JP2010089353A - Inkjet printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress uneven drying of an ink delivered on a medium, in an inkjet printer which uses a wave guide. <P>SOLUTION: A propeller member 60 equipped with both a plate-shape propeller 61 which reflects microwaves supplied into the wave guide, and a motor 62 which is linked with the propeller 61 with a rotary output shaft 63 thereby rotating the propeller 61 is set at a rotary reflecting part 38 disposed at the terminal side of the wave guide which dries the ink delivered on the medium. The microwaves supplied from a magnetron 43 into the wave guide are reflected on the propeller 61 rotated at the rotary reflecting part 38. Therefore, a peak position of standing waves generated by the microwaves directly supplied from the magnetron and the microwaves reflected on the propeller part 61 can be varied, and the uneven drying of the ink delivered on the medium can be suppressed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an inkjet printer that forms an image or the like on a medium by ejecting ink.

  In inkjet printers, dye-based inks such as acid dyes, reactive dyes, direct dyes, solvent inks, etc. on the surface or front and back surfaces of sheet-like media (recording media) such as paper, silk, cotton, and vinyl chloride Printing is performed by discharging the organic solvent pigment ink. In such an ink jet printer, particularly in the industrial field, it is important to efficiently dry the medium on which the ink has been ejected in order to quickly and easily carry out the delivery and delivery of the medium after printing.

For this reason, in Patent Document 1, an ink jet printer that contemplates drying of ink ejected onto a medium by inserting the medium through a waveguide to which microwaves are supplied is considered.
JP 2003-022890 A

  However, in the ink jet printer described in Patent Document 1, although ink can be dried quickly, there is a problem that uneven drying of the ink occurs because a microwave standing wave is generated in the waveguide. .

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet printer that can suppress uneven drying of ink ejected to a medium in an ink jet printer using a waveguide.

  An ink jet printer according to the present invention includes an ejection unit that ejects ink toward a medium, a waveguide through which the medium on which the ink is ejected by the ejection unit is inserted, and a start end of the waveguide. An electromagnetic wave supply means for supplying an electromagnetic wave to the waveguide; and a rotary reflection member provided at the end of the waveguide for rotating and reflecting the electromagnetic wave supplied by the electromagnetic wave supply means. To do.

  According to the ink jet printer of the present invention, the medium on which the ink is ejected by the ejection means is inserted into the waveguide to which the electromagnetic wave is supplied by the electromagnetic wave supply means. For this reason, the ink discharged to the medium is dried by this electromagnetic wave. Since the electromagnetic wave supplied by the electromagnetic wave supply means propagates through the waveguide and is reflected by the rotary reflecting member at the terminal portion, the ink discharged onto the medium is dried again by the reflected electromagnetic wave. Is done. Since the rotation direction of the electromagnetic wave reflected by the rotary reflection member changes as the rotary reflection member rotates, the constant wave generated by the electromagnetic wave supplied by the electromagnetic wave supply means and the electromagnetic wave reflected by the rotary reflection member. The standing wave fluctuates. Thereby, since the peak position of the standing wave fluctuates in the waveguide, it is possible to suppress uneven drying of the ink ejected to the medium.

  In this case, it is preferable that the rotary reflecting member rotates about an axis perpendicular to the electromagnetic wave conveying direction as a central axis. According to this ink jet printer, by rotating the rotary reflecting member around the axis perpendicular to the electromagnetic wave conveyance direction in the waveguide, the electromagnetic wave supplied into the waveguide can be efficiently reflected. The rotary reflecting member can be easily attached to the waveguide.

  Moreover, it is preferable to further have a reflection termination member that is provided on the termination side of the rotary reflection member in the waveguide and that reflects and terminates the electromagnetic wave supplied by the electromagnetic wave supply means. According to this ink jet printer, the electromagnetic wave that has passed without being reflected by the rotary reflecting member is terminated with reflection by the reflection terminating member provided on the terminating side of the rotating reflecting member. The ink ejected onto the medium can be dried more quickly.

Moreover, it is preferable that the rotary reflection member is formed in a flat plate shape that is substantially the same shape as the inner cross section of the waveguide. According to this ink jet printer, since the rotary reflecting member is formed on a flat plate having substantially the same shape as the inner cross section of the waveguide, the electromagnetic wave supplied into the waveguide can be efficiently reflected.

  In addition, when the wavelength of the electromagnetic wave supplied to the waveguide is λg and n is an integer of 1 or more, the separation distance between the reflecting member and the rotating reflecting member is preferably (n / 2) · λg. . According to this ink jet printer, by setting the separation distance between the reflecting member and the rotating reflecting member to (n / 2) · λg, it is possible to further suppress drying unevenness of the ink ejected to the medium.

  Moreover, it is preferable to further have a separation distance changing means for changing the separation distance between the reflection member and the rotary reflection member. According to this ink jet printer, the peak position of the standing wave generated in the waveguide can be changed by changing the separation distance between the reflecting member and the rotating reflecting member. For this reason, since the power of the electromagnetic wave can be dispersed in the waveguide, it is possible to further suppress drying unevenness of the ink discharged to the medium inserted through the waveguide.

  Moreover, it is preferable to further have a propagation prevention means provided between the electromagnetic wave supply means and the rotary reflection member, for preventing the propagation of the electromagnetic wave reflected by the rotary reflection member. According to this ink jet printer, the electromagnetic wave supplied from the electromagnetic wave supply means into the waveguide is reflected by the rotary reflection member, but since the propagation blocking means is provided between the electromagnetic wave supply means and the rotary reflection member, The reflected electromagnetic wave is prevented from propagating to the electromagnetic wave supply means. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the electromagnetic wave supply means from being damaged by the reflected electromagnetic waves.

  Moreover, it is preferable that a rotation reflection member is metal. According to this ink jet printer, since the rotary reflecting member is made of metal, the electromagnetic wave supplied to the waveguide can be efficiently reflected.

  According to the present invention, in an ink jet printer using a waveguide, it is possible to suppress uneven drying of ink ejected to a medium.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of an inkjet printer according to the invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the ink jet printer according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the ink jet printer shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the inkjet printer 1 according to this embodiment is mounted on a base 10 and ejects ink onto a medium M. The printer unit 20 ejects ink onto the medium M at the printer unit 20. And a waveguide 30 for drying ink. As the medium M, a sheet-like print medium is used, and is made of, for example, paper, silk, cotton, vinyl chloride, or the like. As the ink, dye-based inks such as acid dyes, reactive dyes, and direct dyes, and organic solvent-based inks such as solvent are used.

  The printer unit 20 includes a transport roller 21 that transports the medium M, an inkjet head 23 that ejects ink onto the medium M on the platen 22, and a toner unit that stores an ink tank that stores ink ejected from the inkjet head 23. 24 and an operation unit 25 on which a user performs operation input are provided.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the waveguide, and FIG. 4 is a plan view of the waveguide. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the waveguide 30 is an elongated waveguide having a rectangular cross section, and has a two-stage shape bent in a substantially U shape at the center. The waveguide 30 includes waveguide bodies 31 and 32, a bent portion 33, an electromagnetic wave supply portion 34, a propagation blocking portion 35, a matching portion 36, a termination portion 37, and a rotary reflection portion 38. It is configured. The waveguide main bodies 31 and 32, the bent part 33, the electromagnetic wave supply part 34, the propagation blocking part 35, the terminal part 37, and the rotary reflecting part 38 have flange portions formed on their end faces, respectively. By overlapping and connecting, the electromagnetic wave supply unit 34 and the propagation blocking unit 35, the propagation blocking unit 35 and the matching unit 36, the matching unit 36 and the waveguide body 31, the waveguide body 31 and the bending unit 33, the bending The portion 33 and the waveguide main body 32, the waveguide main body 32 and the rotary reflection portion 38, and the rotary reflection portion 38 and the termination portion 37 are connected to each other.

  The waveguide main bodies 31 and 32 are formed in a long shape, and dry ink ejected to the medium M by microwaves. For this reason, the waveguide bodies 31 and 32 are formed with insertion ports 41 and 42 through which the media M, on which ink is ejected by the inkjet head 23, is inserted into the waveguide bodies 31 and 32, respectively.

  The bent portion 33 is formed in a substantially U shape, and is disposed between the waveguide main body 31 and the waveguide main body 32 so that the waveguide main body 31 and the waveguide main body 32 are arranged in two upper and lower stages. To be linked.

  The electromagnetic wave supply unit 34 is disposed at the start end of the waveguide 30 and is attached with a magnetron 43 that generates microwaves. The magnetron 43 generates microwaves, supplies the microwaves into the waveguide 30, and transports the microwaves in the forward directions D1 and D2 in the waveguide 30. It is assumed that the wavelength of the microwave supplied from the magnetron 43 to the waveguide 30 is λg.

  The propagation blocking unit 35 is disposed between the waveguide main body 31 and the electromagnetic wave supply unit 34, and is attached with an isolator 44 that propagates microwaves only in one direction. The isolator 44 is composed of a well-known isolator and propagates microwaves from the electromagnetic wave supply unit 34 toward the waveguide body 31, but propagates microwaves from the waveguide body 31 toward the electromagnetic wave supply unit 34. It is a deterrent.

  The matching unit 36 is disposed between the propagation blocking unit 35 and the waveguide body 31 and is attached with the microwave matching unit 45. The microwave matching unit 45 is configured by a known microwave matching unit. The impedance matching is performed in the matching unit 36 to reduce the reflected power of the microwave supplied from the magnetron 43, and the microwave matching unit 45 is discharged to the medium M. This improves the efficiency of absorbing microwaves with respect to ink.

  The termination portion 37 is disposed on the termination side of the waveguide main body 32, that is, on the termination portion of the waveguide 30, and performs termination processing of the microwave supplied into the waveguide 30.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective perspective view of the terminal portion, and FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of the terminal portion. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the termination portion 37 is provided with a reflection termination member 50. The reflection termination member 50 is slidably provided inside the termination portion 37 and terminates the microwave supplied from the electromagnetic wave supply unit 34 into the waveguide 30 by reflection. Therefore, the reflection termination member 50 is provided with a reflection termination main body 51, a reflection plate 52, and a slide drive unit 53.

  The reflection termination main body 51 is made of a conductor and is in contact with the inner wall of the termination portion 37 of the waveguide 30 to hold the reflection plate 52. The reflection termination main body 51 is screwed with a reflection plate 52 on the waveguide main body 32 (electromagnetic wave supply unit 34) side (right side in FIG. 6), and the reflection termination main body 51 is on the left side in FIG. ), A rod 55 connected to the slide driving unit 53 is attached.

  The reflection plate 52 is formed in a U-shaped cross section, and a pair of opposed rectangular side surface portions 522 and a rectangular reflection surface portion 521 that are coupled to the pair of side surface portions 522 and screwed to the reflection termination main body 51. And is constituted by. Then, the reflection surface portion 521 reflects the microwave conveyed to the terminal end portion 37 and conveys the microwave in the reverse direction of the forward directions D1 and D2 in the waveguide 30. For this reason, the surface of the reflective surface portion 521 on the side of the waveguide main body 32 becomes the reflection termination surface of the waveguide 30. The reflection surface portion 521 is formed in a shape that suitably reflects microwaves, and is preferably planar or perpendicular to the microwave conveyance direction (forward direction D2) or the microwave conveyance direction ( It is formed in a curved surface curved in a convex shape or a concave shape with respect to the forward direction D2). The reflecting plate 52 is preferably formed of a metal, and particularly preferably formed of SUS (stainless steel), aluminum, or a steel plate. Thus, the microwave supplied to the waveguide 30 can be efficiently reflected by forming the reflection plate 52 with metal.

  The slide drive unit 53 slides the reflection termination member 50 in the longitudinal direction of the waveguide 30 via the rod 55. The slide drive unit 53 incorporates a rotation drive source such as a motor, and the output shaft of the slide drive unit 53 converts one or more gears that convert the rotation output of the rotation drive source into the longitudinal direction of the waveguide 30. It is connected to the rod 55 via (not shown).

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the rotary reflection portion 38 is disposed on the terminal side of the waveguide body 32 and between the waveguide body 32 and the terminal portion 37.

  FIG. 7 is a perspective perspective view of the rotary reflection unit, and FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of the rotary reflection unit. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the rotary reflecting portion 38 is provided with a propeller member 60. The propeller member 60 reflects the microwave supplied from the magnetron 43 and fluctuates and disturbs the standing wave generated in the waveguide 30. For this reason, the propeller member 60 includes a propeller unit 61 and a motor unit 62 that rotates the propeller unit 61, and reflects the microwaves conveyed to the rotary reflection unit 38 while rotating the propeller unit 61. To do.

  The propeller portion 61 is disposed in the rotary reflection portion 38 and is formed on a flat plate that is substantially the same shape as the inner cross section of the rotary reflection portion 38, separated from the inner wall of the rotary reflection portion 38 by a predetermined distance. And the propeller part 61 has the reflective surface 611 which reflects a microwave in the front and back. The reflective surface 611 is formed in a shape that suitably reflects microwaves, and is formed in a planar shape or a curved surface that is curved in a convex shape or a concave shape.

  In addition, it is preferable that the propeller part 61 is formed with a metal, and it is especially preferable that it is formed with SUS (stainless steel), aluminum, and a steel plate. Thus, by forming the propeller portion 61 with metal, the microwave supplied to the waveguide 30 can be efficiently reflected.

  The motor unit 62 is installed on the upper surface (the upper surface in FIG. 4) of the rotation reflection unit 38. The rotation output shaft 63 of the motor unit 62 extends in a direction perpendicular to the microwave conveyance direction D <b> 2 and is connected to the propeller unit 61. As a result, when the motor unit 62 is driven to rotate, the propeller unit 61 rotates around the axis perpendicular to the microwave conveyance direction D2 in the rotation reflecting unit 38 as a central axis. The rotation output shaft 63 is preferably made of a nonconductive material such as ceramic instead of metal. By using a non-conductive material, when the rotary output shaft 63 passes through the waveguide wall and is connected to the motor, radio wave leakage (microwave leakage) from the waveguide through portion can be reduced.

  FIG. 9 is a perspective perspective view of a state in which the terminal portion and the rotary reflecting portion are connected. As shown in FIG. 9, when the termination portion 37 and the rotary reflection portion 38 are connected, the reflection termination member 50 is disposed on the termination side of the waveguide 30 with respect to the propeller member 60, and the propeller member 60 is reflected. The end member 50 is disposed on the start end side of the waveguide 30. Then, by driving and controlling the slide drive unit 53, a separation distance A between the reflecting plate 52 and the propeller unit 61 is set. Specifically, the slide position of the reflection termination member 50 is set so that the separation distance A between the reflection surface of the reflection surface portion 521 and the central axis of the rotation output shaft 63 is (n / 2) · λg. Λg represents the wavelength of the microwave supplied from the magnetron 43 to the waveguide 30, and n represents an integer of 1 or more (considering mechanical interference of the propeller unit 61 and the like, n is 2 That is preferable.

  Next, the operation of the inkjet printer 1 according to this embodiment will be described.

  First, the transport roller 21 is rotated to transport the medium M onto the platen 22. Then, ink is ejected from the inkjet head 23 to the medium M placed on the platen 22. Thereby, an image or the like is printed on the medium M.

  Thereafter, the medium M on which the ink has been ejected is inserted into the waveguide body 31 from the insertion port 41, and the medium M that has come out of the waveguide body 31 is inserted from the insertion port 42 into the waveguide body 32. The microwave is supplied from the magnetron 43 into the waveguide 30.

  Note that the microwave supplied to the waveguide 30 has, for example, a feed rate of the medium M by the transport roller 21 of 12 cm / min, and a microwave irradiation width in the waveguide body 31 and the waveguide body 32 of 12 cm (6 cm). In the case of × 2), the medium M can be irradiated with a microwave of 500 W × 60 seconds = 30000 J by irradiating the medium M with a microwave having an irradiation energy of 500 W.

  The microwave supplied from the magnetron 43 into the waveguide 30 is first transported to the waveguide body 31 with the reflected power reduced by the microwave matching unit 45 in the matching unit 36. A part of the microwave conveyed to the waveguide main body 31 is absorbed by the ink ejected to the medium M inserted from the insertion port 41, and this ink is dried. Then, the microwave that has not been used for drying the ink in the waveguide body 31 passes through the waveguide body 31, is bent at the bending portion 33, and then is conveyed to the waveguide body 32. Then, a part of the microwave transported to the waveguide body 32 is absorbed by the ink ejected to the medium M inserted from the insertion port 42 as in the waveguide body 31, and the ink is dried. Let

  Thereafter, the microwave that has not been used for drying the ink in the waveguide main body 32 passes through the waveguide main body 32 and is conveyed to the rotary reflection unit 38. Then, the microwave conveyed to the rotation reflection unit 38 is reflected by the propeller unit 61 of the propeller member 60, is not reflected by the propeller unit 61, and the microwave that has passed through the rotation reflection unit 38 is conveyed to the terminal unit 37. Then, the reflection termination process is performed by the reflection plate 52 of the reflection termination member 50.

  Here, the microwave reflection termination process by the reflection termination member 50 and the microwave reflection process by the propeller member 60 will be described in detail.

  While the microwave is supplied from the magnetron 43, the motor unit 62 of the propeller member 60 is driven to rotate, and the propeller unit 61 rotates in the rotation reflection unit 38. For this reason, a part of the microwave conveyed to the rotary reflection unit 38 is reflected by the reflection surface 611 of the propeller unit 61. Here, since the propeller unit 61 is rotated by the rotational drive of the motor unit 62, the microwave is reflected in a direction in which the reflection surface 611 that varies appropriately depending on the rotation angle of the propeller unit 61 faces.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the rotation angle of the propeller unit in the rotary reflection unit, and FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the state of the standing wave at each rotation angle of the propeller unit shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, the rotation angle at which the propeller unit 61 faces in the direction perpendicular to the microwave conveyance direction D2 is set to 0 °, and the rotation angle increases in the positive direction clockwise in a top view. To do. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, when the rotation angle of the propeller unit 61 is 0 °, the standing wave shown in FIG. 11A is generated. And when the rotation angle of the propeller part 61 fluctuates to 45 °, as shown in FIG. 11B, with respect to the standing wave with the rotation angle of the propeller part 61 being (1/6) · A standing wave with a shifted λg phase is generated. When the rotation angle of the propeller unit 61 changes to 90 °, as shown in FIG. 11C, with respect to the standing wave whose rotation angle of the propeller unit 61 is 0 °, (1/3) · A standing wave with a λg phase shift is generated, and a standing wave with a (1/6) · λg phase shift is generated with respect to a standing wave with a rotation angle of 45 ° of the propeller unit 61.

  As described above, since the direction of reflection of the microwave reflected by the propeller unit 61 is changed by the rotation of the propeller unit 61, the microwave directed from the electromagnetic wave supply unit 34 toward the rotary reflection unit 38 and the micro wave reflected by the propeller unit 61 are changed. Generation of a standing wave due to the wave is suppressed, and the peak position of the standing wave varies in the waveguide 30.

  On the other hand, the microwaves that are not reflected by the propeller 61 and are transported to the terminal end 37 are reflected by the reflecting surface portion 521 of the reflecting plate 52 and returned to the waveguide body 32. At this time, since the reflection termination member 50 and the magnetron 43 are fixed, in the waveguide 30, the microwave traveling from the electromagnetic wave supply unit 34 to the termination unit 37, and the microwave traveling from the termination unit 37 to the electromagnetic wave supply unit 34. A standing wave is generated by the wave. However, a part of the microwave supplied into the waveguide 30 is reflected by the propeller unit 61 and is not transported to the terminal unit 37, so that the microwave from the electromagnetic wave supply unit 34 toward the terminal unit 37 and the terminal unit 37 The power of the standing wave generated by the microwave traveling toward the electromagnetic wave supply unit 34 can be reduced.

  The microwaves that have been subjected to the reflection processing in the rotary reflection portion 38 and the microwaves that have been subjected to the reflection termination processing in the termination portion 37 are returned to the waveguide body 32 from the rotation reflection portion 38 and the termination portion 37 again. A part of the microwave conveyed to the waveguide main body 32 is absorbed by the ink ejected to the medium M inserted from the insertion port 42, and the ink is dried. Then, the microwave that has not been used for drying the ink in the waveguide main body 32 passes through the waveguide main body 32, is bent at the bent portion 33, and then is conveyed to the waveguide main body 31. A part of the microwave conveyed to the waveguide main body 31 is absorbed by the ink ejected to the medium M inserted from the insertion port 41, and this ink is dried. Thereafter, the microwave that has not been used for drying the ink in the waveguide body 31 passes through the waveguide body 31 and is conveyed to the propagation blocking unit 35. The microwave conveyed to the propagation blocking unit 35 is blocked from propagating to the electromagnetic wave supply unit 34 by an isolator 44 attached to the propagation blocking unit 35.

  Next, embodiments of the ink jet printer according to the present invention will be described. In the following description, an experiment was conducted on the dry state when the ink ejected to the medium M by the waveguide 30 of the inkjet printer 1 was dried. The experimental conditions are as follows.

(1) Material of media M: Polyvinyl chloride (2) Output power of magnetron: 800W
(3) Microwave wavelength:
In pipe: 147.88 mm, in air (free space): 122.4 mm
(Waveguide EIAJ: WRI-22, JIS-C6601 ~ 6608 of the Japan Electronic Machinery Manufacturers Association standard)
(4) Microwave irradiation time: 2 minutes (5) Propeller rotation speed: 13 rpm
Then, when the ink discharged to the medium M was dried by the inkjet printer 1 under the above conditions, the dried state of the ink according to the rotation angle of the propeller unit 61 was as shown in FIG. FIG. 12 shows a photograph of the medium M when the distance between the rotation output shaft of the propeller member and the reflection plate of the reflection termination member is 220 mm, and FIG. 12A shows the rotation of the propeller unit 61. When the angle is fixed at 0 °, FIG. 12B shows the case where the rotation angle of the propeller portion 61 is fixed at 45 °, and FIG. 12C shows the case where the rotation angle of the propeller portion 61 is fixed at 90 °. FIG. 12D shows a case where the propeller unit 61 is rotated. And the some substantially circular discoloration location shown by FIG. 12 is the overheating location which was heated rapidly and dried compared with the other location by the peak of the standing wave. For this reason, by observing the overheated portion, the peak of the standing wave in the waveguide 30 can be estimated, and the power of the peak of the standing wave can be estimated.

  As shown in FIGS. 12A to 12C, when the rotation angle of the propeller portion 61 is fixed at 0 °, 45 °, and 90 °, a plurality of overheated portions are exposed and drying unevenness occurs. However, the exposed position of the overheated portion is different for each rotation angle of the propeller portion 61. And as shown in FIG.12 (d), by rotating the propeller part 61, it turns out that the expression of an overheating location is reduced and the drying nonuniformity is suppressed as a whole.

  Further, the ink dried state according to the separation distance A between the rotation output shaft 63 of the propeller member 60 and the reflection plate 52 of the reflection termination member 50 is as shown in FIGS. FIG. 13 shows a photograph of the media M after drying, and FIG. 14 shows the measurement results of drying unevenness. FIG. 14A shows the interval between the overheating locations and the width of the overheating location corresponding to each separation distance shown in FIG. 13, and FIG. 14B shows the interval between the overheating locations and the overheating location. The schematic diagram of the medium M for demonstrating the width of is shown.

  As shown in FIG. 13, it can be seen that the degree of overheating is different for each separation distance A between the rotation output shaft 63 and the reflection plate 52. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 14, it turns out that the space | interval (alpha) of an overheating location and the width | variety (beta) of an overheating location differ for every separation distance A of the rotation output shaft 63 and the reflecting plate 52. FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the separation distance A between the rotation output shaft 63 and the reflecting plate 52 is (n / 2) · λg (n is 2 in consideration of mechanical interference such as the propeller portion 61). In the case of 150 or 220 mm, which is preferably the above, it is understood that the unevenness of drying is suppressed because the degree of overheating is most reduced.

  Thus, according to the ink jet printer 1 according to the present embodiment, when ink is ejected to the medium M by the ink jet head 23, the medium M is inserted into the waveguide 30 to which the microwave is supplied by the magnetron 43. Is done. Then, the microwave supplied by the magnetron 43 is propagated through the waveguide 30 and then reflected by the propeller portion 61 of the propeller member 60 at the rotary reflection portion 38. Therefore, again by the reflected microwave. The ink ejected to the medium M is dried. Since the propeller unit 61 rotates, the reflection direction of the microwave reflected by the propeller unit 61 changes, and therefore, generated by the microwave supplied by the magnetron 43 and the microwave reflected by the propeller unit 61. The standing wave that fluctuates. Thereby, since the peak position of the standing wave fluctuates in the waveguide 30, uneven drying of the ink ejected onto the medium M can be suppressed.

  Further, by rotating the propeller portion 61 about the axis perpendicular to the microwave conveyance direction D2 in the waveguide 30 as a central axis, the microwave supplied into the waveguide 30 can be efficiently reflected. At the same time, the propeller member 60 can be easily attached to the rotary reflecting portion 38 of the waveguide 30.

  The microwave that has passed without being reflected by the propeller 61 is terminated by the reflection termination member 50 provided on the termination side of the rotary reflection unit 38, so that the microwave supplied by the magnetron 43 is reliably reflected. Ink discharged on the medium M can be dried more quickly.

  In addition, since the propeller portion 61 is formed on a flat plate having substantially the same shape as the inner cross section of the rotary reflection portion 38, the microwaves conveyed to the rotary reflection portion 38 can be efficiently reflected.

  Further, by setting the separation distance A between the reflection plate 52 of the reflection termination member 50 and the propeller portion 61 to (n / 2) · λg, it is possible to further suppress uneven drying of the ink ejected to the medium M.

  In this case, the reflection termination member 50 is slid by the slide drive unit 53 and the separation distance A between the reflection plate 52 and the propeller unit 61 is changed, so that the peak position of the standing wave generated in the waveguide 30 is changed. Can be varied. For this reason, since the power of the microwave can be dispersed in the waveguide, it is possible to further suppress uneven drying of the ink ejected to the medium inserted through the waveguide.

  The microwave supplied from the magnetron 43 into the waveguide 30 is reflected by the propeller unit 61, and a propagation blocking unit 35 having an isolator 44 attached is disposed between the magnetron 43 and the propeller unit 61. Therefore, the reflected microwave is prevented from propagating to the magnetron 43. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the magnetron 43 from being damaged by the reflected microwave.

  Moreover, since the propeller portion 61 is made of metal, the microwave supplied to the waveguide 30 can be efficiently reflected.

  The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the description has been given using the two-stage waveguide. However, a single-stage waveguide or a three-stage or more waveguide may be used.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the flat propeller portion 61 whose wings extend in both directions around the rotation output shaft 63 has been described. However, the shape of the propeller portion can be rotated in the rotary reflection portion 38. Any shape can be used. For example, as shown in FIG. 15, a propeller portion 65 having a cross-shaped cross section in which the wings extend in four directions around the rotation output shaft 63 may be used. A flat propeller portion 66 whose wings extend only in one direction may be used.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the propeller unit 61 is described as rotating about the axis perpendicular to the microwave conveyance direction D2, but the reflection surface 611 of the propeller unit 61 is in the rotary reflection unit 38. As long as it can be rotated by, it may be rotated in any direction.

  Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated as what the reflection termination member 50 was provided in the waveguide 30, the reflection termination member 50 does not need to be provided in particular. In this case, for example, the reflection termination member 50 may be provided with a short-circuit plate or a termination member that absorbs and terminates the microwave.

  In the above embodiment, the reflection termination member 50 has been described as being slidable. However, the reflection termination member 50 may be fixed in the waveguide 30.

1 is a perspective view of an ink jet printer according to an embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the inkjet printer shown in FIG. It is a perspective view of a waveguide. It is a top view of a waveguide. It is a perspective perspective view of a termination | terminus part. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a termination | terminus part. It is a perspective perspective view of a rotation reflection part. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a rotation reflection part. It is a perspective perspective view of the state which connected the termination part and the rotation reflective part. It is the figure which showed the rotation angle of the propeller part in a rotation reflection part. It is the figure which showed the state of the standing wave in each rotation angle of the propeller part shown in FIG. The photograph of the media at the time of making it dry with the separation distance of the rotation output shaft of a propeller member and the reflecting plate of a reflection termination member being 220 mm is shown. The photograph of the medium at the time of making it dry by changing the separation distance of the rotation output shaft of a propeller member and the reflecting plate of a reflection termination member is shown. The measurement result of the drying nonuniformity in the case of FIG. 13 is shown. It is a cross-sectional view of the rotation reflection part using another propeller part. It is a cross-sectional view of the rotation reflection part using another propeller part.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Inkjet printer, 10 ... Base, 20 ... Printer part, 21 ... Conveyance roller, 22 ... Platen, 23 ... Inkjet head, 24 ... Toner part, 25 ... Operation part, 30 Waveguide, 31 ... Waveguide main body , 32 ... Waveguide body, 33 ... Bending part, 34 ... Electromagnetic wave supply part, 35 ... Propagation blocking part, 36 ... Matching part, 37 ... Termination part, 38 ... Rotating reflection part, 41 ... Insertion port, 42 ... Insertion port 43 ... Magnetron (electromagnetic wave supply means), 44 ... Isolator (propagation prevention means), 45 ... Microwave matching device, 50 ... Reflection termination member, 51 ... Reflection termination body, 52 ... Reflector plate, 521 ... Reflection surface portion, 522 ... Side surface portion, 53 ... slide drive portion, 55 ... rod, 60 ... propeller member (rotation reflection member), 61 ... propeller portion, 611 ... reflection surface, 62 ... motor portion, 63 ... rotation output shaft, 65 ... propeller portion 66 ... propeller part, A ... distance, M ... media.

Claims (8)

An ejection means for ejecting ink toward the medium;
A waveguide through which the medium on which ink is ejected by the ejection means is inserted;
An electromagnetic wave supply means that is provided at a starting end of the waveguide and supplies an electromagnetic wave to the waveguide;
A rotary reflection member that is provided at a terminal portion of the waveguide and rotates and reflects the electromagnetic wave supplied by the electromagnetic wave supply means;
An inkjet printer characterized by comprising:   The inkjet printer according to claim 1, wherein the rotation reflection member rotates about an axis perpendicular to an electromagnetic wave conveyance direction as a central axis.   The inkjet according to claim 1, further comprising a reflection termination member that is provided on a termination side of the rotary reflection member in the waveguide and that reflects and terminates the electromagnetic wave supplied by the electromagnetic wave supply unit. Printer.   The inkjet printer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the rotary reflection member is formed in a flat plate shape that is substantially the same shape as the inner cross section of the waveguide. When the wavelength of the electromagnetic wave supplied to the waveguide is λg and n is an integer greater than or equal to 1, the separation distance between the reflecting member and the rotating reflecting member is
(N / 2) · λg
The inkjet printer according to claim 3, wherein the inkjet printer is a printer.   The inkjet printer according to claim 3, further comprising a separation distance changing unit that changes a separation distance between the reflection member and the rotary reflection member.   7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a propagation blocking unit that is provided between the electromagnetic wave supply unit and the rotary reflection member and blocks propagation of the electromagnetic wave reflected by the rotary reflection member. 2. An ink jet printer according to item 1. The ink jet printer according to claim 1, wherein the rotary reflection member is made of metal.