JP2013147329A - Recording medium conveyance device and recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a recording medium conveyance device and a recording device that can perform conveyance of high accuracy.SOLUTION: A recording medium conveyance device includes: a supporting part that supports a recording medium; a driving part that drives the recording medium supported by the supporting part in one direction; a heating part that heats the recording medium driven by the driving part; a temperature detection part that detects temperature for every unit region based on an infrared ray released from a detection region sectioned based on a plurality of unit regions out of the recording medium heated by the heating part; and a determination part that determines a floating state of the recording medium with respect to the supporting part according to a detection result of the temperature detection part.

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording medium conveying apparatus and a recording apparatus.

  An ink jet printer is known as one of recording apparatuses that record images, characters, and the like by ejecting fluid onto a recording medium (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In such an ink jet printer, for example, a configuration is known in which a recording apparatus is supported by a supporting member and a conveying device that conveys the recording medium while urging the recording medium by a roller.

JP 2009-196111 A

  However, in the above configuration, for example, a portion of the recording medium that is not biased by the roller may be separated from the support member, and so-called floating may occur. If the recording medium is transported in a state where the support member is lifted, transport failure such as clogging may occur. For this reason, there is a need for a technique for quickly detecting the floating of the recording medium and carrying it with high accuracy.

  In view of the circumstances as described above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a recording medium transport apparatus and a recording apparatus that can perform highly accurate transport.

  A recording medium transport device according to the present invention includes a support unit that supports a recording medium, a drive unit that drives the recording medium supported by the support unit in one direction, and the recording medium that is driven by the drive unit. A heating unit that heats, and a temperature detection unit that detects a temperature for each unit region based on a dose of infrared rays emitted from a detection region partitioned into a plurality of unit regions of the recording medium heated by the heating unit And a determination unit that determines a floating state of the recording medium with respect to the support unit according to a detection result of the temperature detection unit.

  According to the present invention, the temperature detection unit that detects the temperature for each unit region based on the dose of infrared rays emitted from the detection region partitioned into the plurality of unit regions of the recording medium heated by the heating unit, and the temperature Since it has the judgment part which judges the floating state of the recording medium with respect to the support part according to the detection result of the detection part, the floating state of the recording medium can be detected with high accuracy. Thereby, it becomes possible to perform highly accurate conveyance.

  In the recording medium conveying apparatus, the support portion has a guide surface for guiding the recording medium, and the driving portion sandwiches a part of the recording medium and feeds the recording medium to the guide surface. The detection area preferably includes a first portion of the recording medium that contacts the roller and a second portion of the recording medium that deviates from the first portion.

  According to the present invention, the detection area includes a first portion that is relatively less likely to float due to contact with the roller of the recording medium, and a second portion that is relatively less likely to float due to being away from the roller of the recording medium. Therefore, the presence or absence of the floating of the recording medium can be detected more reliably.

In the recording medium conveyance device, it is preferable that the determination unit determines the floating state based on a difference between a maximum value and a minimum value among the detected temperatures of the plurality of unit regions.
According to the present invention, since the determination unit determines the floating state based on the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value among the temperatures of the plurality of unit areas detected, the floating state of the recording medium can be determined with high accuracy. Can be detected.

In the recording medium conveying apparatus, it is preferable that the determination unit determines that the floating state is abnormal when a difference between the maximum value and the minimum value exceeds a predetermined value.
According to the present invention, since the determination unit determines that the floating state is abnormal when the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value exceeds a predetermined value, the floating state of the recording medium can be detected with high accuracy. .

In the recording medium conveying apparatus, it is preferable that the recording medium conveying apparatus further includes a control unit that stops heating by the heating unit when the floating state is determined to be abnormal.
According to the present invention, since the control unit that stops the heating by the heating unit when the determination unit determines that the floating state is abnormal, it is possible to prevent the temperature of the recording medium from rising excessively.

In the recording medium conveying apparatus, it is preferable that the temperature detection unit is arranged so that infrared rays emitted from the recording medium are incident obliquely.
According to the present invention, since the temperature detector is arranged so that infrared rays are obliquely incident on the recording medium, the floating state of the recording medium can be detected with higher accuracy.

  A recording apparatus according to the present invention includes an ejection head that ejects a fluid onto a recording medium, a support unit that supports the recording medium, a drive unit that drives the recording medium supported by the support unit in one direction, A temperature detection unit that detects a temperature for each unit region in a heating unit that heats the recording medium driven by the driving unit, and a detection region that is partitioned into a plurality of unit regions of the recording medium heated by the heating unit. And a determination unit that determines a floating state of the recording medium with respect to the support unit according to a detection result of the temperature detection unit.

  According to the present invention, the temperature detection unit that detects the temperature for each unit region based on the dose of infrared rays emitted from the detection region partitioned into the plurality of unit regions of the recording medium heated by the heating unit, and the temperature Since it has the judgment part which judges the floating state of the recording medium with respect to the support part according to the detection result of the detection part, the floating state of the recording medium can be detected with high accuracy. Thereby, since it becomes possible to perform highly accurate conveyance, the fixing position accuracy of the ejected fluid can be improved. Thereby, a recording apparatus with high recording accuracy can be provided.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. The side view which shows the structure of the platen heater part which concerns on this embodiment. The perspective view which shows the structure of a part of temperature detection part which concerns on this embodiment. The side view which shows the structure of the platen heater part which concerns on this embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the detection result of the temperature detection part which concerns on this embodiment. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the printer according to the present embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a recording apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing used for the following description, the scale of each member is appropriately changed to make each member a recognizable size. In this embodiment, an ink jet printer (hereinafter simply referred to as a printer) is exemplified as the recording apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating a printer 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
The printer 1 is a large format printer (LFP) that handles a relatively large medium (recording medium) M. The medium M of this embodiment is formed using resin materials, such as a vinyl chloride film and PET, for example. The medium M can be formed using, for example, a light transmissive material.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a printer 1 includes a transport unit (recording medium transport device) 2 that transports a medium M in a roll-to-roll system, and ejects ink (fluid) onto the medium M to generate images and characters. For example, and a heating unit 4 for heating the medium M. Each of these components is supported by the main body frame 5. The printer 1 also has a control unit CONT that controls the transport unit 2, the recording unit 3, and the heating unit 4 in an integrated manner.

  The transport unit 2 includes a roll 21 that sends out the roll-shaped medium M, and a roll 22 that winds up the sent medium M. The transport unit 2 transports the medium M on the transport path between the roll 21 and the roll 22. Further, the transport unit 2 includes a tension roller 25 that applies tension to the medium M. The tension roller 25 is supported by the swing frame 26.

  The recording unit 3 includes an ink jet head (recording head) 31 that ejects ink onto the medium M to be transported, and a carriage 32 that is mounted with the ink jet head 31 and can reciprocate in the width direction (vertical direction in FIG. 1). And have. The inkjet head 31 includes a plurality of nozzles, and is configured to eject ink that is selected in relation to the medium M and that requires permeation drying or evaporation drying. The inkjet head 31 of the present embodiment is configured to be able to eject solvent-based ink and water-based ink that require evaporation and drying.

  The heating unit 4 is configured to quickly dry and fix the ink on the medium M by heating the medium M, thereby preventing bleeding and blurring and improving the image quality. The heating unit 4 includes a preheater unit 41 that preheats the medium M on the upstream side in the transport direction from the position where the recording unit 3 is provided, a platen heater unit 42 that heats the medium M at a position facing the recording unit 3, And an after heater 43 that heats the medium M on the downstream side in the transport direction from the position where the recording unit 3 is provided.

FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating a partial configuration of the transport unit 2. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a portion facing the inkjet head 31.
As illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3, the transport unit 2 includes a support unit 51, a drive unit 52, a heating unit 53, a temperature detection unit 54, and a determination unit 55.

  The support unit 51 supports the medium M. The support portion 51 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped box shape, for example, and is disposed at a position overlapping the inkjet head 31 in plan view. A plurality of heaters 42 a are provided inside the support portion 51. The guide surface 51a is formed in a flat plane shape, for example.

  The drive unit 52 includes a transport roller pair 23 that sends the medium M to the guide surface 51a. The conveyance roller pair 23 is provided at a position where the medium M is sandwiched in the thickness direction. The transport roller pair 23 is rotatably provided by a rotation driving unit (not shown). The rotational drive unit may be configured to apply a rotational driving force to only one of the transport roller pair 23, or may be configured to apply a rotational driving force to both of the transport roller pair 23.

  The heating unit 53 heats the medium M driven by the driving unit 52. The heating unit 53 has an infrared heater 56. The infrared heater 56 includes a housing 56a, a heat generating part 56b, and a reflecting part 56c.

  The infrared heater 56 is provided at a position facing the guide surface 51 a of the support portion 51. The infrared heater 56 is provided at a predetermined distance from the guide surface 51 a and extending in the width direction of the support portion 51. Accordingly, the infrared heater 56 radiates and heats the support portion 51 by directly irradiating the guide surface 51a with infrared energy, and when the medium M is supported on the guide surface 51a, The recording surface side is directly radiantly heated.

  The infrared heater 56 is configured to irradiate an electromagnetic wave having a wavelength in which the main part of the peak of the radiation spectrum includes a region of 2 μm to 4 μm. As a result, the infrared heater 56 can vibrate the water molecules contained in the ink without promptly raising the temperature of the surrounding constituent members that do not contain water molecules, and promptly promote drying by the frictional heat. Therefore, most of the infrared energy can be absorbed by the ink, and the ink landed on the recording surface can be heated intensively.

  A plurality of infrared heaters 56 are provided in the conveyance direction of the medium M. In the present embodiment, for example, the infrared heater 56 is provided in each of the platen heater unit 42 and the after heater unit 43. The infrared heater 56 provided in the platen heater unit 42 and the infrared heater 56 provided in the after heater unit 43 have the same configuration.

  The temperature detection unit 54 detects the temperature of the medium M heated by the heating unit 53. For example, an infrared array sensor is used as the temperature detection unit 54. The temperature detection part 54 is attached to the housing | casing 56a of the infrared heater 56, for example. The temperature detection unit 54 detects the temperature of a predetermined detection area 57 in the medium M.

  The temperature detection unit 54 is provided at a position shifted in the width direction with respect to the medium M. For this reason, infrared rays emitted from the medium M are obliquely incident on the temperature detection unit 54. The temperature detection unit 54 is provided in each of the infrared heater 56 provided in the platen heater unit 42 and the infrared heater 56 provided in the after heater unit 43. The temperature detection unit 54 provided on the platen heater unit 42 side detects a region of the medium M that faces the inkjet head 31.

  The detection area 57 is set to a portion including a first portion MA1 that contacts the transport roller pair 23 and a second portion MA2 that is out of the first portion MA1. The detection area 57 is partitioned into a plurality of unit areas 57a. The unit areas 57a are each set in a square shape, and are arranged in a matrix of 8 rows × 8 columns, for example.

  The temperature detector 54 detects the dose of infrared rays emitted from the predetermined detection area 57 partitioned into a plurality of unit areas 57a. The temperature detection part 54 calculates | requires temperature for every several unit region 57a based on the detected dose.

  The determination unit 55 is provided in a part of the control unit CONT, for example. The determination unit 55 determines the floating state of the medium M with respect to the support unit 51 according to the detection result of the temperature detection unit 54. Here, the “floating state” means a state where the medium M is separated from the guide surface 51 a of the support portion 51, that is, a state where the medium M is floating from the guide surface 51 a.

Next, the operation of the printer 1 having the above configuration will be described.
The medium M sent out from the roll 21 is guided onto the guide surface 51 a by the transport roller pair 23. Thereafter, the medium M is transported downstream in the transport direction by the transport roller pair 23 in a state following the guide surface 51a.

  When the medium M is conveyed to the printing area, printing is started by the inkjet head 31. The inkjet head 31 is mounted on the carriage 32 and performs printing while reciprocating in the width direction.

  In the present embodiment, first, the ink ejected from the inkjet head 31 is dried by the infrared heater 56 that heats the medium M arranged on the guide surface 51a. The infrared heater 56 irradiates infrared rays toward a predetermined infrared irradiation range set on the guide surface 51a.

  Since the infrared irradiation range includes a print area by the ink jet head 31, when the carriage 32 is retracted from the area of the recording surface on which the ink has landed, the main portion of the peak of the radiation spectrum is 2 μm to 4 μm. It is directly radiantly heated at a wavelength including this region. The temperature at this time is, for example, about 40 ° C to 55 ° C. Then, the solvent molecules (water molecules and the like) contained in the landed ink vibrate, the evaporation of the solvent is promoted by the frictional heat, and the ink is dried without causing the medium M to bleed.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 4, for example, a part of the medium M may be in a state of being separated from the guide surface 51a (floating state). Note that the floating state is more likely to occur in the second portion MA2 that is out of the first portion MA1 than in the first portion MA1 that contacts the transport roller pair 23. When the medium M is transported in a floating state, the medium M may come into contact with a part such as the inkjet head 31 depending on the distance between the floating part of the medium M and the guide surface 51a, and clogging may occur. There is sex.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the temperature detection unit 54 detects the temperature of the detection region 57 in the heated medium M. Specifically, the temperature detection unit 54 detects the dose of infrared rays emitted from the plurality of unit regions 57a, and obtains the temperature for each unit region 57a based on the detected dose. Since the temperature detection unit 54 is configured to detect infrared rays emitted from the medium M, even if the medium M is formed of a highly light-transmitting material, it can be reliably detected. The temperature detection timing by the temperature detection unit 54 may be any timing other than when the carriage 32 passes through the detection region 57.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a detection result by the temperature detection unit 54. The detection region 57 includes a region (1) having a temperature of 30 ° C. to 35 ° C., a region (2) having a temperature of 35 ° C. to 40 ° C., a region (3) having a temperature of 40 ° C. to 45 ° C., and a temperature. A region (4) of 45 to 50 ° C. and a region (5) of 50 to 55 ° C. are formed.

  When the floating state is generated in the medium M, the amount of heating from the infrared heater 56 is larger in the floating portion than in other portions. For this reason, a part where the temperature is locally increased occurs in the detection result, or a temperature distribution occurs in the detection region 57. Further, in the present embodiment, infrared rays are obliquely incident on the temperature detection unit 54 from the detection region 57, so that a temperature distribution is easily formed. Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the detection region 57 is set in a portion including the first portion MA1 that is in contact with the transport roller pair 23 and the second portion MA2 that is more likely to be floated than the first portion MA1, A distribution is easily formed. The determination unit 55 determines the floating state of the medium M using this result.

  In this operation, the determination unit 55 determines, for example, the presence or absence of a part of the medium M that is separated from the guide surface 51a by a predetermined distance as the floating state. Since the temperature of the medium M increases as the distance from the guide surface 51a increases, for example, a relationship between the distance and the temperature is obtained in advance by experiments or simulations, and the floating state is determined based on the relationship. it can.

  The determination unit 55 determines the floating state based on the maximum value among the detected temperatures of the plurality of unit regions. Specifically, among the 64 elements (8 rows x 8 columns) obtained by one measurement, the data of the elements measuring a uniform temperature range are compared, and if a predetermined threshold is exceeded, the floating state Is judged abnormal. Here, the abnormal floating state is a state in which there is a high possibility that the medium M comes into contact with other members such as the inkjet head 31 and clogging occurs.

  The threshold value can be obtained in advance by experiments or simulations. As this threshold value, for example, it can be set to a value higher than the temperature of the medium M (the average value or the maximum value of a plurality of measured values) when the floating state does not occur. However, in this case, the temperature is set to a temperature lower than the temperature at which the possibility of clogging of the medium M is increased.

  The control unit CONT stops heating by the infrared heater 56 when the determination unit 55 determines that the floating state is abnormal. With this operation, it is possible to prevent the temperature of the medium M from rising excessively.

  The determination unit 55 may be configured to determine the floating state based on the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value among the detected temperatures of the plurality of unit regions. In this case, the determination unit 55 determines that the floating state is abnormal when the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value exceeds a predetermined value. The control unit CONT stops heating by the infrared heater 56 when the determination unit 55 determines that the floating state is abnormal.

  After the ink drying operation as described above, the medium M is transported downstream in the transport direction. When the medium M reaches the after heater unit 43, the medium M is heated at a temperature of, for example, about 60 ° C. to 120 ° C. using the infrared heater 56 provided in the after heater unit 43, and the ink is fixed to the medium M.

  Even when the ink is fixed to the medium M, a floating state may occur in the medium M. In contrast, in the present embodiment, the temperature of the detection region 57 of the medium M is detected using the temperature detection unit 54 provided in the infrared heater 56 that performs the fixing operation. Since the heating in the fixing operation has a higher heating temperature than the heating in the drying operation, a temperature distribution or a portion where the temperature is locally high appears remarkably. As in the case of the drying operation, the determination unit 55 determines the floating state of the medium M using the detection result, and stops the heating by the heating unit 53 when the floating state is determined to be abnormal. With this operation, it is possible to prevent the temperature of the medium M from rising excessively. When performing the fixing operation, the arrangement of the unit areas 57a set in the detection area 57 can be different from that in the drying operation. For example, the number of rows and columns of the matrix can be changed.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the temperature of each unit region 57a is determined based on the dose of infrared rays emitted from the detection region 57 divided into the plurality of unit regions 57a in the medium M heated by the infrared heater 56. And a determination unit 55 for determining the floating state of the medium M with respect to the support unit 51 according to the detection result of the temperature detecting unit 54, so that the floating state of the medium M is detected with high accuracy. can do. Thereby, it becomes possible to perform highly accurate conveyance. Further, since it is not necessary to separately provide a clogging detection unit or the like, the space for the printer 1 can be omitted.

The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and appropriate modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, in the above embodiment, the configuration in which the temperature detection unit 54 is provided in each of the plurality of infrared heaters 56 has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, an infrared heater 56 not provided with the temperature detection unit 54 may be disposed.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the temperature detection part 54 detected the temperature of the detection area 57 and demonstrated the case where the heating by the infrared heater 56 was stopped according to a detection result as an example, it was restricted to this. For example, the heating temperature by the infrared heater 56 may be adjusted according to the detection result.

  In the above embodiment, the heating unit 4 preheats the medium M on the upstream side in the transport direction from the position where the recording unit 3 is provided, and the medium M at a position facing the recording unit 3. The configuration including the platen heater unit 42 for heating and the after heater unit 43 for heating the medium M on the downstream side in the transport direction from the position where the recording unit 3 is provided has been described as an example. However, the configuration is limited to this. For example, a configuration without the platen heater 42 may be used.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation of adjusting the heating temperature according to the detection result.
In performing this operation, the heating temperature of the infrared heater 56 is first adjusted. In the case of the above embodiment, for example, when performing a drying operation, the temperature is about 40 ° C. to 55 ° C., and when performing a fixing operation, the temperature is 60 ° C. to 120 ° C.

  In this state, as shown in FIG. 6, the temperature of the detection region 57 is detected using the temperature detector 54 (step 601). Next, an average temperature value is calculated for each unit region 57a based on the detection result (step 602). Thereafter, the calculation result is compared with the threshold value. If the calculation result exceeds the threshold value (YES in step 603), the determination unit 55 determines that a floating state has occurred. In this case, the control part CONT adjusts so that the heating temperature of the infrared heater 56 becomes low (step 604). When the calculation result does not exceed the threshold value (NO in step 603), the above steps 601 to 603 are repeated. Thereby, an excessive temperature rise of the medium M can be prevented.

  Moreover, although the case where the detection result by the temperature detection part 54 and a threshold value were compared was mentioned as an example in the said embodiment, it demonstrated and it was not restricted to this. For example, the detection result by the temperature detection unit 54 may be stored, and the stored detection result may be compared with a new detection result.

  In this embodiment, the case where the recording apparatus is the printer 1 has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. It may be an apparatus such as a copying machine or a facsimile. Further, as the recording apparatus, a recording apparatus that ejects or discharges fluid other than ink may be employed.

  The present invention can be applied to various recording apparatuses including, for example, a recording head that discharges a minute amount of liquid droplets. The droplet means a state of the liquid ejected from the recording apparatus, and includes a liquid having a granular shape, a tear shape, or a thread shape. The liquid here may be any material that can be ejected by the recording apparatus. For example, it may be in a state in which the substance is in a liquid phase, such as a liquid 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.

  A typical example of the liquid is ink 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. The recording medium includes, in addition to plastic films such as paper and vinyl chloride films, functional paper that is thin and thermally stretched, a substrate, a metal plate, and the like.

  M ... Media CONT ... Control part MA1 ... First part MA2 ... Second part 1 ... Printer 2 ... Conveying part 3 ... Recording part 4 ... Heating part 23 ... Conveying roller pair 31 ... Inkjet head 32 ... Carriage 51 ... Supporting part 51a ... Guide Surface 52 ... Driving unit 53 ... Heating unit 54 ... Temperature detection unit 55 ... Judgment unit 56 ... Infrared heater 56a ... Housing 56b ... Heat generation unit 56c ... Reflection unit 57 ... Detection region 57a ... Unit region

Claims (7)

A support for supporting the recording medium;
A drive unit for driving the recording medium supported by the support unit in one direction;
A heating unit for heating the recording medium driven by the driving unit;
A temperature detection unit that detects a temperature for each unit region based on a dose of infrared rays emitted from a detection region partitioned into a plurality of unit regions of the recording medium heated by the heating unit;
A recording medium conveying apparatus comprising: a determination unit that determines a floating state of the recording medium with respect to the support unit according to a detection result of the temperature detection unit. The support portion has a guide surface for guiding the recording medium,
The drive unit includes a roller that sandwiches a part of the recording medium and sends the recording medium to the guide surface,
The detection area is
A first portion of the recording medium that contacts the roller;
The recording medium conveying apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a second part out of the first part of the recording medium. The recording medium conveyance device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines the floating state based on a difference between a maximum value and a minimum value among the detected temperatures of the plurality of unit regions. The recording medium conveyance device according to claim 3, wherein the determination unit determines that the floating state is abnormal when a difference between the maximum value and the minimum value exceeds a predetermined value. The recording medium conveyance device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: a control unit that stops heating by the heating unit when the determination unit determines that the floating state is abnormal. The recording medium conveyance device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the temperature detection unit is arranged so that the infrared light emitted from the recording medium is incident obliquely. An ejection head that ejects fluid onto a recording medium;
A support for supporting the recording medium;
A drive unit for driving the recording medium supported by the support unit in one direction;
A heating unit for heating the recording medium driven by the driving unit;
A temperature detection unit for detecting a temperature for each unit region with respect to a detection region partitioned into a plurality of unit regions of the recording medium heated by the heating unit;
And a determination unit that determines a floating state of the recording medium with respect to the support unit according to a detection result of the temperature detection unit.

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