1. An air outlet structure of an air conditioner, the air outlet structure comprising:
a flow path member, opened at the downstream end thereof as an air outlet for an air conditioning air stream to a vehicle compartment,
a top wall of the flow path member being inclined downward in a vehicle vertical direction toward the a flow direction downstream side of the air conditioning air stream, an upstream face of a bottom wall is of the flow path member being inclined downward upward on progression in the vehicle vertical direction toward the flow direction downstream side of the air conditioning air stream, an intermediate face that is continuous with the upstream face being provided horizontally so as to extend along the vehicle front-rear direction, and a downstream face that is continuous from the intermediate face toward the air outlet being inclined upward in the vehicle vertical direction toward the downstream side;
a pair of fins, provided one on top of another in the vehicle vertical direction within the flow path member at a middle portion in the flow direction of the air conditioning air stream, with upstream side ends thereof being rotatably supported with respect to the flow path member; and
a delivery direction altering part that, being coupled to an operation portion and the pair of fins, changes states of the pair of fins such that:
when the pair of fins are swung upward so as to form an upward facing flow path between the pair of fins and the downstream face of the bottom wall, each of the pair of fins is relatively swung toward the other;
when the pair of fins are positioned at a vertically intermediate position so as to form a horizontally directed flow path with the top wall and the bottom wall, each of the pair of fins is relatively swung away from the other so as to allow air to pass therebetween; and
when the pair of fins are swung downward so as to form a downward directed flow path between the pair of fins and the top wall, each of the pair of fins is relatively swung toward the other.
2. The air conditioner air outlet structure of claim 1, wherein the pair of fins are configured such that the upstream side ends thereof are separated from each other in the vehicle vertical direction, and the air conditioning air stream passes between the fins when the fins are positioned at the vertically intermediate position.
3. An air outlet structure of an air conditioner, the air outlet structure comprising:
a flow path member, opened at a downstream end thereof as an air outlet for an air conditioning air stream to a vehicle compartment, a top wall of the flow path member being inclined downward in a vehicle vertical direction toward a flow direction downstream side of the air conditioning air stream, an upstream face of a bottom wall of the flow path member being inclined downward in the vehicle vertical direction toward the flow direction downstream side of the air conditioning air stream, an intermediate face that is continuous with the upstream face being provided horizontally so as to extend along the vehicle front-rear direction, and a downstream face that is continuous from the intermediate face toward the air outlet being inclined upward in the vehicle vertical direction toward the downstream side;
a pair of fins, provided one on top of another in the vehicle vertical direction within the flow path member at a middle portion in the flow direction of the air conditioning air stream, with upstream side ends thereof being rotatably supported with respect to the flow path member; and
a delivery direction altering part that, being coupled to an operation portion and the pair of fins, changes states of the pair of fins such that:
the pair of fins are swung upward so as to form an upward facing flow path with the downstream face of the bottom wall, and each of the pair of fins is relatively swung away from the other;
the pair of fins are positioned at a vertically intermediate position so as to form a horizontally directed flow path with the top wall and the bottom wall, and each of the pair of fins is relatively swung toward the other; and
the pair of fins are swung downward so as to form a downward directed flow path with the top wall, and each of the pair of fins is relatively swung away from the other.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An image forming apparatus, comprising:
an image carrying unit; and
a developing unit configured to develop a latent image on the image carrying unit;
wherein
a surface friction coefficient of the image carrying unit is less than or equal to 0.3, and
the developing unit attaches a developing agent transported by an electrostatic force to the image carrying unit to develop the latent image.
2. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the developing unit includes a transportation unit configured to generate a traveling wave electric field for transferring the developing agent, said electric field not removing the developing agent adhering to an image portion of the latent image from the image carrying unit, said image portion of the latent image being to be developed to an image.
3. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the developing unit generates an electric field between the image carrying unit and the transportation unit, said electric field directing the developing agent toward the image portion of the latent image of the image carrying unit, and directing the developing agent away from a non-image portion of the latent image on the image carrying unit, said non-image portion of the latent image being not to be developed to an image.
4. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein an average value of a voltage applied on the transportation unit for generating the traveling wave electric field is between a voltage on the image portion of the latent image and a voltage on the non-image portion of the latent image.
5. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein a voltage applied on the transportation unit for generating the traveling wave electric field includes a pulse-shaped waveform, and a level in the pulse-shaped waveform for directing the developing agent from the transportation unit is between a voltage on the image portion of the latent image and a voltage on the non-image portion of the latent image.
6. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein a surface layer of the image carrying unit includes a material for reducing the surface friction coefficient of the image carrying unit.
7. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:
an application unit configured to apply a material for reducing the surface friction coefficient on a surface of the image carrying unit.
8. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the material for reducing the surface friction coefficient includes a lamellar crystalline material.
9. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the lamellar crystalline material includes a fluorine-based polymeric material.
10. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the lamellar crystalline material includes a metallic soap.
11. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein a roundness of the developing agent is from 0.96 to 1.00.
12. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the developing agent is produced by polymerization.
13. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the surface friction coefficient of the image carrying unit is greater than or equal to 0.1.
14. A process cartridge detachably attached to an image forming apparatus, said process cartridge comprising:
an image carrying unit; and
a developing unit configured to develop a latent image on the image carrying unit;
wherein
a surface friction coefficient of the image carrying unit is less than or equal to 0.3, and
the developing unit attaches a developing agent transported by an electrostatic force to the image carrying unit to develop the latent image.
15. The process cartridge as claimed in claim 14, wherein the developing unit includes a transportation unit configured to generate a traveling wave electric field for transferring the developing agent, said electric field not removing the developing agent adhering to an image portion of the latent image from the image carrying unit, said image portion of the latent image being to be developed to an image.
16. The process cartridge as claimed in claim 15, wherein a voltage is applied on the developing unit to generate an electric field between the image carrying unit and the transportation unit, said electric field directing the developing agent toward the image portion of the latent image on the image carrying unit, and directing the developing agent away from a non-image portion of the latent image on the image carrying unit, said non-image portion of the latent image being not to be developed to an image.
17. The process cartridge as claimed in claim 16, wherein an average value of a voltage applied on the transportation unit for generating the traveling wave electric field is between a voltage on the image portion of the latent image and a voltage on the non-image portion of the latent image.
18. The process cartridge as claimed in claim 16, wherein a voltage applied on the transportation unit for generating the traveling wave electric field includes a pulse-shaped waveform, and a level in the pulse-shaped waveform for directing the developing agent from the transportation unit is between a voltage on the image portion of the latent image and a voltage on the non-image portion of the latent image.
19. The process cartridge as claimed in claim 14, wherein a surface layer of the image carrying unit includes a material for reducing the surface friction coefficient of the image carrying unit.
20. The process cartridge as claimed in claim 14, further comprising:
an application unit configured to apply a material for reducing the surface friction coefficient on a surface of the image carrying unit.
21. The process cartridge as claimed in claim 19, wherein the material for reducing the surface friction coefficient includes a lamellar crystalline material.
22. The process cartridge as claimed in claim 21, wherein the lamellar crystalline material includes a fluorine-based polymeric material.
23. The process cartridge as claimed in claim 21, wherein the lamellar crystalline material includes a metallic soap.
24. The process cartridge as claimed in claim 14, wherein a roundness of the developing agent is from 0.96 to 1.00.
25. The process cartridge as claimed in claim 24, wherein the developing agent is produced by polymerization.
26. The process cartridge as claimed in claim 14, wherein the surface friction coefficient of the image carrying unit is greater than or equal to 0.1.
27. An image forming apparatus comprising a plurality of process cartridges for developing a latent image on an image carrying unit, wherein
each of the process cartridges includes:
the image carrying unit; and
a developing unit configured to develop the latent image;
wherein
a surface friction coefficient of the image carrying unit is less than or equal to 0.3, and
the developing unit attached a developing agent transported by an electrostatic force to the image carrying unit to develop the latent image.