Abstract: A sheet drying apparatus includes a first conveyance portion, a drying portion, a suction fan, an exhaust portion, first and second ducts, a separation fan, a separation duct, a cooling fan, and a cooling duct. The separation fan separates a sheet from the first conveyance portion at a separation position. The separation duct communicates the separation fan with the separation position. The cooling fan cools the suction fan. The cooling duct communicates the cooling fan with the suction fan. The suction fan and the second duct are arranged downstream of the drying portion. The separation fan, the separation duct, the cooling fan, and the cooling duct are arranged downstream of the suction fan and the second duct. The separation duct and the cooling duct are arranged so that at least parts of them overlap with each other as viewed from the width direction horizontally orthogonal to the conveyance direction.

Abstract: A sheet drying apparatus includes a conveyance portion, a drying portion, a suction fan unit, an exhaust portion, and first and second ducts. The conveyance portion conveys a sheet on which an image is formed with ink containing moisture. The drying portion heats and dries the sheet. The suction fan unit is arranged downstream of the drying portion in the conveyance direction of the sheet and includes a suction fan that sucks in air present in a drying space between the conveyance portion and the drying portion. The exhaust portion discharges the air sucked in by the suction fan unit. The first duct communicates the drying space with the suction fan. The second duct communicates the suction fan with the exhaust portion. The suction fan unit collects the air present in the drying space by sucking it in the horizontal direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction via the first duct.

Abstract: A sheet drying apparatus includes a conveyance portion, a drying portion, a heater voltage power supply, and a control portion. The conveyance portion conveys a sheet having an image formed on it with ink containing moisture. The drying portion has a heater arranged opposite the conveyance portion and heats and dries the sheet by using the heater. The heater voltage power supply applies an alternating-current voltage to the heater. The control portion controls the heater voltage power supply. The control portion can change the duty of the alternating-current voltage applied to the heater from an initial set value to an adjusted set value.

Abstract: A sheet drying apparatus includes a conveyance portion and a drying portion. The conveyance portion conveys a sheet on which an image is formed with ink containing moisture. The drying portion is arranged opposite the conveyance portion and heats and dries the sheet. The drying portion includes a heating unit having a plurality of infrared heaters extending in the width direction horizontally orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the sheet and arranged side by side along the conveyance direction and a plurality of reflectors that surround the infrared heaters from a direction opposite to the conveyance portion, and a hot air fan arranged opposite the conveyance portion across the heating unit and blowing toward the conveyance portion hot air heated as a result of air passing through the interval between the reflectors. As many reflectors as the infrared heaters are arranged such that each reflector surrounds one infrared heater individually.

Abstract: A sheet drying apparatus includes a conveyance portion, a drying portion, and a sheet lift sensing mechanism. The conveyance portion has a conveyance member that moves while holding a sheet having an image formed on it with ink containing moisture. The drying portion is arranged opposite the conveyance member and heats and dries the sheet. The sheet lift sensing mechanism includes a sheet lift sensor having a light emitter and light receiver opposite each other in the width direction of the sheet horizontally orthogonal to the conveyance direction and a sensing assist member that protrudes from above into a conveyance space above the conveyance member and that contacts a lifted part of the sheet to rotate it in a horizontal direction. The distance from the conveyance member to the sensing assist member is smaller than the minimum height of the conveyance space.

Abstract: A sheet drying apparatus includes a conveyance portion, a drying portion, and a preliminary drying portion. The conveyance portion conveys a sheet on which an image is formed with ink containing moisture. The drying portion is arranged opposite the conveyance portion and heats and dries the sheet. The preliminary drying portion is arranged adjacently upstream of the drying portion with respect to the conveyance direction of the sheet, and preliminarily dries the sheet.

Abstract: A sheet drying apparatus includes a conveyance portion, a drying portion, a main body frame accommodating the conveyance portion and the drying portion, an exterior cover attached to the main body frame, an inner cover, a locking mechanism, a temperature sensor, and a control portion. The drying portion is arranged opposite the conveyance portion and heats and dries a sheet on which an image has been formed with ink containing moisture. The inner cover can be opened and closed between the exterior cover and the drying portion. The locking mechanism locks the inner cover in a closed state. The temperature sensor senses the temperature in the drying portion. The control portion makes the locking mechanism lock the inner cover in the closed state until the temperature in the drying portion sensed by the temperature sensor falls below a first temperature.

Abstract: A drying apparatus dries a recording medium on which an image is formed, under a high temperature atmosphere while conveying the recording medium, the drying apparatus includes an endless conveying belt, and a roller. The conveying belt supports and conveys the recording medium in a predetermined conveyance direction. The conveying belt is wound around the roller. The roller includes a cylindrical roller body, and flange bodies fitted into both ends of the roller body. In a fitting region between the roller body and the flange body, a thermal expansion coefficient of an inside fitted portion is higher than a thermal expansion coefficient of an outside fitted portion.

Abstract: A drying apparatus includes a conveying unit, a heater unit, a casing, a lifting mechanism, and a closing member. The conveying unit supports and conveys the recording medium in a predetermined conveyance direction. The heater unit is disposed above the conveying unit, and blows a high temperature air to the conveyed recording medium. The casing houses the heater unit. The lifting mechanism is provided in the casing and supports the heater unit so as to be lifted and lowered. The closing member comes into contact with the heater unit when the heater unit is lowered, and separates a heating space below the heater unit from an internal space of the casing. The closing member is lifted and lowered within a predetermined range as the heater unit is lifted and lowered.

Abstract: A drying apparatus dries a recording medium on which an image is formed, while conveying the recording medium. The drying apparatus includes a conveying member, a heating device, and a drying chamber, and a path. The conveying member supports and conveys the recording medium in a predetermined conveyance direction. The heating device heats the recording medium conveyed by the conveying member under a high-temperature environment. The drying chamber is arranged on an upstream side of the heating device in the conveyance direction of the recording medium and pre-dries the recording medium conveyed by the conveying member. The path communicates the heating device with the drying chamber.

Abstract: A drying device dries a recording medium on which an image is formed, while conveying the recording medium. The drying apparatus includes a conveying member and a heating device. The conveying member supports and conveys the recording medium in a predetermined conveyance direction. The heating device heats the recording medium conveyed by the conveying member under a high temperature environment. The heating device includes a heater, a reflector and a lifting mechanism. The heater emits infrared ray. The reflector reflects the infrared ray emitted from the heater toward the recording medium. The lifting mechanism lifts and lowers the reflector relative to the heater to change a number of reflections of the infrared ray.

Abstract: A drying apparatus includes a conveying device, a heating device, a conveying rollers pair, a driving roller rotation detection part, a driven roller rotation detection part, and a control part. The conveying device conveys a medium in a conveyance direction. The heating device dries the ink of the medium under a high temperature environment. The conveying rollers pair is disposed on a downstream side of the heating device, and includes a driving roller and a driven roller. The driving roller rotation detection part detects a rotating of the driving roller. The driven roller rotation detection part detects a rotating of the driven roller. The control part stops the heating device when the rotating of the driving roller is detected by the driving roller rotation detection part and a rotation period obtained by a detection result of the driven roller rotation detection part is longer than a reference rotation period.

Abstract: A drying apparatus includes an endless conveying belt, a conveying plate, and a suction device. The endless conveying belt has a number of through-holes, and supports the medium and conveys the medium in a predetermined conveyance direction. The conveying plate has a number of through-holes and supports the conveying belt in contact with an inner circumferential surface of the conveying belt. The suction device sucks air through the through-holes of the conveying belt and the through-holes of the conveying plate to attract the medium to the conveying plate. The conveying plate is formed so as to be expandable and contractable in a direction parallel to the conveyance direction.

Abstract: A drying device according to the present disclosure includes a conveying device, an air blowing device, and an exhaust device. The conveying device conveys a medium on which an image is formed, along a predetermined conveyance direction. The air blowing device sends air toward the medium from above the medium conveyed by the conveying device to dry the medium. The exhaust device takes in air above the medium from both sides of the conveying device in a width direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction and exhausts the taken air to an outside.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a housing, a container body, and an electrostatic capacitance sensor. The container body contains a liquid and is placed on a ground surface which is a part of the housing. The electrostatic capacitance sensor detects a change in capacitance between a side surface of the container body and the ground surface to determine a change in quantity of the liquid in the container body. The top surface of the container body is a part of the housing. The top surface and the ground surface are in electrically conductive state, a distance between the top surface and the electrostatic capacitance sensor is longer than a distance between the ground surface and the electrostatic capacitance sensor, or the top surface and the ground surface are electrically insulated, or the top surface is opened.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a housing, a container body, and an electrostatic capacitance sensor. The container body contains a liquid and is placed on a ground surface which is a part of the housing. The electrostatic capacitance sensor detects a change in capacitance between a side surface of the container body and the ground surface to determine a change in quantity of the liquid in the container body. The top surface of the container body is a part of the housing. The top surface and the ground surface are in electrically conductive state, a distance between the top surface and the electrostatic capacitance sensor is longer than a distance between the ground surface and the electrostatic capacitance sensor, or the top surface and the ground surface are electrically insulated, or the top surface is opened.

Abstract: A wipe unit of the present disclosure includes a wiper, a wiper carriage, a wiper fixing member and a recovery tray. The recovery tray is arranged below the wiper, and includes a tray surface that recovers the ink wiped off with the wiper. The tray surface is inclined with respect to a horizontal plane, and makes the recovered ink flow in a predetermined direction so as to collect the recovered ink. The wiping portion is formed with the wiper and the wiper fixing member, and the wiping portion includes an ink drop portion which drops the ink wiped off with the wiper to the tray surface. The ink drop portion is formed such that the length thereof in a width direction orthogonal to the wiping direction is reduced as the ink drop portion is extended downward.

Abstract: A wipe unit of the present disclosure includes a wiper, a wiper carriage, a wiper fixing member and a recovery tray. The recovery tray is arranged below the wiper, and includes a tray surface that recovers the ink wiped off with the wiper. The tray surface is inclined with respect to a horizontal plane, and makes the recovered ink flow in a predetermined direction so as to collect the recovered ink. The wiping portion is formed with the wiper and the wiper fixing member, and the wiping portion includes an ink drop portion which drops the ink wiped off with the wiper to the tray surface. The ink drop portion is formed such that the length thereof in a width direction orthogonal to the wiping direction is reduced as the ink drop portion is extended downward.

Abstract: A developing device includes a developing roller, a housing, and a film member. A side opening provided in the housing communicates with a suction device at an end in a rotation axis direction of the developing roller. A downstream cover portion of the housing covers the developing roller from a downstream side in a rotation direction of the image carrying member. Concave portions of the downstream cover portion and a portion of a film member bonded to the downstream cover portion form ducts that communicate from openings facing the image carrying member to the side opening.