JP2001058398A - Ink drying device and ink jet recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To shorten a time from outputting of a print command to starting of actual printing while suppressing a running cost. SOLUTION: A temperature of a drying region is controlled by a controller to three types of a 'stand-by 1' of the state for holding the drying region at a printing temperature for a predetermined time to stand by capable of completely drying an ink in the drying region even by printing by an ink jet head at a highest speed during a period from finishing of printing to next print command, a 'stand-by 2' of the state for holding in the drying region at a temperature lower than the printing temperature and not lower than an environmental temperature to stand by, and a 'stand-by 3 (sleep mode)' for holding in the drying region at the environmental temperature.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to an ink drying apparatus and an ink jet recording apparatus, and more particularly to an ink drying apparatus and an ink jet recording apparatus used for an ink jet recording apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As one of image forming apparatuses, an ink jet printer which discharges ink from an ink jet head to form characters and images on recording paper is known. 2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in order to obtain high character image quality, slow-dry black ink that is hard to dry but has high character image quality has been used as ink for an ink jet printer.

In the case of using a slow-dry black ink, it is important to dry the ink reliably, and an ink drying apparatus provided with a heat source of high thermal energy so as to dry the ink reliably in a short time is an ink jet printer. Incorporated in

The ink drying device is controlled so as to dry the ink more reliably and to simultaneously drive the heat source in order to prevent the recording paper from being scorched due to the use of the heat source having high thermal energy. And a cooling means for flowing air over the recording paper.

In recent years, as an inkjet printer for office use, an inkjet printer having a printing speed several times higher than that of a conventional low-end printer has been put on the market. In such an ink-jet printer for high-speed printing, as the printing speed increases, the time required for drying the ink is reduced to a fraction of that in the related art. Therefore, in order to dry the ink more reliably, the heat energy of the heat source is increased several times as compared with the related art.

In office use, for example, a plurality of input devices such as personal computers are connected to one inkjet printer, and a user who uses each input device individually prints image information and character information to be printed. The information is sent to the inkjet printer to issue a print command, and the inkjet printer starts printing the print information according to the print command.

Therefore, in office use, a method is generally employed in which the power supply of the ink jet printer is always turned on and the ink jet printer is kept on standby so that printing can be started immediately upon receiving a print command.

[0008]

However, when the power of the ink jet printer is turned on, the temperature at which the ink can be completely dried at the recording paper conveyance speed at the time when the ink jet head prints on the recording paper at the maximum speed (hereinafter referred to as the temperature). , The printing temperature is set so that the temperature in the drying area of the ink drying device is set to be high. In the ink jet printer configured to dry the slow dry ink in a short time, the set printing temperature becomes high. .

As a result, the power consumption during printing standby is increased by that much, and the running cost is increased. This is a big problem especially for users who value energy saving.

In order to reduce the running cost, it is conceivable to adjust automatically or manually so that the ink jet printer is not energized during printing standby, but is energized only during printing. However, in an ink jet printer configured to dry the slow dry ink in a short time, the set printing temperature is high. Therefore, the warming time from when the ink jet printer is energized to when the heat source starts to drive until the drying area reaches the printing temperature. There is a problem that the up time becomes very long.

That is, since the waiting time from when the ink-jet printer is energized to when the first printing is started is long, the time from when a print instruction is issued to when the actual printing is started becomes long.

As described above, the present invention provides an ink drying apparatus capable of shortening the time from when a printing instruction is issued to when actual printing is started while suppressing running costs, and an ink jet recording apparatus provided with the ink drying apparatus. The purpose is to provide.

[0013]

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a heater for applying heat energy to a recording medium with ink attached thereto in a predetermined drying area, and a heater for applying heat energy to the recording medium. A cooling unit for directly or indirectly cooling, and at least one of a heat generation amount of the heater and a cooling amount of the cooling unit such that a temperature in the drying area during printing standby is a standby temperature lower than the printing temperature. And control means for controlling the

That is, in the first aspect of the present invention, the control means controls the temperature in the drying area during printing standby to be a standby temperature lower than the printing temperature. As a result, power consumption during standby can be kept low, so that the running cost of the apparatus can be reduced.

Further, the control means controls the temperature in the drying area by controlling at least one of a heat generation amount of the heater and a cooling amount of the cooling means. Will be controlled individually,
Compared to the conventional case where the heater and the cooling means are simultaneously driven, the temperature in the drying area can be controlled more finely in each stage.

In the case where no print command continues during the standby for printing, the standby temperature is controlled so that the standby temperature gradually decreases as time elapses. It is possible to more efficiently suppress the power consumption during the operation.

That is, the standby temperature is set so as to gradually decrease, and the control means controls the standby temperature to decrease as time elapses. The temperature is adjusted to a low standby temperature in the dry area when the frequency of use is low.

This makes it possible to shorten the waiting time until the start of printing when the frequency of use of the ink drying device is high, and to reduce the power consumption during the standby time when the frequency of use of the ink drying device is low. It is possible to perform control of the state.

Further, the invention described in claim 3 is the first invention.
3. The ink drying apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control unit turns on the heater and drives the cooling unit during printing at a high speed, and drives the cooling unit during printing standby while the cooling unit is driven. The on / off control of the heater is performed so that the temperature is maintained within a predetermined temperature range including the standby temperature.

That is, when the heater is turned off while the cooling means is driven, the temperature in the drying region gradually decreases. The control means turns off the heater in a state where the cooling means is driven, then turns on the heater when the temperature in the drying area reaches the standby temperature and starts to further decrease, and raises the temperature in the drying area. The temperature of the drying area reaches the standby temperature again, and when the temperature starts to further increase, the heater is turned off to lower the temperature of the drying area, thereby controlling the temperature in the drying area to the standby temperature within a predetermined fluctuation range. Adjust to be maintained. By controlling the heater on / off, the temperature in the drying area can be relatively easily maintained at a desired standby temperature.

In this case, the heater on / off control may be performed, for example, by controlling the heater on / off based on a predetermined heater on / off time during driving of the cooling means. As described above, temperature detection means for detecting the temperature in the drying area is provided, and when the temperature detected by the temperature detection means is lower than the predetermined temperature range, the heater is driven, and the temperature is detected by the temperature detection means. When the temperature is higher than the predetermined temperature range, the heater can be turned off.

In the case of claim 7, there is an advantage that the structure is easy and the cost is not required. In the case of claim 8, the temperature in the drying area can be maintained at the standby temperature within a predetermined fluctuation range with high accuracy. There is an advantage.

According to the present invention, a state in which there is no print command after printing is completed or after the warm-up process and the print command is awaited can be regarded as a printing standby state. When receiving a print command at random, such as when the printer is connected to a printing device connected to the device, receive another print command as soon as one print is completed or compare after one print is completed Other print commands may be received one after another at very short time intervals.

In this case, if the drying area is controlled to the standby temperature as soon as one printing is completed, it takes time to return to the printing temperature at the next printing, which is not preferable. According to the present invention, the control means controls the heater to start the on / off control when a first predetermined time has elapsed from the start of printing standby in a state where no printing command is given. Thus, if another print command is received immediately after one print is completed, printing can be started immediately, which is efficient.

In this case, especially when one printing is completed, another printing command may be received one after another at a relatively short time interval, so that the printing can be started before the drying area reaches the standby temperature. It is efficient. The first predetermined time may be adjustable by the standby temperature start time setting means as described in claim 5. This makes it possible to appropriately set the standby state of the ink drying device according to the actual use frequency.

For example, for a user who places importance on energy saving even if the standby time is long, the predetermined time is set short so that the power consumption during standby is kept low. For the user who wants to shorten the time, the ink drying device can be set according to the needs of the user, for example, by increasing the predetermined time and shortening the waiting time until the start of printing. Of course, the user himself / herself may set the standby temperature in accordance with the user's purpose (energy saving, reduction of the standby time until the start of printing, etc.).

The invention described in claim 6 is the same as the invention described in claim 3.
The ink drying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising an environmental temperature detecting means for detecting an environmental temperature of the ink drying apparatus, wherein the control means is configured to perform the on / off control of the heater. , The on-time of the heater is made longer as the environmental temperature detected by the heater decreases.

That is, when the temperature of the environment where the ink drying device is placed (environmental temperature) is low when the heater is turned off, the temperature in the drying area decreases relatively quickly. The temperature in the drying area is less likely to be lower than when the temperature is low. Therefore, in the invention of claim 6, the ambient temperature is detected by the ambient temperature detecting means, and if the detected ambient temperature is high, the heater on-time is set shorter, and as the environmental temperature decreases, the heater on-time is set longer. In this manner, the drying area is always maintained at the set standby temperature regardless of the temperature environment of the ink drying apparatus.

The invention according to claim 9 is the third invention.
The ink drying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the control unit starts the on / off control of the heater in a state where a print command is not given, and after a lapse of a second predetermined time, the control unit controls the heater. Stop on / off control of
The cooling means is controlled to be stopped. This allows
When the temperature in the drying area is low in frequency of use, the temperature in the drying area drops to the ambient temperature, so that little power is consumed and there is a great energy saving effect.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the ink drying apparatus according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, the control means is configured to: Based on the on / off state of the heater and the driving state of the cooling unit, which are determined in advance according to a combination of the on / off state of the heater during the standby for printing, the driving state of the cooling unit, and the temperature in the drying area. By controlling the heater and the cooling means, the inside of the drying area is set to the printing temperature.

That is, since the driving state of the heater and the cooling means during the printing standby and the state in the drying area are different depending on the standby state, the heater and the cooling means according to the printing standby state when a print command is given. By controlling the time, the time required to reach the printing temperature in the dry area can be shortened, so that the time taken from issuing the printing instruction to the state in which printing can be started can be shortened.

For example, when the inside of the drying area is at the standby temperature adjusted by stopping the heater, the heater is immediately driven. At this time, in order to reach the printing temperature faster, once the cooling means is stopped, and when the printing temperature is reached,
It is preferable to control so as to drive the cooling means. If the inside of the drying area is at the standby temperature adjusted by stopping both the cooling means and the heater, the heater is immediately driven. At this time, in order to reach the printing temperature more quickly, it is preferable to control the cooling means to be driven when the inside of the dry area reaches the printing temperature while the cooling means is stopped.

As described above, according to the tenth aspect of the present invention, no matter what standby state the ink drying device is in when the print command is given, printing from the time the print command is given until the start of printing is performed. The waiting time can be minimized.

Further, according to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect,
The ink drying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the control unit performs:
The drive control of the heater and the cooling unit is started before the maintenance processing is completed, and the control is performed so that the inside of the dry area reaches the printing temperature when the maintenance processing is completed.

That is, for example, the drying area of the ink drying device is printed simultaneously with the completion of maintenance processing such as head cleaning performed when replacing the ink or changing the head in the ink head recording device integrated with the ink drying device. By setting the warm-up timing to a predetermined time before the end of the maintenance process so that the temperature becomes the same, the time until the printing process interrupted by the maintenance process returns can be shortened.

The setting of the warm-up timing of the ink drying apparatus (before a predetermined time before the end of the maintenance processing) can be easily set by incorporating a warm-up start command of the ink drying apparatus during the maintenance sequence. Needless to say.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the ink drying apparatus according to any one of the first to eleventh aspects, the heater is turned on by a power-on command, and a predetermined time is set after the heater is turned on. There is further provided start control means for starting the driving of the cooling means after a lapse of time or when the temperature of the drying area reaches a predetermined temperature after turning on the heater.

That is, according to the power-on command, first,
Since the heater is driven until a predetermined time elapses or until the temperature in the drying area reaches a predetermined temperature, the temperature in the drying area rapidly rises at this time. afterwards,
Since the driving of the cooling means is started, a desired printing temperature can be obtained without excessively increasing the temperature in the drying area. By performing such control, there is an advantage that the temperature in the drying area after the power-on command is received can be set to the printing temperature in a short time.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the ink drying apparatus according to any one of the first to twelfth aspects, the heater is turned off by a power-off command, and the heater is turned off. An end control unit for stopping the driving of the cooling unit is further provided after a lapse of time or when the temperature of the drying area reaches a predetermined temperature after turning off the heater.

In other words, according to the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, the driving of the heater is first stopped by the power-off command. Therefore, while the driving of the heater is stopped, the inside of the drying area is efficiently cooled by the cooling means. The Rukoto. Then, after a lapse of a predetermined time or when the temperature of the drying area reaches a predetermined temperature, the driving of the cooling unit is stopped. By performing such control, there is an advantage that the temperature in the drying area after the power-off command is received can be set to the environmental temperature in a short time.

The invention according to claim 14 is a heater for applying thermal energy to a recording medium on which ink has been applied in a predetermined drying area, cooling means for directly or indirectly cooling the drying area, and power-on. The heater is turned on by a command, and after a predetermined time has elapsed since the heater was turned on,
Or, starting control means for starting driving of the cooling means when the temperature of the drying region reaches a predetermined temperature after turning on the heater, and turning off the heater by a power-off command, After turning off the heater, or when the temperature of the drying area reaches a predetermined temperature after turning off the heater, a termination control unit that stops driving the cooling unit. Ink drying device.

That is, in the invention of claim 14, since the driving of the cooling means is started after the heater is turned on by the power-on command, the temperature in the drying area after the power-on command is received can be reduced to the printing temperature in a short time. In addition, since the driving of the cooling unit is stopped after the heater is turned off by the power-off command, the temperature in the drying area after the power-off command comes can be set to the environmental temperature in a short time. There is an advantage.

Any one of claims 1 to 14 above
The heater in the ink drying device described in the above item is preferably a halogen lamp as described in the fifteenth item. Halogen lamps are near-infrared lamps.Near-infrared light has the same or higher absorption capacity for water than paper, so the thermal energy can be selectively applied to slow-dry ink in which a pigment is dispersed in water rather than to a recording medium. Is absorbed, and the ink can be efficiently dried.

Further, the invention of claim 16 provides the above-mentioned claim 1.
An ink jet recording apparatus comprising the ink drying apparatus according to any one of claims 15 to 15, wherein a predetermined time has elapsed from the application of the print start signal until the temperature in the dry area reaches the print temperature. After that, printing is performed at a printing speed corresponding to the elapsed time.

Generally, the printing temperature is set to a temperature at which the ink dries within a predetermined reference drying time when printing is performed at the maximum speed. For this reason, in the invention of claim 16, printing is performed at a printing speed according to the elapsed time after a predetermined time elapses before the printing temperature is reached, so that the printing start time is advanced and the printing start signal is transmitted. The print waiting time from application to the start of printing is minimized.

That is, since the temperature in the drying area rises according to the elapsed time, the temperature in the drying area with respect to the elapsed time is checked in advance, and printing is performed based on the drying state of the ink at the temperature corresponding to the elapsed time. By determining the speed, even if printing is started before the drying area reaches the printing temperature, the ink does not become undried, and good printing can be performed.
The printing waiting time from application of the printing start signal to the start of printing can be shortened.

The seventeenth aspect of the present invention relates to the first aspect.
An ink jet recording apparatus comprising the ink drying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein a temperature in the dry area is detected by applying a print start signal, and the temperature in the dry area is set to a print temperature. In this case, printing is performed at a printing speed according to the temperature in the dry area from a temperature equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature before the temperature reaches.

Accordingly, even if printing is started before the temperature of the dry area reaches the printing temperature, the ink does not become undried and good printing can be performed.
The printing waiting time from application of the printing start signal to the start of printing can be shortened.

[0049]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS (First Embodiment) An ink jet recording apparatus according to a first embodiment ejects ink onto a recording paper P based on print data, as shown in FIGS. An ink jet head 12 for printing at high speed, medium speed or low speed, and a dryer (ink drying device) 10 for drying the recording paper P to which ink is attached by the ink jet head 12.

The dryer 10 has a box-shaped housing 18 having an open bottom surface (dry area). Housing 18
Is provided with a channel-shaped bracket 20 at the center thereof. Inside the bracket 20, a reflector 22 having a trapezoidal shape with a corner cut off in a side view is arranged.

The reflector 22 is provided with two halogen lamps (heaters) 24 as heating elements, and generates radiant energy. This halogen lamp 2
4 and the length of the reflector 22 correspond to the recording paper P to be printed.
Is configured to be equal to or more than the maximum paper width.

As described above, by arranging a plurality of halogen lamps 24 and directing the radiant heat toward the recording paper P by the reflector 22, the radiant energy is concentrated at one place as compared with the case where drying is performed by a single heating element. Without drying, the ink on the recording paper P is evenly dried.

On the other hand, a partition plate 26 hangs down from the ceiling of the housing 18 toward the bracket 20. The partition plate 26 partitions the inside of the housing 18 into an intake passage 34 and an exhaust passage 36.

An intake fan 28 is provided on the ceiling of the housing 18 on the side of the intake passage 34. The outside air introduced by the intake fan 28 directly below the intake fan 28 hits the upper surface of the wind direction plate 30 disposed in parallel with the ceiling surface of the bracket 20, passes between the bracket 20 and the wind direction plate 30, and Flows parallel to the top. By creating such a flow of the outside air, it is possible to prevent the outside air from directly hitting the bracket 20 to rapidly lower the temperature of the halogen lamp 24, thereby preventing the halogen lamp 24 from being damaged.

The outside air that has passed between the bracket 20 and the wind direction plate 30 flows along the transport direction of the recording paper P that passes between the bracket 20 and the side wall of the housing 18 and is transported in the dry area. . For this reason, the printing surface of the recording paper P passing through the drying area is uniformly dried in a short time by both the radiant heat and the warm air. Further, by flowing outside air around the bracket 20, it is possible to prevent the recording paper from being overheated by the halogen lamp 24 and to suppress a rise in the temperature around the halogen lamp 24.

Next, the warm air that has passed through the drying area passes between the bracket 20 and the side wall of the housing 18, and is discharged to the outside by an exhaust fan 32 provided at the longitudinal end of the housing 18 through an exhaust passage 36. Exhausted. Therefore, the humid air in contact with the printing surface of the recording paper P is exhausted, and the dew condensation in the housing 18 can be prevented.

On the other hand, a feed roller 16 and a star wheel 17 for feeding the printed recording paper P to the drying area are provided on the upstream side of the dryer 10, and the dried recording paper P is provided on the downstream side of the printer. A discharge roller pair 14 for discharging to the outside is provided.

Further, a silicon rubber roller 38 for driving and a metal star wheel 40 driven by the silicon rubber roller 38 are provided at the center and both ends of the drying area, respectively, and these constitute a conveying means. are doing.

The ink jet recording apparatus having such a configuration performs a "normal printing mode" in which printing is performed at a high speed after the printing temperature Tp is reached, and performs printing at a reduced printing speed even if the printing temperature Tp is not reached. It has an “immediate print mode”, and is configured to select and print one of these two print modes.

The printing speed of the inkjet head 12 is determined based on the relationship between the temperature in the drying area of the dryer 10 and the printing speed. That is, when the temperature in the dry area is high and the temperature on the ink on the recording paper can be sufficiently dried, the print speed is set to be high, and as the temperature in the dry area becomes low, the print speed is set to be slow.

For example, in the temperature range from the environmental temperature Te to the standby temperature Tk, printing is performed at half the speed (low speed) of high-speed printing, and in the temperature range from the standby temperature Tk to the printing temperature Tp, printing is performed at high speed. It is possible to set so that printing is performed at a speed of 3/4 (medium speed) and printing is performed at a high speed at a printing temperature Tp.

In this embodiment, as an example, the printing speed at low speed is set to 8 sheets / minute, the printing speed at medium speed is set to 12 sheets / minute, and the printing speed at high speed is set to 16 sheets / minute. In the "immediate print mode", the print speed may be continuously changed from a low speed to a high speed.

The dryer 10 is controlled in a standby mode for controlling the temperature of the drying area from the end of printing until the next print command is given. The standby mode is a state in which the inkjet head 12 waits while maintaining the drying area for a predetermined time at the printing temperature Tp at which the ink can be completely dried even in the printing operation at the maximum printing speed. "Standby 1" and "Standby 2" in which the inside of the drying area is kept at a standby temperature Tk lower than the printing temperature Tp and equal to or higher than the environmental temperature Te to stand by. There are three types of modes, "standby 3 (sleep mode)" for setting the temperature to Te.

The standby 1 can be printed immediately when a print command is given, and it is advantageous to set the standby 1 when it is highly likely that a print command is given frequently. Standby 2 is advantageous when it is desired to start printing with a relatively short warm-up time when a print command is given while reducing standby power. Further, it is advantageous to set the standby 3 (sleep mode) when it is desired to greatly reduce standby power and save energy.

The switching of the standby mode may be performed manually. However, in the first embodiment, the switching is automatically performed by the control unit 50.

The control unit 50 includes an environmental temperature detecting sensor 58.
And the external input unit 68 are connected to each other. In the present embodiment, selection of a print mode between “normal print mode” and “immediate print mode” can be performed by operating the external input unit 68. The control unit 50 performs various controls described below based on a control routine according to the selected print mode.

The control unit 50 controls the environmental temperature detection sensor 5.
The standby mode switching control is performed by taking in the environmental temperature Te detected by the control unit 8. In the following description, the holding time of each of the above-mentioned standby modes is a fixed value in advance, but can be changed by the external input unit 68 and can be freely set according to the needs of the user.

For example, by increasing the holding time t1 of the standby 1, while saving energy, when the frequency of use of the ink jet recording head is high, the waiting time until the start of printing is shortened as much as possible, and the holding time t1 of the standby 1 is shortened.
Also, by shortening the holding time t2 of the standby 2, the standby power can be further reduced and energy can be saved, so that the standby mode of the inkjet recording apparatus can be set according to the needs of the user.

In particular, when paying attention to energy saving, it is also possible to set so that the operation immediately shifts to the standby 3 when the printing standby mode is set with t1 = 0 and t2 = 0.

As shown in FIG. 3, the control section 50 roughly includes a RAM 52, a ROM 54, a CPU 56, an intake fan drive driver 60, a heater drive driver 62, and a head drive driver 64, each of which is a bus 7.
0.

The RAM 52 stores various detection data such as the environmental temperature Te detected by the environmental temperature detection sensor 58 and other various data. The ROM 54 stores data (t3 to t12, which will be described later) of the temperature in the drying area for each environmental temperature Te for on / off control of the halogen lamp 24 and on / off control of the intake fan 28, and a standby mode switching process to be described later. A program, a program for warm-up processing, a program for end processing, and the like are stored.

The CPU 56 reads the data stored in the RAM 52 based on the program called from the ROM 54, and turns on / off timing of the halogen lamp 24,
The on / off timing of the intake fan 28, the printing start timing by the inkjet head, the printing speed, and the like are determined.

The environmental temperature Te detected by the environmental temperature detection sensor 58 is input to the RAM 52 via the bus 70. The environmental temperature detection sensor 58 detects the temperature of the environment where the apparatus is placed (environmental temperature Te) based on a signal output from the CPU 56.

An intake fan driving driver 60 drives the intake fan 28 based on a driving signal input from the CPU 56 via the bus 70, and a heater driving driver 62 outputs a driving signal input from the CPU 56 via the bus 70. , The halogen lamp 24 is driven.

The head driver 64 is connected to the bus 7
The print start timing and the print speed of the ink jet head 12 are controlled based on a signal input from the CPU 56 through the CPU 0.

Here, the control routine of the control unit 50 will be described with reference to the main routine of FIG. First, in step 100, it is determined whether the power of the dryer 10 is on. If it is determined that the power is on, that is, a power-on command is input, the process proceeds to the next step 102.

In step 102, flag 1 (hereinafter referred to as F
Write 1. ) To reset all the flags 8 (hereinafter, referred to as F8).

In the next step 104, the environmental temperature Te is detected, and the routine proceeds to step 106. In step 106, the fixed values t1 and t2, which are fixed values, and the values t3 to t12 determined according to the detected environmental temperature Te are read from the table in Table 1.

In this embodiment, t1 is 30 seconds,
t2 is set to 3600 seconds in advance. Of course, t1
The values of and t2 can be changed by operating the external input unit 68. The values from t3 to t12 vary depending on the setting of the standby temperature Tk and the printing temperature Tp. As an example, the values when the standby temperature Tk is 45 ° C. and the printing temperature Tp is 50 ° C. are shown. It is shown in FIG.

[0080]

[Table 1]

Here, t1 is the holding time of standby 1,
t2 is a holding time of the standby 2 and is set in advance as a reference value.

Further, t3 is a time for rapidly heating the dryer 10 by turning on the halogen lamp 24 while the intake fan 28 is off (in other words, the time from when the halogen lamp 24 is turned on to when the intake fan 28 is turned on). time)
T10 is the halogen lamp 24 and the intake fan 28
Is the time from when both are turned on to when the printing temperature Tp is reached. That is, the printing temperature reaches the printing temperature Tp in the dry area after the lapse of t3 and t10 after the power is turned on.

At time t4, the cooling time of the halogen lamp 24 when the power-off signal is input in the standby 1 state (in other words, after the power-off signal is input at the printing temperature Tp in the dry area and the halogen lamp 24 is turned off) (Time until the intake fan 28 is turned off).

Further, t5 is the cooling time of the halogen lamp 24 when shifting from the standby 1 to the standby 2 (in other words, from the time the halogen lamp 24 is turned off until the duty ratio control of the halogen lamp 24 described later is started). And t6 is a cooling time when shifting from the standby 2 to the standby 3 (in other words, a time from ending the duty ratio control of the halogen lamp 24 to be described later to turning off the intake fan 28). .

T7 is a time during which the halogen lamp 24 is turned on in the duty ratio control of the halogen lamp 24 described later performed in the standby 2, and t8 is a time during which the halogen lamp 24 is turned off in the duty ratio control.

Further, t9 is the time required to reach the print temperature Tp when a print command is given in the standby 2 state. This is read when the "normal printing mode" is selected. One example is shown in Table 2. If "immediate print mode" is selected, the speed table shown in Table 3 is read instead of reading Table 2. This speed table is a print speed corresponding to the temperature in the dry area when a print command is given in the standby 2 state.
The details will be described later.

[0087]

[Table 2]

[0088]

[Table 3]

Further, t11 is the time from when the halogen lamp 24 is turned on until the temperature reaches the standby temperature Tk when only the intake fan 28 is turned on in the dry area between the environmental temperature Te and the standby temperature Tk. It is. That is, t11
Is the time based on the temperature at that time, the cooling time after turning off the halogen lamp 24 is counted, and the time determined from the temperature change in the drying area of the dryer 10 in FIG. It is.

At time t12, the cooling time of the halogen lamp 24 when the power-off signal is input in the standby 2 state (in other words, the power-off signal is input at the standby temperature Tk in the drying area to turn off the halogen lamp 24). From when the intake fan 28 is turned off).

From Tables 1 and 2, for example, when the environmental temperature Te is 25 ° C., t3 is 7 seconds, t4 is 30 seconds, t5 is 10 seconds, t6 is 20 seconds, t7 is 10 seconds, and t8 is 10 seconds,
t9 is set to 0 to 10 seconds (see Table 2; depending on the count value described later), t10 is set to 8 seconds, t11 is set to 0 to 7 seconds (depending on the count value), and t12 is set to 20 seconds.

Thus, at step 106, t1
When all the values of t12 to t12 are fetched, the process proceeds to step 108 to perform a warm-up process. This warm-up process is performed when the power of the apparatus is turned on or when the temperature of the drying area of the dryer 10 reaches the environmental temperature Te as in the state of standby 3 described later. Is raised to the printing temperature Tp. The detailed control of the warm-up process will be described later. If a print command is given during the warm-up process, the print process is executed when the print command is given.

Thereafter, the flow shifts to step 110, where standby mode switching processing at the time of standby is performed. This standby mode switching process is a process of switching the standby mode according to the elapsed time of the standby state and adjusting the temperature in the drying area. If a print command is given during the standby mode switching process,
Regardless of which standby mode is set, print processing is executed when a print command is given. The standby mode switching process and the interrupt printing process will also be described later.

In step 112, it is determined whether or not a power-off signal has been input. If no power-off signal has been input, the process returns to step 110 and repeats the above processing. If it is determined in step 112 that the power-off signal has been input, the flow shifts to step 114 to perform termination processing, and terminates this routine. The termination processing will be described later.

In the warm-up process, the standby mode switching process, and the duty ratio control process of the halogen lamp 24, the selected print mode differs between the "immediate print mode" and the "normal print mode".

Therefore, the case where "immediate print mode" is selected first will be described. First, the above-described warm-up processing in step 108 in FIG. 4 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

First, in step 200, the halogen lamp 24 is turned on, F1 is set in step 202, print interruption permission is set in step 204, and the routine proceeds to step 206.

In step 206, it is determined whether the time t3 has elapsed. If it is determined in step 206 that the time t3 has elapsed, the flow shifts to step 208 to turn on the intake fan, and in step 210, F1 is reset.
Set F2.

Thereafter, in step 212, an interrupt printing process, which will be described later, is performed by a print command before the time t3 elapses, and it is determined whether or not printing is being performed at a low speed.

If it is determined in step 212 that printing is being performed at a low speed, the temperature in the dry area has reached the standby temperature Tk, so the flow shifts to step 220 to set the printing speed of the head drive driver 64 to medium speed. And step 214
Move to As a result, the head drive driver 64 switches the printing speed to the medium speed and continues printing. If it is determined in step 212 that printing is not being performed at a low speed, that is, if printing is not being performed and printing is being performed at a medium speed, the process proceeds to step 214.

In step 214, it is determined whether or not the time t10 has elapsed since the intake fan 28 was turned on. Since the inside of the dry area reaches the printing temperature Tp when the time t10 elapses after the intake fan 28 is turned on, if it is determined in the step 214 that the time t10 has elapsed, the process proceeds to the step 216, where F2 is reset, and F3 is reset. Is set.

In the next step 218, it is determined whether printing is being performed at the medium speed. If printing is being performed at the medium speed, the process proceeds to step 222, where the printing speed of the head drive driver 64 is set to a high speed. To end. As a result, the head drive driver 64 switches the printing speed to the medium speed and continues printing. If it is determined in step 218 that printing is not being performed at a medium speed, that is, if printing is not being performed or printing is being performed at a high speed, this routine ends.

FIG. 6 shows the dryer 1 according to the first embodiment when the printing temperature Tp is 50 ° C. and the environmental temperature Te is 25 ° C.
As a comparative example, the halogen lamp 24 and the intake fan 2
8 shows a temperature change in the drying area of the conventional dryer 10 in which the heaters 8 and 8 are simultaneously turned on.

As is clear from comparison with this conventional example,
In the first embodiment, since the halogen lamp 24 and the intake fan 28 are controlled independently and the fan is turned on after the halogen lamp is turned on, the conventional warm-up time (ie, 30 seconds) is reduced. The printing temperature Tp is reached in half the warm-up time (that is, 15 seconds), and the warm-up is completed in a shorter time than in the related art.

Next, the standby mode switching process in step 116 in FIG. 4 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

First, in step 300, it is determined whether printing is completed or warm-up is completed. Step 3
If it is determined at 00 that the printing is completed or the warm-up is completed, the process proceeds to step 302,
It is determined whether the time t1 has elapsed from any end time. This state is the standby 1 state, and when a print command is given before the lapse of time t1 from the end point, printing is performed at high speed in step 520 described later. Thus, the standby 1 is released.

At step 302, t1
If it is determined that the time has elapsed, the process proceeds to step 304, where the halogen lamp 24 is turned off.
All the set flags Fi are reset, and F4 is set. This changes standby 1 to standby 2
Move to

In the next step 308, an interruption process described later is performed according to the print command, and it is determined whether or not printing is performed at a medium speed. If it is determined in step 308 that printing is being performed at a medium speed, the process proceeds to step 328 because the halogen lamp 24 is turned on in step 514 described below.
After giving a setting to switch to high-speed printing after a lapse of a predetermined time when the inside of the dry area reaches the printing temperature Tp, the head drive driver 64 is given a setting from step 112 in FIG.
Returning to 0, the above processing is repeated.

If it is determined in step 308 that printing is not being performed at medium speed (when printing is not being performed), the process proceeds to step 310 to determine whether or not the time t5 has elapsed. If it is determined in step 310 that the time t5 has not elapsed, the process returns to step 308 to repeat the above determination.

If it is determined in step 310 that the time t5 has elapsed, the temperature in the drying area becomes the standby temperature Tk which is a predetermined temperature lower than the printing temperature Tp.
In step 312, the duty ratio control of the halogen lamp 24 is started.

This duty ratio control is a process of repeatedly turning on and off the halogen lamp 24 at predetermined time intervals in order to keep the temperature in the drying area almost at the standby temperature Tk, and according to the detected environmental temperature. Halogen lamp 2
In this process, the control of the duty ratio of No. 4 is changed, that is, the on-time and off-time of the halogen lamp are changed to maintain the inside of the drying area near the standby temperature T1.

For example, if the detected environmental temperature Te is 15 ° C.
If the ambient temperature Te is lower than 25 ° C., the halogen lamp 24 is turned on for 15 seconds and then turned off for 5 seconds as shown in FIG. 10A.
As shown in FIG. 10B, the halogen lamp 24 is
After turning on for seconds, control is performed so as to turn off for 10 seconds. If the detected environmental temperature Te is 28 ° C. or higher, FIG.
As shown in (5), when the halogen lamp 24 is turned on for 5 seconds, it is controlled to be turned off for 15 seconds. The details will be described later.

Further, the standby lamp 2 is in a state from the turning off of the halogen lamp 24 in step 304 to the end of the duty ratio control.
Since the ON state of No. 4 is continued, the standby 2 is released and the printing process is performed.

In the next step 314, the halogen lamp 24 is turned off. In step 316, all the flags Fi that have been set are reset, and after setting F5, the process proceeds to step 318. In step 318,
Before the time t6 elapses, an interrupt process described later is performed by a print command, and it is determined whether printing is performed at a low speed.

If it is determined in step 318 that printing is being performed at a low speed, the halogen lamp 24 is turned on in step 506, which will be described later. Later, the print speed is gradually switched to the high speed, and finally the head drive driver 64 is switched so that the print speed is switched to the high speed print.
Set. That is, when the inside of the drying area after the lapse of the predetermined time reaches the standby temperature Tk, the printing is switched to the medium speed,
Thereafter, when the inside of the drying area after the elapse of a predetermined time has reached the printing temperature Tp, it is set to switch to high-speed printing. Thereafter, the process returns from step 112 of FIG. 4 to step 300 of FIG. 7, and the above-described processing is repeated.

When it is determined in step 318 that printing is not being performed at a low speed (when printing is not being performed)
Moves to step 320 and determines whether or not the time t6 has elapsed. If it is determined in step 320 that the time t6 has not elapsed, the process returns to step 318 to repeat the above determination. If it is determined in step 320 that the time t6 has elapsed, the intake fan 28 is also turned off in step 322. In step 324, all the set flags Fi are reset, and after setting F6, the process proceeds to step 326.

In step 326, an interruption process described later is performed according to the print command. After the halogen lamp is turned on in step 506, it is determined in step 502 whether or not printing is being performed at a low speed. In step 326,
If it is determined that printing is being performed at a low speed, the process proceeds to step 330, and the printing speed is gradually switched after a lapse of a predetermined time, and finally the printing is switched to high-speed printing. Also,
If it is determined in step 326 that printing is not being performed at a low speed, the process returns from step 112 in FIG. 4 to step 300 in FIG.

In the above step 314, the halogen lamp 24 is turned off and the standby state 3 (sleep mode) is established after the halogen lamp 24 is turned off. 28 is also in a stopped state, so that little power is consumed and energy can be effectively saved. Of course, even in the state of the standby 3, the halogen lamp 24 is turned on when the print command is given to perform the printing process, so that the standby 3 is released.

It should be noted that when the standby temperature is switched, the halogen lamp 24 is turned on / off, the intake fan is driven,
For example, the temperature change in the drying area that changes in accordance with the type of the set flag is, for example, a printing temperature Tp of 50.
When the standby temperature Tk is 45 ° C. and the ambient temperature Te is 25 ° C., the temperature changes as shown in FIG.

Here, the duty ratio control in step 312 will be described with reference to FIG. First, step 4
In step 00, the halogen lamp 24 is turned on, and step 4
In 02, all the set flags Fi are reset, and F7 is set.

In steps 404 and 405, an interruption process described later is performed according to the print command, and it is determined whether or not printing is being performed at a speed other than high speed. If it is determined in steps 404 and 405 that printing is being performed at a speed other than high speed, the process proceeds to step 418, and after a predetermined time has elapsed, the printing speed is gradually switched to finally high speed printing.

That is, when printing is performed at a low speed, the printing is switched to the medium speed when a predetermined time has elapsed and the inside of the dry area has reached the standby temperature Tk. When the printing temperature Tp is reached, switching to printing is performed at high speed. When printing is performed at a medium speed, the printing is switched to the printing at a high speed when a predetermined time has elapsed and the inside of the dry area has reached the printing temperature Tp. After such switching of the printing speed, the process returns from step 112 in FIG. 4 to step 300 in FIG. 7 and repeats the above processing. During printing at high speed, the process returns to step 300 in FIG.

If it is determined in step 404 that printing is not being performed, the flow advances to step 406 to determine whether or not the time t7 has elapsed since the halogen lamp 24 was turned on.

If it is determined in step 406 that the time t7 has not elapsed, the flow returns to step 404, and the above determination is repeated. If it is determined in step 406 that the time t7 has elapsed, the process proceeds to step 408.

In step 408, the halogen lamp 24 is turned off. In step 410, all the set flags Fi are reset, and after setting F8, it is determined in steps 412 and 405 whether printing is being performed at a speed other than high speed. I do. If it is determined in steps 412 and 405 that printing is being performed at a speed other than high speed, step 41
Then, the process proceeds to step S8 to perform the above-described processing for changing the printing speed.

If it is determined in step 412 that printing is not being performed, the flow shifts to step 414 to determine whether or not a time t8 has elapsed since the halogen lamp 24 was turned off.

In step 414, the halogen lamp 2
If it is determined that the time t8 has not elapsed since turning off the switch 4, the process returns to step 412 and the above determination is repeated. Also,
If it is determined in step 414 that the time t8 has elapsed since the halogen lamp 24 was turned off, step 416 is performed.
Then, it is determined whether or not the time t2 has elapsed since the halogen lamp 24 was turned off in step 304 in the above-described standby mode switching processing routine.

If it is determined in step 416 that the time t2 has not elapsed, the flow returns to step 400, and the above processing is repeated. Also, at step 416, t2
If it is determined that the time has elapsed, the process proceeds to step 314.

In this embodiment, the duty ratio control of the halogen lamp 24
The on time and off time of are counted in seconds.
A set time is a sum of a time when the halogen lamp 24 is turned on once and a time when the halogen lamp 24 is turned off once. When the interrupt printing is performed, the printing speed corresponding to the count value is called from the above Table 2 It is printed.

FIG. 11 shows the interrupt printing process.
This will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This interrupt printing process is started when a print command is given, and performs the following process according to the type of the flag that is set.

First, at step 500, it is determined whether or not F1 is set. When F1 is set, the halogen lamp 24 is turned on and the temperature in the drying area is equal to or higher than the environmental temperature Te and lower than the standby temperature Tk. Therefore, in the next step 502, low-speed printing is set in the head drive driver 64, the present routine ends, and the process returns to the main routine of FIG.

If it is determined in step 500 that F1 is not set, step 504 is executed.
To determine whether F5 or F6 has been set. When F5 or F6 is set, the halogen lamp 24 is turned off and the temperature in the drying area is equal to or higher than the environmental temperature Te and lower than the standby temperature Tk. Therefore, in the next step 506, the halogen lamp 24 is turned on and printing at a low speed is set in the head drive driver 64, and this routine ends, and the process returns to the main routine of FIG.

In step 504, F5 or F6
If it is determined that is not set, step 50
The process moves to 8 to determine whether F2 has been set. F
When 2 is set, the halogen lamp 24 and the intake fan 28 are turned on, and the temperature in the drying area is higher than the standby temperature Tk and lower than the printing temperature Tp. Therefore, in the next step 510, printing at medium speed is set in the head drive driver 64, the present routine ends, and the process returns to the main routine of FIG.

If it is determined in step 508 that F2 has not been set, the flow shifts to step 512, where F2 is set.
It is determined whether 4 is set. If it is determined that F4 is set, the halogen lamp 24 is turned off, the intake fan 28 is turned on, and the temperature in the drying area is equal to or higher than the standby temperature Tk and lower than the printing temperature Tp. I have. Therefore, in the next step 514, the halogen lamp 24 is turned on and printing at medium speed is set in the head drive driver 64, and the process returns to the main routine of FIG.

If it is determined in step 512 that F4 has not been set, the flow shifts to step 516, where F4 is set.
It is determined whether 3 is set. When it is determined that F3 has been set, the halogen lamp 24 is on, the intake fan 28 is on, and the printing temperature Tp is in the dry area. Therefore, in the next step 520, high-speed printing is set in the head drive driver 64, and the process returns to the main routine of FIG.

If it is determined in step 516 that F3 has not been set, the flow shifts to step 522, where F3 is set.
It is determined whether 7 is set. If it is determined that F7 has been set, the halogen lamp 24 under duty ratio control is in the ON state, and therefore, step 52
Then, the process proceeds to step S4, where the print start speed corresponding to the detected count value at the environmental temperature Te is set to the head drive driver 64 at the speed read from Table 2 above, and the process returns to the main routine of FIG.

If it is determined in step 516 that F7 has not been set, F8 has been set. If F8 is set, the halogen lamp 24 under duty ratio control is in an off state, so the flow proceeds to step 526 to turn on the halogen lamp 24, and proceeds to step 524 to detect the detected environmental temperature Te. The head drive driver 6 prints at the speed read out from Table 2 above at the print start speed corresponding to the count value at
4 and return to the main routine of FIG.

Next, the warm-up process, the standby mode switching process, and the duty ratio control process of the halogen lamp 24 when the "normal printing mode" is selected will be described.

First, the above-described warm-up processing in step 108 in FIG. 4 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. In FIG. 12, the same parts as those in FIG.

In the flow of FIG. 12, step 21 of FIG.
2, a process of determining whether printing is being performed at a low speed and switching the setting to a printing speed at a medium speed in step 220, and a process of determining whether printing is being performed at a medium speed in step 218 and a process of switching the setting to a printing speed at a high speed in step 220 Without performing step 21
After resetting F2 in F6 and setting F3, it is determined in next step 230 whether a flag F0 set when a print command is given is set.

If it is determined that F0 has been set, high-speed printing processing is set in the head drive driver 64 in step 232, and this routine ends. If it is determined in step 230 that F0 has not been set, this routine ends.

Next, the standby mode switching process in step 116 in FIG. 4 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. In FIG. 13, the same parts as those in FIG.

In the flow of FIG. 13, step 30 in FIG.
8, instead of performing the process of determining whether printing is being performed at medium speed and switching the setting to the printing speed in step 328, and performing the process of determining whether printing is being performed at low speed in steps 318 and 326, and switching the setting to the printing speed in step 330. It is determined whether F0 is set.

That is, in step 306, F4
Is set, it is determined in step 340 whether F0 is set. If it is determined that F0 has been set, the routine proceeds to step 342, where the halogen lamp is turned on, and it is determined in step 344 whether a predetermined time has elapsed. The predetermined time is a time until the inside of the dry area reaches the printing temperature Tp. If it is determined in step 344 that the predetermined time has elapsed, high-speed printing processing is set in the head drive driver 64 in step 346, and Returning to step 300, the above processing is repeated.

If it is determined in step 340 that F0 has not been set, the flow shifts to step 310 to execute the processing described with reference to FIG.

In step 316, all the set flags Fi are reset, and after setting F5,
In steps 348 to 354, step 34 is executed.
The same processing as 0 to 346 is performed.

Further, at step 324, all the set flags Fi are reset and F6 is set, and then the routine goes to step 356.

In step 356, it is determined whether F0 has been set. If it is determined that F0 has been set, the flow shifts to step 356 to perform the warm-up processing in FIG.

Here, the duty ratio control of step 312 in step FIG. 13 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 14, the same parts as those in FIG. 9 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

In the flow of FIG. 14, step 40 of FIG.
It is determined whether or not F0 is set instead of performing the processing of 4, 405, 418 and the processing of steps 412, 418. That is, it is determined in step 420 or 426 whether or not F0 has been set. If it is determined in step 420 that F0 has been set, the time corresponding to the count value read from Table 3 above has elapsed in step 422. Determine whether you have done. If the time according to the count value has elapsed, the temperature in the dry area has reached the printing temperature Tp, so the flow shifts to step 424 to set high-speed printing processing in the head drive driver 64, and then to the step in FIG. Returning to step 300, the above processing is repeated.

If it is determined in step 426 that F0 has been set, the halogen lamp is turned on in step 428, and the flow advances to step 422 to perform the same processing as described above.

As described above, in the normal print mode, the standby time (time from the state of the count value to the printing temperature Tp) corresponding to the count value is read from the above Table 3 when the interrupt print is performed. After the elapse of the waiting time, printing is performed.

FIG. 15 shows the interrupt printing process.
This will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This interrupt printing process is started by a printing command, and in step 600,
It is determined whether F3 is set. If F3 is set, the halogen lamp 24 is turned on and the printing temperature in the dry area is Tp.
2, the print processing at high speed is performed by the head drive driver 64.
To end the present routine and return to the main routine of FIG.

If it is determined in step 600 that F3 has not been set, step 60 is executed in order to wait until the temperature in the dry area reaches the printing temperature.
The program proceeds to step 4, sets F0, ends this routine, and returns to the main routine.

Here, the end processing of step 114 in FIG. 4 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. This end processing is performed after the power-off command is given. In the present embodiment, the interruption print processing is not performed during the end processing.

First, in step 700, it is determined whether any one of F2, F3 and F7 has been set. If any one of F2, F3, and F7 is set, the halogen lamp 24 and the intake fan 28 are turned on, and the temperature in the drying area is higher than the standby temperature Tk and lower than the printing temperature Tp. Therefore, in step 702, the halogen lamp 24 is turned off, and the next step 70
At 4, it is determined whether the time t4 has elapsed since the halogen lamp 24 was turned off. If it is determined in step 1004 that the time t4 has elapsed, the process proceeds to step 706, where the intake fan 28 is turned off, and this routine ends.

In step 708, it is determined whether F4 or F8 has been set. If F4 or F8 is set, the halogen lamp 24 is off and the intake fan 2
8 is turned on, and since the inside of the drying area is equal to or higher than the standby temperature Tk and equal to or lower than the printing temperature Tp, the process proceeds to step 704 to perform the above-described processing.

In the next step 710, it is determined whether or not F5 is set. When F5 is set, the halogen lamp 24 is turned off, the intake fan 28 is turned on, and the inside of the drying area is higher than the ambient temperature Te and lower than the standby temperature Tk. At 712, it is determined whether the time t12 has elapsed.

The time t12 is a time from when the power-off signal is input at the standby temperature Tk to turn off the halogen lamp 24 in the drying area until the temperature reaches a temperature at which the intake fan 28 can be turned off. Even if F5, which indicates a state where the temperature is higher than the environmental temperature Te and lower than the standby temperature Tk, is set, the temperature becomes at least a temperature at which the intake fan 28 can be turned off after t12 time.

If it is determined in step 712 that the time t12 has elapsed, the routine proceeds to step 706, where the intake fan 28 is turned off, and this routine ends.

In the next step 714, it is determined whether or not F1 is set. When F1 is set, the halogen lamp is turned on, and the ambient temperature T
e and lower than the standby temperature Tk. Therefore, when it is determined in step 714 that F1 is set, the halogen lamp is turned off in the next step 716, and this routine ends.

If it is determined in step 714 that F1 has not been set, F6 has been set. That is, the state of F6 is a state in which the halogen lamp 24 and the intake fan 28 are turned off, and
Since the inside of the drying area is at the environmental temperature Te, this routine ends.

FIG. 17 shows how the temperature in the drying area is reduced by the end processing when the environmental temperature Te is 25 ° C. When the temperature in the drying area is 50 ° C., which is the printing temperature Tp, The temperature is 45 ° C., which is the standby temperature Tk, respectively. As is clear from FIG. 17, since the halogen lamp 24 and the intake fan 28 are controlled independently, the conventional halogen lamp 2
It can be seen that the temperature in the drying region is rapidly reduced as compared with the case where the air intake fan 4 and the intake fan 28 are simultaneously turned off.

As described above, in the ink jet recording apparatus of the first embodiment, when the print mode is the "immediate print mode", the dryer 10 and the ink jet head 12 are adjusted according to the state of the flag when the print command is issued. And the printing speed of the ink jet head 12 is set to a printing speed according to the state of the flag. In the case of the “normal printing mode”, a printing standby time according to the state of the flag when a printing command is issued. Wait for printing temperature T in dry area
Printing is performed at a high speed by the ink jet head 12 after p.

In the “immediate printing mode”, printing is performed before the temperature in the drying area of the dryer 10 reaches the printing temperature Tp. Therefore, the printing of the first sheet (first print) starts after a printing instruction is given. Time until
F-POT) can be shortened.
This is advantageous for a large-sized inkjet recording apparatus in which T tends to be long.

Further, in the "normal printing mode", the temperature in the drying area of the dryer 10 reaches the printing temperature Tp in a shorter time than in the conventional case, so that the F-POT is shorter than in the conventional case and faster printing can be performed. There is.

In the end processing, the dryer 10 and the ink jet head 12 are controlled in accordance with the state of the flag.
Since the termination process is performed in accordance with the state of the flag, the temperature in the drying area can be quickly reduced to the environmental temperature Te, so that a dangerous state such as the temperature of the dryer does not drop forever after the termination is shortened. It can be preferable.

Note that the ink jet head has a cleaning process for cleaning the head when replacing the head, replacing the ink, and further upon receiving a user's instruction. In the first embodiment, the cleaning process is performed. The processing sequence is stored in the RAM 52 of the control unit 50,
The head drive driver 64 is controlled via the bus 70.

In the sequence of the cleaning process according to the first embodiment, the sequence ends at t3 + t10.
A command for starting the warm-up process is incorporated before the time, and the warm-up process described above is completed simultaneously with the end of the sequence, and the dryer 10 is set to the printing temperature Tp.

As described above, the ink jet recording apparatus according to the first embodiment has a configuration in which the control of the dryer 10 is performed by a time based on a temporal change of the temperature checked in advance. There is a great advantage that it is not costly.

Note that t1 to t1 described in the first embodiment are used.
The numerical value, temperature, and the like up to t12 depend on the structure and dimensions of the inkjet recording apparatus, and are not limited.

In the first embodiment, the case where the environmental temperature Te is 25 ° C. is described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to the case where the environmental temperature Te is 25 ° C. The same processing can be performed by reading the numerical values from t1 to t12 corresponding to the detected environmental temperatures Te.

(Second Embodiment) The second embodiment is an application of the above-described first embodiment. Instead of the control based on the time calculated based on the temperature change in the drying area, the second embodiment is different from the first embodiment.
For example, a drying area temperature detection sensor 66 (see FIG. 18) for detecting a temperature change in the drying area is provided at the center position of the upper surface of the bracket 20 shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. Warm-up processing based on
Various processes such as a standby mode switching process and an end process are performed. The ink jet recording apparatus according to the second embodiment is configured to start printing after the printing temperature is reached.

In the ink jet recording apparatus of the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 18, the detection value of the dry area temperature detection sensor 66 is input to the bus 70 of the control unit 50.

The RAM 52 includes a dry area temperature detecting sensor 6.
6 and the value detected by the environmental temperature detection sensor 58 are temporarily stored. The CPU 56 calls various programs stored in the ROM 54 and performs various controls based on the temperature once stored in the RAM 52.

The control routine of the control unit 50 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to the main routine of FIG. In FIG. 19, the same portions as those in FIG. 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

In the flow of FIG. 19, step 10 in FIG.
6, instead of reading the fixed values t1 and t2 from the R0M54 and the values from t3 to t12 determined according to the detected environmental temperature Te from the table of Table 1, at step 116, the fixed values t1 and t2 are obtained from the R0M54. And t2 are read, and the process proceeds to the next step 108 to execute the above-described processing.

Here, t1 is the holding time of standby 1,
t2 is a holding time of the standby 2 and is set in advance as a reference value. In the second embodiment, t1 is set to 30 seconds and t2 is set to 3600 seconds, but the values of t1 and t2 can be changed by the external input unit 68.

Here, step 108 in FIG.
Will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In FIG. 20, the same portions as those in FIG. 12 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

First, in the flow of FIG. 20, instead of judging whether the time t3 has elapsed in Step 206 of FIG. 12, at Step 234, the detected temperature T1 in the dry region is detected.
Is determined to have reached the standby temperature Tk. Step 234
When it is determined that the temperature T1 in the drying area has reached the standby temperature Tk in step, the process proceeds to step 208, and thereafter the above-described processing is performed.

In the flow of FIG. 20, instead of determining whether the time t10 has elapsed in step 214 of FIG. 12, the detected temperature T in the dry region is determined in step 236.
It is determined whether 1 has reached the printing temperature Tp. Step 23
If it is determined in step 6 that the temperature T1 in the dry area has reached the printing temperature Tp, the process proceeds to step 214, and thereafter, the above-described processing is performed.

Next, the standby mode switching process in step 110 in FIG. 19 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. In FIG. 21, the same parts as those in FIG. 13 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

In the flow of FIG. 21, first, instead of determining whether the time t5 has elapsed in step 310 of FIG. 13, it is determined whether the temperature T1 in the dry area detected in step 360 has reached the standby temperature Tk. . If it is determined in step 360 that the temperature T1 in the drying area has reached the standby temperature Tk, the process proceeds to step 412, and if it is determined in step 360 that the temperature T1 in the drying area has not reached the standby temperature Tk. Proceeding to step 340,
Thereafter, the above-described processing is performed.

Also, instead of determining whether a predetermined time has elapsed in steps 344 and 352 in FIG.
It is determined whether the temperature T1 in the dry area detected at 62, 366 has reached the printing temperature Tp. Each step 36
In steps 2 and 366, the temperature T1 in the drying area is the printing temperature T
When it is determined that the number has reached p, the process proceeds to the next step, steps 346 and 354, and thereafter, the above-described processing is performed.

Further, instead of determining whether the time t6 has elapsed in step 320 of FIG. 13, the temperature T1 in the dry area detected in step 364 is lower than the environmental temperature Te by one.
It is determined whether the temperature has become higher by 0 ° C. In step 364, the temperature T1 in the drying area is set to be 10 degrees lower than the environmental temperature Te.
If it is determined that the temperature is not higher by ° C, the process returns to step 348, and the above-described processing is performed thereafter.

The temperature 10 ° C. higher than the environmental temperature Te is not so dangerous even if the dryer 10 is left at that temperature, and the temperature T1 in the drying area becomes the environmental temperature Te relatively quickly. I have decided. Of course, this temperature is not limited to “a temperature 10 ° C. higher than the environmental temperature Te”, but is a value that can be changed as appropriate in accordance with the size of the dryer 10 and the capability of the halogen lamp 24.

Here, the duty ratio control in step 312 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 22, the same portions as those in FIG. 14 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

In the flow of FIG. 22, first, instead of determining whether the time t7 has elapsed in step 406 of FIG. 14, the temperature T1 in the drying area detected in step 430 is raised to a temperature higher by 2 ° C. than the standby temperature Tk. Determine if it has become.
When it is determined in step 430 that the temperature T1 in the drying area has become 2 ° C. higher than the standby temperature Tk, the process proceeds to step 408, and in step 430, the temperature T1 in the drying area is 2 ° C. higher than the standby temperature Tk. If it is determined that the temperature has not been reached, the process proceeds to step 420, and thereafter, the above-described processing is performed.

Further, instead of determining whether the time t8 has elapsed in step 414 in FIG. 14, it is determined whether the temperature T1 in the drying area detected in step 432 has become lower than the standby temperature Tk by 2 ° C. If it is determined in step 432 that the temperature T1 in the drying area has become lower than the standby temperature Tk by 2 ° C., the process proceeds to step 416. In step 432, the temperature T1 in the drying area is lower by 2 ° C. than the standby temperature Tk. If it is determined that the temperature has not been reached, the process proceeds to step 426, and thereafter, the above-described processing is performed.

Further, in the flow of FIG. 22, instead of determining whether or not the time read in accordance with the count value in step 422 in FIG. 14 has elapsed, the temperature T1 in the dry area detected in step 434 is changed to the printing temperature Tp. Determine if it has become. If it is determined in step 434 that the temperature T1 in the dry area has reached the printing temperature Tp, the process proceeds to step 424, and thereafter, the above-described processing is performed.

Note that the upper limit temperature and the lower limit temperature of the duty ratio control are set to the standby temperature Tk ± 2 ° C. here, but are not limited to this temperature, but can be changed as needed each time.

Here, step 114 in FIG.
Will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In FIG. 23, the same portions as those in FIG. 16 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

In the flow shown in FIG. 23, first, it is determined in step 708 in FIG. 13 whether F4 or F8 is set, and in step 710, it is determined whether F5 is set. When the determination is made, the following determination is performed in the next steps 704 and 712 instead of determining whether the time corresponding to each step has elapsed.

That is, it is determined in step 718 whether any one of F4, F5 or F8 is set, and if any one of F4, F5 or F8 is set, the flow proceeds to step 720 to perform detection. It is determined whether or not the temperature T1 in the dried area becomes higher by 10 ° C. than the environmental temperature Te. At step 718, F4, F5 or F8
Is set, the intake fan 28
Is turned on, and the standby temperature T
Since the printing temperature is equal to or higher than k and equal to or lower than the printing temperature Tp, step 7
If it is determined in Step 20 that the temperature T1 in the drying area has become higher by 10 ° C. than the environmental temperature Te, Step 70
Then, the process proceeds to 6 and the above-described processing is performed.

The interrupt print processing in the second embodiment is the same as the interrupt print processing in the "normal print mode" described with reference to FIG. 15 of the first embodiment, and therefore the description is omitted. I do.

Also, in the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the ink jet head is used for cleaning the head at the time of head replacement, ink replacement, and when a user's instruction is given. A command for starting a warm-up process is incorporated in the cleaning sequence for performing the warm-up process.
The configuration is as follows.

In the second embodiment, the description has been given of the ink jet recording apparatus having only the "normal printing mode" as the printing mode. However, the "immediate printing mode" is provided as in the first embodiment. In the “immediate print mode” of the first embodiment, the detection of the temperature corresponding to the step corresponding to the time measurement is applied, and the temperature detected by the temperature sensor is equal to or higher than the ambient temperature Te and equal to or lower than the standby temperature Tk. If so, low-speed printing is set. If the temperature is equal to or higher than the standby temperature Tk and equal to or lower than the printing temperature Tp, medium-speed printing is set. If the temperature is equal to or higher than the printing temperature Tp, high-speed printing is set.

For example, the temperature in the drying area is the standby temperature Tk
(45 ° C) Less than ambient temperature Te (25 ° C)
About 8 sheets / minute if (Tk>T1> Te), and about 12 sheets / minute if the temperature in the drying area is equal to or higher than Tk (45 ° C.) and lower than the printing temperature Tp (Tp>T> Tk). If the temperature in the drying area is equal to or higher than the printing temperature Tp (T1 = Tp), it may be set to about 16 sheets / minute.

In the ink jet recording apparatuses according to the first and second embodiments, the standby temperature Tk
(45 ° C.), but two or more types, such as 45 ° C. (first standby temperature Tk1) and 30 ° C. (second standby temperature Tk2), are used to set the temperature T1 in the drying area. May be maintained at a plurality of standby temperatures. In this case, first, the first standby temperature Tk1 is maintained, and then the first standby temperature Tk1 is maintained.
Second standby temperature Tk that is lower than the standby temperature Tk of
It is good to hold it at 2.

Further, in the ink jet recording apparatuses of the first and second embodiments, the case where the halogen lamp is used has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the halogen lamp, and it is not limited to the halogen lamp. Also, the present invention can be applied to a case where a far-infrared heater, a heating wire, or the like is used.

Further, in the ink jet recording apparatuses according to the first and second embodiments, all the temperatures serving as parameters are set as the absolute value of the temperature or the difference from the environmental temperature Te. Good.

[0202]

As described above, according to the present invention, there is an effect that the time from when a printing instruction is issued to when actual printing starts can be shortened while running costs are suppressed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an ink jet recording apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of the inkjet recording apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a control unit of the inkjet recording apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation serving as a main axis of the control unit according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the warm-up process shown in FIG. 4 when the print mode is set to “immediate print mode”.

6 is a graph showing a temperature change in a drying area of a dryer, a state of a halogen lamp and an intake fan, and a flag during a warm-up process of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a standby mode switching process shown in FIG. 4 when the print mode is set to “immediate print mode”.

8 is a graph showing a temperature change in a drying area of a dryer, an on / off state of a halogen lamp, a driving state of an intake fan, and types of flags set during a standby mode switching process of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the duty ratio control process shown in FIG. 7 when the print mode is set to “immediate print mode”.

FIG. 10 is a graph showing a temperature change in a drying area by an on / off control of a halogen lamp during a duty ratio control process in FIG. 9 for each environmental temperature Te.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of an interrupt print process when the print mode is set to “immediate print mode”.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of the warm-up process shown in FIG. 4 when the print mode is set to “normal print mode”.

13 is a flowchart of a standby mode switching process shown in FIG. 4 when the print mode is set to “normal print mode”.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart of the duty ratio control process shown in FIG. 7 when the print mode is set to “normal print mode”.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart of interrupt print processing when the print mode is set to “normal print mode”.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart of a termination process according to the first embodiment.

17 is a graph showing a temperature change in a drying region of the dryer at the time of the end processing of FIG. 16, and an on / off state of a halogen lamp and a driving state of an intake fan.

FIG. 18 is a block diagram of a control unit of the inkjet recording apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing an operation serving as a main axis of the control unit according to the second embodiment.

20 is a flowchart of the warm-up process shown in FIG.

21 is a flowchart of a standby mode switching process shown in FIG.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart of a duty ratio control process shown in FIG. 21.

FIG. 23 is a flowchart of a termination process shown in FIG. 19;

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 dryer 12 inkjet head 14 discharge roller pair 16 feed roller 17 star wheel 18 housing 20 bracket 22 reflector 24 halogen lamp 26 partition plate 28 intake fan 30 wind direction plate 32 exhaust fan 34 intake passage 36 exhaust passage 38 silicone rubber roller 40 star wheel 50 control Section 58 Environmental temperature detection sensor 60 Intake fan drive driver 62 Heater drive driver 64 Head drive driver 66 Temperature detection sensor 66 Dry area temperature detection sensor 70 Bus

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Fumihiko Ogasawara 2274 Hongo, Ebina-shi, Kanagawa Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. In-house (72) Inventor Keisuke Yasuda 2274 Hongo, Ebina-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. 2C056 EB06 EB30 EC14 EC29 EC36 HA47 2C061 AQ05 HH07 HH11 HT03 HT06 HT09 HT13

Claims (17)

[Claims] 1. A heater for applying thermal energy to a recording medium with ink in a predetermined drying area, a cooling unit for directly or indirectly cooling the inside of the drying area, An ink drying device comprising: a control unit that controls at least one of a heat generation amount of the heater and a cooling amount of the cooling unit so that a temperature becomes a standby temperature lower than the printing temperature. 2. The ink drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the standby temperature to gradually decrease as time passes. 3. The control unit turns on the heater and drives the cooling unit during printing at a high speed, and the temperature of the drying area decreases the standby temperature while the cooling unit is driven during standby for printing. 3. The ink drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the heater is controlled to be on and off so that the temperature is maintained within a predetermined temperature range. 4. The ink drying apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the control unit starts the on / off control of the heater when a first predetermined time has elapsed from the start of printing standby in a state where no printing command is given. 5. The ink drying apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a standby temperature control start time setting means for setting the first predetermined time. 6. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an environmental temperature detecting unit configured to detect an environmental temperature of the ink drying apparatus, wherein the control unit controls the heater as the environmental temperature detected by the environmental temperature detecting unit decreases in on / off control of the heater. The ink drying apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the on-time of the ink is increased. 7. The control device according to claim 3, wherein the control unit controls the heater on and off based on a predetermined heater on time and off time while the cooling unit is being driven, during standby for printing. 3. The ink drying device according to claim 1. 8. A temperature detecting means for detecting a temperature in the drying area, wherein the control means drives a heater when the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means is lower than the predetermined temperature range, 7. The ink drying device according to claim 3, wherein the heater is turned off when the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means is higher than the predetermined temperature range. 9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the control unit starts the on / off control of the heater in a state where no print command is given,
The ink drying apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 8, wherein after a predetermined time has elapsed, the on / off control of the heater is stopped, and the cooling unit is stopped. 10. When a print command is given during standby for printing, the control unit controls a combination of an on / off state of the heater during standby for printing, a driving state of the cooling unit, and a temperature in a drying area. 10. The printing temperature in the dry area by controlling the heater and the cooling unit based on a drive control setting of the heater and the cooling unit determined in advance according to the following. The ink drying device according to claim 1. 11. The maintenance unit according to claim 1, wherein during the maintenance process, the drive control of the heater and the cooling unit is started before the maintenance process is completed, so that the inside of the dry area reaches a printing temperature at the end of the maintenance process. The ink drying device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, which controls the ink drying device. 12. A heater is turned on by a power-on command, and after a lapse of a predetermined time since the heater is turned on, or after the heater is turned on, a temperature of the drying area reaches a predetermined temperature. The ink drying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11, further comprising a start control unit that starts driving the cooling unit. 13. A power-off command to turn off the heater, and after a lapse of a predetermined time from turning off the heater, or after turning off the heater, the temperature of the drying region reaches a predetermined temperature. The ink drying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12, further comprising an end control unit that stops driving of the cooling unit. 14. A heater for applying thermal energy to a recording medium with ink in a predetermined drying area, cooling means for directly or indirectly cooling the drying area, and turning on the heater by a power-on command. Start control means for starting the driving of the cooling means after a lapse of a predetermined time since turning on the heater, or when the temperature of the drying area reaches a predetermined temperature after turning on the heater. When the heater is turned off by a power-off command and a predetermined time has elapsed since the heater was turned off, or when the temperature of the drying area reached a predetermined temperature after the heater was turned off, An ink drying device comprising: a termination control unit that stops driving of the cooling unit. 15. The ink drying device according to claim 1, wherein the heater is a halogen lamp. 16. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising the ink drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a temperature in a dry area reaches a printing temperature from application of a printing start signal. An ink jet recording apparatus that performs printing at a printing speed according to the elapsed time after a predetermined time has elapsed. 17. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising the ink drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a temperature in a drying area is detected by applying a print start signal. An ink jet recording apparatus that performs printing at a printing speed according to the temperature in the drying area from a temperature equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature before the temperature in the drying area reaches the printing temperature.