JP2010083121A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the following problems: a printing medium cannot stably be supported when a printing medium support part is shifted to a position where vertical movement of a head restoring device is not disturbed, and time is required for movement when the printing medium support part is positioned directly under the head when printing is done, and the whole of the printing medium support part is moved to the right side when the head restoration device makes vertical movement. <P>SOLUTION: A printer includes: a movable platen 9b which is installed on the side countering a head unit, and supports the printing medium being carried; and suction units 21 and 22 which are movable in a direction countering the head unit. The suction units 21 and 22 include: a printing medium sucking means which sucks the printing medium from the lower side of the movable platen 9b; and the head restoring means for performing maintenance of the head unit. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus that prints an image or the like by ejecting a liquid onto a printing medium.

  An ink jet printer, which is one of printing apparatuses, ejects (injects) liquid ink droplets from nozzles of a liquid ejecting head (also referred to as “ink jet head”) to form micro ink dots on a print medium. Etc. Ink jet printers include multi-pass type ink jet printers in which an ink jet head is mounted on a moving body called a carriage and moves in a direction crossing the print medium conveyance direction, and a long (in one piece) in a direction crossing the print medium conveyance direction. (There is no need) There are line head type ink jet printers and the like which can perform printing in a so-called one pass by an ink jet head.

  In such an ink jet printer, by stabilizing the conveyance of the print medium, it is possible to prevent occurrence of image quality degradation due to the jam of the print medium and the landing position of the ink droplets, and to cope with obtaining a stable image. Has been done. For example, in the printing apparatus described in the following Patent Document 1, the operation of the head recovery apparatus that raises and lowers the position of the print medium support part that supports the transported print medium with the maintenance of the head unit is prevented. In addition, it is shifted from the position directly below the head unit. In another embodiment of Patent Document 1, the head recovery device is retracted below the print medium support unit during printing, and when performing the head recovery process, the entire print medium support unit is moved to the right side to The recovery device is raised from the retracted position.

JP 2005-88329 A

  However, in the case where the print medium support unit is shifted and installed at a position that does not hinder the elevation of the head recovery device as in the printing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the print medium support unit does not exist directly under the head unit. become. For this reason, the area which supports a printing medium at the time of printing becomes small, and there exists a problem which cannot support a printing medium stably. Also, if the head recovery device is retracted during printing and the entire print medium support part is moved to the right side when performing the head recovery process, the print medium support part can be secured, although the area for supporting the print medium can be secured. It takes time to move the entire head and the head recovery device from the retracted position. For this reason, there is a problem that the throughput in the printing process is lowered.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to solve at least a part of the problems described above, and the invention can be implemented as the following forms or application examples.

  Application Example 1 A printing apparatus according to this application example includes a head unit that ejects liquid onto a print medium that is transported in the print medium transport direction, and the print medium that is provided on the side facing the head unit. A print medium support unit that supports the suction unit, and a suction unit that is provided on a side facing the head unit and is movable in a direction facing the head unit. The suction unit is located below the print medium support unit. A printing medium suction means for sucking the printing medium from the side; and a head recovery means for maintaining the head unit.

  According to this printing apparatus, the print medium support portion for supporting the print medium and the suction unit are provided on the side facing the head unit. Since the print medium suction means in the suction unit sucks the print medium from the lower side of the print medium support portion, the print medium can be stably supported by sucking the print medium during printing. Further, when not printing, the head unit can be maintained by the head recovery means in the suction unit. As described above, since the suction unit facing the head unit serves as both the print medium suction unit and the head recovery unit, the print medium is stably supported by sucking the print medium, and the suction of the print medium is performed. And the maintenance of the head unit can be switched without taking time.

  Application Example 2 In the printing apparatus according to the application example described above, the print medium support unit is movable in the print medium conveyance direction, and includes a suction hole and an opening for sucking the print medium. The suction hole is positioned at a position facing the head unit when the print medium is sucked by moving the print medium support portion, and the opening portion and the head unit are maintained when the head unit is maintained. It is desirable to position them at opposite positions.

  According to this printing apparatus, when the print medium is sucked, the suction hole in the print medium support portion faces the head unit. Further, when maintaining the head unit, the opening in the print medium support portion faces the head unit. As described above, the structure of the print medium support portion corresponding to each of the suction of the print medium and the maintenance of the head unit can be freely switched by moving the print medium support portion.

  Application Example 3 In the printing apparatus according to the application example described above, the movement of the suction unit in the direction facing the head unit and the movement of the print medium support unit in the print medium conveyance direction are interlocked. May be.

  Application Example 4 In the printing apparatus according to the application example, the head recovery unit covers the nozzle surface of the head unit and sucks ink droplets from the nozzle, and wipes the nozzle surface. You may make it have at least 1 among the wiping means to perform and the flushing means which receives the discard discharge of the said ink droplet from the said nozzle surface.

  Application Example 5 In the printing apparatus according to the application example, the head unit is divided and disposed on the upstream side and the downstream side in the print medium conveyance direction, and the suction unit is the divided head unit. You may make it provide in the side facing each of these.

  Application Example 6 In the printing apparatus according to the application example described above, the head units are arranged in a zigzag shape in a plan view spaced apart in a direction intersecting the print medium conveyance direction, and the suction units are in a zigzag shape in a plan view. You may make it provide in the side facing each of the head units arrange | positioned by.

  Hereinafter, as an example of a printing apparatus, an ink jet printer that ejects ink and prints an image or the like on a printing medium such as printing paper will be described. The ink jet printer described below is a line head type ink jet printer capable of printing in a so-called one pass by a plurality of ink jet heads (head units) arranged in a direction crossing the print medium conveyance direction.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an inkjet printer 100 according to the first embodiment. As shown in the figure, the print medium 2 before being fed is stored in the sheet feeding unit 11 and directed toward the head unit group 6 by a pair of auxiliary rollers 12d and 12f and a pair of feed rollers 13d and 13f. Paper is fed.
A pair of upper and lower rollers (a lower feed roller 14 and an upper pressure roller 15) are disposed on the front side of the head unit group 6, that is, on the upstream side of the head unit group 6 in the print medium conveyance direction. The feed roller 14 and the pressure roller 15 correct the posture of the print medium 2 sent to and abutted against the feed rollers 13d and 13f, adjust the conveyance timing of the print medium 2, and use the adjusted conveyance timing. Then, the print medium 2 is conveyed to an area immediately below the head unit group 6 (hereinafter referred to as “print area”). In addition, in order to increase the friction coefficient of the feed roller 14 and increase the printing medium conveyance force, for example, surface coating of urethane or ceramic particles may be applied to the surface of the feed roller 14.

  The head unit group 6 is a liquid ejecting head that ejects (discharges) liquid such as ink in the form of droplets, and a platen 9 as a print medium support portion is disposed at a position facing the head unit group 6. The upper surface of the platen 9 is substantially horizontal, and the print medium 2 is guided in a substantially horizontal posture between the head unit group 6 and the platen 9. The print medium 2 is conveyed (discharged) in the same direction (print medium conveyance direction) after necessary printing is performed by the head unit group 6 while being conveyed in the print medium conveyance direction. Hereinafter, the direction parallel to the upper surface of the platen 9 and intersecting the print medium conveyance direction, that is, the right and left direction toward the print medium conveyance direction is also referred to as “crossing direction”. The details around the head unit group 6 and the platen 9 will be described later.

  On the downstream side of the head unit group 6 and the platen 9, an endless conveyance belt (conveyance belt 1) that conveys the print medium 2 is disposed. The conveyor belt 1 is wound around a driving roller 3 disposed on the downstream side, a driven roller 4 disposed on the upstream side, and a tension roller 5 disposed on the lower side between them. Yes. The drive roller 3 is rotationally driven in the direction of the arrow (counterclockwise) in the figure by a conveyance motor (not shown), and the print medium 2 that has passed through the print region is directed from the driven roller 4 side to the drive roller 3 side. That is, it is conveyed along the print medium conveyance direction.

  A charging roller 7 is in contact with the transport belt 1 so as to face the driven roller 4 immediately before the position where the print medium 2 is fed. The charging roller 7 is connected to an AC power supply 8 of about 10 Hz to 50 Hz and is pressed against the conveyor belt 1 by a spring (not shown). The conveyor belt 1 is composed of a medium / high resistance member, and the charging roller 7 holds the conveyor belt 1 together with the grounded driven roller 4 to charge the surface of the conveyor belt 1. To charge. Then, dielectric polarization is generated in the printing medium 2 by the electric charge, and the printing medium 2 is adsorbed on the surface of the conveying belt 1 by electrostatic force due to the electric charge of the printing medium 2 due to the dielectric polarization and the electric charge on the surface of the conveying belt 1. . That is, the conveyance belt 1 conveys the print medium 2 in a state of being electrostatically attracted. The tension roller 5 is biased downward by a tension applying mechanism (not shown), thereby applying tension to the transport belt 1.

Next, details around the head unit group 6 and the platen 9 will be described.
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the inkjet printer 100 shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from above. As shown in the figure, the head unit group 6 includes a plurality of relatively small head units 17 and 18 having a length in the intersecting direction of about 30 mm to 40 mm. The head units 17 and 18 are divided (separated) in the printing medium conveyance direction and arranged in two rows on the upstream side and the downstream side in the printing medium conveyance direction. The head units 17 and 18 in each row are also divided (separated) in the intersecting direction so as to have a staggered shape in plan view, that is, alternately upstream and downstream in the print medium conveyance direction along the intersecting direction. Is arranged. Hereinafter, of the head units 17 and 18 included in the head unit group 6, the head unit 17 disposed on the upstream side in the print medium conveyance direction is also referred to as “upstream head unit 17”, and the print medium conveyance direction. The head unit 18 disposed on the downstream side is also referred to as “downstream head unit 18”.

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the arrangement of the head unit group 6, and is a view of the head unit group 6 as viewed from below. As shown in the figure, a number of nozzles for ejecting ink droplets are formed on the surface (nozzle surface) of each head unit 17, 18 facing the platen 9. Specifically, on the nozzle surface, four rows of nozzle rows composed of a plurality of nozzles arranged along the intersecting direction are formed apart from each other in the print medium transport direction. Each of these four nozzle arrays can eject different colors of ink. In this embodiment, black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), magenta (M), Yellow (Y) ink is ejected. In addition, each head unit 17, 18 is overlapped in the print medium conveyance direction with the nozzle at the cross direction end of the adjacent head unit 17, 18 that is separated in the print medium conveyance direction or in the opposite direction. It is arranged to do. Then, for each color, that is, for each nozzle row, a necessary amount of ink droplets are simultaneously ejected from the nozzles at the necessary locations, thereby forming minute ink dots on the print medium 2. The ink jet printer 100 repeats this operation while transporting the print medium 2 in the print medium transport direction. Then, with the position of the head unit group 6 fixed, an image having a width corresponding to the distance between the nozzles at both ends in the cross direction of the head unit group 6 can be obtained by only sending the print medium 2 in the print medium transport direction in one pass. Can be printed.

  The method for ejecting ink from the nozzles is not limited to a specific method, and various methods such as an electrostatic method, a piezo method, and a film boiling ink jet method can be employed. The electrostatic method is a method in which a drive pulse is applied to the electrostatic gap to displace the diaphragm in the cavity, and ink droplets are ejected by a pressure change in the cavity caused by the displacement. The piezo method is a method in which a drive pulse is applied to a piezo element to displace a diaphragm in a cavity, and ink droplets are ejected by a pressure change in the cavity caused by the displacement. The film boiling ink jet method is a method in which ink is heated by a micro heater provided in a cavity, and ink droplets are ejected by a pressure change accompanying generation of bubbles.

  1 and 2, a pair of upper and lower rollers (a lower intermediate roller 19 and an upper intermediate pressure contact roller 20) are disposed between the upstream head unit 17 and the downstream head unit 18. ing. The intermediate roller 19 and the intermediate pressure contact roller 20 regulate the flatness of the print medium 2 below the head units 17 and 18 (particularly the downstream head unit 18) as well as the function of conveying the print medium 2 in the print medium conveyance direction. Thus, the head units 17 and 18 and the print medium 2 have a function of maintaining the distance.

  Here, the intermediate pressure contact roller 20 has a configuration in which a plurality of divided rollers are attached to one roller shaft so as to be separated in the crossing direction. If the intermediate pressure roller 20 comes into contact with the area where the ink droplets are ejected from the upstream head unit 17, the ink adheres to the intermediate pressure roller 20 itself, or the subsequent printing medium passes through the intermediate pressure roller 20. A situation may occur in which the print medium 2 is soiled due to adhesion to the print medium 2. For this reason, strictly speaking, the intermediate pressure roller 20 that is in contact with the printing surface side of the printing medium 2 does not overlap the upstream head unit 17 in the printing medium conveyance direction. It is arranged so as not to overlap in the transport direction.

The platen 9 is a plane regulating body that regulates the flatness of the print medium 2 conveyed to the printing area. The platen 9 is configured by a flat platen fixed platen 9 a over the entire area of the platen 9 and a movable platen 9 b disposed so as to face the nozzle surfaces of the head units 17 and 18. The fixed platen 9a is supported and fixed by a frame (not shown), but the movable platen 9b can move the contact surface with the print medium 2 in the print medium conveyance direction and in the opposite direction. . Below the movable platen 9b, suction units 21 and 22 are arranged at positions facing the head units 17 and 18, respectively.
The fixed platen 9a and the movable platen 9b are coated with a material having a low friction coefficient, such as a fluororesin, to reduce the friction coefficient with the print medium 2.

  FIG. 4 is a side sectional view showing details of the movable platen 9b and the suction units 21 and 22 during printing. The suction units 21 and 22 shown in the figure can be moved up and down by a drive motor (not shown). Further, each of the suction units 21 and 22 includes a cap 41 that can be in close contact with the nozzle surfaces of the head units 17 and 18. The cap 41 is a bottomed rectangular body made of, for example, rubber that covers the nozzle surfaces of the head units 17, 18, and is also housed in a casing 43 of the bottomed rectangular body. In addition, the cap 41 is connected to a suction pump (not shown) made of, for example, a tube pump, and an ink absorber 42 for absorbing ink is disposed at the bottom of the cap 41.

  The movable platen 9b includes, for example, a steel or resin-made end belt 35, a winding roller 36 disposed on the upstream side in the print medium conveyance direction, and a winding roller 37 disposed on the downstream side. The endless belt 35 is wound around winding rollers 36 and 37. The winding rollers 36 and 37 are rotationally driven clockwise and counterclockwise by a conveyance motor (not shown), and can selectively move the end belt 35 in the print medium conveyance direction and in the opposite direction. it can.

  FIG. 5 is a plan view of the movable platen 9b as viewed from above. As shown in the figure, the endless belt 35 is provided with a suction hole 33 composed of a number of holes and an opening 34 adjacent to the suction hole 33. One of the suction hole 33 and the opening 34 is directly below the head units 17 and 18 by rotating the winding rollers 36 and 37 to move the endless belt 35 in the print medium conveying direction and in the opposite direction. Can be positioned selectively.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the platen 9 as viewed from above (directly below the head units 17 and 18). FIG. 6A shows the state of the platen 9 during printing, and FIG. 6B shows the state during head recovery processing. The state of the platen 9 is shown. As shown in FIG. 6A, the suction hole 33 is located directly below the head units 17 and 18 in the platen 9 during printing. In this state, the printing medium 2 conveyed on the platen 9 can be sucked through the suction holes 33 from the caps 41 of the suction units 21 and 22 located below the platen 9. At this time, the suction units 21 and 22 operate as print medium suction means.
Further, as shown in FIG. 5B, the opening 34 is located directly below the head units 17 and 18 in the platen 9 during the head recovery process. In this state, by moving the suction units 21 and 22 located below the platen 9 up and down, it is possible to perform head recovery processing such as cleaning of the nozzles of the head units 17 and 18 and flushing. At this time, the suction units 21 and 22 operate as head recovery means.

Next, a printing operation in the inkjet printer 100 will be described.
First, as shown in FIG. 1, the inkjet printer 100 takes out one sheet of printing medium 2 from the paper supply unit 11 by auxiliary rollers 12 d and 12 f, transfers it to the feed rollers 13 d and 13 f, and feeds the feed roller 14 and the pressure roller 15. Feed to the nip part. At this time, if the fed printing medium 2 is fed by a predetermined amount by the feed rollers 13d and 13f even after the leading end abuts the nip portion of the feeding roller 14 and the pressure roller 15, the printing medium 2 is bent. . After the bending occurs in this way, when the conveying force (specifically, the clamping force) of the printing medium 2 by the feed rollers 13d and 13f is released, the leading end of the printing medium 2 in the printing medium conveying direction becomes the feeding roller 14 and The posture of the print medium 2 is corrected in a state where it hits the nip portion of the pressure roller 15.

  Next, after the posture of the print medium 2 is corrected, the ink jet printer 100 rotates the feed roller 14 and the pressure roller 15 to convey the print medium 2 onto the platen 9. When the print medium 2 reaches the printing area of the upstream head unit 17, ink droplet ejection (printing) by the upstream head unit 17 is started. Furthermore, the ink jet printer 100 conveys the print medium 2 printed by the upstream head unit 17 between the intermediate roller 19 and the intermediate pressure roller 20 to the downstream side. Then, when the print medium 2 reaches the print area of the downstream head unit 18, ink droplet ejection (printing) by the downstream head unit 18 is started.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 6A, in each movable platen 9 b facing the head units 17, 18, the suction hole 33 is located immediately below the head units 17, 18. As shown in FIG. 4, the caps 41 of the suction units 21 and 22 are raised until they cover the suction holes 33 from below and are in close contact with the end belt 35. In this state, a negative pressure is generated in the cap 41 by the suction pump, and the print medium 2 conveyed on the platen 9 is sucked through the suction holes 33. By this suction, the print medium 2 is attracted to the surface of the endless belt 35, and ejection (printing) of ink droplets from the head units 17 and 18 to the print medium 2 is started.

  Next, the printing medium 2 on which printing is performed by the upstream head unit 17 and the downstream head unit 18 slides on the upper surface of the platen 9 and is transported to the transport belt 1 and is attracted to the surface of the transport belt 1 by electrostatic force. . The ink jet printer 100 rotationally drives the drive roller 3 with the print medium 2 adsorbed to the conveyor belt 1, and this rotational driving force is transmitted to the driven roller 4 via the conveyor belt 1. When the print medium 2 is transported toward the paper discharge unit (not shown) along the transport direction and the print medium 2 reaches the vicinity of the paper discharge unit, the print medium 2 is, for example, separated from the surface of the transport belt 1 by a separator (not shown) The paper is discharged to the paper discharge unit while being separated from the paper.

Next, the operation of the head recovery process in the inkjet printer 100 will be described.
The head recovery process of the ink jet printer 100 is performed in a state where the print medium 2 is not conveyed on the platen 9, that is, in a state where the head units 17 and 18 and the movable platens 9b are directly opposed to each other. Further, when shifting from the printing to the head recovery process, the endless belt 35 is moved in the direction opposite to the printing medium conveyance direction, so that the opening is provided directly below the head units 17 and 18, as shown in FIG. Position part 34.

  When cleaning the nozzles of the head units 17 and 18 as ink suction means in the head recovery process, the suction units 21 and 22 positioned below the movable platen 9b are inserted from the opening 34 as shown in FIG. Raised and brought into close contact with the nozzle surfaces of the head units 17 and 18. In this state, the inside of the cap 41 is made negative by the suction pump, and the ink in the nozzle is sucked to clean the nozzle. After the cleaning is completed, the suction units 21 and 22 are lowered from the opening 34 and positioned below the movable platen 9b. This nozzle cleaning is performed to prevent the ink in the nozzles from drying and to eliminate nozzle clogging.

  Further, as the flushing means in the head recovery process, when the head units 17 and 18 are flushed, the suction units 21 and 22 are lowered and the cap 41 is detached from the end belt 35 as shown in FIG. Put it in a state. The ink droplets ejected from the nozzles of the head units 17 and 18 and passed through the opening 34 are received in the cap 41. This flushing is performed at a predetermined time interval in order to prevent ejection failure due to ink thickening.

  As described above, according to the ink jet printer 100 of the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

(1) According to the ink jet printer 100 of the present embodiment, the movable platen 9b is disposed at a position facing the head units 17 and 18, and the suction hole 33 of the movable platen 9b is directly below the head units 17 and 18 during printing. To be located. The print medium 2 is sucked from the suction units 21 and 22 through the suction holes 33. By this suction, the print medium 2 is attracted to the surface of the movable platen 9b, and the ups and downs of the print medium 2 on the movable platen 9b is reduced.
Thereby, the gap between the print medium 2 and the head units 17 and 18 can be kept uniform, and the print medium 2 can be stably supported. As a result, the occurrence of landing deviation of the ink droplets ejected from the head units 17 and 18 can be suppressed, and the image quality can be improved. In addition, it is possible to prevent jamming of the print medium 2 and damage to the head due to the ups and downs of the print medium 2.

  (2) According to the inkjet printer 100 of the present embodiment, the suction units 21 and 22 are used for the purpose of sucking the print medium 2 during printing. On the other hand, when cleaning the nozzles, the suction units 21 and 22 are used for sucking ink in the nozzles of the head units 17 and 18. As described above, the suction mechanism of the suction units 21 and 22 is used for both the suction of the print medium 2 and the suction of the ink. This eliminates the need for a dedicated suction mechanism for each of the print medium 2 and the ink, and enables the downsizing of the apparatus of the ink jet printer 100 and suppresses power consumption.

  (3) According to the ink jet printer 100 of this embodiment, the winding rollers 36 and 37 are rotationally driven to move the endless belt 35 of the movable platen 9b. The suction hole 33 is positioned directly below the head units 17 and 18 during printing, and the opening 34 is positioned directly below the head units 17 and 18 during head recovery processing. In this way, the platen structure during printing and the platen structure during head recovery processing can be freely switched by moving the endless belt 35. As a result, switching from printing to head recovery processing, and conversely switching from head recovery processing to printing, can be performed in a short time, and a reduction in throughput in printing processing that accompanies head recovery processing can be suppressed.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, the ink jet printer 100 according to the second embodiment will be described. Here, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

FIG. 9 is a side sectional view showing details of the movable platen 9b and the suction units 21 and 22 of the second embodiment during printing. FIG. 10 is a plan view of the movable platen 9b according to the second embodiment as viewed from above. FIG. 11 is a plan view of each mechanism of the movable platen 9b according to the second embodiment as viewed from below. As shown in these drawings, in the movable platen 9b and the suction units 21 and 22 of this embodiment, gears 45 are disposed on both sides of the winding roller 36. A gear 46 is rotatably supported at a position where the gear 45 meshes. A rack 47 that meshes with the gear 46 is disposed on the end face on the gear 46 side of the housing 44 that is integrally attached to the housing 43 of the suction units 21 and 22. Further, a pair of lifting guides 48 for guiding the lifting and lowering of the suction units 21 and 22 are provided at two locations.
That is, the movement of the endless belt 35 by rotationally driving the winding roller 36 and the raising and lowering of the suction units 21 and 22 by the rack 47 are interlocked. Specifically, when the end belt 35 is moved in the print medium conveyance direction, the suction units 21 and 22 are raised, and conversely, the end belt 35 is moved in the direction opposite to the print medium conveyance direction. In this case, the suction units 21 and 22 are lowered.

  The movable platen 9b shown in FIG. 9 shows the movable platen 9b and the suction units 21 and 22 at the time of printing, and the suction hole 33 of the end belt 35 is located directly below the head units 17 and 18. When shifting from this state to the flushing of the head units 17 and 18, for example, as shown in FIG. 12, the opening 34 of the end belt 35 is positioned directly below the head units 17 and 18, and the suction units 21, 22 needs to be lowered slightly to bring the cap 41 away from the end belt 35.

  As described above, when shifting from printing to flushing, the endless belt 35 is moved in the direction opposite to the print medium conveyance direction so that the opening 34 is positioned directly below the head units 17 and 18. Therefore, the winding rollers 36 and 37 are rotated clockwise, and the gear 45 that is pivotally supported integrally with the winding roller 36 is also rotated clockwise. Then, the clockwise turning force of the gear 45 is transmitted to the meshing gear 46, and the gear 46 rotates counterclockwise. Further, the counterclockwise turning force of the gear 46 is transmitted to the rack 47 of the housing 44 integrated with the suction units 21 and 22, and the suction units 21 and 22 are lowered. As a result of the lowering, the cap 41 that is in close contact with the endless belt 35 comes into contact with and separates from the endless belt 35.

  On the other hand, when shifting to printing after completion of flushing, the endless belt 35 is moved in the print medium conveying direction so that the suction hole 33 is positioned immediately below the head units 17 and 18. For this purpose, the winding rollers 36 and 37 are rotated counterclockwise, and the gear 45 is also rotated counterclockwise. Then, the counterclockwise turning force of the gear 45 is transmitted to the meshing gear 46, and the gear 46 rotates clockwise. Further, the clockwise turning force of the gear 46 is transmitted to the rack 47 of the housing 44, and the suction units 21 and 22 are raised. As a result of this rise, the cap 41 that has been in contact with the endless belt 35 comes into close contact with the endless belt 35 while covering the suction hole 33 from below.

  According to the inkjet printer 100 of the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained in addition to the effects of the first embodiment.

According to the inkjet printer 100 of the present embodiment, the movement of the endless belt 35 and the elevation of the suction units 21 and 22 are interlocked. For example, when the suction hole 33 located immediately below the head units 17 and 18 at the time of printing is moved so that the opening 34 is located, the suction units 21 and 22 are linked with the movement of the endless belt 35. The cap 41 that is lowered and is in close contact with the end belt 35 comes into contact with and separates from the end belt 35. In addition, when the opening 34 located immediately below the head units 17 and 18 during flushing is moved so that the suction hole 33 is positioned, the suction units 21 and 22 are interlocked with the movement of the endless belt 35. The cap 41 that has been raised and separated from the end belt 35 comes into close contact with the end belt 35.
Thereby, the moving mechanism of the endless belt 35 and the raising / lowering mechanism of the suction units 21 and 22 become a common mechanism, so that the apparatus of the ink jet printer 100 can be miniaturized and the power consumption can be suppressed.

(Modification)
Moreover, you may change the said embodiment as follows.

  In the above embodiment, the opening 34 of the movable platen 9b is positioned directly below the head units 17 and 18, and the nozzles of the head units 17 and 18 are cleaned and flushed as head recovery processing. However, the head recovery process is not limited to this. For example, as a wiping means in the head recovery process, a nozzle wiping mechanism is disposed in the suction units 21 and 22, and the suction units 21 and 22 are raised to move the head unit 17. , 18 nozzle surfaces may be wiped.

In the second embodiment, the movement of the end belt 35 and the raising and lowering of the suction units 21 and 22 are interlocked, and the suction units 21 and 22 are lowered when the opening 34 is located directly below the head units 17 and 18. And positioned in a position suitable for flushing. However, by changing the interlocking mechanism between the end belt 35 and the suction units 21 and 22, the suction units 21 and 22 are raised when the opening 34 is positioned directly below the head units 17 and 18. The nozzles of the head units 17 and 18 may be positioned at a position suitable for cleaning.
Further, the interlocking mechanism between the endless belt 35 and the suction units 21 and 22 is not limited to the interlocking with the gear and rack as described above.

1 is a side sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an ink jet printer according to a first embodiment. The top view which looked at the inkjet printer from the upper part. Explanatory drawing for demonstrating the arrangement | sequence of a head unit group. FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing details of a movable platen and a suction unit during printing. The top view which looked at the movable platen from the top. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the platen as viewed from above, (a) showing the platen during printing, and (b) showing the platen during head recovery processing. The sectional side view which shows the detail of a movable platen and the suction unit at the time of cleaning of a nozzle. The sectional side view which shows the detail of the movable platen and the suction unit at the time of flushing. The sectional side view which shows the detail of the movable platen and suction unit of 2nd Embodiment at the time of printing. The top view which looked at the movable platen of 2nd Embodiment from the top. The top view which looked at each mechanism of the movable platen of 2nd Embodiment from the lower side. The sectional side view which shows the detail of the movable platen and suction unit of 2nd Embodiment at the time of flushing.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Conveyance belt, 2 ... Printing medium, 3 ... Drive roller, 4 ... Driven roller, 5 ... Tension roller, 6 ... Head unit group, 7 ... Charging roller, 8 ... AC power supply, 9 ... Platen, 9a ... Fixed platen, 9b: movable platen, 11: paper feeding unit, 12d: auxiliary roller, 13d: feed roller, 14 ... feed roller, 15 ... pressure roller, 17, 18 ... head unit, 19: intermediate roller, 20 ... intermediate pressure roller, 21 , 22 ... suction unit, 33 ... suction hole, 34 ... opening, 35 ... end belt, 36, 37 ... winding roller, 41 ... cap, 43, 44 ... housing, 45, 46 ... gear, 47 ... rack 48 ... Lifting guide, 100 ... Inkjet printer.

Claims (6)

A head unit that ejects liquid onto a print medium conveyed in the print medium conveyance direction;
A print medium support portion provided on a side facing the head unit and supporting the print medium;
A suction unit provided on the side facing the head unit and movable in a direction facing the head unit;
The suction unit is
A print medium suction means for sucking the print medium from below the print medium support;
And a head recovery means for maintaining the head unit. The printing apparatus according to claim 1,
The print medium support unit is movable in the print medium conveyance direction, and has a suction hole and an opening for sucking the print medium,
By moving the print medium support portion, the suction hole is positioned at a position facing the head unit when the print medium is sucked, and the opening is opposed to the head unit when the head unit is maintained. A printing apparatus characterized by being positioned at a position to perform. The printing apparatus according to claim 2,
The printing apparatus, wherein the movement of the suction unit in a direction facing the head unit and the movement of the print medium support portion in the print medium conveyance direction are interlocked. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The head recovery means includes
An ink suction means for covering the nozzle surface of the head unit and sucking ink droplets from the nozzle;
Wiping means for wiping the nozzle surface;
A printing apparatus, comprising: at least one of flushing means for receiving and discharging the ink droplets from the nozzle surface. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The head unit is divided and arranged on the upstream side and the downstream side in the print medium conveying direction, and the suction unit is provided on the side facing each of the divided head units. A printing device. A printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The head units are arranged in a zigzag shape in a plan view spaced apart in a direction intersecting the print medium conveyance direction, and the suction units are arranged on the side facing each of the head units arranged in a zigzag shape in the plan view. A printing apparatus characterized by being provided.

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