JP2011056901A - Printer and control method of the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To convey a medium to be printed more properly. <P>SOLUTION: The printer includes: a line head 21 performing printing on paper 1, a drying unit 22 feeding air to the paper 1 on a conveying passage, through which the paper 1 is conveyed after printing by the line head 21, to promote drying of an ink; and a paper pressing roller 25 arranged movably forward/backward along the conveying direction in the air feeding area by the drying unit 22 to restrain the paper 1 in a conveyable condition. A controller 26 controls the advancing/retracting position of the paper pressing roller 25 in the conveying direction according to at least one of the type of paper 1, an ink injection amount by the line head 21, and drying ability of the drying unit 22 promoting drying of the ink. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink jet printing apparatus and a control method thereof.

  By blowing hot air along the paper transport direction on the printed paper, it helps to dry the ink, and the hot air after blowing is mixed with the outside air and then exhausted. There was a thing which prevented the heat damage in (refer patent document 1).

JP 2006-341399 A

By the way, in order to suppress the lifting and jamming of the paper, it is conceivable to provide a paper pressing roller for restraining the paper after printing. However, since it is desirable not to bring the roller into contact with the paper until the ink is dry, the installation position of the roller is separated to the downstream side in the transport direction with respect to the line head for printing. On the other hand, the longer the distance between the line head and the roller, the higher the risk of paper floating and jamming, making it difficult to properly transport the printing medium.
An object of the present invention is to more appropriately convey a printing medium.

One embodiment of the present invention provides:
A printing unit that performs printing on the printing medium; and a drying unit that blows air on the printing medium and promotes drying of the ink on a transport path on which the printing medium is transported after printing by the printing unit. The drying means is provided so as to be able to advance and retreat in the conveyance direction in a region where the air is blown, and includes a roller for restraining the printing medium in a state where the printing medium can be conveyed.
As described above, the distance between the printing unit and the roller can be arbitrarily set by setting the roller that restrains the print medium to be configured to advance and retract along the transport direction. Therefore, it is possible to move the roller to the upstream side in the transport direction to the limit position where the ink dries and the roller can contact the printing surface on the transport path of the print medium. It can be done more appropriately.

Another aspect of the present invention is:
Control means for controlling the advance / retreat position of the roller in the transport direction according to at least one of the type of the printing medium, the amount of ink applied by the printing means, and the drying capacity of the drying means for promoting ink drying. It is characterized by providing.
In this way, the ink is dried on the conveyance path of the printing medium and the roller is brought into contact with the printing surface according to at least one of the type of printing medium, the amount of ink to be printed, and the drying capacity of the drying unit. Can be determined. Therefore, the printing medium can be transported more appropriately by moving the roller to the upstream side in the transporting direction to the limit position.

Another aspect of the present invention is:
The control means moves the advance / retreat position of the roller to the upstream side in the transport direction as the type of ink having a higher ink permeation speed in the print medium.
In general, the faster the ink permeation rate, the shorter the time required for the ink to dry. Therefore, the higher the ink permeation speed, the more the medium to be printed can be transported more appropriately by moving the advance / retreat position of the roller to the upstream side in the transport direction.

Another aspect of the present invention is:
The control unit moves the advance / retreat position of the roller to the upstream side in the transport direction as the amount of ink applied by the printing unit decreases.
In general, the smaller the ink ejection amount, the shorter the time required for the ink to dry. Therefore, the smaller the ink ejection amount, the more the printing medium can be transported more appropriately by moving the advance / retreat position of the roller to the upstream side in the transport direction.

Another aspect of the present invention is:
The control means moves the advance / retreat position of the roller to the upstream side in the transport direction as the drying capacity of the drying means for promoting ink drying is higher.
In general, the higher the drying capacity of the drying means, the shorter the time required for the ink to dry. Accordingly, the higher the drying capacity of the drying means, the more the conveyance of the printing medium can be performed by moving the advance / retreat position of the roller to the upstream side in the conveyance direction.

Another aspect of the present invention is:
A printing process for performing printing on the printing medium; a drying process for blowing air on the printing medium and encouraging drying of the ink on a conveyance path along which the printing medium is conveyed after the printing process; and the drying process In the region where the air is blown, the advance and retreat position of the roller that is provided so as to be able to advance and retreat along the conveyance direction and restrains the print medium in a state where the print medium can be conveyed is defined by the type of the medium to be printed and the amount of ink applied by the printing process And a roller position control step for controlling according to at least one of the drying capacities for promoting the drying of the ink by the drying step.
In this way, by moving the roller to the upstream side in the transport direction to the limit position where the roller can be brought into contact with the printing surface by the roller position control step, the print medium can be transported more appropriately. it can.

It is a side view which shows schematic structure of an inkjet printer. It is a schematic block diagram of a drying unit. It is a flowchart of the control processing performed with a controller. It is a map which shows the relationship between an ink penetration speed and the position of a paper pressing roller. It is a map which shows the relationship between the ink placement amount and the position of the paper pressing roller. It is a map which shows the relationship between a drying capability and the position of a paper pressing roller.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
<< One Embodiment >>
"Constitution"
FIG. 1 is a side view illustrating a schematic configuration of an inkjet printer.
The paper 1 fed from a paper tray (not shown) is transported to the side of the paper discharge tray (not shown) by the transport rollers 2 and 3.
While being transported from the transport roller 2 to the transport roller 3, the line head 21 performs printing on the paper 1, and the drying unit 22 blows air on the printed paper 1 to promote ink drying. When the printing is stopped, the line head 21 is covered with the cap 23 to prevent the line head 21 from drying. In the drying unit 22, the platen 24 supports the paper 1 and further performs a feeding function.

The drying unit 22 includes a paper pressing roller 25 that can advance and retreat in the transport direction in order to prevent the paper 1 from being lifted or jammed. The drying unit 22 is driven and controlled by a controller 26 configured by, for example, a microcomputer.
FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the drying unit.
The drying unit 22 includes a duct member 31, a supply fan 32, a heater 33, a discharge fan 34, and an advance / retreat mechanism 35.

  The duct member 31 is disposed along the conveyance width direction of the paper 1, and one end and the other end in the conveyance width direction are open upward. The lower surface of the duct member 31 is opened substantially horizontally, and the duct member 31 is disposed so that the opened lower surface is close to the paper 1 in a non-contact state. The supply fan 32 is provided at one end of the duct member 31 and introduces outside air to supply air to the inside of the duct member 31. The heater 33 is provided directly below the supply fan 32 (on the air blowing output side) and raises the temperature of the inside of the duct member 31. The discharge fan 34 is provided at the other end of the duct member 31 and discharges the inside air.

The advancing / retracting mechanism 35 includes a pair of side frames 41, a pair of cross frames 42, a ball screw shaft 43, a motor 44, a pair of rails 45, a pair of sliders 46, a nut member 47, and a connecting member 48. .
The side frame 41 extends along the conveyance direction and is fixed to the duct member 31, and the cross frame 42 extends along the conveyance width direction and is fixed to the side frame 41. The ball screw shaft 43 extends along the conveying direction and is supported by the cross frame 42 so as to be rotatable. The motor 44 is connected to the ball screw shaft 43 and fixed to the cross frame 42. . The rail 45 extends along the conveyance direction, is fixed to the cross frame 42, and the slider 46 is engaged with the rail 45 in a state of being able to advance and retreat, and supports the paper pressing roller 25. The nut member 47 is screwed into the ball screw shaft 43 via a ball (not shown), and the connecting member 48 connects the nut member 47 and the slider 46 so that the nut member 47 cannot be rotated. The side frame 41 and the rail 45 are disposed at substantially the same height, and the ball screw shaft 43 is disposed at a position higher than the side frame 41 and the rail 45. This is to prevent the flow of wind along the paper 1 from being hindered.

  With the above configuration, when the motor 44 is rotated forward and the ball screw shaft 43 is rotated forward, the nut member 47 is prevented from rotating, so that the rotational motion of the ball screw shaft 43 is converted into linear motion of the nut member 47. Then, the nut member 47 advances toward the upstream side in the transport direction. Since the advance of the nut member 47 moves the slider 46 along the rail 45, the paper pressing roller 25 advances forward in the transport direction. On the other hand, when the motor 44 is reversed and the ball screw shaft 43 is reversed, the rotation of the nut member 47 is prevented, so that the rotational motion of the ball screw shaft 43 is converted into the linear motion of the nut member 47 and the nut member 47. Retracts toward the downstream side in the transport direction. The retreat of the nut member 47 moves the slider 46 along the rail 45, so that the paper pressing roller 25 is retracted downstream in the transport direction.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of control processing executed by the controller.
First, in step S1, the type of paper 1, the amount of ink applied, and the drying capability of the drying unit 22 are read. As the type of the sheet 1, for example, input information from the user is obtained. The drying capacity of the drying unit 22 is an index based on the heating temperature of the heater 33, the air volume and the wind speed by the supply fan 32.
In the subsequent step S2, the advance / retreat mechanism 35 is driven and controlled in accordance with at least one of the type of paper 1, the amount of ink applied, and the drying capacity of the drying unit 22, that is, the advance / retreat position of the paper pressing roller 25 (from the line head 21). Control to the predetermined main program.

  Specifically, the faster the ink permeation speed of the paper 1, the more the advance / retreat position of the paper pressing roller 25 is moved to the upstream side in the transport direction. In addition, the smaller the ink ejection amount, the more the advance / retreat position of the paper pressing roller 25 is moved to the upstream side in the transport direction. Further, the higher the drying capacity, that is, the higher the heating temperature of the heater 33, or the higher the air volume and the air speed by the supply fan 32, the more the advance / retreat position of the paper pressing roller 25 is moved to the upstream side in the transport direction.

FIG. 4 is a map showing the relationship between the ink penetration speed and the position of the paper pressing roller.
First, the faster the ink permeation speed, the shorter the time required for the surface of the paper 1 to dry, and the shorter the time required for the elasticity of the paper 1 to decrease. Accordingly, the surface of the paper 1 dries faster and the paper pressing roller 25 can be brought into contact with the paper 1 whose elasticity becomes weaker. Therefore, the faster the ink permeation speed of the paper 1, the more the paper pressing roller 25 is moved upstream in the transport direction as shown in FIG.
FIG. 5 is a map showing the relationship between the ink placement amount and the position of the paper pressing roller.
If the amount of ink is small, the time required for the surface of the paper 1 to dry is shortened accordingly. Therefore, as the ink ejection amount is smaller, the paper pressing roller 25 is moved to the upstream side in the transport direction as shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a map showing the relationship between the drying capacity and the position of the paper pressing roller.
The higher the drying capacity, the shorter the time required for the surface of the paper 1 to dry. Therefore, as the drying capacity is higher, the paper pressing roller 25 is moved to the upstream side in the transport direction as shown in FIG.
In addition, when the advance / retreat position of the paper pressing roller 25 is controlled based on a plurality of types of paper 1, the amount of ink to be applied, and the drying capacity, weighting is performed for each, and the advance / retreat position of the paper pressing roller 25 is determined. To control.

<Action>
When the printing process is executed, a drying process is executed to promote drying of the printed ink.
In the drying unit 22, the air blown from the supply fan 32 is heated by the heater 33, and the heated air blown is supplied to the paper 1, so that drying of the ink is promoted. The air is exhausted from the other end of the duct member 31 by the exhaust fan 34.
At this time, in order to minimize the risk of the paper 1 being lifted or jammed, it is necessary to quickly restrain (press) the printed paper 1 in a transportable state by the paper pressing roller 25. .

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the paper pressing roller 25 is configured to be able to advance and retract along the conveyance direction. Thereby, the distance between the line head 21 and the paper pressing roller 25 can be arbitrarily set. Accordingly, the paper pressing roller 25 can be moved to the upstream side in the transport direction to the limit position where the ink dries and the paper pressing roller 25 can be brought into contact with the printing surface on the transport path of the paper 1. 1 can be carried out more appropriately. That is, the risk of the paper 1 being lifted or jammed can be minimized.

  Specifically, the advance / retreat position of the paper pressing roller 25 in the transport direction is controlled in accordance with at least one of the type of paper 1, the amount of ink applied, and the drying capacity (steps S1 and S2). As described above, it is possible to determine a limit position where the ink dries and the paper pressing roller 25 can be brought into contact with the printing surface according to at least one of the type of the paper 1, the amount of ink applied, and the drying ability. . Therefore, by moving the paper pressing roller 25 to the upstream side in the transport direction to the limit position, it is possible to minimize the risk of the paper 1 being lifted or jammed.

  First, the faster the ink permeation speed of the paper 1, the more the advance / retreat position of the paper pressing roller 25 is moved to the upstream side in the transport direction. In general, the faster the ink permeation rate, the shorter the time required for the ink to dry. Accordingly, the faster the ink permeation speed, the lower the risk of the paper 1 being lifted or jammed by moving the advance / retreat position of the paper pressing roller 25 to the upstream side in the transport direction. .

  In addition, the smaller the ink ejection amount, the more the advance / retreat position of the paper pressing roller 25 is moved to the upstream side in the transport direction. In general, the smaller the ink ejection amount, the shorter the time required for the ink to dry. Therefore, the smaller the ink ejection amount is, the more the risk of the paper 1 rising or jamming can be minimized by moving the advance / retreat position of the paper pressing roller 25 to the upstream side in the transport direction.

  Further, the higher the drying capacity, that is, the higher the heating temperature of the heater 33, or the higher the air volume and the air speed by the supply fan 32, the more the advance / retreat position of the paper pressing roller 25 is moved to the upstream side in the transport direction. In general, the higher the drying capacity, the shorter the time required for the ink to dry. Therefore, the higher the drying capacity, the lower the risk of the paper 1 being lifted or jammed by moving the advance / retreat position of the paper pressing roller 25 to the upstream side in the transport direction.

  From the above, the paper 1 corresponds to “print medium”, the line head 21 corresponds to “printing means”, and the drying unit 22 corresponds to “drying means”. Further, the paper pressing roller 25 and the advance / retreat mechanism 35 correspond to “rollers”, and the controller 26 corresponds to “control means”. Further, the printing process by the line head 21 corresponds to the “printing process”, and the drying process by the drying unit 22 corresponds to the “drying process”. The processes in steps S1 and S2 correspond to the “drying process”, and the processes in steps S1 and S2 correspond to the “roller position control process”.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Paper, 2 ... Conveyance roller, 3 ... Conveyance roller, 21 ... Line head, 22 ... Drying unit, 23 ... Cap, 24 ... Platen, 25 ... Paper pressing roller, 26 ... Controller, 31 ... Duct member, 32 ... Supply Fan, 33 ... Heater, 34 ... Exhaust fan, 35 ... Advance / retreat mechanism, 41 ... Side frame, 42 ... Cross frame, 43 ... Ball screw shaft, 44 ... Motor, 45 ... Rail, 46 ... Slider, 47 ... Nut member, 48 ... Connecting members

Claims (6)

Printing means for printing on the print medium;
A drying unit that blows air on the printing medium on the conveyance path along which the printing medium is conveyed after printing by the printing unit, and promotes drying of the ink;
A printing apparatus comprising: a roller provided so as to be able to advance and retreat in a conveyance direction in a region where the drying unit blows air and restrains the printing medium in a state where the printing medium can be conveyed.   Control means for controlling the advance / retreat position of the roller in the transport direction according to at least one of the type of the printing medium, the amount of ink applied by the printing means, and the drying capacity of the drying means for promoting ink drying. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a printing apparatus.   The printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control unit moves the advance / retreat position of the roller to the upstream side in the transport direction as the type of the ink to be printed has a higher ink permeation speed.   4. The printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control unit moves the advance / retreat position of the roller to the upstream side in the transport direction as the amount of ink applied by the printing unit is smaller.   5. The control unit according to claim 2, wherein the controller moves the forward / backward position of the roller to the upstream side in the transport direction as the drying unit that promotes ink drying has a higher drying capacity. The printing apparatus as described in. A printing process for printing on the print medium;
A drying process that blows air on the print medium and promotes drying of the ink on a transport path on which the print medium is transported after the printing process;
An advance / retreat position of a roller that is provided so as to be able to advance and retreat in the conveyance direction in a region where air is blown by the drying process and restrains the print medium in a state where the print medium can be conveyed is defined by the type of the print medium and the ink by the printing process. And a roller position control step of controlling in accordance with at least one of a driving amount of the ink and a drying ability that promotes drying of the ink by the drying step.

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