JP2016036995A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce lifting of a medium on a medium support part.SOLUTION: A printer includes: a medium support part which suctions a printed medium and supports the printed medium; a printing part which makes prints on the printed medium supported by the medium support part; and a transfer part which transfers the printed medium supported by the medium support part. A recessed part is formed in the medium support part, and a first suction hole which suctions the printed medium is formed at the recessed part. An inclined surface is formed at the downstream side relative to the recessed part when viewed in a transfer direction of the printed medium. A second suction hole is formed between the recessed part and the inclined surface.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a first guide member that has a first guide surface that faces a recording head and guides conveyance of a recording medium, and a recording medium that is disposed on the downstream side of conveyance with respect to the first guide member A second guide member having a second guide surface for guiding the second guide member, and a record in which the second guide surface is lower than the first guide surface and a step is provided on the third guide surface connecting the two guide surfaces. An apparatus is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2006-224506 A

  However, in the recording apparatus, since the distance until the leading end of the recording medium is supported by the third guide surface is long, it is necessary to ensure a large margin on the leading end side of the recording medium during printing. was there.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to solve at least a part of the problems described above, and the invention can be implemented as the following forms or application examples.

  Application Example 1 A printing apparatus according to this application example includes a medium support unit that sucks a print medium and supports the print medium, and a print unit that prints on the print medium supported by the medium support unit. A transport unit that transports the print medium supported by the medium support unit, wherein the medium support unit is formed with a recess, and the recess has a first suction hole that sucks the print medium. An inclined surface is formed downstream of the concave portion in the transport direction of the printing medium, and a second suction hole is formed between the concave portion and the inclined surface.

  According to this configuration, the tip of the printing medium is supported (contacted) with the inclined surface, and thus a force in the direction opposite to the lifting direction is applied to the recording medium. Further, in this state, since the print medium is sucked by the first suction hole of the concave portion and the second suction hole formed between the concave portion and the inclined surface, the print medium floats with respect to the medium support portion. Is suppressed. The floating at the leading end of the printing medium is suppressed, and printing can be performed in the leading edge region of the printing medium.

  Application Example 2 The inclined surface of the printing apparatus according to the application example is formed so as to decrease in the gravitational direction toward the downstream side in the transport direction, and the angle of the inclined surface with respect to the horizontal plane is 10 ° to 30 °. It is characterized by the following.

  According to this configuration, curling of the recording medium can be reduced more efficiently.

  Application Example 3 In the printing apparatus according to the application example described above, a plurality of the second suction holes are formed in the width direction of the print medium that intersects the conveyance direction of the print medium.

  According to this configuration, even if the printing medium is different in the width direction, the printing medium can be sucked and the floating of the printing medium can be suppressed.

  Application Example 4 In the printing apparatus according to the application example, a suction hole for sucking the print medium is not formed on the downstream side in the transport direction from the inclined surface.

  According to this configuration, since the conveyance load of the printing medium is reduced, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a conveyance defect of the printing medium in the printing apparatus.

Schematic which shows the structure of a printing apparatus. Sectional drawing which shows the structure of a medium support part. The top view which shows the structure of a medium support part. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an operation method of a printing apparatus. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an operation method of a printing apparatus. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an operation method of a printing apparatus.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following drawings, the scale of each member or the like is shown differently from the actual scale so as to make each member or the like recognizable.

  First, the configuration of the printing apparatus will be described. A printing apparatus sucks a printing medium and supports a medium supporting unit that supports the printing medium, a printing unit that prints on the printing medium supported by the medium supporting unit, and a printing medium supported by the medium supporting unit. A concave portion is formed in the medium support portion, and a first suction hole for sucking the print medium is formed in the concave portion, and the inclined surface is located downstream of the concave portion in the conveyance direction of the print medium. And a second suction hole is formed between the recess and the inclined surface. The printing apparatus is, for example, an ink jet printer. In the present embodiment, a printing apparatus that prints on a continuous sheet P of a long sheet as a printing medium will be described. This will be specifically described below.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a printing apparatus. The printing apparatus 1 includes a transport unit 12 that transports the continuous paper P, a printing unit 17 that can eject (eject) ink as a liquid onto the continuous paper P transported by the transport unit 12, and the like. The printing apparatus 1 includes a control unit (not shown) that controls the transport unit 12, the printing unit 17, and the like.

  The transport unit 12 includes a feeding unit 14 that feeds the continuous paper P, and a winding unit 15 that winds the continuous paper P fed from the feeding unit 14 and printed by the printing unit 17. In FIG. 1, the feeding unit 14 is disposed at a position on the upstream side in the transport direction F of the continuous paper P, and the winding unit 15 is disposed at a position on the downstream side.

  The printing unit 17 is disposed at a position between the feeding unit 14 and the winding unit 15 so as to face the conveyance path of the continuous paper P. The printing unit 17 is, for example, an inkjet head. A plurality of nozzles 17 a for ejecting ink onto the continuous paper P are formed on the surface of the printing unit 17 that faces the transport path of the continuous paper P. The printing unit 17 is mounted on a carriage 18, and the carriage 18 is supported by a main guide shaft (not shown) so as to be able to reciprocate in the main scanning direction X. The carriage 18 is connected to a drive motor (shown in the drawing) and reciprocates in the main scanning direction X along the main guide shaft by rotating the drive motor.

  A medium support unit 20 that supports the continuous paper P is disposed at a position facing the printing unit 17 across the conveyance path of the continuous paper P. The medium support portion 20 has a bottomed square box shape in which a mouth portion 21 is formed on the lower surface side opposite to the printing portion 17 side.

  A suction fan 28, which is an example of a suction unit that sucks air in the internal space 22 of the medium support unit 20, is provided below the medium support unit 20 so as to block the mouth 21. A medium support surface 20 a that supports the conveyed continuous paper P is formed on the surface of the medium support unit 20 that faces the printing unit 17. The medium support part 20 is formed with a first suction hole 23 and a second suction hole 24 for sucking the continuous paper P toward the medium support surface 20a. The first suction hole 23 and the second suction hole 24 communicate with the internal space 22 of the medium support unit 20. Then, when the suction fan 28 is rotationally driven, air is sucked by using the mouth portion 21 as an air suction port, and between the continuous paper P and the medium support portion 20 through the internal space 22, the first suction hole 23, and the second suction hole 24. The space can be made negative pressure. Accordingly, a suction force for sucking the continuous paper P toward the medium support surface 20a is applied to the continuous paper P. The detailed configuration of the medium support unit 20 will be described later.

  The feeding section 14 is provided with a feeding shaft 14a extending in the width direction (X-axis direction) of the continuous paper P, which is a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction F of the continuous paper P, so as to be rotationally driven. A continuous paper P is supported on the feeding shaft 14a so as to be integrally rotatable with the feeding shaft 14a in a state where the continuous paper P is wound in a roll shape in advance. When the feeding shaft 14a is rotationally driven, the continuous paper P is fed from the feeding shaft 14a toward the downstream side of the transport path.

  On the downstream side of the feeding direction 14 of the continuous paper P with respect to the feeding shaft 14a, a paper feed roller pair 13 is disposed that guides the continuous paper P conveyed from the feeding shaft 14a to the medium support surface 20a. The paper feed roller pair 13 is disposed at a position adjacent to the medium support unit 20 in the transport direction F at the upstream end of the medium support unit 20 in the transport direction F. The pair of paper feed rollers 13 includes a paper feed roller 13a provided so as to be rotatable and a paper pressing roller 13b that is driven by the rotation of the paper feed roller 13a. The position where the continuous paper P is sandwiched by the paper feed roller 13a and the paper pressing roller 13b is located above the medium support surface 20a of the medium support unit 20 in the + Z-axis direction.

  In addition, a tension roller 16 for adjusting the tension of the printed region of the continuous paper P is disposed on the downstream side in the transport direction F of the medium support surface 20a in the transport path of the continuous paper P. A winding unit 15 is disposed on the downstream side of the tension roller 16 in the transport path of the continuous paper P.

  A winding shaft 15 a extending in the width direction X of the continuous paper P is provided in the winding unit 15 so as to be rotatable. The printed continuous paper P conveyed from the tension roller 16 side can be sequentially wound by the winding shaft 15a by rotating the winding shaft 15a.

  Next, a detailed configuration of the medium support unit will be described. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of the medium support portion, and FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating the configuration of the medium support portion.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the medium support portion 20 is formed with a recess 201 that is recessed from the medium support surface 20 a. A plurality of the recesses 201 are defined in the width direction (X-axis direction) of the continuous paper P that is partitioned by the partition wall 201a and intersects the conveyance direction of the continuous paper P. The recess 201 is disposed at a position facing the printing unit 17 that moves together with the carriage 18. That is, the recess 201 is formed at a position corresponding to the print area PA where the continuous paper P is printed by the printing unit 17. The medium support surface 20a and the top surface of the partition wall 201a are configured to be flush with each other.

  The recess 201 includes a first region 205 that is a region having a first depth D1, and a second region 206 that is a region having a second depth D2 that is smaller (shallow) than the first depth D1. The second region 206 is located on the downstream side in the transport direction F with respect to the first region 205. As a result, even if the printed continuous paper P has a wave shape due to, for example, a cockling phenomenon, it is supported by the shallow second region 206 on the downstream side in the transport direction F. In addition, the conveyance failure of the continuous paper P can be prevented. Note that the first depth D1 dimension in the first region 205 is approximately twice the second depth D2 dimension in the second region 206.

  In the recess 201, a first suction hole 23 for sucking the continuous paper P is formed. The first suction hole 23 is formed on the downstream side in the transport direction F in the recess 201. More specifically, the first suction hole 23 is formed in the second region 206. In the present embodiment, two first suction holes 23 are formed in the bottom surface 203 of the second region 206. The first suction hole 23 communicates with the internal space 22 of the medium support unit 20, and the continuous paper P can be sucked toward the medium support unit 20 through the first suction hole 23 by the rotational drive of the suction fan 28. it can. Here, the curl of the continuous paper P is suppressed by the nip of the paper feed roller pair 13 at the front end portion of the continuous paper P conveyed to the print area PA in an area close to the paper feed roller pair 13 in the print area PA. On the other hand, in the area far from the paper feed roller pair 13 in the printing area PA (downstream in the transport direction F), the influence of the pressing force by the paper feed roller pair 13 is reduced, and the continuous paper P is easily curled. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the first suction hole 23 is provided in the second region 206 having a relatively shallow depth provided on the downstream side in the transport direction F in the printing region PA. Suction can be performed from a closer location, and the continuous paper P can be prevented from floating.

  Moreover, the 1st area | region 205 and the 2nd area | region 206 are continuing by the inter-area inclined surface 207 as an inclined surface. Accordingly, when air is sucked from the first suction holes 23, the air in the recesses 201 flows along the inter-area inclined surface 207, so that the recesses 201 can be smoothly brought into a negative pressure state. Further, the second region 206 and the medium support surface 20a on the downstream side in the transport direction F of the second region 206 are continuous with a downstream inclined surface 208 as an inclined surface. For this reason, the leading edge of the continuous paper P is conveyed along the downstream inclined surface 208. Therefore, the conveyance failure of the continuous paper P can be prevented.

  In the present embodiment, the bottom surface 202 of the first region 205 in the concave portion 201 is provided with a convex portion 209a that is convex on the + Z axis (see FIG. 3). The convex portion 209 a has substantially the same height as the bottom surface 203 in the second region 206 from the bottom surface 202 in the first region 205. Furthermore, a convex portion 209b having a convex shape on the + Z axis is provided on the bottom surface 203 of the second region 206 in the concave portion 201 (see FIG. 3). The height of the convex portion 209b is provided such that the top surface of the convex portion 209b is substantially the same as or lower than the medium support surface 20a. By providing the convex portions 209a and 209b in the concave portion 201, the continuous paper P can be supported in an auxiliary manner.

  An inclined surface 20 b is formed on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the continuous paper P with respect to the concave portion 201 in the medium support unit 20. In the present embodiment, a rib 210 that follows the transport direction of the continuous paper P is formed on the downstream side of the concave portion 201 in the medium support unit 20 in the transport direction of the continuous paper P so as to be continuous with the medium support surface 20a. The top surface is inclined surface 20b. The inclined surface 20b is formed so as to decrease in the direction of gravity toward the downstream side in the transport direction of the continuous paper P, and the angle θ of the inclined surface 20b with respect to the horizontal plane is from 10 ° to 30 °. The inclined surface 20b is a part of the support surface that supports the continuous paper P.

  A second suction hole 24 is formed on the downstream side in the transport direction F with respect to the concave portion 201 in the medium support unit 20. In this embodiment, the 2nd suction hole 24 is formed between the recessed part 201 and the inclined surface 20b. The second suction hole 24 is formed from the medium support surface 20 a to the internal space 22. A plurality of second suction holes 24 are formed along the conveyance direction F of the continuous paper P. In the present embodiment, two second suction holes 24 are formed between one concave portion 201 and the corresponding inclined surface 20b following the conveyance direction F of the continuous paper P (see FIG. 2). A plurality of the second suction holes 24 are formed in the width direction (X-axis direction) of the continuous paper P intersecting the transport direction F of the continuous paper P (see FIG. 3). The second suction hole 24 communicates with the internal space 22 of the medium support unit 20, and the continuous paper P can be sucked toward the medium support unit 20 through the second suction hole 24 by the rotational drive of the suction fan 28. it can.

  A downstream inclined surface 20c having a gentler angle than the inclined surface 20b is formed downstream of the inclined surface 20b in the transport direction F. The downstream inclined surface 20 c is a part of the support surface that supports the continuous paper P. Note that a suction hole for sucking the continuous paper P is not formed on the downstream side in the transport direction F from the inclined surface 20b. That is, the continuous paper P is conveyed without being sucked in the region where the downstream inclined surface 20c is formed. For this reason, the conveyance load of the continuous paper P is reduced, and the occurrence of the conveyance failure of the continuous paper P is prevented.

  Next, an operation method of the printing apparatus will be described. 4 to 6 are schematic diagrams illustrating an operation method of the printing apparatus. In the present embodiment, a method for operating the continuous paper P according to the printing apparatus 1 will be described.

  First, the feeding shaft 14a of the feeding unit 14 is driven to rotate. As a result, the continuous paper P is fed out from the feeding shaft 14a toward the downstream side of the conveyance path. As shown in FIG. 4, the leading end portion of the fed continuous paper P is conveyed into the printing area PA via the paper feed roller pair 13. Then, the printing unit 17 is driven while transporting the continuous paper P in the transport direction F. Specifically, ink is ejected from the printing unit 17 while the carriage 18 is reciprocated in the main scanning direction X. As a result, an image is formed on the surface of the continuous paper P. Further, when the continuous paper P is conveyed to the printing area PA, the suction fan 28 is driven. If it does so, the continuous paper P will be attracted | sucked to the medium support surface 20a side via the 1st suction hole 23 in the printing area | region PA, and the floating of the continuous paper P will be suppressed. In particular, since the opening of the first suction hole 23 in the second region 206 provided on the downstream side in the transport direction F in the recess 201 is relatively close to the continuous paper P, the leading end of the continuous paper P is efficiently suctioned. Can be lifted. Further, since the first region 205 and the second region 206 of the recess 201 are formed via the inter-region inclined surface 207, the entire recess 201 can be efficiently transferred to the negative pressure state.

  Further, when the continuous paper P is transported in the transport direction F, the continuous paper P is sucked to the medium support surface 20a side through the second suction holes 24 together with the first suction holes 23, and the floating of the continuous paper P is suppressed. The In particular, since the floating at the leading edge of the continuous paper P is suppressed, printing on the leading edge region of the continuous paper P is possible without securing a large margin on the leading edge side of the continuous paper P.

  Then, the continuous paper P is sucked toward the medium support surface 20a through the first suction holes 23 and the second suction holes 24, and the continuous paper P is further transported in the transport direction F while performing printing. Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the leading edge of the continuous paper P is supported (contacted) by the inclined surface 20b. As a result, the point where the leading edge of the continuous paper P contacts on the inclined surface 20b becomes a fulcrum, and a force in the direction opposite to the lifting direction is applied to the continuous paper P, and the continuous paper P is lifted in the printing area PA. Is prevented.

  Next, the continuous paper P is further transported in the transport direction F. Then, as shown in FIG. 6, the continuous paper P is conveyed while being in contact with the downstream inclined surface 20b. Here, since the downstream inclined surface 20b is not provided with suction means such as a suction hole for sucking the continuous paper P, the transport load of the continuous paper P is reduced, and the trouble of transporting the continuous paper P is prevented. The

  As mentioned above, according to the said embodiment, the following effects can be acquired.

  Since the continuous paper P is sucked by the first suction hole 23 and the second suction hole 24, the floating of the continuous paper P with respect to the medium support portion 20 is suppressed. Further, since the leading edge of the continuous paper P is supported (contacted) by the inclined surface 20b, a force in the direction opposite to the lifting direction is applied to the continuous paper P, and the continuous paper P can be prevented from lifting. Therefore, floating at the leading end of the continuous paper P is suppressed, and printing can be reliably performed on the leading end region of the continuous paper P. In particular, in the printing apparatus 1 having a relatively wide printing area PA (long in the conveyance direction F side), the floating of the continuous paper P can be reliably reduced, and contact and rubbing between the continuous paper P and the printing unit 17 can be prevented. Can do.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and improvements can be added to the above-described embodiment. A modification will be described below.

  (Modification 1) In the above-described embodiment, a continuous sheet P having a long sheet shape is used as a printing medium. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, a single-sheet printing medium may be used. Even if it does in this way, the effect similar to the said effect can be acquired.

  (Modification 2) In the above embodiment, the configuration of the printing apparatus 1 including the carriage 18 that moves the printing unit 17 in the main scanning direction (X-axis direction) has been described as an example. However, the configuration is not limited thereto. For example, a full line head type line printer in which a printing unit is provided over the entire width of the medium in the width direction (X-axis direction) may be used. Even if it does in this way, the effect similar to the said effect can be acquired.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Printing apparatus, 12 ... Conveyance part, 17 ... Printing part, 20 ... Medium support part, 20a ... Medium support surface, 20b ... Inclined surface, 20c ... Downstream inclined surface, 23 ... 1st suction hole, 24 ... 2nd Suction hole, 201... Recess, 201a .. partition wall, 205... First region, 206... Second region, 207 .. inclined surface between regions as inclined surface, 208.

Claims (4)

A medium support section for sucking the print medium and supporting the print medium;
A printing unit for printing on the print medium supported by the medium support unit;
A transport unit that transports the printing medium supported by the medium support unit,
A concave portion is formed in the medium support portion, a first suction hole for sucking the printing medium is formed in the concave portion, and an inclined surface is formed on the downstream side in the transport direction of the printing medium from the concave portion, A printing apparatus, wherein a second suction hole is formed between the recess and the inclined surface. The printing apparatus according to claim 1,
The inclined surface is formed so as to become lower in the direction of gravity as it goes downstream in the transport direction,
The angle of the said inclined surface with respect to a horizontal surface is 10 degrees or more and 30 degrees or less, The printing apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the second suction holes are formed in a width direction of the printing medium that intersects with a conveyance direction of the printing medium. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A printing apparatus, wherein a suction hole for sucking the print medium is not formed downstream of the inclined surface in the transport direction.

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