JP2002220129A - Recorder and method for removing foreign matter - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a recorder and a method for removing a foreign matter capable of obtaining a pressing force uniformly in the whole direction of width of a recording medium and removing the foreign matter using an adhesive roller reducing the deterioration of adhesive strength with age, in particular, an adhesive rubber roller. SOLUTION: This recorder is provided with a recording medium supply part, a recording medium conveyance part, and a recording part, and the adhesive roller for removing the foreign matter is arranged in at least any of each part. The adhesive roller has a crown shape in which a diameter of a central part is larger than a diameter in both end parts in the axial direction of a roller main body, and an adhesive material is a rubber material containing TiOx (titanium oxide), hydrocarbon compound having a functional group of C-O or Si-O, and no Ba (barium).

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a recording apparatus for recording information such as characters and images on a recording medium by laser exposure, and a method for removing foreign substances in a recording apparatus, and more particularly to a recording apparatus provided with an adhesive roller for removing foreign substances therein. The present invention relates to a technique for reliably removing foreign substances over a long period of time.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a recording apparatus for recording image information on a recording medium by laser exposure or the like, for example, a recording apparatus for irradiating a recording medium fixed on a recording drum with a recording head to irradiate a laser beam with a recording head to perform image recording. There is. As the recording medium in that case, a color material sheet formed on a transparent support and having a color material layer capable of heat transfer and an image receiving sheet having an image receiving layer for receiving the color material layer are used. The color material sheet is heated according to the image data in a state where the sheet and the image receiving sheet are overlapped. Thus, the heated or unheated portion of the color material layer is transferred to the image receiving layer, and an image is recorded on the image receiving sheet.

[0003] After these recording media are supplied to a supply tray or the like, one of the uppermost layers is taken out by a pickup roller, and is transported to a recording rotary drum position by a transport roller (nip roller or the like) arranged in the middle of a transport path. It is conveyed, wound around the drum surface and fixed. in this way,
Several conveyance rollers are arranged in a recording medium conveyance path in the recording apparatus, and the recording medium is conveyed at a predetermined timing by these conveyance rollers.

[0004] Of these transport rollers, one of the rollers is an adhesive roller to provide both transport and cleaning effects, or a cleaning roller (adhesive roller) for removing foreign matter separately from the transport roller. (Consisting of a natural roller). By providing the adhesive roller, foreign substances adhering to the recording medium and foreign substances adhering during conveyance of the recording medium can be removed. In addition, by installing a cleaning roller so as to be in contact with the recording drum, it is possible to remove foreign substances adhering on the recording drum, supply a recording medium to the recording drum, and rotate the recording drum. Foreign matter adhering to the recording medium can be removed while the recording medium is being discharged and conveyed from the drum.

[0005]

The pickup roller, transport roller, cleaning roller and the like used in the above-mentioned conventional recording apparatus are generally of a straight shape in which the diameter of the roller is constant over the entire width. ing. In the case of the straight-shaped roller, when the roller is brought into contact only with its own weight, the roller can be brought into uniform contact over the entire width direction of the roller. However, a roller pair is formed like a nip roller 70 shown in FIG. When nipping between rollers with a predetermined pressing force, the pressing force at the central portion in the roller width direction tends to be weak because the rollers are bent,
In the worst case, the pressing force at the center may not be obtained. In addition, even if the nip roller is not configured, FIG.
As shown in (b), for example, a driving mechanism 72 such as an air piston is provided at both ends of the roller, and the roller 74 can be pressed against the opposing surface. Also in this case, similarly, the pressing force at the center in the width direction tends to be weak due to the bending generated in the roller 74.

When the recording medium conveyed in the recording apparatus is wound around a recording drum and fixed, the image receiving sheet and the color material sheet are overlapped and brought into close contact with each other by vacuum suction or a pressing roller. . The degree of adhesion is large at the edge portion of the sheet, and the air flow resistance is large at the substantially central portion of the sheet, so that suction tends to be insufficient, and the sheet may not be sufficiently adhered. If foreign matter is present on the sheet in this state, an image defect due to the foreign matter becomes particularly noticeable at the center in the width direction. For this reason, it is necessary to reliably remove the foreign matter at the center in the width direction. Therefore, when the recording medium is pressed by a pressing roller (for example, a laminating roller, a cleaning roller, a squeeze roller, etc.) which can be brought into contact with the surface of the rotating drum for recording, the pressing force at the central portion in the roller width direction is weakened for the above-mentioned reason, There is a problem that the degree of adhesion of the resin is reduced.

Further, when the material used for the adhesive roller is an adhesive rubber material or an adhesive substance, the adhesive force may decrease due to natural aging, and therefore, after the production of the adhesive roller, After two to three months, the adhesive strength decreases, and the ability to remove foreign matter on the recording medium decreases. As a result, a portion where a desired image is not recorded is formed on the recorded image, and there is a problem that an image defect occurs.

The present invention has been made in view of such conventional problems, and it is possible to obtain a pressing force evenly over the entire width direction of a recording medium and to reduce an adhesive force with the passage of time, especially an adhesive roller. It is an object of the present invention to provide a recording apparatus and a method for removing foreign matters using an adhesive rubber roller.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording apparatus comprising a recording medium supply section, a recording medium transport section, and a recording section, wherein at least one of the above sections is provided. A recording device provided with an adhesive roller for removing foreign matter using an adhesive material, wherein the adhesive roller is formed such that a diameter of a central portion thereof is larger than a diameter of both axial end portions of a roller body. It is characterized by having a crown shape.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the recording apparatus, the crown shape has a difference between a diameter of both ends in the axial direction and a diameter of the central portion of 0.1 mm or more and 2 mm or less.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the recording apparatus, when the diameter of the both ends in the axial direction is d and the diameter of the central part is D, 1.002 ≦ D / d ≦ 1.11. Is set in the range of.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the recording apparatus, the crown shape is such that when the diameter at both ends in the axial direction is d, the diameter at the central portion is D, and the length in the axial direction of the roller body is L,
It is characterized in that the shape is set in the range of 0.0001 ≦ (D−d) /L≦0.005.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the recording apparatus, the recording medium supply unit has a supply tray for directly supplying the recording medium manually.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the recording apparatus, the recording medium supply unit loads a recording medium cassette in which a plurality of recording media are stacked in advance in a predetermined order and accommodated, and the loaded recording medium cassette is It is characterized by supplying a recording medium.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the recording apparatus, the recording medium supply unit has an opening window for directly supplying the recording medium to the recording unit.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the adhesive material includes TiOx (titanium oxide).

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the recording apparatus, the adhesive material contains TiOx (titanium oxide) and does not contain Ba (barium).

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the recording apparatus, the adhesive material contains a hydrocarbon compound having a functional group of CO or Si-O.

According to a still further aspect of the present invention, the recording section is attached to a recording rotary drum rotatably supported in the main scanning direction and movably in a sub-scanning direction substantially orthogonal to the main scanning direction. And a recording head.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a foreign matter removing method comprising a recording medium supply unit, a recording medium transporting unit, and a recording unit, and at least one of the units includes an adhesive roller for removing foreign objects using an adhesive material. A method for removing foreign matter from a recording apparatus, wherein the foreign matter inside a recording medium or a recording apparatus is formed by using a crown-shaped adhesive roller having a central portion whose diameter is larger than a diameter of both axial ends of a roller body. Is removed.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the method for removing foreign matter, the difference between the diameter at both ends in the axial direction and the diameter at the center is 0.1 m.
The recording medium or the foreign matter inside the recording apparatus is removed by using an adhesive roller having a length of m or more and 2 mm or less.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, when the diameter at both ends in the axial direction is d and the diameter at the center is D, the range is 1.002 ≦ D / d ≦ 1.11. The recording medium or the foreign matter inside the recording apparatus is removed by using an adhesive roller having a predetermined shape.

According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for removing contaminants, wherein d is the diameter of both ends in the axial direction, D is the diameter of the central part, and L is the length of the roller body in the axial direction.
It is characterized in that a foreign substance inside the recording medium or the recording apparatus is removed by using an adhesive roller having a shape set in the range of (D−d) /L≦0.005.

[0024] According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for removing foreign matter, comprising:
By using an adhesive roller using an adhesive material containing x (titanium oxide), foreign matter inside the recording medium or the recording device is removed.

According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for removing foreign matter, comprising:
The present invention is characterized in that a foreign substance inside a recording medium or a recording apparatus is removed by using an adhesive roller using an adhesive material containing x (titanium oxide) and not containing Ba (barium).

[0026] The method for removing foreign matter according to claim 18 is characterized in that C-O
Alternatively, foreign matter in the recording medium or the inside of the recording apparatus is removed by using an adhesive roller using an adhesive material containing a hydrocarbon compound having a Si—O functional group.

According to a nineteenth aspect of the present invention, in the method for removing foreign matter, the recording unit comprises a rotatable rotatable recording drum and a recording head mounted to move linearly. It is characterized in that foreign matter in the recording medium or the inside of the recording device is removed from a recording device which rotates at a high speed in a scanning direction and moves the recording head at a low speed in a sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction.

[0028]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of a recording apparatus and a foreign matter removing method according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing a schematic configuration of a recording apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing a recording head unit of the recording apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a recording medium.

In general, a recording apparatus for recording on a recording medium includes, for example, a recording medium attached to the peripheral surface of a rotating drum and the rotating drum being driven to rotate, while the recording head is moved in the drum axis direction, or Drum rotation recording system that performs recording by moving the laser light from the
Alternatively, while the recording medium is conveyed to a recording position by a conveyance roller or the like, recording is performed by moving the recording head in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction, or by moving laser light from the recording head in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction. There is a self-propelled recording method to perform. Here, the drum rotation recording method will be described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this method.

First, the configuration of the recording apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the recording unit of the recording apparatus 100 is provided with a recording rotary drum 12, and a recording head 16 is provided to face the recording rotary drum 12. A control unit 17 that supplies a signal based on image data and controls the operation of the entire recording apparatus 100 is connected to the recording head 16. The recording section having the recording rotary drum 12 and the recording head includes a supply tray 2.
The recording medium 1 is supplied from a recording medium supply unit including a pickup roller 22 and a pickup roller 22. Further, a recording medium conveyance unit such as a conveyance roller and a conveyance guide plate is provided in the middle of the conveyance path from the recording medium supply unit to the recording unit.

The recording rotary drum 12 has a hollow cylindrical shape and is rotatably supported by a frame 14 shown in FIG. The recording rotary drum 12 is connected to a rotating shaft of a motor (not shown) and driven to rotate. The recording medium 1 composed of an image receiving sheet having an image receiving layer and a color material sheet having a color material layer is superposed and fixed on the recording rotary drum 12. In the recording apparatus 100, the rotation direction of the recording drum 12 is the main scanning direction.

The recording head 16 is mounted so as to be linearly movable in a direction parallel to the rotation axis of the recording rotary drum 12 along a guide rail 18 by a driving device (not shown). This moving direction is the sub-scanning direction. The recording head 16 emits the laser light Lb toward the recording drum 12, and transfers the image receiving layer of the color material sheet at the irradiation position of the laser light Lb to the image receiving layer of the image receiving sheet. Accordingly, a desired position on the color material sheet covering the image receiving sheet can be selectively exposed to laser light by a combination of the rotation of the recording drum 12 (main scanning) and the linear movement of the recording head 16 (sub scanning). It becomes possible. Therefore, the supply tray 20
The recording medium 1 placed on the recording medium 1 is taken out from the upper side by a pickup roller 22 and mounted on the recording drum 12,
A desired image is formed on the recording medium 1 by scanning the recording medium 1 with the drawing laser light Lb, performing on-off modulation based on the image information, and exposing.

Next, the recording medium 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the image receiving sheet 2 forming the recording medium 1 has a support layer 2a, a cushion layer 2b, and an image receiving layer 2c laminated in this order, and the recording drum 12 has the support layer 2a side inside. It is attached by winding around. As a material of the support layer 2a, PET (polyethylene terephthalate) base, TAC (triacetyl cellulose) base, PEN
A material such as a (polyethylene naphthalate) base is used. The image receiving layer 2c has a function of receiving a color material layer transferred from the color material sheet 3, and the cushion layer 2b has a function of absorbing a step when a plurality of color materials are stacked.

On the other hand, the color material sheet 3 has a support layer 3a, a light-to-heat conversion layer 3b, and a color material layer 3c laminated in this order.
c is set so as to be in contact with the image receiving layer 2 c of the image receiving sheet 2. As the support layer 3a, any material can be selected from general support materials (for example, the same material as the above-described support layer 2a) as long as it transmits laser light. Light-to-heat conversion layer 3b
Has a function of converting the energy of the irradiated laser light into heat, and is a general substance that converts light energy into heat energy, such as carbon, a black substance, an infrared absorbing dye, and a specific wavelength absorbing substance. Any material can be selected from the photothermal conversion materials. As the color material layer 3c, for example, each color of black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y) is prepared, and in some cases, a color called a special color such as gold or silver is also prepared. .

For example, when the recording order of each color is K → C → M → Y, the supply order of the recording medium 1 to the recording drum 12 is R (image receiving sheet). ), K (black color material sheet), C (cyan color material sheet), M (magenta color material sheet), and Y (yellow color material sheet). For this reason, the recording media placed on the supply tray 20 are set in the order of RKCMY from the upper layer. The details of the recording medium are described in, for example, JP-A-4-2965.
No. 94, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 4-327982, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No.
See -327983.

Next, the placed image receiving sheet 2 and the color material sheets 3 of the four colors K, C, M, and Y are sequentially pulled out from the supply tray 20, and a desired color image is placed on the image receiving sheet 2. Will be described with reference to FIG. First,
Printing is started with the recording medium 1 placed on the supply tray 20 shown in FIG. 1 in a predetermined order. Then, the pickup roller 22 operates to take out the uppermost image receiving sheet 2,
The sheet is conveyed to the recording rotary drum 12 by conveying means (not shown). The image receiving sheet 2 is a rotary drum 1 for recording.
It is fixed by suction by a vacuum suction device (not shown) or by a chucking mechanism (not shown). As described above, in Step 1 shown in FIG. 4, the image receiving sheet 2 is supplied to the recording rotary drum 12 and wound and fixed. In the case of a configuration in which the recording medium 1 is directly attached to the recording rotary drum 12, the pickup roller 22 becomes unnecessary.

Next, in step 2, the K color material sheet 3 is similarly taken out from the supply tray 20 and the image receiving sheet 2 is taken out.
Is supplied to the recording rotary drum 12 mounted with. Then, if necessary, the image receiving sheet 2 wound around the recording rotary drum 12 and the color material sheet 3 are laminated by heating and pressing the K color. This laminating step may be omitted in some cases.

In the next step 3, laser exposure is performed by the recording head 16 based on image data given in advance. Thus, the laser light is thermally converted by the photothermal conversion layer 3b of the color material sheet 3, and the color material layer 3c is bonded to the image receiving layer 2c of the image receiving sheet 2. Here, the image data is color-separated into images for each color, and the laser exposure is performed based on the color-separated image data for each color, that is, K color data.

Then, in Step 4, only the K color material sheet 3 is peeled off from the recording rotary drum 12. Thus, when the toner is used as the color material layer, the toner layer of the color material sheet 3 is transferred to the image receiving sheet 2, and an image is formed on the image receiving sheet 2. Step 2 above
The processing similar to the above-described steps 4 to 4 is repeatedly performed on the color material sheets 3 for all colors used for image recording. That is, the processes from Steps 5 to 13 are repeated for the color material sheets 3 of C, M, and Y colors other than the transferred K color. As a result, the color material layers of the color material sheets 3 of four colors (K, C, M, Y) are transferred image-wise to one image receiving sheet 2, and the image receiving sheets 2
A color image is formed thereon. Thereafter, the image receiving sheet 2 on which the image is formed is removed from the recording rotary drum 12.
In the removed image receiving sheet 2, a transfer image on the image receiving sheet 2 is further transferred to an arbitrary printing paper by a separate image transfer unit. The color printing is performed by the above steps.

Here, the adhesive roller used in the recording apparatus 100, which is a feature of the present invention, will be described. In the present embodiment, the pickup roller 22 is configured as an adhesive roller, and the shape of the pickup roller 22 has a difference between a diameter at a center position in the width direction of the roller and a diameter at a position near an end portion in the width direction. It has a crown shape. FIG. 5 shows a conceptual shape of the pickup roller 22 which is an adhesive roller. FIG. 5A shows a tapered crown shape having a tapered surface at the width direction end, and FIG. 5B shows a radial crown shape formed into a curved surface over the entire width direction. Any crown shape can be applied as the roller of the present embodiment.

The pickup roller 22 of the present embodiment is
It is formed by inserting a crown-shaped cylindrical rubber body into a cored bar having support portions at both ends, and specific dimensions are, for example, as follows. Roller body axial length (rubber roller width) 500mm Rubber roller center diameter 40mm Rubber roller end diameter 39mm Crown shape Taper crown

The pickup roller 22 having the above-mentioned shape has supporting portions at both ends connected to a driving mechanism such as an air piston, and a predetermined pressing force (for example, 98 N (10 kgf)) is applied to each supporting portion by the driving mechanism. Is done.
When this pressing force is applied to the recording medium 1 placed on the supply tray 20, the pressing force at the center in the width direction does not decrease because the pickup roller 22 has a crown shape, and the pressing force is uniform over the entire width direction. Is pressed. As a result, the recording medium 1 is reliably taken out, and the pickup roller 22 extends over the entire width of the recording medium 1.
Are uniformly pressed at a predetermined surface pressure, and the pickup roller 2
Foreign matter on the surface of the recording medium 1 is removed by the adhesiveness of the recording medium 1 itself. When the roller contacts only a part of the recording medium 1, a roller mark remains on a part of the film surface of the recording medium 1, and the recording sensitivity (density) changes depending on the presence or absence of the roller mark, resulting in an image defect. By making the roller pressure uniform in the roller width direction, the pressing force is evenly distributed, and no local force is applied, thereby preventing the occurrence of image defects and the occurrence of defects such as film peeling. .

Here, the crown shape of the pickup roller 22 is preferably set to the following dimensions. (A1) The diameter difference between the diameter D at the center position in the width direction of the roller and the diameter d at the position near the end in the width direction is 0.1.
２2 mm. (A2) 1.002 ≦ D / d ≦ 1.11 For example, when the diameter D at the substantially central portion is φ40 mm, the diameter range at both ends is set to 36 mm or more and 39.9 mm or less. (A3) 0.0001 ≦ (D−d) /L≦0.00
5 For example, the diameter D of the approximate center is φ40 mm, and the roller length L
Is 500 mm, the diameter range at both ends is 37.5 mm
It is set to not less than 39.9 mm.

By setting the size within the above-described range, the uniformity of the pressing force due to the crown shape can be particularly enhanced.

The material of the adhesive rubber used for the adhesive rubber roller (pickup roller 22) is TiO.
x (titanium oxide), and / or a hydrocarbon compound having a functional group of CO or Si-O, and
Adhesive rubber containing no (barium) can be suitably used. By using this material, it is possible to remove foreign substances adhering to the recording medium castle over a long period of time. Specifically, this material is commercially available under the product name “Carboless MIMOSA” manufactured by Miyagawa Roller Co., Ltd., and preferably has a grade of “LT” or “ST” (see Table 1).

[0046]

[Table 1]

In Table 1, "Carboless MIMOSAL"
T "(abbreviated as" LT "in the table) and" Carboless MIMO "
"SA ST" (abbreviated as "ST" in the table) indicates the adhesive strength, hardness, and electric resistance value.Since the adhesive rubber has a small electric resistance value, the static electricity generated in the recording medium is eliminated. It also has a feature that can be removed.

The "Carboless MIMOSAL"
T, "Carboless MIMOSA ST" and other types of "cleaner green", "MIMOSA Unde"
FIG. 6 shows the results of a natural aging deterioration test of foreign substance removal for the four types of “r LT”. The graph shown in FIG. 6 was left unused for one month and used after one month to record an image. The horizontal axis indicates the number of elapsed months, and the vertical axis indicates the number of image defects due to the foreign matter.
"SA LT" and "Carboless MIMOST" are 8
Even after a lapse of months, the number of image defects due to foreign matter is less than 10, and the number of image defects due to foreign matter already exceeds 10 in one month after "MIMOSA Under LT" (the number of image defects = 1.
5) The number of image defects was 36 after 2 months, 60 after 3 months, and 60 months after 8 months. In addition, the “cleaner green” is such that after one month, the number of image defects due to foreign matter has already exceeded 20, and two months later, 50, and three months later, 67, 8
After a lapse of months, the number of image defects exceeded 70. As described above, even when the same adhesive rubber material was used, a great difference was generated.

Table 2 shows "Carboless MIMOSAL."
T, "Carboless MIMOSA ST", "Cleaner Green" and "MIMOSA Under LT" show the analysis results of rubber properties and the comparison of overall performance.

[0050]

[Table 2]

According to this, even if the same adhesive rubber material is used, it contains TiOx as a filler and C--O as a plasticizer, such as "Carboless MIMOSA LT" or "Carboless MIMOSA ST" rubber. Or Si
It can be seen that the pressure-sensitive adhesive rubber containing a hydrocarbon compound having a -O functional group is optimal for use in the roller of the present embodiment because it has good transportability and the adhesive power has a slow deterioration with natural aging.
Conversely, the adhesive rubber containing Ba is not good in the transportability and the natural aging deterioration of the adhesive strength. Therefore, it can be seen that the adhesive rubber containing Ba is not suitable for removing foreign matter in a recording apparatus.

Therefore, the component constitution applicable to the roller of this embodiment is any of the following (B1) to (B5). (B1) containing TiOx (B2) containing TiOx and not containing Ba (B3) containing a monovalent hydrogen compound having a functional group of CO or Si-O (B4) containing TiOx and C- Including a hydrocarbon compound having a functional group of O or Si-O (B5) Containing a hydrocarbon compound having a functional group of CO or Si-O and containing no TiOx, and not containing Ba

The foreign matter on the surface of the recording medium 1 can be removed by the pickup roller 22 using the adhesive rubber material having the above-described composition before the recording medium 100 is conveyed into the recording apparatus 100. Foreign matter introduction is prevented,
The occurrence of image defects in the recorded image is prevented for a long time.

FIG. 7 is a view showing a state in which after the image receiving sheet 2 to which the foreign matter is attached is mounted on the recording rotary drum 12, the color material sheet 3 is mounted on the outer periphery thereof. The image receiving layer 2c of the image receiving sheet 2 and the color material layer 3c of the color material sheet are adsorbed in a stacked state, and as shown in FIG. The gap G is formed between the color material sheet 3 and a wide range S1. In a range S1 in which the gap G is formed by deforming the color material sheet 3 in a convex shape, white spots occur in the recorded image. However, in the present embodiment, as described above, a uniform pressing force is obtained over the entire surface of the recording medium 1 in the width direction of the roller, and the cleaning is performed using the adhesive roller with little deterioration of the adhesive force with time. The recording device 1
The foreign matter can be reliably removed at the entrance of 00, the foreign matter on the recording medium 1 is reliably removed, and the occurrence of image defects such as white spots on the recorded image can be prevented.

Here, when the recording medium 1 is supplied to the recording apparatus 100, a recording medium cassette in which image receiving sheets 2 and color material sheets 3 are previously stacked and stored in a predetermined order is used. A modification of the present embodiment having a configuration of sequentially taking out is described below. In the recording apparatus of this modification, a cassette mounting base 24 is provided at a recording medium supply position, as shown in the overall view schematically showing the configuration in FIG. The recording medium cassette 26 is directly removably loaded. Recording device 1
At 00, the recording medium cassette 26 is loaded on the cassette mounting stand 24, so that the recording medium is taken out from the recording medium cassette 26 and supplied to the recording rotating drum 12 of the recording apparatus 100.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the recording medium cassette 26. In the recording medium cassette 26, the image receiving sheet 2 and the color material sheet 3, which are the recording medium 1, are stored.
2 and stored in the order in which they are supplied. For example, the order of supply and transport to the recording rotary drum 12 is as follows: the image receiving sheet R, the K color material sheet, the C color material sheet, the M color material sheet, and the Y color material sheet.
In the case of a color material sheet, the layers are stacked in the order of RKCMY from the upper layer. Recording medium cassette 26 mounted on recording apparatus 100
Is controlled by the pickup roller 22 of the recording apparatus 100.
The recording medium is taken out from the uppermost recording medium and supplied into the recording apparatus 100. Although only one set of each recording medium is illustrated in FIG. 9, a plurality of sets can be accommodated and continuous supply can be realized.

As described above, by accommodating the recording medium 1 in the recording medium cassette 26 and loading the recording medium 100 into the recording apparatus 100, the recording medium 1 can be continuously supplied, the number of recording steps is reduced, and the loading operation of the recording medium 1 is performed. It is possible to reduce the probability that a foreign substance from clothes or air of a person adheres. If the cassette body is made of metal, the recording medium 1 can be prevented from being charged with static electricity.

Next, a second embodiment of the recording apparatus according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 10 shows an overall configuration diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the recording apparatus 200 of the present embodiment. Hereinafter, members having the same functions as the members illustrated in FIG. 1 are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted. The pickup roller 23 of the present embodiment is made of a rubber roller,
Both ends of the pickup roller 23 are supported by arms 30. The arm 30 is attached to the apparatus main body side so as to swing about a fulcrum 32,
3 can be selectively moved to a pickup position indicated by a solid line and a cleaning position indicated by a wavy line. In the cleaning position, a cleaning roller 34 composed of an adhesive roller is provided at a position where the cleaning roller 34 comes into contact with the pickup roller 23. When the pickup roller 23 oscillated to the cleaning position comes into contact with the cleaning roller 34, the cleaning roller 34 is driven to rotate or driven by the pickup roller 23. Rotate. This removes foreign matter from the surface of the pickup roller 23. The cleaning roller 34 is formed in the same crown shape as the above-described embodiment, and the same component is used for the adhesive rubber material.

According to the above configuration, the pickup roller 2
3, when the recording medium 1 is taken out of the recording medium cassette 26, even if the pickup roller 23 is contaminated with foreign matter from the recording medium 1 or the like, the pickup roller 23
Swing from the pickup position to the cleaning position,
By rotating while being in contact with the cleaning roller 34, it is possible to remove foreign substances attached to the surface of the pickup roller 23. This cleaning operation can be performed at the start of operation of the recording apparatus, at the start of recording, or at predetermined intervals during operation of the recording apparatus. In particular, in the configuration of the present embodiment, since the cleaning roller 34 has a crown shape, the cleaning roller 34 comes into contact with a uniform pressing force over the entire width direction of the pickup roller 23, and uniform removal of foreign substances becomes possible. Further, since the adhesiveness can always maintain an optimal adhesive force without changing over time, image defects of a recorded image can be prevented for a long time.

Next, a third embodiment of the recording apparatus according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 11 shows an overall configuration diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the recording apparatus 300 of the present embodiment. The pickup roller 22 of the present embodiment is formed of a rubber roller, and takes out the recording medium 1 from the recording medium cassette 26. The taken out recording medium 1 is guided by conveyance guide plates 38 and 38 into a pair of upper and lower nip roller pairs 36 composed of adhesive rollers provided in the middle of the conveyance path to the recording rotary drum 12. The nip roller pair 36 may have at least one of the rollers as an adhesive roller.
Can be cleaned on both the front and back surfaces, and the foreign matter removing effect is increased. Then, at least one of the nip roller pairs 36 is formed in the same crown shape as the above-described embodiment, and the component of the adhesive rubber material is
The same as described above is used. The nip roller pair 36 composed of the adhesive roller of the present embodiment may be provided at any position on the conveyance path to the recording drum 12 in addition to the position near the pickup roller 22.

According to the configuration of the present embodiment, since the nip roller pair 36 includes a crown-shaped roller, the recording medium 1
Can be pressed uniformly over the entire width direction, and uniform foreign matter can be removed over the entire surface of the recording medium 1. Moreover, the adhesiveness can always maintain the optimal adhesive strength without changing over time.

FIG. 12 shows a modification of the present embodiment.
An example of a configuration in which a plurality of nip roller pairs including a pair of upper and lower adhesive rollers are provided is shown. In this modification, the upstream nip roller pair 4 located on the upstream side in the transport direction of the recording medium 1
0 and a pair of downstream nip rollers 42 located on the downstream side in the transport direction.
4 are provided. If foreign matter is attached to the transport guide plate 44, the foreign matter will be attached to the recording medium 1 being transported.

According to this configuration, the foreign matter adhering to the recording medium 1 before being conveyed is removed by the upstream nip roller pair 40 and passes through the upstream nip roller pair 40. Then, when guided in sliding contact with the transport guide plate 44,
Foreign matter on the transport guide plate 44 may adhere to the recording medium. The foreign matter is removed by the downstream nip roller pair 42. As described above, even if the recording medium 1 has a chance to slide on a portion of the transport path, such as the transport guide plate 44, to which foreign matter may adhere, the above-described adhesive roller may be attached downstream of the location. With the provision, the newly attached foreign matter can be removed and transported.

In the present embodiment, the transport roller is provided as an adhesive roller and has a cleaning effect, but a cleaning roller for the purpose of removing only foreign matters is provided as appropriate separately from the transport roller. It may be a configuration. In this case, the cleaning roller can be pressed uniformly over the entire width direction by using a crown-shaped adhesive rubber material having the above-mentioned component composition, and uniform foreign matter can be removed. Becomes In addition, since the adhesiveness can always maintain an optimal adhesive force without changing over time, it is possible to prevent image defects from occurring in a recorded image for a long time.

Next, a fourth embodiment of the recording apparatus of the present invention will be described. In the recording apparatus of this embodiment, a cleaning roller composed of an adhesive roller is provided so as to be able to contact and separate from the drum surface in order to clean the surface of the recording rotary drum 12 and the surface of the recording medium mounted on the drum surface. . FIG. 13 is an overall view showing a schematic configuration of the recording apparatus 400 of the present embodiment. The cleaning roller 50 is
The supporting portions at both ends of the roller are connected to a driving mechanism 52 such as an air piston.
And the drive mechanism 52 is operated to contact / separate from the surface of the recording drum 12 at a predetermined timing. The cleaning roller 50 is formed in the same crown shape as the above-described embodiment, and the same component is used for the adhesive rubber material.

Here, the timing at which foreign matter is removed by the cleaning roller 50 will be sequentially described. FIG. 14 illustrates a state where the surface of the recording drum 12 is cleaned before the recording medium is mounted on the recording drum 12. If recording is performed with foreign matter adhered to the surface of the recording rotary drum 12, a poor adhesion portion shown in FIG. 15 will be generated. That is, as shown in FIG. 15, when the foreign matter X exists between the surface of the recording rotary drum 12 and the image receiving sheet 2, the image receiving sheet 2 is deformed into a convex shape around the position where the foreign matter X exists. The color material sheet 3 receives this convex deformation, and a gap G is formed annularly between the color material sheet 3 and the image receiving sheet 2 around the position of the foreign matter. As a result, an image defect called ring omission occurs in a range where the gap G is formed. Therefore, the cleaning roller 50 of the present embodiment cleans the surface of the recording rotary drum 12 before mounting the recording medium, so that the pressing force on the drum surface is made uniform over the entire width of the roller, and the width of the drum surface is made uniform. Foreign matter is reliably removed over the entire direction. Thus, the occurrence of image defects due to foreign matter is prevented.

FIG. 16 shows a state in which the surface of the recording medium 1 (the image receiving sheet 2 or the color material sheet 3) is cleaned when the recording medium 1 is mounted on the recording rotary drum 12. If printing is performed with foreign matter adhered to the surface of the recording medium 1, white spots will occur in the recorded image as shown in FIG. In the state where the foreign matter X adheres to the support layer 3a of the color material sheet 3, the foreign matter X exists on the outermost peripheral surface side of the recording medium 1 at the time of laser exposure by the recording head 16, and the foreign matter X is The shadow of the laser is generated, and the energy becomes insufficient on the light-to-heat conversion layer 3b. As a result, a missing image occurs in the recorded image. Therefore, the generation of the above-mentioned image defects is prevented by removing the foreign matter at the same time when the recording rotary drum 12 is mounted.

FIG. 17 shows a state in which the surface of the image receiving sheet 2 is cleaned after the image receiving sheet 2 is mounted on the recording rotary drum 12, and FIG. A state in which the surface of the color material sheet 3 is cleaned after the color material sheet 3 is mounted on the drum 12 is shown. At any time, the foreign matter X adhering to the image receiving sheet 2 and the color material sheet 3 is removed by being uniformly pressed by the cleaning roller 50. In a state in which the image receiving sheet 2 and the color material sheet 3 shown in FIG.
By pressing 0, the adhesion between the sheets is uniformly improved over the entire surface. Due to the improvement in the adhesion, even if a minute foreign matter cannot be completely removed, even if the fine foreign matter cannot be completely removed, as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, since the foreign matter X is strongly pressed between the sheets, the gap G between the image receiving sheet 2 and the color material sheet 3 is almost eliminated, and the area which has been deformed in a convex shape is shown in FIG. S1
To S2. Therefore, the image defect called a white spot is limited to only the position where the dust X is interposed,
The area of white spots can be reduced.

Similarly, even if a minute foreign matter cannot be completely removed between the surface of the recording rotary drum 12 and the image receiving sheet 2, as shown in FIG. Since it is strongly pressed against the surface of the rotating drum 12, the gap G as shown in FIG.
And the color material sheet 3 are adhered to each other. Therefore, the occurrence of ring omission is prevented.

As described above, when the image-receiving sheet 2 is supplied or after the image-receiving sheet 2 is supplied, the adhesive roller comes into contact with the image-receiving layer 2c of the image-receiving sheet 2 so that the recorded image can be prevented from being whitened and comes into contact with the support layer 2a. This can prevent the ring from coming off. In addition, when the color material sheet 3 is supplied or after the color material sheet 3 is supplied, the adhesive roller contacts the color material layer 3c of the color material sheet 3 to prevent white spots, and contact with the support layer 3a to prevent image loss. .

Further, the recording drum 12 is provided with a recording medium for smoothing the surface to prevent image defects such as ring omission, and for smoothly mounting recording media of various sizes on the recording drum 12. A surface fixing member may be attached. This recording medium surface fixing member is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, a fixing / releasing mechanism 58 provided on the recording rotary drum 12 by being wound around the peripheral surface of the recording rotary drum 12 and made of a plate-like member made of resin or metal and having a smooth surface. Clamped and fixed by Thereby, the peripheral surface of the recording rotary drum 12 can be formed to be a smooth surface, and it is possible to prevent the recording medium to be mounted from having irregularities.

The foreign matter can be removed by the cleaning roller 50 also on the surface of the recording medium surface fixing member 56. As a result, the foreign matter X adhered to the recording medium surface fixing member 56 can be reliably removed by applying a uniform pressing force over the entire width of the roller, so that a high-quality printed image can be obtained as a whole.

In each of the embodiments described above, the adhesive roller is provided at a position which is in direct contact with the recording medium or the peripheral surface of the recording rotating drum.
As shown in FIG. 5, the adhesive roller 60 formed in a crown shape using the above-described adhesive material was brought into contact with a recording medium or a recording drum via a rubber roller 62 made of a low-hardness rubber material. It may be configured. In this case, foreign matter is transferred from the recording medium or the recording rotating drum to the rubber roller 62, and the transferred foreign matter is adsorbed and removed by the adhesive roller. Thereby, even in the case of a recording medium or the like that cannot be easily brought into direct contact with the adhesive roller, foreign matter can be uniformly removed over the entire surface.
In addition, it can be carried out for a long time without lowering the adhesive strength.

[0074]

EXAMPLES Here, the performance of adhesive rollers having different shapes was compared. FIG. 23 shows the result. In Comparative Example 1, the shape was a straight type, and the condition (A
None of 1) to (A3) are satisfied. With this shape, there was almost no pressure at the center in the roller width direction, and sufficient pressure was obtained only at both ends. As a result, foreign matters remained on the recording medium, and a sufficient cleaning effect was not obtained. In Example A, the central diameter D of the adhesive roller is 40.
mm, the diameter d of both ends is 39.9 mm,
The roller length L was 500 mm. With this shape, all the conditions (A1) to (A3) were satisfied, a sufficient pressure was obtained at both the center and both ends in the roller width direction, and the cleaning effect was also good. In Example B, the diameter d at both ends in the roller width direction was 39.2 mm, and in Example C, the diameter d at both ends in the roller width direction was 38 mm, and both provided sufficient pressure and a cleaning effect.

In Example D, the diameter d at both ends in the roller width direction was 37.5 mm, which did not satisfy the condition (A1).
With this shape, the pressure at both ends was slightly insufficient, and the cleaning effect was weakened. In Example E, the diameter d at both ends in the roller width direction was 36 mm, and the conditions (A1) and (A3)
Not satisfied. With this shape, the pressure at both ends was slightly insufficient, and the cleaning effect was weakened. Comparative Example 2
In this case, the diameter d at both ends in the roller width direction is 35 mm, and none of the conditions (A1) to (A3) is satisfied. With this shape, the pressure at the center in the roller width direction is sufficient, but there is almost no pressure at both ends. As a result, foreign matters remained on the recording medium and a sufficient cleaning effect was not obtained.

In Example F, the diameter D at the center in the roller width direction
Was 50 mm, and the diameter d at both ends was 49 mm. With this shape, all the conditions (A1) to (A3) were satisfied, a sufficient pressure was obtained at both the center and both ends in the roller width direction, and the cleaning effect was also good. In Example G, the roller length L was 1000 mm, and the other shapes were the same as those in Example B. With this shape, all the conditions (A1) to (A3) were satisfied, a sufficient pressure was obtained at both the center and both ends in the roller width direction, and the cleaning effect was also good.

[0077]

As described above in detail, according to the recording apparatus and the foreign matter removing method according to the present invention, the adhesive roller provided in the apparatus is formed in a crown shape, so that the adhesive roller is uniform over the entire width of the roller. A large pressing force can be generated, and uniform removal of foreign substances over the entire surface of the recording medium or recording drum can be performed. Further, as an adhesive material of the adhesive roller, it contains TiOx (titanium oxide), does not contain Ba (barium), and has a C—O
Alternatively, by using a material containing a hydrocarbon compound having a Si—O functional group, the adhesiveness can always maintain an optimal adhesive force without a change with time. Thereby, image defects of the recorded image can be prevented for a long time.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing a schematic configuration of a recording apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram illustrating a configuration of a recording head unit of the recording apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a recording medium.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a procedure for forming a color image on an image receiving sheet.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a conceptual shape of a pickup roller which is an adhesive roller, where (a) is a tapered crown shape,
(B) is a radial crown shape.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a result of a natural aging deterioration test of foreign matter removal.

FIG. 7 is a view showing a state in which after an image receiving sheet to which a foreign substance is attached is mounted on a rotating drum for recording, a color material sheet is mounted on an outer periphery thereof.

FIG. 8 is an overall view showing a schematic configuration of a recording apparatus according to a modification of the first embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a recording medium cassette.

FIG. 10 is an overall configuration diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a recording apparatus according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 11 is an overall configuration diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a recording apparatus according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a modified example of the third embodiment, and is a diagram illustrating a configuration example in which a plurality of nip roller pairs including a pair of upper and lower adhesive rollers are provided.

FIG. 13 is an overall configuration diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a recording apparatus according to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the surface of the recording drum is cleaned before the recording medium is mounted on the recording drum.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a foreign substance exists between the surface of a recording rotary drum and an image receiving sheet.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the surface of the recording medium is cleaned when the recording medium (image receiving sheet or color material sheet) is mounted on the recording rotating drum.

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the surface of the image receiving sheet is cleaned after the image receiving sheet is mounted on the recording rotary drum.

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the surface of the color material sheet is cleaned after the color material sheet is mounted on the recording rotary drum on which the image receiving sheet is mounted.

FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a foreign substance is strongly pressed between an image receiving sheet and a color material sheet, and a gap between the sheets is almost eliminated.

FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the image receiving sheet is strongly pressed against the surface of the recording rotary drum and a gap is almost eliminated.

FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating a recording medium surface fixing member fixed to a recording rotary drum.

FIG. 22 is a diagram showing a configuration in which an adhesive roller is brought into contact with a recording medium or a recording drum via a rubber roller made of a low-hardness rubber material.

FIG. 23 is a view showing the results of comparing the performance of adhesive rollers having different shapes.

24A and 24B are diagrams illustrating a conventional roller, in which FIG. 24A is a diagram illustrating the bending when the nip rollers are nipped with a predetermined pressing force, and FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating deflection when a roller is pressed against an opposing surface by a driving mechanism.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Recording medium 2 Image receiving sheet 2a Support layer 2c Image receiving layer 3 Color material sheet 3a Support layer 3b Light-to-heat conversion layer 3c Color material layer 12 Recording rotating drum 16 Recording head 17 Control unit 20 Supply tray 22 Pickup roller 24 Cassette mount 26 Recording medium cassette 34 Cleaning roller 36 Nip roller pair 38, 38 Transport guide plate 40 Upstream nip roller pair 42 Downstream nip roller pair 44 Transport guide plate 50 Cleaning roller 52 Drive mechanism 56 Recording medium surface fixing member 58 Fixing / releasing mechanism 60 Adhesive roller 62 Rubber roller 100, 200, 300, 400 Recording device D Diameter at approximately center position in the width direction of roller d Diameter at position near end in width direction of roller L Roller length Lb Laser beam X Foreign matter

Claims (19)

[Claims] 1. A recording apparatus comprising: a recording medium supply section, a recording medium transport section, and a recording section, wherein at least one of the respective sections is provided with an adhesive roller for removing foreign substances using an adhesive material. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive roller has a crown shape in which a diameter at a center portion is larger than a diameter at both axial end portions of the roller body. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein a difference between a diameter of both ends in the axial direction and a diameter of the central part is 0.1 mm or more.
2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the distance is equal to or less than mm. 3. A shape in which the crown shape is set in a range of 1.002 ≦ D / d ≦ 1.11, where d is the diameter of both ends in the axial direction and D is the diameter of the central portion. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: 4. The shape of the crown is such that when the diameter of both ends in the axial direction is d, the diameter of the central portion is D, and the length of the roller body in the axial direction is L, 0.0001 ≦ (D−d) The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording apparatus has a shape set in a range of:) / L ≦ 0.005. 5. 5. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording medium supply unit has a supply tray for directly supplying the recording medium manually. 6. The recording medium supply unit loads a recording medium cassette in which a plurality of recording media are stacked in a predetermined order in advance and accommodates the recording medium, and supplies the recording medium from the loaded recording medium cassette. The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the recording apparatus is a recording apparatus. 7. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording medium supply unit has an opening window for directly supplying the recording medium to the recording unit. 8. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive material includes TiOx (titanium oxide). 9. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive material contains TiOx (titanium oxide) and does not contain Ba (barium). 10. The adhesive material according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive material is C—O or Si—.
The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising a hydrocarbon compound having an O functional group. 11. A printing apparatus comprising: a printing drum rotatably supported rotatably in a main scanning direction; and a printing head movably mounted in a sub-scanning direction substantially orthogonal to the main scanning direction. The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein 12. A recording medium supply unit, a recording medium transport unit, and a recording unit, wherein at least one of the units includes:
What is claimed is: 1. A method for removing foreign matter of a recording apparatus, comprising: an adhesive roller for removing foreign matter using an adhesive material; A method for removing foreign matter, comprising removing foreign matter from a recording medium or a recording apparatus using an adhesive roller. 13. A recording medium or a foreign substance inside a recording apparatus is removed by using an adhesive roller having a difference between a diameter of both ends in the axial direction and a diameter of the center part of 0.1 mm or more and 2 mm or less. The method for removing foreign matter according to claim 12, wherein: 14. An adhesive roller having a shape set in a range of 1.002 ≦ D / d ≦ 1.11, where d is the diameter of both ends in the axial direction and D is the diameter of the center. 14. The foreign matter removing method according to claim 12, wherein the foreign matter in the recording medium or the inside of the recording apparatus is removed by using the method. 15. When the diameter of both ends in the axial direction is d, the diameter of the central part is D, and the length of the roller body in the axial direction is L, 0.0001 ≦ (D−d) / L ≦ 0. The foreign matter removing method according to any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein the foreign matter in the recording medium or the inside of the recording apparatus is removed using an adhesive roller having a shape set in the range of 0.005. 16. A recording medium or a foreign substance inside a recording apparatus is removed by using an adhesive roller using an adhesive material containing TiOx (titanium oxide). The method for removing foreign matter according to any one of the above items. 17. A recording medium or a recording device, wherein foreign matter in a recording medium or a recording apparatus is removed by using an adhesive roller using an adhesive material containing TiOx (titanium oxide) and not containing Ba (barium). The foreign matter removing method according to any one of claims 12 to 15, wherein the foreign matter removing method is performed. 18. A recording medium or a foreign substance inside a recording apparatus is removed by using an adhesive roller using an adhesive material containing a hydrocarbon compound having a functional group of C—O or Si—O. The method for removing foreign matter according to any one of claims 12 to 17. 19. The recording section, comprising: a rotatable recording drum rotatably supported; and a recording head rotatably mounted on the recording section, wherein the recording drum is rotated at high speed in a main scanning direction. 19. The print medium that moves a print head at a low speed in a sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction to remove foreign matter from the printing medium or the inside of the printing apparatus. Foreign matter removal method.