JP2559752B2 - Recording device - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a recording apparatus, and more particularly to a recording head,
In a recording apparatus that records on a recording medium by the recording head, the mechanism for regulating the recording surface of the recording medium is improved.

[Prior Art] In a recording apparatus in which a recording medium is opposed to a recording head and recording is performed in this state, a platen for restricting the surface of the recording medium is generally provided at the facing portion, and a platen is provided toward the platen. A transport path is formed to supply the recording medium and to separate the recording medium from the platen after recording. Further, with respect to the platen, upstream and downstream portions of the transport path are provided with transport members such as rollers for holding the print medium to regulate the transport path and to bring the print medium into close contact with the platen.

On the other hand, in order to stabilize the recording area by the recording head, it is desirable that the recording medium is surely regulated by the platen surface, that is, the recording medium is in close contact with the platen surface without floating. . For example, in an inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording by ejecting ink droplets from an ejection port and adhering the droplets to a recording medium, the contact between the ejection port and the recording medium is avoided, and the flight distance and the like are made uniform to achieve recording quality. In order to stabilize the recording medium, generally, the distance between the ejection surface and the recording medium must be maintained at a minute constant value.

Therefore, a platen is provided on the surface facing the recording head so as to flatten the recording medium between the recording head and the recording head at an appropriate interval, and a large number of small holes are further provided in this platen to perform suction processing from the back side of the platen. In some cases, the suction accompanying this may complete the regulation by the platen of the recording medium.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] Here, recording media of various sizes can be used, and partition walls are provided in the platen to partition the recording media in order to ensure reliable adsorption in any case. In some cases, it is possible to set a section for suction according to the size.

By the way, each of the upstream side and downstream side transport members is provided with a pair of rotating bodies, for example, a pair of rollers (a main roller and an urging roller urged to hold the recording medium between them).
When configured with, one of the rollers may be divided according to the size of the recording medium, and skew may not occur when the recording medium of any size is conveyed. Part (part without roller)
If the positional relationship between the recording medium and the recording medium is not taken into consideration, it may not be possible to prevent the recording medium from floating from the platen. That is, it is possible that a part where neither the constraint due to the holding of the pair of rollers nor the constraint due to suction acts on the recording medium on the platen surface. When such floating occurs, not only the recording quality is disturbed, but also contact with the recording head may occur and damage the recording head.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems by properly arranging the partition wall and the roller divided portion.

[Means for Solving the Problems] Therefore, in the present invention, a platen having a suction hole for adsorbing the recording medium, the interior of which is partitioned by partition walls according to the size of the recording medium, and the conveyance of the recording medium are provided. Provided at least near the downstream side of the platen along the path, including a rotating body pair for holding and conveying the recording medium, at least one of the rotating body pair comprises a conveying member divided according to the size of the recording medium, The position where the partition is arranged and the position where the pair of rotating bodies are divided,
It is characterized in that the recording medium is configured so as not to be aligned on the same line in the transport direction of the recording medium.

[Operation] According to the present invention, at least one of the urging force due to the holding of the rotating body pair or the suction force from the suction hole acts on the recording medium on the platen, and the recording medium is restrained from floating from the platen. . That is, when the recording medium swells due to recording, floating occurs in the divided parts of the rotating body pair, and this tends to grow toward the upstream in the transport direction, but there is no partition wall in this direction, and therefore the suction holes cause Since the suction is performed, the floating does not reach the recording area on the platen.

[Examples] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(External Appearance Configuration Example) FIG. 1 shows an example of the external appearance configuration of an inkjet recording apparatus to which the present invention can be applied. Here, reference numeral 1 denotes an apparatus main body, which is connected to a host apparatus 1000 (see FIG. 29) not shown in FIG. 1 via a transmission cable 3 and receives supply of image data and the like from the apparatus to perform inkjet recording. An image is output. Reference numeral 5 denotes a door that is opened for maintenance of each part such as ink replenishment, and rotates in the direction of the arrow in the drawing in accordance with the operation of the handle 6 to open the inside of the main body 1.

7 is a cassette for loading a cut sheet-shaped recording medium,
Reference numeral 9 denotes a manual insertion slot for receiving a supply (feeding) of a recording medium in a manual insertion mode by the operator. Reference numeral 11 denotes a discharge port through which a recorded recording medium or the like is discharged from the inside of the apparatus main body 1, and 13 is a discharge tray that stores the discharged recording medium.

Reference numeral 15 is a power switch for turning on / off the power of the apparatus main body 1, reference numeral 17 is an online switch with the host device, command means such as a switch for selecting a recording medium or its paper feeding mode, an online state, and a selected mode. It is an operation panel on which a display unit for displaying the above is arranged.

(Outline of Internal Configuration) FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, and the outline of the internal configuration of the apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. Here, this example roughly includes the following units.

Recording system 100 This is a system including an ink tank that supplies ink to the recording head 101 via the ink jet recording head 101 and the ink supply tube 103, and the details will be described later with reference to FIGS. 14 to 18.

Recording system unit transport system 200 The recording head 101 is mounted, and is moved along a guide rail 221 that extends in a predetermined direction (here, a direction perpendicular to the drawing), so that the recording head 101 scans the recording medium. This is a system that includes the carriage 201 and others.
14 and 18 together with 00 will be described in detail.

Recording Medium Conveying System 300 This is a system that includes the recording medium conveying paths P, PC, PR, RI shown in FIG. 2 and rollers of each part, as well as a guide portion used when setting a recording medium described later with reference to FIGS. 19 to 28. .

The air system 400 is coupled to the platen 401 facing the recording head 101, and regulates the recording surface of the conveyed recording medium to be flat by performing air suction through a hole provided in the platen 401,
A system for cleaning the vicinity of the ink ejection ports of the recording head 101 by connecting the recording head 101 and the facing cap portion (not shown in FIG. 2) outside the recording range to supply air.
The air suction source and the air supply source are configured as the same blower. This configuration will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

Control system 500 (not shown in FIG. 2) A system for controlling each part of the apparatus, which will be described later with reference to FIGS. 29 to 31.

Referring to FIG. 2, CS is a cut sheet-shaped recording medium (for example, cut recording paper) and is stacked on the cassette 7. RP is a recording medium on continuous paper of roller paper, and is rotatable around a rotation axis RPA. PC, PR and
PI is a conveyance path for the cut sheet CS, the roll paper PR, and the recording medium inserted into the manual feed slot 9, and merges near the nipping position of the conveyance roller 301.

The cut sheet CS separated from the cassette 7 is introduced into the transport path PC in cooperation with the pickup roller 311 and a separation member (not shown) such as a separation claw, and the cut sheet CS is provided with the rollers 316, 315, and 314 provided on the path. While being pinched by the sheet, guided on the conveying path PC and guided to the conveying roller 301. The transport path PR includes a set roller 324 for pulling out the recording medium from the roll portion and introducing it on the path, a roller 325 for transporting the path toward the transport roller 301, and a roll paper RP having a predetermined size. A cutter 326 for cutting is provided. 321 is a holder for holding the roll paper RP.

The recording medium introduced into the conveying roller 301 via each path PC, PR or PI is guided to the platen 401 via the lower conveying roller 331 on the upstream side of the conveying path P near the platen 401 such as the registration roller, and further. Platen 4 on transport path P
The paper is conveyed onto the conveyance path P while being sandwiched by an upper conveyance roller 341 on the downstream side near 01. In this process, recording is performed by the recording head 101 and the paper is discharged from the discharge port 11 to the outside. Further, the upper conveying roller 34 at the leading end of the recording medium prior to recording.
At the time of holding the recording medium 1, a guide portion, which will be described later with reference to FIGS. 19 to 28, is opposed to the platen 401 to enable a smooth setting of the recording medium.

(Air System, etc.) FIGS. 3 and 4 are a perspective view and an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration example of the air system 400, respectively. In these figures, reference numeral 450 denotes a surface (ejection surface) on which the ejection openings of the recording head 101 are provided.
The recording head 101
It is provided outside the recording range. A blower 410 sucks air from the platen 401 or supplies air to the cap unit 450. That is, the single blower 410 is used also as an air suction source and an air supply source.

405 is a platen 4 corresponding to the width of the recording medium PP used.
A partition wall for partitioning the suctioned portion in 01, 407 is a distributor for selecting the partitioned suctioned portion according to the width of the recording medium PP, for example, Japanese Patent Application No. 62-62475 filed by the applicant of the present application. It is possible to use those disclosed in. 406 is provided for each suctioned portion, and is a negative pressure generated in the suctioned portion, that is, a pressure for keeping the adhesion force of the recording medium PP to the platen 401 at an appropriate value that does not hinder the smooth conveyance of the recording medium PP. A regulating valve, for example, including a spring member having an appropriately determined spring constant and a valve body, and when a negative pressure equal to or higher than a predetermined value is generated, the spring member bends to allow the suctioned portion to communicate with the atmosphere. I can do it.

420 and 421 are switching valves disposed between the blower 410, the distributor 407 and the cap 450, respectively.
The switching valve 420 switches the suction path to the distributor 407 side or the atmosphere side, and is set to be switched to the distributor 407 side during recording processing and to the atmosphere side when cleaning the ejection surface. The switching valve 421 switches the air supply path to the cap section 450 side or the atmosphere side, and is set to be switched to the atmosphere side during the recording process and to the cap section 450 during the ejection surface cleaning. 440
Is a filter inserted between the switching valve 421 and the cap unit 450, and prevents dust, paper dust, etc. from being introduced to the cap unit 450 side when cleaning the discharge surface by supplying air to the cap unit. is there.

Reference numeral 451 denotes a gas derivation nozzle provided at the end of the air supply path in the cap portion 450, which is arranged at a position suitable for introducing a high-speed air flow into each ejection surface according to the number of the recording heads 101. . For example, if three recording inks are provided according to the ink color used by the recording head 101 (for example, three ink colors of yellow Y, magenta M, and cyan C), when the recording head 101 faces the cap portion 450, Each head 101 can be provided with three high-speed airflows. of course,
When the effect of the high-speed airflow is sufficient, it is not always necessary to correspond one-to-one with the recording head. However, when the color mixture of ink from each recording head occurs, it is preferable to provide a gas derivation nozzle for each recording head or for each recording head ejecting liquid of the same color.

Further, in FIG. 3, reference numerals 331A and 331B denote a main roller and an urging roller for urging the recording medium PP against the main roller, respectively.
Is configured. Similarly, 341A and 341B are a main roller and an urging roller, respectively, and constitute the upper conveying roller 341. Further, M1 is a motor for driving the upper conveyance roller 341. The urging rollers 341B and 331B have the form of a split roller as shown in FIG.
Of the main roller 341A, 341B (the joint between the divided rollers) does not face the partition 405.

 Next, a detailed configuration of each part of the air system will be described.

FIG. 5 shows a structural example of the switching valves 420 and 421. Arrows shown by solid lines in the figure indicate the air flow when the illustrated switching valve is used as the switching valve 421, and broken arrows indicate the air flows when the illustrated switching valve is used as the switching valve 420.

For example, the switching valve 422 having a cylindrical shape includes a communication portion 422C with the blower 410 provided on the side surface of the cylinder, a communication portion 422A with the atmosphere provided at one end of the cylinder, and a cap portion 450 or a distributor 407 provided at the other end. And a communication portion 422B with the movement of the shaft portion 423, the two shaft ends of the shaft portion 423 that can move in the axial direction of the cylindrical main body 422 by driving the two-way solenoid 424. Valve bodies 423A and 423B capable of closing 422B are provided. That is, by driving the solenoid 424 to move the shaft 423 rightward in the drawing, a communication state between the blower 410 and the atmosphere is obtained, and by moving the shaft 423 leftward in the drawing, the blower 410 and Cap part 450 or distributor 407
The communication state with is obtained.

Thus, at the time of recording, the air communication portion 422A of the switching valve 420 is closed to make the blower 410 and the distributor 407 communicate with each other,
The communication part 422B of the switching valve 421 with the cap part 450 is closed to allow the blower 410 to communicate with the atmosphere.
Drive. As a result, an air flow from the blower 410 to the atmosphere via the atmosphere communication portion 422A of the switching valve 421 is generated, and the distributor
Negative pressure is generated in the suctioned portion of the platen 401 selected by 407, and the recording medium PP is brought into close contact with the platen and is in a state of being flatly regulated.

On the other hand, when cleaning the ejection surface of the recording head 101, the switching valve 4
The air communication part 422B with the distributor 407 of 20 is closed, the blower 410 is communicated with the atmosphere, the value communication part 422A of the switching valve 421 is closed, and the blower 410 and the cap part 450 are communicated with each other. The blower 410 is driven in this state. As a result, the switching valve 420
The air is sucked from the atmosphere communication part 422A, the air is pressure-fed to the cap member 450 by the blower 410 via the switching valve 421 and the filter 440, and the high-speed airflow is supplied to the discharge surface by the nozzle 451. .

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the single blower 410 is also used for cleaning the ejection surface of the recording head 101 and for attracting the recording medium PP to the platen 401, so that a separate blower and a drive motor are provided. As compared with the case, the number of parts, noise, and the like can be reduced, which contributes to reduction in size and weight of the apparatus and reduction in cost.

Further, in this example, a switching valve 421 is inserted between the blower 410 and the cap unit 450 so that the air is released to the atmosphere via the switching valve 421 during recording and the communication path to the cap unit 450 is closed. I made it. This allows the blower 41
0, and a problem that may occur when the cap member 450 is directly connected, that is, the load resistance on the discharge side increases due to the flow path being restricted by the nozzle 451, and the platen 401
And the air current is always ejected from the nozzle 451 at the time of suction.
And the problem that the cap section 450 is easily dried and ink non-discharge can occur, or the problem of shortening the life of the blower motor by finely driving / stopping the blower 410 to avoid this can be eliminated.

Further, in this example, a switching valve 420 is inserted between the blower 410 and the distributor 407, and this switching valve 4
Atmosphere communication was performed via the air passage 20 and the communication path to the distributor 407 was closed. Accordingly, a problem that may occur when the blower 401 and the distributor 407 are directly connected, that is, a recording medium
Problems that could hinder the smooth progress of the tip when setting the blower, or in order to avoid this,
When 0 is stopped, it is possible to solve the problem that a waiting time is required in addition to the cleaning process, and further that the life of the blower motor is shortened due to an increase in the number of drive / stop cycles.

The configuration of the switching valves 420 and 421 is not limited to that shown in the fifth illustration, and various other configurations can be used.
A configuration as shown in the figure can also be adopted.

The configuration shown in FIG. 6 is such that a communication portion 425A or 4 is provided in a switching valve body 425 having an air communication portion 425A, a communication portion 425B with a cap portion 450 or a distributor 407, and a communication portion 425C with a blower 410.
A valve body 426 capable of closing 25B is provided, and is connected via a link 429 between a solenoid 427 provided outside the main body 425 and the valve body 426. And the atmosphere and blower 410
In order to obtain communication with the solenoid 427, the solenoid 427 is de-energized, and the plunger 427A is set to the position shown by the biasing force of the spring 428, while the communication between the blower 410 and the cap portion 450 or the distributor 407 is established. To obtain, the solenoid is energized to retract the plunger 427A against the urging force of the spring 428, thereby closing the atmosphere communicating portion 425A. With such a configuration, the same effect as in the case of FIG. 5 can be obtained. In the configuration shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, both the switching valves 420 and 421 are opened to the atmosphere, and by driving the blower in this state, the inside of the pipeline can be cleaned.

FIG. 7 shows an example of the configuration of the cap portion 450, which is joined to the front surface of the recording head 101 and is formed in a shape capable of covering the ejection surface 101A. Reference numeral 452 denotes an elastic member such as rubber provided at a joint portion with the front surface of the recording head 101, and is used to reduce an impact force at the time of joining and to obtain a joined state without a gap. 453 is an ink absorber extending in a band shape from an end portion 453A arranged in the cap portion 450 to engage with the lower portion of the front surface of the recording head 101, to the waste ink tank 455 outside the cap portion 450, Spring 4 in cap part 450
When the cap portion 450 is joined to the front surface of the head 101, the end portion 453A is displaced in the direction of arrow C so that the cap portion 450 can reliably contact the engaging portion on the front surface of the head 101. Reference numeral 454 denotes an ink absorber provided on the inner wall surface of the cap section 450. Reference numeral 445 is a tube that connects the nozzle 451 arranged to supply the high-speed airflow from above the discharge surface 101A and the filter 440 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

Reference numeral 101B is a nozzle portion in which a plurality of liquid flow paths are arranged in parallel in the vertical direction, and a discharge energy generating element such as an electrothermal converter is provided. 101C is an ink chamber for supplying ink to each liquid flow path in common, and connects an ink tank 110 via supply pipes 103 and 104. A gear pump 105 is provided on one of the supply pipes 104, and when a discharge recovery process such as a removal process of bubbles or dust mixed in the supply path or the nozzle portion 101B, a removal process of thickened ink, or the like is performed, the recording head 101 is provided. The ink is pressure-fed to the ink supply system, and the ink is discharged from the ejection port.

The ink discharged by the discharge recovery processing by the ink pressure feeding is collected by the ink absorber 453 and guided to the waste ink tank. Meanwhile, the nozzle
By the cleaning process by blowing the air flow from 451, the ink droplets, dust and the like remaining on the ejection surface are also collected in the ink absorber 453.

Although not shown in FIG. 7, it is assumed that the back surface of the cap portion 450 can be opened in connection with the cleaning process.
The airflow from is not disturbed in the cap 450.

FIG. 8 shows an example of the configuration of the cap portion 450 and a moving mechanism for joining / separating the cap portion 450 to / from the recording head 101. Here, 450A is an opening provided in the rear wall surface of the cap portion, and can be opened / closed by a door 456. The door 456 is supported by a lever 457 that can rotate about a pin fulcrum 458, and couples the lever 457 to a plunger 459 A of a solenoid 459. That is, the energization of the solenoid 459 causes the plunger 459A to retreat, and the lever 457 is rotated counterclockwise in the figure around the pin fulcrum 458 to open the opening 450A. Moves forward by the urging force of a spring (not shown), and rotates the lever 457 clockwise in the figure to
The opening 450A is closed by 56.

Reference numerals 460 and 461 denote a fixed base and a cap feed motor fixed to the apparatus, respectively, and 461A denotes a motor shaft, on which screws are engraved. 462 is a movement link, and the motor shaft 461
It engages with the screw A and moves in the left-right direction in the drawing along the cap guide 463 as the motor shaft 461A rotates. Reference numeral 464 denotes a cap base on which the cap portion 450 is placed, which is coupled to the link 462 via a spring 465 and is engaged with a latch 462A provided on the link 462.

466 and 467 respectively detect a switch that detects that the cap portion 450 is in the forward position (capping position) where it is joined to the recording head 101, and that it is in the retracted position (capping off position) that is separated from the recording head 101. It is a switch to do.

In such a configuration, when performing capping,
The cap feed motor 461 is rotated forward, and the cap base 464 is moved to the capping position via a screw feed mechanism including the motor shaft 461A and the moving link 462. And
When the capping is detected by the capping position detection switch 466, the motor 461 is stopped. At this time, since the cap base 464 is engaged with the link 462 via the spring 465, the impact force caused by the contact between the cap 450 and the recording head 101 is effectively absorbed. In this capping state, protection of the recording head 101 when the apparatus is not used, or ejection recovery processing by pressurization using the gear pump 105 can be performed.

In connection with the discharge recovery process, when cleaning the discharge surface 101A, the solenoid 459 is energized to open the door 456, and in this state, the high-speed airflow is supplied from the nozzle 451. Is discharged through the opening 450A and a stable air flow without turbulence is formed.
Contamination of the joint between the recording head 101 and the front surface of the recording head 101 is prevented.

At the end of the cleaning process or when the cap is turned off, the power supply to the solenoid 459 is stopped, the opening 450A is closed, and the motor 461 is closed.
To reverse the link 462. With this backward movement, the cap base 464 engaged with the latch 462A is separated from the recording head 101, and the cap portion 450 is set at a predetermined position where the cap-off position detection switch 467 operates.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, only two setting positions of the cap portion 450 are sufficient, so that the cap portion 450 is slightly separated from the recording head 101 for cleaning in order to obtain a stable airflow, for example. The position control becomes easy.

The structure of such a cap moving mechanism is not limited to that shown in FIG. 8 and may be various structures. For example, the motor 461 can be opened / closed without providing a solenoid for opening the door 456. It may also be used for blockage.

FIG. 9 shows another configuration example of such a cap moving mechanism. In this example, the cap base 474 on which the cap part 450 is placed is urged in the right direction in the drawing by the tension spring 481 stretched between the cap base 450 and the fixed base 470. 450 is set at a position where it abuts the fixed base 470 and comes into contact with the recording head 101. The motor shaft 461A provided with a screw is provided with a link 472 that can be screwed with the motor shaft 461A and that can move in the left-right direction.
And a roller 472 engageable with the other end of the door support lever 477.
A is arranged. The lever 477 is rotatable around a pin fulcrum 478 provided on the cap portion 450, and the cap portion 450
The rotation behavior in the clockwise direction in the figure is always imparted by a tension spring 479 stretched between.

Reference numerals 486 and 487 denote switches that can be engaged with a portion 472B provided on the link 472, and are used to detect a capping position and a cap-off position, respectively. Reference numeral 488 denotes a switch fixed to the cap unit, which detects the opening of the door 456 by engaging with the lever 477.

In such a configuration, when the cap is off, the link
Is in the retracted position, and the cap portion 450 is set at a position separated from the recording head 101 by the engagement between the roller 472A and the cap table 474. Then, when the motor 461 is rotated forward to perform capping, the roller 472A moves rightward in the figure, and accordingly, the cap table 474 moves simultaneously rightward by the urging force of the spring 481, and the recording head The switch 486 detects the capping state while hitting the fixed base 470 at the contact position with the base 101. In this state, the motor is temporarily stopped, so that the recording head 101 can be protected when the apparatus is not used, and the ejection recovery processing by pressurization can be performed.

In connection with the discharge recovery process, this process is performed together with the discharge surface 101A.
When cleaning is performed, the motor 461 is further rotated in the forward direction. At this time, the cap portion 450 is held at the capping position, and only the link 472 moves to the right, and the roller 4
72A engages with the lever 477 and rotates counterclockwise in the figure against the biasing force of the spring 479, whereby the door 456 is opened. When the release is detected by the switch 488, the motor 461 is stopped, and the cleaning process can be performed in this state.

At the end of the cleaning process or when the cap is turned off, the motor 46
When 1 is reversed and the link 472 is moved to the left in the figure,
The lever 479 rotates clockwise in the figure by the urging force of the spring 479, the opening 450A is closed by the door 456, and the roller 472A moves the cap table 463 leftward in the figure against the urging force of the spring 481. The cap unit 450 is moved to a position separated from the recording head 101 by the detection of the switch 487.

Also in this example, not only the same effect as the configuration example shown in FIG. 8 can be obtained, but also a solenoid is not required, so that the mechanism for moving the cap portion 450 or the mechanism for opening the back surface can be constructed at low cost.

Next, the configurations of the platen 401 and the urging rollers 331B and 341B related to the air system will be described.

FIG. 10 shows a configuration example of the platen 401. In this example, A4 size, A3 size, A2 size, and A1 size size recording media can be selected.
2 mm) and the partition wall 405 is provided at a distance corresponding to the long side length (296 mm) of the A4 plate and the long side length (420 mm) of the A3 plate from one side surface (conveyance reference side). There is. Then, by switching the distributor 407 to select the suction section in accordance with the size of the selected recording medium, that is, in the case of the A4 size, the section I is selected, and in the case of the A3 size, the section I is selected.
In the case of the II, A2 and A1 editions, by selecting the sections I to III, the suction from outside the area where the recording medium is present is not performed, and the platen 40
1 so that it is adsorbed on the front.

Here, the pitch p1 of the suction holes 403 is desirably as small as possible because the suction force of the recording medium is large. On the other hand, since the partition 405 is provided on the platen 401 by the sealing material 405A, it is desirable that the width of the partition 405 be larger than the pitch p1 in consideration of the sealing effect and the like. In addition, it is conceivable that the recording medium is conveyed in a state where the recording medium is skewed to some extent, or further in a state where the recording medium is in a meandering state in the case of continuous paper such as roll paper. In consideration of the above, it is desirable that the width of the partition 405 be large.

Therefore, in this example, the width of the partition wall 405 is made large, and the pitch p2 between the adjacent suction holes with the partition wall 405 interposed therebetween is set to be larger than p1.

The relationship between the platen 801 and the biasing rollers 341B and 341B will be described.

As shown in FIG. 11, the recording medium PP on which recording has been performed by the recording head 101 swells due to the adhesion of ink (particularly, paper) (area W ′).
It is transported to the position where it is held by A and 331B.
The biasing rollers 341B, 341B are divided into three parts according to the size of the recording medium PP that can be selected by the apparatus of this example (a, b, in the figure).
c). In other words, it is divided by a distance from one side surface on the conveyance reference side which is substantially equal to the length of the long side of the A4 size and the length of the long side of the A3 size. This means that the platen 40
In the case of this example in which recording media of various sizes can be selected on the basis of one side of 1, the recording medium PP is effective in preventing skewing. However, the minimum size (A4 in this example)
When the recording medium PP having a larger size is conveyed while being recorded, the swelling region W'in the divided portion of the urging roller 341B (the joint portion of the rollers) is constrained by suction and gripping. Since they do not work together, the paper will be lifted at that portion. The paper float W grows in the direction opposite to the transport direction. However, as shown in FIG. 12, if there is a non-sucking portion due to the partition wall in the growth direction, the paper float W grows on the front surface of the platen 401 as well. Continuing, it is conceivable that the recording quality is reduced, or the recording head 101 comes into contact with and contaminates the ejection surface of the recording head 101, or is damaged.

Therefore, in the present example, as shown in FIG. 13, at least the urging roller 341B is provided so that the divided portion of the urging roller 341B exists at a position displaced from the upper partition 405 in the transport direction, that is, at a position not opposed to the upper wall. The length of each divided roller is selected. According to this, even if the paper float W occurs in the portion without the roller, it is restrained by the suction force on the platen 401,
The growth of the paper float is prevented, and the recording medium PP is flattened along the surface of the platen 401. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the deterioration of the recording quality and the damage of the recording head 101.

(Recording System and Recording System Unit Transport System) FIG. 14 shows an example of the configuration of the recording system 100 and the recording system unit transport system 200. Where 201 and 203 are
A tank carriage that accommodates a carriage on which the recording head 101 is mounted and an ink tank 110 (see FIG. 7) as an ink supply system, and is scanned along a guide rail 211. 209A and 209B are wires installed between the pulley 207A and the idler 208A and between the pulley 207B and the idler 208B, respectively.
1 and fixed to the tank carriage 203. 210A and 210B are motors coupled to the pulleys 207A and 207B, respectively.
The carriages 201 and 203 are scanned via 209B, respectively.

211 and 212 are sensors that detect the home positions of the carriage 201 and the tank carriage 203, respectively. In particular, the home position sensor 211 is arranged in connection with the joining of the cap portion 450 and is also used for performing accurate capping. 213 and 214 are
This is a reversing position sensor that sets the reversing position of the carriages 201 and 203 in the scanning direction when performing continuous recording by repeatedly scanning the recording medium PP with the recording head. Reference numeral 215 denotes an image leading edge sensor for recognizing the drive timing of the print head 101 when scanning is started and printing is performed on the print medium PP.

Further, although not shown in FIG.
1 and the ink tank 110 stored in the tank carriage 203
Is connected via a supply pipe 104, and a gear pump 105 is arranged in the supply pipe 104 to perform a pressurizing process (seventh embodiment).
See figure). The gear pump 105 may be mounted on the carriage 201 or may be mounted on the tank carriage 203.

In this example, a carriage 201 on which the recording head 101 is mounted and a tank carriage on which the ink tank 110 is stored
And 203 are driven by separate motors. This has a great advantage compared to a system in which the tank for storing the ink to be supplied to the recording head is fixed to the main body of the recording apparatus, or a system in which the recording head is mounted on a single carriage together with the recording head.

When the scan distance of the recording head is considerably long, that is,
In the case of this example, which enables recording of A2 or A1 plates, which are called large plates with large recording widths on recording media such as recording paper, the supply tube to the recording head is used in the former tank fixed type. It is necessary to provide the supply tube with such flexibility that it does not disturb the scanning of the recording head. If the length is too long, there is a possibility that the pipe resistance increases and air is trapped on the way. There is a problem.

On the other hand, in a system in which the tank is mounted on a carriage integral with the recording head and moved together, it is desirable that the larger the amount of recording liquid stored in the tank, the more the frequency of replenishment can be reduced. On the other hand, to obtain high-quality recording, the main scanning by the recording head is required to be extremely precise, and a drive motor equipped with such a function must have a higher output. In this respect, it is difficult to increase the amount of liquid stored in the tank.

In contrast to these methods, in this example, the carriage driving motor 207A has a relatively small weight to bear, so high accuracy is required but it is not necessary to provide high output. Even if the driving motor 207B for moving the motor 207B has a high output,
It does not need to be as accurate. That is, according to the configuration as shown in FIG. 14, the ink storage amount of the tank 110 can be made sufficiently large without increasing the output of the drive source of the recording head 101 and the carriage 201 mounted thereon, and Since the ink supply path is short,
Ink can be smoothly supplied to the recording head 101, and high-precision, high-quality recording can be performed even on a large-sized recording medium.

However, due to factors such as a change in inertia due to ink consumption, there is a slight slip between the wires 209A, 209B and the pulleys 207A, 207B or the idlers 208A, 208B, and a slight movement in the operation of the motors 210A, 210B. If there is an error and these are accumulated, the carriage 201 may collide with the tank carriage 203 during the printing operation, and the printing quality may be disturbed. Conversely, it is conceivable that both carriages are significantly separated from each other, and the ink supply pipe 103 or 104 is detached or cut off.

Therefore, in this example, both carriages are set at the home position or the reversal position every time when scanning is performed a plurality of times, such as every scanning or recording on one recording medium.
The interval between 201 and 203 was corrected. That is, the carriages 201 and 203 are respectively
At the detection positions of the home position sensors 211 and 212, or the reversing position sensors 213 and 214, respectively.
Was re-set to the detection position so that the distance between the two was kept at an appropriate value.

According to this, it is possible to prevent slippage between the wire pulleys, collision between both carriages due to accumulation of errors in motor operation, disconnection of the ink supply pipe, and the like. This control mode will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 30 and 31.

FIG. 15 shows another configuration example of the recording system 100 and the recording system unit transport system 200. In this example, the carriage 201 and the tank carriage 203 are arranged so as to be offset in the transport direction of the recording medium PP, and the guide rails 221A are respectively provided. And 221B. According to this configuration, the collision of the two carriages due to slippage and error accumulation or the problems associated therewith do not occur, but the ink supply pipe 103 or 104 may be cut. Therefore, the same control as in the example shown in FIG. 14 should be performed. Is effective.

16 to 18 show three examples of still another configuration of the recording system 100 and the recording unit transport system 200. FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 16, in addition to the configuration shown in FIG. 14, a regulating member 216 having an elongated hole 216A and a carriage 201 are provided,
And the carriage 203 has a pin 2
17 is projected and engaged with the long hole 216A. Therefore, the carriage 203 can be displaced relative to the carriage 201 only in the range of the elongated hole.

In the example shown in FIG. 17, in addition to the configuration shown in FIG. 14, the carriages 201 and 203 are connected by a wire 218, and the two carriages do not separate from each other beyond the length of the wire 218.

Further, in the example shown in FIG. 18, in addition to the configuration shown in FIG. 14, a gap 220 having a predetermined interval is provided in a portion of the carriage 201 close to the wire 208B, and a predetermined position of the wire 208B corresponding to the gap 220 is provided. , A retaining ring 219 is fixed thereto, and this is engaged. Therefore, the carriage 203 can be displaced relative to the carriage 201 only within a range in which the retaining ring 219 can move within the gap 220.

According to these three examples, the slippage between the wire pulleys, the accumulation of errors in the motor, or the failure of the motor, and the cutting of the supply pipe 103 and the like that may occur in the case where only one of the carriages is moved during maintenance, etc. Does not occur.

Therefore, in these examples, it is effective to control the position correction of both carriages as in the example shown in FIG.
Moreover, in the example shown in FIG. 17, when the two carriages collide directly, or conversely, when the wire 218 is completely extended,
The impact does not disturb the print quality. Also, the 15th
Even if the pin 217 collides with the end of the slot 218B or the retaining ring 219 collides with the side wall of the gap 220 when the relative displacement is reached in the example shown in the drawings and the eighteenth example,
This impact force does not disturb the recording quality.

Note that it is conceivable to connect both carriages to each other with a wire or the like in the configuration shown in FIG. 15, and the control as in this example is similarly effective for this.

(Recording medium transport system) As described with reference to FIG. 2, the transport path PC, PR or P
The recording medium PP that has been transported via I is transferred to the lower transport roller 3
It is discharged from 31 through the platen 401 and the upper conveyance roller 341. The holding of the recording medium PP in the recording apparatus (hereinafter, referred to as a set) is performed by clamping the leading end between the upper conveying rollers 341A and 341B. From this state, the recording head PP on the platen 401 by the recording head 101 is moved. Recording to is started.

However, as shown in FIG.
It is also conceivable that the recording medium that has passed between the areas B may strike the lower edge of the platen 401, the upper conveying roller 341B, or the like, or may be deviated from the conveying path due to bending due to its own weight.

FIG. 20 shows a schematic configuration example of the guide unit according to this example for smoothly setting the recording medium PP. Where 350 is arm 370
Is a guide member for guiding the leading end of the recording medium PP rotatably supported around the rotation shaft 380 between the upper conveyance rollers 341. Thus, when the recording medium PP is set, the recording head 101 is positioned outside the recording area (for example, the home position) and the guide member 350 is moved to the set position A.
The guide member 350 is positioned at the retracted position B so as not to hinder the scanning of the recording head 101 during printing. Further, if the front surface of the platen 401 (adsorption surface of the recording medium PP provided with the suction holes 304) is displaced toward the recording head 101 side by a predetermined amount e from the holding position of the upper and lower conveying rollers, the recording medium PP When the sheet is conveyed while being regulated by the upper and lower edges of the front surface of the platen 401, fine wrinkles and the like can be removed together with the restoring force (so-called “waist”) of the recording medium PP.

In the drawing, reference numeral 351 denotes a platen 401 of the guide member 350.
These are abutting portions provided at opposing portions of the front surface outside the conveyance path of the recording medium PP (described later with reference to FIGS. 27 and 28), and maintain the gap between the guide member 350 and the platen 401 at an appropriate predetermined value. Used for Reference numeral 399 denotes a paper passage sensor provided integrally with the guide member 350, and is used for detecting passage of the recording medium PP.

FIGS. 21 (A) and (B) show an example of the configuration of the main part of the recording medium transport system according to this embodiment. FIG. 21 (A) shows a state in which the paper guide member 350 is positioned at the set position A. Figure (B)
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state of being located at a retreat position B.

In these drawings, 342 is a conveyance motor such as a pulse motor, 344 is a pulley fixed to the shaft of the conveyance motor 342,
346 is a pulley fixed to the shaft of the main roller 341A of the upper conveying roller, and 345 is a belt stretched between the pulleys 344 and 346, and transmits the rotation of the conveying motor 342 to the main roller 341A. 3
Reference numeral 82 denotes a guide drive motor for positioning the guide member 350 at the set position A and the retreat position B. The guide drive motor is provided via a worm 384 provided on the shaft thereof and a worm gear 386 meshed with the worm 384 and fixed to the rotating shaft 380. The guide member 350 is driven.

In such a configuration, when the recording medium PP is set, the
21. As shown in FIG.
When the recording medium PP is conveyed in the f direction in this state, the leading end thereof is clamped between the main roller 331A and the urging roller 331B of the lower conveying roller 331, and then the guide member 350 is moved.
As a result, the transfer path is guided onto the platen 401 while being regulated, and is sandwiched between the main roller 341A of the upper transfer roller 341 and the urging roller 341B. Further, when a conveyance abnormality occurs in this process, it can be detected by the paper passage sensor 399.

Thus, when the recording medium PP is set, that is, when the leading end of the recording medium PP is sandwiched between the upper conveyance rollers 341, the guide drive motor 382 is driven and the worm gear 386 is used to drive the recording medium PP as shown in FIG. Further, it is possible to perform the recording process by setting the guide member 350 to the retracted position and scanning the recording head 101 in the S direction in this state.

In FIG. 21 (B), 150A and 150B are a pair of sensors fixed to a side surface in the scanning direction of the recording head 101 and a portion in the scanning direction opposed thereto, respectively. Control mode, the 30th
The figure will be described in detail.

Recording medium by using the above guide
The PP set will be much smoother than if it were not used.

Furthermore, in this example, the platen
The following configuration is adopted to minimize the width of the transport path on the front of the 401 and prevent floating.

FIG. 22 and FIG. 23 show two examples of such a configuration, and a restricting member 353A (mylar), which is wholly or partially in the width direction, is formed on the surface of the guide member 350 facing the platen 401. (Fig. 22) or a regulating member 353B (Fig. 23) consisting of a leaf spring is provided. At the time of setting these members, the whole or a part of the width of the recording medium PP is pressed against the front surface of the platen 401, and the pressing force is set so as not to hinder the conveyance of the recording medium PP. About the thickness (0.1mm
(Approximately) can be set so that the recording medium PP does not float.

Further, depending on the arrangement position of the recording head 101, etc., the regulating member 353C may be provided with a guide member as shown in FIG. 22 and FIG.
The guide member 350, as shown in FIG.
Alternatively, it may be provided below the guide member 350 separately. Also in this case, the regulating member 353C can be combined with the arm 370 to be movable between the set position and the retracted position.

This urging member 353C can also be a member such as a mylar or a leaf spring, and is pressed against the front surface of the platen 401 at the time of setting, and the pressing force is determined so as not to hinder the conveyance of the recording medium PP. Alternatively, if the recording medium PP is made to approach and approach the thickness of the recording medium PP, it is possible to set the recording medium PP without floating.

Next, the abutting member 351 used in this example will be described with reference to FIGS. 25 and 26.

The abutting portion 351 is for making the interval between the guide member 350 and the platen 401 uniform and performing a smooth setting. In this example, the abutting portion 351 is provided at two places on both sides of the platen 401. In addition, the abutting is elastically performed by the elastic force of the coil spring, so that the interval is uniformly maintained and the impact force generated at the time of setting to the set position is mitigated.

FIG. 25 and FIG. 26 are a perspective view and a side view, respectively, showing the butting portion 351 according to the present example. Such abutting portions 351 are provided at portions corresponding to both sides of the platen 401.

In the figure, reference numeral 355 denotes both sides of the guide member 350 (the recording medium PP).
356 is a cylindrical abutting plate provided at each of two places at the abutting position with the platen (outside the transfer path of
A coil spring elastically supported at zero. Reference numeral 357 denotes a positioning pin, which can enter a positioning hole provided in the platen 401. In this example, the abutment unit 351 is constituted by the three members. In this example, the positioning pin
357 is the inside of the coil spring 356 and the cylindrical butting plate 355
Is inserted through the hollow portion and is also used as a holding member for the coil spring 356, but such an arrangement is not necessarily essential, and may be arranged at another position.

According to such a configuration, the guide member 350 is
When the arm 370 is rotated to set it to the set position of P, the guide member 350 moves to the Uraten 4 regardless of the stop position accuracy and the like.
Since it is displaced along the plane of 01, it is possible to maintain a uniform interval, and also the impact force can be alleviated by the spring 356. In other words, if only the accuracy of the components of the butting plate 355 is secured, even if the accuracy of other components and the mounting accuracy are somewhat inferior, uniform intervals can be maintained, and therefore the recording medium PP can be set more smoothly. Becomes

Note that such a configuration is not limited to the case where the flat platen 401 is used as in this example, and for example, a guide plate having the same curvature or an approximate polygonal guide member is opposed to a cylindrical platen. It is extremely effective also when making it.

Next, detection of floating of the recording medium PP (hereinafter referred to as paper floating) will be described. In this example, as shown in FIG. 21 (B), a pair of optical sensors 150A and 150B are
It is provided on one side surface of the recording head 101 and a portion facing the side surface in the scanning direction. Thus, even if paper floating occurs for some reason, it is possible to detect this immediately before the start of printing, for example, to prevent contamination of the print medium, deterioration of print quality, or ejection failure or breakage of the print head 101 beforehand. it can.

Such floating detection can be performed not only in the example shown in FIG. 21 (B) but also in the following manner.

That is, as shown in FIG. 27, a contact-type sensor 160 is provided on a side surface of the recording head 101 in the scanning direction, and when a paper floats, an actuator 160a of the sensor 160 performs detection by contacting the sensor. You may. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 28, if there is a paper floating, air is sucked into the platen 401 from that part, and attention is paid to the fact that the suction force fluctuates. The detection can be performed by disposing a pressure sensor 415 and monitoring the pressure sensor 415, that is, by comparing the pressure sensor 415 with a detection value when, for example, there is no paper floating.

(Control System) FIG. 29 shows a configuration example of the control system 500 according to the present example. Here, 501 is a control unit that controls each unit, and also serves as a processing device that performs a recording process according to data transmission from a host device 1000 that is an image data supply source to the inkjet recording apparatus 1 according to this example. be able to. Reference numeral 503 denotes a microcomputer-type CPU which is the center of the control unit,
Each unit is controlled in accordance with the processing procedure shown in FIG. 505 is C
It is a ROM that stores a program corresponding to the processing procedure shown in FIG. 30 executed by the PU 503 and other fixed data. 507
Has a work area used by the CPU 503 in the course of executing the processing procedure, an area for expanding a predetermined amount of image data, and the like.
RAM.

Further, in the figure, 17A indicates various setting switches provided on the operation panel 17, which are a size selection switch for the recording medium PP, a selection switch for the conveyance paths PC, PR, PI, a recording start command switch, and an online connection with the host device 1000. Including switches, etc. Reference numeral 17B is a display unit, which includes a display section for displaying various messages such as a display of the selected mode and an error message.

MON1 and MON2 are the carriage motor 210A
And drive signals for the tank carriage motor 210B.
F / B is a control signal that causes the carriage motor 210A and the tank carriage motor 210B to rotate forward and backward, respectively, in order to move the carriage 201 and the tank carriage 203 forward and backward in the scanning direction.

301 is an upper conveying roller 341 provided in the recording medium conveying system 300.
And conveying rollers 303 such as a motor 342 for driving the conveying rollers 301. Reference numeral 150 denotes a paper floating sensor, and a pair of sensors 15 shown in FIG.
0A, 150B. Alternatively, the contact sensor 160 shown in FIG.
Alternatively, the pressure sensor 415 shown in FIG. Reference numeral 359 denotes a guide position sensor provided at the set position and the retracted position of the guide member 350. When a pulse motor is used as the guide drive motor 382, the position is set by monitoring the number of drive pulses instead of providing the sensor 359. You can also

30 (A) to (D) show an example of a control procedure by the control unit 501 shown in FIG.

After the power switch 15 is turned on, when this procedure is activated by a recording start command switch or a command from the host device 1000, initial setting is performed in step S1. At the time of this initial setting, the setting switches 17A or the host device 1
In order to select the suction section (see FIG. 10) according to the size of the recording medium PP specified by 000, the distributor 407 is switched and the transport routes PC, PR, PI are selected to transport the route. Processing such as preparation for drive control of members is performed. At this time, it is assumed that the guide member 350 is positioned at the set position, the recording head 101 is at the home position, and capping is performed in a state where the door 456 is closed by the cap section 450.

Next, in step S3, the solenoid 459 is energized to open the door 456, and in step S5, the switching valves 420 and 421 are set to the blowing side, that is, the mode in which air is supplied from the blower 410 through the nozzle 451.

In this state, the gear pump 105 is driven in step S9,
The ink supply path to the recording head 101 is pressed, and the recording head 101 forcibly discharges the ink. As a result, when air bubbles or dust are mixed in the liquid chamber 101C or the nozzle 101B, or when ink thickening occurs, these ejection failure factors are removed. Then, the discharged ink is collected by the absorber 453, and the discharge port end surface 101
A is cleaned by the high-speed airflow from the nozzle 451. After the pressurizing or cleaning process is continued for a predetermined time by the standby procedure of step S11, the gear pump 105 and the blower 410 are turned off in steps S13 and S15, respectively.

Next, in step S17, the switching valves 420 and 421 are set to the suction side,
That is, the setting is switched so that suction is performed from the platen side 401 side, and the door 456 is closed in step S19 in preparation for the subsequent recording process. In connection with the pressurizing or cleaning process in steps S7 to S15, for example, after the process or instead of performing the pressurization by the gear pump, all the discharge energy generating elements of the recording head 101 are driven to perform the discharge. An ink discharging process may be performed.

Next, in step S21, the motors 303 related to the conveyance
To start the conveyance of the recording medium PP. Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the leading end of the recording medium PP conveyed in step S23 has been clamped by the upper conveying roller 341 downstream of the platen 401.If the judgment is affirmative, the motors and the like are determined in step S25. Stop 303. In the determination in step S23, for example, the paper passage sensor 399 may be regarded as being held by the recording medium PP after a predetermined time has passed, or a separate sensor may be provided near the upper conveyance roller 341. Alternatively, the detection output may be used.

The leading end of the recording medium PP is smoothly moved by the guide member 351 and other restricting members (see FIGS. 22 to 24) to the roller 33.
The sheet is transported between 1 and 341.If a transport error occurs due to a soft factor or a paper jam or the like before the guide, detection by the paper passage sensor 399 is not performed. This can be displayed on 17B to notify the operator.

After the process in step S25, in step S27, the motor
The guide member 350 is set to the retracted position by driving the 382, and in step S29, the blower 410 is turned on to cause the recording medium PP to be attracted to the front surface of the platen 401. And step S31
Then reverse the cap feed motor 461 to move the cap 450
Is detached from the recording head 101 and set to the cap off position.

Next, in step S33, the relative distance is corrected by correctly positioning the carriage 201 and the tank carriage 203 at the home positions. This can be performed as shown in FIG. 31 by controlling the outputs of the motor drive signals MON1 and MON2 while monitoring the outputs (HP1 and HP2) of the home position (HP) sensors 211 and 212.

Next, in step S35, the presence or absence of paper floating is determined using the sensor 150. When a negative determination is made here, the process proceeds to the recording process of step S43 in FIG. On the other hand, if paper floating is detected, the flow does not shift to recording, and step S3
After turning off the blower 410 in 7, it is determined whether or not the selected recording medium PP is roll paper, and in the case of roll paper, after cutting with the cutter 326 in step S41, other In that case, immediately proceed to the discharge process of FIG.

In step S43, while rotating the motors 210A and 210B forward to move the carriages 201 and 203 in the scanning direction,
Recording is performed for one unit, that is, for one scan in this example. For example, if the recording head 101 is provided with ejection ports over 16 mm in the sub-scanning direction, recording is performed in a 16 mm × 1 scanning area. Since the recording medium PP is adsorbed on the platen 401 during this recording process, high quality recording is possible. Then, in step S45, the motors 303 are drive-controlled to convey the recording medium PP by a predetermined amount.

Next, in step S47, the motors 210A and 210B are reversed, the carriage 201 and the tank carriage 203 are set to the reversing position (RP), and the distance between the two is corrected. This can be done by monitoring the outputs (RP1, RP2) of the RP sensors 213, 214 and controlling the outputs of the motor drive signals MON1, MON2.

That is, as shown in FIG. 31, at the time of motor reverse rotation (F / B
During the period when the signal is at H level), the output R of the RP sensor 213
When P1 becomes H and it is detected that the carriage 201 has reached the reverse position, the driving of the motor 210A is stopped, and RP
When the output of the sensor 214 becomes H and the tank carriage 203 reaches the reverse position, the motor 210B is detected.
Stop driving. As a result, the distance between the carriages 201 and 203 is maintained at an appropriate value, so that there is no occurrence of collision between the two carriages or disconnection of the supply pipe 103 due to accumulation of errors.

In addition, such correction is related to the HP sensors 211 and 212,
This can be performed using the outputs HP1 and HP2. Further, instead of performing each scan as described above, it may be performed every multiple scans. Further, for example, the head 101 may be capped for every plural scans to perform the ejection recovery process or the cleaning process by the pressurization or the ejection.

After the correction, it is determined in step S49 whether or not the recording medium currently being used is roll paper. If a negative determination is made, the process immediately proceeds to step S55. On the other hand, in the case of an affirmative determination, in step S51, in consideration of the length from the arrangement position of the cutter 326 to the recording head 101, whether the paper has been fed by an amount corresponding to the size and the recording amount of the recording medium PP. Is determined. If a negative determination is made, the process proceeds to step S55. If an affirmative determination is made, the roll paper is cut in step S53, and then the process proceeds to step S55.

In step S55, it is determined whether or not a predetermined recording amount, that is, recording of one page has been completed. If not completed, the process returns to step S43, and the subsequent steps are repeated. If the completion is determined, the process proceeds to step S57 in FIG. 30 (D).

If a negative determination is made in step S39, or after the process in step S41, or if an affirmative determination is made in step S55, the motors 303 are controlled to discharge the recording medium PP in step S57. Next, in step S59, the carriage 201 and the tank carriage 203 are set to the home position, and in step S61, the recording head 101 is capped.

Then, in step S63, the guide member 350 is positioned again at the set position, and in step S65, the stop processing of the blower 410 and the like is performed. That is, the head 101 is capped with the door 456 closed, and the guide member is set at the set position, so that the head 101 can be protected after recording is completed, or the recording medium PP can be quickly moved when recording is resumed. Can be set. After performing necessary post-processing such as resetting of each unit in step S67, the present procedure ends.

(Effects of Embodiment) According to the embodiment described above, the following effects were obtained.

First, the suction of the recording medium PP and the supply of air for cleaning the ejection surface 101A are performed by a single blower 410, so that the apparatus can be reduced in cost and size due to the reduction in the number of parts.
It also contributed to the reduction of noise. In addition, the supply path from the blower 410 to the cap unit 450 and the platen 40
Switching valves (421, 420) are provided on the suction path from 1 to the blower 410, respectively, and these are switched appropriately to control supply and suction, so that the air flow is supplied more than necessary to the recording head 101 etc. Discharge failure due to nozzle 46
It was possible to prevent a decrease in suction force caused by high load resistance when 1 is also used as a discharge port during suction, and a reduction in the life of the drive source due to repeated start / stop caused when a blower is provided for each suction / exhaust. .

Next, when cleaning the discharge surface 101A by air injection,
Since the door provided on the rear wall of the cap member 450 can be opened, the jet airflow does not become turbulent, and the fine ink droplets and dust separated from the ejection surface 101A do not adhere again. Then, it is sufficient that the position control of the cap section 450 is performed only at the capping position and the cap-off position. For example, it is possible to eliminate the complexity of the position setting control that occurs when the air is ejected while being slightly separated from the head 101.

Also, the head 101 and the ink tank 110 are mounted on separate carriages (201, 203), respectively, in order to ensure the positional accuracy and the like of the head 101 during recording, and the respective motors (210A, 210B)
And the relative distance between the carriages is corrected for each scan, so that the carriages collide and disturb the recording quality due to the slippage of the transmission member and the accumulation of errors, or conversely, are significantly separated. Thus, inconveniences such as cutting of the supply pipe between the head and the tank can be prevented.

A guide member 350 is provided to support the smooth progress of the leading end of the recording medium PP in opposition to the platen 401 when the recording medium PP is set, and the member 350 is retracted to a position separated from the facing position during recording. Therefore, regardless of the type (roll paper, cut paper, etc.) of the recording medium PP to be used, and even when the recording medium PP is bent,
A set that does not cause conveyance errors such as jams is now possible. Further, since the guide member 350 is retracted after confirming that the setting has been securely performed by the paper passage sensor 399 or the like, the scanning by the recording head 101 is not hindered.

Furthermore, members (353A to 353A) that restrict the behavior of the leading end of the recording medium PP during conveyance for setting by setting the distance between the guide members 350 and the platen 401 to be small.
Since the recording medium PP is provided, the recording medium PP is surely adsorbed to the platen 401 and regulated by the subsequent suction from the start of recording, so that the recording head 101 and the recording medium PP do not come into contact with each other, and the recording medium is contaminated or the recording head is damaged. It was possible to prevent the recording quality from being deteriorated due to the ejection failure of 101 or the deterioration of the sub-scanning accuracy.

In addition, the guide member 350 is elastically supported, and the abutting members provided at at least three places (four places in this example) on the surface of the guide member 350 facing the peripheral portion of the platen 401 are in contact with the platen 401. Therefore, when facing the platen 401, the guide member 350 can be made to follow the surface of the platen 401 and be faced with a uniform gap, and the stop position accuracy of the guide member 350 and the accuracy of parts other than the abutting member, etc. Strict management was unnecessary.

The position of the partition 405 (the portion where the suction hole 403 does not exist) of the platen 401 that partitions the inside of the platen 401 according to the size of the recording medium PP, and the divided portion such as the biasing roller 341B that is divided according to the size of the recording medium PP. Since the position is not matched with the position in the sub-scanning direction, at least one of the urging force of the roller and the suction force of the suction hole 403 of the platen 401 always acts on the recording medium PP, so that the recording medium PP swells due to recording. Even if the paper float W does not occur in the recording area, it is possible to prevent the recording medium PP from being soiled and the recording head 101 from being defectively ejected or destroyed.

In addition, since the paper floating is detected before the scanning of the recording head 101 is started, it is possible to prevent the recording medium PP from being stained or the recording head 101 from being discharged poorly.

(Modifications) The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments or the above-described other configuration examples described in various places, but may have various configurations.

For example, although the above-described air supply to the cap portion 450 was for cleaning the ejection surface 101A of the recording head 101, an air passage in the cap portion is appropriately formed, that is, for example, at the ejection port. It is also possible to replace the discharge recovery process by pressurization using the gear pump 105 by sucking the ink near the discharge port by the Venturi effect to recover the discharge by forming the flow path having the narrowed portion in the vicinity.

In the above example, roll paper is used as the recording medium in the form of continuous paper.
Although RP is used, fan hold paper may be used, for example. Further, in the above example, the apparatus for performing recording on a large-sized recording medium of A4 size or more has been described, but the recording medium may be of any size.

In addition, in the above example, the recording medium PP is transported in the vertical direction with respect to the recording head that ejects ink droplets in the horizontal direction. However, it is needless to say that the ejection direction or the transport direction can be arbitrarily determined. Further, the platen is not limited to the flat plate-like one as in the above example, and may be, for example, an arcuate one.

In the above example, a roller is used as the transport member (upper transport roller or the like), but the transport member may be configured using another member, for example, an endless belt wound around a pulley.

In addition, the present invention provides a recording head 10 as in the above example.
The present invention can be applied not only to a serial type ink jet printing apparatus in which printing is performed by scanning 1 with the carriage 201, but also to a line printer type apparatus in which ejection ports are aligned over the entire width of a printing medium. In this case, a mechanism for relatively moving the recording head and the platen is provided so that the cap portion can face the recording head during cleaning, or the guide member faces the platen when setting the recording medium PP. You should be able to do it.

Further, the present invention is not limited to a recording apparatus having an ink jet type recording head as in the above example as long as it has a recording head for recording on a recording medium, and other types such as a thermal head. It is needless to say that even a recording apparatus including the above can be effectively and easily applied.

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION At least one of the position of the partition wall (the portion where the suction hole does not exist) of the platen that partitions the inside of the platen according to the size of the recording medium and the pair of rotating bodies divided according to the size of the recording medium, for example, Since the position of the divided portion of the biasing roller is not aligned on the same line in the sub-scanning direction, at least one of the biasing force of the rotating body pair and the suction force of the suction hole of the platen always acts on the recording medium. Even if the recording medium swelled due to recording, the paper floating did not reach the recording area, and it was possible to prevent stains on the recording medium and ejection failure or damage of the recording head.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of an external configuration of an ink jet recording apparatus to which the present invention can be applied. FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing an example of the internal configuration of the apparatus shown in FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of an air system or the like of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a schematic view thereof, and FIGS. 5 and 6 show the configuration of a switching valve applicable to the air system. FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing one example of a configuration of a cap unit coupled to an air system. FIGS. 8 and 9 show two examples of a configuration of a cap unit and a moving mechanism thereof. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of a platen coupled to an air system. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the occurrence or growth of paper floating, and FIG. 12 is this embodiment. The relationship between the configuration of the platen and the configuration of the urging roller, where paper floating may occur, is shown in order to FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the configuration of the platen and the urging roller in the present embodiment. FIGS. 14 to 18 are diagrams of the configuration of a recording system and a recording unit transport system to which the present invention can be applied. FIG. 19 is a perspective view showing five examples, FIG. 19 is an explanatory view for explaining a recording medium conveyance state when the guide member according to the present invention is not provided, and FIG. 20 is a schematic configuration example of the guide member according to the present invention. 21 (A) and (B) are perspective views showing a state in which the guide member shown in FIG. 20 is positioned at the recording medium setting position and the retracted position, respectively. FIGS. FIGS. 25 and 26 are side views showing three examples of a recording medium regulating member applicable to the guide member according to the present invention. FIGS. The perspective view and side view shown in FIG. 27 and FIG. FIG. 29 is a schematic diagram showing two examples of a paper floating detection sensor applicable to the present invention. FIG. 29 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a control system of the apparatus of the present invention. And FIG. 31 is a timing chart for explaining the timing for correcting the relative positions of the carriage and the tank carriage according to the present embodiment. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Ink jet recording apparatus main body, 17 ... Operation panel, 100 ... Recording system, 101 ... Recording head, 101A ... Discharge surface, 103, 104 ... Supply pipe, 105 ... Gear pump, 110 ... Ink tank, 150, 160, 415 …… Floating sensor, 200… Recording unit transport system, 201… Carriage, 203… Tank carriage, 210A, 210B …… Motor, 211,212 …… Home position (HP) sensor, 213,214 …… Reverse position (RP ) Sensor, 300: Recording medium transport system, 326: Cutter, 331: Lower transport roller, 331A, 341A: Main roller, 331B, 341B: Urging roller, 341: Upper transport roller, 342 ... Transport motor, 350 Guide member, 351 Contact part, 353A to 353C Restriction member, 355 Contact plate, 356 Spring, 357 Positioning pin, 370 Arm, 380 Rotating shaft, 382 …… Guide drive motor, 399 …… Paper thread Sensor, 400 ... Air system, 401 ... Platen, 403 ... Suction hole, 405 ... Partition wall, 407 ... Distributor, 410 ... Blower, 420, 421 ... Switching valve, 440 ... Filter, 450 ... Cap Part, 451 …… Nozzle, 453 …… Ink absorber, 455 …… Waste ink tank, 456 …… Door, 459 …… Solenoid, 461… Cap feed motor, 466,486 …… Capping position detection switch, 467,487 …… Cap Off position detection switch, 488: Door open detection switch, 500: Control system, 501: Control unit, 503: CPU, 505: ROM, 1000: Host device, PC, PR, PI, P ... Recording medium transport path, PP: Recording medium, RP: Roll paper, CS: Cut paper, MON1, MON2: Carriage motor drive signal, F / B: Forward / reverse control signal, HP1, HP2 ... HP sensor Output, RP1, RP2 …… RP sensor output.

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A suction hole for sucking a recording medium,
The platen is divided into partitions according to the dimensions of the recording medium, and a pair of rotating members provided near at least the downstream side of the platen along the conveying path of the recording medium for sandwiching and conveying the recording medium. At least one of the pair of bodies comprises a conveying member divided according to the dimensions of the recording medium, and the position of the partition and the position of division of the pair of rotating bodies,
A recording apparatus, which is configured so as not to be aligned on the same line in the transport direction of the recording medium. 2. A recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a recording head for recording by ejecting ink.