Cooling system and image forming apparatus with cooling system

• US 20060204271A1
• Filed: 07/05/2005
• Published: 09/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Makida, Seigo, Taga, Shinichiro, Ogata, Kenta, Watanabe, Masao, Mizutani, Ryota, Iida, Kiyoshi, Funo, Hiroyuki, Tai, Shinichi, Morofuji, Koji
• Granted Patent: US 7,302,202 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 399/92
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/206 Conducting air through the machine, e.g. for cooling, filtering, removing gases like ozone

Abstract

The present invention provides a cooling system including: a cold air generator which supplies cold air into a case of an apparatus; a wireless temperature sensor which is provided near at least one module constituting the apparatus and sends temperature data as a radio signal; a transmitter/receiver which sends a radio signal having a predetermined frequency to the temperature sensor and receives a radio signal from the temperature sensor; and a controller which controls an operation of the cold air generator on the basis of a radio signal received by the transmitter/receiver.

Claims

1. A cooling system comprising:

a cold air generator which supplies cold air into a case of an apparatus;

a wireless temperature sensor which is provided near at least one module constituting the apparatus and sends temperature data as a radio signal;

a transmitter/receiver which sends a radio signal having a predetermined frequency to the temperature sensor and receives a radio signal from the temperature sensor; and

a controller which controls an operation of the cold air generator on the basis of a radio signal received by the transmitter/receiver.

2. A cooling system according to claim 1, wherein the cold air generator comprises:

a cooling fan which generates cold air;

a motor which rotates the cooling fan;

a wind direction adjuster which adjusts a wind direction of the cold air.

3. A cooling system according to claim 1, wherein

the controller controls an operation of the cold air generator to prevent a temperature of the module from exceeding a predetermined temperature.

4. A cooling system according to claim 1, wherein

the controller controls at least one of a start/stop function of cold air generation, a quantity of cold air, and a wind direction of cold air.

5. A cooling system according to claim 1, wherein

the temperature sensor comprises:

an exciter which receives a radio signal from the transmitter/receiver and generates a mechanical vibration;

a vibration medium on which a surface acoustic wave is caused by a mechanical vibration generated by the exciter; and

a transmitter which converts a surface acoustic wave generated on the vibration medium to an electrical signal and sends it as a radio signal.

6. An image forming apparatus comprising:

a cooling system having;

a cold air generator which supplies cold air into a case of an apparatus;

a wireless temperature sensor which is provided near at least one module constituting the apparatus and sends temperature data as a radio signal;

a transmitter/receiver which sends a radio signal having a predetermined frequency to the temperature sensor and receives a radio signal from the temperature sensor; and

a controller which controls an operation of the cold air generator on the basis of a radio signal received by the transmitter/receiver,

the apparatus further comprising;

at least one module which is an image input terminal, an image forming unit, a sheet housing unit, or an image output terminal.