Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Yasuaki Iijima

Kenichi Takehara

Tomoyasu Hirasawa

Masanori Saitoh

Satoshi Okano

Shingo Suzuki

Hiromitsu Fujiya

Keisuke Yuasa

Takayuki Nishimura

Keisuke Ikeda

Junya Takigawa

Keisuke Uchida

Tomoaki Suga

Takahiro Ogino

Katsuya Kondoh

Hiomitsu Fujiya

In a cooling device that includes a cooling roller that comprises a hollow tubular member and a cooling medium transport unit for transporting a cooling liquid to the inside of the cooling roller and contacts a sheet-like member to cool down the paper, a turbulence generating unit that generates turbulence in a cooling liquid is disposed near an inner wall of the outer tube.

Cooling device having a turbulence generating unit

A cooling device includes a heat receiving unit arranged to contact with a cooling target to receive heat of the cooling target; a heat radiating unit configured to radiate heat of coolant; a tank configured to store therein the coolant; a circulating path configured to circulate the coolant through the heat receiving unit, the heat radiating unit, and the tank; a pump configured to transfer the coolant in the circulating path; and a liquid transfer detecting unit configured to detect liquid transfer of the coolant. The liquid transfer detecting unit includes a detector arranged above a liquid level of the coolant stored in the tank at a position where the coolant having flowed into the tank is hit when the coolant is transferred. The detector is arranged so as to be visible from the outside of the tank.

Cooling device and image forming apparatus

A cooling device for an image forming apparatus includes a heat receiver disposed to contact a heated member; a heat releaser to release heat; a coolant circulation passage connecting the heat receiver and the heat releaser in which a coolant circulates between the heat receiver and the heat releaser; a pump configured to convey and circulate the coolant in the coolant circulation passage; a temperature sensor to detect a temperature of a part of the heated portion of the heated member at which a temperature rises; a cooling fan, included in the heat releaser, configured to change a thermal capacity released from the heat releaser based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor; and a controller to determine presence or absence of a leakage of the liquid or a pump failure by monitoring a control performed by the cooling fan and the temperature detected by the temperature sensor.

Cooling device and image forming apparatus incorporating same

Of a cooling device that is for use in an image forming apparatus and that includes: a heat receiving unit that receives heat from a cooling target and that is disposed to come into and away from contact with the cooling target; a heat radiating unit that radiates the heat received by the heat receiving unit; a heat conductive member disposed on at least one of a surface of the heat receiving unit on the side facing the cooling target and a surface of the cooling target on the side facing the heat receiving unit; and a protection member that is disposed on the heat conductive member to protect the heat conductive member, the protection member is substantially incompatible with binder resin of toner for use in the image forming apparatus.

Cooling device and image forming apparatus including the same

A liquid-cooling-type cooling device includes a circulatory path for coolant that cools a temperature rise portion; a heat absorbing unit that absorbs a heat from the temperature rise portion by the coolant; a heat radiating unit that radiate the heat from the coolant; a pump that circulates the coolant; and a plurality of liquid-contacting metal portions that comes into contact with the coolant, each of the liquid-contacting metal portions being made of a metal material. At least one of the liquid-contacting metal portions is grounded.

A cooling device to cool an apparatus includes a heat receiver to receive heat from a hot portion of the apparatus using a coolant while contacting the hot portion, a heat releaser to cool the heat-received coolant to release the heat from the hot portion to outside the apparatus, the heat releaser having a variable-speed fan of multiple operation speed modes including an off mode, a coolant circulation system through which the coolant is circulated between the heat receiver and the heat releaser, a variable-speed pump to move the coolant through the coolant circulation system, whose operation speed modes include an off mode and relate to a coolant flow rate of the pump, a temperature sensor to detect a temperature in the hot portion, and a controller to control the operation modes of the fan and the pump in accordance with the temperature detected by the temperature sensor.

Cooling device, cooling method, and image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit that creates an image and a liquid cooling unit. The liquid cooling unit includes a heat receiving disposed in contact with a temperature rising portion, in the image forming unit, in which a temperature rises due to an image forming operation by the image forming unit, a heat radiating unit that radiates heat of a cooling liquid, a flow passage forming member that allows the cooling liquid to circulate between the heat receiving unit and the heat radiating unit, and a conveying unit that conveys the cooling liquid through the flow passage forming member. The heat radiating unit includes a radiator, and the radiator is disposed at a downstream side of the conveying unit in a cooling liquid flow direction and at an upstream side of the heat receiving unit in the cooling liquid flow direction.

Image forming apparatus having heat radiating unit

A cooling device includes a heat receiving unit disposed to contact a surface of a temperature-increasing part the temperature of which increases during an image forming process; a radiation unit transferring heat from a cooling liquid; a tube for circulating the cooling liquid between the heat receiving unit and the radiation unit in a liquid circulation direction; a conveying unit conveying the cooling liquid through the tube; a coupling having an internal flow path and including a first end to which a first part of the tube is connected and a second end to which a second part of the tube is connected; and an outlet for draining the cooling liquid from the tube. At least one of the first part of the tube and the second part of the tube extends to a position lower than the position of the coupling.

Disclosed is a cooling device that includes a cooling part that is movably provided between a first position and a second position different from the first position with respect to an image forming apparatus main body and cools a periphery thereof with a cooling medium to be supplied; a cooling medium supply part that is provided in the image forming apparatus main body and cools and supplies the cooling medium to the cooling part; and a connecting member that connects the cooling part to the cooling medium supply part to circulate the cooling medium between the cooling part and the cooling medium supply part; wherein the connecting member is configured to include a flexible member and spirally provided with a moving direction of the cooling part as an axis center.

A cooling device is disclosed. The cooling device includes a cooling section which is moveably provided with respect to an image forming device body between a first location and a second location, the second location being different from the first location, and which cools surroundings with a cooling medium to be supplied; a cooling medium supply section which is provided at the image forming device body and which cools the cooling medium to supply the cooled cooling medium to the cooling section; and a connecting member which connects the cooling section and the cooling medium supply section to circulate the cooling medium between the cooling section and the cooling medium supply section, wherein the connecting member includes a flexible member and is supported by a guiding member which guides an operation of tracking the connecting member in conjunction with movement of the cooling section.

Cooling device including a water-absorbing member and image forming device

A cooling device includes a cooling roller having a dual tube structure including an inner tube disposed inside an outer tube, an outside flow passage and an inside flow passage in which a cooling medium flows, and an opening that allows the outside flow passage to communicate with the inside flow passage, a cooling medium transport unit, and a rotating tube joint unit mounted to one end side of the cooling roller. One end of the outer tube is coaxially rotatably fitted to a first fitting section of the rotating tube joint unit. One end of the inner tube is coaxially fitted into and rotatably or fixedly supported to a second fitting section of the rotating tube joint unit, and the other end is coaxially fitted into and rotatably or fixedly supported to a fitting section on the other end of the outer tube.

Cooling device and image forming device

An image forming apparatus including a target part to be cooled detachably attachable to the image forming apparatus, a cooling device including a heat receiving part provided to contact the target part to be cooled to receive heat from the target part to be cooled with a cooling medium provided within the heat receiving part, and a contact/separation mechanism to cause the heat receiving part to contact and separate from the target part to be cooled. The contact/separation mechanism includes a pressing unit to press the heat receiving part against the target part to be cooled. A reaction of a pressing force of the heat receiving part applied to the pressing unit when the heat receiving part is pressed against the target part to be cooled is directed onto a predetermined portion of the target part to be cooled.

Image forming apparatus including a cooling device

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit including an image carrier and a development device, a transfer unit to transfer an image formed on the image carrier onto a sheet, a fixing device to fix the image on the sheet, a sheet transport unit, a sheet stack portion, an air duct, and a first liquid-cooling device. The first liquid-cooling device includes a first heat receiving member disposed in thermal contact with a first heated portion, a first heat releaser, a first circulation pipe connecting the first heat receiving member and the first heat releaser to circulate a coolant therebetween, a first transport member to transport the coolant through the first circulation pipe, and an airflow generator to generate an airflow with external air to cool the first heat releaser. The air duct guides the air taken in by the airflow generator to a second heated portion.

Image forming apparatus and cooling method used therein

Heat exhaust holes are provided in a unit frame at positions just above respective imaging units. An exhaust fan causes air heated at developing elements to be exhausted outside an apparatus via heat exhaust ducts and a common duct. The heat exhaust holes are formed in different sizes depending on a position of the imaging unit. The closer the position of the imaging unit is, the larger the heat exhaust hole provided above the imaging unit is.

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Yasuaki Iijima