JP2008006775A - Printing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To constitute a printing apparatus which forms prints of a good image quality to a printing medium by maintaining the printing medium at a proper humidity. <P>SOLUTION: A humidity conditioning element 6 with a solid polymer electrolyte film 6M is supported so as to freely change a posture to a channel R formed in a rear wall 1S of a magazine M which stores a paper P. A humidity sensor 7 is equipped inside of the magazine M. A switching unit X is furnished which switches the posture of the humidity conditioning element 6, and a humidity conditioning controlling means is set which carries out humidity conditioning on the basis of the measured result of the humidity sensor 7. A humidity absorbing surface is formed to one side of the solid polymer electrolyte film 6M, and a humidity emitting surface is formed to the other side. In the case of carrying out humidity conditioning, the posture of the humidity conditioning element 6 is switched by the switching unit X so as to bring one of the humidity absorbing surface and the humidity emitting surface into contact with the air inside of the magazine M, and to bring the other into contact with the open air. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention includes a supply unit that pulls out a roll-shaped print medium and supplies it to a print unit, and an ink jet print head that prints an image by spraying ink onto the print medium supplied to the print unit. More specifically, the present invention relates to a technique for improving print quality by managing humidity.

  As printing apparatuses that improve print quality by controlling humidity, there are apparatuses described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2.

  In Patent Document 1, in a transfer-type printing apparatus using a photosensitive drum (a copying machine in the literature), a photosensitive drum, a charging charger, a cleaning unit, and other devices necessary for image formation, a registration roller, a paper feeding device, and the like A humidity control unit is provided on the back side of the main body that houses the container. An air outlet and an air inlet are formed in the main body, and both ends of the humidity control unit are connected to the air outlet and the air inlet, and a fan is provided at the connecting portion.

  An air flow path is formed in the upper space of the central part of the humidity control unit, a water storage tank for storing purified water is formed in the lower part, a dehumidification heater is provided in the air flow path, and a humidification heater is provided at the bottom of the water storage tank The humidity control unit includes a humidity sensor.

  Then, the humidity detected by the humidity sensor is compared with the predetermined optimum humidity in the machine. If the difference between the optimum humidity in the machine is large, the fan speed is increased. When the heater is turned on and humidification is performed, the control mode is set so that the humidification heater is turned on. By performing this control, the influence from the external environment where the apparatus is installed is minimized, and the occurrence of a partial abnormal image is prevented and good image formation is maintained.

  In Patent Document 2, in a printing apparatus (in the document, a color thermal printer), humidity control paper as a humidity control material is provided inside a magazine that accommodates long thermal paper in a roll shape. The humidity control paper has a function of absorbing moisture when the humidity is high and releasing moisture when the humidity is low, and maintains the humidity in the magazine at the standard humidity. As a result, recording of an image having a good density and color balance is realized.

JP-A-9-81018 JP-A-10-29355

  There are two types of print media used in a printing apparatus including an ink jet type print head. In a printing apparatus for printing an image photographed by a digital camera, a porous type paper is often used in order to obtain the same glossiness as a print using photosensitive paper. This type of paper forms a resin layer on the surface in order to create a glossy surface, but this resin layer has a structure in which many fine holes are formed to absorb the ink sprayed from the print head from the surface. The surface is somewhat hard.

  As described above, the paper having gloss on the surface has a hard surface, and thus may cause fine cracks on the surface in a low humidity environment. Such a phenomenon that causes cracking often occurs when the paper surface is bent in a direction in which tension is applied. For this reason, when this type of paper is wound into a roll with the surface on which the ink is sprayed facing outward, if the paper is bent in a direction that further curves the bending direction of the roll, the surface will crack. It becomes easy to produce. When cracks are generated on the surface in this way, not only the gloss of the surface is impaired, but also the ink that has been sprayed is blurred, leading to a negative effect of lowering the image quality.

  In addition, since many fine holes formed on the surface have a property of easily absorbing moisture, the influence of humidity is large, and the paper may be deformed in a wave shape when the humidity is high. For this reason, for example, when a porous type paper is left in a high humidity environment, it absorbs moisture, so that a part of the paper is deformed so that it swells, or the entire paper appears to swell. May be deformed. When the paper is deformed as described above, the print head may come into contact with the surface of the paper at the time of printing, which may lead to a problem that proper printing cannot be performed.

  In addition, roll-shaped print paper is transported to the print head in the form of being wound around a roller, so that the surface may be cracked during transport. It is desired to maintain it properly.

  However, in the case of evaporating water during humidification, as described in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to replenish water frequently during the season when the air dries. As described above, in the case of using the humidity control material, it is considered that humidification cannot be sufficiently performed in the season when the air is dried, and there is room for improvement.

  An object of the present invention is to rationally configure a printing apparatus that performs printing with good image quality on a print medium while maintaining the print medium at an appropriate humidity.

The present invention includes a supply unit that pulls out a roll-shaped print medium and supplies the print medium to a print unit, and an ink jet print head that prints an image by spraying ink onto the print medium supplied to the print unit. Printing device
The print medium includes a solid polymer electrolyte membrane that takes in hydrogen ions of water molecules in the air on the moisture absorption surface when energized and reacts the hydrogen ions and oxygen in the air on the moisture release surface to release them as water molecules. A humidity sensor for measuring the humidity of the air in the existing environment, and humidity control means for controlling the solid polymer electrolyte membrane based on the measurement result of the humidity sensor to adjust the humidity of the print medium;
When the humidity measured by the humidity sensor exceeds a set value, the humidity control means brings the air in the environment where the print medium exists into contact with the moisture absorption surface of the solid polymer electrolyte membrane, When the humidity measured by the humidity sensor is lower than the set value, the switching unit that controls the air in the environment in which the print medium exists to contact the moisture release surface of the solid polymer electrolyte membrane is controlled. .

  With this configuration, when the humidity measured by the humidity sensor exceeds the set value, the humidity control means controls the switching unit so that the air in the environment where the print medium is present is absorbed by the solid polymer electrolyte membrane. It can be in contact with the surface to dehumidify the air in this environment. In addition, when the humidity measured by the humidity sensor is lower than the set value, the humidity control means controls the switching unit, so that the air in the environment where the print medium exists is removed from the moisture release surface of the solid polymer electrolyte membrane. The air in this environment can be humidified. As a result, a printing apparatus that can maintain a good humidity on the print medium and print a good image quality on the print medium has been rationally configured.

  In the present invention, the solid polymer electrolyte membrane is configured to be switchable between a posture in which the moisture absorbing surface is in contact with the environmental air and a posture in which the moisture releasing surface is in contact with the environmental air. The switching unit may be configured to perform a posture switching operation.

  With this configuration, the moisture absorbing surface or moisture releasing surface of the solid polymer electrolyte membrane is brought into contact with the air in the environment where the print medium is present by the switching operation by the switching unit, and the air in this environment can be easily dehumidified and humidified.

  The present invention provides a humidified state in which air in the environment is guided to the moisture-releasing surface of the solid polymer electrolyte membrane, and air outside the environment is guided to the moisture-absorbing surface of the solid polymer electrolyte membrane. And a dehumidifying state in which air in the environment is guided to the moisture absorbing surface of the solid polymer electrolyte membrane and at the same time, air outside the environment is guided to the moisture releasing surface of the solid polymer electrolyte membrane. A switchable shutter may be provided, and the switching unit may be configured to perform a switching operation of the shutter.

  With this configuration, the moisture absorption surface or the moisture release surface of the solid polymer electrolyte membrane is printed in a state in which the phenomenon that the ambient air and the ambient air are mixed is prevented by switching the shutter by the switching unit. Can be easily switched between dehumidification and humidification of the air in the environment.

  The present invention provides a moisture absorption channel that guides the ambient air to the moisture absorbing surface of the solid polymer electrolyte membrane, and a moisture release channel that guides the ambient air to the moisture releasing surface of the solid polymer electrolyte membrane. The switching unit may be configured by a channel switching mechanism that forms one channel and selects one of the moisture absorption channel and the moisture release channel.

  With this configuration, one of the moisture release channel and the moisture absorption channel is selected by the channel switching mechanism, so that the air in the environment where the print medium exists contacts the moisture release surface or moisture absorption surface of the solid polymer electrolyte membrane. It is possible to easily switch between moisture release and moisture absorption.

  In the present invention, the roll-shaped print medium may be accommodated in a magazine, and the air in the magazine may be set as a humidity adjustment target using the solid polymer electrolyte membrane as the environmental air.

  With this configuration, the humidity of the air in the magazine is adjusted, so that the print medium is maintained at an appropriate humidity before being supplied to the print unit, and the surface of the print medium sent out from the magazine is cracked. Can be suppressed.

  According to the present invention, when the printing apparatus does not perform printing processing, the printing apparatus includes conveyance control means for performing control to rewind the printing medium to the magazine, and the humidity control means performs printing processing by the printing apparatus. Humidity adjustment may be performed in a situation where it is not performed.

  With this configuration, it is possible to control the humidity over a sufficient amount of time by rewinding the print medium to the magazine by the transport control means and adjusting the humidity in the magazine without performing the printing process. When the printing process is performed after the humidity, a print medium having an appropriate humidity can be supplied to the printing unit to perform good printing.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
〔overall structure〕
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, two magazine accommodating portions A and A are disposed at the lower portion of the housing 10, and an ink jet type printing portion B that performs printing by spraying ink is disposed at the upper portion of the housing 10, An ink storage unit C is arranged on the side of the housing 10, and a sorting unit 12 that feeds a relatively small size paper P (an example of a print medium) to the upper surface of the housing 10 with the lateral feed belt 11, and a large size. An ink jet printing apparatus is configured by arranging a rack plate 13 for receiving the size paper P.

  In this printing apparatus, as the paper P, a porous ink receiving layer having a large number of fine pores is formed on the surface side of the base on which the resin coat film is formed on the front and back surfaces, so that the surface has a glossy surface. The type is used.

  The two magazine housing portions A, A are arranged in a vertically positioned relationship, and each magazine housing portion A is provided with a drawer 15 that can be opened and closed by a sliding operation integrated with the front wall body 10A. It is configured so that it can be set. The magazine M includes a case 1 in which a space for accommodating a roll-shaped paper P serving as a print medium is formed, a pair of support rollers 2 that support the paper P in the case, and a pressure bonding that conveys the paper P by pressure. A mold feed roller 3 is provided (see FIG. 3).

  The printing unit B is configured to print an image on the paper P supplied from the magazine housing unit A by spraying ink with the print head H (see FIGS. 3 and 4). An upper wall 10B formed with a transparent resin plate window W is provided on the front surface of B so as to be freely opened and closed.

  In the ink reservoir C, a plurality of ink cartridges 16 of different hues are exchangeably disposed inside a side wall 10C that can swing and open around an axial center in a vertically oriented posture. Each ink cartridge 16 encloses black (BK), light black (LK), cyan (C), magenta (M), light cyan (LC), light magenta (LM), and yellow (Y) ink. Seven colors are used. Although not shown in the drawing, the ink jet type printing apparatus feeds the ink enclosed in the ink cartridge 16 by air pressure, temporarily stores it in a sub tank (not shown), and then supplies it to the print head H. An ink supply system is provided.

[Conveyance system configuration]
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the printing apparatus supplies the paper P from the magazine M to the printing unit B by the supply unit U1, and the printing unit B performs printing while conveying it by the print conveyance unit U2. After this printing, the printing system cuts the print size with the cutter unit U3, and then transfers it from the switchback unit U4 to the discharge unit U5, and sends it to the outside of the housing 10 with this discharge unit U5. I have.

  The supply unit U1 includes a guide body 18 provided in the upper magazine housing portion A and a paper P sent out from the upper magazine M so as to guide the paper P sent out from the lower magazine M upward. And a guide body 19 for guiding the upper side of the upper side. As shown in FIG. 3, the supply unit U <b> 1 drives the support roller 2 and the feed roller 3 to feed the paper P from the magazine M and rewind the magazine M. A motor D1 is provided.

  The print transport unit U2 includes a pressure-bonded first transport roller 21 disposed on the upstream side of the print head H, and a pressure-bonded second transport roller 22 disposed on the downstream side of the print head H. A guide plate 23 is provided for guiding the back side of the paper P at an intermediate position between the first and second transport rollers 21 and 22. Below the guide plate 23, a negative pressure case 24 that applies a negative pressure to the paper P through a number of through holes formed in the guide plate 23, and air inside the negative pressure case 24 is discharged. And a fan 25 for generating negative pressure.

  The first conveyance roller 21 includes a driven roller 21A for pressure-conveying the paper P, and the second conveyance roller 22 includes a driven roller 22A for pressure-conveying the paper P. A belt drive interlock 26 that synchronously drives the second transport roller 22 is provided. The print transport unit U2 includes an electric second motor D2 that drives the first transport roller 21 and the second transport roller 22 in synchronization.

  The print unit B supports a carriage 29 on a slider 28 guided by a guide rail 27 arranged in a posture along the main scanning direction (the width direction of the paper P), and the print head H is disposed on the lower surface side of the carriage 29. Support.

  A timing belt type driving belt 31 is wound around a pair of pulleys 30 arranged in the vicinity of both ends of the guide rail 27, and an electric type main scanning scanning motor DS for driving one pulley 30 is provided. By fixing the carriage 29 to the belt 31, the pulley 30 is driven and rotated by the driving force of the scanning motor DS, and the print head H is reciprocated integrally with the carriage 29.

  With such a configuration, when printing an image on the paper P, the paper P is supplied to the printing position by the first and second transport rollers 21 and 22, and a negative pressure is applied from the guide plate 23 to guide the paper P. The carriage 29 is operated in one direction along the main scanning direction in a state where the paper P is attracted to the plate 23 and the planar accuracy of the paper P is increased (in association with the operation in the main scanning direction), and this operation is linked. Then, an image is printed with a print width set by ejecting ink from the print head H onto the paper P.

  By starting printing in this way, after the carriage 29 reaches the operating end, the first and second transport rollers 21 and 22 transport the paper P by a unit transport amount corresponding to the print width, and thereafter While the carriage 29 is operated in the other direction (reverse direction) along the main scanning direction, a printing operation with a print width is performed in conjunction with this operation. By repeating this printing operation, an image is printed on the paper P.

  The cutter unit U3 includes a fixed blade 35 fixed to a frame (not shown), a movable blade 36 that is operably supported, an electric cutter motor DC that drives the movable blade 36, and the cutter motor. A crank-type drive mechanism 37 that converts a rotational driving force from the DC into a reciprocating operating force, and a pressure-bonding type discharge roller 38 that conveys the paper P that has passed the cutting position of the cutter unit U3. An electric third motor D3 that drives the roller 38 is provided.

  The switchback unit U4 includes a driving roller 40, a free-rotating reversing roller 41 disposed at a position where it is pressed against the driving roller 40, and the reversing roller 41 operates 90 degrees in both forward and reverse directions around the axis of the driving roller 40. And a reversing mechanism. In the switchback unit U4, the paper P fed from the front end side by being conveyed by the discharge roller 38 is further conveyed in a state where it is pressure-bonded by the driving roller 40 and the reverse roller 41, and as indicated by an arrow in FIG. In addition, after the reversing roller 41 is rotated 90 degrees around the axis of the driving roller 40, the driving roller 40 is reversed to feed the paper P from the rear end side to the discharge unit U 5, and the paper P is turned upside down. It is configured to let you.

  The switchback unit U4 includes an electric fourth motor D4 that drives the driving roller 40, and an electric reversing motor DR that reversely operates the reversing roller 41 as the reversing mechanism.

  The discharge unit U5 includes a plurality of pressure rollers 45 for transporting the paper P, and a path for feeding the paper P transported by the pressure rollers 45 to either the lateral feed belt 11 or the rack plate 13 at the top of the housing. A switching mechanism (not shown) is provided, and an electric fifth motor D5 that drives the pressure roller 45 is provided.

  In the printing apparatus of the present invention, the two magazines M are provided with a humidity maintaining device K for maintaining the humidity of the paper P accommodated in the magazine M at a target value on the rear wall 1S of the case 1 of the magazine M. I have.

  As shown in FIG. 6, by providing a protruding wall 1 </ b> T having a cross-sectional shape of “U” outside the rear wall 1 </ b> S of the case 1, a space between the protruding wall 1 </ b> T and the rear wall 1 </ b> S of the case 1 is provided. A flow path R is formed in the inner space of the magazine M (case 1) and the outer space of the magazine M (case 1). A plate-like humidity control element 6 supported by the shaft body 5 is disposed with respect to the flow path R, and the shaft body 5 is supported in a state of vertically penetrating the protruding wall 1T, whereby the shaft of the shaft body 5 is supported. The posture of the humidity control element 6 can be freely switched around the core.

  On the upper surface of the protruding wall 1T, there is provided a switching unit X that applies a swinging force to the shaft body 5. The humidity maintaining device K is composed of the humidity control element 6, the shaft body 5, and the switching unit X. The attachment position of the humidity maintaining device K is not limited to the rear wall 1S, and can be attached to a wall portion constituting the case 1 such as a side wall or a front wall.

  The humidity control element 6 includes a solid polymer electrolyte membrane 6M at the center of the plate 6P. The solid polymer electrolyte membrane 6M takes in hydrogen ions of water molecules in the air on the moisture absorption surface 6A by energization, and the moisture release surface. 6B has a function of reacting the hydrogen ions with oxygen in the air to release them as water molecules, and the environment in which the paper P is present inside the magazine M (case 1) (inside the magazine M). A humidity sensor 7 for measuring the humidity of the air is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 7 (a), the humidity control element 6 has a humidifying posture in which the moisture releasing surface 6B faces the inside of the case 1, and a moisture absorbing surface 6A as shown in FIG. 7 (b). 1 is configured to be switchable to a dehumidifying posture toward the inner side of 1, and in any posture, the plate 6 </ b> P closes the flow path R, so that the magazine M (case 1) passes through the flow path R. The size of the plate 6P and the inner surface shape of the flow path R are set so as to prevent direct flow of air between the inside and the outside.

  The switching unit X includes an operation mechanism 8 incorporating an electric motor, a reduction gear, and the like, a swing arm 8A that swings by a driving force in the operation mechanism 8, an arm formed on the swing arm 8A and the shaft body 5 The push-pull rod 9 is connected to 5A, and the switching unit X provided in the two magazines M is controlled by the control device 50 (see FIG. 5). The control device 50 performs control based on the measurement signal of the humidity sensor 7. Although not shown in the drawings, the humidity control element 6 is provided with a power supply path for supplying power via a cable that can be flexibly deformed, such as a spiral cable, so that power can be supplied regardless of the attitude of the humidity control element 6. It can be supplied.

[Control system configuration]

  The control device 50 includes a microprocessor, and as shown in FIG. 5, includes a conveyance control means 51, a print control means 52, and a humidity control means 53 made up of a program (software). The control device 50 includes an output system for controlling the print head H, the supply unit U1, the print transport unit U2, the cutter unit U3, the switchback unit U4, and the discharge unit U5. In order to control the two humidity maintaining devices K, a signal system that receives a signal measured by the humidity sensor 7, a power control circuit 55 that controls the power supplied to the humidity control element 6, and a control signal to the switching unit X And a motor control circuit 56 for outputting

  The transport control means 51, the print control means 52, and the humidity control means 53 are configured by software, but can be configured by hardware. It may be configured by a combination.

  An outline of a control form in the transport control means 51 can be shown as a flowchart of FIG. That is, when performing the printing process, the paper P stored in the magazine M is pulled out prior to the printing process and is supplied from the supply unit U1 to the print transport unit U2, thereby realizing the printing process (# 101 to ##). 103 steps).

  In this print processing, every time the print head H operates in the main scanning direction, the paper P is conveyed by an amount corresponding to the print width of the print head H, and then the paper P after the print processing is transferred to the cutter unit U3. In the switchback unit U4, the paper P thus cut is sent to the discharge unit U5 with the front and back sides being exchanged, and the discharge unit U5 sends the paper P to the lateral feed belt 11 or the rack plate 13. Discharge (Steps # 104 and # 105).

  After the printing process is performed, when the next printing process is performed before the set time has elapsed, the paper P is supplied to the print transport unit U2 and the printing process is performed as described above. The paper P is cut to the required size in the cutter unit U3, and the paper P cut in this way is sent to the discharge unit U5 with the front and back being switched in the switchback unit U4, and the transverse feed is sent from the discharge unit U5. Control of discharging to the belt 11 or the rack plate 13 is performed. Further, when the set time has elapsed since the previous printing process or when the operation is finished, a process of rewinding the paper P to the magazine M is performed (steps # 106 to # 109).

  By performing such processing, the state in which the paper P is pulled out from the magazine M is prevented from continuing for a long time. When the printing is not continuously performed, the paper P is wound around the magazine M, and the magazine M The humidity of the paper P can be properly maintained inside.

  Although not shown in the flowchart, the print control unit 52 activates the scanning motor DS, and realizes a process of printing an image on the paper P by spraying ink from the print head H in synchronization with this operation. .

  An outline of the control mode of the humidity control means 53 can be shown as a flowchart of FIG. That is, when the humidity value measured by the humidity sensor 7 is acquired and it is determined that the humidity value is included in a preset target humidity range, the humidity control element 55 is controlled by the power control circuit 55. 6 is stopped (steps # 201 to # 203).

  Further, when it is determined that the humidity value measured by the humidity sensor 7 is included in the low humidity range set on the lower humidity side than the target humidity range, the switching unit X is controlled via the motor control circuit 56. As a result, the humidity control element 6 is set in a humidified posture, and the power control circuit 55 controls the humidity control element 6 to energize (steps # 204 and # 205). By energizing in this way, hydrogen ions of water molecules in the air outside the magazine M are taken in from the moisture absorbing surface 6A of the humidity control element 6, and the hydrogen ions react with oxygen in the air on the moisture releasing surface 6B. Then, the inside of the magazine M is humidified by discharging it into the magazine M as water molecules.

  On the contrary, when it is determined that the humidity value measured by the humidity sensor 7 is included in the high humidity range set higher than the target humidity range, switching is performed via the motor control circuit 56. The humidity control element 6 is set to a dehumidifying posture by controlling the unit X, and the humidity control element 6 is energized under the control of the power control circuit 55 (steps # 206 and # 207). By energizing in this way, dehumidification is performed by taking in hydrogen ions of water molecules in the air inside the magazine M from the moisture absorbing surface 6A of the humidity control element 6, and hydrogen ions and air in the moisture releasing surface 6B. It is released into the air outside the magazine M as water molecules.

  As the target humidity range in the humidity control means 53, a width of about several percent is set on the high humidity side and the low humidity side on the basis of 50%. Therefore, by performing humidity control, the humidity of the air inside the magazine M is maintained at about 50%, and the humidity of the paper P in contact with the air is also maintained at about 50%. The target humidity range does not need to be 50%, and may be set to an arbitrary value based on the characteristics of the paper P.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the hydrogen ions of water molecules in the air are taken in from the moisture absorbing surface 6A by energization, and the hydrogen ions and oxygen in the air are reacted on the moisture releasing surface 6B to be released as water molecules. By using the humidity control element 6 provided with the molecular electrolyte membrane 6M and the switching unit X for switching the posture of the humidity control element 6, humidification and dehumidification inside the magazine M can be easily performed. Specifically, it is possible to perform humidification during the season and time when the air is dry, and dehumidification during the season and time when the air is high. Therefore, the operator does not have to perform a special operation even during dehumidification. As a result, it is possible to avoid the inconvenience of generating cracks on the surface due to low humidity and the inconvenience of deforming the paper P due to high humidity, and to maintain the humidity of the paper P at an appropriate value. Realizes good printing without being affected by humidity.

  In particular, in the present invention, when the state in which the print processing is not performed has passed for a set time or longer, the time for which the paper P is in contact with the outside air is reduced as much as possible by performing control to rewind the paper P to the magazine M. By performing efficient dehumidification or humidification inside the magazine M, the humidity of the paper P can be maintained at an appropriate value.

[Another embodiment]
In addition to the above-described embodiment, the present invention may be configured as follows (in this another embodiment, the same function and number as those in the above embodiment are used for those having the same functions as those in the above embodiment). Is attached).

(A) As shown in FIG. 10, the humidity control element 6 is provided in the protruding wall 1 </ b> T of the case 1 of the magazine M in a posture parallel to the rear wall 1 </ b> S of the case 1, and both end portions of the humidity control element 6 are provided. The outer wall body 61 and the inner wall body 62 are formed at a position where the gap is sandwiched. An opening 61A communicating with the moisture absorbing surface 6A of the humidity control element 6 and an opening 61B communicating with the moisture releasing surface 6B are formed in the outer wall 61, and the moisture absorbing surface of the humidity control element 6 is similarly formed in the inner wall 62. An opening 62A that communicates with 6A and an opening 62B that communicates with moisture release surface 6B are formed. The humidity control element 6 takes in hydrogen ions of water molecules in the moisture absorption surface 6A by energization, reacts the hydrogen ions with oxygen in the air on the moisture release surface 6B, and releases them as water molecules. A film 6M is formed.

  An external shutter 63 is provided at a position adjacent to the outer wall body 61 so as to be slidable along the outer wall body 61, and is slidable along the inner wall body 62 at a position adjacent to the inner wall body 62. The internal shutter 64 is disposed on the rod 66, and one end of the balance-type swing arm 65 and the external shutter 63 are connected to the rod 66 so that the external shutter 63 and the internal shutter 64 are slid in the reverse direction in conjunction with each other. The other end of the swing arm 65 and the internal shutter 64 are connected by a rod 66. Further, a sector gear 67 is provided on a support shaft 65A that swings integrally with the swing arm 65, and a worm gear 68 that meshes with the sector gear 67 is driven by an electric motor 69.

  In this way, humidity control of the inside of the magazine M is performed by swinging the swing arm 65 integrally with the support shaft 65A by the driving force of the electric motor 69 and switching the external shutter 63 and the internal shutter 64 in conjunction with each other. A humidity maintaining device K is constituted by the system. In the humidity maintaining device K, a mechanism that switches the external shutter 63 and the internal shutter 64 in an interlocked manner by swinging the swing arm 65 by the driving force of the electric motor 69 corresponds to the switching unit X.

  Although the humidity sensor and the humidity control means are not shown in the drawing, when the humidity control means humidifies the paper P in the magazine M based on the feedback from the humidity sensor, the switching unit X is operated. 10A, the external shutter 63 closes the opening 61B of the external wall 61 at the same time as opening the opening 61A, and the internal shutter 64 closes the opening 62A of the internal wall 62 at the same time as the opening 62B. Is released. As a result, hydrogen ions of water molecules in the air outside the magazine M are taken in at the moisture absorption surface 6A, and hydrogen ions and oxygen in the air are reacted at the moisture release surface 6B to be released into the magazine M as water molecules. Thus, the air inside the magazine M is humidified.

  On the contrary, when the paper P in the magazine M is dehumidified, the opening 61A of the external wall 61 is closed by the external shutter 63 as shown in FIG. At the same time, the opening 61B is opened, and the opening 62B of the inner wall 62 is closed by the internal shutter 64, and at the same time the opening 62A is opened, thereby dehumidifying the air inside the magazine M on the moisture absorbing surface 6A. Water molecules are released from the surface 6B into the air outside the magazine M.

(B) As shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12, a humidity control element 6 is provided at a portion of the rear wall 1S (other wall portion may be used) of the case 1 of the magazine M, and after the position where the humidity control element 6 is sandwiched. Openings 1A and 1B are formed in the wall 1S, and the external guide body 71 is slidably movable from the portion of the opening 1A to the portion of the moisture absorbing surface 6A of the humidity control element 6, and the moisture releasing surface of the humidity control element 6 from the opening 1B And an internal guide body 72 that is slidable over a portion 6B. The humidity control element 6 takes in hydrogen ions of water molecules in the air on the moisture absorption surface 6A by energization, and reacts the hydrogen ions and oxygen in the air on the moisture release surface 6B to release them as water molecules. An electrolyte membrane 6M is formed.

  A drive gear 75 that meshes with a rack gear 74 connected to the external guide body 71 and a rack gear 73 connected to the internal guide body 72 is provided, and a switching motor 76 that operates the drive gear 75 in both forward and reverse directions is provided. From such a configuration, as shown in FIG. 11 by the operation of the switching motor 76, the external guide body 71 and the internal guide body 72 close the respective openings 1A and 1B, and at the same time the moisture absorbing surface 6A of the humidity control element 6 is magazined. The humidification surface 6B is brought into contact with the air inside the magazine M, the moisture release surface 6B is brought into contact with the air inside the magazine M, and the moisture absorbing surface 6A of the humidity control element 6 is opened to the opening 1A by the external guide body 71 as shown in FIG. It is possible to perform dehumidification by allowing the moisture release surface 6B of the humidity control element 6 to communicate with the opening 1B by the internal guide body 72.

  In this way, the humidity maintaining device K is configured by a system for adjusting the humidity inside the magazine M by operating the external guide body 71 and the internal guide body 72 by the driving force of the switching motor 76. A mechanism for operating the external guide body 71 and the internal guide body 72 by the driving force of the switching motor 76 corresponds to the switching unit X.

  Although the humidity sensor and the humidity control means are not shown in the drawing, when the humidity control means humidifies the paper P in the magazine M based on the feedback from the humidity sensor, the switching unit X is operated. 11, the external guide body 71 and the internal guide body 72 close the respective openings 1A and 1B, and at the same time, the moisture absorbing surface 6A of the humidity control element 6 is brought into contact with the air outside the magazine M, so that the moisture releasing surface is provided. Humidification is realized by bringing 6B into contact with the air inside the magazine M. When the paper P in the magazine M is dehumidified, the switching unit X is operated so that the moisture absorbing surface 6A of the humidity control element 6 is communicated with the opening 1A by the external guide 71 as shown in FIG. Dehumidification is realized by connecting the moisture release surface 6B of the humidity control element 6 to the opening 1B by the guide body 72.

(C) As shown in FIG. 13, the humidity control element 6 is accommodated so as to divide the space of the chamber 81, the moisture absorption channel 82 of the air communicating with the moisture absorption surface 6 </ b> A of the humidity control element 6, and the humidity control An electromagnetically operated switching valve 84 (flow) is formed which forms an air moisture release passage 83 communicating with the moisture release surface 6B of the element 6 and controls the air flowing through the moisture absorption passage 82 and the moisture release passage 83. An example of a path switching mechanism). A humidity control channel 85 and an outside air channel 86 communicating with outside air are formed in the switching valve 84. Further, a selection valve 88 that is switched by an electric switching mechanism 88A is provided at an intermediate position between the humidity control channel 85 and the introduction channel 87 that communicates with the internal space of the two magazines M and M. The humidity control element 6 takes in hydrogen ions of water molecules in the moisture absorption surface 6A by energization, reacts the hydrogen ions with oxygen in the air on the moisture release surface 6B, and releases them as water molecules. A film 6M is formed.

  The switching valve 84 switches between dehumidification and humidification of the air inside the magazine M, and corresponds to the switching unit X. The selection valve 88 functions to select a humidity control target from the two magazines M and M, and the two magazines M and M are controlled at the same time. It is possible to select a wet state. The humidity maintaining device K is configured by the humidity control element 6 housed in the chamber 81, the switching valve 84, the selection valve 88, and the air flow path formed between the chamber 81 and the magazine M.

  Although the drawing does not show the humidity sensor and the humidity control means, when the humidity control means humidifies the paper P in the magazine M based on the feedback from the humidity sensor, the switching as the switching unit X is performed. The valve 84 allows the moisture release channel 83 and the interior space of the magazine M to communicate with each other so that the moisture release surface 6B is brought into contact with the air inside the magazine M to achieve humidification. At this time, one of the two magazines M, M to be humidified can be selected by the selection valve 88. On the contrary, when the paper P in the magazine M is dehumidified, the moisture absorbing surface 6A is connected by connecting the moisture absorbing channel 82 and the internal space of the magazine M by the switching valve 84 as the switching unit X. Is brought into contact with the air inside the magazine M to achieve dehumidification. At this time, one of the two magazines M and M to be dehumidified can be selected by the selection valve 88.

(D) The control target of the humidity control may be the entire interior of the housing 10. Thus, when performing humidity control, favorable humidity control is implement | achieved by employ | adopting the structure where the housing | casing 10 is as close to a sealed state as possible.

Perspective view showing the entire photo printing device A perspective view showing a state in which a part of the photographic printing apparatus is opened. Diagram showing paper transport system The perspective view which shows the conveyance structure of the paper of a printing part Block diagram of control system The perspective view which shows the humidity maintenance apparatus with which the magazine was equipped Schematic showing the switching state of the humidity control element posture Flow chart of transport control Flow chart of humidity control The figure which shows the humidity maintenance apparatus of another embodiment (a). The figure which shows the humidity maintenance apparatus of a dehumidification attitude | position in another embodiment (b). The figure which shows the humidity maintenance apparatus of a humidification attitude | position in another embodiment (b). The figure which shows the humidity maintenance apparatus of another embodiment (c).

Explanation of symbols

6A Moisture absorption surface 6B Moisture release surface 6M Solid polymer electrolyte membrane 7 Humidity sensor 8 Operating mechanism (actuator)
53 Humidity control means 63 and 64 Shutter 82 Moisture absorption channel 83 Moisture release channel 84 Channel switching mechanism (switching valve)
B Print part P Print medium (paper)
H Print head M Magazine U1 Supply unit X Switching unit

Claims (6)

A printing apparatus comprising: a supply unit that pulls out a roll-shaped print medium and supplies the print unit to a print unit; and an ink jet print head that prints an image by spraying ink onto the print medium supplied to the print unit. And
The print medium includes a solid polymer electrolyte membrane that takes in hydrogen ions of water molecules in the air on the moisture absorption surface when energized and reacts the hydrogen ions and oxygen in the air on the moisture release surface to release them as water molecules. A humidity sensor for measuring the humidity of the air in the existing environment, and humidity control means for controlling the solid polymer electrolyte membrane based on the measurement result of the humidity sensor to adjust the humidity of the print medium;
When the humidity measured by the humidity sensor exceeds a set value, the humidity control means brings the air in the environment where the print medium exists into contact with the moisture absorption surface of the solid polymer electrolyte membrane, When the humidity measured by the humidity sensor is lower than a set value, the printing apparatus controls the switching unit that brings the air in the environment where the print medium is present into contact with the moisture release surface of the solid polymer electrolyte membrane.   The solid polymer electrolyte membrane is configured to be switchable between a posture in which the moisture absorbing surface is brought into contact with air in the environment and a posture in which the moisture releasing surface is brought into contact with air in the environment. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the switching unit is configured to perform the following.   A humidified state in which air in the environment is guided to the moisture release surface of the solid polymer electrolyte membrane and at the same time, air outside the environment is guided to the moisture absorbing surface of the solid polymer electrolyte membrane, and the solid A shutter that can be switched to a dehumidifying state that guides air outside the environment to the moisture release surface of the solid polymer electrolyte membrane at the same time as guiding the air of the environment to the moisture absorbing surface of the polymer electrolyte membrane. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the switching unit is configured to perform a switching operation of the shutter.   A moisture absorption channel that guides the ambient air to the moisture absorbing surface of the solid polymer electrolyte membrane; and a moisture release channel that guides the ambient air to the moisture release surface of the solid polymer electrolyte membrane. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the switching unit is formed by a flow path switching mechanism that forms and selects one of the moisture absorption path and the moisture release path.   The roll-shaped print medium is accommodated in a magazine, and the air in the magazine is set as a humidity adjustment target using the solid polymer electrolyte membrane as the environmental air. The printing apparatus according to item 1.   When the printing apparatus does not perform printing processing, the printing apparatus includes a conveyance control unit that performs control to rewind the printing medium to the magazine, and the humidity control unit does not perform printing processing in the printing apparatus. The printing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the humidity is adjusted.

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