JP6604868B2 - inkjet printer - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an inkjet printer.

  Inkjet printers that record images by ejecting ink onto recording media such as recording paper and resin films are widely used. Ink jet printers have various recording paper sizes, such as those used for document preparation for home use and office use, and large ones for recording on a wide recording medium exceeding 1 m.

  In addition, for the purpose of using recorded matter outdoors, there are some that use pigment ink in which a pigment is dispersed in a solvent in order to prevent the color from fading or dropping due to the influence of wind and rain or sunlight.

  In addition, there is a desire to shorten the transition time to the next process after recording. For example, various types of ink are used depending on the application, such as ultraviolet curable ink cured by ultraviolet rays and thermosetting ink cured by heat. It has been.

  On the other hand, in order to improve the drying property of the ink, a method of heating the recording medium appropriately and quickly drying the solvent after recording has been implemented. The ink and recording head also rise in temperature due to heating, which may affect the ejection performance and image quality, so it is necessary to cool them appropriately.

  For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-179802 discloses a method related to air blowing and cooling in a printer. This prior art discloses an ink jet printer using a thermosetting ink that promotes fixing by heat. In this apparatus, a heater is arranged above the carriage along the scanning direction of the carriage. Therefore, it is necessary to cool the inside of the housing and the carriage considerably, and it is necessary to cool it. Air is taken in from the back of the printer, discharged from the front, and a wind flow is forcibly generated and cooled.

JP 2012-179802 A

  In the prior art, a configuration is described in which the air in the casing is exhausted to the outside. However, it is difficult to completely dry the ink only on the platen, and it is necessary to heat the ink with a paper guide after being transported from the platen. However, if the recording medium is simply heated, the gas evaporated from the ink stays in the vicinity of the recording medium, and there is a problem that obstructs the drying of the ink, resulting in an inefficient drying method.

  An inkjet printer according to the present invention that solves the above-described problems includes a plurality of nozzles, a recording head that ejects ink from the nozzles to a recording medium, and the recording head mounted thereon, with respect to the conveyance direction of the recording medium A carriage that reciprocates in a crossing direction, a platen that is disposed opposite to the lower surface side of the carriage, holds the recording medium, a heater that heats the recording medium provided on the platen, and the recording medium A conveying means that conveys; a paper guide that is disposed downstream of the platen in the conveying direction and that has a heater that heats the recording medium; and a housing that stores at least the carriage, and the recording medium is intermittently provided. Inkjet for ejecting the ink from the recording head onto the recording medium while transporting and recording an image on the recording medium In the linter, a housing fan that is disposed on the back surface inside the housing and sucks air outside the housing, a cover that faces the paper guide and is spaced apart from the paper guide, A wind direction control plate for guiding the air sucked into the housing between the paper guide and the cover, and the cover is provided with a plurality of exhaust holes and guided by the wind direction control plate. The air sucked into the housing is exhausted through between the paper guide and the cover, and the air sucked into the housing is exhausted from the exhaust hole.

  According to the present invention, the inside of the apparatus can be efficiently cooled, and the drying and fixing of ink can be promoted by the taken-in air.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an ink jet printer. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the inside of the ink jet printer. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the entire inkjet printer.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an ink jet printer. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the inside of the ink jet printer. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the entire inkjet printer. The ink jet printer will be described with reference to these drawings.

  A plurality of intake fans 14 are arranged on the back of the casing of the inkjet printer 1. The intake fan 14 takes outside air into the housing. In the figure, the main flow of air is indicated by dotted arrows.

  The recording medium is conveyed while being supported in the order of the path of the rear edge guide 21, the rear paper guide 2, the platen 3, the front paper guide 4, and the front edge guide 20. A transport roller 5 and a pinch unit 6 are provided between the rear paper guide 2 and the platen 3. The recording medium is sandwiched between the transport roller 5 and a pinch roller disposed at the tip of the pinch unit 6, and the recording medium is transported by the rotation of the transport roller 5. The pinch roller is pushed in the direction of the transport roller 5 and is pivotally supported so as to be rotated in conjunction with the rotation of the transport roller 5.

  The carriage 7 moves along the longitudinal direction of the platen 3. That is, the recording medium is conveyed in a direction that intersects the moving direction of the carriage 7. In this example, it moves in the direction to go straight.

  A rear heater 30 is provided on the rear surface of the rear paper guide 2 to heat the rear paper guide 2. There is a gap between the rear edge guide 21 and the rear paper guide 2, and it is difficult to transfer the heat of the rear paper guide 2 to the rear edge guide 21. A front heater 29 is provided on the back surface of the front paper guide 4 to heat the front paper guide 4. There is a gap between the front paper guide 4 and the front edge guide 20 to make it difficult to transfer the heat of the front paper guide 4 to the front edge guide 20. The rear edge guide 21 and the front edge guide 20 that may be touched by the user are prevented from becoming hot.

  An ink jet recording head 8 is mounted on the carriage 7. In order to perform color recording, the recording head 8 is equipped with four recording heads 8 corresponding to, for example, four colors of ink of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black.

  The carriage 7 moves along a rail 26 arranged in the longitudinal direction of the inkjet printer 1. The rails 26 are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the platen 3. The endless belt 34 is wound around pulleys at both ends. The endless belt 34 can be driven by driving the pulley with a motor. The carriage 7 is fixed to the endless belt 34, and the carriage 7 moves in conjunction with the rotation of the endless belt 34. A bearing 27 and a bearing 28 are provided in the carriage 7. A bearing 27 and a bearing 28 are rotatably connected to the upper and lower ends of the rail 26. The carriage 7 is connected to the rail 26 by a bearing 27 and a bearing 28, and can move along the rail 26.

  A carriage fan 25 is provided in the rear direction of the carriage 7. The carriage fan 25 is disposed at a position facing the intake fan 14. The intake fans 14 are arranged in a row along the rails 26. The outside air taken in by the intake fan 14 is sucked by the carriage fan 25, passes through the carriage 7, and is discharged from the exhaust port 35. The exhaust port 35 is disposed in the lower part of the carriage 7. A duct extends from the carriage 7 toward the intake fan 14, and a carriage fan 25 is provided at the tip thereof. The carriage fan 25 can be disposed so as to face the vicinity of the intake fan 14. The outside air that has been sucked in can be sucked in immediately, and cool air can be sent into the carriage.

  A suction chamber 22 is provided below the platen 3. Air is sucked into the suction chamber 22 by the suction fan 24 and is exhausted to the outside through the duct 23. Air is sucked from countless suction holes provided in the platen 3 and exhausted to the outside through the suction chamber 22 and the duct 23. Thereby, the recording medium conveyed on the platen 3 can be adsorbed. The recording medium on the platen 3 is supported flat along the surface of the platen 3.

  An image is recorded by ejecting ink on the platen 3 onto a recording medium heated to a suitable temperature by the rear paper guide 2. A heater is provided on the back surface of the platen 3 to heat the recording medium. The platen 3 maintains the recording medium at a suitable temperature and promotes drying and fixing of the landed ink. Further, the recording medium is heated by the front paper guide 4 to promote ink drying and fixing. The casing is filled with the solvent gas evaporated from the ink attached to the recording medium. When the concentration of the solvent gas is increased, the drying property of the ink is deteriorated. Therefore, it is preferable to discharge the ink and lower the concentration.

  An intake fan 14 is provided on the back of the outer case 31. A bent portion 18 is provided on the back surface of the outer case 31. The tip of the bent portion 18 is provided so as to face the rear edge guide 21. A paper feed port 32 is provided between the bent portion 18 and the rear edge guide 21, and the recording medium is guided in the direction of the platen 3. The space between the bent portion 18 and the rear edge guide 21 is narrow so that a finger or the like cannot be put therein. This prevents the heated rear paper guide 2 from being touched by hand. Further, since the air is narrowed, the air taken in by the intake fan 14 is difficult to be exhausted from the paper feed port 32. Since the opening area of the other opening is larger, the air resistance of the sheet feeding port 32 becomes larger. In other words, it becomes difficult for the gas in the housing to exit from here.

  Further, a first air direction control plate that prevents the airflow in the housing from moving toward the paper feed port 32 at a position facing the rear paper guide 2 between the paper feed port 32 and the transport roller 5. 17 is provided. The first air direction control plate 17 has the opening of the recess facing in the forward direction of the housing, the front end facing the rear paper guide 2, and restraining the wind from moving toward the paper feed port 32.

  A windshield cover 9 is provided on the front side of the outer case 31. The windshield cover 9 is attached so that it can be opened and closed. The windshield cover 9 is transparent so that the inside can be seen. Further, an exhaust fan 15 is provided on the front side. The exhaust fan 15 exhausts the air in the housing to the outside. A second air direction control plate 16 is provided in a portion of the housing facing the upper portion of the carriage 7 to control the air flow taken in by the intake fan 14 so as to face forward. The second wind direction control plate 16 is disposed along the longitudinal direction of the inkjet printer 1. The air taken in the housing by the intake fan 14 is arranged to face the front of the housing. Thus, it is difficult to flow upward, and the airflow is not disturbed and is directed toward the front windshield cover 9. The taken air mainly travels obliquely downward along the windshield cover 9 and is discharged from the exhaust fan 15.

  The front paper guide 4 is a plate that curves obliquely downward. The windshield cover 9 is also arranged so that the tip direction is directed obliquely downward. The sucked air is allowed to flow diagonally downward.

  The third wind direction control plate 19 is disposed so that the opening is disposed at a position facing the exhaust port 35 of the carriage 7. The third wind direction control plate 19 is disposed so as to guide the air in the housing in the direction of the front paper guide 4. The third wind direction control plate 19 is disposed so as to face the front paper guide 4 so that air flows between them. In addition, the side opposite to the front paper guide 4 of the third wind direction control plate 19 is disposed so as to face the windshield cover 9, and air flows between them. Further, the air flowing between the third wind direction control plate 19 and the windshield cover 9 is discharged from the exhaust fan 15 to the outside. The third wind direction control plate 19 divides the flow of the discharged air into two directions.

  A third air direction control plate 19, a first cover 10, and a second cover 11 are arranged along the front paper guide 4. A front edge guide 20 is disposed downstream of the front paper guide 4 in the recording medium conveyance direction. The front edge guide 20 and the second cover 11 are spaced apart to form a recording medium discharge port 33. The front edge guide 20 is not provided with a heater. The third wind direction control plate 19, the first cover 10, and the second cover 11 prevent the user from touching the front paper guide 4 heated to a high temperature.

  The recording medium enters from the paper feed port 32 and is discharged from the paper discharge port 33 while being supported and guided by the rear edge guide 21, the rear paper guide 2, the platen 3, the front paper guide 4 and the front edge guide 20. Further, it is heated by the rear paper guide 2, the platen 3, and the front paper guide 4.

  The first exhaust holes 12, which are a plurality of pores, are arranged in the first cover 10. The second exhaust holes 13, which are a plurality of pores, are arranged in the second cover 11. The 1st exhaust hole 12 and the 2nd exhaust hole 13 are arrange | positioned in order to exhaust the air which flows between the 3rd wind direction control board 19, the 1st cover 10, and the 2nd cover 11 outside. Further, since the first exhaust hole 12 and the second exhaust hole 13 are provided, the first cover 10 and the second cover 11 can be prevented from being fogged. The first cover 10 and the second cover 11 are preferably transparent plates. If it is transparent, the image recorded on the recording medium can be confirmed. The exhaust fan 15 can create an air flow over the first cover 10 and the second cover 11 to slightly reduce the air pressure outside the first exhaust hole 12 and the second exhaust hole 13. And exhaust from the 2nd exhaust hole 13 can be promoted.

  The first cover 10 and the second cover 11 are connected by a hinge so that they can be arranged along the curved surface of the front paper guide 4. The first cover 10 and the second cover 11 are stopped at a predetermined angle and have a shape along the front paper guide 4. The first cover 10 and the second cover 11 can be opened and closed with respect to the front paper guide 4, and are divided into two so that they can be stored compactly when opened.

  Here, the main air flow will be described. Inside the housing, air is sucked into the inside by the intake fan 14, and air is discharged by the exhaust fan 15 and the suction fan 24. The intake capacity of the intake fan 14 is set higher than the exhaust capacity of the exhaust fan 13 and the suction fan 24. Therefore, air is also discharged from the first exhaust hole 12, the second exhaust hole 13, the paper feed port 32, the paper discharge port 33, and other gaps. The first wind direction control plate 17 and the bent portion 18 make it difficult for air to flow backward. That is, the air resistance of the backward flow is increased so that it can easily flow forward. For example, the paper discharge port 33 has a wider gap than the paper supply port 32. That is, the gap between the second cover 11 and the front edge guide 11 is larger than the gap between the bent portion 18 and the rear edge guide 21. Therefore, it is easier to exhaust air from the paper discharge port 33. By doing in this way, the air in a housing | casing can be made to exhaust easily outside through the front paper guide 4 and the 3rd wind direction control board 19. FIG.

  A plurality of intake fans 14 are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the inkjet printer 1 on the back surface of the casing, and take in external air. External air flows in the direction indicated by the dotted arrow 40 by the intake fan 14 and is sucked into the housing. The sucked air is divided into the air that enters the carriage 7 by the carriage fan 25 and the air that flows in the direction of the windshield cover 9 like the air flow indicated by the dotted arrow 41. Further, the air that has flowed forward passes between the third wind direction control plate 19 and the front paper guide 4, and is discharged to the outside, discharged by the exhaust fan 15, and exhausted from other gaps. Divided into things. Further, the air in the carriage 7 is blown between the front paper guide 4 and the third air direction control plate 19 and is mainly discharged to the outside.

  Since the air taken in by the intake fan 14 is taken into the carriage 7 by the carriage fan 25 at the opposite position, the air discharged from the exhaust port 35 of the carriage 7 does not contain much solvent vapor. The air is discharged to the outside through the space between the front paper guide 4 and the third air direction control plate 19. The casing is filled with ink vapor heated by a heater. The steam is exhausted by the exhaust fan 15. Further, the ink vapor from the recording medium heated by the front paper guide 4 is filled in a narrow space, and the ink is difficult to dry. Therefore, by flowing the air discharged from the exhaust port 35, the density of the ink vapor can be lowered, and the drying property can be improved.

  Further, by providing the first exhaust hole 12 and the second exhaust hole 13 instead of exhausting only from the paper discharge port 33, the air containing the ink vapor on the front paper guide 4 is efficiently discharged. be able to.

  The gas in the housing is easy to flow along the surface of the front paper guide 4. The front paper guide 4 is provided with a front heater 29, which heats the ink to adhere to the recording medium. In this case, if the evaporated solvent gas stays near the surface of the recording medium, the drying of the ink is hindered. Therefore, gas is flowed to prevent stagnation. A third air direction control plate 19 is provided so as to face the front paper guide 4 so as to create an air flow along the front paper guide 4, and air is blown out from the exhaust port 35 to create an air flow. Further, it is discharged outside while being mixed with the gas flowing outside the carriage 7. In conjunction with the airflow from the exhaust port 35, the flow of the surrounding gas also becomes faster, and can smoothly pass between the front paper guide 4 and the third wind direction control plate 19 and be discharged to the outside. Furthermore, since the gas from the exhaust port 35 contains almost no vaporized ink, the drying property can be increased.

  The exhaust fan 15 can efficiently exhaust air containing ink vapor and can efficiently suck fresh outside air. Moreover, it can suppress that temperature becomes too high with a heater.

  As described above, since it is possible to discharge the solvent evaporated from the ink staying in the casing to become a gas, it is possible to improve the drying property of the ink. Further, since the solvent evaporated from the ink staying in the vicinity of the surface of the front paper guide 4 to be a gas can be excluded, the drying of the ink can be accelerated.

  The present invention can be used in an ink jet printer. It can be used especially for large-sized ink jet printers.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inkjet printer 2 Rear paper guide 3 Platen 4 Front paper guide 5 Conveyance roller 6 Pinch unit 7 Carriage 8 Recording head 9 Windshield cover 10 First cover 11 Second cover 12 First exhaust hole 13 Second exhaust hole 14 Intake fan 15 Exhaust Fan 16 Second wind direction control plate 17 First wind direction control plate 18 Bending portion 19 Third wind direction control plate 20 Front edge guide 21 Rear edge guide 22 Suction chamber 23 Duct 24 Suction fan 25 Carriage fan 26 Rail 27 Bearing 28 Bearing 29 Front heater 30 Rear heater 31 Exterior case 32 Paper feed port 33 Paper discharge port 34 Endless belt 35 Exhaust port

Claims (4)

A recording head having a plurality of nozzles and discharging ink from the nozzles to a recording medium;
A carriage mounted with the recording head and reciprocating in a direction intersecting with the conveyance direction of the recording medium;
A platen disposed opposite to the lower surface side of the carriage and holding the recording medium;
A heater for heating the recording medium provided on the platen;
Conveying means for conveying the recording medium;
A paper guide disposed on the downstream side of the transport direction of the platen and having a heater for heating the recording medium;
A housing for storing at least the carriage;
In an inkjet printer that discharges the ink from the recording head to the recording medium while intermittently conveying the recording medium, and records an image on the recording medium,
A housing fan that is disposed on a back surface of the housing and sucks air outside the housing;
A cover facing the paper guide and spaced apart from the paper guide;
A wind direction control plate for guiding the air sucked into the housing between the paper guide and the cover;
Have
The cover is provided with a plurality of exhaust holes,
Exhausting the air sucked into the casing guided by the wind direction control plate through the space between the paper guide and the cover, and exhausting the air sucked into the casing from the exhaust hole ; Inkjet printer featuring. A paper feed port provided in the housing for feeding the recording medium;
A paper discharge port provided in the housing for discharging the recording medium;
2. The ink jet printer according to claim 1, wherein the opening of the paper discharge port is wider than the opening of the paper feed port in the thickness direction of the recording medium. An exhaust fan that exhausts the air sucked into the housing out of the housing;
The air direction control plate guides the air sucked into the housing in a direction of the exhaust fan and a direction of a space between the paper guide and the cover. The inkjet printer according to claim 2.   The carriage has a carriage fan that takes the air sucked into the housing into the carriage at a position facing the housing fan, and the air that has been taken into the carriage from the paper guide and the cover. The inkjet printer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising an exhaust port that discharges in a direction therebetween.

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