet sensor 117 , it indicates that the sheets 112 remain in the drying apparatus 100 . The control unit 413 determines whether or not the paper 112 remains in the drying device 100 based on the comparison result of the comparison unit 410 .

The drying apparatus 100 also has a comparing section 411 that compares the temperature of the drying apparatus 100 detected by the temperature sensor 113 with the threshold temperature generated by the threshold generating section 412 . The control unit 413 determines whether or not the temperature of the drying device 100 has become equal to or lower than the threshold temperature based on the comparison result of the comparison unit 411 . The control unit 413 controls the overall operation of the drying apparatus 100, and controls the opening and closing of the shutters 101, 201, and 107, the notification control of jam occurrence and the like via the notification unit 406, the shutters 101, 201, 107 lock release control and the like.

(Normal operation of dryer)
Next, the operation of drying device 100 of MFP 1 having such a configuration will be described. First, when printing is performed without any jamming, the motor drive control unit 302 shown in FIG. drive. As a result, the belt 109 stretched over the rollers 111a and 111b rotates between the rollers 111a and 111b. Then, the paper 112 coated with ink is carried in from the inlet 300 of the drying device 100 by the belt 109 and is carried out from the outlet 301 .

The drying device 100 blows hot air generated by the drying heater 110 and the blowing fan 108 onto the paper 112 conveyed in the drying device 100 to dry the ink on the paper 112 and carry it out.

The carry-in sensor 117 forms, for example, one pulse and supplies it to the counter 408 every time it detects the carry-in of the sheet 112 . A counter 408 counts the number of pulses from the entrance sensor 117 . As a result, the count value of the counter 408 indicates the number of sheets 112 conveyed inside the drying apparatus 100 . On the other hand, the outlet sensor 118 forms, for example, one pulse and supplies it to the counter 409 every time it detects that the sheet 112 is being discharged. A counter 409 counts the number of pulses from the outlet sensor 118 . As a result, the count value of the counter 409 indicates the number of sheets 112 carried out from the drying device 100 .

A comparator 410 compares the count values from the counters 408 and 409 . When the two match, the number of sheets 112 carried in and the number of sheets 112 carried out are the same, indicating that no jam or the like has occurred. Therefore, as long as the count values from the counters 408 and 409 match, the normal printing operation is repeatedly executed.

(Operation when jam occurs in dryer)
On the other hand, when the count value of the counter 409 on the carry-out side is smaller than the count value of the counter 408 on the carry-in side, this means that a jam has occurred and the paper 112 is stuck in the dryer 100. Indicates that it remains. In this case, the motor drive control section 302 stops the motors 111a and 111b, and the heater drive control section 303 controls the drying heater 110 to stop.

The carry-in side shutter drive control unit 305 rotates the motor 104 to move the carry-in side shutter 101 in the closing direction (direction A in FIG. 1). is rotated to move the carry-out side shutter 201 in the closing direction (direction A in FIG. 1). As a result, the carry-in shutter 101 closes the carry-in port 300 of the drying device 100 , and the carry-out shutter 201 closes the carry-out port 301 of the drying device 100 .

When the loading-side shutter 101 is thus closed, the loading-side lock control unit 307 controls the solenoid 103 so as to project the plunger 103a. As a result, the plunger 103a protruding from the solenoid 103 is positioned or abuts on the lock bar 101a of the loading-side shutter 101 that is closed, and prevents (locks) the loading-side shutter 101 from moving in the opening direction.

Similarly, when the carry-out side shutter 201 is closed, the carry-out side lock control section 401 controls the solenoid 203 so as to protrude the plunger 203a. As a result, the plunger 203a protruding from the solenoid 203 is positioned or abuts on the lock bar 201a of the shutter 201 on the closed carrying-out side, thereby preventing (locking) the movement of the shutter 201 on the carrying-out side in the opening direction.

Further, the fan shutter drive control unit 402 rotates the motors 105 and 205 to move the fan shutter 107 in the closing direction (direction A in FIG. 1). As a result, the fan shutter 107 closes so as to be located immediately in front of the drying heater 110 and the blowing fan 108 , and blocks (isolates) the drying heater 110 and the blowing fan 108 from the interior of the drying apparatus 100 . Thereby, the hot air formed by the drying heater 110 and the blowing fan 108 and flowing into the drying apparatus 100 is cut off.

When the fan shutter 107 is closed, the heat generated by the drying heater 110 may be transferred to the fan shutter 107. However, when a jam occurs, the drying heater 110 can be controlled to stop. Therefore, the heat transferred to the fan shutter 107 is only residual heat, so there is no need to worry about it.

Also, in this example, the drying heater 110 and the blowing fan 108 are controlled to stop when a jam occurs, but the drying heater 110 may be controlled to stop and the blowing fan 108 may be kept rotating. In this case, the blowing fan 108 can act as a cooling fan to cool the drying heater 110 .

Furthermore, when a jam occurs, the notification control unit 407 controls notification via the notification unit 406 of the occurrence of a jam and the lock of the drying apparatus 100 . As the notification unit 406, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, one or more of a liquid crystal display unit 406a, a display panel 406b dedicated to temperature display, a rotating light 406c, a speaker device, or the like can be used.

When the notification operation is performed via the liquid crystal display unit 406a, the notification control unit 407 outputs, for example, "A jam has occurred. The dryer has been locked. Please remove the jammed paper after the lock is released. ” and other messages are displayed. Further, when the notification operation is performed via the speaker device, the notification control unit 407 outputs the above-described message by voice. Further, when the notification operation is performed via the display panel 406b dedicated to temperature display, the notification control unit 407 displays the temperature inside the drying apparatus 100 such as "the current temperature inside the drying apparatus is 50 degrees". Further, when the notification operation is performed via the revolving light 406c, the notification control unit 407 rotates the revolving light 406c. As a result, the rotating light 406c emits light of each color such as red, green, and blue, and notifies the user that a jam has occurred and the drying apparatus 100 has been locked.

Drying device 100 of MFP 1 according to the first embodiment thus closes loading-side shutter 101 and loading-side shutter 201 when a jam occurs. As a result, inconvenience such as the user putting his/her hand into the drying apparatus 100 can be prevented. In addition, by closing the fan shutter 107, the heat source (drying heater 110, blowing fan 108, etc.) can be cut off, and hot air flows into the drying apparatus 100 where a jam occurs. Inconvenience can be prevented in advance.

Next, when the carry-in side shutter 101 , the carry-out side shutter 201 and the fan shutter 107 are closed, the controller 413 monitors the temperature inside the drying apparatus 100 . Specifically, the comparison unit 411 compares the temperature inside the drying apparatus 100 detected by the temperature sensor 113 provided inside the drying apparatus 100 with the reference temperature from the threshold generating unit 412, and the comparison result is to monitor. The reference temperature is a temperature (for example, 20 degrees) at which it is safe for the user to touch the drying apparatus 100 after unlocking the drying apparatus 100 .

When the control unit 413 detects that the temperature inside the drying device 100 has become equal to or lower than the reference temperature indicated by the threshold value, the control unit 413 notifies the loading-side lock control unit 307 and the unloading-side lock control unit 401 of unlocking. Upon receipt of this lock release notification, the carry-in side lock control unit 307 controls the solenoid 103 so as to retract the plunger 103a that has been protruded until then. As a result, the carry-in side shutter 101 is unlocked. Similarly, when the unloading-side lock control unit 401 receives the lock release notification, it controls the solenoid 203 so as to retract the plunger 203a that has been protruding until then. As a result, the carry-out side shutter 201 is unlocked.

In this example, since the solenoids 103 and 203 are bi-directionally driven, the plungers 103a and 203a can be electrically controlled to protrude and retract. However, if the solenoid 103 and the solenoid 203 are of a one-way drive type that can electrically control only the projection of the plunger, when the drying apparatus 100 reaches a safe temperature, for example, the liquid crystal display 406a displays "Lock manually unlocked." It is preferable to display a message such as "Please do" to prompt the manual withdrawal of the plunger.

Next, when the loading-side shutter 101 and the unloading-side shutter 201 are unlocked, the loading-side shutter drive control unit 305, the unloading-side shutter drive control unit 308, and the fan shutter drive control unit 402 are controlled to open the shutters. give notice. Upon receiving this open control notification, the loading-side shutter drive control unit 305 rotates the motor 104 in the opening direction to move the loading-side shutter 101 in the opening direction (arrow B direction in FIG. 1). As a result, the inlet 300 of the drying device 100 is opened. Similarly, upon receiving the open control notification, the unloading-side shutter drive control unit 308 rotationally drives the motor 204 in the opening direction to move the unloading-side shutter 201 in the opening direction (arrow B direction in FIG. 1). As a result, the outlet 301 of the drying device 100 is opened.

Further, when receiving the open control notification, the fan shutter drive control unit 402 rotationally drives the motors 105 and 205 in the opening direction to move the fan shutter 107 in the opening direction (arrow B direction in FIG. 1). As a result, the drying heater 110 and the blowing fan 108 of the drying device 100 are exposed. When the shutters 101, 201 and 107 are opened, the drying heater 110 and the blowing fan 108 are not driven again and are kept stopped.

When the shutters 101 , 201 , and 107 are thus opened, the notification control unit 407 issues a message such as “please clear the paper jam” via the notification unit 406 . This allows the user to manually clear the paper jam. As described above, unless the temperature inside the drying device 100 reaches a safe temperature, the user cannot put his or her hand inside the drying device 100, so the user can safely remove the jammed paper.

After removing the jammed paper, the user performs an operation to instruct restarting. When this restart is instructed, the control unit 413 performs self-diagnosis to check whether the paper jam remains and whether the door is closed. 110 and blowing fan 108 are reactivated to resume printing.

(Effect of the first embodiment)
As is clear from the above description, the drying device 100 of the MFP 1 according to the first embodiment closes the carry-in side shutter 101 and the carry-out side shutter 201 when detecting a jam, and Drying device 100 of MFP 1 is closed. Also, the fan shutter 107 is closed to shut off the heat source. This state is maintained (locked) until the temperature inside the drying apparatus 100 drops to a safe temperature.

As a result, it is possible to prevent inconveniences such as the user putting his/her hand into the drying apparatus 100 which is at a high temperature immediately after the occurrence of a jam. In addition, by shutting off the heat sources such as the drying heater 110 and the blowing fan 108 from the drying apparatus 100 by the fan shutter 107, problems caused by hot air flowing into the drying apparatus 100 where jamming occurs can be prevented. can be prevented. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the temperature of the drying device 100 from becoming higher than the temperature at which the jam occurs.

[Second embodiment]
Next, the MFP of the second embodiment will be explained. In the description of the second embodiment, only the difference from the above-described first embodiment will be described, and redundant description will be omitted.

FIG. 4 is a front view of drying device 100 provided in MFP 1 of the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, in the case of the MFP 1 of the second embodiment, a cutter 500 is provided at the end opposite to the end at which the lock bar 101a of the carry-in side shutter 101 is provided. there is Similarly, in the case of the MFP 1 of the second embodiment, the cutter 501 is provided at the end opposite to the end of the carry-in side shutter 201 where the lock bar 201a is provided.

When a jam occurs and the carry-in side shutter 101 and the carry-out side shutter 201 are closed, if there is paper 112 exposed on the side of the carry-in port 300 or the side of the carry-out port 301 , the paper 112 is removed by the cutter 500 . , 501 (an example of a cutter unit) to close the carry-in side shutter 101 and the carry-out side shutter 201 .

As a result, after the paper 112 is cut and removed, the carry-in side shutter 101 and the carry-out side shutter 201 can be closed. Therefore, it is possible to maintain the degree of airtightness by the closed loading-side shutter 101 and the unloading-side shutter 201, and to obtain the same effect as the above-described embodiment.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, the MFP of the third embodiment will be explained. In addition, in the description of the third embodiment, only the differences from the above-described second embodiment will be described, and redundant description will be omitted.

The MFP 1 according to the third embodiment is an example in which the paper 112 is made easier to cut by using a clutch, a solenoid, etc. to release the shutter. FIG. 5 is a front view of drying device 100 for MFP 1 according to the third embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, drying apparatus 100 for MFP 1 according to the third embodiment further includes lock bar 101c (an example of a second lock bar) in the middle stage of carry-in side shutter 101 having lock bar 101a. It is Similarly, a lock bar 201c (an example of a fourth lock bar) is further provided in the middle stage of the carry-in side shutter 201 having the lock bar 201a.

When the loading-side shutter 101 is closed, the solenoid 103, which is located directly above the lock bar 101a and suppresses the movement of the loading-side shutter 101 in the opening direction, It is controlled to protrude the plunger 103a. The open state of the carry-in side shutter 101 is maintained by supporting the middle lock bar 101c with the projecting plunger 103a.

When closing the carry-in side shutter 101, the plunger 103a of the solenoid 103 is retracted. As a result, the support of the loading-side shutter 101 by the middle lock bar 101c is released, and the loading-side shutter 101 drops by its own weight. Then, as the carry-in side shutter 101 is closed, the jammed paper 112 near the carry-in port 300 is cut to maintain the degree of sealing by the carry-in side shutter 101 . As described above, when the loading-side shutter 101 is closed, the plunger 103a of the solenoid 103, which is driven to protrude, locks the loading-side shutter 101 in the closed state via the lock bar 101a. be.

Similarly, when the unloading-side shutter 201 is closed, the solenoid 203, which is located directly above the lock bar 201a and prevents the unloading-side shutter 201 from moving in the opening direction, opens the unloading-side shutter 201. At this time, the plunger 203a is controlled to protrude. The open state of the carry-out side shutter 201 is maintained by supporting the middle lock bar 201c with the projecting plunger 203a.

When closing the carrying-out side shutter 201, the plunger 203a of the solenoid 203 is retracted. As a result, the support of the carry-out side shutter 201 by the middle lock bar 201c is released, and the carry-out side shutter 201 drops by its own weight. Then, the outlet-side shutter 201 is closed, and the jammed paper 112 near the outlet 301 is cut to maintain the degree of sealing by the outlet-side shutter 201 . As described above, when the carry-out side shutter 201 is closed, the plunger 203a of the solenoid 203 driven to protrude locks the carry-out side shutter 201 in the closed state via the lock bar 201a. be.

It should be noted that the opening and closing of the fan shutter 107 is controlled by the motors 105 and 205 in the description of each of the above embodiments. On the other hand, the example of FIG. 5 is an example in which the opening and closing of the fan shutter 107 is also controlled by the solenoid 600 (an example of the third lock section).

The positional relationship between the solenoid 600 and the fan shutter 107 is such that when the fan shutter 107 is open, the plunger 600a of the solenoid 600 supports the fan shutter 107 via a lock bar 107b (an example of a sixth lock bar). 107 is maintained in an open state. Further, when the fan shutter 107 is closed, the plunger 600a of the solenoid 600 is positioned directly above the lock bar 107a (an example of the fifth lock bar), and is in a positional relationship that prevents the fan shutter 107 from moving in the opening direction. be.

When the fan shutter 107 is open, the plunger 600a of the solenoid 600 is controlled to protrude.

When the fan shutter 107 is shifted to the closed state, control is performed so that the plunger 600a of the solenoid 600 is retracted. As a result, the fan shutter 107 falls under its own weight, and the drying heater 110 and the blowing fan 108 are blocked (isolated) from the drying apparatus 100 by the fan shutter 107 . When the fan shutter 107 is closed, the plunger 600a of the solenoid 600 is controlled to protrude. As a result, the plunger 600a is positioned directly above the lock bar 107a and prevents the fan shutter 107 from moving in the opening direction.

As described above, the loading-side shutter 101, the loading-side shutter 201, and the fan shutter 107 locked in the closed state are released when the temperature inside the drying apparatus 100 drops below a predetermined level.

In the drying device 100 of the MFP 1 according to the third embodiment, the shutters 101, 201, and 107 fall under their own weight, so that they contact the paper 112 at a faster speed than in the case of motor control, so that the paper 112 is easily cut. can be made possible. In addition, the shutters 101, 201 and 107 can be controlled to the open state, the closed state and the locked state by one solenoid, and the same effects as those of the above-described second embodiment can be obtained.

[Fourth Embodiment]
Next, an MFP according to the fourth embodiment will be explained. In addition, in the description of the fourth embodiment, only the differences from the above-described embodiments will be described, and redundant description will be omitted.

FIG. 6 is a front view of drying device 100 for MFP 1 according to the fourth embodiment. Although illustration of the shutters 101, 201, 107, etc. described above is omitted in FIG. 6, it should be understood that the configuration of each embodiment described above is provided. That is, the drying device 100 of the MFP 1 according to the fourth embodiment includes one or a plurality of cooling fans 700 (an example of air cooling) for cooling the housing of the drying device 100 from the outside together with the configuration of each of the above-described embodiments. )have.

In the drying apparatus 100 of the MFP 1 according to the sixth embodiment, when a jam occurs, the controller 413 closes the shutters 101, 201, and 107 as described above and drives the fan 700 to rotate. do.

Thereby, the drying device 100 can be cooled from the outside, and the temperature inside the drying device 100 can be lowered to a safe temperature in a short time. Therefore, it is possible to shorten the time required from the occurrence of a jam until the lock is released and printing is restarted, and the same effects as those of the above-described embodiments can be obtained.

[Fifth Embodiment]
Next, an MFP according to the fifth embodiment will be explained. In addition, in the description of the fifth embodiment, only differences from the above-described embodiments will be described, and redundant description will be omitted.

FIG. 7 is a front view of drying device 100 for MFP 1 according to the fifth embodiment. Although FIG. 7 omits illustration of the shutters 101, 201, 107, etc. described above, it should be understood that it has the configuration of each of the above-described embodiments. That is, the drying device 100 of the MFP 1 of the fifth embodiment includes the cooling pipe 800 around the drying device 100 together with the configuration of each of the above-described embodiments. Then, the control unit 413 drives and controls the cooling liquid circulating device so that the cooling liquid (an example of water cooling) flows through the cooling pipe 800 when a jam occurs.

As a result, the drying apparatus 100 can be further cooled from the outside, and the temperature inside the drying apparatus 100 can be lowered to a safe temperature in a shorter time. Therefore, it is possible to shorten the time required from the occurrence of a jam until the lock is released and printing is restarted, and the same effects as those of the above-described embodiments can be obtained.

Finally, each embodiment described above is presented as an example and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Each novel embodiment can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Further, each embodiment and modifications of each embodiment are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and equivalents thereof.

1 MFP
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 drying device 101 carry-in side shutter 101a upper end lock bar 101b shutter door 101c middle lock bar 102 rack 103 solenoid 103a plunger 104 motor 105 motor 106 rack 107 fan shutter 107a lock bar 107b lock bar 108 spray fan 109 belt 110 drying heater 111a Carry-in side roller 111b Carry-out side roller 112 Paper 113 Temperature sensor 117 Carry-in inlet sensor 118 Carry-out outlet sensor 201 Carry-out side shutter 201a Upper end lock bar 201b Shutter door 201c Middle lock bar 202 Rack 203 Solenoid 203a Plunger bar 204 Motor 205 motor 300 carry-in port 301 carry-out port 303 heater drive control unit 304 fan drive control unit 305 carry-in side shutter drive control unit 307 carry-in side lock control unit 308 carry-out side shutter drive control unit 401 carry-out side lock control unit 402 fan shutter drive control unit 406 notification unit 406a liquid crystal display unit 406b display panel dedicated to temperature display 406c rotating light 407 notification control unit 408 counter 409 counter 410 comparison unit 411 comparison unit 412 threshold generation unit 413 control unit 500 cutter

JP 2018-008475 A

Claims (12)

A drying device that heats paper coated with ink and carried in through the inlet with a heat source to dry the ink and carry it out from the outlet,
a first shutter unit that closes the inlet when the paper is jammed;
a second shutter unit that closes the outlet when the paper is jammed;
a third shutter section for blocking the heat source when the paper is jammed;
a first locking portion that prevents the closed first shutter portion from moving in an opening direction;
a second locking portion that prevents the closed second shutter portion from moving in an opening direction;
A drying device comprising: further comprising a temperature sensor that detects the temperature inside the drying device,
When the temperature sensor detects that the temperature inside the drying device has become equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature, the first locking portion and the second locking portion are activated by the first shutter portion and the second locking portion. 2. The drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said second shutter section is movable in an opening direction. 2. The drying apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a third locking portion that prevents the third shutter portion in the closed state from moving in the opening direction. further comprising a temperature sensor that detects the temperature inside the drying device,
The first locking portion, the second locking portion, and the third locking portion are activated when the temperature sensor detects that the temperature inside the drying device has become equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature. 4. The drying apparatus according to claim 3, wherein each of the first shutter section, the second shutter section, and the third shutter section is movable in an opening direction. Cooling the drying device from the outside by air cooling or water cooling at least from the time when the paper is jammed until the temperature sensor detects that the internal temperature of the drying device is below a predetermined temperature. 5. A drying apparatus according to claim 2 or claim 4, further comprising a cooling device. The heat source is
a heater unit that generates heat;
a blowing fan that forms hot air based on the heat generated by the heater unit and blows it onto the paper that is conveyed inside the drying device;
a stop control unit that stops at least the heater unit among the heat sources when the paper is jammed;
6. A drying apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it comprises: The first shutter portion has a first lock bar that contacts the first lock portion in the closed state to prevent movement in the opening direction, and contacts the first lock portion in the open state. and a second lock bar that suppresses movement in the closing direction,
The second shutter part has a third lock bar that contacts the second lock part in the closed state to prevent movement in the opening direction, and contacts the second lock part in the open state. and a fourth lock bar that suppresses movement in the closing direction,
The first shutter portion and the second shutter portion are closed by their own weight when they are allowed to move in the opening direction by the first locking portion or the second locking portion. The drying apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: The third shutter portion includes a fifth lock bar that contacts the third lock portion in the closed state to prevent movement in the opening direction, and a fifth lock bar that contacts the third lock portion in the open state. and a sixth lock bar for suppressing movement in the closing direction, and when the movement in the closing direction is enabled by the third locking portion, the lock bar falls under its own weight to enter the closed state. The drying apparatus according to claim 3, characterized by: The first shutter section and the second shutter section are provided with a cutter section for cutting the jammed paper at an end in the closing direction. 9. The drying apparatus according to any one of 8. An image forming function that forms an image by applying ink to paper,
An image forming apparatus comprising: the drying device according to any one of claims 1 to 9. A notification operation indicating that at least the first shutter portion and the second shutter portion are in a closed state, or an informing operation indicating that the first shutter portion to the third shutter portion are in a closed state 11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a notification unit that performs a notification operation indicating A control method for a drying apparatus for drying the ink by heating the ink-coated paper carried in through the carry-in port with a heat source and carrying the paper out from the carry-out port,
When the paper is jammed, the first shutter unit closes the inlet,
When the paper is jammed, the outlet is closed by the second shutter,
When the paper is jammed, the heat source is blocked by the third shutter section,
until the internal temperature of the drying device becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined value, the first lock portion prevents the first shutter portion in the closed state from moving in the opening direction;
until the internal temperature of the drying device falls below a predetermined value, the second shutter is prevented from moving in the opening direction by a second lock;
until the internal temperature of the drying device falls below a predetermined level, the third shutter section, which is in a closed state, is prevented from moving in the opening direction by a third locking section. How to control the device.

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