JP2011037142A - Recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a recorder that can uniformly dry a target to which a liquid adheres. <P>SOLUTION: The printer 11 includes: a recording head 30 that puts ink on continuous paper S to record; a platen 17 that has a supporting surface 17a for supporting the continuous paper; a heater 31 for heating the platen 17; and a blower 32 that can blow air from a position opposed to the supporting surface 17a in the platen 17 to the whole area of the supporting surface 17a at a time. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording apparatus.

  In general, an ink jet printer (hereinafter referred to as “printer”) is widely known as a recording apparatus that performs recording by attaching a liquid to a target (for example, Patent Document 1).

  The printer described in Patent Document 1 is provided with a drying device for drying a recording medium (print paper) to which ink is attached. This drying device was provided with a suction fan for taking in air from the outside, a heater for warming up the taken-in air, and a nozzle unit for blowing the warmed air onto the recording medium. The ink attached to the recording medium is dried by blowing warm air from the upstream side to the downstream side in the transport direction by driving the suction fan.

JP 2009-34931 A

  By the way, when the ink on the target dries, the solvent of the ink evaporates, so that the vapor pressure on the target surface serving as the evaporation surface becomes close to the saturated vapor pressure. In the still air layer (diffusion layer) in which the air near the evaporation surface does not move, a vapor pressure gradient is formed from the saturated vapor pressure to the vapor pressure of the ambient outside air that has not reached saturation.

  In Patent Document 1, the evaporation of the solvent is promoted by sending warm air to raise the temperature, and the vapor pressure gradient is increased by sending the air to the evaporation surface of the target surface and thinning the diffusion layer, thereby increasing the ink pressure. The evaporation of the solvent is promoted.

  However, in the printer described in Patent Document 1, since the wind is blown from the obliquely upward direction to the target, the wind speed is reduced in the peripheral portion compared to the portion where the wind directly hits, and the diffusion layer is sufficiently formed. I couldn't make it thinner. That is, since the wind is not uniform, there is a risk that uneven drying occurs.

  In addition, not only the above-described ink jet printer but also a recording apparatus that dries the liquid adhering to the target by air blowing, such a situation is generally common.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a recording apparatus capable of uniformly drying a target to which a liquid is attached.

  In order to achieve the above object, a recording apparatus according to the present invention includes a recording unit that performs recording by attaching a liquid to a target, a support member having a support surface that can support the target, and the support member can be heated. A heating unit and a blowing unit capable of blowing air all at once from a position facing the support surface of the support member toward the entire region of the support surface.

  According to this configuration, the air blowing means capable of blowing air all at once from the position facing the support surface of the support member toward the entire area of the support surface is provided, so that the target to which the liquid is attached can be uniformly dried.

In the recording apparatus of the present invention, the blowing unit is set so that a blowing direction with respect to the support surface is a direction perpendicular to the support surface.
According to this configuration, since the blowing unit is set so that the blowing direction with respect to the support surface is perpendicular to the support surface, the blowing unit blows air in a direction perpendicular to the target supported by the support surface. Thus, the air can be uniformly blown to the target.

In the recording apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, the air blowing unit blows air so that the wind force in the vicinity of the support surface is uniform over the entire support surface.
According to this configuration, the blowing unit blows air so that the wind force in the vicinity of the support surface is uniform over the entire support surface, so that the target to which the liquid is attached can be dried uniformly.

  In the recording apparatus of the present invention, the air blowing unit includes a plurality of axial fans, and each axial fan faces the support surface in a state where each axial direction is along a direction perpendicular to the support surface. Are arranged side by side so as to form a blowing surface area.

  According to this configuration, the blower means includes a plurality of axial fans, and each axial fan forms a blower surface area that faces the support surface in a state where each axial direction is aligned with a direction perpendicular to the support surface. Therefore, the air blowing surface area can be formed in an arbitrary range by adjusting the number and arrangement of the axial fans.

  In the recording apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, the recording unit performs recording by attaching the liquid to the target while moving along the support surface in a space area between the support surface and the air blowing unit.

  According to this configuration, the recording unit performs recording by attaching the liquid to the target while moving along the support surface in the space area between the supporting surface and the blowing unit. The liquid adhering to the target can be quickly dried.

In the recording apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, the blowing unit includes a filtering unit for filtering a gas blown toward the support surface.
According to this configuration, since the blowing unit has the filtering unit for filtering the gas blown toward the support surface, the floating dust contained in the gas is removed during the blowing, and the dust on the target Can be suppressed.

1 is a front view illustrating a configuration of a recording apparatus according to an embodiment. The perspective view which shows the external appearance of a main body case. The perspective view which shows the case where a cover is made into the open state in FIG. Explanatory drawing of an air blower.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the recording apparatus of the present invention is embodied in a lateral type ink jet printer will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description, when referring to “front-rear direction”, “left-right direction”, and “up-down direction”, the directions indicated by arrows in FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a printer 11 as a recording apparatus includes a cuboid body case 12. The main body case 12 is roughly divided into three along the left-right direction, and is a feeding part 13, a printing part 14, and a winding part 15 from the left side to the right side. A flat base 16 that divides the interior of the main body case 12 in the vertical direction is provided at a position slightly above the center in the vertical direction in the main body case 12.

  A platen 17 as a support member having a support surface 17a capable of supporting the continuous paper S as a long recording medium is disposed at a position corresponding to the printing unit 14 on the base 16. In the main body case 12, a transport device 18 for transporting the continuous paper S is accommodated.

  The transport device 18 includes a winding shaft 20 extending in the front-rear direction, rollers 21 to 25 and a winding shaft 26, and a transport motor 27 for rotating the winding shaft 26. The winding shaft 20 and the roller 21 are accommodated in the feeding portion 13, the rollers 22 to 25 and the transport motor 27 are accommodated in the printing portion 14, and the winding shaft 26 is accommodated in the winding portion 15.

  The continuous paper S is wound around the rollers 21 to 25 with the left end side wound around the winding shaft 20 and the right end side wound around the winding shaft 26. Then, as the transport motor 27 is driven to rotate, the transport motor 27 is transported from the feeding portion 13 side toward the winding portion 15 side while sliding on the support surface 17a formed from the upper surface of the platen 17 constituting the transport path. It has become.

  In the printing unit 14, guide rails 28 (indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1) extending in the left-right direction are provided on both the front and rear sides of the platen 17 so as to form a pair. The upper surface of the guide rail 28 is higher than the upper surface of the platen 17, and a rectangular carriage 29 is formed on the upper surface of both guide rails 28 in the left-right direction along the both guide rails 28 based on the drive of a drive mechanism (not shown). Are supported in a reciprocable state. On the lower surface side of the carriage 29, a recording head 30 is supported as a recording unit that performs recording processing by attaching ink to the continuous paper S.

  A certain range from the left end to the right end of the platen 17 is a recording area, and the continuous paper S is intermittently conveyed in units of the recording area. Then, ink is ejected from nozzles (not shown) provided on the lower surface side of the recording head 30 as the carriage 29 is reciprocated with respect to the continuous paper S that is stopped on the platen 17 by intermittent conveyance in units of recording areas. Is ejected so that the recording process is performed on the continuous paper S.

  Below the support surface 17a of the platen 17, a heater 31 is incorporated as a heating means capable of heating the support surface 17a. Then, by transferring heat to the continuous paper S through the support surface 17a heated by the heater 31, drying of the ink adhering to the continuous paper S is promoted. A blower 32 constituting a blower is disposed above the platen 17 and the carriage 29.

  Here, the external appearance of the main body case 12 of the printer 11 is shown in FIG. In the main body case 12, an openable / closable cover 33 is provided on an upper portion corresponding to the printing unit 14. The cover 33 is configured to cover the platen 17 that constitutes the transport path for transporting the continuous paper S in the closed state.

  The blower 32 is provided on the cover 33. When the cover 33 is closed as shown in FIG. 2, the blower 32 can blow toward the continuous paper S on the platen 17, while the cover 33 is opened as shown in FIG. In the state, it is configured to retreat from the platen 17.

  An air inlet 34 (see FIG. 2) of the blower 32 is provided on the outer surface of the cover 33, and a plurality of axial fans 35 (see FIG. 3) constituting the blower 32 are provided on the inner surface of the cover 33. It is fixed in a manner to be supported by a support frame 36 (see FIG. 3). The number and arrangement of the axial fans 35 can be arbitrarily adjusted according to the area and shape of the recording area.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, a filter 37 as a filtering means is detachably provided in the intake port 34 so as to be exposed to the outside of the cover 33. The filter 37 is provided in the blower 32 in order to filter the air as the gas blown toward the support surface 17a. Therefore, floating dust or the like in the air sucked from the suction port 34 is removed by the filter 37, and the dust or the like is prevented from adhering to the ink before drying. Further, since the filter 37 is provided so as to be exposed to the outside of the cover 33, the replacement work can be easily performed if the cover 33 is closed.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the cover 33 is configured to open by a lifting operation that resists its own weight, and a handle 38 is attached to the front side in the closed state, and the rear end side. Is provided with a hinge portion 39 for connecting the cover 33 to the main body case 12 in a rotatable manner. The hinge portion 39 incorporates a spring (not shown) as operation assisting means for assisting the lifting operation by reducing the weight of the cover 33 by urging the cover 33 in the opening direction.

  A locking portion 41 is provided at a portion of the main body case 12 that is in contact with the front end of the cover 33 in the closed state, and a locking piece whose tip is inserted into and removed from the locking portion 41 at the front end of the cover 33. (Not shown) is provided. When the cover 33 is closed against the urging force of the spring, the cover 33 is held in the closed state by the locking piece being locked by the locking portion 41. ing.

Next, the air blower 32 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 4, each axial fan 35 constituting the blower device 32 is configured such that when the cover 33 is closed, the blowing direction with respect to the support surface 17 a is perpendicular to the support surface 17 a. Are arranged side by side so as to form a blower surface area facing the support surface 17a in a state where the axial direction of each is along the direction perpendicular to the support surface 17a. Therefore, the air blower 32 blows air from the position facing the support surface 17a in the platen 17 all over the support surface 17a so that the wind force in the vicinity of the support surface 17a is uniform over the entire support surface 17a. It is possible.

  When the recording process is executed, the cover 33 is held in the closed state, and the axial flow fan 35 is driven to blow the continuous paper S on the platen 17. The wind speed at this time is set to exceed 2 m / sec on the continuous paper S.

  Here, when the ink is ejected onto the continuous paper S, the vicinity of the upper surface (recording surface) where the ink is attached becomes close to the saturated vapor pressure due to the evaporation of the solvent of the ink. In a still air layer (diffusion layer) in which the air in the vicinity of the recording surface does not move, a vapor pressure gradient is formed from the saturated vapor pressure to the vapor pressure of the ambient outside air that has not reached saturation.

  The air blow by the air blower 32 is intended to increase the vapor pressure gradient and promote the evaporation of the ink solvent by sending air to the recording surface on which the ink is adhered to thin the diffusion layer. However, for example, when the air is blown from the horizontal direction or the oblique direction with respect to the continuous paper S, the wind speed sufficient to make the diffusion layer thin cannot be secured on the leeward side, and the dry state may be uneven. is there. In this respect, in the present embodiment, a plurality of axial fans 35 send uniform and sufficient wind speed over the entire surface of the continuous paper S, so that the diffusion layer is simultaneously made thin on the entire recording surface and dried uniformly. Processing can be performed.

  Further, the recording head 30 performs a recording process by adhering ink to the continuous paper S while moving along the support surface 17a in a space area between the support surface 17a and the blower 32. For example, the carriage 29 is reciprocated twice with respect to the same recording area, and one image is formed by overprinting ink with four scans. In such a case, by constantly blowing air during the execution of the recording process, the ink ejected in each scan is sequentially dried without unevenness, and the occurrence of bleeding due to overlapping of inks in a state where drying is insufficient is suppressed. can do. Further, the throughput of the recording process can be improved by quickly drying the portion attached in the recording process accompanying each scan.

  Since the axial fan 35 is disposed above the carriage 29 and the recording head 30 is disposed below the carriage 29, the flying direction of the ink droplets is not easily disturbed by the air blowing. Further, although the temperature inside the main body case 12 may rise due to the heat of the heater 31, the nozzle 29 is prevented from drying by blowing the outside air from above the carriage 29 to cool the recording head 30. It has become.

According to the embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) Since the blower 32 capable of blowing air all at once from the position facing the support surface 17a in the platen 17 to the entire area of the support surface 17a, the continuous paper S to which ink is attached can be uniformly dried. .

  (2) Since the blowing device 32 is set so that the blowing direction with respect to the support surface 17a is perpendicular to the support surface 17a, the direction is perpendicular to the continuous paper S supported by the support surface 17a. It is possible to uniformly blow the continuous paper S.

  (3) Since the air blower 32 blows air so that the wind force in the vicinity of the support surface 17a is uniform over the entire support surface 17a, the continuous paper S to which the ink is attached can be dried uniformly.

  (4) The blower 32 includes a plurality of axial fans 35, and each axial fan 35 faces the support surface 17a in a state where each axial direction is aligned with the direction perpendicular to the support surface 17a. Therefore, by adjusting the number and arrangement of the axial fans 35, the air blowing surface area can be formed in an arbitrary range.

  (5) Since the recording head 30 performs recording by adhering ink to the continuous paper S while moving along the support surface 17a in the space area between the support surface 17a and the blower 32, the recording is performed. At the same time, air is blown so that the ink adhering to the continuous paper S can be quickly dried.

  (6) Since the blower 32 has the filter 37 for filtering the air blown toward the support surface 17a, the floating dust contained in the air is removed during blowing, and the dust on the continuous paper S is removed. Etc. can be suppressed.

The above embodiment may be changed to another embodiment as described below.
-A centrifugal fan, cross flow fan, blower, etc. may be provided instead of the axial fan.

-A small amount of water vapor, that is, dry air or warm air may be sent by a blower. Thereby, drying of the ink can be further promoted.
A configuration without the filter 37 may be adopted.

-Instead of the continuous paper S, a long plastic film or cloth may be used as a target.
In the above embodiment, the recording apparatus is embodied as an ink jet printer. However, a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects or ejects liquid other than ink may be employed, and a minute amount of liquid droplets is ejected. The present invention can be used for various liquid ejecting apparatuses including a liquid ejecting head. In addition, a droplet means the state of the liquid discharged from the said liquid ejecting apparatus, and shall also include what pulls a tail in granular shape, tear shape, and thread shape. The liquid here may be any material that can be ejected by the liquid ejecting apparatus. For example, it may be in the state when the substance is in a liquid phase, such as a liquid state with high or low viscosity, sol, gel water, other inorganic solvents, organic solvents, solutions, liquid resins, liquid metals (metal melts ) And a liquid as one state of a substance, as well as a material in which particles of a functional material made of a solid such as a pigment or metal particles are dissolved, dispersed or mixed in a solvent. Further, typical examples of the liquid include ink and liquid crystal as described in the above embodiment. Here, the ink includes general water-based inks and oil-based inks, and various liquid compositions such as gel inks and hot melt inks. As a specific example of the liquid ejecting apparatus, for example, a liquid containing a material such as an electrode material or a color material used for manufacturing a liquid crystal display, an EL (electroluminescence) display, a surface emitting display, a color filter, or the like in a dispersed or dissolved state. It may be a liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting, a liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting a bio-organic material used for biochip manufacturing, a liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting a liquid as a sample used as a precision pipette, a textile printing apparatus, a microdispenser, or the like. In addition, transparent resin liquids such as UV curable resin to form liquid injection devices that pinpoint lubricant oil onto precision machines such as watches and cameras, and micro hemispherical lenses (optical lenses) used in optical communication elements. A liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a liquid onto the substrate or a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects an etching solution such as acid or alkali to etch the substrate or the like may be employed. The present invention can be applied to any one of these injection devices.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS S ... Continuous paper as a target, 11 ... Printer as a recording apparatus, 17a ... Support surface, 17 ... Platen as a support member, 30 ... Recording head as recording means, 31 ... Heater as heating means, 32 ... Blower means As a blower, 35 ... an axial fan, 37 ... a filter as a filtering means.

Claims (6)

A recording means for applying a liquid to the target and recording;
A support member having a support surface capable of supporting the target;
Heating means capable of heating the support member;
A recording apparatus comprising: a blowing unit capable of blowing air simultaneously from a position facing the support surface of the support member toward the entire region of the support surface. The recording apparatus according to claim 1,
The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the blowing unit is set such that a blowing direction with respect to the support surface is a direction perpendicular to the support surface. The recording apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the blower blows air so that the wind force in the vicinity of the support surface is uniform over the entire area of the support surface. In the recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The blowing means includes a plurality of axial fans, and each axial fan forms a blowing surface area facing the support surface in a state where each axial direction is along a direction perpendicular to the support surface. A recording apparatus characterized by being arranged in parallel. In the recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The recording apparatus performs recording by attaching the liquid to the target while moving along the support surface in a space between the support surface and the air blowing unit. In the recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the blowing unit includes a filtering unit for filtering a gas blown toward the support surface.

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