JP2010076291A - Image recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image recording apparatus miniaturized in a conveying direction. <P>SOLUTION: An ink-jet printer 1 includes four ink-jet heads 2 arranged in an auxiliary scanning direction; a conveying mechanism facing the four ink-jet heads 2 and conveying paper along the auxiliary scanning direction; stand-by units 40 arranged below the ink-jet heads 2; and a paper delivery part 80 arranged above the ink-jet heads 2. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus that records an image on a recording medium.

  Patent Document 1 describes an image recording apparatus having a serial type recording head. In this image recording apparatus, a standby unit is provided downstream from the recording head, and curling of the recorded paper is suppressed by restraining the recorded paper from above and below by the standby unit.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2006-82546 (FIG. 1)

  In the image recording apparatus described in Patent Document 1, since the standby unit and the recording head are arranged in the transport direction, the apparatus is increased in size in the transport direction.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an image recording apparatus that is miniaturized in the transport direction.

  An image recording apparatus according to the present invention includes a recording head that records an image on a recording medium, a conveying mechanism that opposes the recording head and conveys the recording medium along a substantially horizontal conveying direction, and is disposed below the recording head. And a standby unit for holding the recording medium on which the image is recorded by the recording head substantially flat along the transport direction and stopping the recording medium, and the recording head is disposed above the recording head, and the image is recorded by the recording head. And a discharge unit on which recording media are stacked.

  According to the image recording apparatus of the present invention, since the standby unit is disposed below the recording head and the discharge unit is disposed above the recording unit, the apparatus can be reduced in size in the transport direction.

  In addition, a plurality of the standby units are arranged in the vertical direction, and a recording medium on which an image is recorded by the recording head is placed on the transport path between the plurality of standby units and the recording head. It is preferable that a sorting mechanism for selectively sorting is disposed in any of the sections. If there is one standby unit and a recording medium preceding the standby unit is held, the next recording medium cannot be held in the standby unit until the recording medium is discharged to the discharge unit. Therefore, a plurality of standby units are arranged, and the recording medium is selectively distributed to any of the plurality of standby units by the distribution mechanism, thereby enabling high-speed conveyance.

  Furthermore, it is preferable that the standby unit includes a drying unit that dries a recording medium on which an image is recorded by the recording head. According to this, the recording medium on which the image is recorded can be quickly dried by the drying means, and the standby time in the standby unit of the recording medium can be shortened.

  In addition, it is preferable that a plurality of the recording heads are arranged along the transport direction. According to this, since a plurality of recording heads are arranged along the transport direction, high-speed printing on a recording medium is possible.

  In addition, it is preferable that a maintenance unit for maintaining the recording head is disposed on a side of the recording head along the transport direction in a standby state.

  Furthermore, it is preferable that the apparatus further includes a housing in which the transport mechanism, the recording head, and the standby unit are disposed, and the standby unit is detachable from the housing. According to this, when the recording medium is jammed in the standby unit, the jam processing becomes easy.

  In addition, the image processing apparatus further includes determination means for determining whether or not the recording medium on which the image is recorded by the recording head needs to be held and stopped based on the recording data of the image on the recording medium. If the determination unit determines that the recording medium needs to be stopped by the standby unit, the recording medium is transferred from the transfer mechanism to the standby unit, and is held and stopped by the standby unit. When it is determined that there is, it is preferable that the recording medium is transported from the transport mechanism to the discharge unit without being transported to the standby unit. According to this, it is possible to minimize the standby at the standby unit of the recording medium.

  At this time, the image forming apparatus further includes a retransmission path for re-sending the recording medium conveyed by the conveyance mechanism to the conveyance mechanism, and the standby unit is arranged in the retransmission path, and is first used when performing duplex printing on the recording medium. It is preferable that a recording medium on which an image is recorded on only one side by the recording head at the time of printing is once transported toward the discharge unit, and then switched back and transported to the retransmission path. According to this, since the standby unit is arranged in the retransmission path, there is no need for a space for separately arranging the standby unit, and the apparatus can be downsized.

  Further, the image forming apparatus further includes a determination unit that determines whether or not the recording medium on which the image is recorded by the recording head needs to be held and stopped based on the recording data of the image on the recording medium. When the determination unit determines that the recording medium needs to be stopped by the standby unit, the recording medium is held and stopped by the standby unit, and when it is determined that the recording medium is unnecessary, the recording medium is stored in the standby unit. You may pass without stopping at. According to this, it is possible to minimize the standby at the standby unit of the recording medium.

  At this time, the image forming apparatus further includes a retransmission path for retransmitting the recording medium conveyed by the conveyance mechanism to the conveyance mechanism, and the standby unit is disposed in the retransmission path, and an image is recorded by the recording head. Preferably, the recording medium is switched back and conveyed to the retransmission path. According to this, since the standby unit is arranged in the retransmission path, there is no need for a space for separately arranging the standby unit, and the apparatus can be downsized.

  Further, it is preferable that a retransmission path for re-sending the recording medium conveyed by the conveyance mechanism to the conveyance mechanism is further provided, and the standby unit is arranged in the retransmission path. According to this, since the standby unit is arranged in the retransmission path, there is no need for a space for separately arranging the standby unit, and the apparatus can be downsized.

  Furthermore, it is preferable that a reading unit for reading an image recorded on the recording medium is disposed above the discharge unit.

  In addition, it is preferable that the supply unit that can accommodate the recording medium and supplies the recording medium to the transport mechanism is disposed below the recording head and above the standby unit. According to this, since the supply unit is disposed below the recording head and above the standby unit, the apparatus can be further downsized in the transport direction.

  Since the standby unit is disposed below the recording head and the discharge unit is disposed above the recording unit, the apparatus can be downsized in the transport direction.

<First Embodiment>
Hereinafter, a preferred first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present embodiment is an example in which the present invention is applied to an ink jet printer that records characters, images, and the like by ejecting ink onto recording paper.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an ink jet printer according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, an inkjet printer 1 that is an image recording apparatus has a housing 10 having a space inside. In the housing 10, four inkjet heads 2, a maintenance unit 50, a transport mechanism 21, a paper feeding device 30 (supply unit), upper and lower sides arranged in the sub-scanning direction (left and right direction in FIG. 1) in order from above. A retransmission path 60 and an ink tank cassette 70 having two standby units 40 arranged in the direction are arranged. A paper discharge unit 80 is provided on the upper surface of the housing 10. Furthermore, the inkjet printer 1 includes a control unit 100 (see FIG. 3) that controls various operations. Note that the two standby units 40 arranged in the vertical direction are set as standby units 40a and 40b in order from the top.

  In the casing 10 of the inkjet printer 1, a sheet conveyance path along which a sheet is conveyed from the sheet feeding device 30 toward the sheet discharge unit 80 along the thick arrow shown in FIG. 1, and conveyance along the sheet conveyance path A re-transmission path 60 is formed along which the paper sheet conveyed along the white arrow shown in FIG.

  The sheet feeding device 30 includes a sheet feeding cassette 31 that can store a plurality of stacked sheets, a sheet feeding roller 32 that feeds sheets from the sheet feeding cassette 31, and a sheet feeding motor 132 that rotates the sheet feeding roller 32 (FIG. 3). Reference). Since the paper feeding device 30 is disposed below the ink jet head 2, the ink jet printer 1 can be downsized in the sub-scanning direction.

  The paper feed roller 32 feeds the paper by rotating and contacting the uppermost paper among the plurality of papers stored in the paper feed cassette 31. The left side of the transport mechanism 21 in the housing 10 in FIG. 1 extends in a paper transport path from the paper feed cassette 31 to the transport mechanism 21 while curving from the paper feed cassette 31 toward the transport mechanism 21. Conveying guides 27a to 27c to be carried out, and roller pairs 26a and 26b and a separating roller pair 26c disposed between the conveying guides 27a to 27c are provided. One of the roller pairs 26a and 26b and the separation roller pair 26c is a driving roller that is rotated by a feed motor (not shown), and the other roller is a driven roller that rotates as one roller rotates. The paper in contact with the paper feed roller 32 is guided to the transport mechanism 27 while being guided by the transport guides 27a to 27c and sandwiched between the roller pairs 26a and 26b and the separation roller pair 26c.

  The transport mechanism 21 includes two belt rollers 6, 7, an endless transport belt 8 wound around the rollers 6, 7, and an inner peripheral surface of the lower loop of the transport belt 8. It has tension rollers 9a and 9b that apply tension to the conveying belt 8 by being urged downward while in contact with it, and a conveying motor 133 (see FIG. 3) that rotates the belt roller 7 so that the paper can be leveled. In the proper transport direction (sub-scanning direction). The belt roller 7 is a driving roller that rotates clockwise in FIG. The belt roller 6 is a driven roller that rotates clockwise in FIG. 1 as the conveyor belt 8 travels as the belt roller 7 rotates.

  The outer peripheral surface of the conveyance belt 8 has adhesiveness by being subjected to silicone treatment. A nip roller 4 is disposed at a position facing the belt roller 6 with the conveyance belt 8 interposed therebetween on the paper conveyance path. The nip roller 4 presses the sheet fed from the sheet feeding cassette 31 against the outer peripheral surface of the conveyance belt 8. The sheet pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the conveying belt 8 is conveyed rightward in FIG. 1 while being held on the outer peripheral surface by the adhesive force of the outer peripheral surface.

  A peeling plate 5 is provided on the side of the belt roller 7 on the downstream side in the conveying direction. The peeling plate 5 peels the paper held on the outer peripheral surface of the conveyor belt 8 from the outer peripheral surface. In a paper conveyance path from the conveyance mechanism 21 to the paper discharge unit 80 in the housing 10, conveyance guides 29 a to 29 c that extend while curving from the conveyance mechanism 21 toward the paper discharge unit 80 and conveyance guides 29 a to 29 c. A pair of rollers 28b and 28c arranged between them is provided. In addition, a roller pair 28a is provided at the downstream end of the transport guide 29a in the transport direction. One roller of the roller pairs 28a to 28c is a driving roller that is rotated by a feed motor (not shown), and the other roller is a driven roller that rotates as the one roller rotates. Further, on the paper transport path from the transport mechanism 21 to the standby unit 40 in the housing 10, transport guides 29d, 58, 61 branched from the transport guide 29c and a roller pair 59 are provided.

  The paper peeled from the outer peripheral surface of the transport belt 8 by the peeling plate 5 is guided upward by the transport guides 29b and 29c and is sent upward while being sandwiched by the roller pairs 28b and 28c during double-sided printing. Thereafter, the sheet fed upward is guided by the transport guide 29a and transported to the paper discharge unit 80 while being sandwiched between the roller pair 28a. Further, the sheet peeled from the outer peripheral surface of the transport belt 8 by the peeling plate 5 is sent downward while being guided by the transport guide 29d during single-sided printing. A branch plate having the same configuration as a branch plate 65 described later is provided at a branch point between the conveyance guide 29c and the conveyance guide 29d, and the sheet conveyed from the conveyance mechanism 21 is either the conveyance guide 29a or the conveyance guide 29d. It is possible to selectively convey the material.

  One drive roller of the roller pair 28a to 28c is a switchback roller, and can be rotated in the direction opposite to the rotation direction when it is sent from the conveyor belt 8 and conveyed to the paper discharge unit 80. . The roller pair 28a to 28c rotates in the reverse direction while the rear end of the sheet conveyed to the paper discharge unit 80 is held between the roller pair 28a, so that the sheet is transferred to the conveyance guide 58 constituting the retransmission path 60 below. Switched back and sent. Note that a branch plate having the same configuration as a branch plate 65 described later is provided at the junction of the transport guide 29c and the transport guide 58 constituting the retransmission path 60, and the switched back sheet is directed toward the transport guide 58. Can be transported.

  The retransmission path 60 includes conveyance guides 58, 61, 62a to 62c, roller pairs 59, 63a, 63b, and standby units 40a, 40b. One roller of the roller pair 59, 63a, 63b is a driving roller that is rotated by a feed motor (not shown), and the other roller is a driven roller that rotates as the one roller rotates. The conveyance guide 61c merges with the conveyance guide 27c.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the conveyance guide 61 is divided into two branch guides 61a and 61b branched from the middle part toward the two standby units 40a and 40b, and the paper fed from the conveyance guide 58 is divided into two branch guides. And a branch plate 65 that distributes to either 61a or 61b.

  The branch plate 65 extends from the front end 61c where the two branch guides 61a and 61b intersect to the side wall of the transport guide 61. The branch plate 65 is provided so as to be swingable from the position of the solid line shown in FIG. 2 to the position of the broken line by driving the sorting motor 134 (see FIG. 3) with one end contacting the tip portion 61c as an axis.

  When the branch plate 65 is in the position of the solid line shown in FIG. 2, the sheet fed from the transport guide 58 is guided by the branch guide 61a and is placed on the standby unit 40a positioned above the two standby units 40a and 40b. Be transported. Further, when the branch plate 65 is located at the position of the broken line shown in FIG. 2, the sheet sent from the transport guide 58 is guided by the branch guide 61b, and the standby unit located below the two standby units 40a and 40b. It is conveyed to 40b. In addition, the branch plate 65, the distribution motor 134, and the motor driver 124 described later in the present embodiment correspond to the distribution mechanism in the present invention.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the standby unit 40 is arranged in a plurality of pairs of rollers 41 arranged in the sub-scanning direction and two in the vertical direction, and arranged in the sub-scanning direction between the plurality of roller pairs 41. It has a plurality of heating wires 42 (drying means). The sheet conveyed to the standby unit 40 is sandwiched by a plurality of roller pairs 41 and is held substantially flat along the sub-scanning direction. The inside of the standby unit 40 is heated by heat generated by applying a voltage to the heating wire 42, and the sheet conveyed to the standby unit 40 and sandwiched between the roller pair 41 is substantially along the sub-scanning direction. Dry on a flat surface. One roller located above the roller pair 41 (a roller that comes into contact with the surface of the sheet on which the image has been recorded immediately before) prevents ink that has not completely penetrated on the surface on which the image of the sheet has been recorded from sticking. It is a spur roller.

  Thereby, the paper on which the image is recorded can be quickly dried by the heat generated by the heating wire 42, the ink can be quickly penetrated into the paper, and the curling of the paper can be prevented. In addition, the standby time in the standby unit 40 can be shortened compared to the case where the heating wire 42 is not provided. Further, the standby unit 40 provided with the heating wire 42 is arranged at a position below the inkjet head 2 with the paper feed cassette 31 interposed therebetween, so that the heat of the inkjet head 2 due to the heat generated by the heating wire 42 is provided. The discharge effect can be reduced.

  The sheet that is switched back and guided downward by the conveyance guide 58 and being nipped by the roller pair 59 passes through one of the standby units 40a and 40b, and is guided by the conveyance guides 62a to 62c and the pair of rollers. It is conveyed to the conveyance mechanism 21 while being pinched by 63a, 63b. The sheet conveyed from the retransmission path 60 to the conveyance mechanism 21 is opposite to the sheet conveyed from the paper feed cassette 31 to the conveyance mechanism 21 and is opposed to the inkjet head 2, and can be printed on both sides of the sheet. .

  The side wall 10a which is a part of the housing 10 is rotatable together with the conveyance guide 61 about an axis 10b extending in the main scanning direction. The two standby units 40a and 40b can be separated from the housing 10 along the sub-scanning direction through a space formed by rotating the side wall 10a and the conveyance guide 61 clockwise. If the attaching / detaching direction of the standby unit 40 is the main scanning direction, the sheet remaining between the inside of the housing 10 and the extracted standby unit 40 is torn when the standby unit 40 is extracted. However, since the attaching / detaching direction of the standby unit 40 is the transport direction (sub-scanning direction), when the standby unit 40 is removed from the housing 10, the paper remaining in the housing 10 is easy to see. Jam processing is easy.

  Each of the four inkjet heads 2 has a discharge surface 2a on which a plurality of nozzles for discharging ink are formed. Each of the four inkjet heads 2 extends along the main scanning direction orthogonal to the sub scanning direction, and is arranged in parallel in the sub scanning direction. Then, it is supported by the housing 10 via the frame 3. That is, the inkjet printer 1 is a line-type color inkjet printer that is fixed in the main scanning direction and can be printed on both sides of the paper. Since the four inkjet heads 2 are arranged in the sub-scanning direction, high-speed printing on a sheet can be performed.

  The maintenance unit 50 performs a purge operation for recovering the ejection operation of the inkjet head 2 that has fallen into an ejection failure and the wiping operation for the ejection surface 2 a of the inkjet head 2. The maintenance unit 50 includes four caps 51 arranged in parallel in the sub-scanning direction at the same interval as the four inkjet heads 2, a tray 52 that urges the four caps 51 upward via a spring (not shown), A movable plate 54 that is movable in the main scanning direction above the four caps 51 via two springs (not shown) arranged with two caps 51 interposed therebetween, and four caps arranged on the upper surface of the movable plate 54 51 and a wiper 55 made of an elastic material such as rubber, which is slightly longer than the length in the sub-scanning direction.

  The maintenance unit 50 performs a purge operation for recovering the ejection operation of the inkjet head 2 that has fallen into an ejection failure and the wiping operation for the ejection surface 2 a of the inkjet head 2. The maintenance unit 50 includes four caps 52 arranged in parallel in the sub-scanning direction at the same interval as the four inkjet heads 2, a tray 51 that urges the four caps 52 upward via a spring (not shown), A movable plate 53 that can be moved along the main scanning direction over the four caps 52 via two springs (not shown) arranged with the two caps 52 interposed therebetween, and four caps arranged on the upper surface of the movable plate 53 52 and a wiper 54 made of an elastic material such as rubber, which is slightly longer than the length in the sub-scanning direction.

  When maintenance of the inkjet head 2 is not performed, the maintenance unit 50 stands still in a standby state at a retracted position that does not face the side inkjet head 2 along the sub-scanning direction of the inkjet head 2. When this maintenance is not performed, the movable plate 53 and the wiper 54 are located outside the end of the cap 52 in the main scanning direction.

  When performing maintenance, first, the inkjet head 2 is raised by a lifting mechanism (not shown) until the ejection surface 2 a of the inkjet head 2 is positioned higher than the tip of the wiper 54. Then, the maintenance unit 50 is moved horizontally from the retracted position to the maintenance position facing the inkjet head 2 by a moving mechanism (not shown). Thereafter, the inkjet head 2 is lowered by the lifting mechanism, and the cap 52 is brought into contact with the peripheral portion of the ejection surface 2 a of the inkjet head 2.

  In this manner, the cap 52 and the peripheral portion of the ejection surface 2a abut on each other, thereby improving the airtightness of the sealed space surrounded by the cap 52 and the ejection surface and preventing the ink in the nozzle from drying. Further, a purge operation in which ink is forcibly ejected from the inkjet head 2 by bringing the cap 52 into contact with the peripheral portion of the ejection surface 2a of the inkjet head 2 and sucking the sealed space to a negative pressure with a suction pump (not shown). I do. The ink accumulated in the cap 52 is discharged to a waste liquid tank through a hole (not shown) formed on the bottom surface of the cap 52.

  After completion of the purge operation, the inkjet head 2 is raised by the elevating mechanism to a position where the ejection surface 2a of the inkjet head 2 slightly contacts the tip of the wiper 54. Then, by moving the movable plate 53 from one end to the other end of the cap 52 in the main scanning direction by a horizontal movement mechanism (not shown), the wiper 54 is moved in the sub-scanning direction while being in contact with the ejection surface 2a of the inkjet head 2. A wiping operation for wiping off ink adhering to the ejection surface 2a is performed.

  A substantially rectangular parallelepiped platen 19 is disposed in the loop of the conveyor belt 8 so as to face the four inkjet heads 2 and the maintenance unit 50. The upper surface of the platen 19 is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the upper loop of the conveyor belt 8 and supports it from the inner peripheral side of the conveyor belt 8. Thereby, the outer peripheral surface of the upper loop of the conveyor belt 8 and the lower surface of the inkjet head 2 are parallel to each other, and a slight gap is formed between the lower surface of the inkjet head 2 and the outer peripheral surface of the conveyor belt 8. Is done. The gap constitutes a part of the paper transport path. When the paper transported while being held on the outer peripheral surface of the transport belt 8 sequentially passes immediately below the four inkjet heads 2, ink of each color is ejected toward the upper surface of the paper, thereby Thus, a desired color image is formed.

  The four inkjet heads 2 are connected to four ink tanks 71 arranged along the sub-scanning direction in the ink tank cassette 70. That is, the four ink tanks 71 store the ink of the corresponding color of the inkjet head 2, and ink is supplied from each ink tank 71 to the inkjet head 2 via a tube (not shown).

  A scanner (reading unit) 90 is provided above the paper discharge unit 80. The scanner 90 includes a flat reading surface 91 made of a glass plate, a reading unit 92 that reads an image of a sheet placed on the reading surface 91, and a cover 93 that covers the reading surface 91. Then, the scanner 90 reads an image on the sheet with the reading unit 92 in a state where the cover 93 is closed after the sheet on which the image is formed is placed on the reading surface 91.

  Next, the control system of the inkjet printer 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the ink jet printer shown in FIG. The control unit 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that is an arithmetic processing unit, a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores a control program executed by the CPU and data used for the control program, and data when the program is executed. RAM (Random Access Memory) for temporary storage. These function as a head control unit 101, a conveyance control unit 102, a standby determination unit 103, a drying control unit 104, a distribution control unit 105, and the like.

  The head control unit 101 controls the head drive circuit 121 so that ink is ejected from the corresponding inkjet head 2 based on the image recording data on the paper received from the PC 200.

  The conveyance control unit 102 controls the motor driver 122 so that the sheet feeding roller 32 is rotated by driving the sheet feeding motor 132 and the uppermost sheet in the sheet feeding cassette 31 is sent out onto the conveying belt 8. The motor driver 123 is controlled so that the belt roller 7 is rotated by driving the conveyance motor 133 and the sheet is conveyed while being held on the conveyance belt 8.

  The standby determination unit 103 determines whether it is necessary to hold and stop the paper on which the image is recorded by the inkjet head 2 in the standby unit 40 based on the recording data of the image on the paper received from the PC 200. Specifically, the amount of ink ejected from the inkjet head 2 is calculated from the recording data of the image on the paper received from the PC 200, and the standby time to be held and stopped by the standby unit 40 is determined according to the ink amount. . When the ink amount is larger than the predetermined amount, the standby time is increased in proportion to the predetermined time that the standby unit 40 holds and stops when the ink amount is the predetermined amount. When the ink amount is smaller than the predetermined amount, it is determined that it is not necessary to hold and stop the ink in the standby unit 40.

  The drying control unit 104 applies heat to the heating wire 42 to generate heat when it is determined by the standby determination unit 103 that the standby unit 40 needs to hold and stop the paper on which the image is recorded, The inside of the standby unit 40 is kept in a high temperature environment.

  The distribution control unit 105 swings the branch plate 65 by driving the distribution motor 134, and selectively switches the paper that is switched back and conveyed to the retransmission path 60 to one of the two standby units 40a and 40b. The motor driver 124 is controlled so as to be distributed.

  Next, a paper transport operation during single-sided printing will be described. First, the inkjet printer 1 drives the paper feed motor 132 under the control of the transport control unit 102 and rotates the paper feed roller 32, thereby transporting the uppermost paper in the paper feed cassette 31 to the transport guides 27 a to 27 c. And is conveyed to the conveyance mechanism 21 while being sandwiched between the roller pairs 26a and 26b and the separation roller pair 26c.

  Then, the inkjet printer 1 controls the head drive circuit 121 to eject ink from the inkjet head 2 onto a sheet conveyed on the conveyance belt 8 and record a desired image on the sheet. Thereafter, the ink jet printer 1 conveys the sheet on which the image is recorded while being guided by the conveyance guide 29d.

  The ink jet printer 1 determines whether or not the standby unit 40a holds and stops the paper on which the image is recorded by the standby determination unit 103 during the period from when the paper is fed and when the image is recorded on the paper. . When the standby determination unit 103 determines that it is necessary to hold and stop the ink jet printer 1, the ink jet printer 1 conveys the sheet conveyed downward to the retransmission path 60. Then, the inkjet printer 1 moves the branch plate 65 arranged in the conveyance guide 61 to the position indicated by the solid line shown in FIG. 2 by the distribution control unit 105, and guides the sheet by the conveyance guide 61a and conveys the sheet to the standby unit 40a. . Thereafter, the ink jet printer 1 holds and stops the sheet by the standby unit 40a for a predetermined standby time.

  Since the standby unit 40a is maintained in a high temperature environment by heat generated by the heating wire 42, the sheet on which the image is recorded dries. When a predetermined standby time elapses, the ink jet printer 1 guides the paper held in the standby unit 40a by the conveyance guides 27a, 27b, 62a to 62c and sandwiches the paper by the roller pairs 26a, 26b, 63a, 63b. Then, it is transported again to the transport mechanism 21. Thereafter, the ink jet printer 1 does not record an image on the paper, and guides the paper conveyed to the conveyance mechanism 21 by the conveyance guides 29a to 29c and sandwiches the paper by the roller pairs 28a to 28c. Discharge.

  If the standby determination unit 103 determines that it is not necessary to wait, the ink jet printer 1 guides the paper on which the image has been recorded with the transport guides 29a to 29c without transporting the paper to the retransmission path 60. Further, the paper is discharged to the paper discharge unit 80 while being sandwiched between the roller pairs 28a to 28c. As described above, the standby determination unit 103 determines whether or not the paper is held by the standby unit 40 and is stopped, and if it is not necessary to stop the paper, the paper discharge unit is not transported to the standby unit 40. By discharging to 80, the standby of the paper in the standby unit 40 can be minimized.

  The image is recorded on the second and subsequent sheets as described above. However, the waiting time of the first sheet has not elapsed, and the first sheet held in the standby unit 40a is still discharged. If not, the inkjet printer 1 causes the distribution control unit 105 to move the branch plate 65 disposed in the conveyance guide 61 to the position indicated by the broken line in FIG. It is guided by the transport guide 61b and transported to the standby unit 40b. If there is one standby unit 40 and a sheet preceding the standby unit 40 is held, the next sheet cannot be held in the standby unit 40 until the sheet is discharged from the standby unit 40. . Therefore, by arranging a plurality of standby units 40 and selectively distributing the paper to any of the plurality of standby units 40 by the branch plate 65, high-speed conveyance is possible.

  Next, a paper transport operation during duplex printing will be described. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the standby determination unit 103 determines that all sheets on which images have been recorded need to be standby by the standby unit 40.

  First, the inkjet printer 1 drives the paper feed motor 132 under the control of the transport control unit 102 and rotates the paper feed roller 32, thereby transporting the uppermost paper in the paper feed cassette 31 to the transport guides 27 a to 27 c. And is conveyed to the conveyance mechanism 21 while being sandwiched between the roller pairs 26a and 26b and the separation roller pair 26c.

  Then, the ink jet printer 1 controls the head driving circuit 121 to eject ink from the ink jet head 2 onto the surface opposite to the ejection surface 2a of the first sheet conveyed on the conveying belt 8, and the first sheet A desired image is recorded on the surface of the paper. Thereafter, the ink jet printer 1 conveys the first sheet of paper having an image recorded on the surface thereof upward while being guided by the conveyance guides 29a to 29c and sandwiched by the roller pairs 28a to 28c.

  Next, the inkjet printer 1 switches back the first sheet conveyed upward and conveys it to the retransmission path 60. Then, the inkjet printer 1 moves the branch plate 65 disposed on the conveyance guide 61 to the position indicated by the solid line shown in FIG. 2 by the distribution control unit 105, and guides the first sheet with the conveyance guide 61a to stand by. Transport to unit 40a. Thereafter, the ink jet printer 1 holds and stops the first sheet by the standby unit 40a for a predetermined standby time. Since the inside of the standby unit 40 is maintained in a high temperature environment by the heat generated by the heating wire 42, the sheet on which the image is recorded on the first surface is dried.

  While the first sheet is held by the standby unit 40a, the inkjet printer 1 feeds the second sheet from the sheet feeding cassette 31, and the surface of the second sheet is similar to that described above. A desired image is recorded by operation. After that, the inkjet printer 1 conveys the second sheet on which the image is recorded with the conveyance guides 29a to 29c and conveys it upward while being sandwiched between the roller pairs 28a to 28c.

  Next, the inkjet printer 1 switches back the second sheet conveyed upward and conveys it to the retransmission path 60. Then, the inkjet printer 1 moves the branch plate 65 arranged in the conveyance guide 61 to the position indicated by the broken line shown in FIG. 2 by the distribution control unit 105, and guides the second sheet with the conveyance guide 61b and waits. Transport to unit 40b. Thereafter, the ink jet printer 1 holds and stops the second sheet by the standby unit 40b for a predetermined standby time. Since the inside of the standby unit 40 is maintained in a high-temperature environment by heat generated by the heating wire 42, the sheet on which the image is recorded on the second surface is dried.

  While the first and second sheets are held by the standby units 40a and 40b, the inkjet printer 1 feeds the third sheet from the sheet feeding cassette 31, and the third sheet A desired image is recorded on the surface of the paper by the same operation as described above. After that, the inkjet printer 1 conveys the third sheet on which the image is recorded with the conveyance guides 29a to 29c and conveys it upward while being sandwiched between the roller pairs 28a to 28c.

  Next, the inkjet printer 1 conveys the first sheet held in the standby unit 40a to the conveyance mechanism 21 again while being guided by the conveyance guides 62a to 62c and sandwiched by the roller pairs 63a and 63b. Then, the back surface of the first sheet faces the ejection surface 2 a of the inkjet head 2. While the desired image is recorded on the back surface of the first sheet by the same operation as described above, the inkjet printer 1 switches back the third sheet conveyed upward and resends it. Transport to path 60. Then, the inkjet printer 1 moves the branch plate 65 arranged in the conveyance guide 61 to the position indicated by the solid line shown in FIG. 2 by the distribution control unit 105, and guides the third sheet with the conveyance guide 61a to stand by. Transport to unit 40a. Then, the inkjet printer 1 holds and stops the third sheet conveyed to the standby unit 40a by the standby unit 40a.

  Next, the inkjet printer 1 transports the second sheet held in the standby unit 40b to the transport mechanism 21 again while being guided by the transport guides 62a to 62c and sandwiched by the roller pairs 63a and 63b. Then, the back surface of the second sheet faces the ejection surface 2 a of the inkjet head 2. While the desired image is recorded on the back surface of the second sheet by the same operation as described above, the inkjet printer 1 uses the transport guide 29d to transfer the first sheet on which the image is recorded on the back surface. It is conveyed to the lower retransmission route 60 while being guided.

  Then, the inkjet printer 1 moves the branch plate 65 arranged in the conveyance guide 61 to the position indicated by the broken line shown in FIG. 2 by the distribution control unit 105, and guides the first sheet with the conveyance guide 61b and waits. Transport to unit 40b. Then, the inkjet printer 1 holds the first sheet conveyed to the standby unit 40b by the standby unit 40b and stops it.

  Next, the inkjet printer 1 conveys the third sheet held in the standby unit 40a to the conveyance mechanism 21 again while being guided by the conveyance guides 62a to 62c and sandwiched by the roller pairs 63a and 63b. Then, the back surface of the third sheet faces the ejection surface 2 a of the inkjet head 2. While the desired image is recorded on the back surface of the third sheet by the same operation as described above, the inkjet printer 1 uses the transport guide 29d to transfer the second sheet on which the image is recorded on the back surface. It is conveyed to the lower retransmission route 60 while being guided. Then, the inkjet printer 1 moves the branch plate 65 disposed in the conveyance guide 61 to the position indicated by the solid line shown in FIG. 2 by the distribution control unit 105, and guides the second sheet with the conveyance guide 61a and waits. Transport to unit 40a. Then, the inkjet printer 1 holds the second sheet conveyed to the standby unit 40a by the standby unit 40a and stops it.

  Next, the inkjet printer 1 conveys the first sheet held in the standby unit 40b to the conveyance mechanism 21 again while being guided by the conveyance guides 62a to 62c and sandwiched by the roller pairs 63a and 63b. In the meantime, the inkjet printer 1 conveys the third sheet on which the image is recorded on the back surface to the lower retransmission path 60 while being guided by the conveyance guide 29d. Then, the inkjet printer 1 moves the branch plate 65 arranged on the conveyance guide 61 to the position indicated by the broken line shown in FIG. 2 by the distribution control unit 105, and guides the third sheet with the conveyance guide 61b and waits. Transport to unit 40b. Then, the inkjet printer 1 holds and stops the third sheet conveyed to the standby unit 40b by the standby unit 40b.

  The ink jet printer 1 has an image recording unit 80 in which images are recorded on both sides and the first sheet conveyed by the conveyance mechanism 21 is guided by the conveyance guides 29a to 29c and sandwiched between the roller pairs 28a to 28c. To discharge. Next, while the second and third sheets are held by the standby units 40a and 40b, the inkjet printer 1 feeds the fourth sheet from the sheet feeding cassette 31, and the fourth sheet A desired image is recorded on the surface of the paper by the same operation as described above. Thereafter, the inkjet printer 1 conveys the fourth sheet on which the image is recorded with the conveyance guides 29a to 29c and conveys it upward while being sandwiched between the roller pairs 28a to 28c.

  Next, the inkjet printer 1 conveys the second sheet held in the standby unit 40a to the conveyance mechanism 21 again while being guided by the conveyance guides 62a to 62c and sandwiched by the roller pairs 63a and 63b. In the meantime, the inkjet printer 1 switches back the fourth sheet conveyed upward and conveys it to the retransmission path 60. Then, the inkjet printer 1 moves the branch plate 65 disposed on the conveyance guide 61 to the position indicated by the solid line shown in FIG. 2 by the distribution control unit 105, and guides the fourth sheet with the conveyance guide 61a and waits. Transport to unit 40a. Then, the inkjet printer 1 holds and stops the fourth sheet conveyed to the standby unit 40a by the standby unit 40a.

  Thereafter, the ink jet printer 1 records images on both sides, and guides the second sheet transported to the transport mechanism 21 by the transport guides 29a to 29c and sandwiches the paper by the roller pairs 28a to 28c. To discharge. By continuing such an operation, the inkjet printer 1 according to the present embodiment can perform duplex printing on a plurality of sheets.

  In the double-sided printing described above, the standby determination unit 103 determines that the standby unit 40 needs to wait for all sheets on which images are recorded. However, the standby unit 40 does not need to wait. If it is included, only the sheet is passed through the standby unit 40 without being stopped and conveyed to the conveyance mechanism 21 or discharged to the paper discharge unit 80.

  As described above, in the ink jet printer 1 according to the first embodiment, the standby unit 40 is disposed below the ink jet head 2 and the paper discharge unit 80 is disposed above the ink jet head 2. Can be miniaturized. Further, since the standby unit 40 is arranged in the retransmission path 60, a space for arranging the standby unit 40 separately is not necessary, and the printer can be downsized.

<Second Embodiment>
Next, a second embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view of an inkjet printer according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The second embodiment is the same as the first embodiment except for the configuration of the paper discharge unit 80 in the first embodiment. Components similar to those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  In the present embodiment, the paper transport path from the transport mechanism 21 to the paper discharge unit 80 in the first embodiment is the paper transport path from the transport mechanism 21 to the stage 190. The stage 190 is disposed above the inkjet head 2 in the housing 10 and is a plane that temporarily holds a sheet on which an image is recorded when the sheet is switched back to the retransmission path 60 and conveyed. A sheet conveyance path from the conveyance mechanism 21 to the stage 190 in the housing 10 is disposed between the conveyance guides 129 a and 129 b extending from the conveyance mechanism 21 toward the stage 190 and the conveyance guides 129 a and 129 b. A pair of rollers 128b is provided. In addition, a roller pair 128a is provided at the leading end of the conveyance guide 129a on the downstream side in the conveyance direction. Note that one roller of the roller pair 128a, 128b is a driving roller that is rotated by a feed motor (not shown), and the other roller is a driven roller that rotates as the one roller rotates.

  Also, one drive roller of the roller pair 128a, 128b is a switchback roller, and is rotatable in the direction opposite to the rotation direction when it is fed from the conveyor belt 8 and conveyed to the stage 190. The sheet conveyed from the conveyance mechanism 21 to the stage 190 is retransmitted downward by rotating the roller pairs 128a and 128b in the opposite directions while the rear ends of the sheets conveyed to the stage 190 are held between the roller pairs 128a. Switched back to route 60 and sent.

  In the first embodiment, the paper transport path for transporting the paper again from the standby unit 40 to the transport mechanism 21 selectively transports the paper from the standby unit 40 to either the transport mechanism 21 or the paper discharge unit 180. It is a route. The paper discharge unit 180 is provided on the upper surface of the housing 10.

  The paper transported from the standby unit 40 is guided to the transport mechanism 21 while being guided by the transport guides 161, 162a, 162b and being sandwiched by the roller pair 163, or is guided by the transport guides 161, 181a to 181e, and The paper is ejected to the paper ejection unit 180 while being sandwiched between the roller pairs 182a to 182d. A branch point where the paper transported from the standby unit 40a of the transport guide 161 is transported to the transport mechanism 21 or the paper discharge unit 180, and a branch where the paper transported from the standby unit 40b is transported to the transport mechanism 21 or the paper discharge unit 180. A branch plate having the same configuration as the above-described branch plate 65 is provided at the point, and the paper conveyed from the standby units 40a and 40b can be selectively conveyed to the conveyance mechanism 21 or the paper discharge unit 180. It has become.

  Next, a paper transport operation during single-sided printing will be described. First, the inkjet printer 1 drives the paper feed motor 132 under the control of the transport control unit 102 and rotates the paper feed roller 32, thereby transporting the uppermost paper in the paper feed cassette 31 to the transport guides 27 a to 27 c. And is conveyed to the conveying mechanism 21 while being sandwiched between the roller pairs 26a to 26c.

  Then, the inkjet printer 1 controls the head drive circuit 121 to eject ink from the inkjet head 2 onto a sheet conveyed on the conveyance belt 8 and record a desired image on the sheet. Thereafter, the ink jet printer 1 conveys the sheet on which the image is recorded to the upper stage 190 while being guided by the conveyance guides 129a and 129b and sandwiched by the roller pairs 128a and 128b.

  The ink jet printer 1 determines whether or not the standby unit 40a holds and stops the paper on which the image is recorded by the standby determination unit 103 during the period from when the paper is fed and when the image is recorded on the paper. . When the standby determination unit 103 determines that it is necessary to hold and stop the ink jet printer 1, the paper transported to the stage 190 is switched back and transported to the retransmission path 60. Then, the inkjet printer 1 moves the branch plate 65 arranged in the conveyance guide 61 to the position indicated by the solid line shown in FIG. 2 by the distribution control unit 105, and guides the sheet by the conveyance guide 61a and conveys the sheet to the standby unit 40a. . Thereafter, the ink jet printer 1 holds and stops the sheet by the standby unit 40a for a predetermined standby time.

  Since the standby unit 40a is maintained in a high temperature environment by heat generated by the heating wire 42, the sheet on which the image is recorded dries. When a predetermined standby time elapses, the inkjet printer 1 guides the paper held in the standby unit 40a by the conveyance guides 161 and 181a to 181e and holds the paper by the roller pairs 182a to 182d. To discharge.

  When the standby determination unit 103 determines that it is not necessary to wait, the inkjet printer 1 switches back the paper transported to the stage 190 and transports it to the retransmission path 60, and the distribution control unit 105. As a result, the branch plate 65 arranged in the conveyance guide 61 is moved to the position of the solid line shown in FIG. 2, and the sheet is guided by the conveyance guide 61a and conveyed to the standby unit 40a. Thereafter, the ink jet printer 1 passes the paper without stopping by the standby unit 40a, guides it with the transport guides 161, 181a to 181e, and discharges it to the paper discharge unit 180 while being sandwiched by the roller pairs 182a to 182d. . As described above, the standby determination unit 103 determines whether or not the sheet is held and stopped by the standby unit 40, and if it is not necessary to stop the sheet, the sheet is allowed to pass without being stopped by the standby unit 40. By discharging the paper to the paper discharge unit 80, the standby of the paper in the standby unit 40 can be minimized.

  The image is recorded on the second and subsequent sheets as described above. However, the waiting time of the first sheet has not elapsed, and the first sheet held in the standby unit 40a is still discharged. If not, the inkjet printer 1 causes the distribution control unit 105 to move the branch plate 65 disposed in the conveyance guide 61 to the position indicated by the broken line in FIG. It is guided by the transport guide 61b and transported to the standby unit 40b. If there is one standby unit 40 and a sheet preceding the standby unit 40 is held, the next sheet cannot be held in the standby unit 40 until the sheet is discharged from the standby unit 40. . Therefore, by arranging a plurality of standby units 40 and selectively distributing the paper to any of the plurality of standby units 40 by the branch plate 65, high-speed conveyance is possible.

  Next, a paper transport operation during duplex printing will be described. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the standby determination unit 103 determines that all sheets on which images have been recorded need to be standby by the standby unit 40.

  First, the inkjet printer 1 drives the paper feed motor 132 under the control of the transport control unit 102 and rotates the paper feed roller 32, thereby transporting the uppermost paper in the paper feed cassette 31 to the transport guides 27 a to 27 c. And is conveyed to the conveying mechanism 21 while being sandwiched between the roller pairs 26a to 26c.

  Then, the ink jet printer 1 controls the head driving circuit 121 to eject ink from the ink jet head 2 onto the surface opposite to the ejection surface 2a of the first sheet conveyed on the conveying belt 8, and the first sheet A desired image is recorded on the surface of the paper. Thereafter, the ink jet printer 1 conveys the first sheet having an image recorded on the surface thereof to the stage 190 while being guided by the conveyance guides 129a and 129b and sandwiched by the roller pairs 128a and 128b.

  Next, the inkjet printer 1 switches back the first sheet conveyed to the stage 190 and conveys it to the retransmission path 60. Then, the inkjet printer 1 moves the branch plate 65 disposed on the conveyance guide 61 to the position indicated by the solid line shown in FIG. 2 by the distribution control unit 105, and guides the first sheet with the conveyance guide 61a to stand by. Transport to unit 40a. Thereafter, the ink jet printer 1 holds and stops the first sheet by the standby unit 40a for a predetermined standby time. Since the inside of the standby unit 40 is maintained in a high temperature environment by the heat generated by the heating wire 42, the sheet on which the image is recorded on the first surface is dried.

  While the first sheet is held by the standby unit 40a, the inkjet printer 1 feeds the second sheet from the sheet feeding cassette 31, and the surface of the second sheet is similar to that described above. A desired image is recorded by operation. After that, the inkjet printer 1 conveys the second sheet on which the image is recorded to the stage 190 while being guided by the conveyance guides 129a and 129b and sandwiched by the roller pairs 128a and 128b.

  Next, the inkjet printer 1 switches back the second sheet conveyed to the stage 190 and conveys it to the retransmission path 60. Then, the inkjet printer 1 moves the branch plate 65 arranged in the conveyance guide 61 to the position indicated by the broken line shown in FIG. 2 by the distribution control unit 105, and guides the second sheet with the conveyance guide 61b and waits. Transport to unit 40b. Thereafter, the ink jet printer 1 holds and stops the second sheet by the standby unit 40b for a predetermined standby time. Since the inside of the standby unit 40 is maintained in a high-temperature environment by heat generated by the heating wire 42, the sheet on which the image is recorded on the second surface is dried.

  While the first and second sheets are held by the standby units 40a and 40b, the inkjet printer 1 feeds the third sheet from the sheet feeding cassette 31, and the third sheet A desired image is recorded on the surface of the paper by the same operation as described above. Thereafter, the inkjet printer 1 conveys the third sheet on which the image is recorded to the stage 190 while being guided by the conveyance guides 129a and 129b and sandwiched between the roller pairs 128a and 128b.

  Next, the inkjet printer 1 conveys the first sheet held in the standby unit 40 a to the conveyance mechanism 21 again while being guided by the conveyance guides 161, 162 a, and 162 b and sandwiched by the roller pair 163. Then, the back surface of the first sheet faces the ejection surface 2 a of the inkjet head 2. While the desired image is recorded on the back surface of the first sheet by the same operation as described above, the inkjet printer 1 switches back the third sheet conveyed to the stage 190, Carry to the retransmission path 60. Then, the inkjet printer 1 moves the branch plate 65 arranged in the conveyance guide 61 to the position indicated by the solid line shown in FIG. 2 by the distribution control unit 105, and guides the third sheet with the conveyance guide 61a to stand by. Transport to unit 40a. Then, the inkjet printer 1 holds and stops the third sheet conveyed to the standby unit 40a by the standby unit 40a.

  After that, the inkjet printer 1 conveys the first sheet with an image recorded on the back side to the stage 190 while being guided by the conveyance guides 129a and 129b and sandwiched between the roller pairs 128a and 128b. Next, the inkjet printer 1 transports the second sheet held in the standby unit 40 b to the transport mechanism 21 again while being guided by the transport guides 161, 162 a, and 162 b and sandwiched by the roller pair 163. Then, the back surface of the second sheet faces the ejection surface 2 a of the inkjet head 2. While the desired image is recorded on the back surface of the second sheet by the same operation as described above, the inkjet printer 1 switches back the first sheet conveyed to the stage 190, Carry to the retransmission path 60.

  Then, the inkjet printer 1 moves the branch plate 65 arranged in the conveyance guide 61 to the position indicated by the broken line shown in FIG. 2 by the distribution control unit 105, and guides the first sheet with the conveyance guide 61b and waits. Transport to unit 40b. Then, the inkjet printer 1 holds the first sheet conveyed to the standby unit 40b by the standby unit 40b and stops it.

  Next, the ink jet printer 1 transports the third sheet held in the standby unit 40 a to the transport mechanism 21 again while being guided by the transport guides 161, 162 a and 162 b and sandwiched by the roller pair 163. Then, the back surface of the third sheet faces the ejection surface 2 a of the inkjet head 2. While the desired image is recorded on the back side of the third sheet by the same operation as described above, the inkjet printer 1 switches back the second sheet conveyed to the stage 190, Carry to the retransmission path 60. Then, the inkjet printer 1 moves the branch plate 65 disposed in the conveyance guide 61 to the position indicated by the solid line shown in FIG. 2 by the distribution control unit 105, and guides the second sheet with the conveyance guide 61a and waits. Transport to unit 40a. Then, the inkjet printer 1 holds the second sheet conveyed to the standby unit 40a by the standby unit 40a and stops it.

  Next, the ink jet printer 1 guides the first sheet, which is held by the standby unit 40b and has images recorded on both sides, by the conveyance guides 161 and 181a to 181e and is sandwiched between the roller pairs 182a to 182d and discharged. The paper is discharged to the paper section 180. Then, the inkjet printer 1 switches back the third sheet conveyed to the stage 190 and conveys it to the retransmission path 60. Then, the inkjet printer 1 moves the branch plate 65 arranged on the conveyance guide 61 to the position indicated by the broken line shown in FIG. 2 by the distribution control unit 105, and guides the third sheet with the conveyance guide 61b and waits. Transport to unit 40b. Then, the inkjet printer 1 holds and stops the third sheet conveyed to the standby unit 40b by the standby unit 40b.

  Next, while the second and third sheets are held by the standby units 40a and 40b, the inkjet printer 1 feeds the fourth sheet from the sheet feeding cassette 31, and the fourth sheet A desired image is recorded on the surface of the paper by the same operation as described above. Thereafter, the inkjet printer 1 conveys the fourth sheet on which the image is recorded to the stage 190 while being guided by the conveyance guides 129a and 129b and sandwiched by the roller pairs 128a and 128b.

  Next, the inkjet printer 1 guides the second sheet, which is held by the standby unit 40a and has images recorded on both sides, by the conveyance guides 161, 181a to 181e and is sandwiched by the roller pairs 182a to 182d and discharged. The paper is discharged to the paper section 180. Then, the inkjet printer 1 switches back the fourth sheet conveyed to the stage 190 and conveys it to the retransmission path 60. Then, the inkjet printer 1 moves the branch plate 65 disposed on the conveyance guide 61 to the position indicated by the solid line shown in FIG. 2 by the distribution control unit 105, and guides the fourth sheet with the conveyance guide 61a and waits. Transport to unit 40a. Then, the inkjet printer 1 holds and stops the fourth sheet conveyed to the standby unit 40a by the standby unit 40a. By continuing such an operation, the inkjet printer 1 according to the present embodiment can perform duplex printing on a plurality of sheets.

  In the double-sided printing described above, the standby determination unit 103 determines that the standby unit 40 needs to wait for all sheets on which images are recorded. However, the standby unit 40 does not need to wait. If it is included, only the paper is allowed to pass through the standby unit 40 without being stopped and transported to the transport mechanism 21 or discharged to the paper discharge unit 180.

  As described above, also in the inkjet printer 1 of the second embodiment, the standby unit 40 is disposed below the inkjet head 2 and the paper discharge unit 180 is disposed above the inkjet head 2. The printer can be miniaturized. Further, since the standby unit 40 is arranged in the retransmission path 60, a space for arranging the standby unit 40 separately is not necessary, and the printer can be downsized.

  Next, modified examples in which various modifications are made to the first and second embodiments described above will be described. However, about the thing which has the structure similar to this embodiment mentioned above, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and the description is abbreviate | omitted suitably.

  In the first and second embodiments described above, the heating unit 42 is provided in the standby unit 40 in order to shorten the drying time of the paper. However, if a long drying time can be secured, the standby unit 40 is electrically connected. The hot wire 42 may not be provided.

  In addition to the heating wire 42, a heater such as a halogen heater, a far infrared heater, or a near infrared heater is provided on the side of the standby unit 40 in the main scanning direction, and heat generated by driving the heater is supplied from the fan. The paper may be dried by being applied to the paper by an air current.

  Furthermore, when the standby time in the standby unit 40 takes a long time or when it is desired to perform the printing operation quickly, the number of standby units may be increased. If there is one standby unit 40 and a sheet preceding the standby unit 40 is held, the next sheet cannot be held in the standby unit 40 until the sheet is discharged to the paper discharge unit. . Therefore, by arranging a plurality of standby units 40 and selectively distributing the sheets to any of the plurality of standby units 40 by the branch plate 65, the number of sheets that can be kept on standby increases and high-speed conveyance becomes possible. . That is, the number of standby units may be one or more depending on the standby time and the printing operation.

  Further, the control unit 100 may not have the standby determination unit 103, and the standby unit 40 may always wait for the paper. Thereby, control by the control part 100 becomes easy.

  Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the ink jet printer as in the above-described embodiment, and can be applied to various apparatuses as long as it is an image recording apparatus.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an ink jet printer according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is an expanded sectional view of a conveyance guide. 1 is a block diagram of an inkjet printer according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the inkjet printer which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inkjet printer 2 Inkjet head 21 Conveyance mechanism 40 Standby unit 50 Maintenance unit 80, 180 Paper discharge unit

Claims (13)

A recording head for recording an image on a recording medium;
A transport mechanism facing the recording head and transporting a recording medium along a substantially horizontal transport direction;
A standby unit that is disposed below the recording head and holds the recording medium on which an image is recorded by the recording head substantially flatly along the transport direction, and stops.
An image recording apparatus comprising: a discharge unit that is disposed above the recording head and on which a recording medium on which an image is recorded by the recording head is stacked. A plurality of the standby parts are arranged along the vertical direction,
A distribution mechanism that selectively distributes a recording medium on which an image is recorded by the recording head to any of the plurality of standby units is disposed on a conveyance path between the plurality of standby units and the recording head. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:   The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the standby unit includes a drying unit that dries a recording medium on which an image is recorded by the recording head.   The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the recording heads are arranged along the transport direction.   The image according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a maintenance unit for maintaining the recording head is arranged on a side of the recording head along the transport direction in a standby state. Recording device. The apparatus further includes a housing in which the transport mechanism, the recording head, and the standby unit are arranged.
The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the standby unit is detachable from the housing. Based on the recording data of the image on the recording medium, further comprising a determination means for determining whether it is necessary to hold and stop the recording medium on which the image is recorded by the recording head in the standby unit;
When the determination unit determines that the recording medium needs to be stopped by the standby unit, the recording medium is transferred from the transport mechanism to the standby unit, held and stopped by the standby unit, and is unnecessary. 7. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when judged, the recording medium is transported from the transport mechanism to the discharge unit without being transported to the standby unit. A re-transmission path for re-sending the recording medium transported by the transport mechanism to the transport mechanism;
The standby unit is arranged in the retransmission path;
The recording medium on which only one side is recorded by the recording head at the time of the first printing at the time of double-sided printing on the recording medium is once transported toward the discharge unit, and then switched back and transported to the retransmission path. The image recording apparatus according to claim 7. Based on the recording data of the image on the recording medium, further comprising a determination means for determining whether it is necessary to hold and stop the recording medium on which the image is recorded by the recording head in the standby unit;
If the determination unit determines that the recording medium needs to be stopped by the standby unit, the recording unit holds and stops the recording medium in the standby unit. If the determination unit determines that the recording medium is unnecessary, the standby unit stores the recording medium in the standby unit. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image recording apparatus is allowed to pass without being stopped. A re-transmission path for re-sending the recording medium transported by the transport mechanism to the transport mechanism;
The standby unit is arranged in the retransmission path;
The image recording apparatus according to claim 9, wherein a recording medium on which an image is recorded by the recording head is switched back and conveyed to the retransmission path. A re-transmission path for re-sending the recording medium transported by the transport mechanism to the transport mechanism;
The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the standby unit is arranged in the retransmission path.   The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a reading unit that reads an image recorded on a recording medium is disposed above the discharge unit.   13. The supply unit according to claim 1, wherein the supply unit capable of storing a recording medium and supplying the recording medium to the transport mechanism is disposed below the recording head and above the standby unit. The image recording apparatus according to any one of the above.

Images