JP4496871B2 - Inkjet printer - Google Patents

Description

  TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an ink jet printer including a suction unit that sucks and holds a print medium supplied on a surface of a platen through a suction hole formed on the platen, thereby sucking and holding the print medium on the surface of the platen. Belonging to.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an inkjet printer used in a photographic print system or the like, a platen (suction plate) that supports print paper is provided at a position facing a print head that ejects ink, and the print paper is sucked and held on the surface of the platen. Thus, it is known to ensure flatness during printing of print paper (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Specifically, a number of suction holes are opened on the surface of the platen (print paper support surface), and a sealed space is formed on the back side of the platen. The suction holes are connected to the sealed space. Communicated. In the sealed space, a fan is disposed as a suction means for sucking and holding the printed paper supplied on the surface of the platen through the suction holes, thereby attracting and holding the printed paper on the surface of the platen. .
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-260827

  However, in the ink jet printer provided with the suction means, the suction means tries to suck the ink that has been ejected from the print head into a mist from the suction holes located on the outer side in the width direction of the print paper. There is a problem that ink tends to adhere to the periphery of the opening of the suction hole on the surface. In particular, in a photographic printing system, borderless printing is continuously performed on print paper for service size (narrow width), and then printing is performed on print paper for large size (wide width). The ink on the surface of the platen adheres to the back surface of the print paper. Therefore, conventionally, an operator or the like manually cleans the surface of the platen. However, such a manual operation is very troublesome for the operator or the like, and the cleaning time is not known or is cleaned. If you forget to do so, the print paper may be soiled.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a point, and an object of the present invention is to bother an operator and the like by improving the configuration of the ink jet printer provided with the suction means as described above. In this case, the surface of the platen is cleaned to prevent the printing medium such as the print paper supplied to the surface of the platen from getting dirty.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a cleaning means for supplying a cleaning member onto the surface of the platen and performing a cleaning operation for wiping the ink adhering to the surface of the platen with the cleaning member. The member is a front end of an elongated print paper, and the cleaning means is constituted by a print medium supply means for supplying the print paper from the front end side of the print paper onto the surface of the platen, and the print medium The width for detecting the width of the print paper is that the width of the print paper supplied on the surface of the platen by the supplying means is larger than the print paper previously supplied on the surface of the platen and printed by the print head. When it is detected by the detection means, And configured to perform a cleaning operation before the print is performed.

  Specifically, in the invention of claim 1, a platen having a suction hole opened on the surface, a print medium supply means for supplying a print medium on the surface of the platen, and the surface of the platen by the print medium supply means The suction means for sucking and holding the print medium supplied on the surface of the platen by sucking through the suction holes, and the ink for the print medium sucked and held on the surface of the platen by the suction means An ink jet printer having a print head for performing printing by discharging the ink is intended.

  And a cleaning means for supplying a cleaning member onto the surface of the platen and performing a cleaning operation for wiping the ink adhering to the surface of the platen with the cleaning member. The cleaning member is a front end portion of the print paper, and the cleaning means is configured by a print medium supply unit that supplies the print paper from the front end side of the print paper onto the surface of the platen. A width detecting means for detecting the width of the print paper, and the cleaning means is arranged such that the width of the print paper supplied on the surface of the platen by the print medium supply means is the last time on the surface of the platen. Print paper supplied and printed by the print head When it is large detected by the width detection device, assumed to be configured to perform the cleaning operation before printing to print paper said width is greater by the print head is performed.

  With the above configuration, the cleaning member supplies the cleaning member onto the surface of the platen by the cleaning unit, and the ink attached to the surface of the platen is wiped by the cleaning member. When the width detecting means detects that the width of the print paper supplied on the surface of the platen is larger than the print paper previously supplied on the surface of the platen and printed by the print head, this cleaning operation is performed. Therefore, the surface of the platen can be automatically cleaned without bothering the operator and the like, and the contamination of the print medium can be surely prevented. And when the print paper to be printed in this way is changed to one with a large width, there is a high possibility that the print paper will become dirty, so by performing a cleaning operation before printing on the print paper with a large width, It is possible to reliably and effectively prevent the print paper from being stained.

  In addition, in an ink jet printer used in a photographic printing system, the front end portion of a long print paper is a portion that is cut without being printed, so that the ink adhering to the surface of the platen is wiped with this portion. In this case, there is no need to provide a special cleaning member or cleaning means. On the other hand, since the ink adhering to the surface of the platen is a very small amount of mist-like ink, the adhering amount is not large, and as a result, the ink can be sufficiently wiped only by the front end portion of the print paper. Therefore, a cleaning effect can be obtained at low cost, and the configuration is optimal for an ink jet printer used in a photographic print system.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the cleaning means is configured to perform a cleaning operation by reciprocating a front end portion of the print paper by a predetermined stroke along the surface of the platen. And

  By doing so, the ink on the surface of the platen can be reliably wiped with the front end portion of the print paper.

  As described above, according to the ink jet printer of the present invention, the cleaning device is provided with a cleaning member that supplies a cleaning member on the surface of the platen and performs a cleaning operation of wiping the ink adhering to the surface of the platen with the cleaning member, The cleaning member is a front end of a long print paper, and the cleaning means is constituted by a print medium supply means for supplying the print paper from the front end side of the print paper onto the surface of the platen. The width of the print paper supplied on the surface of the platen by the medium supply means is larger than the print paper previously supplied on the surface of the platen and printed by the print head, thereby detecting the width of the print paper. When detected by the width detecting means, the width is large. Since the cleaning operation is performed before printing is performed on the print paper, the surface of the platen can be automatically cleaned without bothering the operator and the like, and the dirt on the print medium can be ensured. Can be prevented. Further, without providing a special cleaning member or cleaning means, it is possible to reliably and effectively prevent contamination of the print paper having a large width and high possibility of contamination.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows an inkjet printer 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The printer 100 is used in a photo print system, and receives a reception block A that acquires image data and order information and performs necessary correction processing, and the reception block A via a communication cable 1. And a print block B for printing the transmitted image data on the print paper P (print medium) based on the order information.

[Reception block]
The reception block A is provided at an intermediate position in the vertical direction of the frame 5, a reception device 6 provided at the top of the wagon frame 5, a liquid crystal display 8 whose display screen is constituted by the touch panel 7. And a flatbed scanner FS. On the front surface of the accepting device 6, a semiconductor drive 9 for reading out image data stored in a recording medium Ms formed of a flash memory, and an image stored in a disk-type recording medium Md such as a CD-R or DVD. A disk drive 10 for reading data is provided.

  The flat bed scanner FS includes a main body portion 11 having a scanning table 13 made of transparent glass and a scanning head 14 disposed below the scanning table 13, and a platen cover attached to the main body portion 11 so as to be freely opened and closed. 12. The scanning head 14 includes a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements (for example, CCDs) arranged in the main scanning direction and a light source, and moves in the sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction. The image of the scanning object placed on is captured as image data separated into the three primary colors of R (red), G (green), and B (blue).

[Print Block]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the print block B includes a housing 15, two magazine housing portions Ba (paper set portions) arranged side by side in the lower part of the housing 15, and a housing 15, and a print unit Bb that records and prints image data on the print paper P, and an ink storage unit Bc that is disposed on the side of the housing 15. On the upper surface of the housing 15, a sorting unit 17 that receives the small-sized print paper P that is fed by the lateral feed belt 16 and a rack plate 18 that receives the large-sized print paper P are disposed. .

  Each magazine accommodating portion Ba includes a drawer 20 that opens and closes as the front wall 15A slides. A long print paper P wound in a roll shape is held by the paper magazine 21 on the drawer 20. It is designed to be set and accommodated. That is, it is possible to exchange the roll-shaped print paper P together with the paper magazine 21 in each magazine accommodating portion Ba. In FIG. 2, two print papers P having a small width are set in parallel in the upper magazine housing portion Ba, and one print paper P having a large width is placed in the lower magazine housing portion Ba. (The print paper P having a large width dimension can be set in the upper magazine accommodating section Ba and the print paper P having a small width dimension can be set in the lower magazine accommodating section Ba).

The print section Bb includes a print head H provided in the wall 15B and ejecting ink onto the print paper P to form an image (that is, to perform printing) (details are shown in FIGS. 3 and 4). reference). The ink reservoir Bc includes seven ink cartridges 23 that are detachably housed in the wall body 15C and in which inks having different hues are sealed. These ink cartridges 23 can be exchanged for new ones in use or completely used by attaching and detaching. Each of these ink cartridges 23 has yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), black (K), red (R), V (violet), and clear (CL: transparent) inks. It is enclosed. The wall body 15C is configured to be freely opened and closed by rotating around an axis extending in the vertical direction.
[Paper transport mechanism]
As shown in FIG. 3, the print block B is provided with a paper transport mechanism that pulls out the print paper P from the magazine housing portion Ba and transports it along a predetermined transport path. The paper transport mechanism includes a supply unit U1, a print unit U2, a loop forming unit U3, a cutter unit U4, a reversing unit U5, and a discharge unit U6 in order from the magazine accommodating portion Ba to form the transport path. Image data is printed on the print paper P located on the transport path of U2. Then, when printing on the print paper P, the paper transport mechanism pulls out the print paper P set in one of the two magazine storage portions Ba from the magazine storage portion Ba by the supply unit U1 to the print portion Bb. Then, the image data is printed by the print head H while the supplied print paper P is conveyed by the print unit U2, and then the printed print paper P is transferred to the loop forming unit U3. After being conveyed to the cutter unit U4 and cut into a print size by the cutter unit U4, the paper is fed to the lateral feed belt 16 or the rack plate 18 by the reversing unit U5 and the discharge unit U6. Hereinafter, the upstream side and the downstream side when the print paper P is transported during the printing are simply referred to as the upstream side and the downstream side, respectively.

  More specifically, the supply unit U1 includes a support roller 25 for applying a rotational force to the print paper P accommodated and held by the paper magazine 21, and the print unit P2 from the paper magazine 21 (magazine storage portion Ba). And a guide member (not shown) for guiding the print paper P conveyed by the supply roller 26. The support roller 25 and the supply roller 26 are driven by an electric motor (not shown) for supply and conveyance. The supply unit U1 constitutes a print medium supply means for supplying the print paper P from the magazine accommodating portion Ba to the surface of the platen 32 described later from the front end side of the print paper P.

  Although not specifically illustrated, the paper magazine 21 is provided with an identification code portion for identifying the type of the print paper P held by the paper magazine 21, and each magazine storage portion Ba has the identification code portion. A type detection sensor 22 (see FIG. 8) for detecting the type of the print paper P is provided via the identification code portion. In this embodiment, an identification code part for identifying the width dimension and surface quality (gloss, matte, etc.) is provided as the type of the print paper P, and the type detection sensor 22 uses the width dimension as the type of the print paper P. The surface quality is detected through the identification code portion. That is, the type detection sensor 22 constitutes a width detection unit that detects the width of the print paper.

  The identification code part is composed of, for example, a plurality of long holes and a slide member that can slidably cover one side or the other side of each long hole. The position of the slide member (one side or the other side) is set in advance. On the other hand, the type detection sensor 22 is composed of, for example, a transmissive optical sensor provided for each long hole, and detects the type of the print paper by detecting the position of the slide member in the full length hole. It has become. In addition, what kind of thing may be sufficient as the form of the identification code | cord | chord part, and the structure of the kind detection sensor 22. FIG.

  Each magazine storage section Ba is provided with a paper set detection switch 27 (see FIG. 8) as a paper set detection means for detecting that the print paper P is set in the magazine storage section Ba. The paper set detection switch 27 changes from the OFF state to the ON state when the print paper P is set in the magazine accommodating portion Ba, and detects that the print paper P is set in the magazine accommodating portion Ba at this time. It has become. When the paper set detection switch 27 changes from the OFF state to the ON state in this way, it means that a new print paper P has been set.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the print unit U2 includes a guide rail 28 that guides the print head H in the main scanning direction X (a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction (sub-scanning direction Y) of the print paper P); A drive belt 30 wound around two pulleys 29 and reciprocatingly moving the print head H along the guide rail 28 and the print paper P are sucked and held at a position where printing by the print head H is possible. A paper holding unit D (see FIG. 3) and pressure-type print transport rollers 31 disposed on the upstream side and the downstream side of the paper holding unit D are provided. The print transport roller 31 is divided into two parts, one side and the other side in the main scanning direction X. The main scanning direction X corresponds to the width direction of the print paper P, and the sub-scanning direction Y corresponds to the longitudinal direction of the print paper P.

  The paper holding part D includes a platen 32 having a suction hole 32a (see FIG. 6) that opens on the surface (upper surface), and a print paper P supplied onto the surface of the platen 32 by the supply unit U1. A fan 34 is provided as a suction means for sucking and holding on the surface of the platen 32 by sucking through the suction hole 32a. The platen 32 is a plate that supports the print paper P, and a housing 33 that forms a sealed space together with the platen 32 is disposed on the back surface (lower surface) side of the platen 32, and the fan is placed in the sealed space. 34 is arranged. The suction hole 32a penetrates in the thickness direction of the platen 32 and communicates with the sealed space. The operation of the fan 34 generates a negative pressure on the surface side of the platen 32 through the suction hole 32a. As a result, the print paper P is attracted and held on the surface of the platen 32.

  On both sides of the surface of the platen 32 in the paper width direction, a plurality of grooves 32b (six on each side in this embodiment) extending in the paper longitudinal direction are formed so as to be arranged at predetermined intervals in the paper width direction. Yes. Each of the grooves 32b is provided corresponding to both positions in the width direction of the print paper P of various sizes, and the ink ejected from the print head H is placed in the width of the print paper P in each groove 32b. An ink absorbing material 91 for absorbing the ink is fitted into the case where the ink comes off from both ends (especially, it easily comes off when performing borderless printing).

  The suction holes 32a are also formed between the adjacent grooves 32b. When the fan 34 is in operation, the fan 34 ejects ink that has been ejected from the print head H into a mist. Ink adheres to the periphery of the suction hole 32a on the surface of the platen 32 in order to suck from the suction hole 32a located between the adjacent grooves 32b outside the width of the print paper P. Therefore, in particular, when the print paper P to be printed is changed from a small one to a large one, the back surface (surface opposite to the print surface) of the print paper P having a large width dimension is caused by the ink. It will become dirty. However, in this embodiment, the ink adhering to the surface of the platen 32 is automatically wiped as will be described later.

  A concave portion 32c is formed in the central portion of the surface of the platen 32 in the paper width direction so as to correspond to the positions of three head units 81 described later. In each concave portion 32c, two print papers P are placed. An ink absorbing material 92 that absorbs ink preliminarily ejected (trial strike before printing) from the print head H when being conveyed and printed in a row is fitted.

  In the print unit U2, as shown in FIG. 7, when printing is performed on the print paper P, an image is printed in an area G that is open from the print paper P by a distance d. A cutting mark m is formed in the region.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the print head H includes a head unit 81 in which a large number of ink discharge nozzles (nozzle array 84) are arranged on the bottom surface (the surface facing the platen 32). The head unit 81 is not required to have three stages, but may have one or two stages, or four or more stages. For convenience, among the head units 81 provided in the three stages, the upstream one is referred to as a first head unit 81a, the intermediate one is referred to as a second head unit 81b, and the downstream one is referred to as a third head unit 81c.

  All of the three head units 81 have the same configuration, and each of the three head units 81 includes seven nozzle arrays 84 that discharge the inks of the colors arranged in the main scanning direction X. In each nozzle array 84, ink discharge nozzles are arranged in a row in the sub-scanning direction Y. Accordingly, each head unit 81 is configured to be able to form a color image by itself. The print head H is scanned in the main scanning direction X for each step of the stepped paper conveyance. At this time, at each position in the main scanning direction X, the head unit 81 starts from a predetermined ink discharge nozzle of each color. Ink is ejected simultaneously.

  A density sensor 35 is provided on the downstream side surface of the print head H in the sub-scanning direction Y. The density sensor 35 is a reflective optical sensor that detects the amount of reflected light of the projected light, reads the density on the platen 32 as the print head H moves in the main scanning direction X, and prints The front end and the width direction both ends of the paper P, the paper width direction both ends of the platen 32, and the like can be detected.

  The loop forming unit U3 transports a guide plate 36 disposed further downstream of the print transport roller 31 disposed on the downstream side of the paper holding portion D and the print paper P guided by the guide plate 36. And a pressure-bonding intermediate roller 37. The guide plate 36 is configured to be switchable between a horizontal posture extending in a substantially horizontal direction (a state indicated by a one-dot chain line in FIG. 3) and an open posture extending in a vertical direction (a state indicated by a solid line in FIG. 3). When the loop forming unit U3 prints on the long print paper P, the loop forming unit U3 transfers the leading end portion of the print paper P to the intermediate roller 37 through the horizontal guide plate 36, and then prints the print paper by the intermediate roller 37. The conveyance of P is stopped, and then the guide plate 36 is switched from the horizontal posture to the open posture, and the print paper P is suspended to form a loop.

  The cutter unit U4 includes a fixed blade 39, a movable blade 40, a cut position sensor 41 composed of a reflective optical sensor that detects the cutting mark m, and a pressure-feeding type delivery roller for delivering the print paper P. 42. Then, in the cutter unit U4, the fixed blade 39 and the movable blade 40 are used to remove an area that is slightly wider than the distance d with reference to the cutting mark m based on the detection result of the cut position sensor 41. The cutting operation is performed so that no margin is left around the image even in borderless printing. Further, the front end of the print paper P is detected by the cut position sensor 41, and the print paper P is cut by a predetermined amount from the front end.

  The reversing unit U5 includes a pressure-reversal reversing roller 43 for pressure-bonding the print paper P, a conveyance drive mechanism (not shown) for rotating the reversing roller 43 forward and backward, and a reversing roller 43 on the axis of the roller 43 ( And a reversing mechanism that rotates 90 degrees around the upper roller shaft). Then, in the reversing unit U5, the print paper P fed from the front end side by the cutter unit U4 is conveyed by the reversing roller 43 so that the rear end thereof reaches the position of the reversing roller 43, and is indicated by the arrow in FIG. In this way, the reverse roller 43 is rotated 90 degrees around the upper roller shaft, and then the reverse roller 43 is reversely rotated to feed the print paper P from the rear end to the discharge unit U6.

The discharge unit U6 sends a plurality of press-type discharge rollers 44 for transporting the print paper P and the print paper P transported by the carry-out rollers 44 to either the lateral feed belt 16 or the rack plate 18. And a path switching mechanism (not shown).
[Ink supply system]
As shown in FIG. 5, the ink supply system of the printer 100 supplies the ink of the ink cartridge 23 set in the ink reservoir Bc to the sub tank 52 via the electromagnetic valve 50V and the supply pipe 51, and this sub tank The ink 52 is sent out to the print head H via the flexible pipe 53. In this ink supply system, since the ink of the ink cartridge 23 is stored in the sub tank 52, the ink cartridge 23 can be replaced without interrupting printing. Although only one ink supply system is shown in FIG. 5, in reality, seven ink supply systems are formed corresponding to seven types of inks having different hues.

The ink cartridge 23 is configured by storing an ink tank 23T formed into a bag shape using a flexible material and a bag-shaped airbag 23B that is inflated when air is supplied in a resin case. ing. The ink cartridge 23 includes an air pressurization unit 56 that supplies pressurized air to the airbag 23B via an air supply path 55, and a pressure adjustment valve 57 that adjusts the air pressure supplied to the airbag 23B. In addition. On the other hand, the sub tank 52 is formed in a bag shape using a flexible material such as a resin sheet. In the vicinity of the sub tank 52, an electric switch type sub tank sensor S for obtaining the remaining ink amount based on the expansion amount of the sub tank 52 is provided. The ink reservoir Bc is provided with a detachable sensor 58 that determines whether or not the ink cartridge 23 is present in the ink reservoir Bc.
[Control system]
The control system of the printer 100 is configured as shown in FIG. That is, the receiving device 6 of the receiving block A includes a microprocessor 60 (hereinafter referred to as a CPU) and a touch panel 7 that transmits and receives information to and from the CPU 60 via a data bus, a display 8, a semiconductor drive 9, and a disk drive 10. A semiconductor memory RAM / ROM, a hard disk HD, and a communication interface 61; an operation system 62 composed of software for realizing the processing of the CPU 60; an image processing system 63; and a printer driver 64. The accepting device 6 constitutes an input / output system for transmitting / receiving information to / from the flatbed scanner FS and a signal system for transmitting / receiving information to / from the print block B via the communication interface 61. Yes.

  The print block B includes a CPU 65 and a transport control unit 66, a head control unit 67, a semiconductor memory RAM / ROM, a sub tank sensor S, and a cut position sensor 41 that transmit and receive information to and from the CPU 65 via a data bus. , Attachment / detachment sensor 58, type detection sensor 22, paper set detection switch 27, density sensor 35, and communication interface 68 (however, sensors other than the sub tank sensor S only transmit information to the CPU 65) and the processing of the CPU 65. A print control unit 69, a remaining ink amount acquisition unit 70, and a supply control unit 71.

  The transport control unit 66 is for controlling each of the units U1 to U6 of the paper transport mechanism. The head controller 67 is for controlling the print head H. The print control means 69 is for performing control for printing the image data on the print paper P based on the image data sent from the receiving block A. The ink remaining amount acquisition means 70 is for performing control when acquiring the ink remaining amount of the ink cartridge 23 based on the number of actuations of the electromagnetic valve 50V. The supply control means 71 is for performing control when the ink of the ink cartridge 23 is supplied to the sub tank S based on the detection signal from the sub tank sensor S.

  When the print control unit 66 pulls out and transports the print paper P from the upper magazine storage unit Ba in FIG. 2, the transport control unit 66 sets the paper transport mechanism according to the detection result of the type detection sensor 22 of the magazine storage unit Ba. The guide members and the like are set in a state where they can be conveyed in two rows. On the other hand, when the print paper P is pulled out and transported from the lower magazine housing portion Ba, the guide members and the like of the paper transport mechanism are arranged in a row according to the detection result of the type detection sensor 22 of the magazine housing portion Ba. Set the transportable state. As a result, the two print papers P are simultaneously pulled out from the upper magazine housing portion Ba and conveyed in two rows, and printing is simultaneously performed on the two print papers P by the print head H in the print unit U2. At this time, the two print papers P are respectively positioned on both sides of the platen 32 of the paper holding unit D in the paper width direction. On the other hand, one print paper P is pulled out from the lower magazine housing portion Ba and conveyed in one row, and printing is performed on the print paper P by the print head H in the print unit U2. At this time, the print paper P is located in the center of the paper holding portion D in the paper width direction of the platen 32, and both end positions in the width direction of the print paper P change according to the width dimension.

  Further, since the surface quality of the print paper P is also detected by the type detection sensor 22, the transport control unit 66 adjusts the paper feed amount to an optimum amount corresponding to the surface quality. This is because the friction coefficient with the roller or the like in the paper transport mechanism and the thickness of the print paper P differ depending on the surface quality.

  The paper transport mechanism is configured to be able to pull out and rewind the print paper P with respect to the magazine accommodating portion Ba, and the transport control unit 66 controls the paper transport mechanism, While printing, the print paper P is pulled out from the magazine housing portion Ba, and when printing is finished, the unprinted portion of the print paper P (cut by the fixed blade 39 and the movable blade 40 of the cutter unit U4 and the magazine housing portion Ba side). The portion remaining on the magazine storage portion Ba is rewound into the magazine housing portion Ba.

  Further, the transport control unit 66 prints on the print paper P when it is detected that the paper set detection switch 27 is changed from the OFF state to the ON state and the print paper P is set in the magazine housing portion Ba. Before, the paper transport mechanism is controlled to perform a preliminary operation, that is, the print paper P is pulled out from the magazine housing portion Ba and transported to a predetermined position on the transport path, and after the transport, the print paper P is moved to the magazine housing portion. Rewind to Ba. By this preliminary operation, the print paper P becomes familiar with the paper transport mechanism, and is pulled out in a stable posture during printing, so that the print quality is stabilized even with the newly set print paper P. The predetermined position is preferably a position on the downstream side of the print head H in the print unit U2 in order to ensure that the leading end of the print paper P is familiar with the paper transport mechanism and stabilize the print quality. It is preferable to transport the leading end portion of the print paper P to the vicinity of the position of the print transport roller 31 disposed on the downstream side of the paper holding unit D or the feed roller 42 in the cutter unit U4.

  Even when the print paper P before printing is pulled out or rewound by the paper transport mechanism, the transport control unit 66 transports the guide members of the paper transport mechanism in two rows according to the detection result of the type detection sensor 22. It is set to a possible state, or is set to a state where it can be conveyed in one row.

  The printer 100 includes a cleaning unit that performs a cleaning operation of supplying a cleaning member onto the surface of the platen 32 and wiping the ink adhering to the surface of the platen 32 with the cleaning member. In the present embodiment, the cleaning member is the front end portion of the print paper P (the portion that is not printed and is cut by the cutter unit U4, and is usually a portion about 20 mm from the front end. The predetermined amount) may be set as appropriate in consideration of the cleaning effect and the like, and the cleaning means moves the print paper P from the magazine housing portion Ba to the surface of the platen 32 from the front end side of the print paper P. The supply unit U1 as a print medium supply means for supplying to the printer. The cleaning means (supply unit U1) is controlled by the transport control unit 66 as follows.

  First, a control operation as a reference form which is a reference of the present embodiment will be described, and thereafter, a different part from the reference embodiment will be described as a control operation of the present embodiment.

  That is, the cleaning means moves the front end portion of the print paper P to the surface of the platen 32 when the front end portion of the print paper P is positioned on the surface of the platen 32 when the print paper P is pulled out in the preliminary operation. The cleaning operation is performed by reciprocating along a predetermined stroke. More specifically, the print paper P is pulled out from the magazine housing portion Ba, and the tip portion of the print paper P first corresponds to the first head unit 81a on the surface of the platen 32 (range L1 in FIG. 6). Is reached, the leading end of the printed paper P is reciprocated several times in the paper longitudinal direction within a range including the portion.

  Thereafter, the printed paper P is further pulled out, and when the leading end of the printed paper P reaches the portion corresponding to the second head unit 81b on the surface of the platen 32 (range L2 in FIG. 6), the same as above, The leading end portion of the print paper P is reciprocated several times in the paper longitudinal direction within a range including the portion.

  Next, when the print paper P is further pulled out and the leading end of the print paper P reaches the portion corresponding to the third head unit 81c on the surface of the platen 32 (the range of L3 in FIG. 6), the same as above, The leading end portion of the print paper P is reciprocated several times in the paper longitudinal direction within a range including the portion.

  When the front end portion of the print paper P is reciprocated, it is preferable to operate the fan 34 so that the front end portion contacts the surface of the platen 32.

  After this cleaning operation is completed, the preliminary operation is continued, and the print paper P is transported to a predetermined position on the transport path, and is rewound into the magazine housing portion Ba after the transport.

  Thereafter, the printing operation is started. That is, the fan 34 is activated and the print paper P is supplied onto the surface of the platen 32. The supplied print paper P is adsorbed and held on the surface of the platen 32 by the operation of the fan 34. Ink is ejected from the print head H to the printed paper P, and printing is performed. That is, when the print head H makes one reciprocation in the main scanning direction X, the print paper P is conveyed by a predetermined feed amount, the print head H makes one reciprocation in the main scanning direction X again, and this operation is repeated to print in the region G. Is done. Even when the print paper P is transported, the fan 34 remains in operation, so that the print paper P is transported downstream while being attracted to the surface of the platen 32. The back surface of the printed paper P (excluding the front end portion) printed in this way is not soiled by the ink adhering to the surface of the platen 32. On the other hand, although there is a possibility that the front end portion of the print paper P is soiled by the cleaning operation, this portion is cut by the cutter unit U4, so that no problem occurs.

  In the reference embodiment, even when the preliminary operation is not performed, when the paper set detection switch 27 detects that the print paper P is set in the magazine housing Ba, the print is performed on the surface of the platen 32. A cleaning operation may be performed in which the front end portion of the paper P is supplied and the ink adhering to the surface of the platen 32 is wiped by the front end portion of the print paper P.

  Here, the control operation of the present embodiment will be described. In the present embodiment, the cleaning means has the width of the print paper P supplied onto the surface of the platen 32 by the supply unit U1 during printing previously supplied on the surface of the platen 32 and printed by the print head H. When the type detection sensor 22 detects that the print paper P is larger than the print paper P, the print head H is configured to perform the cleaning operation before printing is performed on the print paper P having a large width. That is, when the print paper P to be printed is changed to one having a large width, there is a high possibility that the print paper P will become dirty. By performing the cleaning operation before printing on the print paper P having a large width, It is possible to reliably and effectively prevent the print paper P from being stained. After the cleaning is completed, the print paper P may be completely rewound into the magazine housing portion Ba, and then a printing operation may be started. The print paper P is placed at the upstream end of the print unit U2. Rewinding may be performed to the extent that it is positioned, and then the printing operation may be started.

  Even if the width of the print paper P is larger than the previous width, the cleaning operation may not be performed when the predetermined condition is not satisfied. Examples of such a predetermined condition include when a predetermined number of sheets have been printed and when the printer 100 has been operated for a predetermined time. That is, the print paper P is soiled by the ink adhering to the surface of the platen 32 when a predetermined number of prints are performed or when the printer 100 is operated for a predetermined time. By not performing the cleaning operation when the predetermined condition is not satisfied, it is possible to reliably prevent the print paper P from being stained while minimizing the time (waiting time) during which the print paper P cannot be printed. it can.

  Therefore, in the above embodiment, a cleaning operation is performed in which the tip of the print paper P is supplied as a cleaning member on the surface of the platen 32 and the ink adhering to the surface of the platen 32 is wiped by the tip of the print paper P. As a result, the surface of the platen 32 can be automatically cleaned without bothering the operator and the like, and contamination of the print paper P can be reliably prevented.

  Further, when the width of the print paper P supplied on the surface of the platen 32 by the supply unit U1 at the time of printing is larger than the previous time, the cleaning operation is performed before printing on the print paper P having a large width. It is possible to reliably and effectively prevent the print paper P, which is large and highly likely to get dirty, from being stained.

  In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to an ink jet printer used in a photographic print system. However, any ink jet printer provided with suction means for sucking and holding a print medium on the surface of the platen 32 by suction. The present invention can be applied even to printers of various forms.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is useful for an ink jet printer provided with a suction unit that sucks and holds a print medium supplied on the surface of the platen on the surface of the platen by sucking through a suction hole formed on the platen. is there.

1 is a perspective view showing an ink jet printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows a print block. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a print paper conveyance path in a print block. It is a bottom view of the print unit. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a print head, a driving mechanism thereof, and an ink supply system. It is a top view which shows a platen. It is a figure which shows the image and cutting | disconnection mark which are printed on a print paper. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a printer control system.

22 types of detection sensors (width detection means)
32 Platen 32a Suction hole 34 Fan (suction means)
37 Paper set detection switch (paper set detection means)
Ba magazine housing (paper set)
H Print head P Print paper (print medium)
U1 supply unit (print medium supply means) (cleaning means)

Claims (2)

A platen having a suction hole opened on the surface, a print medium supply means for supplying a print medium on the surface of the platen, and a print medium supplied on the surface of the platen by the print medium supply means. Suction means for sucking and holding on the surface of the platen by sucking through the holes, and a print head for performing printing by discharging ink to the print medium sucked and held on the surface of the platen by the suction means An inkjet printer,
A cleaning means for supplying a cleaning member on the surface of the platen and performing a cleaning operation for wiping the ink adhering to the surface of the platen with the cleaning member;
The print medium is a long print paper,
The cleaning member is a tip portion of the print paper,
The cleaning means includes a print medium supply means for supplying the print paper from the front end side of the print paper onto the surface of the platen.
A width detecting means for detecting the width of the print paper;
Further, the cleaning means is such that the width of the print paper supplied on the surface of the platen by the print medium supply means is larger than the print paper previously supplied on the surface of the platen and printed by the print head. An ink jet printer configured to perform a cleaning operation before printing is performed on a print paper having a large width when the print width is detected by the width detection unit. The inkjet printer according to claim 1.
An ink jet printer, wherein the cleaning unit is configured to perform a cleaning operation by reciprocating a front end portion of a print paper along a surface of the platen by a predetermined stroke.

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