US 12,078,956 B2
Image forming apparatus
Keiko Fujita, Chiba (JP); Kentaro Yamana, Chiba (JP); Shigeo Doi, Ibaraki (JP); Yuya Yokobori, Chiba (JP); and Hiroshi Nojima, Chiba (JP)
Assigned to Canon Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo (JP)
Filed by CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Tokyo (JP)
Filed on Jan. 31, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/162,581.
Claims priority of application No. 2022-016882 (JP), filed on Feb. 7, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2023/0251602 A1, Aug. 10, 2023
Int. Cl. G03G 21/20 (2006.01); G03G 15/16 (2006.01); G03G 15/20 (2006.01)
CPC G03G 21/206 (2013.01) [G03G 15/161 (2013.01); G03G 15/2028 (2013.01); G03G 2215/0132 (2013.01); G03G 2215/1661 (2013.01); G03G 2221/1642 (2013.01)] 14 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
a photosensitive member;
a transfer unit including:
a transfer belt onto which a toner image formed on a photosensitive member is transferred;
a primary transfer roller that faces the photosensitive member via the transfer belt and forms a primary transfer nip portion for primarily transferring the toner image formed on the photosensitive member to the transfer belt;
a secondary transfer inner roller that is provided below the primary transfer roller in a vertical direction and in contact with an inner circumferential surface of the transfer belt; and
a stretching roller for stretching the transfer belt that is provided between the secondary transfer inner roller and the primary transfer roller in a rotation direction of the transfer belt;
a secondary transfer outer roller configured to face the secondary transfer inner roller via the transfer belt and to form a secondary transfer nip portion for secondarily transferring the toner image formed on the transfer belt to a recording material;
a support unit configured to support the transfer unit to move along a rotation axis direction of the secondary transfer inner roller; and
an air duct located downstream of the secondary transfer nip portion in a conveyance direction of a recording material and below a portion of the transfer belt stretched between the secondary transfer inner roller and the stretching roller in the vertical direction,
wherein the air duct includes an air intake port and is provided in the transfer unit and is configured to move integrally with the transfer unit along with movement of the transfer unit from the support unit.