JP2003326682A - Imaging apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To constitute an imaging apparatus which realizes an optimum transfer by uniform heating. <P>SOLUTION: The imaging apparatus has a heating mechanism E for heating a medium M to be recorded which has image information printed by a sublimating ink. Moreover, the heating mechanism M is configured to include inside a heating space R which allows the medium M to move, an electric heater 41, a fan 42 for sending the air heated by the electric heater 41, a shielding plate 44 for shielding a radiant heat from the electric heater 41, and a rectifying plate 45 for supplying the heated air from the fan 42 by a predetermined flow rate distribution. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a permeation layer of a recording medium comprising a substrate and a permeation layer on which image information to be transferred is printed on a fixing layer on the surface of the substrate. The print unit is configured to print image information by applying sublimable ink, and by heating the recording medium sent from this print unit, the image information printed on the permeation layer is sublimated and transferred to the fixing layer. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus in which a fixing unit is configured to perform.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a technique similar to the image forming apparatus configured as described above, there is one disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-297197.

In this conventional technique, a colored base layer (fixing layer of the present invention) which also functions as a rust preventive layer is formed on a metal base material (base material of the present invention), and an acrylic resin as a light transmitting resin layer is formed thereon. A transparent resin layer made of a system resin, a polyester resin, or a urethane resin is formed, and an inkjet receiving layer (permeation layer of the present invention) using porous alumina or the like is formed on the transparent resin layer to form a metal decorative body. And a colored pattern is formed on the inkjet receiving layer of the metal decorative body by inkjet printing using a sublimation type coloring material. After that, by heating this metal decorative body in a heating furnace or a hot press, the sublimation type coloring material of the inkjet receiving layer sublimes into the transparent resin layer, and the colored pattern formed on the inkjet receiving layer is transparent. Is formed. Next, the ink jet receiving layer is softened with warm water and then wiped off with a cloth or the like to remove the entire ink jet receiving layer, whereby a metal decorative body having a colored pattern is completed.

Further, a flexible resin sheet is used as a base material, a fixing layer is formed on the surface of the base material, and a permeation layer (having a function similar to that of the receiving layer is formed on the surface of the fixing layer. ) Is formed and a recording medium on which the recorded information printed on the permeation layer is transferred and fixed to the fixing layer by heating is under development. An apparatus has not been developed that performs continuous processing of printing record information with a sublimable ink and then sublimating the sublimable ink by heating to transfer and fix the record information to a fixing layer.

[0005]

To consider an apparatus for transferring on a recording medium by heating, for example, in the case where a flexible resin sheet is used as a base material of the recording medium, this apparatus is used. It is also conceivable that the base material is distorted and the flatness is lost when the heating is performed in a biased manner due to, or when heating is performed in a state in which a biased force acts. In particular, when uneven heating is performed, transfer proceeds in a high temperature region and transfer is suppressed in a low temperature region, which leads to uneven density and uneven color of transferred print information. .

More specifically, in the case where a sublimable ink is sublimated by heating to form a transfer image on a fixing layer, an image is formed on silver salt photographic paper by using a fluororesin as the fixing layer. It is easier to make a product with excellent weather resistance compared to the one printed (printed) or the one printed (printed) with an inkjet printer, and it can be used for outdoor signs and stickers and stickers used outdoors Becomes When this type of recording medium is used outdoors, it is effective to use a PET (polyethylene terephthalate) resin sheet, which is relatively inexpensive and has excellent water resistance and smoothness, as a base material , This PE
Since the T resin is thermoplastic, when the recording medium is heated, for example, when the recording medium is sandwiched between heating type pressure-bonding rollers to be conveyed and heat is applied, the pressure-bonding is not performed. The unevenness of the pressure-bonding force between the rollers in the axial direction and the imbalance of the temperature distribution on the surface of the pressure-bonding roller may cause the temperature and pressure acting on the recording medium to be imbalanced, impairing the flatness of the substrate, and the transfer. The resulting image causes unevenness in density and unevenness in color, and a technique capable of performing uniform heating is desired.

An object of the present invention is to rationally configure an image forming apparatus that realizes optimum transfer by uniform heating.

[0008]

The features, actions and effects of the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention are as follows. [Characteristics] Sublimation ink is applied to the permeation layer of the recording medium, which comprises a base material and a permeation layer on which image information to be transferred to the fixing layer on the surface of the base material is printed. The printing unit is configured to print information, and the fixing unit is configured to sublimate the image information printed on the permeation layer and transfer it to the fixing layer by heating the recording medium sent from the printing unit. In the image forming apparatus, the fixing unit includes a thermal fixing space that allows the recording medium sent from the printing unit to move, and a heating body that heats air and a heating air that is heated by the heating body. And a blowing mechanism for feeding the recording medium in the heat fixing space.

[Operation / Effect] According to the above characteristics, when the recording medium having the image information printed on the permeation layer in the printing unit is heated in the fixing unit, the recording medium is thermally fixed in the heating unit. By moving in the space, the heated air heated by the heating body is sent to the recording medium by the air blowing mechanism in the heating space, and the heated air comes into contact with the surface of the recording medium. Since the heating is performed in a flowing form, local heating is avoided and average heating is realized. That is, in comparison with the case where a heated roller is brought into contact with the recording medium and heated, in the present invention,
Imbalance of contact pressure like the one using a heating roller,
The average heating is realized by contacting with a wide surface of the recording medium in a form of circulating fluid air without being affected by the imbalance of the temperature distribution on the roller surface. As a result, not only does the uniform heating be achieved by the combination of the heating element and the air-blowing mechanism, but also good transfer is achieved, and even if a thermoplastic resin is used as the base material of the recording medium, transfer that does not generate distortion is realized. The image forming apparatus is constructed.

The features, functions and effects of the image forming apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention are as follows. [Features] In the image forming apparatus according to claim 1, the blower mechanism includes a fan that sends heated air and a straightening plate that supplies the heated air from the fan to the heat fixing space at a predetermined flow rate distribution. It is in the point that is configured.

[Operation / Effect] According to the above feature, the flow distribution of the heating air supplied to the heating space can be set by the straightening plate, so that, for example, in the heating space, a region close to the heating body where the temperature easily rises. Uniform the temperature distribution when heating the recording medium by reducing the flow rate of heating air and increasing the flow rate of heating air to the area where the temperature tends to drop away from the heating element. Is possible. As a result, the recording medium can be heated more uniformly by combining the fan and the current plate.

The features, actions and effects of the image forming apparatus according to the third aspect of the present invention are as follows. [Features] In the image forming apparatus according to claim 2, the heating element, the fan, and the rectifying plate are arranged at positions facing each other with a conveyance path of a recording medium in the heat fixing space interposed therebetween. It is in.

[Operation / Effect] According to the above feature, since the heating element, the fan, and the rectifying plate are arranged at positions facing each other with the conveyance path of the recording medium in between, the recording space having a wide width is recorded in the heating space. Even when the medium is conveyed, the recording medium is not obstructed, and heated air is sent from the sides corresponding to the front and back surfaces of the recording medium to heat the recording medium. However, the temperature imbalance between the front and back can be avoided. As a result, more uniform heating can be realized without being affected by the width and thickness of the recording medium.

The features, functions and effects of the image forming apparatus according to the fourth aspect of the present invention are as follows. [Characteristics] In the image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
The blower mechanism and the heating body are arranged above the conveyance path of the recording medium in the heat fixing space, and a flat guide body for guiding the lower surface of the conveyance path in contact with the lower surface of the recording medium. And a heater for heating the guide body.

[Operation / Effect] According to the above characteristics, when the recording medium is conveyed through the conveyance path, the heating air heated by the heating member is sent from above to the recording medium by the air blowing mechanism, When the recording medium is heated from the upper surface side of the recording medium, and at the same time, the heating from the lower surface side of the recording medium can be performed by the heat from the guide body contacting the lower surface side of the recording medium. Even in this case, the temperature imbalance between the front and the back can be avoided. In particular, according to this configuration,
While the heating can be performed from the upper surface and the lower surface of the recording medium at the same time, the guide body is used as a member for heating the lower surface of the recording medium. Not only is it possible to downsize the heating system on the side of the recording medium, but since heated air is brought into contact with the recording medium, even if the guide body comes into uneven contact with the lower surface of the recording medium, there is no bias. Achieve no heating. As a result, the heating device that realizes uniform heating can be configured in a small size without being affected by the width and thickness of the recording medium.

The features, functions and effects of the image forming apparatus according to the fifth aspect of the present invention are as follows. [Characteristics] In the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the air blowing mechanism is in a direction along a transportation direction in which the recording medium is transported in the heat fixing space, and a lower transportation side of the recording medium. The point is that the blowing direction is set so that the heated air is sent from the upper side to the better side.

[Operation / Effect] According to the above feature, since the heated air is sent from the lower side to the upper side in the transport direction of the recording medium, the hottest heated air immediately after being heated by the blowing mechanism is heated. Contact the lower side site where the transfer has progressed sufficiently and send heated air with a slightly lowered temperature to the site where the transfer is started. It is possible to avoid the inconvenience of rapidly increasing the temperature of the recording medium immediately after being sent into the heat fixing space, such as the one in which heated air is sent in the opposite direction, and to slowly raise the temperature. As a result, good transfer can be realized without causing color unevenness or density unevenness due to a rapid temperature rise, or even when a thermoplastic resin is used as the base material of the recording medium, without causing distortion.

The features, actions and effects of the image forming apparatus according to claim 6 of the present invention are as follows. [Characteristics] In the image forming apparatus according to claim 5, the blower mechanism is configured by using a cross flow fan that is driven and rotated around a drive shaft that is in a posture parallel to the width direction of the recording medium.

[Operation / Effect] According to the above characteristics, for example, by using a cross flow fan in which the width for sending out air is equal to or greater than the width of the recording medium, the width direction of the recording medium is increased. Insufficient flow rate of heated air will not occur. As a result, it was possible to supply a sufficient amount of heated air only by selecting a fan and realize good heating without unevenness.

[0020]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, an image forming apparatus Q is configured in which image information transferred from the image processing apparatus P is printed on a recording medium M with sublimable ink, cut into print sizes, transferred by heating, and then sent out. Has been done.

The image processing apparatus P has a general-purpose computer 1, a monitor 2, a keyboard 3 and a mouse 4, a film scanner 6 for photoelectrically converting the image information of the developed silver salt type film 5, and a digital signal for the medium. The media drive 7 is provided inside the computer so as to retrieve the information stored in the computer. The media drive 7 is a CD, CD-R, or MO.
Is a generic term for a drive that retrieves information not only from a disc-shaped medium such as, but also from a medium such as a CompactFlash (registered trademark) and a smart medium that is made of a semiconductor. In the figure, a medium for reading information from a CD and a CD-R. Shows a drive.

The recording medium M is, as shown in FIG.
The fixing layer 12 is formed on the surface of the film-shaped substrate 11 made of ET (polyethylene terephthalate) by using a polyvinyl alcohol-based resin or a polyvinyl acetal-based resin as a resin having an affinity for the sublimable ink. A thin sheet-like permeation layer 13 such as a fluororesin or a silicone resin, which has a non-affinity for the sublimable ink, is releasably superposed on the surface of the fixing layer 12 so as to form a flexible sheet as a whole. In this recording medium M, after printing an image on the permeation layer 13 with sublimable ink,
By performing the heat treatment, the ink in the permeation layer 13 sublimes and moves to the fixing layer 12, and has a function of fixing and forming image information on the surface of the base material 11. After the image information is transferred and fixed, the ink is permeated. By peeling and removing the layer 13 as it is in the form of a film, a clear image formed on the fixing layer 12 on the surface of the base material 11 is exposed. Further, in the recording medium M, if the material of the base material 11 has the property of having affinity for the sublimable ink, the surface of the base material 11 can be used as the fixing layer 12 as it is.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the image forming apparatus Q
Is a transport mechanism A for sending a roll-shaped recording medium M (a concept higher than first, second, third, and fourth transport mechanisms described later), and image information on the recording medium M sent by this transport mechanism A. An ink jet type printing mechanism B (an example of a printing unit) that prints, a front cutting mechanism C integrally formed with this printing mechanism B, and a control mechanism D are provided inside the main body case 20, and Heating case 2 connected in series
1, a heating mechanism E for heating the recording medium M sent from the printing mechanism B, and a rear cutting mechanism F for cutting the recording medium M sent out from the heating mechanism E,
Further, a loop forming unit that absorbs the difference in the transport speed of the recording medium M is arranged between the front cutting mechanism C and the heating mechanism E, and between the heating mechanism E and the rear cutting mechanism F. .

The transport mechanism A transports the recording medium M to the position of the printing mechanism B inside the main body case 20, and the recording medium M printed by the printing mechanism B. The second transport mechanism A2 and the third transport unit A3 that transports the recording medium M in the heating mechanism E.
And a fourth transport mechanism A4 for transporting the recording medium M in the rear cutting mechanism F, and these first to fourth transport mechanisms A1, A2, A3, A4 press the recording medium M under pressure. The pressure roller 22 is configured to include a pressure roller 22 that conveys the pressure roller 22 and an electric motor (not shown) that is a stepping motor that drives the pressure roller 22.

The main body case 20 of the image forming apparatus Q is provided with a lid-like member 20A for covering the printing mechanism B from the portion where the roll-shaped recording medium M is accommodated so that the lid-like material 20A can be swung around the swing support shaft 24. The main body case 20 is arranged at a relatively high position by providing the grounding leg 27 via the column 26 with respect to the frame 25 provided at the bottom. The roll-shaped recording medium M is rotatably supported inside the main body case 20 by a support shaft 28.

The printing mechanism B is provided with a guide rod 30 arranged in a posture orthogonal to the transport direction of the recording medium M,
The print head 31 is supported so as to be capable of reciprocating along the guide rod 30, and a stepping motor type scanning motor 34 that reciprocally drives the print head 31 via a timing belt 33 wound around a pulley 32. The print head 31 prints on the plate 3 by setting a position on the back surface of the recording medium M.
It is equipped with 5. Further, the print head 31 is provided with an ejection mechanism (not shown) such as a piezo element for ejecting the ink of the replaceable ink cartridge 36 from the nozzle onto the recording medium M. As the ink of the ink cartridge 36, cyan (C),
Sublimation used in this embodiment, which is configured to use six colors using at least four color inks of magenta (M), yellow (Y) and black (K) and two color inks of intermediate colors. -Based ink begins sublimation at about 80 ° C,
As described above, in the recording medium M having the film-shaped PET base material 11, the optimum transfer state is achieved by heating at 180 ° C. for about 2 minutes. This sublimable ink has 17
The ink can be sublimated without difficulty at about 0 ° C to 200 ° C, and the required transfer can be performed by heating at 200 ° C for about 1 minute and at 170 ° C for about 5 minutes.

The front cutting mechanism C is, as shown in FIG.
A cutting body 37 is provided so as to be switchable between a cutting position protruding toward the recording medium M side with respect to the print head 31 and a standby position separated from the recording medium, and the blade body 37 is switched between the cutting position and the standby position. In addition, a switching motor 38 for switching between a screw feed type and a cam feed type is provided so that the recording medium M can be cut at this print position. still,
When the recording medium M is cut, the driving force of the switching motor 38 causes the blade body 37 to project to the cutting position, and the print head 31 is operated in the scanning direction.
Can be cut and cut off over the entire width in the width direction. Further, the plate 35 is formed with a groove in a posture along the moving direction of the print head 31 so as to allow the blade body 37 to move when the blade body 37 is set to the cutting position.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the heating mechanism E is for introducing the recording medium M into a heating space R (an example of a heat fixing space) formed by a case 40 made of a heat insulating material. And an opening 40B for leading out the heated recording medium M from the heating space R.
A transport path for linearly transporting the recording medium M by the third transport mechanism A3 is formed between the openings 40A and 40B. In addition, inside the heating space R, the heating space R
A temperature sensor S for measuring the air temperature is arranged, and an electric heater 41 as a heating body for raising the air temperature in the heating space and a fan for sending the heated air to the upper and lower positions sandwiching this transport path. 42, a fan motor 43 that drives the fan 42, a shield plate 44 that prevents the radiant heat from the electric heater 41 from directly irradiating the recording medium, and heating air heated by the electric heater 41. A plurality of straightening vanes 45 are provided to guide M so as to have an average temperature distribution. The fan 42
And a plurality of straightening vanes 45 constitute a blower mechanism.

Since the heating mechanism E is constructed in this way, the heating air heated to 180 ° C. in the recording medium M is circulated inside the heating space R through the straightening plate 45, so that each of the heating spaces R is heated. The temperature of the heated air of the part is 180
When the recording medium M is conveyed to the heating space R while maintaining the temperature at 0 ° C., the conveyance path of the recording medium M is changed without contacting the recording medium M with the heating system member. Uniform heating is performed in such a manner that the heated air from the electric heater 41 is brought into contact with both the front and back surfaces of the recording medium M by contacting both sides of the sandwiched state, and as a result, there is no density unevenness and the substrate 11 is distorted. Achieves a non-transfer. Further, in the present embodiment, the electric heater 41, the fan 42, and the rectifying plate 45 are arranged at opposing positions with the conveyance path of the recording medium M interposed therebetween, but instead of this, only one side is provided. The electric heater 41, the fan 42, and the current plate 45 are arranged to heat the heating mechanism E.
It is also possible to implement and implement.

As shown in FIG. 6, the rear cutting mechanism F is provided with a pair of pressure-bonding pressure-bonding rollers 22 which are arranged at positions sandwiching the cutting position in the carrying direction as a fourth carrying mechanism A4, and at the cutting position. A plate 51 arranged on the side of the base material 11 of the recording medium M and a moving block movably supported by a pair of guide rods 52 along a direction (width direction) orthogonal to the conveying direction of the recording medium M. 53, a blade 54 supported by the moving block 53, a timing belt 56 wound around a pulley 55 so as to reciprocate the moving block 53, and a cutting motor 57 that drives the pulley 55. ing. In the rear cutting mechanism F, the cutting depth is set so that the recording medium M is moved by moving the moving block 53 while the conveyance of the recording medium M by the pressure roller 22 is stopped. In order to allow the movement of the blade 54, the plate 51 is formed with a groove having a posture along the moving direction of the moving block 53. Then, the recording medium M discharged from the heating case 21 is received by the tray 61 arranged below the outside of the heating case 21.

With this configuration, the image forming apparatus Q executes the following control. That is, when the image information is formed on the recording medium M, the recording medium M is conveyed to the position of the printing mechanism B by the first conveying mechanism A1 and the printing mechanism B is conveyed.
The sublimable ink is sprayed onto the permeation film 13 of the recording medium M by the print head 31 to print image information. When the image information is printed in this way, only the print head 31 is operated in the scanning direction while the conveyance of the recording medium M is stopped, and sublimable ink is sprayed on the recording medium M. When the print head 31 reaches the scanning end, the process of transporting the recording medium M by an amount corresponding to the print width of the print head 31 is repeatedly performed. Further, at the time of this printing, even in an area where there is no image information to be printed on the recording medium M, the print head 31 is operated from one scanning end to the other scanning end at a fixed speed, thereby recording the recording medium. The transport speed of M is kept constant. The recording medium M on which the image information is printed in this way is the first transport mechanism A.
It is sent to the heating mechanism E by synchronously driving 1 and the second transport mechanism A2.

In this heating mechanism E, the air temperature in the heating space R is maintained at 180 ° C., which is suitable for transfer, and by transferring the recording medium M inside this heating space E, transfer is realized. In the case of performing this heating, the heating air heated by the electric heater 41 is sent to the front and back surfaces of the recording medium M from the fan 43 through the flow straightening plate 45 with a uniform temperature distribution, so that the heating temperature can be controlled. Achieves transfer without unevenness and without unevenness in density, and heating that maintains good flatness without causing distortion in the base material 11 even in the recording medium M using the base material 11 made of a thermoplastic resin. It is supposed to do.

After that, at the timing when the boundary portion between the image information printed on the recording medium M reaches the cutting position of the rear cutting mechanism F, the conveyance of the recording medium M in the rear cutting mechanism F is stopped. In this state, the moving block 53 is operated to separate the printed image information,
Further, even when the printing of the last image information is completed at the site of the printing mechanism B, the blade 37 of the front cutting mechanism C is projected to the cutting position while the conveyance of the recording medium M is stopped. In this state, the print head 31 is operated in the scanning direction to cut the trailing end position of the image information, cut off from the recording medium M that follows, and is sent out by the second carrier A2.

[Other Embodiments] The present invention may be configured, for example, as shown below, in addition to the above-described embodiment (this another embodiment has the same function as the above-mentioned embodiment). Are given the same numbers and reference numerals as in the embodiment).

(A) As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the heating mechanism E
Make up. The heating mechanism E includes a heating conveyance mechanism having a plurality of conveyance rollers 62 inside a heating space R (an example of a thermal fixing space) formed by a heating case 61 made of a heat insulating material, and the heating space R An electric heater 63 as a heating body and a cross flow fan 64 as a blower mechanism are housed in an upper position in a blower case 65 made of a heat insulating material.
A flat guide body 66 for contacting and guiding the lower surface of the recording medium M is provided at a lower position of the conveying path of the recording medium M in the heating and conveying mechanism, and the guide body 66 is heated on the lower surface side of the guide body 66. The seat heater 67 is provided.
Each of the transport rollers 62 is formed by forming foamed silicone rubber or the like having excellent heat resistance on the outer periphery of a metal shaft member, and transmits power from a transport motor (not shown) to this shaft member. The gears, timing belts, chains, etc. built in the case 68 are used to transmit the respective conveying rollers 62 synchronously. Although a pair of upper and lower pressure-bonding type rollers are arranged at a position convenient for conveyance among the conveying rollers 62, the other conveying rollers 6
2 has a structure in which the recording medium M is not pressure-contacted but is lightly contacted to exert a conveying force.

As shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, the cross flow fan 64 is provided with a large number of blades 64C which are in a posture parallel to the axis of the rotary shaft with respect to the disk member 64B which rotates integrally with the drive shaft 64A. The posture of the drive shaft 64A is set to the posture along the width direction of the recording medium M (direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the recording medium M), and both ends of the drive shaft 64A are supported by the blower case 65. . Further, a fan motor 69 that transmits a rotational driving force is supported on one end of the drive shaft 64A by the blower case 65, and the lower side of the blower case 65 is provided with a heated air blower immediately below the crossflow fan 64. The ejection port J is formed, and the suction port K is formed at a position on the conveyance path of the recording medium M in the heating / conveying mechanism, which is a good position for conveyance. An air temperature sensor S is provided at the opening of the ejection port K, and heated air is sent from the ejection port J to a position on the lower side in the transport direction of the recording medium M, and the heated air is heated in the heating space R. The air is supplied to the cross flow fan 64 after being flown to the upstream side of the transport path of the recording medium M, sucked from the upstream position in the transport direction of the recording medium M to the suction port K, heated by the electric heater 63, and then supplied to the cross flow fan 64. It realizes heating in the form of circulation.

The guide body 66 is arranged in a state of being divided into an upper hand side and a lower hand side in the transport direction of the recording medium M, and the seat heater 67 is electrically connected to the inside of silicon rubber or the like having excellent heat resistance. A guide temperature sensor T for measuring the temperature of the guide surface of the guide body 66 is provided at the central position of each seat heater 67.

The width W (width in the direction along the drive axis) for sending out air from the cross flow fan 64 is set to be sufficiently wider than the width of the recording medium M supplied to the heating mechanism E, The length of the conveying roller 62 in the direction along the drive shaft 62A is set longer than the width W. Although not shown in the drawing, the air temperature measured by the air temperature sensor S is 180 ° C.
The electric power supplied to the electric heater 63 is controlled so that the temperature is maintained at 130 ° C., the temperature measured by the guide temperature sensor T on the upper hand side is maintained at 130 ° C., and the temperature measured by the guide temperature sensor T on the lower hand side is 180 ° C. Temperature control means (not shown) for controlling the electric power supplied to each seat heater 67 so as to maintain the temperature.

In this heating mechanism E, the drive shaft 64A of the cross flow fan 64 expands in the axial direction by thermal expansion, and the drive shaft 64A of the conveying roller 62 expands in the axial direction by thermal expansion. It has a structure that prevents distortion and bending of the shaft. That is, as shown in FIG. 10, the drive shaft 64 is slidably fitted in the bearing 71 supporting the drive shaft 64A of the cross flow fan 64 in the axial direction (specifically, the radial ball bearing The drive shaft 64A is supported movably in the axial direction with respect to the inner race), a compression coil spring 72 is provided between the bearing 71 and the large diameter portion of the drive shaft 64A, and the end portion of the drive shaft 64 is further provided. Is connected to the output shaft of the fan motor 69 so as to be relatively displaceable along the axial direction, such as a spline structure. In the figure, an opening 65A for allowing the crossflow fan 64 to be inserted into the heating case 65 is formed on the side wall of the heating case 65 on the side where the fan motor 69 is provided, and a plate for closing this opening 65A is formed. 65B
And the opening 65A is closed. Further, as shown in FIG. 11, the end portion of the drive shaft 62A of the conveying roller 62 on the transmission case 68 side is provided with a radial ball bearing type bearing 7
3 and a gear 68G is provided at this end, and the end of the drive shaft 62A on the opposite side is supported movably in the axial direction with respect to the inner race of the radial ball bearing type bearing 73. is doing.

With this structure, when the recording medium M on which the image information is formed by the sublimable ink is supplied to the heating mechanism E, the recording medium M is plural in the heating space R. The heating air is heated when the recording medium M is conveyed by the conveying rollers 62, and the heating air heated in the blower case 65 is heated from the lower side of the recording medium M toward the upper side of the recording. Since the recording medium M is fed in the direction along the transport path of the medium M, the recording medium M supplied to the heating space R does not suddenly rise in temperature due to contact with the heated air. However, since the temperature of the pair of guide bodies 66 arranged in a divided manner is set to be lower on the upper side than on the lower side of conveyance of the recording medium M, contact with the guide body 66 does not occur. Also by The recording medium M is heated to an appropriate temperature when it reaches the lower conveyance position while avoiding the rapid temperature rise of the recording medium M. As a result, the color unevenness or the density unevenness due to the rapid temperature rise, or the recording target Even if a thermoplastic resin is used as the base material of the medium M, good transfer can be realized without causing distortion.

Inside the heating space R, the drive shaft 62A of the conveying roller 62, which comes into contact with high temperature air, is supported by a bearing 73.
Since it is supported so as to be slidable in the axial direction, the expansion of the drive shaft 62A of the transport roller 62 by thermal expansion is allowed, and the cross flow contacting with the hot air is provided inside the blower case 65. Drive shaft 64 of fan 64
Since A is supported slidably in the axial direction with respect to the bearing 71, expansion by thermal expansion is similarly permitted, and distortion or deformation is caused in the drive shafts 62A and 64A, the heating case 61, and the blower case 65, respectively. The smooth rotation operation is realized. Further, the cross flow fan 64 uses stainless steel (SUS304) as the material of the drive shaft 64A, the disk member 64B, and the wing 64C to equalize the thermal expansion coefficient, for example, those having different thermal expansion coefficients. Compared with the one used, the phenomenon in which an excessive force acts during heating is avoided. In particular, since the crossflow fan 64 is arranged so as to be sandwiched by the pair of springs 72 in the axial direction, the amount of heating air sent out without changing the central position of the crossflow fan 64 in the axial direction is biased. It does not occur.

(B) As shown in FIG. 12, the heating space R
An air heating chamber 81 having an electric heater 41 (an example of a heating body), a fan 42, and a fan motor 43 is formed outside (an example of a heat fixing space), and the heating air heated in the air heating chamber 81 is used as a heating space. A pair of supply ducts 82 for supplying to the space sandwiching the transport path in R, a rectifying plate 45 for averaging the heated air from the supply duct 82 into the heating space R, and a space sandwiching the transport path in the heating space R. The heating mechanism E is configured by including a pair of intake ducts 83 that return the air from the air to the heating space R. In the case where the heated air is supplied to the heating space R by using the duct as described above, an air flow is created at a portion in the heating space R where it is difficult to raise the temperature of the air, and the average temperature of the air inside the heating space R is averaged. To achieve evenly-balanced heating. In addition, in this another embodiment, it is possible to set the numbers of the supply ducts 82 and the intake ducts 83 to three or more.
By providing one or more, more even heating can be realized.

(C) As shown in FIG. 13, the electric heater 4
In addition to the fan 41 that sends the heated air heated by 1 (an example of a heating element) in the direction along the conveyance direction of the recording medium M,
An auxiliary fan 85 and a fan motor 86 that send heated air to the outside of the heating space R (an example of a heat fixing space) in the width direction are provided. By thus providing the auxiliary fan 85, an air flow for reliably feeding heated air from the fan 42 for feeding heated air is created even in a portion where it is difficult to feed heated air, and the inside of the heating space R is Achieves unbiased heating by positively averaging the air temperature.

(D) In the present invention, in addition to the structure in which the heating air is circulated to maintain the temperature of the air inside the heating space R, the heating space R is heated in such a manner that the heated outside air is supplied. You may comprise a heating system.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an image processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the image forming apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional plan view of the heating mechanism.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a print mechanism and a transport mechanism.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the configuration of a front cutting mechanism.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a rear cutting mechanism.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a recording medium.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing a heating mechanism according to another embodiment (a).

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross flow fan and a conveyance roller of a heating mechanism according to another embodiment (a).

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross-flow fan support structure according to another embodiment (a).

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a support structure of a conveyance roller according to another embodiment (a).

FIG. 12 is a sectional view showing a heating mechanism of another embodiment (B).

FIG. 13 is a sectional view showing a heating mechanism of another embodiment (C).

[Explanation of symbols]

11 Base material 12 Fixing layer 13 Penetration layer 41 heating body 42 fans 45 Current plate 64 cross flow fan 66 Guide body B Print Department M Recording medium R heat fixing space

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Masazumi Ishikawa             No. 1 at 579 Umehara, Wakayama City, Wakayama Prefecture             Inside Ritsu Koki Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Kazuo Nagacho             No. 1 at 579 Umehara, Wakayama City, Wakayama Prefecture             Inside Ritsu Koki Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Masaki Nakamoto             No. 1 at 579 Umehara, Wakayama City, Wakayama Prefecture             Inside Ritsu Koki Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Katsushige Inoshita             No. 1 at 579 Umehara, Wakayama City, Wakayama Prefecture             Inside Ritsu Koki Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Funase Kofun             No. 1 at 579 Umehara, Wakayama City, Wakayama Prefecture             Inside Ritsu Koki Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 2C056 EC14 EC29 FA04 FD03 FD13                       HA44

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A sublimation ink is applied to a permeation layer of a recording medium comprising a base material and a permeation layer on which image information to be transferred is printed on a fixing layer on the surface of the base material. The print section is configured to print image information by
An image forming apparatus in which a fixing unit is configured to sublimate image information printed on a permeation layer and transfer the image information printed on the permeation layer to the fixing layer by heating the recording medium sent from the printing unit. Is provided with a heat fixing space for allowing the recording medium sent from the printing unit to move, and a heating body for heating air, and the heated air heated by the heating body is used for recording medium in the heat fixing space. An image forming apparatus having a blowing mechanism for sending the image to the image forming apparatus. 2. The blower mechanism comprises a fan for sending heated air and a straightening plate for supplying the heated air from the fan to the heat fixing space at a predetermined flow rate distribution. Image forming device. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the heating body, the fan, and the rectifying plate are arranged at positions facing each other with a conveyance path of a recording medium in the heat fixing space interposed therebetween. 4. The blower mechanism and the heating element are arranged above the conveying path of the recording medium in the heat fixing space, and are guided to the lower side of the conveying path by contacting the lower surface of the recording medium. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a flat guide body for heating, and a heater for heating the guide body. 5. The air blowing mechanism sets the air blowing direction so as to send heated air from a lower side of the recording medium to a higher side of the recording medium in a direction along the conveying direction of the recording medium in the heat fixing space. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is provided. 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the blower mechanism is configured by using a cross flow fan that is driven and rotated around a drive shaft that is in a posture parallel to the width direction of the recording medium.