JP2003104600A - Ink jet printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To stably carry printing media and keeping the printing media from being stained by an ink discharged overflowing from the printing media. SOLUTION: Paper 2 wider than a carrying belt 12, to be carried along a carriage position opposed to a carriage 11, is carried while being attracted by a carrying belt 12 having an attraction hole 12a formed therein. A printing stage 14 having recessed portions 14b, 14c formed along the direction of carrying the paper 2 via the carrying belt 12 is arranged outside the carrying belt 12 in the cross direction.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet printer for printing an image on a print medium by an ink jet method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Ink jet printers print by spraying liquid ink onto paper, and have the advantage that the apparatus can be downsized and high quality printing can be performed. As an inkjet printer, there is known a printer that prints an image on a sheet being conveyed by ejecting ink from a head that reciprocates along a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction. In particular, when roll paper is used as the paper, the suction method is often used to ensure the flatness of the printing surface of the paper.

For example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-211762, a registration roller for feeding a sheet, an ink head for ejecting ink onto the sheet for printing, and an ink head arranged opposite to the ink head to adsorb and convey the sheet. A conveyor belt,
An inkjet printer having a paper discharge roller that conveys paper after printing is disclosed. In such an ink jet printer, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of bending of the sheet by adsorbing the sheet on the conveying belt and appropriately setting the conveying speed by the registration roller, the conveying belt, and the discharge roller, and thus it is stable. The transport state can be obtained. Therefore, both the flatness of the printing surface of the paper and the feeding accuracy of the paper can be ensured.

[0004]

The printing of an image on a sheet is classified into a bordered print in which an edge (margin portion) is provided around the image and a borderless print in which no edge is provided around the image. In recent years, borderless printing is often desired because of the fact that a large image can be obtained. However, when borderless printing is performed by the inkjet printer described in the above publication, the ink ejected from the paper that is ejected from the paper adheres to the conveyor belt, so that the back surface of the paper that is subsequently conveyed or The sides may get smeared with ink.

Therefore, a main object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet printer which can stably convey a print medium and can prevent the print medium from being contaminated by the ink ejected from the print medium. Is to provide.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, an ink jet printer according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises a conveyor belt having a width narrower than a width of the print medium for adsorbing and conveying the print medium. It is characterized in that it is arranged so as to face the conveyor belt, and is provided with an ink ejecting section for ejecting ink to the print medium by an inkjet method.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since it is possible to prevent the print medium from being bent by being conveyed while being attracted to the conveyance belt, it is possible to obtain a stable conveyance state. Therefore, it is possible to convey the print medium while ensuring both the flatness of the print surface of the print medium and the feeding accuracy of the print medium. Furthermore, since the width of the conveyor belt is narrower than the width of the print medium, the conveyor belt is hardly contaminated by the ink ejected from the print medium. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the print medium from being soiled by the transport belt being soiled by the ink ejected from the print medium.

An ink jet printer according to a second aspect of the present invention is further characterized by further including an ink receiving portion for receiving the ink ejected from the ink ejecting portion, the ink receiving portion protruding from the print medium. According to the second aspect of the present invention, the ink receiving portion can receive the ink ejected from the printing medium, so that the inside of the inkjet printer can be prevented from being contaminated by the ink.

An ink jet printer according to a third aspect of the present invention is further characterized by further comprising an auxiliary member having a print medium supporting surface having substantially the same height as the conveying surface of the conveying belt. According to the third aspect, since the auxiliary member supports the end portion in the width direction of the print medium protruding to the outside in the width direction of the conveyor belt, it is possible to more reliably ensure the flatness of the print surface of the print medium. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the print image from deteriorating due to the widthwise end portion of the print medium hanging down. Further, in this case, the degree of freedom in setting the width size of the conveyor belt increases.

Here, the auxiliary member may be capable of adsorbing the print medium. In this case, it is possible to suppress the bending of the print medium when the print medium having a width larger than the width of the transport belt is transported. Therefore, the flatness of the printing surface of the print medium can be ensured even for the print medium having a width larger than the width of the conveyor belt.

Further, the auxiliary member may be a rotary belt capable of transporting the print medium in the transport direction of the print medium by the transport belt. In this case, the force acting on the print medium from the print medium supporting surface of the auxiliary member in the direction opposite to the transport direction can be reduced. Therefore, the print medium can be conveyed with higher accuracy.

Further, the auxiliary member may be movable in a direction substantially orthogonal to the conveying direction of the print medium by the conveying belt. In this case, the auxiliary member can be moved according to the width of the print medium. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the print image from deteriorating due to the widthwise end portion of the print medium hanging down with respect to the print medium having various widths.

When both the ink receiving portion and the auxiliary member are provided, the auxiliary member may be provided with a recess serving as the ink receiving portion. In this case, it is not necessary to dispose another member other than the auxiliary member as an ink receiving portion for receiving the ink ejected from the print medium.

Further, the ink jet printer according to a fourth aspect is characterized in that the print medium supporting surface of the auxiliary member is divided into a plurality of portions in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the print medium. According to the fourth aspect, it is possible to convey the print medium while ensuring both the flatness of the print surface of the print medium having a plurality of width sizes and the feeding accuracy of the print medium. Further, it is possible to prevent the print medium from becoming dirty due to the transport belt being soiled by the ink ejected from the print medium having a plurality of width sizes.

[0015]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an inkjet printer according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an inkjet printing unit and a conveyance roller pair of the inkjet printer according to the first embodiment. Figure 3
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG.

The ink jet printer 1 shown in FIG.
Is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped casing 50, and a conveyance roller unit 31
The inkjet printing unit 10, the cutting unit 20, and the discharge roller unit 32 are included. In the housing 50, a long paper 2 having a winding portion 2a wound in a roll shape is arranged, and the winding portion 2 of the paper 2 is arranged.
A is held by a drum 3 which is rotatable around the axis center. Further, as will be described later, the operation of each part of the inkjet printer 1 is controlled by the controller 40 arranged in the housing 50.

The transport roller unit 31 is a drive roller pair driven by a motor 41 controlled by the controller 40, and is for unwinding the paper 2 from the winding portion 2a and supplying it to the ink jet printing unit 10. is there.

The inkjet printing unit 10 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the carriage 11 includes a carriage 11, a conveyor belt 12 and a printing stage 14 arranged to face the carriage 11, and a suction mechanism 18.
The carriage 11 has a large number of heads 11a arranged along the conveyance direction of the paper 2 for ejecting ink onto the paper 2, and reciprocates in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the paper 2. , For ejecting ink from each head 11a to print an image.

Further, the ink jet printing unit 10
Is for ejecting liquid ink from a nozzle for each dot to perform printing on the paper 2. Either a method of ejecting ink from a nozzle using a piezoelectric element, a bubble jet (registered trademark) method, or another method is used. It may be adopted. When printing an image on the paper 2, an edge (margin part) not to be printed may be provided around the image, or no edge may be provided.

The conveyor belt 12 is stretched over the rollers 13a, 13b, 13c so that the upper surface of the conveyor belt 12 extends horizontally, and the center position of the conveyor belt 12 in the width direction corresponds to the center position of the conveyed sheet 2 in the width direction. It is arranged to match.
The conveyor belt 12 is rotated by the roller 42b, which is a drive roller penetrating the shaft 42a, being rotationally driven by the motor 42. In addition, the roller 13
Both a and 13c are driven rollers. Here, the transport belt 12 is formed with a large number of suction holes 12a which are evenly arranged in both the width direction and the extension direction. The number and shape of the suction holes 12a can be arbitrarily changed.

The printing stage 14 has a sheet supporting surface at the same height as the conveying surface of the conveying belt 12, and is for supporting the sheet 2 conveyed by the conveying belt 12. Here, as shown in FIG. 3, on the upper surface of the printing stage 14, a concave portion 14 symmetrical with respect to the center position in the width direction is formed.
d is formed. Then, the above-mentioned transport belt 12
In the concave portion 14d, the widthwise center position of the conveyor belt 12 and the widthwise center position of the printing stage 14 coincide with each other, and the upper surface height of the conveyor belt 12 and the upper surface height of the printing stage 14 become the same height. Are arranged as follows. Therefore, the sheet 2 conveyed by the conveyor belt 12 is conveyed while being kept substantially horizontal.

Further, the printing stage 14 is formed with a pair of recesses 14b and a pair of recesses 14c symmetrically arranged with respect to the center position in the width direction. Recess 14b,
Reference numeral 14 c is for receiving ink ejected from the paper 2 when borderless printing is performed on the paper 2. The recesses 14b and 14c are formed on the outer side in the width direction of the transport belt 12 along the transport direction of the paper 2 by the transport belt 12, and have a length slightly longer than the range where ink is ejected from the head 11a of the carriage 11. Have That is, the paper support surface of the printing stage 14 is
Is divided into a plurality of parts in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of. A discharge mechanism (not shown) is provided on the printing stage 14 so that the ink stored in the recesses 14b and 14c is automatically discharged. Further, in the printing stage 14, a large number of suction holes 14a are formed between the concave portions 14b and the concave portions 14c along the conveyance direction of the paper 2. The number and shape of the suction holes 14a can be arbitrarily changed.

The suction mechanism 18 has a fan 18a and is arranged below the conveyor belt 12 and the printing stage 14 so as to face the carriage 11 with the conveyance path for the sheet 2 interposed therebetween. Therefore, the sheet 2 conveyed to the position facing the carriage 11 is adsorbed on the conveyor belt 12 and / or the printing stage 14 via the adsorption holes 12a and / or the adsorption holes 14a, and the conveyance belt 1
It is conveyed with the rotation of 2. The suction mechanism 18 is
The conveyor belt 12 and / or the printing stage 14 do not necessarily have to be arranged below the conveyor belt 12 and / or the printing stage 14.
Alternatively, if the sheet 2 can be properly adsorbed onto the printing stage 14, the configuration and arrangement can be arbitrarily changed.

The cutting unit 20 has a movable blade 20a arranged on the same side as the carriage 11 with respect to the paper 2, and a fixed blade 20b arranged so as to face the movable blade 20a with the paper 2 in between. ing. The movable blade 20a and the fixed blade 20b are both rectangular blades having a width slightly larger than the width of the paper 2. The movable blade 20a can be moved toward or away from the fixed blade 20b while being controlled by the controller 40. The movable blade 20a moves the printed sheet 2 conveyed from the upstream side of the conveyance path to the fixed blade. It is possible to cut along the width direction by the interaction with 20b. By cutting in this way, the printed paper 2 is divided into a predetermined length.

The discharge roller unit 32 is a drive roller pair driven by a motor (not shown) controlled by the controller 40, and conveys the printed sheet 2 after being cut by the cutting unit 20 and discharges it. It is for discharging from 51.

The controller 40 supplies a print signal containing image data corresponding to the image to be printed to the ink jet printing unit 10 based on the image signal supplied from an input interface (not shown). In addition, the controller 40 includes the conveyance roller pair 31 and the conveyance belt 12
It is possible to control the conveyance timing of the paper 2 by the above, the movement timing of the carriage 11 or the ejection timing of ink from the head 11a.

Next, the operation of the ink jet printer 1 according to this embodiment configured as described above will be described. First, the motor 41 drives the transport roller pair 31, which is a drive roller pair, so that the paper 2 is unwound from the winding unit 2 a and supplied to the inkjet printing unit 10.

The paper 2 supplied to the ink jet printing unit 10 is conveyed while being adsorbed on the conveyor belt 12. Here, the rotation speed of the transport belt 12 and the rotation speed of the transport roller pair 31 are the same as those of the paper
Is set to be larger than the feeding amount of the sheet 2 by the conveying roller pair 31 by several percent. The rotation speed of the conveyor belt 12 and the conveyor roller pair 31
The rotation speed of the roller 1 on which the conveyor belt 12 is stretched
3a to 13c and the parts variation of the conveying roller pair 31 should be set so that the feeding amount of the sheet 2 by the feeding belt 12 is slightly larger than the feeding amount of the sheet 2 by the feeding roller pair 31 in any case. Is preferred. Here, the difference between the feeding amount of the sheet 2 by the feeding belt 12 and the feeding amount of the sheet 2 by the feeding roller pair 31 is
Are absorbed by sliding on the conveyor belt 12.

When the sheet 2 is conveyed to a position facing the carriage 11, the carriage 11 reciprocates in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the sheet 2 and ink is ejected from the head 11.
The image is printed on the sheet 2 by being ejected from the sheet a. Here, since the sheet 2 is conveyed by being attracted onto the conveyor belt 12, the adsorption length of the sheet 2 in the conveying direction (the length of the portion for adhering the sheet 2 to the conveyor belt 12) is made relatively long. Even in this case, the force acting on the sheet 2 in the direction opposite to the conveying direction can be made relatively small. Therefore, by increasing the number of heads 11a arranged along the conveyance direction of the paper 2, the carriage 1
It is possible to increase the printable range (print width per pass) when 1 moves forward or backward once in the direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the paper 2. As a result, the processing capacity of the inkjet printer 1 can be improved. As described above, the controller 40 controls the timing of transporting the paper 2 by the transport roller pair 31 and the transport belt 12, the timing of moving the carriage 11, or the timing of ejecting ink from the head 11a.

Here, as shown in FIG. 2, when the widthwise ends of the paper 2 substantially correspond to the positions of the pair of recesses 14b of the printing stage 14, the paper 2 is adsorbed on the conveyor belt 12. It is conveyed while being adsorbed through the hole 12a. Further, at this time, when borderless printing is performed on the paper 2, the ink is ejected so as to slightly protrude from the widthwise end portion of the paper 2, but the ink is printed by the printing stage 14.
It is received by the recess 14b. Therefore, the portion of the printing stage 14 that is in contact with the sheet 2 on the sheet supporting surface is hardly contaminated with ink.

Although FIG. 2 illustrates a case where the widthwise ends of the paper 2 substantially correspond to the positions of the pair of recesses 14b of the printing stage 14, the widthwise ends of the paper 2 are at the printing stage. The same applies when the positions of the pair of recessed portions 14c of 14 are almost the same. Here, when the widthwise ends of the sheet 2 substantially correspond to the positions of the pair of recesses 14c of the printing stage 14, the sheet 2 is sucked onto the conveyor belt 12 via the suction holes 12a, and It is conveyed while being sucked onto the printing stage 14 via the suction holes 14a. Thus, even if the paper 2 has a width larger than the width of the conveyor belt 12, the flatness of the paper 2 can be ensured by being conveyed while being attracted onto the printing stage 14. Further, at this time, when borderless printing is performed on the paper 2, the ink ejected so as to slightly protrude from the widthwise end of the paper 2 is received by the recess 14 c of the printing stage 14. Therefore, the portion of the printing stage 14 that contacts the sheet 2 on the sheet supporting surface is hardly contaminated with ink.

Then, the front end of the printed sheet 2 is
Passing a predetermined distance under the moving blade 20a of the cutting unit 20,
Every time the boundary between two adjacent images formed on the sheet 2 is conveyed to a position facing the moving blade 20a, the motor 4
The sheets 1 and 42 are stopped and the sheet 2 is once stopped. Almost at the same time, printing by the inkjet printing unit 10 is temporarily stopped. Then, the moving blade 20a is moved by the controller 40, and the sheet 2 is cut by the interaction with the fixed blade 20b. In this way, the printed paper 2 cut into the predetermined length is ejected by the discharge roller pair 3
2 is conveyed to the downstream side and discharged from the discharge port 51. After that, the movable blade 20a is moved above the conveyance path of the paper 2, and then the printing and the conveyance of the paper 2 which have been temporarily stopped when the paper 2 is cut are restarted.

As described above, according to the ink jet printer 1 of the present embodiment, the paper 2 is bent while being attracted to the conveyor belt 12 and / or the printing stage 14, and thus the paper 2 is bent. Since it is possible to suppress the above, it is possible to obtain a stable conveyance state. Therefore, it is possible to convey the sheet 2 while ensuring both the flatness of the printing surface of the sheet 2 and the feeding accuracy of the sheet 2. Further, the conveyor belt 1 is attached to the printing stage 14.
Since a pair of recesses 14b and 14c are formed on the outer side in the width direction of the sheet 2 along the transport direction of the sheet 2, the ink ejected from the sheet 2 is ejected when the borderless printing is performed. , 14c. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the sheet 2 from being contaminated by the ink ejected from the sheet 2 and ejected.

Further, since the printing stage 14 supports the widthwise end portion of the paper 2 protruding outside the widthwise direction of the conveyor belt 12, the flatness of the printing surface of the paper 2 can be more reliably ensured. . Therefore, it is possible to prevent the printed image from deteriorating due to the widthwise end of the paper 2 hanging down.

The paper support surface of the printing stage 14 is
Recesses 14b, 1 in the direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the sheet 2
Since the sheet is divided into a plurality of pieces by 4c, it is possible to convey the print medium while ensuring both the flatness of the print surface of the sheets 2 having a plurality of width sizes and the feeding accuracy of the print medium. Further, it is possible to prevent the print medium from becoming dirty due to the transport belt being soiled by the ink ejected from the print medium having a plurality of width sizes.

In addition, the ink ejected from the paper 2 and ejected is formed in the printing stage 14 in the concave portions 14b and 14b.
Since it is received by c, it is not necessary to dispose a separate ink receiver for receiving the ink that has run off the paper 2 and is ejected.

The printing stage 14 has suction holes 14a.
Since the sheet 2 is formed and the sheet 2 can be adsorbed onto the printing stage 14, it is possible to prevent the sheet 2 from being bent when the sheet 2 having a width larger than the width of the conveyor belt 12 is conveyed. can do. Therefore, the conveyor belt 1
The flatness of the printing surface of the sheet 2 can be ensured even for the sheet 2 having a width larger than the width of 2.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Here, the schematic configuration of the ink jet printer according to the second embodiment is the same as that in FIG. 1, so description thereof will be omitted.

Next, a detailed structure of the ink jet printing unit 60 of the ink jet printer according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an inkjet printing unit and a conveyance roller pair of the inkjet printer according to the second embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram of the inkjet printing unit of FIG. 4 when viewed from above. 6 is shown in FIG.
FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI of FIG.

Inkjet printing unit 60 of FIG.
However, the difference from the inkjet printing unit 10 of FIG.
The printing stage 14 in which the concave portions 14b and 14c are formed is disposed on both sides of No. 2 whereas the rotary belts 61 to 64 are disposed on both sides of the transport belt 12 in the inkjet printing unit 60. Since the other configurations are the same as those of the inkjet printing unit 10 of FIG. 2, the same reference numerals are given and the description thereof will be omitted.

In the ink jet printing unit 60, rotary belts 61 to 64 are arranged on both sides of the conveyor belt 12. A slit 65a is formed between the rotary belt 61 and the rotary belt 62, and a slit 65b is formed between the rotary belt 62 and the conveyor belt 12, so that the conveyor belt 12 and the rotary belt 63 are separated from each other. A slit 65c is formed between the rotary belt 63 and the rotary belt 64, and a slit 65d is formed between the rotary belt 63 and the rotary belt 64.

The rotating belts 61 to 64 are respectively stretched over rollers 61b to 64b which are driving rollers and rollers 61a to 64a which are driven rollers.
b to 64b are rollers 13 on which the conveyor belt 12 is stretched
It is adapted to rotate by being driven to rotate by the motor 42 together with b. Therefore, the rotating belt 61
˜64 rotate at the same speed as the conveyor belt 12, and are used particularly when the sheet 2 having a width larger than the width of the conveyor belt 12 is conveyed.

Here, the roller 13a around which the conveyor belt 12 is stretched is provided so as to penetrate the shaft 67a. Further, through holes (not shown) are formed in the central portions of the rollers 61a to 64a in the axial direction, and the shafts 67a are inserted into the respective through holes. Similarly, the roller 13b on which the conveyor belt 12 is stretched is provided so as to penetrate the shaft 67b. Further, a through hole (not shown) is formed in the central portion of the rollers 61b to 64b in the axial direction,
A shaft 67b is fitted in each through hole. The rollers 61a to 64a and the rollers 61b to
64b can be fixed so as not to move with respect to the shafts 67a and 67b by a stopper 68 arranged so as to sandwich both ends thereof.

Therefore, the rollers 61a to 64a and the rollers 61b to 64b can be manually moved appropriately along the shafts 67a and 67b.
That is, the rotary belts 61 to 64 are movable in a direction substantially orthogonal to the transport direction of the paper 2 by the transport belt 12. The rollers 61a to 64a and the roller 61
When moving b to 64b, the rotating belts 61 to 6
4 is preferably moved so as to be parallel to the conveyor belt 12.

As described above, the slits 65a to 65 formed between the rotary belts 61 to 64 and the conveyor belt 12.
The width and position of d can be changed arbitrarily. Incidentally, the rollers 61a to 64a and the rollers 61b to 64b.
Moves the slits 65a to 65d so as to correspond to the widthwise ends of the paper 2 to be printed, and the widthwise ends of the paper 2 hang down into the slits 65a to 65d, so that the flatness of the paper 2 is improved. It is preferable to move it so that it cannot be secured.

The conveyor belt 12 has a width smaller than the width of the paper 2 having the smallest width among the paper 2 used in the ink jet printer of the present embodiment. Therefore, the rollers 61a to 64a and the roller 61b are
Paper 2 to be printed by moving ~ 64b
Slits 65a to 65d corresponding to the widthwise ends of the
By moving, even when performing borderless printing on the paper 2 having various widths, it is possible to prevent the paper 2 from being contaminated by the ink ejected from the paper 2 that is ejected.

Further, between the upper side and the lower side of the rotary belts 61 to 64, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, there are arranged ink receivers 70a and 70b having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The ink receiver 70a is arranged so as to correspond to the slits 65a and 65b, and the ink receiver 70b is provided with the slit 65a.
It is arranged so as to correspond to c and 65d. The recesses 71 are formed on the upper surfaces of the ink receivers 70a and 70b.
a and 71b are formed and the slits 65a to 65d are formed.
The ejected ink can be received. A discharge mechanism (not shown) is provided on each of the ink receivers 70a and 70b, and the recesses 71a and
The ink stored in 71b is automatically discharged.

The ink receiver 70a has a slit 65.
The ink receiver 70b has a size that can be accommodated even when the positions of a and 65b are changed, and the ink receiver 70b has slits 65c and 65d.
It has a size that can be accommodated even if the position of is changed.
That is, the ink receiver 70a has a width from the outer side to the inner side of the end of the transport belt 12 more than the outer end when the rotary belt 61 is arranged on the outermost side, and the ink receiver 70b is The width from the outer side to the inner side of the end of the conveyor belt 12 is larger than the outer end when the rotary belt 64 is arranged on the outermost side.

Here, not only when the slits 65a to 65d are formed so as to correspond to the ends of the paper 2 in the width direction, the ends of the paper 2 in the width direction are more than the outer ends of the rotary belts 61 and 64. Even when borderless printing is performed in a case slightly corresponding to the outside, it is possible to prevent the paper 2 from being contaminated by the ink ejected from the paper 2 that is ejected. In addition, in the present embodiment, the ink receivers 70a, 7a
0b is arranged further outside than the outer end portion when the rotary belts 61 and 64 are arranged on the outermost side, so that the ink ejected from the paper 2 can be received.

As described above, according to the ink jet printer of the present embodiment, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of bending of the sheet 2 when the sheet 2 is conveyed while being attracted to the conveying belt 12. Therefore, a stable transportation state can be obtained. Therefore, it is possible to convey the sheet 2 while ensuring both the flatness of the printing surface of the sheet 2 and the feeding accuracy of the sheet 2. Further, a slit 65a is formed between the conveyor belt 12 and the rotary belts 61 to 64 on the outer side in the width direction of the conveyor belt 12 along the conveyance direction of the sheet 2.
To 65d are formed and the ink receivers 70a and 70b are arranged so as to correspond to the slits 65a to 65d, the ink ejected out of the paper 2 is ejected when the borderless printing is performed. 70a, 70b
Will be discharged to. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the sheet 2 from being contaminated by the ink ejected from the sheet 2 and ejected.

Further, since the rotary belts 61 to 64 support the widthwise end portions of the paper 2 protruding outside the widthwise direction of the conveyor belt 12, the flatness of the printing surface of the paper 2 can be ensured more reliably. You can Therefore, it is possible to prevent the printed image from deteriorating due to the widthwise end of the paper 2 hanging down.

Further, the paper supporting surface formed by the rotary belts 61 to 64 is divided into a plurality of slits 65a to 65d in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the paper 2, so that the paper 2 having a plurality of width sizes is formed. It is possible to convey the print medium while ensuring both the flatness of the printing surface and the feeding accuracy of the print medium. Further, it is possible to prevent the print medium from becoming dirty due to the transport belt being soiled by the ink ejected from the print medium having a plurality of width sizes.

Further, since the rotary belts 61 to 64 are arranged on both sides of the transport belt 12, it is possible to reduce the force acting on the paper 2 in the direction opposite to the transport direction. Therefore, the sheet 2 can be transported with higher accuracy.

Further, since the rotary belts 61 to 64 can be moved in a direction substantially orthogonal to the conveying direction of the sheet 2 by the conveying belt 12, the positions of the slits 65a to 65d are moved according to the width of the sheet 2. Can be made. Therefore, when borderless printing is performed on the paper 2 having various widths, it is possible to prevent the printed image from deteriorating due to the edge of the paper 2 in the width direction hanging down.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and various design changes can be made within the scope of the claims. Is possible. For example,
In the above-described first embodiment, the case where the recesses 14b and 14c are formed in the printing stage 14 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. As shown in (a), slits 114 a to 1 formed by through holes are formed on the outer side in the width direction of the conveyor belt 12.
A printing stage 114 on which 14d is formed may be provided, and as shown in FIG.
And slits 125a to 125d on both sides of the conveyor belt 12.
A plurality of printing stages 12 arranged to form
1-124 may be provided. The printing stage does not necessarily have to be provided.

Further, in the above-mentioned first and second embodiments, the case where two recesses or slits are formed on the outer side in the width direction of the conveyor belt 12 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. It suffices that at least one recess or slit is formed on the outer side in the width direction of the conveyor belt 12. Therefore, in the above-described second embodiment, the rotary belts 61 and 62 and the rotary belt 6 each having the same width, two on the outer side in the width direction of the conveyor belt 12.
3 and 64 are arranged, for example, as shown in FIG. 8A, the rotary belt 161 and the rotary belt 1 each having the same width on the outer side in the width direction of the conveyor belt 12.
62 may be arranged, or as shown in FIG. 8B, rotating belts 163, 164 and rotating belts 165, 166 having two different widths are arranged on the outer side in the width direction of the conveyor belt 12. May be. In this way, the number and width of the rotating belts may be changed arbitrarily.
That is, the number, width and position of the slits can be changed arbitrarily.

Further, in the above-described first embodiment, the case where the suction holes 14a are formed in the printing stage 14 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the suction holes may not necessarily be formed. Good. However, especially the conveyor belt 1
In order to ensure the flatness of the paper 2 when the paper 2 having a width larger than the width of 2 is conveyed, it is preferable that the printing stage 14 be provided with the suction holes 14a.
In addition, in the above-described second embodiment, the rotary belts 61 to 61
Although the case where the suction holes are not formed in 64 has been described, the present invention is not limited to this, and the suction holes may be formed in each of the rotary belts.

In the second embodiment described above, the case where the rotary belts 61 to 64 are movable in the direction substantially orthogonal to the conveying direction of the sheet 2 by the conveying belt 12 has been described. Not limited to this, the rotary belt may be fixed. Further, in the above-described first embodiment, the case where the print stage 14 is fixed has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, as shown in FIG. 7B, a plurality of print stages 121 to 124. May be disposed, and the printing stages 121 to 124 may be movable in a direction substantially orthogonal to the transport direction of the paper 2 by the transport belt 12.

Further, in the above-described second embodiment, the shafts 67a and 67b are inserted into the through holes formed in the rollers 61a to 64a and the rollers 61b to 64b, and the rollers 61a to 64a and the rollers 61b to 61b. 64b
Although the case where the rotary belts 61 to 64 can be moved by manually moving each of them has been described, the present invention is not limited to this, and the rotary belt may be moved in a direction substantially orthogonal to the transport direction of the paper by the transport belt. Any structure may be used for moving the rotary belt as long as it is movable.

Further, in the above-described second embodiment, the ink receiver 70 is provided so as to correspond to the slits 65a to 65d.
Although the case where a and 70b are arranged has been described, the present invention is not limited to this, and the ink receiver may not necessarily be arranged, and even when this is arranged, the number and shape thereof are arbitrary. Can be changed to. Therefore, separate ink receivers may be arranged so as to correspond to the slits 65a to 65d, respectively.

Further, as the printing medium in the ink jet printer of the present invention, thin plastic or the like can be used in addition to paper.

[0062]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to suppress the bending of the print medium due to the print medium being conveyed while being adsorbed by the convey belt. The transport state can be obtained. Therefore, it is possible to convey the print medium while ensuring both the flatness of the print surface of the print medium and the feeding accuracy of the print medium. Furthermore, since the width of the conveyor belt is narrower than the width of the print medium, the conveyor belt is hardly contaminated by the ink ejected from the print medium.
Therefore, it is possible to prevent the print medium from being soiled by the transport belt being soiled by the ink ejected from the print medium.

According to the second aspect, the ink receiving portion can receive the ink that is ejected from the printing medium, so that the inside of the ink jet printer can be prevented from being contaminated by the ink.

According to the third aspect, since the auxiliary member supports the end portion in the width direction of the print medium protruding to the outside in the width direction of the conveyor belt, the flatness of the print surface of the print medium can be ensured more reliably. You can Therefore, it is possible to prevent the print image from deteriorating due to the widthwise end portion of the print medium hanging down. Further, in this case, the degree of freedom in setting the width size of the conveyor belt increases.

According to the fourth aspect, it is possible to convey the print medium while ensuring both the flatness of the printing surface of the print medium having a plurality of width sizes and the feeding accuracy of the print medium. Further, the conveyor belt is contaminated by the ink ejected from the print medium having a plurality of width sizes,
It is possible to prevent the print medium from becoming dirty.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an inkjet printer according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an inkjet printing unit and a conveyance roller pair of the inkjet printer of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an inkjet printing unit and a conveyance roller pair of an inkjet printer according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram of the inkjet printing unit of FIG. 4 when viewed from above.

6 is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing another example of a configuration of a conveyor belt and a printing stage.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing another example of the configurations of a transport belt and a rotary belt.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inkjet printer 2 Paper (printing medium) 10, 60 Inkjet printing unit 11 Carriage 11a Head (ink ejection part) 12 Conveyor belt 12a Suction holes 14, 114, 121-124 Printing stage (auxiliary member) 14a Suction holes 14b, 14c Recessed portion (ink receiving portion) 18 Adsorption mechanism 20 Cutting unit 31 Conveying roller unit 32 Discharging roller unit 40 Controllers 61-64, 161-166 Rotating belt (auxiliary member) 65a-65d, 114a-114d, 125a-12
5d slits 70a, 70b ink receiver (ink receiver)

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A transport belt having a width narrower than that of the print medium for transporting the print medium while adsorbing the print medium, and the transport belt is arranged so as to face the transport belt, and the print medium is inkjet-processed. An ink jet printer, comprising: an ink ejecting unit that ejects ink. 2. The ink jet printer according to claim 1, further comprising an ink receiving section for receiving the ink ejected from the ink ejecting section, the ink receiving section protruding from a print medium. 3. The ink jet printer according to claim 1, further comprising an auxiliary member having a print medium supporting surface having substantially the same height as a conveying surface of the conveying belt. 4. The ink jet printer according to claim 3, wherein the print medium supporting surface of the auxiliary member is divided into a plurality of pieces in a direction perpendicular to a print medium conveying direction.