US-12625449-B2 - Image inspection device and image forming apparatus using the same

US12625449B2US 12625449 B2US12625449 B2US 12625449B2US-12625449-B2

Abstract

An image inspection device includes: an illumination part extending in a width direction of a medium, which intersects a medium transport direction, so as to face a medium transport path, and configured to radiate light on an image formed on a surface of the medium; a reading part configured to read reflected light from the image as image inspection information; and a cooling part configured to cool an entire area of the illumination part in the width direction of the medium. The cooling part includes one blowing part provided on one side in the width direction of the medium and configured to suck and blow outside air, a first guide extending in the width direction of the medium and configured to guide the air blown from the blowing part to a flow path extending in the width direction of the medium, and a second guide configured to guide the air, guided by the first guide, in the medium transport direction to a space where the illumination part is disposed, and distribute the air such that an air volume is uniform over the entire area of the illumination part in the width direction of the medium.

Inventors

Masakazu Shirai
Yu Saito

Assignees

FUJIFILM BUSINESS INNOVATION CORP.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20230511
Priority Date: 20221122

Claims (17)

1 . An image inspection device comprising: an illumination part extending in a width direction of a medium, which intersects a medium transport direction, so as to face a medium transport path, and configured to radiate light on an image formed on a surface of the medium; a reading part configured to read reflected light from the image as image inspection information; and a cooling part configured to cool an entire area of the illumination part in the width direction of the medium, wherein the cooling part includes: one blowing part provided on one side in the width direction of the medium and configured to suck and blow outside air; a first guide extending in the width direction of the medium and configured to guide the air blown from the blowing part to a flow path extending in the width direction of the medium; and a second guide configured to guide the air, guided by the first guide, in the medium transport direction to a space where the illumination part is disposed, and distribute the air such that an air volume is uniform over the entire area of the illumination part in the width direction of the medium.
2 . The image inspection device according to claim 1 , wherein the blowing part is provided on a rear side, which is opposite to a front side, of the image inspection device.
3 . An image forming apparatus comprising: the image inspection device according to claim 2 ; and an image forming device that is provided upstream of the image inspection device in the medium transport direction and that forms an image on the surface of the medium.
4 . The image inspection device according to claim 1 , wherein the illumination part and the reading part are disposed below the medium transport path.
5 . An image forming apparatus comprising: the image inspection device according to claim 4 ; and an image forming device that is provided upstream of the image inspection device in the medium transport direction and that forms an image on the surface of the medium.
6 . The image inspection device according to claim 1 , wherein the second guide is configured to guide the air in the medium transport direction.
7 . An image forming apparatus comprising: the image inspection device according to claim 6 ; and an image forming device that is provided upstream of the image inspection device in the medium transport direction and that forms an image on the surface of the medium.
8 . The image inspection device according to claim 1 , wherein the first guide has a structure in which a velocity of air is higher on a side farther from the blowing part than a side closer to the blowing part.
9 . The image inspection device according to claim 8 , wherein the second guide has a structure in which a ventilation area is gradually reduced from the side closer to the blowing part toward the side farther from the blowing part in a flow path direction of the first guide.
10 . The image inspection device according to claim 9 , wherein the second guide has an inlet-side partition member and an outlet-side partition member that partition a space where the illumination part is disposed and that have a plurality of vent holes, the vent holes in the inlet-side partition member have a uniform ventilation area in the flow path direction of the first guide, and the vent holes in the outlet-side partition member have a ventilation area that is gradually reduced from the side closer to the blowing part toward the side farther from the blowing part in the flow path direction of the first guide.
11 . An image forming apparatus comprising: the image inspection device according to claim 10 ; and an image forming device that is provided upstream of the image inspection device in the medium transport direction and that forms an image on the surface of the medium.
12 . An image forming apparatus comprising: the image inspection device according to claim 9 ; and an image forming device that is provided upstream of the image inspection device in the medium transport direction and that forms an image on the surface of the medium.
13 . An image forming apparatus comprising: the image inspection device according to claim 8 ; and an image forming device that is provided upstream of the image inspection device in the medium transport direction and that forms an image on the surface of the medium.
14 . The image inspection device according to claim 1 , wherein the first guide has a cross-sectional structure that makes the velocity of the air blown from the blowing part uniform, and the second guide has a uniform ventilation area in a flow path direction of the first guide.
15 . An image forming apparatus comprising: the image inspection device according to claim 14 ; and an image forming device that is provided upstream of the image inspection device in the medium transport direction and that forms an image on the surface of the medium.
16 . An image forming apparatus comprising: the image inspection device according to claim 1 ; and an image forming device that is provided upstream of the image inspection device in the medium transport direction and that forms an image on the surface of the medium.
17 . An image inspection device comprising: illumination means, extending in a width direction of a medium, which intersects a medium transport direction, so as to face a medium transport path, for radiating light on an image formed on a surface of the medium; reading means for reading reflected light from the image as image inspection information; and cooling means for cooling an entire area of the illumination means in the width direction of the medium, wherein the cooling means includes: one blowing means, provided on one side in the width direction of the medium, for sucking and blowing outside air, first guide means, extending in the width direction of the medium, for guiding the air blown from the blowing means to a flow path extending in the width direction of the medium, and second guide means for guiding the air, guided by the first guide means, in the medium transport direction to a space where the illumination means is disposed, and distributing the air such that an air volume is uniform over the entire area of the illumination means in the width direction of the medium.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is based on and claims priority under 35 USC 119 from Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-186878 filed Nov. 22, 2022. BACKGROUND (i) Technical Field The present disclosure relates to an image inspection device and an image forming apparatus using the same. (ii) Related Art Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication Nos. 2001-217974 (Detailed Description, FIG. 1) and 2002-014597 (Detailed Description, FIG. 8) disclose image forming apparatuses in which a heat generating object is cooled by the outside air. Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-217974 (Detailed Description, FIG. 1) discloses an image reading apparatus having: a first opening through which heated air in an apparatus frame accommodating an optical component is discharged; a second opening through which waste heated air in a substrate frame accommodating a signal processing substrate and isolated from the apparatus frame is discharged; and a single exhaust fan that sucks the heated air from through the first and second openings substantially simultaneously. Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-014597 (Detailed Description, FIG. 8) discloses an image forming apparatus including at least one of a fan that discharges the air inside an apparatus body to the outside and a fan that introduces the outside air into the apparatus body. A cleaner cooling duct leading to the fan has multiple openings, and the cross-sectional area of the duct is reduced from an inlet toward the far side, so that the air velocity is substantially uniform over the entire area from the inlet to the far side of the duct. Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2016-009933 (Detailed Description, FIG. 1) discloses an image forming apparatus incorporating an image inspection device that reads an image formed on a surface of a medium after the image formation to inspect for an image defect. SUMMARY Aspects of non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure relate to providing an image inspection device in which the entire area of an illumination part is substantially uniformly cooled with a single blowing part and in which attachment of foreign matter, such as paper dust, to the illumination part and a reading part is suppressed, and an image forming apparatus using the same. Aspects of certain non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure address the above advantages and/or other advantages not described above. However, aspects of the non-limiting embodiments are not required to address the advantages described above, and aspects of the non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure may not address advantages described above. According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an image inspection device including: an illumination part extending in a width direction of a medium, which intersects a medium transport direction, so as to face a medium transport path, and configured to radiate light on an image formed on a surface of the medium; a reading part configured to read reflected light from the image as image inspection information; and a cooling part configured to cool an entire area of the illumination part in the width direction of the medium, wherein the cooling part includes: one blowing part provided on one side in the width direction of the medium and configured to suck and blow outside air; a first guide extending in the width direction of the medium and configured to guide the air blown from the blowing part to a flow path extending in the width direction of the medium; and a second guide configured to guide the air, guided by the first guide, in the medium transport direction to a space where the illumination part is disposed, and distribute the air such that an air volume is uniform over the entire area of the illumination part in the width direction of the medium. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail based on the following figures, wherein: FIG. 1A shows an outline of an image forming apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment that incorporates an image inspection device of the present disclosure, and FIG. 1B is a view viewed from a direction IB in FIG. 1A; FIG. 2 shows an overall configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the first exemplary embodiment; FIG. 3 shows a configuration example of the image inspection device and the vicinity thereof in the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 2; FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway view showing the relevant part of the image inspection device according to the first exemplary embodiment; FIG. 5A shows a finisher provided with the image inspection device as viewed from the back, and FIG. 5B shows the finisher as viewed from the back, but without filtered lids on outside-air introduction portions; FIG. 6 schematically shows a configuration of a cooling mechanism for a first inspection un