JP2006175803A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To fully secure a planeness of printing paper at a printing part without a suction device set or by a compact suction device in a printer which carries out printing to the printing paper. <P>SOLUTION: The printing part 4 is configured to transfer the printing paper P in a slantwise direction at least from an upstream side of a printing stand 66 towards the printing stand 66, thereby pressing the printing paper P on the printing stand 66 against the printing stand 66. Cross curling is applied to the printing paper P by a cross curling application device (roller pair 41) set at the upstream side of the printing part 4. The printing paper P is transferred to the printing part 4 in the cross curling state. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention belongs to a technical field related to a printer in which print paper set in a paper set section is pulled out from the paper set section and conveyed to the print section, and printing is performed on the print surface of the print paper.

  In general, a printer used in a photographic printing system or the like includes a paper set unit on which print paper is set, and a conveyance path for pulling out the print paper set in the paper set unit from the paper set unit and conveying it to the print unit. And. In this print unit, printing is performed by discharging ink from the print head to the print paper, and the print paper printed by the print unit is discharged to the outside.

Here, in order to improve the print quality, it is necessary to ensure the flatness of the print paper in the print section. In particular, in an inkjet printer, printing is performed by landing on the print surface ink ejected from a print head that is not in contact with the print surface of the print paper. Effect. In view of this, conventionally, printing paper is sucked to a printing table by a suction device in a printing unit (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).
JP 2003-237156 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-260827

  However, if it is intended to ensure the flatness of the print paper in the print unit, for example, a large suction device having a large suction force is required, resulting in an increase in cost.

  In the printer as described above, a long paper wound in a roll shape may be used, and the print paper is set in the paper set unit in a state wound in a roll shape. For this reason, the printed paper conveyed to the printing unit is curled in the conveying direction by the curl of the roll.

  However, when the print paper is curled in the transport direction as described above, the flatness of the print paper in the print unit is deteriorated, so that a large suction device having a larger suction force is required.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a point, and an object of the present invention is to provide a printer that prints on a print paper, without providing a suction device or with a small suction device. The purpose is to ensure sufficient flatness.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, the print paper on the print table is configured to be pressed against the print table, and the print paper is printed in a cross-curl state in which the print paper is curled in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction. It decided to comprise so that it might convey to a part.

  A printer according to the present invention includes a paper set unit on which print paper is set, a print unit that performs printing on the print paper, and a conveyance path for conveying the print paper set on the paper set unit to the print unit. And a printer comprising:

  The printing unit conveys the print paper at an angle from the upstream side of the print table that supports the print paper at the time of printing in an oblique direction toward the print table. The transport path is configured to transport the print paper to the printing unit in a cross-curled state curled in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction.

  With this configuration, at least the print paper in the printing unit is conveyed in an oblique direction from the upstream side of the print table toward the print table, whereby the print paper on the print table is pressed against the print table. In this configuration, since a force is applied to the print paper in the direction of pressing against the print table at a position shifted from the print table position in the conveyance direction, the applied force is applied along the print paper in the conveyance direction. Communicates and acts on the print paper located on the print table.

  At this time, when the print paper is curled in the transport direction or the print paper is not curled, the force applied to the print paper is not reliably transmitted to the upper part of the print table, and as a result, The flatness of the printed paper may be reduced.

  On the other hand, in a cross curl state where the print paper is curled in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction, the curl direction is perpendicular to the direction of the force applied to the print paper. The force is reliably transmitted to the print paper. That is, the stiffness of the print paper becomes strong in the cross curl state, and the print paper on the print table is surely pressed against the print table. As a result, the flatness of the printed paper at the time of printing is sufficiently ensured even with a simple small suction device or without providing a suction device.

  Here, the printer further includes a cross curling device provided on the upstream side of the print unit and on the downstream side of the paper set unit, and applies a cross curl to the print paper drawn from the paper set unit. May be.

  By doing so, the print paper is cross-curled on the upstream side of the print unit by the cross-curl applying device, so that the print paper can be conveyed to the print unit in the cross-curl state.

  In addition, a long print paper is set in a roll shape on the paper set unit, and the printer is provided on the downstream side of the paper set unit and pulled out from the paper set unit. Cutting means for cutting the print paper to a predetermined length; and provided on the upstream side of the print unit and the downstream side of the cutting means, the print paper cut by the cutting means around a rotation axis perpendicular to the print surface A paper rotation device that rotates the paper by 90 °, and the conveyance path rotates the print paper so that the curl direction of the roll curl is perpendicular to the conveyance direction. The print paper may be conveyed to the print unit.

  The printed paper pulled out from the paper set section is curled in the transport direction due to the curl of the roll. If the printed paper is transported to the print section as it is, the printed paper is curled in the transport direction. It will be conveyed to.

  In contrast, in the present invention, the print paper is rotated 90 ° around the axis orthogonal to the print surface on the upstream side of the print unit, and the rotated print paper is conveyed to the print unit. Thus, the print paper is conveyed to the printing unit in a state where the curl direction is orthogonal to the conveyance direction. Therefore, it is possible to convey the print paper to the printing unit in a cross-curl state by utilizing curl due to the roll curl.

  As described above, according to the printer of the present invention, the print paper on the print table is pressed against the print table by conveying the print paper in an oblique direction from at least the upstream side of the print table toward the print table. The printing paper on the printing table can be securely transferred to the printing table by combining the above configuration and conveying the printing paper in a cross-curl state curled in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction. The flatness of the printed paper during printing can be sufficiently ensured even when a simple small suction device or no suction device is provided.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 shows an inkjet printer according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. This ink jet printer is used in a photographic printing system, and is connected via a communication cable to a receiving block 100 (see FIG. 8) that acquires image data and order information and performs necessary correction processing and the like. The image data transmitted from the receiving block 100 via the communication cable is printed on the print paper P based on the order information.

  The ink jet printer includes a housing 1, a magazine housing portion 2 disposed in the lower portion of the housing 1, a cassette housing portion 3 disposed in a substantially central portion in the vertical direction in the housing 1, and a housing. A print unit 4 that is disposed in an upper part of the body 1 and prints image data on the print paper P; a first transport path for transporting the print paper P from the magazine housing unit 2 to the print unit 4; A second transport path for transporting the print paper P from the cassette housing unit 3 to the print unit 4 and a second transport path for discharging the print paper P printed by the print unit 4 from the print unit 4 to the outside of the housing 1. 3 and a discharge tray 5 provided outside the housing 1 and receiving the print paper P discharged to the outside of the housing 1 through the third conveyance path. The front-rear direction of the case is the left-right direction in FIG. 1, the front side of the case is the right side of FIG. 1, and the rear side of the case is the left side of FIG. The left-right direction of the housing is a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG.

  A print paper P, which is a long paper wound in a roll shape, is set in the magazine storage portion 2 while being stored and held in the paper magazine 8. The print paper P is wound so that the print surface to be printed is on the outside. On the other hand, a plurality of print papers P, which are cut sheets, are set in the cassette storage unit 3 while being stored and held in a rectangular box-shaped paper feed cassette 9. The print paper P in the paper feed cassette 9 is stacked in the thickness direction (vertical direction) with the print surface facing upward, and is pressed against a later-described feed roller 35 positioned above by the pressing plate 10. Yes. The magazine housing unit 2 and the cassette housing unit 3 constitute a paper set unit in which the print paper P is set. Then, the print paper P set in the magazine housing unit 2 or the cassette housing unit 3 is conveyed to the printing unit 4 as described later, printed by the printing unit 4, and discharged to the discharge tray 5. ing. In the magazine housing 2, it is also possible to set two print papers P having a small width in parallel in the left-right direction of the housing, and when two are set in parallel in this way, The set two print papers P are simultaneously pulled out from the magazine housing unit 2 and conveyed in two rows. The print unit 4 prints the two print papers P and discharges them simultaneously to the discharge tray.

  The magazine housing unit 2 and the cassette housing unit 3 constitute a paper set unit in which the print paper P is set. Then, the print paper P set in the magazine housing unit 2 or the cassette housing unit 3 is conveyed to the printing unit 4 as described later, printed by the printing unit 4, and discharged to the discharge tray 5. ing.

  In the casing 1, a first supply unit U1, a cutter unit U2, a second supply unit U3, a switchback unit U4, and a print unit U5 are provided to constitute the first to third transport paths. The first transport path is composed of a first supply unit U1, a cutter unit U2, a switchback unit U4, and a print unit U5 in order from the magazine accommodating portion 2. Further, the second transport path is configured by a second supply unit U3, a switchback unit U4, and a print unit U5 in order from the cassette housing portion 3. Further, the third transport path is constituted by a print unit U5.

  The first supply unit U1 is provided in the magazine housing portion 2 (paper magazine 8). The first supply unit U1 includes three support rollers 15 that support the roll-shaped print paper P, a guide member 16 that guides the print paper P to the cutter unit U2, and a print member that is provided in the middle of the guide member 16. A pressure supply roller 17 composed of driving and driven rollers 17a and 17b for transporting the paper P to the cutter unit U2, and a guide roller 18 provided on the upstream side of the guide member 16 and around which the print paper P is wound. It has. Of the three support rollers 15, a roller disposed on the front side of the casing is rotationally driven by an electric motor (not shown) to apply a rotational force to the print paper P around the center of the roll. Further, the drive roller 17a of the supply roller 17 is fed by an electric motor 30 disposed in the cutter unit U2 via a transmission belt 31 and a gear train 19 and a later-described feed roller 25 disposed in the cutter unit U2. The drive roller 25a is rotationally driven. A first paper detection sensor 20 is provided at the downstream end of the first supply unit U1. When the print paper P is all pulled out from the magazine accommodating portion 2 by the first paper detection sensor 20, the first paper detection sensor 20 is provided. The rear end of the print paper P is detected. When the rear end of the print paper P is detected, the fact is notified to the operator via a display or the like.

  The cutter unit U2 is disposed on the rear side of the housing of the first supply unit U1 in a state of being fixed to the vertical frame 6 extending in the vertical direction, and is a crimp-type delivery unit that sends out the print paper P to the switchback unit U4. A cutting roller 25, a cutter 26 that is disposed downstream of the feeding roller 25 and that cuts the print paper P and includes a fixed blade 26 a and a movable blade 26 b, a drive mechanism that drives the movable blade 26 b, and the like And a guide member 28 that extends in the horizontal direction and feeds the print paper P from the roller 25 to a cutting position by the cutter 26. The cutter 26 cuts the print paper P drawn from the magazine housing unit 2 to a predetermined length based on the order information from the receiving block 100. The feed roller 25 includes one drive roller 25 a and two driven rollers 25 b that sandwich the print paper P, and these driven rollers 25 b are pressed against the drive roller 25 a by one compression coil spring 29. As described above, the drive roller 25a is rotationally driven by the electric motor 30 through the transmission belt 31 together with the drive roller 17a of the supply roller 17 in the first supply unit U1. The print paper P is moved rearward in the horizontal direction by the feed roller 25 and the guide member 28 and sent to the switchback unit U4, and is received by the roller pair 41 of the switchback unit U4 as will be described later. After being gripped, it is cut by the cutter 26. The roller pair 41 may receive the print paper P after cutting instead of receiving the print paper P before cutting. However, in this case, since the conveyance path in the cutter unit U2 becomes long, it is preferable to receive it before cutting.

  The second supply unit U3 includes a feed roller 35 that comes into contact with the print surface of the print paper P positioned at the top of a plurality of print papers P (cut sheet paper) set in the cassette housing unit 3, and the feed roller 35. And an electric motor 36 that drives the cutting roller 35 through a gear train 37. By driving the feeding roller 35, only one print paper P located at the top moves horizontally in the rearward direction of the housing. Then, it is sent out to the switchback unit U4.

  The switchback unit U4 constitutes a switchback device and a cross curl imparting device provided in the middle of the first transport path and the second transport path. The switchback unit U4 receives the print paper P conveyed from the upstream conveyance path (that is, the first supply unit U1 and the cutter unit U2 or the second supply unit U3) located on the upstream side of the switchback unit U4. Upon receipt, the print paper P is sent out to the downstream conveyance path (that is, the print unit U5) located downstream of the switchback unit U4 in the direction opposite to the print paper moving direction at the time of receipt. That is, in the upstream conveyance path, the print paper P is conveyed toward the rear side of the housing with the print surface facing upward, and in the downstream conveyance path provided at a position above the upstream conveyance path, The paper P is transported toward the front side of the casing opposite to the upstream transport path with the print surface facing upward. However, in the switchback unit U4, the traveling direction of the print paper P faces the print surface upward. In this state, the print paper P is reversed without being bent so that the print paper P can be smoothly transferred from the upstream transport path to the downstream transport path without bending the print paper P.

  Specifically, the switchback unit U4 includes a gripping member that receives and grips the print paper P transported from the upstream transport path. In the present embodiment, the gripping member is configured as a roller pair 41 that is configured to be rotatable forward and backward about the central axis, and is opposed to each other in the vertical direction, and sandwiches the print paper P therebetween. One (the roller in contact with the back surface of the print paper P in this embodiment) is the driving roller 41a, and the other (the roller in contact with the print surface of the print paper P) is the driven roller 41b.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the drive roller 41a includes a plurality of large-diameter portions 41a1 arranged at predetermined intervals in the rotation axis direction and a plurality of large-diameter portions 41a1 provided between adjacent large-diameter portions 41a1. And a small-diameter portion 41a2. Similarly, the driven roller 41b has a plurality of large diameter portions 41b1 arranged at predetermined intervals in the rotation axis direction and a plurality of small diameter portions 41b2 provided between the adjacent large diameter portions 41b1. The large diameter portion 41b1 of the driven roller 41b is opposed to the small diameter portion 41a2 of the drive roller 41a, and the small diameter portion 41b2 of the driven roller 41b is opposed to the large diameter portion 41a1 of the drive roller 41a. The driving roller 41a and the driven roller 41b are configured such that the large diameter portion 41a1 of the driving roller 41a and the small diameter portion 41b2 of the driven roller 41b, and the small diameter portion 41a2 of the driving roller 41a and the large diameter portion 41b1 of the driven roller 41b are not in contact with each other. In addition, the outer peripheral edge portion of the large-diameter portion 41a1 of the driving roller 41a and the outer peripheral edge portion of the large-diameter portion 41b1 of the driven roller 41b are arranged so as to overlap vertically when viewed in the rotation axis direction. The distance between the rotation axes of the drive roller 41a and the driven roller 41b is appropriately set so that a waveform cross curl having a predetermined strength is applied to the print paper P, as will be described later.

  The drive roller 41a is rotationally driven around the central axis by an electric motor 42 and a transmission belt 43 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) as a drive mechanism. By forward rotation and reverse rotation, the printing paper P is received and retracted from the upstream conveying path, and the printing paper P is sent to the downstream conveying path. Note that both rollers of the roller pair 41 may be driven, and the functions of driving and driven may be reversed up and down.

  The roller pair 41 is linearly moved in the vertical direction by the moving mechanism at the housing rear side position of the cutter unit U2, the second supply unit U3, and the print unit U5. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the moving mechanism includes a rail mount 45 that is fixed to the vertical frame 6 and extends in the vertical and horizontal directions, and a vertical position at one end of the rail horizontal direction in the horizontal direction of the casing. A traveling rail 46 attached to extend, and a drive belt 48 that is wound around two pulleys 47 provided near the upper and lower ends of the traveling rail 46 and extends along the traveling rail 46, and a rail mount 45. And an electric motor 49 directly attached to the lower pulley 47. The drive belt 48 is driven forward and reverse by the electric motor 49. A bracket 50 is attached and fixed to the drive belt 48, and a slide member 51 that fits and slides on the travel rail 46 is fixed to the bracket 50, and the drive belt 48 is driven forward and backward by the electric motor 49. As a result, the bracket 50 reciprocates in the vertical direction. The vertical position of the bracket 50 can be determined by measuring the amount of movement (for example, the amount of rotation of the motor) from a reference position (for example, the lowermost end) where a sensor or the like for detecting the bracket 50 is provided. .

  A support plate 52 is fixed to the bracket 50, and one end portions of the driving roller 41 a and the driven roller 41 b in the roller pair 41 are rotatably supported by the support plate 52. Along with the movement, the roller pair 41 moves linearly in the vertical direction. Although not shown, the other end portions of the driving roller 41a and the driven roller 41b are supported by a support portion formed at the other end portion in the left-right direction of the housing of the rail mount 45 so as to be slidable in the vertical direction. .

  The above-described electric motor 42 for driving the drive roller 41a is fixed to the support plate 52. Pulleys 54 are fixed to the rotating shaft of the electric motor 42 and one end of the driving roller 41a. The transmission belt 43 is wound around both pulleys 54, and the driving roller is passed through the transmission belt 43. 41a is driven.

  By the moving mechanism, the roller pair 41 is provided at a receiving position for receiving the print paper P from the upstream transport path, and at a position spaced apart from the receiving position by a predetermined distance and transports the print paper P on the downstream side. It moves linearly between the delivery position and the delivery position. That is, a position substantially the same as the downstream end of the cutter unit U2 (a position near the lower end of the traveling rail 46) is a receiving position for receiving the print paper P from the cutter unit U2 (hereinafter referred to as a first receiving position). A receiving position (hereinafter referred to as a second receiving position) for receiving the print paper P from the second supplying unit U3 is a height position that is substantially the same as the downstream end of the second supplying unit U3 (a substantially central position in the vertical direction of the traveling rail 46). Has been. On the other hand, a height position (position near the upper end of the traveling rail 46) that is substantially the same as the upstream end of the print unit U5 is a sending position for sending the print paper P to the print unit U5. Thus, the downstream end of the upstream conveyance path and the upstream end of the downstream conveyance path are separated by a predetermined distance (a value determined by the arrangement of the units U1 to U5 and set to the smallest possible value). In response to this, the roller pair 41 moves.

  The switchback unit U4 receives the print paper P from the upstream conveyance path (cutter unit U2) by the roller pair 41 at the first receiving position, and after the print paper P is cut by the cutter 26, Alternatively, after receiving and gripping the print paper P from the upstream conveyance path (second supply unit U3) by the roller pair 41 at the second receiving position, the roller pair 41 that grips the print paper P by the moving mechanism is The print paper P is moved to the sending position while being separated from the upstream conveyance path, and the print paper P is moved to the downstream conveyance path in the direction opposite to the moving direction of the print paper P when receiving the print paper P at the sending position. It is configured to send out. The moving direction of the print paper P sent out to the downstream side conveyance path is in the horizontal direction opposite to the moving direction at the time of reception (frontward of the casing).

  As shown in FIG. 2, the support plate 52 has first and second support portions for supporting the print paper P positioned below the print paper P held by the roller pair 41 at the front and rear portions of the casing of the roller pair 41. The second support members 56 and 57 are fixed (not shown in FIG. 3). The first support member 56 has a role of guiding the print paper P from the cutter unit U2 to the roller pair 41 in a horizontal state. The first support member 56 is provided with a second paper detection sensor 58 for detecting the print paper P.

  On the other hand, a bent portion bent downward is formed at the rear portion of the housing of the second support member 57, and a pressing roller 59 is in contact with the bent portion. The presser roller 59 is rotatably attached to the tip of the arm 60 that is rotatably supported by the support plate 52, and abuts against the bent portion of the second support member 57 by the weight of the presser roller 59. ing. The bent portion of the second support member 57 and the pressing roller 59 prevent the printed paper P gripped by the roller pair 41 from dropping down and coming into contact with the rear inner wall surface of the housing 1. That is, on the rear side of the switchback unit U4 in the casing 1 (the portion corresponding to the moving range of the roller pair 41 on the opposite side of the upstream conveyance path and the downstream conveyance path with respect to the roller pair 41). Is provided with a space 12 for the print paper P that is gripped by the roller pair 41. By hanging the print paper P downward as described above, the front and rear direction of the space space 12 in the front and rear of the housing is provided. The length along the (upstream direction of the upstream conveyance path) can be made as small as possible. On the other hand, by hanging the print paper P downward, the space 12 for the print paper P gripped by the roller pair 41 is below the portion corresponding to the moving range (below the first receiving position). Although it is necessary to extend, in the present embodiment, with respect to the first transport path, the upstream transport path located on the upstream side of the switchback unit U4 and the first receiving position are set to the print paper P set in the magazine housing portion 2. Therefore, the space 12 can be easily extended downward without increasing the height of the housing 1.

  Although not shown, restriction members for restricting the movement of the print paper P in the width direction are provided at both ends of the first and second support members 56 and 57 in the paper width direction. Both regulating members are configured to be able to change the interval in accordance with the paper width (the width of the paper can be determined by detecting the identification code portion provided in the paper magazine 8). When the print paper P is conveyed in two rows as described above, another regulating member enters the conveyance path at the center between the two regulating members, and is conveyed in two rows by these three regulating members. The movement of each printed paper P in the width direction is restricted.

  The print unit U5 is provided at a fixed base 65 fixed to a horizontal frame 7 extending in the horizontal direction at the upper end position of the vertical frame 6, and is provided at an intermediate portion in the vertical direction of the fixed base 65, and supports the print paper P during printing. A print table 66 and a print head 67 facing the print paper P located on the print table 66 and ejecting ink to the print paper P for printing are provided. The print table 66 and the print head 67 constitute the print unit 4.

  The print table 66 is not configured to suck and hold the print paper P from below the print table 66 with a fan or the like, and does not have a suction hole or the like as shown in FIG. . At both ends of the print table 66 in the paper width direction (X direction shown in FIG. 5), a plurality of grooves 66a (6 in each embodiment) extending in the paper transport direction (Y direction) are provided in the paper width direction. It is formed to line up at a predetermined interval. Each of the grooves 66a is provided corresponding to both positions in the width direction of the print paper P having various sizes. In each groove 66a, the ink ejected from the print head 67 is arranged in the width direction of the print paper P. An ink absorbing material 68 for absorbing the ink is fitted when it comes off from both ends (especially, it easily comes off when performing borderless printing). A concave portion 66b is formed in the central portion of the print table 66 in the paper width direction, corresponding to each position of three head units 67a described later, and 2 pieces of print paper P are placed in each concave portion 66b. An ink absorbing material 69 that absorbs ink preliminarily ejected (trial strike before printing) from each head unit 67a of the print head 67 when being printed in a row is fitted.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the print head 67 has a plurality of ink discharge nozzles 67b in the sub-scanning direction (paper transport direction (Y direction)) on the bottom surface (the surface facing the print table 66). Three head units 67a are provided so as to form a row, and these three head units 67a are arranged at intervals in the sub-scanning direction. Note that only one nozzle row of each head unit 67a is shown in FIG. 5, but in reality, a plurality of nozzle rows are provided in the paper width direction corresponding to each of a plurality of colors of ink. Further, the number of head units 67a is not necessarily three, but may be one or two, or may be four or more.

  The upper surface of the print head 67 is fixedly attached to a drive belt 70 for reciprocating the print head 67 in the main scanning direction (direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 1 (X direction shown in FIG. 5)). The drive belt 70 extends in the main scanning direction, and is wound around two pulleys 71 (only one is shown in FIG. 1) disposed at both ends thereof and rotatably supported on the upper portion of the fixed base 65. It is hung. The one pulley 71 is rotationally driven by an electric motor (not shown). A guide rail 72 extending in the main scanning direction along the drive belt 70 is attached and fixed to the upper portion of the fixed base 65, and the print head 67 is guided by the guide rail 72 while being driven by the drive belt 70. It reciprocates in the scanning direction. The print paper P on the print table 66 is intermittently (stepwise) conveyed in the sub-scanning direction by a constant unit conveyance amount by a conveyance roller 75 provided on the upstream side of the print table 66, and this intermittent conveyance is performed. At each stop of the print paper P at the time, the print head 67 is scanned one time in the main scanning direction (one-way operation or one-time operation), and the ink of each head unit 67a at each position in the main scanning direction during this scanning. Ink is ejected from the ejection nozzle 67b. That is, after one scan of the print head 67, the print paper P is transported by the unit transport amount, and then the print head 67 is scanned once again, and this operation is repeated to print a desired image. .

  The transport roller 75 is provided at the upstream end of the print unit U5 (that is, the upstream end of the downstream transport path and in the vicinity of the roller pair 41 (see FIG. 6) positioned at the delivery position). The print paper P delivered by the roller pair 41 positioned at the delivery position is received and conveyed to the printing unit 4. Like the feed roller 25 in the cutter unit U2, the transport roller 75 includes one drive roller 75a and two driven rollers 75b that sandwich the print paper P, and the two driven rollers 75b are one compression coil spring. 76 is pressed against the driving roller 75a. The drive roller 75a is rotated by an electric motor 77 via a transmission belt 78.

  The height position of the sandwiched portion of the print paper P sandwiched by the transport roller 75 is higher than the upper surface of the print table 66, and the print paper P is wound around the drive roller 75a while being printed. The portion of the print base 66 that is wound around the drive roller 75a by the guide roller 79 that is supported from the upper end of the print table 66 so as to have a gap above the upstream end. In other words, the print paper P is conveyed in a state where the back surface of the print paper P is substantially in contact with the upper surface of the print table 66.

  On the other hand, on the downstream side of the printing table 66, two pairs of pressure bonding composed of driving and driven rollers 81a and 81b are provided to form a third transport path for discharging the printed paper P to the outside of the housing 1. The mold discharge rollers 81 are provided at intervals in the paper transport direction. The drive roller 81 a of each discharge roller 81 is driven simultaneously by the electric motor 82 via the transmission belt 83. The height of the downstream discharge roller 81 is higher than that of the upstream discharge roller 81, and the print paper P is lifted between the downstream discharge roller 81 and the upstream discharge roller 81 and the downstream side. A guide member 84 that leads to the discharge roller 81 is provided. As a result, the print paper P is discharged in an oblique direction from the print table 66 to the downstream side.

  As described above, since the print paper P is lifted to a position higher than the upper surface of the print table 66 on the upstream side and the downstream side of the print table 66, the portion of the print paper P on the print table 66 is the print table 66. It comes to be pressed against the top surface.

  The discharge tray 5 is provided on the front side of the discharge roller 81 outside the casing 1 and protrudes forward of the casing 1, and an auxiliary tray 5a is stored at the front end thereof. . When the length of the printed paper P to be discharged is longer than the length of the discharge tray 5, the auxiliary tray 5a can receive the long printed paper P by pulling it forward of the housing 1. ing.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the inkjet printer has a microprocessor 101 (hereinafter referred to as a CPU), a conveyance control unit 102 connected to the CPU 101 via a data bus, a head control unit 103, and a print control. Unit 104, semiconductor memory RAM / ROM 105, communication interface 106, and first paper detection sensor 20 and second paper detection sensor 58 described above.

  The conveyance control unit 102 controls the operation of each of the units U1 to U5. The head control unit 103 controls the operation of the print head 67. The communication interface 106 is for transmitting and receiving information to and from the reception block 100. The print control unit 104 controls the print paper P to print image data based on the image data received from the receiving block 100 via the communication interface 106.

  Under the control of the conveyance control unit 102, the units U1 to U5 operate as follows.

  When printing is performed on the print paper P set in the magazine housing unit 2, the roller pair 41 of the switchback unit U4 is positioned at the first receiving position (see FIG. 1). Then, by operating the support roller 15 and supply roller 17 of the first supply unit U1 and the feed roller 25 of the cutter unit U2, the print paper P is pulled out of the magazine housing portion 2 and is positioned at the first receiving position. Transport to pair 41.

  The driving roller 41a of the roller pair 41 starts to drive when the tip of the print paper P is detected by the second paper detection sensor 58, and rotates (forward) in the counterclockwise direction in FIGS. The print paper P conveyed from the unit U2 in the horizontal direction to the rear of the housing is received and gripped. That is, the print paper P is sandwiched between the driving roller 41a and the driven roller 41b. The drive roller 41a continues to drive and draws the print paper P into the space space 12 on the rear side of the casing. Then, after the leading edge of the print paper P is detected by the second paper detection sensor 58, after the amount determined based on the order information is conveyed, the movable blade 26b of the cutter 26 is operated to cut the print paper P. The After this cutting, the driving roller 41a continues to drive, and stops when the rear end portion of the cut print paper P is gripped by the roller pair 41.

  In this way, the print paper P passes between the driving roller 41a and the driven roller 41b having the large diameter portions 41a1 and 41b1 and the small diameter portions 41a2 and 41b2, respectively. A waveform curl (cross curl) is given to the case as viewed in the paper length direction.

  At this stage, the print paper P gripped by the roller pair 41 is not on the upstream conveyance path, but is separated from the upstream conveyance path. The operations of the support roller 15 and the supply roller 17 of the first supply unit U1 and the feed roller 25 of the cutter unit U2 are stopped after the print paper P is cut.

  Subsequently, the drive belt 48 of the switchback unit U4 operates, and the roller pair 41 moves upward and stops at the delivery position (see FIG. 6). As a result, the print paper P is conveyed from the receiving position to the sending position in a state where it is separated from the upstream conveying path (cutter unit U2).

  Thereafter, the drive roller 41a of the roller pair 41 rotates (reverses) in the clockwise direction in FIG. 6, and the cut print paper P is sent to the transport roller 75 of the print unit U5 in the horizontal direction toward the front of the housing.

  When the print paper P is sent out, the front end of the print paper P (rear end at the time of receipt) is detected by the second paper detection sensor 58. By this detection, the transport roller 75 of the print unit U5 starts to operate. Receives the print paper P sent out from the switchback unit U4 and conveys it to the print stand 66 as it is. As a result, the print paper P is conveyed to the print unit 4 in a state of being curled into a waveform in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction. The roller pair 41 of the switchback unit U4 moves downward and returns to the first receiving position after the rear end of the print paper P is detected by the second paper detection sensor 58.

  The print head 67 is moved in the main scanning direction while being intermittently conveyed by the conveyance amount by the conveyance roller 75, and printing on the print table 66 is performed from the ink discharge nozzle 67 b of each head unit 67 a of the print head 67. Printing is performed by ejecting ink to the paper P.

  The printed print paper P is discharged to the outside of the housing 1 with the print surface facing upward by the discharge roller 81 and received by the discharge tray 5.

  On the other hand, when printing is performed on the print paper P set in the cassette housing portion 3, the roller pair 41 of the switchback unit U4 is positioned at the second receiving position (see FIG. 7). Then, by the operation of the feed roller 35 of the second supply unit U3, the print paper P is pulled out from the cassette housing 3 and conveyed to the roller pair 41 located at the second receiving position. Grip the rear edge of the. As a result, the printed paper P is imparted with a waveform curl (cross curl) as viewed in the paper length direction.

  Subsequently, like the print paper P pulled out from the magazine accommodating portion 2, the roller pair 41 grips the rear end portion of the print paper P, and then moves upward and stops at the sending position. As a result, the print paper P is conveyed from the receiving position to the sending position in a state where the print paper P is cut off from the upstream conveying path (second supply unit U3). Thereafter, the driving roller 41a of the roller pair 41 reverses and sends the print paper P to the transport roller 75 of the print unit U5 in the direction opposite to the moving direction when receiving the print paper P.

  When the print paper P is delivered to the transport roller 75, the leading end of the print paper P is detected by the second paper detection sensor 58, and the transport roller 75 of the print unit U5 starts to operate by this detection. The print paper P sent out from the switchback unit U4 is received and conveyed to the print stand 66 as it is. As a result, the print paper P is conveyed to the print unit 4 in a state of being curled into a waveform in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction. The roller pair 41 of the switchback unit U4 moves downward and returns to the second receiving position after the rear end of the print paper P is detected by the second paper detection sensor 58.

  Next, in the same manner as the print paper P drawn out from the magazine housing unit 2, printing is performed by moving the print head 67 in the main scanning direction while intermittently transporting the print paper P by the transport amount by the transport roller 75. . The printed print paper P is discharged by the discharge roller 81 to the outside of the housing 1 with the print surface facing upward, and is received by the discharge tray 5.

  Therefore, in the above-described embodiment, a waveform cross curl is imparted to the print paper P by the roller pair 41 of the switchback unit U4, and the print paper P is conveyed to the print unit U5 in this state.

  On the other hand, in the print unit U5, the print paper P is transported and discharged in an oblique direction with respect to the print table 66. Therefore, the force applied by the transport roller 75 and the discharge roller 81 is applied to the print paper P as shown in FIG. The portion of the print paper P on the print table 66 is pressed against the print table 66 (see the white arrow in the figure). In this configuration, the curled direction (direction perpendicular to the paper surface) is imparted to the print paper P by conveying the print paper P onto the print table 66 in a state in which the cross-curl of the waveform is imparted to the print paper P. By being orthogonal to the direction of the force, the force is reliably transmitted to the print paper P on the print table 66. In other words, the stiffness of the print paper P is strengthened by the cross curl, and the portion of the print paper P on the print table 66 is surely pressed against the print table 66. As a result, the flatness of the printed paper P at the time of printing is sufficiently ensured even with a simple small suction device or without providing a suction device.

  In the above embodiment, the corrugated cross curl is applied to the print paper P by the roller pair 41 of the switchback unit U4. However, the configuration is the same as that of the driving roller 41a and the driven roller 41b of the roller pair 41. For example, the roller pair may be disposed on the upstream side of the conveyance roller 75 of the print unit U5 and on the downstream side of the switchback unit U4. Moreover, you may arrange | position at the downstream of the cutter unit U2, the upstream of the switchback unit U4, the downstream of the 2nd supply unit U3, and the upstream of the switchback unit U4, respectively. This also realizes that the print paper P is conveyed to the print unit U5 in a cross-curled state.

  In the above-described embodiment, the drive paper 41a and the driven roller 41b each having a plurality of large-diameter portions 41a1 and 41b1 and a plurality of small-diameter portions 41a2 and 41b2 are applied to the printed paper P with a waveform. The configuration for applying the cross curl to the print paper P is not limited to this. For example, you may employ | adopt the cross curl providing apparatus of the structure shown in FIG. This cross curl application device is, for example, a substitute for the roller pair 41 of the switchback unit U4, and a support member 53 corresponding to an integrated unit of the first and second support members 56 and 57 in the switchback unit U4. And two transport rollers 44, 44 disposed on the upper surface side of the support member 53.

  The support member 53 has a convex portion 53a that gradually protrudes from the front side of the casing toward the rear side at the center in the width direction (horizontal direction of the casing). The two conveying rollers 44 and 44 are supported by the shaft member 44a in a state where the two conveying rollers 44 and 44 are in contact with the upper surface of the support member 53 at both side positions in the left-right direction of the housing with the convex portion 53a interposed therebetween. The shaft member 44a and the two transport rollers 44 are driven to rotate forward and backward around the central axis by an electric motor (not shown).

  Thus, when the switchback unit U4 receives the print paper P at the first receiving position or the second receiving position, the respective conveying rollers 44 and the support member 53 are driven by driving the respective conveying rollers 44. The print paper P is sandwiched between the upper surface and the space space 12 on the rear side of the housing, and the print paper P is in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction by the convex portion 53a provided on the support member 53 at that time. To be bent. As a result, a curl in that direction, that is, an arc-shaped cross curl is applied to the print paper P. Here, a cross curl is applied to the print paper P in such a direction that the central portion in the width direction of the print paper P protrudes from the both end portions to the print surface side, but the direction of the cross curl may be reversed. Further, it is possible to adjust the strength of the cross curl imparted to the print paper P by changing the shape of the convex portion 53a of the support member 53.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 11 shows an inkjet printer according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. In the ink jet printer, the cross curling device is omitted from the ink jet printer according to the first embodiment, and a paper rotating device (paper rotating unit U6) is provided instead. Note that in the inkjet printer according to the second embodiment, the same components as those of the inkjet printer according to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

  The paper rotation unit U6 is provided downstream of the cutter unit U2 and upstream of the switchback unit U4. As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the paper rotating unit U6 includes a holding portion 91 disposed on the back side of the print paper P conveyed from the cutter unit U2 to the switchback unit U4, and the holding portion 91. On the other hand, a fan 92 connected via a connection hose 92a and a driven pulley provided integrally with the holding portion 91 and rotatably provided around the rotation axis X extending in the vertical direction together with the holding portion 91. 94a, a drive pulley 94b attached to the output shaft of the electric motor 96, a transmission belt 95 wound around the drive pulley 94b and the driven pulley 94a, and a guide member for guiding the print paper P sent out from the cutter unit U2. 98 (not shown in FIG. 12).

  The holding portion 91 is a hollow member, and a plurality of suction holes 91a are formed through the surface (upper surface) that contacts the back surface of the print paper P. Therefore, by driving the fan 92, negative pressure is applied to the print paper P that is in contact with the upper surface of the holding portion 91 via the suction hole 91a, and the print paper P is sucked and held by the holding portion 91. It becomes like this.

  Further, by driving the electric motor 96, the driven pulley 94a rotates through the transmission belt 95, and the holding portion 91 rotates around the rotation axis X along with the rotation.

  Accordingly, in the paper rotation unit U6, the print paper P is rotated about the rotation axis X together with the holding portion 91 by driving the electric motor 96 in a state where the holding portion 91 holds the print paper P by suction. By setting the rotation angle of the print paper P to 90 °, the length direction of the print paper P is changed to the transport direction from the state in which the length direction of the print paper P matches the transport direction (see the solid line in FIG. 12). The state is switched to an orthogonal state (see the alternate long and short dash line in the figure).

  Here, the print paper P drawn out from the magazine housing unit 2 is curled in the transport direction by a roll curl, but the print paper P is rotated in the transport direction by rotating the print paper P by the paper rotation unit U6. It can be in the state curled in the direction orthogonal to the direction.

  Unlike the first embodiment, the roller pair 41 (the driving roller 41a and the driven roller 41b) of the switchback unit U4 does not have a large-diameter portion and a small-diameter portion, and the driving roller 41a and the driven roller 41b are printed. When the paper P is received and sent out, they are arranged in contact with each other. The driven roller 41b is provided so as to be detachable from the driving roller 41a. As will be described later, when the print paper P is rotated in the paper rotating unit U6, the driven roller 41b is separated from the driving roller 41a. It is in a separated state.

  In the ink jet printer according to the second embodiment, the units U1 to U6 operate as follows under the control of the conveyance control unit 102.

  When printing is performed on the print paper P set in the magazine housing unit 2, the roller pair 41 of the switchback unit U4 is positioned at the first receiving position (see FIG. 1). Then, by operating the support roller 15 and supply roller 17 of the first supply unit U1 and the feed roller 25 of the cutter unit U2, the print paper P is pulled out of the magazine housing portion 2 and is positioned at the first receiving position. Transport to pair 41.

  The driving roller 41a of the roller pair 41 starts to drive when the tip of the print paper P is detected by the second paper detection sensor 58, and rotates (forward) in the counterclockwise direction in FIGS. The print paper P conveyed from the unit U2 in the horizontal direction to the rear of the housing is received and gripped. That is, the print paper P is sandwiched between the driving roller 41a and the driven roller 41b. The drive roller 41a continues to drive and draws the print paper P into the space space 12 on the rear side of the casing. Then, after the leading edge of the print paper P is detected by the second paper detection sensor 58, after the amount determined based on the order information is conveyed, the movable blade 26b of the cutter 26 is operated to cut the print paper P. The

  Thereafter, the print paper P is rotated by the paper rotation unit U6. That is, the driving roller 41a of the roller pair 41 is stopped, the driving of the fan 92 is started, and the cut print paper P gripped by the roller pair 41 is sucked and held by the holding portion 91. Next, the driven roller 41b of the roller pair 41 is moved away from the drive roller, and then the electric motor 96 is driven to rotate the holding portion 91 about the rotation axis X by 90 °. As a result, the print paper P is curled in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction.

  Then, after rotating the print paper P by 90 ° around the rotation axis X, the driven roller 41b is lowered to grip the leading end of the rotated print paper P. After the front end portion of the print paper P is gripped, the fan 92 stops. Then, the driving of the driving roller 41 a is resumed, and is stopped when the rear end portion of the rotated print paper P is gripped by the roller pair 41.

  After the roller pair 41 grips the rear end portion of the print paper P, it moves upward and stops at the sending position. Thereafter, the driving roller 41a of the roller pair 41 reverses and sends the print paper P to the transport roller 75 of the print unit U5 in the direction opposite to the moving direction when receiving the print paper P.

  When the print paper P is delivered to the transport roller 75, the leading end of the print paper P is detected by the second paper detection sensor 58, and the transport roller 75 of the print unit U5 starts operating by this detection. The print paper P sent out from the switchback unit U4 is received and conveyed to the print stand 66 as it is. At this time, the print paper P is conveyed to the printing unit 4 in a state of being curled into a waveform in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction.

  Next, printing is performed by moving the print head 67 in the main scanning direction while intermittently conveying the print paper P by the conveyance roller 75 by a unit conveyance amount. The printed print paper P is discharged by the discharge roller 81 to the outside of the housing 1 with the print surface facing upward, and is received by the discharge tray 5.

  Therefore, in the above embodiment, the print paper P is rotated by 90 ° around the rotation axis X perpendicular to the print surface by the paper rotation unit U6, and the curl due to the curl of the roll is used to cross the print paper P. In the curled state, conveyance to the print unit U5 is realized. As a result, the portion of the print paper P on the print table 66 can be surely pressed against the print table 66, and the print paper can be printed at the time of printing without using a simple small suction device or a suction device. P flatness is sufficiently secured.

  Further, as described above, in the printing unit 4 of the ink jet printer, the print paper P is intermittently (stepped) transported at a constant unit transport amount, and at each stop of the print paper P during this intermittent transport, The print head 67 performs one scan (one-way operation or one-time operation) in the main scanning direction orthogonal to the transport direction (sub-scanning direction), and ink is ejected at each position in the main scanning direction during this scanning. That is, after one scan of the print head 67, the print paper P is transported by the unit transport amount, and then the print head 67 is scanned once again, and this operation is repeated to print a desired image. . For this reason, in the ink jet printer, the number of times the print head 67 is scanned increases as the amount by which the print paper P is conveyed in the print unit 4, that is, the paper length of the print paper P (length in the sub-scanning direction) is longer. The time required for minute printing is significantly increased.

  On the other hand, by rotating the print paper P in the paper rotation unit U6, the print paper P conveyed to the print unit U5 is brought into a state in which the longitudinal direction is orthogonal to the conveyance direction, that is, the main scanning direction. be able to. As a result, the paper conveyance amount (feed amount) in the printing unit 4 is reduced, and the number of times the print head 67 is reciprocated is reduced. As a result, the time required for printing can be shortened and the efficiency of the printing process can be improved.

  In the above embodiment, the paper rotation unit U6 is configured to rotate in a state where the print paper P is sucked and held, but the configuration of the paper rotation unit U6 is not limited to this. For example, although not shown, a holding member that holds the print paper P in the thickness direction is provided instead of the holding portion 91, and the print paper P is rotated while the print paper P is held by the holding member. May be.

  In the above embodiment, the paper rotation unit U6 is arranged between the cutter unit U2 and the switchback unit U4. However, the arrangement of the paper rotation unit U6 is not limited to this, and the paper rotation unit U6 is the print unit U5. And upstream of the cutter unit U2. In that case, a member for gripping the print paper P (in the above embodiment, the roller pair 41 of the switchback unit U4) may be provided as appropriate.

  In the first and second embodiments, both the magazine housing unit 2 and the cassette housing unit 3 are provided. However, only one of the magazine housing unit 2 and the cassette housing unit 3 may be provided. A plurality of magazine storage units 2 or cassette storage units 3 may be provided.

  In addition, in the first and second embodiments, the printer of the present invention is applied to an ink jet printer used in a photographic printing system. However, the printer may be configured to transport the print paper P from the paper set unit to the print unit 4. For example, the present invention can be applied to anything.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is useful for a printer in which print paper set in a paper set unit is pulled out from the paper set unit and conveyed to the print unit, and particularly useful for an ink jet printer used in a photographic print system.

It is the schematic seen from the housing | casing side which shows the structure of the inkjet printer which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is the figure seen from the housing | casing side which shows the structure of a switchback unit. It is the figure seen from the housing | casing which shows the principal part of a switchback unit. It is a perspective view which shows a roller pair. It is a top view which shows a printing stand. FIG. 2 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1 illustrating a state when a roller pair of the switchback unit is located at a delivery position. FIG. 3 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1 showing a state when a roller pair of the switchback unit is located at a second receiving position. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a control system. It is the figure seen from the housing | casing side which expands and shows a printing part. FIG. 5 is a view corresponding to FIG. 4 and showing a modification of the cross curl applying device. FIG. 3 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1 and showing a configuration of an inkjet printer according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the principal part of a paper rotation unit.

Explanation of symbols

P Print paper U6 Paper rotation unit (paper rotation device)
2 Magazine storage (paper set)
26 Cutter (cutting means)
3 Cassette housing (paper set)
4 Print section 41 Roller pair (Cross curling device)
44 Conveying roller (Cross curling device)
53 Support member (Cross curling device)

Claims (3)

A printer comprising a paper set unit on which print paper is set, a print unit that performs printing on the print paper, and a conveyance path for conveying the print paper set in the paper set unit to the print unit Because
The print unit conveys the print paper in an oblique direction toward the print table from an upstream side of the print table that supports the print paper at the time of printing, so that the print paper on the print table is transferred to the print table. Configured to press and
The printer, wherein the transport path is configured to transport the print paper to the printing unit in a cross-curled state curled in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction. The printer according to claim 1.
A cross curling device is further provided on the upstream side of the print unit and the downstream side of the paper set unit, and applies a cross curl to the print paper drawn from the paper set unit. Printer. The printer according to claim 1.
In the paper set part, a long print paper is set in a state wound in a roll shape,
Cutting means provided on the downstream side of the paper set unit, and cutting the print paper drawn from the paper set unit into a predetermined length;
A paper rotation device provided on the upstream side of the print unit and on the downstream side of the cutting means, and for rotating the print paper cut by the cutting means by 90 ° about a rotation axis perpendicular to the print surface; ,
The conveyance path is configured to convey the print paper to the printing unit in a state in which a direction of curling due to the curl of the roll is orthogonal to the conveyance direction when the paper rotating device rotates the print paper. A printer characterized by being configured as described above.

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