JP2007038554A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming device which facilitates the replacement of a roll body by shortening time required by the time when a new roll body can be mounted. <P>SOLUTION: In the image forming device 1, a transfer control section 120 changes the transfer speed of a recording medium M to a speed faster than the speed before the rear end is sensed in accordance with the result of mode selection by a user when the rear end of the recording medium M is sensed in a rear end sensing sensor 16. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that forms an image while pulling out a conveyance material from a roll body around which a long conveyance material is wound.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an image forming apparatus that forms an image while pulling a conveying material from a roll body obtained by winding a long conveying material has been used.
Such an image forming apparatus generally has a printer unit that forms an image on a conveyance material, a loop unit that adjusts the conveyance speed of the conveyance material, and an image formed on the surface of the conveyance material during image formation. And a drying unit for drying the ink that has been formed.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses that a recording medium is covered in a storage space in which a recording medium is accumulated in a loop as a buffer that absorbs a difference in conveyance speed of the recording medium between a printing process in a printer unit and a post-process such as drying in a drying unit. An image forming apparatus is disclosed in which recording media can be stored in as free a state as possible.
JP 2004-66587 A (published March 4, 2004)

However, the conventional image forming apparatus has the following problems.
That is, in the image forming apparatus disclosed in the above publication, since the conveying material is printed and then discharged to the outside through a drying process for drying the ink, the conveying material is conveyed to ensure a sufficient drying time. There is a limit to increasing the speed. Also, in printers that specialize in large-sized prints such as advertisement prints, the speed of the printing process is not necessarily slow, but the problem that it takes a considerable amount of time to complete one print is actually a problem. is there. For this reason, even when the rear end of the long conveying material wound around the roll body is detected and it is found that image formation is performed only halfway without the remaining length of the conveying material, It takes a considerable amount of time to finish transporting the transport material to the end. As a result, it takes time to make it possible to mount a roll body of a new conveying material, and it is difficult to efficiently perform the replacement work of the roll body.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of efficiently replacing a roll body by shortening the time required for mounting a new roll body as compared with the conventional one. .

  An image forming apparatus according to a first aspect includes a rear end detection unit, a transport unit, an image forming unit, and a control unit. The rear end detection unit detects the rear end of the transport material drawn from the roll body around which the long transport material is wound. A conveyance part pulls out a conveyance material from a roll body, and conveys it. The image forming unit forms an image on the conveying material based on the image data. The control unit performs control to make the conveyance speed of the conveyance material in the conveyance unit faster than the conveyance speed during image formation by detecting the trailing edge of the conveyance material in the trailing edge detection unit.

Here, in an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a transport material that is pulled out and transported from the roll body, when the trailing end of the long transport material wound around the roll body is detected, the transport material Control is performed so that the transport speed is faster than the transport speed up to that point.
Here, examples of the long conveying material wound around the roll body include a photosensitive material such as photographic paper when the image forming apparatus is a photographic processing apparatus.

  Normally, in an apparatus that forms an image while pulling out a long conveyance material from a roll body, image formation is performed until the conveyance material runs out at the same conveyance speed even after the trailing edge is detected, or the image formation is stopped and left as it is. Or waiting for the conveyance material to be wound up at the conveyance speed. However, in such an apparatus, the transport material is transported at the same transport speed until the end even though the transport material is included in the middle of image formation and includes an image that must be formed again. For this reason, it takes time until a new roll body can be mounted, which is inefficient. In particular, in an apparatus including a step of drying a conveying material after image formation, the conveying speed of the conveying material in a normal state is relatively slow, and it takes a considerable time until all the conveying material is conveyed from the trailing edge detection. .

In the image forming apparatus of the present invention, when the trailing end of the long conveying material wound around the roll body is detected, for example, at the same time as the processing of the image data currently forming the image is completed, the conveying speed of the conveying material is normally set. The transfer of the remaining transfer material is completed earlier by switching to a higher speed.
As a result, it is possible to perform the replacement work of the roll body efficiently by shortening the time until a new roll body can be mounted to a state that is significantly shorter than before.

  An image forming apparatus according to a second aspect is the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the control unit conveys from the image forming position by the image forming unit to the rear end when detecting the rear end. The remaining length of the material is compared with the length of the conveying material necessary for image data to be imaged in the image forming unit. Then, after the image forming of the image data that is formed immediately before the image data that cannot be formed until the end due to the absence of the conveying material is completed, the conveying speed in the conveying unit is switched.

Here, the control unit switches the conveyance speed based on a comparison result between the remaining length of the conveyance material and the length of the conveyance material necessary for each image data to be subjected to image formation.
As a result, it is possible to perform control to increase the conveyance speed without performing image formation from the beginning for image data that needs to be re-formed after the conveyance material runs out during image formation. As a result, the conveying material at the rear end portion can be conveyed at high speed without performing useless image forming processing, so that the processing until a new roll body can be mounted can be efficiently performed.

An image forming apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention is the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, wherein the control unit is configured to convey the material from the image forming position by the image forming unit to the rear end when detecting the rear end. Is compared with the length of the conveying material required for image data during image formation in the image forming unit. If the transport material runs out and an image cannot be formed until the end, the transport speed is immediately switched in the transport section. Here, for example, when printing large-sized photographs for advertising, the image of the one image When the trailing edge of the conveyance material is detected during the forming process, high-speed conveyance control is performed based on a comparison result between the length of the conveyance material necessary for image formation of the remaining image data and the remaining amount of the conveyance material.

That is, when the rear end of the conveying material is detected during image formation of one sheet and it is found that not all images can be formed within the remaining amount of the conveying material, image formation is interrupted at that time, Switch to high speed transport.
As a result, for image data that needs to be formed again after the conveyance material runs out during image formation, it is possible to perform control to interrupt the image formation and increase the conveyance speed. As a result, the conveying material at the rear end portion can be conveyed at high speed without performing useless image forming processing, so that the processing until a new roll body can be mounted can be efficiently performed.

According to the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to perform the replacement work of the roll body efficiently by shortening the time until a new roll body is ready to be mounted, as compared with the conventional case.
According to the image forming apparatus of the second invention, the conveying material at the rear end portion can be conveyed at high speed without performing useless image forming processing, so that a new roll body can be mounted. Can be performed efficiently.

  According to the image forming apparatus of the third invention, the conveying material at the rear end portion can be conveyed at high speed without performing useless image forming processing, so that a new roll body can be mounted. Can be performed efficiently.

An image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
[Configuration of Entire Image Forming Apparatus 1]
As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is connected to an image processing system 160, and includes a print processing unit 1A, a drying processing unit (drying unit) 1B, a loop forming unit 1C, A fixing processing unit 1D.

The print processing unit 1A forms an image by ejecting ink droplets onto a sheet-like recording medium (conveying material) M having a maximum width of 1240 mm.
The drying processing unit 1B is disposed immediately downstream of the printing processing unit 1A, and receives and dries the recording medium M discharged from the printing processing unit 1A.
The loop forming unit 1C is disposed immediately downstream of the drying processing unit 1B and between the printing processing unit 1A and the fixing processing unit 1D. The loop forming unit 1C accumulates the recording medium M in a loop shape to thereby form the printing processing unit 1A. The difference in processing speed with the fixing processing unit 1D is absorbed.

The fixing processing unit 1D is disposed immediately downstream of the loop forming unit 1C, and functions as a thermal fixing device that heats the dried recording medium M and performs fixing processing.
As shown in FIG. 1, the image processing system 160 connected to the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes a computer 161, a monitor device 162, a keyboard 163 and a mouse 164, and image information of the developed photographic film F. A film scanner 165 or the like for photoelectric conversion. The computer 161 has a built-in media drive unit 161a for reading out image data recorded on various electronic data recording media such as a CD-R, MO, compact flash (registered trademark) card, floppy (registered trademark) disk and the like. ing. Further, the image processing system 160 performs editing processing of photographic image data read by the film scanner 165 and image data acquired from the electronic data recording medium, and the image forming apparatus 1 as print data via the communication control line L1. Is input.

As shown in FIG. 2, the recording medium M used in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a sheet-like base material M1, a protective layer M2, and an ink receiving layer M3.
The base material M1 is made of a synthetic resin material such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and has a predetermined rigidity.
The protective layer M2 is integrally provided on the upper layer of the base material M1, and is formed of a highly weather-resistant material such as a fluororesin.

The ink receiving layer M3 is provided in a peelable state on the upper layer of the protective layer M2, and is attached via an adhesive.
The recording medium M configured as described above prints images such as photographic images, illustrations, and characters on the surface of the ink receiving layer M3 with water-based ink containing a sublimation dye in the print processing unit 1A included in the image forming apparatus 1. Processed. Then, after being dried in the drying processing unit 1B, the fixing processing unit 1D is heat-treated. Here, on the surface of the recording medium M, the fixing process is performed by the sublimation dye sublimating and penetrating into the protective layer M2. Thereafter, the ink receiving layer M3 is peeled off to obtain a sheet on which a very glossy and vivid image is recorded. The recording medium M is used as a signboard installed outdoors or an image recording medium for advertisements affixed to a vehicle body such as a train or a bus.

(Configuration of print processing unit 1A)
The print processing unit 1A is a device that performs print processing (image formation) while transporting the sheet-like recording medium M, and as shown in FIG. 1, via a communication control line L1 connected to the image processing system 160. The print output is performed on the recording medium M on the basis of the input print data. As shown in FIG. 3, the print processing unit 1 </ b> A includes a print conveying unit (conveying unit) 10 and a printing unit (image forming unit) 20.

The print transport unit 10 includes a driving roller 12, a pressing roller 13 as a feeding unit, a suction unit 15, and a rear end detection sensor 16. Then, the print transport unit 10 monitors the rear end of the long recording medium M wound in a roll shape by the rear end detection sensor 16 while monitoring the drive roller 12 and the pressing roller 13. The recording medium M is nipped and conveyed between them.
The drive roller 12 is a recording medium storage unit in which a long recording medium M wound in a roll shape (a roll body around which a long conveying material is wound) is supported by a pair of rollers 11. A member that pulls out the recording medium M from 10a and conveys it in the sub-scanning direction, and is driven by a stepping motor (not shown).

The suction unit 15 is disposed in the vicinity of a printing position for performing a printing process in the printing unit 20 described later, and prevents the recording medium M conveyed by the pressing roller 13 serving as a feeding unit from being lifted on the platen 14. Then, the recording medium M is sucked in the direction of the arrow in the figure.
The rear end detection sensor 16 is arranged on the downstream side of the recording medium accommodating portion 10a that accommodates the roll-shaped recording medium M formed by winding the long recording medium M, and the long recording medium M When the rear end is detected, a detection result is transmitted to the conveyance control unit 120 described later. The processing flow from the detection of the trailing edge in the trailing edge detection sensor 16 to the switching of the conveyance speed of the recording medium M to a high speed will be described in detail later.

  The printing unit 20 forms an image by ejecting ink droplets onto the surface of the recording medium M conveyed by the printing conveyance unit 10. Further, the printing unit 20 includes an ink jet print head 21, a guide rod 22, a drive mechanism (not shown) including a stepping motor and a timing belt, and the like. The printing unit 20 forms an image on the recording medium M conveyed in the sub-scanning direction by the print conveying unit 10 while reciprocating in the main scanning direction orthogonal to the sub-scanning direction.

  The print head 21 discharges six sublimation inks of “black”, “cyan”, “magenta”, “yellow”, “light cyan”, and “light magenta” to form a color image. The print head 21 is attached with an ink cartridge for supplying ink to an ejection mechanism (not shown) composed of a piezo element or the like. Further, the print head 21 is provided with a cutter 24 that descends so as to come into contact with the recording medium M at a predetermined timing and cuts the recording medium M along the main scanning direction.

The guide rod 22 is a rod-shaped member disposed along a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the recording medium M, and supports the blind head 21 that reciprocates along the width direction of the recording medium M.
A stepping motor (not shown) serves as a drive source for causing the print head 21 to reciprocate along the guide rod 22.

(Configuration of drying processing unit 1B)
The drying processing unit 1B receives the printing-processed recording medium M discharged from the printing processing unit 1A and dries it, a receiving transport unit 40 that transports the recording medium M dried in the drying unit 30, and It has.
The drying unit 30 includes a heater 31 disposed at a lower portion on the back side of the image forming apparatus 1, a guide passage 32 that guides hot air from the heater 31, and sucks hot air through the guide passage 32 to ink the recording medium M. And a blower fan 33 that discharges toward the application surface.

The receiving / conveying unit (conveying unit) 40 includes a receiving roller 41 that receives and conveys the recording medium M sent out by the driving roller 12 of the print processing unit 1 </ b> A on the downstream side of the drying unit 30.
(Configuration of loop forming unit 1C)
As shown in FIG. 3, the loop forming unit 1C includes a first accumulating unit 50 and a second accumulating unit 70, and is arranged between the print processing unit 1A, the drying processing unit 1B, and the fixing processing unit 1D. It is provided to absorb the difference in processing speed, that is, the difference in the conveyance speed of the recording medium M.

  The first accumulation unit 50 accommodates the recording medium M in a loop shape without applying unnecessary tension to the recording medium M discharged from the drying processing unit 1B. The first accumulating unit 50 includes a first intermediate roller 51 that conveys the recording medium M conveyed by the receiving roller 41 included in the drying processing unit 1B to the downstream side, the receiving roller 41, the first intermediate roller 51, and the like. Receiving guide plate 53 disposed between the two. The first storage unit 50 is subjected to loop formation control by a first loop control unit (not shown).

  The first loop control unit stops the first intermediate roller 51 when the leading end portion of the recording medium M conveyed by the receiving roller 41 and guided by the receiving guide plate 53 is sandwiched between the first intermediate rollers 51 and receives the recording medium M. The lower end of the guide plate 53 is swung open to the right. Thereby, the recording medium M carried into the lower space is accumulated in a loop between the receiving roller 41 and the first intermediate roller 51.

  The second storage unit 70 receives the recording medium M stored in the first storage unit 50 and supplies the recording medium M without applying unnecessary tension to the downstream fixing processing unit 1D. Similar to the storage unit 50, the recording medium M is stored in a loop. The second accumulating unit 70 includes a second intermediate roller 52, a discharge roller 71, and a pair of discharge guide plates 72 and 73 that guide the recording medium M between the second intermediate roller 52 and the discharge roller 71. is doing. Then, similarly to the first accumulation unit 50, loop formation control is performed by a second loop control unit (not shown).

  The second loop control unit stops the discharge roller 71 when the leading edge of the recording medium M conveyed by the second intermediate roller 52 and guided by the discharge guide plates 72 and 73 is sandwiched between the discharge rollers 71. Then, the lower end of the lower guide plate 73 of the discharge guide plates 72 and 73 is rocked and opened leftward. Thereby, the recording medium M conveyed by the second intermediate roller 52 is accumulated in a loop between the discharge roller 71 and the second intermediate roller 52.

  In the loop forming unit 1C, after one recording medium M is transferred from the first accumulation unit 50 to the second accumulation unit 70 as described above, a new recording medium M is accumulated in the first accumulation unit 50. The recording medium M stored in the second storage unit 70 is conveyed to the fixing processing unit 1D by the discharge roller 71. Thus, it is possible to perform processing continuously regardless of the difference in processing speed between the print processing unit 1A and the fixing processing unit 1D.

(Configuration of fixing processing unit 1D)
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the fixing processing unit 1 </ b> D includes a heat processing unit 10 </ b> D and a conveyance processing unit 11 </ b> D.
The heat treatment unit 10D heat-treats the surface of the recording medium M, thereby sublimating and fixing the image of the sublimation ink formed on the ink receiving layer M3 included in the recording medium M on the protective layer M2.

The transport processing unit 11D transports the recording medium M to the heat processing unit 10D, and discharges the heat-treated recording medium M to the outside. Further, the conveyance processing unit 11D has a first conveyance unit (conveyance unit) 90 that conveys the recording medium M substantially horizontally in the heat treatment unit 10D, and a second conveyance that discharges the heat-treated recording medium M downward. Part (conveyance part) 110.
The first transport unit 90 includes a receiving transport roller 84, a first transport roller group 85, a second transport roller group 86 disposed near the center of the fixing processing unit 1D, and the most downstream side in order from the upstream side in the transport direction of the recording medium M. The third conveyance roller group 87 arranged in the above, a conveyance motor (not shown) for rotationally driving these roller groups, and a transmission mechanism. The peripheral surface of each roller is formed of a material such as silicon rubber having a high friction coefficient and high heat resistance.

The second transport unit 110 includes a fourth transport roller group 111 on the upstream side in the transport direction of the recording medium M, and a discharge roller group 112 near the exit to the outside of the apparatus. The peripheral surface of each roller is formed of a material such as silicon rubber having a high coefficient of friction and high heat resistance, similar to the rollers constituting the first transport unit 90.
Between the first transport unit 90 and the second transport unit 110, there is provided a posture change guide unit 100 that contacts the back surface of the recording medium M in the width direction and changes the posture from a horizontal posture to an inclined posture. A heating panel 102 as a heating unit is provided inside the posture change guide unit 100, and printing is performed on the ink receiving layer M3 by heating the recording medium M conveyed by the first conveyance unit 90. The ink image thus formed is sublimated and fixed on the protective layer M2. Thereafter, the posture change guide unit 100 changes its posture from a horizontal posture to an inclined posture by its own weight, and is delivered to the second transport unit 110. In the second transport unit 110, the recording medium M is transported while being cooled, and is discharged to a slope-shaped discharge chute 99 formed of a polyethylene film provided outside the apparatus.

  The heat processing unit 10D is arranged so as to sandwich the front and back surfaces of the recording medium M conveyed in the conveyance processing unit 11D from the up and down direction. In addition, the heat treatment unit 10D includes the first heating mechanism 91 and the second heating mechanism 94 in the heating region 82 covered with the metal outer casing 80 and the heating casing 81 arranged inside the outer casing 80. The recording medium M is heat-treated at a predetermined temperature.

  The first heating mechanism 91 includes a plurality of rod-shaped heating elements 88 as heat sources arranged upstream of the center of the heating region 82 above the conveyance surface of the recording medium M, and above the conveyance surface of the recording medium M. And a stirring fan 89 disposed downstream of the center of the heating region 82. Then, the first heating mechanism 91 heats the internal air to a predetermined temperature suitable for sublimation fixing (for example, around 180 degrees), and blows the heated air onto the surface of the recording medium M by the stirring fan 89. Thus, the recording medium M is heated.

The second heating mechanism 94 includes a first heating panel 92 disposed on the upstream side in the conveyance direction of the recording medium M below the conveyance surface, and a second heating panel 93 disposed on the downstream side of the first heating panel 92. And is in contact with the back side of the recording medium M and heated.
In more detail, the 1st heating mechanism 91 is a conveyance surface of the recording medium M which conveys the hot air as a heating fluid ejected from the hot-air ejection part 81a formed in the bottom part of the heating housing 81 by the conveyance process part 11D. It flows along the heating flow path 91a formed along the line. Then, hot air is sucked from the hot air suction part 81b formed at the bottom of the heating casing 81, and the sucked hot air is reheated to a predetermined temperature by the heating element 88 and then circulated to the heating channel 91a by the stirring fan 89. Supplied. Thereby, the heat treatment of the recording medium M is performed by the retained heat of the heating fluid. That is, the heating fluid supply mechanism 91b is configured by the stirring fan 89, the heating element 88, and the like.

(Control block)
In the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the printing conveyance as the trailing edge detection sensor 16 and the conveyance unit that conveys the recording medium M in the image forming apparatus 1 with the conveyance control unit 120 as the center. A control block including the unit 10, the receiving conveyance unit 40, the first conveyance unit 90, the second conveyance unit 110, and the like is formed.

The conveyance control unit 120 adjusts the conveyance speed of the recording medium M in each conveyance unit based on the detection result of the rear end detection sensor 16.
Specifically, when the trailing edge detection sensor 16 detects the trailing edge of the long recording medium M, the transport control unit 120 inputs the image data input to the image forming apparatus 1 via the communication control line L1. The amount of recording medium M (ML1) (length of recording medium M in the transport direction) necessary for image formation is compared with the remaining amount of recording medium M. The remaining amount of the recording medium M means the length (ML2) of the recording medium M from the detection position by the rear end detection sensor 16 to the printing position in the print processing unit 1A.

Here, as a result of comparing the two in the conveyance control unit 120, the amount ML1 of the recording medium M necessary for image formation based on the image data input to the image forming apparatus 1 is the remaining amount ML2 of the recording medium M. When it exceeds, control is performed as follows.
In other words, among the plurality of image data received by the image forming apparatus 1 from the image processing system 160 and not yet printed, the image printed immediately before the image data that the recording medium M is cut off during the printing process. When the data printing process is completed, the conveyance control unit 120 stops the conveyance in each of the conveyance units 10, 40, 90, 110 according to the mode selected by the user ("interruption" mode). Conveyance at 40, 90, 110 is continued as it is (“continuation (drying, discharging)” mode), or each of the conveyance units 10, 40, 90, 110 is conveyed so as to be conveyed at a speed higher than the conveyance speed before detection of the trailing edge. Switch ("Continue (high speed transport)" mode).

Each mode selected by the user described above will be described in detail in the process flow after the trailing edge detection described below.
<Processing flow after rear end detection>
The image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment has the above-described configuration. When the rear end detection sensor 16 detects the rear end of the long recording medium M, processing is performed according to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. As a result, the time required to mount the roll body of the new recording medium M can be significantly reduced as compared with the prior art.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, first, when the printing process is started in step S11, monitoring is performed until the trailing edge detection sensor 16 detects the trailing edge of the recording medium M in step S12. When the rear end is detected, a mode selection screen is displayed on the monitor device 162 in step S13. For this reason, the user can select the mode most suitable for the situation at that time from the above-described plurality of modes displayed on the mode selection screen.

The flow of processing after the user selects a desired mode on the mode selection screen is as follows.
As a first option, when the user selects the “interrupt” mode from among the plurality of modes described above (step S21), as shown in FIG. , 90, 110, the conveyance of the recording medium M is stopped, and the process is terminated. Regarding the processing after the conveyance stop, the recording medium M manually left by the user may be pulled out and a new roll of the recording medium M may be mounted, or left as it is until the image immediately after the printing processing is dried. Then, high-speed conveyance may be performed by user instruction input.

  As a second option, when the user selects the “continuation (drying, discharging)” mode among the plurality of modes described above (step S31), as shown in FIG. If no setting is made, the recording medium M is conveyed to the end while maintaining the conveying speed of the recording medium M in each of the conveying units 10, 40, 90, and 110 as it is. Next, in step S33, when the conveyance of the recording medium M is completed, the process is terminated, and a new roll body of the recording medium M is mounted by the user.

  As a third option, when the user selects the “continuation (high speed conveyance)” mode from among the plurality of modes described above (step S41), as shown in FIG. The amount (the length from the position detected by the trailing edge detection sensor 16 to the print position in the print processing unit 1A) and the amount of unprinted image data stored in the image forming apparatus 1 (print processing based on the image data). The length of the recording medium M necessary for the recording). In step S43, image data that cannot be printed because the recording medium M is lost is specified from among the plurality of image data stored in the image forming apparatus 1. Next, in step S44, the process waits until the printing process of the image data to be printed immediately before the specified image data is completed. Here, when the printing process of the image data is completed and the image is dried, in step S45, the conveyance control unit 120 switches the conveyance speed of the recording medium M in each of the conveyance units 10, 40, 90, and 110 to high speed. It is done. In step S46, when the conveyance of the recording medium M is completed by the high-speed conveyance, the process ends. When the above-described “continuation (high-speed conveyance)” mode is selected, high-speed drying may be performed in order to efficiently dry the image printed to the end.

  In the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, as described above, the “continuation (high-speed conveyance)” mode is set as the third option. As a result, after the trailing edge of the recording medium M is detected, image data that cannot be subjected to the printing process can be conveyed at high speed without performing the printing process. As a result, the time required to make the roll body of the new recording medium M ready to be mounted can be greatly reduced as compared with the prior art, and the roll body of the new recording medium M can be efficiently exchanged. .

[Features of the Image Forming Apparatus 1]
(1)
In the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, when the trailing edge detection sensor 16 detects the trailing edge of the recording medium M, the conveyance control unit 120 illustrated in FIG. 5 selects a mode according to the user according to the flowcharts illustrated in FIGS. Depending on the result, the conveyance speed of the recording medium M is switched to be higher than the conveyance speed before the trailing edge detection.

  Thus, after the trailing edge is detected, the remaining recording medium M can be transported quickly and efficiently without performing unnecessary printing processing. As a result, the time required from when the rear end is detected until the roll body of the new recording medium M is mounted on the recording medium housing portion 10a is significantly shortened compared to the conventional case, and the roll body of the recording medium M is efficiently obtained. Replacement work can be performed.

(2)
In the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 8, first, the remaining amount of the recording medium M is compared with the amounts of a plurality of unprinted image data stored in the image forming apparatus 1. Thus, among the plurality of image data stored in the image forming apparatus 1, the image data that cannot be printed because the recording medium M disappears is specified. Then, the process waits until the printing process of the image data to be printed immediately before the specified image data is completed. When the printing process of the image data is completed, the conveyance control unit 120 performs the conveyance unit 10, 40, 90, 110. The conveyance speed of the recording medium M is switched to high speed.

  As a result, all the image data that can be printed on the remaining recording medium M is printed, and then switched to high-speed conveyance, so that the number of image data that needs to be reprinted is reduced as much as possible to efficiently perform the printing process. It can be carried out. Further, by effectively using the remaining recording medium M after the trailing edge detection as much as possible, the recording medium M can be avoided from being wasted and cost can be reduced.

(3)
In the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the drying processing unit 1B is disposed on the downstream side of the printing processing unit 1A.
Usually, in such an image forming apparatus that performs a drying process after a printing process, the conveyance speed of the recording medium is increased in order to secure a sufficient time for drying the ink discharged to the recording medium. I can't. For this reason, when the recording medium is transported at the same transport speed after the trailing end of the recording medium is detected from the roll body formed by winding a long recording medium, the amount of the remaining recording medium Even if it is known that the printing process cannot be performed because of the above, it takes a considerable time until all the recording media are conveyed.

  Since the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes the drying processing unit 1B as described above, even when the conveyance speed of the recording medium M during the printing process is low, the conveyance speed is high after the trailing edge is detected. Therefore, the time required to complete the conveyance of the remaining recording medium can be significantly shortened compared to the conventional case. As a result, the work of replacing the roll body of the new recording medium M can be performed efficiently.

[Other Embodiments]
As mentioned above, although one Embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, A various change is possible in the range which does not deviate from the summary of invention.
(A)
In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which subsequent conveyance processing is determined by user mode selection after detection of the trailing edge. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

For example, the conveyance control may be performed according to a flowchart as shown in FIG.
Specifically, when the trailing edge is detected in step S12 after the printing process is started in step S11, in order to confirm the dry state of the recording medium M subjected to the printing process when the trailing edge is detected in step S53, It is confirmed whether or not it has been left on the conveyance path for a predetermined time or more after the completion of the printing process. Here, if the ink is left for a predetermined time or longer, it is considered that the ink or the like carried on the surface of the recording medium is sufficiently dry. Therefore, regardless of the mode selection by the user, the recording medium is determined in step S54. Change the transport speed to high speed. In step S55, by completing the conveyance of the recording medium, a new recording medium replacement operation performed thereafter can be performed efficiently.

The predetermined time may be set by the user or may be set in advance.
(B)
In the above-described embodiment, the high-speed conveyance control after the trailing edge detection in the case where a plurality of image data is received and a plurality of images are formed in the print processing unit 1A has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

  For example, instead of forming a plurality of images, when a rear end of a single large-sized image for advertising or the like is detected during image formation processing, the image formation is performed in relation to the remaining amount of the recording medium. If it is found that all cannot be completed, it may be controlled to immediately interrupt the image formation and perform high-speed conveyance. Even in this case, it is possible to quickly switch to high-speed conveyance without wasteful image formation time, so that the work from the removal of the currently mounted roll body to the installation of a new roll body can be performed efficiently. it can.

(C)
In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the recording medium M is discharged to the discharge chute 99 after the recording medium M (transport material) is pulled out from the roll body wound with a long transport material and the image is formed while being transported. explained. However, the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, a configuration in which a so-called roll-to-roll type conveyance in which a conveyance material on which an image is formed on the downstream side is wound up again and carried out as a roll body may be used.

(D)
In the above embodiment, an example in which the user performs mode selection after detecting the trailing edge of the recording medium M has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, when it is desired to determine the processing after the trailing edge detection in advance, the mode may be selected by the user before the trailing edge detection.

(E)
In the above-described embodiment, the example has been described in which the user selects a desired mode from the three types of modes. However, the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, the selectable modes may be reduced to two types, or four or more modes may be prepared.

(F)
In the above embodiment, the recording medium M has been described as an example of the conveying material conveyed in the image forming apparatus 1. However, the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, when the image forming apparatus is a photographic processing apparatus, a photosensitive material such as photographic paper can also be used as the conveying material.

(G)
In the above embodiment, the sheet to be heated is composed of a base material, a protective layer provided on the upper layer thereof, and a sheet-like recording medium provided with an ink receiving layer that is peelably adhered to the upper layer of the protective layer. It was explained as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, the heated sheet is not limited to the above-described configuration, and any other heated sheet that requires a heat fixing process can be used.

  The image forming apparatus according to the present invention has an effect that the roll body can be replaced efficiently by shortening the time until a new roll body can be mounted to a state that is significantly shorter than before. The present invention can be widely applied to various image forming apparatuses including a photographic processing apparatus.

1 is an external perspective view showing a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention and an image forming system connected thereto. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a recording medium conveyed in the image forming system of FIG. FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the image forming apparatus in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a side sectional view showing an outline of a heat treatment unit included in the image forming apparatus of FIG. 3. FIG. 4 is a control block diagram formed in the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a flow from rear end detection to mode selection in the image forming apparatus of FIG. 3. FIG. (A) is a flowchart showing a flow of processing when the interruption mode is selected. (B) is a flowchart showing the flow of processing when the continuous mode is selected. The flowchart which shows the flow of a process at the time of continuous (high-speed conveyance) mode selection. 9 is a flowchart showing a flow of conveyance control after the trailing edge detection in an image forming apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 Image forming apparatus 1A Print processing unit 1B Drying processing unit (drying unit)
1C Loop Forming Unit 1D Fixing Processing Unit 10 Print Conveying Unit 10a Recording Medium Storage Unit 10D Heating Processing Unit 11D Conveying Processing Unit 12 Driving Roller 13 Pressing Roller 14 Platen 15 Suction Unit 16 Rear End Detection Sensor (Rear End Detection Unit)
20 Printing section (image forming section)
21 Print Head 22 Guide Rod 30 Drying Unit 31 Heater 32 Guide Passage 33 Blower Fan 40 Accepting and Conveying Unit (Conveying Unit)
41 Accepting roller 50 First accumulating portion 51 First intermediate roller 52 Second intermediate roller 53 Accepting guide plate 70 Second accumulating portion 71 Discharging roller 72 Discharging guide plate 73 Discharging guide plate 80 Outer casing 81 Heating casing 81a Hot air blowing section 81b Hot Air Suction Unit 82 Heating Area 84 Receiving Conveying Roller 85 First Conveying Roller Group 86 Second Conveying Roller Group 87 Third Conveying Roller Group 88 Heating Element 89 Stirring Fan 90 First Conveying Unit (Conveying Unit)
91 1st heating mechanism 94 2nd heating mechanism 99 Discharge chute 100 Posture change guide part 102 Heating panel 110 2nd conveyance part (conveyance part)
111 Fourth transport roller group 112 Discharge roller group 120 Transport control unit (control unit)
160 Image Processing System 161 Computer 162 Monitor Device 165 Film Scanner M Recording Medium

Claims (3)

A rear end detection unit for detecting a rear end of the transport material drawn out from a roll body around which a long transport material is wound;
A transport unit that pulls and transports the transport material from the roll body;
An image forming unit that forms an image on the conveying material based on image data;
A control unit that performs control to make the conveyance speed of the conveyance material in the conveyance unit faster than the conveyance speed during image formation by detecting the trailing edge of the conveyance material in the trailing edge detection unit;
An image forming apparatus. The control unit detects the remaining length of the conveying material from the image forming position by the image forming unit to the rear end when the rear end is detected, and image data to be imaged from now on in the image forming unit. Compared with the length of the conveying material necessary for the image, the image forming of the image data that is formed immediately before the image data that cannot be formed to the end because the conveying material is used up is completed, Switching the transport speed in the transport section,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. The control unit detects the remaining length of the conveying material from the image forming position by the image forming unit to the rear end and the image data during image formation in the image forming unit when detecting the rear end. In comparison with the length of the transport material necessary for the case, if the transport material is used up and the image cannot be formed to the end, the transport speed in the transport unit is immediately switched.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.

Images