JPH08108531A - Ink jet printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To improve the operability and to reduce the installing space. CONSTITUTION: A printer mounting plate for mounting a printer unit such as a carriage 1010, etc., is slid along a guide rail 3002 between the position opposed to a conveyor 100 and an HS station 1600 to print to correct shading by the station 1600 for an ink jet head. Since the sliding direction is perpendicular to the conveying direction of a cloth 1, a space allowance is generated at the upstream and downstream side of the conveyor 100. As a result, the replacing operation of the roller 11 of a cloth 1 disposed at the upstream side is facilitate.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet printing apparatus, and more particularly to an ink jet printing apparatus for printing ink by ejecting ink onto a cloth or the like.

[0002]

BACKGROUND ART A printing device using an inkjet method is
This is a technology that is becoming known recently. This type of printing device has advantages such as a high degree of freedom in printing images and a small overall cost in printing, mainly because an original plate of an image to be printed is not required unlike screen printing. Have

From this point of view, the present applicant has so far made various proposals regarding the ink jet printing apparatus. For example, a so-called downward head is used in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 5-31905 as a configuration that solves the problem that a relatively large water head difference occurs between ejection ports when a long inkjet head is used to improve printing speed. I am proposing what I had. Further, Japanese Patent Application No. 6-14732 proposes a configuration in which the head unit can move in the horizontal direction in consideration of workability at the time of maintenance in an inkjet printing apparatus using this downward head.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an example of an ink jet printing apparatus similar to the apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 6-14732.

Here, 1 is a cloth as a print medium, and this cloth 1 is an unwinding roller 11 of an unwinding section 200.
Is unwound in accordance with the rotation of the intermediate roller 13 and the intermediate roller 13 and the intermediate roller 15 and is transported in a substantially horizontal direction by the transport unit 100 provided at a portion facing the printer unit 1000. It is taken up by the take-up roller 21 via.

The transport section 100 is generally configured with transport rollers 110 and 120 provided upstream and downstream of the printer section 1000 in the transport direction of the cloth 1, and a transport belt in the form of an endless belt wound between these rollers. 130, and a pair of platen rollers 140 provided to improve the flatness by stretching the conveyor belt 130 with an appropriate tension in a predetermined range in order to regulate the printed surface of the cloth to be flat when printing by the printer unit 1000. ing. Here, the conveyor belt 130 is made of metal as disclosed in JP-A-5-212851 in this example, and an adhesive layer is formed on the surface thereof as partially enlarged in FIG. (Sheet) is provided. Then, the cloth 1 is adhered to the conveyor belt 130 by the sticking roller 150 by the adhesive layer, and the flatness at the time of printing is secured.

A carriage 1010 is provided in the printing section 1000 so as to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 1 or 2, and the carriage 10 is moved during this movement.
Printing is performed by two ink jet heads attached to 10.

The cloth 1 conveyed in such a state where the flatness is ensured is provided with a printing agent by the printer unit 1000 in the region between the platen rollers 140, and the conveyance belt 130 or the adhesive is adhered to the conveyance roller 120. It is peeled off from the layer and wound up by the winding roller 21, and a drying heater 600 performs a drying process on the way. The dry heater 600 is particularly effective when a liquid is used as the printing agent. As the drying heater 600, one having an appropriate form such as one that blows warm air to the cloth 1 or one that irradiates infrared rays can be used. In addition, the printer unit 1000
Inkjet head 10 is in a position where
HS station 16 for correcting uneven density of 10
00 is provided.

In the above structure, the unwinding roller 11, the winding roller 21, the transporting rollers 110, 120, etc. are supported by a frame 113 and a side plate 103 which are integrated by a frame welding structure which is a structure of the printing apparatus main body. There is. At a plurality of predetermined positions of the pedestal 113, a level pad 114 that allows the device to be adjusted horizontally and vertically with respect to the installation floor surface.
Is installed.

Further, the printer section 1000 is provided so as to be movable in the horizontal direction, whereby the operability of maintenance work such as belt replacement can be improved.

FIG. 2 shows another example of an apparatus similar to that shown in FIG.

In the example shown in FIG. 2, the height of the platen roller 140, which forms the platen portion corresponding to the print head 1010, is substantially the same as the height of the platen portion corresponding to the print head 1010, upstream and downstream of the conveyor belt 130 conveyed by the conveyor rollers 110 and 120. By providing the supporting roller 2810, the plate-shaped object 1A can be conveyed to the printing unit, and thus the plate-shaped object 1A can be printed. In this horizontal conveyance method, since the conveyance path formed by the feeding section 200, the conveyance section 100, and the discharge section 300 is in the horizontal direction, it is easy to secure a holding space even in the case of a highly rigid medium such as a plate-like object, and a heavy medium. However, various media are easy to handle, such as not requiring a large holding force. In this configuration as well, similar to the device shown in FIG. 1, the sending section, the transport section, and the discharging section are integrally formed by the pedestal 113 and the like.

[0013]

However, not only the ink jet printing apparatus by the applicant illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 but also the generally known printing apparatus has some problems as described below. .

First, since the unwinding unit (feeding unit), the transporting unit, and the winding unit (discharging unit) are supported by a gantry having an integral structure, the following inconvenience occurs. .

That is, since the magnitude of the tension acting on the print medium, the method of removing wrinkles, etc. differ depending on the type of print medium used, it is necessary to change the type and arrangement of the rollers according to this type. However, in the case where each unit has an integral structure as described above, the structure may be complicated if a configuration corresponding to a plurality of types of print media is adopted.

Further, depending on the supply form of the print medium, for example, roll-shaped or sheet-shaped, the device is dedicated as shown in FIG. 1 or 2, and the cost of the device is increased accordingly.

Secondly, in the above-exemplified apparatus, the unwinding part and the winding part are arranged so as to be separated from each other with respect to the carrying part. Therefore, in addition to the above-mentioned first problem, the following problem is further caused. was there.

For example, when the weight of the roll material is light, the work of exchanging the roll material in the unwinding section and the winding section can be performed manually, but when the weight of the roll material is relatively heavy, the apparatus for supporting the roll material during the replacement is used. Is required. When using such a supporting device, it is not possible to install another device or the like in the installation or operating range of the device, so when installing the printing device, a space for this must be prepared, As a result, a large installation space is required. In addition, since two positions on the upstream side and the downstream side with respect to the transport unit are required for the roll material replacement work, this also requires a wider installation space.

Further, since the work positions for roll replacement are separated into two positions as described above, the apparatus is stopped after printing is completed, the winding roll is removed from the apparatus at the winding section, and then at the unwinding section. Since a new roll material is set, the replacement operation becomes intermittent, resulting in a long downtime of the apparatus and a decrease in the machine operating rate.

Further, in the structure in which the winding section and the unwinding section are separated from each other, the distance from the time when the printed print medium is peeled off from the conveyor belt to the time when it is wound up tends to be short. As a result, the heater that dries the ink must dry the print medium in a short time,
Therefore, a large capacity heater is required. However, in this case, for example, if a print medium made of a thin material is used, the material itself may be damaged, and if a thick material is used, drying may be insufficient. On the other hand, if the length of the drying section is increased, the problem that the winding section after the conveying section becomes large is caused.

The third problem relates to the slidable construction of the printer section.

That is, in the configuration described above, since the printer unit is slid to the unwinding side, it is necessary to increase the distance between the unwinding unit and the conveying unit, which may result in an increase in size of the apparatus.

Further, if the unwinding section is to be arranged at the lower part on the sliding side, workability and maintenance for replacing the unit of the unwinding section and winding the print medium in the unwinding section are deteriorated.

Further, since the unwinding roller and the like are arranged below the HS station along with the slide mechanism of the printer section, there is a problem that the versatility becomes poor.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to suppress an increase in the size of the apparatus and an installation space for the apparatus, and to improve the maintainability. To provide.

[0026]

Therefore, according to the present invention,
In an inkjet printing apparatus that uses an inkjet head and ejects ink from the head onto a print medium to perform printing, a printer unit that prints using the inkjet head and a transport unit that transports the print medium are provided. The conveyance direction of the conveyance unit differs between the conveyance unit for performing printing by the printer unit and the printer unit between a position where the unit performs printing in the conveyance unit and a position separated from the position. And a supporting means for supporting the movable body in a direction.

[0027]

According to the above construction, the printer unit moves in a direction different from the print medium conveyance direction, so that a spatial margin is provided upstream and downstream of the conveyance unit.

[0028]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1) FIGS. 3 and 4 are schematic sectional views showing an ink jet printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 and 2 in these figures.
The same elements as the elements shown in FIG.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show states in which printing is performed on a roll-shaped print medium and a plate-shaped print medium, respectively, corresponding to FIGS. 1 and 2. However, in the present embodiment, unlike the configuration shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a common transport unit 100 (hereinafter, also referred to as a transport unit) can be used, and the unwind unit 200 (hereinafter, the unwind unit). (Also referred to as “winding unit”) and the winding unit 300 (hereinafter also referred to as “winding unit”), and the sending unit 200 ′ and the discharging unit 300 ′ can be used in exchange to perform printing in the above two states.

That is, the unwinding unit 200 (and the unwinding unit 200 ') is detachably attached to the transport unit 100 via the connecting portions 1114 provided at two places, and the winding unit 300 (and the discharging unit). Similarly, 300 ') is detachably mounted via the connecting portion 1114. Along with this, the unwinding unit 2
00 (and the delivery unit 200) and the take-up unit 300 (and the discharge unit 300 ') are provided with casters 214 and 314, respectively, at the bottom thereof.
It is possible to move with the attachment and detachment of each unit.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are a top view and a front view showing the details of the above-mentioned connecting portion 1114, and FIG.
Is a perspective view. Hereinafter, the connection portion 1114 between the transport unit 100 and the unwinding unit 200 will be described, but the connection portion 1114 between other units also has the same structure.

As shown in these figures, the base plates 102 and 202 of the connecting portion 1114 are attached to the base of each unit by screws 118 and 218, respectively. A positioning hole 114 for attaching the unwinding unit 200 to the transport unit 100 is formed in the base plate 102 of the transport unit 100. Also, the base plate 1
At the end of 02, a supporting portion for rotatably supporting the fixing screw 104 and an elongated hole 116 for receiving the fixing screw at the time of the attachment are formed. The above-mentioned bearing is a fixing screw 10
4 supports a hinge pin 112 that axially supports one end of the hinge 4, and the movement of the hinge pin 112 in the longitudinal direction is restricted by a retaining ring 114.

On the other hand, the base plate 2 of the unwinding unit 200
02 is provided with a protrusion 204 that fits into the positioning hole 114 when the unit 200 is attached, and thereby the unwinding unit 20 with respect to the transport unit 100 is provided.
The positioning of 0 is performed well. Also, the base plate 202
An elongated hole 206 for receiving the fixing screw 104 is formed in the.

Accordingly, when the unwinding unit 200 is attached to the transport unit 100, after the positioning is completed, the fixing screw 104 is rotated around the hinge pin 112 and is housed in the elongated holes 116 and 206. At the same time, by rotating the nut 108 that engages with the tip of the fixing screw 104 in advance, the base plate 102 and the base plate 20 are rotated.
2 and 2 can be fastened together.

According to the configuration of the present embodiment described above, for example, the unwinding section and the winding section are prepared for each type of print medium,
By exchanging these, it is possible to perform printing using each print medium, and it is possible to avoid complication of the device that may occur when printing is performed by changing the print medium.

For example, when printing is performed using a plate-shaped print medium, basically, the printing can be performed only by connecting the sheet material feeding unit to the transport section instead of the roll-shaped print medium according to the supply form. Therefore, the device configuration can be easily adapted to various supply modes.

Further, since the printing apparatus can be constituted by the unwinding unit and the winding unit having the optimum configuration according to the print medium and the general-purpose transport unit, the cost of the apparatus can be reduced.

In addition, it is not necessary to prepare various printing devices depending on the type and supply form of the print medium, and it is possible to deal with various print media only by changing the setup of each unit, so that the capital investment can be reduced.

7 to 10 show another example of the structure of the connecting portion 1114, FIG. 7 is a front view, and FIGS. 8 (A) and 8 (B) are
FIG. 9 is a view of the front and rear of the connection as seen from the direction of arrow A in FIG. 7, FIG. 9 is a view in the direction of arrow BB shown in FIG. 8, and FIG. 10 is a view in the direction of arrow C-C shown in FIG.

A connection plate 122 is attached to the pedestal by welding on the side of the transport unit 100, and a positioning adjustment plate is fixed to the connection plate 122 with screws 118. A positioning hole 126 is formed in the positioning adjustment plate 124.

On the other hand, on the side of the unwinding unit 200, a connection plate 222 is attached to the pedestal by welding, and a channel member 224 is attached to the connection plate 222 with screws 218. Channel material 2
Positioning pins 226 are provided on one surface of 24.

The positioning adjustment plate 124 has a slot formed in its screw fixing portion so that the position of the positioning adjustment plate 124 can be adjusted in the horizontal direction with respect to the connection plate 122. On the other hand, the screw fixing portions on both surfaces of the channel member 224 are also provided with elongated holes so that the position adjustment in the vertical direction is possible.

The positioning procedure of the unwinding unit (the same applies to the winding unit etc.) and the transport unit based on the structure of the connecting portion 114 described above is as follows.

The channel material 224 is connected to the connection plate 222.
Then, the winding unit 200 is brought close to the transport unit 100 and the positioning pin 226 is moved to the positioning hole 12.
The positioning adjustment plate 124 is finely moved to the left and right so as to fit the position 6, and the positioning adjustment plate 124 is fixed to the connection plate 122.

Next, the screws of the temporarily fixed channel material 224 are loosened, and while the channel material 224 is finely moved up and down, the positioning pin and the positioning hole are aligned with each other to position the unwinding unit and the transport unit. Tighten the bolt to connect the transport unit and the winding unit.

FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an unwinding unit for a print medium of a type different from that of the above embodiment, in which cloth is used as the print medium.

As shown in the figure, the unwinding unit 200 includes a dust removing roller 13C for removing dust on the cloth 1.
A wrinkle removing roller 13B for removing wrinkles, a tension roller 13A for applying an appropriate tension to the cloth 1, and a guide roller 15 for winding the cloth 1 and guiding it to the transport unit 100 are provided.

When the print media are different as described above, the type and the number of rollers are greatly different, and accordingly, the unwinding unit (the winding unit and the like are similar) is configured.

(Embodiment 2) FIG. 12 shows an ink jet printing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention, in which the winding unit is arranged on the unwinding unit side.

That is, the print medium 1 peeled off from the conveyor belt 130 is further wound by the rollers 19, 21 and 23 and wound by the winding roller 21 arranged on the same side as the unwinding roller 11. This print medium 1
In the middle of the conveyance path of 1, the drying heater 600 performs a drying process on a relatively long section.

FIG. 13 shows an example in which the unwinding / winding section is unitized and separated from the general-purpose transport section shown in FIG. 12, as in the first embodiment. Unwinding and winding unit 20
At 00, a roller for removing wrinkles and a roller for winding are arranged in the path to the transport section. The unwinding and winding unit 2000 and the transport unit 100 can be connected by using the same connecting portion 1114 as in the above-described embodiment.

FIG. 14 shows an example in which only the unwinding roller 11 and the winding roller 21 are separated from the other rollers.

That is, as shown in the figure, the wrinkle removing roller and the winding roller are arranged in the transport unit 100.

According to the second embodiment described above, the winding section is arranged on the unwinding section side, so that not only the apparatus space is reduced but also the working position for roll replacement is only on one side of the apparatus. Therefore, the space required for the work can be reduced. Further, the unwinding roller and the winding roller are configured to be held by one frame body, and
Since this frame is provided so as to be movable, even if another auxiliary mechanical device is required to remove the wound roller material and set a new roll material,
It is not necessary to move these mechanical devices to the place where the device of this embodiment is installed, and the replacement work can be performed at another place.

Thus, for example, a unit in which the roll material before printing is set is prepared separately, and the unit holding only the wound roll material after completion of printing is separated from the transport unit and immediately If the unit is replaced with a previously prepared unit, the machine stop time can be shortened, and the device operating rate can be improved.

Further, between the unit and the transport unit,
By providing the detachable attaching / detaching means and the positioning means having the attachment reproducibility, the unit can be easily replaced in a short time.

Further, since the path from the printing to the winding section can be long without increasing the size of the apparatus, sufficient drying can be performed.

As shown in FIG. 12, by winding the image formed by printing so that the roller 21 faces outward, the image after printing can be visually recognized by the user, and the image in the print result can be seen. You can check if there is any problem.

Further, a mirror may be provided in the vicinity of vertically above the roller 120 or a confirmation device such as a CCD camera may be provided so that the image printed immediately after printing can be confirmed from the unwinding side.

(Embodiment 3) FIGS. 15 to 18 show an ink jet printing apparatus according to still another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 15 shows the apparatus as viewed from a direction perpendicular to the print medium conveying direction. 16 is an elevational view as seen from the transport direction, FIG. 17 is a top view, and FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing a moving mechanism in the apparatus.

As shown in these figures, in the ink jet printing apparatus of this embodiment, the printer section 1000 is provided so as to be slidable in the direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the print medium 1. That is, as apparent from FIGS. 16 to 18, the I-shaped steel 3003 extends in the vertical direction of the transport direction of the print medium 1, and the I-shaped steel 3003 extends the support member 30.
Support by 05. A linear guide rail 3004 is attached to the upper surface of the I-shaped net 3003 along the upper surface. The printer mounting plate 3001 slidably engages with a guide rail 3004 via a linear guide bearing 3002, while the carriage 1010 of the printer unit 1000 slides on the printer mounting plate 3001 via a support frame 3011 and a guide rail. Movably engaged. As a result, by sliding the printer mounting plate 3001, the printer unit 1000 can move between the surface on which the print medium 1 is transported (the transport unit 100) and the HS station 1600 (see FIG. 16). The HS station 1600 prints a predetermined pattern on the print medium placed on this station. Then, by reading the printed matter with a scanner or the like, so-called head shading is performed, in which the γ conversion characteristic of each ejection port in the inkjet head of the printer unit 1000 is corrected based on the reading result.

According to the configuration of the present embodiment described above, the printer unit 1000 can be moved from above the transport unit, so that maintenance of the transport belt and the like becomes easy. At the same time, the distance between the transport unit and the sending unit can be shortened, and the space for the sending unit can be reduced.

Further, since the upper space of the unwinding portion can be freed, the workability such as attaching the print medium to the belt of the conveying portion at the beginning of the printing operation is facilitated and the maintainability is improved. Furthermore, replacement of the unwinding unit becomes easy.

In addition, since the HS station is arranged on the side of the transport unit, the versatility of the transport unit integrated with the HS station is improved.

Next, the whole process of ink jet printing recording of the above-mentioned embodiment will be explained. After going through the inkjet printing process using the above-mentioned inkjet recording device,
The fabric is dried (including naturally dried). Then, a step of diffusing the dye on the fabric fiber and reactively fixing the dye on the fiber is performed. By this step, sufficient color development and fastness due to dye fixation can be obtained.

This diffusion and reaction fixing step may be a conventionally known method, for example, a steaming method. In addition,
In this case, the cloth may be subjected to an alkali treatment in advance before the printing step.

Then, in the post-treatment step, the unreacted dye and the substance used for the pre-treatment are removed.
Finally, the recording is completed through a finishing process such as defect correction and ironing.

In particular, as a cloth for ink-jet printing, (1) the ink can be developed to a sufficient density,
(2) High ink dyeing rate, (3) Ink dries quickly on the cloth, (4) Rare ink bleeding on the cloth is small, (5) In-apparatus It is required to have excellent performance such as excellent transportability. In order to satisfy these required performances, in the present invention, the fabric may be pretreated in advance, if necessary. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 62-53492 discloses fabrics having an ink receiving layer, and Japanese Patent Publication No. 3-46589 proposes fabrics containing a reduction inhibitor and an alkaline substance. There is. Examples of such pretreatment include a treatment in which the cloth is made to contain a substance selected from alkaline substances, water-soluble polymers, synthetic polymers, water-soluble metal salts, urea and thiourea.

Examples of the alkaline substance include alkali metal hydroxides such as sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide,
Examples thereof include amines such as mono-, di- and triethanolamine, and carbonic acid or alkali metal bicarbonate such as sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate. Furthermore, there are organic acid metal salts such as calcium acetate and barium acetate, and ammonia and ammonia compounds. Also, sodium trichloroacetate, which becomes an alkaline substance under steaming and dry heat, can be used. Particularly preferred alkaline substances are sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate used for dyeing reactive dyes.

Examples of the water-soluble polymer include starch substances such as corn and wheat, cellulosic substances such as carboxymethyl cellulose, methyl cellulose and hydroxyethyl cellulose, sodium alginate, gum arabic,
Locust bean gum, tragacanth gum, guar gum,
Examples include polysaccharides such as tamarind seeds, protein substances such as gelatin and casein, and natural water-soluble polymers such as tannin-based substances and lignin-based substances.

Examples of synthetic polymers include polyvinyl alcohol compounds, polyethylene oxide compounds, acrylic acid water-soluble polymers, maleic anhydride water-soluble polymers, and the like. Among these, polysaccharide polymers and cellulose polymers are preferable.

Examples of the water-soluble metal salt include compounds such as halides of alkali metals and alkaline earth metals, which produce typical ionic crystals and have a pH of 4 to 10. As a typical example of such a compound, for example, in the case of an alkali metal, NaCl, Na ₂ S
O ₄ , KCl, CH ₃ COONa and the like can be mentioned, and as the alkaline earth metal, CaCl ₂ and Mg.
Cl _{2 and the} like can be mentioned. Of these, salts of Na, K and Ca are preferable.

The method of incorporating the above substances and the like into the cloth in the pretreatment is not particularly limited, but examples thereof include a dipping method, a pad method, a coating method and a spraying method which are usually carried out.

Further, the printing ink applied to the ink-jet printing cloth merely adheres to the cloth when it is applied to the cloth. Therefore, the step of fixing the pigment in the ink such as the dye to the fiber is subsequently performed. Is preferred. Such a fixing step may be a conventionally known method, for example, a steaming method, an HT steaming method, a thermofix method,
When a cloth which has been previously alkali-treated is not used, the alkali pad steam method, the alkali blotch steam method, the alkali shock method, the alkali cold fix method and the like can be mentioned. Further, the fixing step may or may not include a reaction step depending on the dye, and the latter example includes one in which fibers are impregnated and are not physically separated. Any appropriate ink can be used as long as it has a required dye, and the ink is not limited to a dye and may include a pigment.

Further, the unreacted dye and the substance used for the pretreatment can be removed by washing after the above reaction fixing step according to a conventionally known method. In addition, it is preferable to use a conventional fixing treatment together with this cleaning.

The printed matter which has been subjected to the above-mentioned post-processing step is then cut into a desired size, and the cut pieces are used for obtaining a final processed product such as sewing, adhesion, and welding. After that, clothes such as dresses, dresses, ties, swimwear, duvet covers, sofa covers, handkerchiefs, curtains, etc. can be obtained. A method of processing cloth by sewing or the like to make clothes or other daily necessities is a conventionally known technique.

As the printing medium, cloth, wall cloth, threads used for embroidery, wallpaper, paper, OHP film, plate-like materials such as alumite, and various other liquids that can be applied with a predetermined liquid using an inkjet technique The cloth includes all kinds of woven fabrics, non-woven fabrics, and other fabrics regardless of materials, weaving methods, and knitting methods.

The present invention is not limited to the ink jet printing method described above, and various printing methods can be adopted. When the ink jet printing method is adopted, among them, heat is used as energy used for ejecting ink. An excellent effect is brought about by using a method of providing a means for generating energy and causing a change in the state of the ink by the thermal energy, that is, a bubble jet type print head and a printing device proposed by Canon Inc. This is because such a method can achieve high density and high definition printing.

Regarding its typical structure and principle, see, for example, US Pat. No. 4,723,129 and US Pat. No. 4,740.
What is done using the basic principles disclosed in 796 is preferred. This method is a so-called on-demand type,
It can be applied to any of the continuous type, but especially in the case of the on-demand type, it can be applied to the sheet holding the liquid (ink) or the electrothermal converter arranged corresponding to the liquid path. By applying at least one drive signal corresponding to the print information and causing a rapid temperature rise exceeding nucleate boiling, heat energy is generated in the electrothermal converter, and film boiling occurs on the heat acting surface of the print head. This is effective because bubbles can be generated in the liquid (ink) corresponding to this drive signal one-to-one as a result. The liquid (ink) is ejected through the ejection opening by the growth and contraction of the bubble to form at least one droplet. It is more preferable to make this drive signal into a pulse shape because bubbles can be immediately and appropriately grown and contracted, so that liquid (ink) ejection with excellent responsiveness can be achieved. As the pulse-shaped drive signal, those described in US Pat. Nos. 4,463,359 and 4,345,262 are suitable. If the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124, which is an invention relating to the temperature rise rate of the heat acting surface, are adopted, more excellent printing can be performed.

In addition to the combination of the ejection port, the liquid passage, and the electrothermal converter (the straight liquid passage or the right-angled liquid passage) as disclosed in the above-mentioned specifications, the structure of the print head is not limited to the above. The present invention also includes a configuration using US Pat. No. 4,558,333 and US Pat. No. 4,459,600, which disclose a configuration in which the heat acting portion is arranged in a bending region. In addition, for multiple electrothermal converters,
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 59-123670, which discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as the discharge portion of the electrothermal converter, and Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 59-63, which discloses a structure in which an opening for absorbing a pressure wave of thermal energy is associated with the discharge portion. The effects of the present invention are effective even with a configuration based on Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 138461. That is, according to the present invention, regardless of the form of the print head, printing can be surely performed efficiently.

In addition, it goes without saying that the print head can be constructed in accordance with the form of the printing apparatus, and in the case of a so-called line printer form, the ejection ports are arranged in a range corresponding to the width of the print medium. It should be one. Further, as the serial type print head as in the above example, the print head fixed to the apparatus main body or mounted on the apparatus main body enables electrical connection with the apparatus main body and supply of ink from the apparatus main body. The present invention is also effective when a replaceable chip type print head or a cartridge type print head in which an ink tank is integrally provided in the print head itself is used.

Further, as the constitution of the printing apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable to add the ejection recovery means of the print head, the preliminary auxiliary means, etc. because the effects of the present invention can be further stabilized. If you list these specifically,
Capping means, cleaning means, pressurizing or suctioning means for the print head, preheating means for heating using an electrothermal converter or another heating element or a combination thereof, and printing Preliminary ejection means for performing another ejection can be mentioned.

In addition, in the above-described embodiments of the present invention, the ink is described as a liquid, but an ink that solidifies at room temperature or lower and that softens or liquefies at room temperature may be used. Or, in the inkjet method, it is common to control the temperature of the ink itself within the range of 30 ° C. or higher and 70 ° C. or lower to control the temperature so that the viscosity of the ink is within the stable ejection range. Sometimes, a liquid ink may be used. In addition, the temperature rise due to thermal energy is positively prevented by using it as the energy of the state change from the solid state of the ink to the liquid state, or in order to prevent the evaporation of the ink, it is solidified and heated in the standing state. You may use the ink liquefied by. In any case, the ink is liquefied by applying heat energy according to the print signal,
The present invention is also applicable to the case of using an ink that has the property of being liquefied only when heat energy is applied, such as one that ejects liquid ink or one that has already started to solidify when it reaches the printing medium. . The ink in such a case is in a state of being held as a liquid or a solid in the concave portion or through hole of the porous sheet as described in JP-A-54-56847 or JP-A-60-71260. Alternatively, it may be configured to face the electrothermal converter. In the present invention, the most effective one for each of the above-mentioned inks is to execute the above-mentioned film boiling method.

In addition, the present invention may be used as an image output terminal of an information processing device such as a computer, or may be in the form of a copying apparatus combined with a reader or the like.

[0086]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, the printer unit moves in a direction different from the print medium conveyance direction, so that there is a spatial margin upstream and downstream of the conveyance unit. Occurs.

As a result, it is possible to reduce the size of the upstream side structure such as the installation space of the print medium delivery unit. In addition, the unit replacement of the delivery section and the workability and maintenance of the delivery section are improved. Further, the versatility of the transport unit is improved, and the device cost can be reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an inkjet printing apparatus according to a background art of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing another example of the inkjet printing apparatus according to the background art similar to the above.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the inkjet printing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing another combination example of the first embodiment.

5 (A) and 5 (B) are explanatory views showing a detailed configuration of the connection portion shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the connecting portion.

FIG. 7 is a front view showing another example of the connecting portion.

8 (A) and 8 (B) are explanatory views showing a connection portion before and after a connection portion of the other example.

FIG. 9 is a view of the connection portion of the other example as viewed from the unwinding unit side.

FIG. 10 is a view of the connection portion of the other example viewed from the transport unit side.

FIG. 11 is a schematic sectional view showing another example of the unwinding unit of the first embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an inkjet printing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an inkjet printing apparatus showing another configuration example of the second embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an inkjet printing apparatus showing still another configuration example of the second embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view showing the schematic configuration of an inkjet printing apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention as seen from a direction perpendicular to the print medium conveyance direction.

FIG. 16 is a diagram of the ink jet printing apparatus of the third embodiment as viewed from the carrying direction.

FIG. 17 is a plan view of the inkjet printing apparatus of the third embodiment as viewed from above.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a moving mechanism in the inkjet printing apparatus of the third embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Print Medium (Cloth) 11 Unwinding Roller 21 Winding Roller 100 Conveying Unit 110, 120 Conveying Roller 114 Adjusting Pad 130 Conveying Belt 133 Adhesive Sheet 140, 140U, 140L Platen Roller 200 Unwinding Unit 200 'Feeding Unit 214 Caster 300 Winding unit 300 'Ejection section 600 Drying heater 1114 Connection section 1000 Printer section 1010 Carriage 3001 Printer mounting plate 3002 Linear guide bearing 3003 I-shaped steel 3004 Linear guide rail

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Internal reference number FI technical display location D06P 5/00 111 A

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An inkjet printing apparatus that prints by using an inkjet head to eject ink from the head onto a print medium, and a printer unit that prints using the inkjet head and a transport unit that transports the print medium. And a transport unit for performing printing by the printer unit during the transport, and the printer unit for transporting the printer unit between a position where the unit prints in the transport unit and a position separated from the position. An inkjet printing apparatus, comprising: a supporting unit that supports the sheet in a direction different from the transport direction of the sheet. 2. The inkjet printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a delivery unit that delivers the print medium in the transport direction with respect to the transport unit. 3. The inkjet printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the print medium is a cloth. 4. The inkjet print according to claim 1, wherein a predetermined pattern for performing drive data correction of the inkjet head is printed by the printer unit at the separated positions. apparatus. 5. The inkjet print according to claim 1, wherein the inkjet head uses thermal energy to generate bubbles in the ink and ejects the ink by generating the bubbles. apparatus.