JP2009226646A - Fluid jetting apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A fluid ejecting apparatus capable of stabilizing a medium on a support surface is provided.
A support member having a support surface that supports a medium, an ejection head that is provided opposite to the support surface and that ejects fluid toward the support surface, and a medium so that the medium is supported by the support surface. And a conveying roller that conveys in one direction while holding, and the support surface is inclined so that the inclination angle gradually increases from the portion facing the ejection head to the front end in the medium conveying direction. Therefore, the medium is biased to the support surface by the inclination of the support surface. As a result, a wider area of the medium can be stabilized on the support surface.
[Selection] Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to a fluid ejecting apparatus.

  As a fluid ejecting apparatus that ejects a fluid onto a medium, for example, an ink jet recording apparatus is known. Among such recording apparatuses, for example, a recording sheet supported on a platen (support member) from an ejection head that ejects fluid while moving a medium such as a recording sheet by a pair of rollers that form a single nip portion. A configuration for ejecting a fluid to (medium) is known.

  Conventionally, when a medium is supported on a platen, depending on the position of the medium, the position of the medium may not be stable, for example, a part of the medium is supported while being curved toward the ejection head. When the distance from the ejection head to the medium fluctuates in this way, the flying distance of the fluid changes, and it becomes impossible to place a good fluid on the medium, resulting in a poor fluid placement.

On the other hand, the structure which provided the biasing member which biases a medium is known. In this configuration, the medium is conveyed at a certain angle with respect to the platen surface, and the medium is urged toward the surface of the platen. Accordingly, the medium can be prevented from being separated from the platen, and the support posture of the recording paper can be stabilized on the platen.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-48161

  However, according to the configuration in which the biasing member is provided, the medium can be stably biased on the platen in the vicinity of the biasing member, but the biasing force is weakened at a position away from the biasing member. It cannot be energized stably. In recent years, the ejection head has been elongated in the medium conveyance direction, and the fluid arrangement region has been elongated in the medium conveyance direction. For this reason, it has become difficult to stabilize the entire surface of the medium where the fluid is disposed on the surface of the platen.

  In view of the circumstances described above, an object of the present invention is to provide a fluid ejecting apparatus capable of stabilizing a medium on a support surface.

  In order to solve the above problems, a fluid ejecting apparatus according to the present invention includes a support member having a support surface that supports a medium, and an ejecting head that is provided to face the support surface and ejects fluid toward the support surface. And a conveyance roller that conveys the medium in one direction while holding the medium so that the medium is supported by the support surface, and the support surface is formed in a direction in which the medium is conveyed from a portion facing the ejection head. It is characterized by inclining so that the inclination angle gradually increases toward the front end.

  According to the present invention, the support member having the support surface that supports the medium, the ejection head that is provided to face the support surface and ejects the fluid toward the support surface, and the medium is supported by the support surface. A conveyance roller that conveys the medium in one direction while holding the medium, and the support surface is inclined so that the inclination angle gradually increases from the portion facing the ejection head to the front end in the medium conveyance direction. Therefore, the medium is urged to the support surface by the inclination of the support surface. As a result, a wider area of the medium can be stabilized on the support surface.

In the fluid ejecting apparatus, the support surface is a curved surface.
According to the present invention, since the inclined portion of the support surface is a curved surface, the medium can be easily adhered to the support surface.

In the fluid ejecting apparatus, the transport roller is disposed at both ends in the one direction of the support surface.
According to the present invention, since the conveyance rollers are arranged at both ends in the one direction of the support surface, a wider area of the medium can be supported by the support surface.

In the fluid ejecting apparatus, a plurality of the ejecting heads are provided at positions where the distances from the support surface are equal.
According to the present invention, since a plurality of ejection heads are provided at positions where the distance from the support surface is equal, the distance from the ejection head to the medium can be prevented from changing due to the inclination of the support surface. As a result, the desired injection characteristics can be maintained.

The fluid ejecting apparatus further includes a control unit that controls a timing of ejecting the fluid according to a distance between the ejecting head and the support surface.
According to the present invention, since the control unit that controls the timing of ejecting the fluid according to the distance between the ejection head and the support surface is further provided, the timing at which the ink is ejected onto the medium is made constant. Can do. As a result, the desired injection characteristics can be maintained.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
In the following description, an ink jet printer will be described as an example of the fluid ejecting apparatus according to the invention. In the following drawings, the scale is appropriately changed in order to make each member a recognizable size.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an internal configuration of the inkjet printer 100. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the internal configuration of the inkjet printer 100. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view (a cross-sectional view along the conveyance direction of the recording paper P) showing the internal configuration of the inkjet printer 100. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing electrical connection of the inkjet printer 100.

  As shown in these drawings, the inkjet printer 100 includes a carriage unit 1, a paper feed unit 2, and a transport unit 3, and the paper feed unit 2 and the transport unit 3 are integrated with the carriage unit 1. It is the installed configuration.

  The carriage unit 1 is a unit that performs printing (recording) on the recording paper P by ejecting ink (fluid) onto the recording paper P (medium) such as recording paper. The carriage unit 1 includes a recording head 4 (ejection head) that ejects ink, a carriage 5 that supports the recording head 4, and a plane direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction (sub-scanning direction) of the recording paper P. And a carriage driving device 6 (see FIG. 4) that moves in the scanning direction.

  The recording head 4 includes a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink, and is configured to eject ink through the nozzles by a drive element (for example, a piezo element) formed inside. An ink cartridge (not shown) is mounted on the carriage 5, and ink is supplied from the ink cartridge to the recording head 4.

  The carriage driving device 6 guides the movement of the carriage 5, the driving pulley 6 a, the driven pulley 6 b, the endless belt 6 c that is driven around the driving pulley 6 a and the driven pulley 6 b and partly fixed to the carriage 5. Carriage shaft 6d. By moving the endless belt 6c by driving the drive pulley 6a of the carriage driving device 6, the carriage 5 moves in the scanning direction along the carriage shaft 6d.

  The carriage unit 1 has a carriage motor 1a (see FIG. 4). A driving force is transmitted from the carriage motor 1a to the driving pulley 6a.

  The paper feed unit 2 is a unit that feeds the recording paper X to the carriage unit 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the sheet feeding unit 2 includes a sheet feeding cassette 7 in which a plurality of recording sheets P can be stacked and a sheet of recording sheets P stacked on the sheet feeding cassette 7. Only a paper feed roller 8 that picks up and feeds paper and a recording paper detection sensor 9 that detects the recording paper P fed by the paper feed roller 8 are provided.

  The paper feed cassette 7 extends obliquely toward the upper rear side of the ink jet printer 100 so that the recording paper P can be installed obliquely.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the paper feed roller 8 is a drive roller having a notch formed in a part in the rotation direction, and picks up and feeds the recording paper P on the peripheral surface without the notch. is there. Note that a driving force is transmitted to the paper feed roller via a transmission gear from a conveyance motor 3a included in the conveyance unit 3 described later.

  The recording paper detection sensor 9 includes a detection lever 9a and a sensor main body 9c supported so as to be rotatable about a rotation shaft 9b. The recording sheet detection sensor 9 includes a light receiving portion (not shown) that is disposed above the detection lever 9a and receives light from a light emitting portion (not shown). Then, the light from the light emitting unit is received by the light receiving unit by rotating so that the detection lever 9a is pushed upward as the recording paper P passes. The light from the light emitting unit is blocked by rotating to return to. The recording sheet detection sensor 9 detects the recording sheet P by blocking and passing the light from the light emitting unit to the light receiving unit by the rotation operation of the detection lever 9a.

  The transport unit 3 is a unit that transports the recording paper P fed by the paper feed unit 2. The transport unit 3 supports the paper feed roller pair 10 that transports the recording paper P that has passed through the paper feed recording paper detection sensor 9 of the paper feed unit 2 and the recording paper P that has passed through the paper feed roller pair 10 from below. And a paper discharge roller pair 12 that discharges the recording paper P that has passed through the platen 11.

  The pair of paper feed rollers 10 includes a paper feed roller 10a and a driven roller 10b that are rotationally driven. The recording paper P is sandwiched between nip portions formed by the paper feed roller 10a and the driven roller 10b. It is to be transported.

  The platen 11 is provided below the carriage 5 of the carriage unit 1 so as to correspond to the movable range of the carriage 5. On the platen 11, ink is ejected from the recording head 4 supported by the carriage 5 on the recording paper P.

  The pair of paper discharge rollers 12 includes a paper discharge roller 12a that is rotationally driven and a driven roller 10b. The recording paper P is sandwiched between nip portions formed by the paper discharge roller 12a and the driven roller 12b. It is to be transported.

  The transport unit 3 includes a transport motor 3a (see FIG. 4). A driving force is transmitted from the transport motor 3a to the paper feed roller 10a and the paper discharge roller 12b via the transmission gear 3b.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the inkjet printer 100 according to the present embodiment includes a maintenance device 13 that performs maintenance of the recording head 4. The maintenance device 13 performs maintenance processing such as flushing processing, suction processing, wiping processing, and capping processing on the recording head 4, and is disposed at the end of the carriage 5 in the scanning direction.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the ink jet printer 100 of the present embodiment includes a control unit 20. The control unit 20 controls the entire inkjet printer 100 of the present embodiment, and is electrically connected to the carriage unit 1, the paper feed unit 2, the transport unit 3, the maintenance device 13, and the like.

  The control unit 20 includes an arithmetic processing device such as a CPU and a storage device such as a ROM and a RAM, and controls the recording head 4, the carriage motor 1a, and the conveyance motor 3a based on, for example, print data supplied from the outside.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view schematically showing the configuration of the platen 11.
As shown in the figure, the platen 11 has a plate-like member 11a and ribs 11b. The plate-like member 11 a is a part that becomes the base of the platen 11. In the drawing, the short direction of the plate-like member 11 a is the conveyance direction of the recording paper P.

  A plurality of, for example, five ribs 11b are provided in the longitudinal direction of the plate-like member 11a, and each rib 11b has the same dimensions. The upper surface of each rib 11b is a support surface that supports the recording paper P. The support surface 11c has a portion 11g that inclines so that the inclination angle gradually increases from the central portion in the conveyance direction of the recording paper P to the end portion 11e on the leading end side in the conveyance direction. In FIG. 5, the portion 11g has a curved shape along the conveyance direction of the recording paper P (hereinafter, referred to as “curved portion 11g”). Each support surface 11c including the curved portion 11g among the ribs 11b serves as a support surface for supporting the recording paper P. The curvature of the curved portion 11g may be constant, or the curvature may change along the transport direction. The region including the central portion 11f in the conveyance direction of the recording paper P in the support surface 11c of the rib 11b, that is, the region including the start position of the curved portion 11g in the support surface 11c is the region facing the recording head 4 described above. Become.

Next, the operation of the ink jet printer 100 of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described. In the description of this operation, the main body of the operation is the control unit 20.
First, in a state where a plurality of recording papers P are stacked and arranged on the paper feed cassette 7 of the paper feed unit 2, the paper feed roller 8 of the paper feed unit 2 is driven to rotate, thereby being stacked on the paper feed cassette 7. Only the uppermost recording sheet P of the recording sheets P arranged in this manner is picked up and fed.

  The recording paper P fed by the rotation of the paper feed roller 8 passes through the recording paper detection sensor 9. At this time, the recording sheet detection sensor 9 detects the presence of the recording sheet P and inputs the detection result to the control unit 20. The recording paper P that has passed through the recording paper detection sensor 9 is transported onto the platen 11 by the paper feed roller pair 10 of the transport unit 3.

  When the recording paper P is transported to the center of the platen 11 in the transport direction, ink is ejected from the recording head 4 of the carriage unit 1 to the recording paper P, whereby printing is performed. When ink is ejected from the recording head 4, the carriage 5 that supports the recording head 4 is moved in the scanning direction based on the detection result of the recording sheet detection sensor 9, print data, and the like, and the desired recording sheet P is printed. The ejection timing of the ink from the recording head 4 is controlled so that the ink ejected from the recording head 4 is arranged at the location.

  At this time, the recording paper P is supported on the support surface 11c along the support surface 11c from the rear end 11d of the platen 11 in the transport direction. In this state, the paper feed roller pair 10 is continuously rotated, and when the recording paper P is transported to the central portion of the platen 11 in the transport direction, ink is ejected from the recording head 4 of the carriage unit 1 to the recording paper P. Thus, printing is performed. When ink is ejected from the recording head 4, the carriage 5 that supports the recording head 4 is moved in the scanning direction based on the detection result of the recording sheet detection sensor 9, print data, and the like, and the desired recording sheet P is printed. The ejection timing of the ink from the recording head 4 is controlled so that the ink ejected from the recording head 4 is arranged at the location.

  If the paper feed roller pair 10 is continuously rotated from this state, the leading end P1 of the recording paper P moves along the curvature of the support surface 11c of the platen 11 so as to climb the curved portion 11g as shown in FIG. In this movement, the leading end P1 of the recording paper P receives a pressing force in the direction opposite to the transport direction from the curved portion 11g of the support surface 11c. With this force, the recording paper P tends to bend along the curve and is urged toward the support surface 11c, and in this case, the recording paper P is supported in a stable posture.

  When the leading edge P1 of the recording paper P reaches the paper discharge roller pair 12 and the paper feed roller pair 10, the recording paper P is held and conveyed by both the paper discharge roller pair 12 and the paper feed roller pair 10. The recording paper P has a property of once maintaining the posture once the posture is fixed. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 7, even when the recording paper P is held at both ends in the conveying direction of the platen 11, the entire portion supported by the support surface 11c tends to be in close contact with the support surface 11c. You will maintain your posture.

  When the recording paper P is conveyed in this state, the trailing edge P2 of the recording paper P leaves the paper feed roller pair 10 and is held and conveyed only by the rotation of the paper discharge roller pair 12. As shown in FIG. 8, the rear end P <b> 2 of the recording paper P moves on the support surface 11 c so as to be pulled by the paper discharge roller pair 12. When the paper discharge roller pair 12 is further rotated, the trailing edge P2 of the recording paper P moves so as to pull the curved portion 11g upward as shown in FIG. 8 and 9, the recording paper P continues to maintain the posture to be in close contact with the support surface 11 c of the platen 11.

  Thus, according to the present embodiment, the platen 11 having the support surface 11c that supports the recording paper P, and the recording head 4 that is provided to face the support surface 11c and that ejects ink toward the support surface 11c, And a pair of conveying rollers 10 and 12 for conveying the recording paper P in one direction while holding the recording paper P so that the recording paper P is supported by the support surface 11c, and recording from a portion 11f where the support surface 11c faces the recording head 4. The recording sheet P is biased to the support surface 11c by the inclination of the support surface 11c because the inclination angle gradually increases toward the end 11e on the front side in the transport direction of the paper P. It will be. As a result, a wider area of the recording paper P can be stabilized on the support surface 11c.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, since the inclined portion 11g of the support surface 11c is a curved surface, the recording paper P can be easily adhered to the support surface 11c. In addition, when the leading end P1 of the recording sheet P moves so as to climb up the support surface 11c, the force applied to the leading end P1 continuously increases, so that the recording sheet P is continuously urged to the supporting surface 11c. be able to.

The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and appropriate modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, in the above embodiment, the inclined portion of the support surface 11c of the platen 11 is a curved surface (curved portion 11g). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the front end in the transport direction from the position facing the recording head 4 is not limited thereto. Other configurations may be used as long as the shape is inclined so that the inclination angle gradually increases toward the portion 11e. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, a support surface 11x facing the recording head 4, a support surface 11y connected to the front side in the transport direction of the support surface 11x, and a support surface 11z connected to the support surface 11y. It may be configured to have. At this time, the angle θ2 formed by the support surface x and the support surface z is configured to be larger than the angle θ1 formed by the support surface 11x and the support surface 11y.

  In the above embodiment, the number of recording heads 4 is one. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. The recording heads 4a and 4b may be arranged, and the ejection surface 4d of the recording heads 4a and 4b may be arranged so that the distance from the support surface 11c is a constant distance. As a result, the distance from the recording head 4 can be prevented from changing due to the inclination of the support surface 11c. As a result, the desired injection characteristics can be maintained.

  Also, as shown in FIG. 12, the control unit 20 may control the ink ejection timing in accordance with the distance between the recording head 4 and the support surface 11c. As a result, the timing at which ink is ejected onto the recording paper P can be made constant, so that the intended ejection characteristics can be maintained.

  In the above-described embodiment, the fluid ejecting apparatus is embodied as an ink jet recording apparatus. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and liquids other than ink (in addition to liquids, liquids in which particles of functional materials are dispersed, gels) And a fluid ejecting apparatus that ejects or discharges a fluid other than a liquid (such as a solid that can be ejected by flowing as a fluid). For example, a liquid material injection device for injecting a liquid material in the form of dispersed or dissolved materials such as electrode materials and color materials used in the manufacture of liquid crystal displays, EL (electroluminescence) displays, and surface-emitting displays, and biochip manufacturing It may be a liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting a bio-organic substance used in the above, or a liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting a liquid as a sample used as a precision pipette. In addition, transparent resin liquids such as UV curable resins to form liquid injection devices that inject lubricating oil onto precision machines such as watches and cameras, and micro hemispherical lenses (optical lenses) used in optical communication elements. Examples include a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a liquid onto a substrate, a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects an etching solution such as acid or alkali to etch the substrate, a fluid ejecting apparatus that ejects gel, and a powder such as toner. It may be a powder jet recording apparatus that jets a solid. The present invention can be applied to any one of these injection devices.

1 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of an inkjet printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating a configuration of the ink jet printer according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of the ink jet printer according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing electrical connection of the ink jet printer according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a platen of the ink jet printer according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an operation state of the ink jet printer according to the embodiment. Same operation diagram. Same operation diagram. Same operation diagram. The figure which shows the other structure of the inkjet printer which concerns on this invention. The figure which shows the other structure of the inkjet printer which concerns on this invention. The figure which shows the other structure of the inkjet printer which concerns on this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Inkjet printer (fluid ejecting apparatus) 4 ... Recording head (ejection head) 11 ... Platen (support member) 11c, 11x, 11y, 11z ... Support surface 11g ... Curved part P ... Recording paper (medium)

Claims (5)

A support member having a support surface for supporting the medium;
An ejection head that is provided opposite to the support surface and that ejects fluid toward the support surface;
A conveyance roller that conveys the medium in one direction while holding the medium so that the medium is supported by the support surface;
The fluid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support surface is inclined so that an inclination angle gradually increases from a portion facing the ejecting head to a front end portion in the medium transport direction. The fluid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inclined portion of the support surface is a curved surface. The fluid ejecting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the transport roller is disposed at both ends in the one direction of the support surface. The fluid ejecting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a plurality of the ejecting heads are provided at positions where the distances from the support surface are equal. The fluid ejection according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a control unit that controls a timing of ejection of the fluid according to a distance between the ejection head and the support surface. apparatus.

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