JP2017081664A - Printer for continuous sheet - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent printing failure from occurring in a printing device due to generated paper powder even when the paper powder is generated by a tractor of a printer for continuous sheets.SOLUTION: A printer PT includes: a conveyance device 10A which has a pin 14 that is inserted to a feed hole PH of a continuous sheet P and movement mechanisms 11-13 of the pin 14, and conveys the continuous sheet P by moving the pin 14; a printing device 2 which is provided on the rear stage of the conveyance device 10A in the sheet conveyance direction and performs printing on the surface of the continuous sheet P; and a pair of wall parts 171 and 172 which are arranged side by side between the conveyance device 10A and the printing device 2 in the sheet conveyance direction and respectively have marginal parts 173 and 174 extending in the direction crossing the sheet conveyance direction along the surface of the continuous sheet P; and an air blowing device 18 which generates wind W flowing in the direction crossing the sheet conveyance direction between the pair of wall parts 171 and 172.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

  This application relates to printers for continuous paper.

  Conventionally, paper used in printers includes single-cut paper and continuous form paper (hereinafter simply referred to as continuous paper). The cut sheet is one sheet, and is sent to the printer one by one by a cut sheet feeder. Continuous paper is a long paper that can be printed continuously and has perforations at regular intervals so that it can be separated one by one. Before printing, it is folded and stacked at the perforation. Yes. When printing, a bundle of continuous paper is placed beside the printer. When the uppermost continuous paper is set in the printer, the continuous paper is developed one by one from the bundle and supplied to the printer. On both sides of the continuous paper, feed holes (sprocket holes) for moving the continuous paper in the printer are continuously opened at equal intervals.

  On the other hand, on the printer side for printing on continuous paper, a paper feeding device (conveying device) called a tractor feeder (hereinafter simply referred to as a tractor) that meshes with some of the feeding holes opened in the continuous paper is provided. The tractor includes a wheel or belt having protrusions (pins) protruding at intervals equal to the interval between the feed holes provided in the continuous paper, and the continuous paper is obtained by inserting the pins of the tractor into the feed holes. It is carried to the printing section of the printer. In this way, continuous paper is reliably and accurately gripped by the tractor and can be transported stably, so it has become the mainstream in fields where reliability such as bills is required, and will continue to be in high demand in the future. Is expected.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a conveyance path R of a continuous paper P in a printer PT of a comparative technique for printing on continuous paper P, with a front door 6 and a cover 7 provided on a main body 5 of the printer PT being opened. . A main body 5 of the printer PT includes a paper feeding unit 1, a printing device 2, a brush 3, and a paper discharge unit 4. The continuous paper bundle PP folded and stacked is placed on the floor below the paper feeding unit 1, and the continuous paper P drawn from the continuous paper bundle PP while being unfolded is supplied to the paper feeding unit 1. The continuous paper P is sent to the printing apparatus 2 by the tractor in the paper feeding unit 1, and the continuous paper P after printing is folded again at the final stage of the transport path R and stacked on the paper discharge unit 4. The paper discharge unit 4 can be moved up and down with respect to the main body 5, and the paper discharge unit 4 descends when the amount of continuous paper P to be stacked increases. FIG. 2 is an enlarged partial perspective view showing a portion of the paper feeding unit 1 of the printer PT shown in FIG. The paper feed unit 1 includes a tractor 10 that sends the continuous paper P to the printing apparatus 2.

  Here, the conveyance path R of the continuous paper P in the printer PT will be described using FIGS. 1 and 2 together with FIGS. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the positions of the tractor 10 that is a transport device provided on the transport path R of the continuous paper P and the printing device 2 in the printer PT shown in FIG. The tractor 10 is provided with a lid member 15 that prevents the continuous paper P from being detached from the tractor 10 when the continuous paper P is conveyed. When the printer PT is an ink jet printer, the printing apparatus 2 includes a plurality of ink heads (hereinafter, the printing apparatus 2 may be referred to as the ink head 2).

  In the line printer, the printing apparatus is one large line head provided along the width direction of the continuous paper P. However, in the ink jet printer of the comparative technique, the printing area on the continuous paper P with a plurality of ink heads 2. To share and print. For this reason, the ink jet printer is provided with a plurality of ink heads 2 arranged in two rows. For example, when printing the print area of continuous paper P with four ink heads 2, two ink heads 2 are provided in two rows. In the transport path R of the continuous paper P shown in FIG. 3, the ink heads 2 arranged in two rows are drawn as the printing device 2. In addition, a plurality of rollers 8 are provided on the conveyance path R of the continuous paper P in order to determine the movement path R of the continuous paper P.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view for explaining a state in which the continuous paper P is set on the tractor 10 provided on the transport path R shown in FIG. The continuous paper P is provided with perforations PM at predetermined intervals in the width direction (direction perpendicular to the direction in which the paper continues), and the continuous paper P before use is folded and stacked at the perforation PM. , A bundle PP of stacked continuous sheets. Further, on both sides of the continuous paper P, feed holes (sprocket holes) PH for conveying the continuous paper P by the tractor 10 are opened at equal intervals.

  On the other hand, the housing (not shown) of the tractor 10 is provided with drive wheels 11 and driven wheels 12 driven by a built-in motor, and a belt 13 is stretched between the drive wheels 11 and the driven wheels 12. Yes. Further, pins 14 inserted into the feed holes PH of the continuous paper P are attached to the belt 13 at the same intervals as the feed holes PH of the continuous paper P. The position where the pin 14 is projected may be the side surface or the outer peripheral surface of the belt 13.

  Since the feed holes PH of the continuous paper P are provided on both sides of the continuous paper P, two sets of tractors 10 are provided in accordance with the positions of the feed holes PH of the continuous paper P. In this case, in the two sets of tractors 10, the rotation axis AX1 of the drive wheel 11 and the rotation axis AX2 of the driven wheel 12 are coaxial. An arrow K shown in FIG. 4 indicates the rotation direction of the motor of the drive wheel 11, and the continuous paper P is automatically conveyed by the tractor 10 when the pin 14 is inserted into the feed hole PH. In FIG. 4, the illustration of the brush 3 shown in FIG. 3 is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the continuous paper P drawn by the tractor 10 from the stacked continuous paper bundle PP placed on the side of the printer is first a paper powder ( Waste generated when forming the feed holes in the continuous paper is removed. The continuous paper P that has passed through the tractor 10 passes under the ink head 2 and is printed (printed) by the ink head 2. The printer PT of this example is an ink jet printer, and the ink heads 2 are arranged in two rows. The continuous paper P printed by the ink head 2 is sent to the paper discharge unit 4 through the transport path R by a plurality of rollers 8.

  There are a plurality of types of continuous paper that can be used in the printer, and the intervals between the feed holes are the same. Therefore, the two sets of tractors 10 are movable along the rotation axis AX1 of the drive wheel 11 and the rotation axis AX2 of the driven wheel 12, and the position of the tractor 10 can be adjusted to the width of the continuous sheet. Yes.

JP 2006-069783 A

  In the tractor 10 of the printer of the comparative technique, as shown in FIG. 5, a drive wheel 11 and a driven wheel 12 are provided on a housing 19, and a belt 13 is stretched between the drive wheel 11 and the driven wheel 12. Pins 14 project from the belt 13 at the same interval as the feed holes PH of the continuous paper P. When the belt 13 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow C, the operation of inserting the pin 14 into the feed hole PH of the continuous paper P and the operation of removing the pin 14 from the feed hole PH are repeated. However, due to the insertion operation of the pin 14 into the feed hole PH, the paper powder PD remaining on the inner wall portion of the feed hole PH goes out of the feed hole PH and is carried by the continuous paper P, and is discharged from the ink head 2. It may adhere to the surface 2A. When the paper dust PD adheres to the ejection surface 2A of the ink head 2, the ink ejection port of the ink head 2 may be blocked with the paper dust PD, which causes a problem that printing failure occurs.

  In one aspect, even if the tractor of the continuous paper printer generates paper dust when the continuous paper is conveyed, the continuous paper printer can prevent printing failure from occurring due to the generated paper dust. The purpose is to provide.

  In one aspect, a printer that performs printing on continuous paper with a feed hole, including a pin inserted into the feed hole and a pin moving mechanism, and a transport device that transports the continuous paper by moving the pin; A printing device that is provided after the transport device in the continuous paper transport direction and prints on the surface of the continuous paper, and is arranged between the transport device and the print device in the transport direction, and transports along the surface of the continuous paper. A printer is provided that includes a pair of wall portions each having an edge portion extending in a direction crossing the direction, and a blower that generates a wind flowing in a direction crossing the conveyance direction between the pair of wall portions.

  In the disclosed continuous paper printer, while the tractor transports the continuous paper, the paper dust remaining in the continuous paper feed hole is wound up by the rising airflow generated between the pair of wall portions, and the pair of wall portions Move in between. As a result, in the disclosed continuous paper printer, the paper dust moved between the pair of wall portions is carried in a direction crossing the continuous paper by the wind of the blower, so that the paper dust may adhere to the printing device. This is advantageous in that printing defects due to the printing apparatus are less likely to occur.

It is a perspective view which shows the conveyance path | route of the continuous paper in the printer for continuous paper of a comparison technique. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a main part of the printer shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating positions of a tractor and a head provided in a continuous paper conveyance path in the printer illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a perspective view for explaining setting of continuous paper to a paper feed mechanism (tractor) in the continuous paper conveyance path shown in FIG. 3. It is a partial expanded side view explaining the subject in the printer for continuous paper of a comparison technique. It is explanatory drawing which shows roughly the structure of the tractor in the printer of an Example. FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view of the air guide member and continuous paper illustrated in FIG. 6. FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view of the air guide member and continuous paper shown in FIG. 6. It is the arrow directional view which looked at the tractor shown in FIG. 6 in the arrow A direction. It is a fragmentary perspective view which shows the state by which the tractor of a specific example is provided in the paper feed part of the printer of an Example. It is the elements on larger scale which show the vicinity of the air guide member in FIG. 9, and an air blower. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a specific positional relationship between a tractor provided on a continuous paper conveyance path and an ink head in the printer of the embodiment. It is a fragmentary perspective view which shows the tractor used with the printer of a present Example. It is the perspective view which looked at one of the 2nd air blowers shown in FIG. 12 from the bottom face side.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present application will be described in detail based on specific examples with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this embodiment, an example of an ink jet printer having an ink head in a printing apparatus will be described as a continuous paper printer, but the type of printing apparatus is not limited to an ink head. Further, the same components as those of the printer PT of the comparative technique described in FIGS.

  First, with reference to FIG. 6, the transport path R of the continuous paper P and the movement of the paper dust PD generated from the continuous paper P in the continuous paper printer PT of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing a state in which the tractor 10A of this embodiment is mounted on the printer PT shown in FIG. 1, and the structure of the tractor 10A is schematically shown. A specific structural example of the tractor 10A will be described later. The tractor 10 </ b> A has a driving wheel 11 and a driven wheel 12 driven by a built-in motor in a housing 19, and a belt 13 is stretched between the driving wheel 11 and the driven wheel 12.

  Further, pins 14 inserted into the feed holes PH of the continuous paper P are attached to the belt 13 at the same intervals as the feed holes PH of the continuous paper P. The belt 13 is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow C by the rotation of the drive wheel 11, and the continuous paper P is conveyed by the pins 14 inserted into the feed holes PH of the continuous paper P. A part of the paper dust PD generated in the tractor 10A is carried downstream in the paper transport direction by the winds w1 and w2 generated as the continuous paper P moves. The remaining paper dust PD generated in the tractor 10A is carried downstream by the continuous paper P itself in the paper transport direction. The continuous paper P sent out from the tractor 10 </ b> A reaches the ink head 2 which is a printing apparatus, and printing is performed by the ink head 2. The continuous paper P on which printing has been performed is moved by the roller 8 to the subsequent transport path R. FIG. 6 shows a state where the ink heads 2 are arranged in a line.

  The tractor 10A of the disclosed printer PT is provided with a lid member 16 that prevents the continuous paper P from being detached from the tractor 10A when the continuous paper P is conveyed. The lid member 16 has the same structure as the lid member 15 of the comparative technique described in FIG. The width of the lid member 16 is not particularly limited as long as it covers the upper portion of the feed hole PH provided in the continuous paper P. The distance D3 between the ejection surface 2A of the ink head 2 and the continuous paper P in the disclosed printer PT is about 1.2 to 1.5 mm.

  The continuous paper printer PT of this embodiment includes an air guide member 17 disposed between the tractor 10A and the ink head 2 in the conveying direction of the continuous paper P by the tractor 10A. In the following description, the conveyance direction of the continuous sheet P by the tractor 10A may be simply referred to as a sheet conveyance direction. The wind w1 shown in FIG. 6 is a wind that flows from the tractor 10A to the wind guide member 17 as the continuous paper P moves, and the wind w2 shown in FIG. 6 is below the wind guide member 17 as the continuous paper P moves. It is the wind that flows through. The disclosed air guide member 17 is disposed above the continuous paper P positioned on the transport path R, and forms a ventilation path 17D that guides wind generated by a blower (not shown) in a direction crossing the paper transport direction. doing.

  FIG. 7A is a schematic perspective view of the air guide member 17 and the continuous paper P shown in FIG. The disclosed air guide member 17 connects the first and second side wall portions 171 and 172 arranged side by side in the paper conveyance direction and the upper edge portions 175 and 176 of the first and second side wall portions 171 and 172. And an upper wall portion 170 to be used. In FIG. 7A, the paper transport direction is indicated by an arrow A70. The first and second side wall portions 171 and 172 are an example of a pair of wall portions in the printer according to the present application. Each of the first and second side wall portions 171 and 172 extends in a direction crossing the sheet conveyance direction. The lower edge portions 173 and 174 of the first and second side wall portions 171 and 172 extend along the surface of the continuous paper P.

  In the disclosed air guide member 17, the space surrounded by the first and second side wall portions 171, 172 and the upper wall portion 170 forms a ventilation path 17 </ b> D for guiding the wind W generated by a blower (not shown). ing. 7B is a schematic perspective view of the air guide member 17 and the continuous paper P shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 7B, the dimension L1 in the extending direction of the first and second side wall portions 171 and 172 (that is, the length of the ventilation path 17D) is made larger than the dimension L2 in the width direction of the continuous paper P. The Referring to FIG. 6, the distance L3 between the first and second side walls 171 and 172 (that is, the width of the ventilation path 17D) is made sufficiently larger than the distance L4 between the adjacent feed holes PH. In the disclosed printer PT, the paper dust that has entered the ventilation path 17D of the air guide member 17 is conveyed in a direction crossing the paper conveyance direction by the wind W of the blower.

  Referring to FIG. 6, in the disclosed printer PT, a minute gap G <b> 1 is provided between the first side wall portion 171 of the air guide member 17 and the surface of the continuous paper P. A distance D1 between the edge portion 173 of the first side wall portion 171 and the continuous paper P is about 0.8 to 1.0 mm. Therefore, a part of the paper powder PD carried by the wind w <b> 1 flowing from the tractor 10 </ b> A to the air guide member 17 cannot pass through the edge 173 of the first side wall part 171, and the first side wall part 171. Diffuses in the upstream region. Further, the flow path of the wind w1 is narrowed at the edge portion 173 of the first side wall portion 171. Therefore, an upward air flow is generated due to a pressure drop in the area A1 adjacent to the edge portion 173 on the downstream side in the paper transport direction. In the disclosed air guide member 17, the paper dust PD remaining on the surface of the continuous paper P or the inner wall surface of the feed hole PH is wound up by the rising air current in the region A1 and enters the ventilation path 17D. Therefore, according to the disclosed air guide member 17, paper dust PD that has passed through the edge 173 of the first side wall 171 can be effectively removed by the wind W of the blower (see also FIG. 7A).

  Referring to FIG. 6, in the disclosed printer PT, a minute gap G <b> 2 is also provided between the second side wall portion 172 of the air guide member 17 and the surface of the continuous paper P. The distance D2 between the edge 174 of the second side wall 172 and the continuous paper P is about 0.8 to 1.0 mm. Therefore, a part of the paper powder PD carried by the wind w2 flowing below the air guide member 17 cannot pass through the edge 174 of the second side wall 172 and diffuses in the ventilation path 17D. The paper dust PD diffused in the ventilation path 17D is removed by the wind W of the blower together with the paper dust PD rolled up by the rising air current in the region A1 (see also FIG. 7A). Thus, according to the disclosed air guide member 17, most of the paper dust PD carried by the winds w1 and w2 accompanying the movement of the continuous paper P and the paper dust PD carried by the movement of the continuous paper P itself is blown. It can be removed with the wind W. Therefore, according to the disclosed printer PT, the penetration of the paper dust PD into the gap G3 between the ejection surface 2A of the ink head 2 and the continuous paper P and the resulting adhesion of the paper dust PD to the ejection surface 2A are suppressed. can do.

  Referring to FIG. 6, the distance D1 between the edge 173 of the first side wall portion 171 and the continuous paper P is made smaller than the distance D3 between the ejection surface 2A of the ink head 2 and the continuous paper P. Is preferred (D1 <D3). Thereby, it is possible to suppress the paper powder PD carried by the wind w <b> 1 flowing from the tractor 10 </ b> A to the air guide member 17 from moving to the downstream side in the paper transport direction through the edge 173. If the distance D1 is greater than the distance D3, the paper dust PD that has passed through the gap G1 may further pass through the gap G2 and enter the gap G3. Usually, the height of the gap G2 (distance D2) is made larger than the height of the gap G1 (distance D1). Similarly, the distance D2 between the edge 174 of the second side wall 172 and the continuous paper P is preferably smaller than the distance D3 between the ejection surface 2A of the ink head 2 and the continuous paper P. (D2 <D3). Thereby, it is possible to suppress the paper dust PD carried by the wind w2 flowing under the air guide member 17 from passing through the edge portion 174 and moving downstream in the paper transport direction.

  Further, the distance D2 between the edge 174 of the second side wall 172 and the continuous paper P is the same as the distance D1 between the edge 173 of the first side wall 171 and the continuous paper P, or the distance D1. It is preferable to be larger than (D2 ≦ D1). As a result, it is difficult for the rising air flow to occur in the region A2 adjacent to the edge 174 on the downstream side in the paper transport direction, and thus it is possible to suppress the paper powder PD passing over the edge 174 from being rolled up in the region A2. . In this case, the paper dust PD continues to remain on the surface of the continuous paper P or the inner wall surface of the feed hole PH even after passing through the edge 174. Therefore, even if the paper dust PD passes through the edge 174 and enters the gap G3, the possibility that the paper dust PD adheres to the ejection surface 2A is low. If the distance D2 is smaller than the distance D1, the flow path of the wind w2 flowing under the air guide member 17 is narrowed by the edge portion 174, so that an upward air flow is likely to occur in the downstream area A2. As a result, the paper dust PD that has passed over the edge portion 174 is wound up in front of the ink head 2, so that the paper dust PD may adhere to the ejection surface 2A.

  FIG. 8 is an arrow view of the tractor 10A shown in FIG. In FIG. 8, the air guide member and the blower are omitted. In the paper feeding section 1 of the printer PT shown in FIG. 8, tractors 10A are provided at positions corresponding to the feed holes on both sides of the continuous paper P. The pin 14 on the tractor 10A is inserted into the feed hole PH on the continuous paper P. The printer PT is provided with a plurality of ink heads 2 for printing on the continuous paper P in the print area of the continuous paper P. FIG. 8 shows only two ink heads 2 on both sides. The lid member 16 is attached to the housing 19 of the tractor 10A by a hinge shaft HA and normally covers the pin 14. However, when the continuous paper P is replaced, the lid member 16 can rotate around the hinge shaft HA. It has become.

  Here, a specific structural example of the tractor and the air guide member in the printer of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 9 is a partial perspective view illustrating a state in which the disclosed tractor 10A is provided in the paper feeding unit 1 of the printer PT according to the present embodiment. From this figure, it can be seen that the printer PT is provided with a total of four ink heads 2. The air guide member 17 extends along the arrangement direction of the pair of tractors 10A and 10A represented by the arrow A91. The arrangement direction of the tractors 10A and 10A is parallel to the width direction of continuous paper (not shown) conveyed by the tractors 10A and 10A. Therefore, the extending direction of the air guide member 17 is parallel to the width direction of the continuous paper conveyed by the tractors 10A and 10A. However, the extending direction of the air guide member 17 may be somewhat inclined with respect to the arrangement direction of the tractors 10A and 10A. A blower 18 that generates the wind W flowing inside the air guide member 17 is attached to one end 17E1 in the extending direction of the air guide member 17.

  7B, the dimension L1 in the extending direction of the air guide member 17 is larger than the dimension L2 in the width direction of the continuous paper P (L1> L2). Therefore, the ventilation path 17 </ b> D of the air guide member 17 extends over the entire length of the continuous paper P in the width direction above the continuous paper P. As a result, paper dust remaining in both the front and back feed holes PH in the width direction of the continuous paper P can be simultaneously removed by the wind W of the blower 18. Referring to FIG. 9, the other end 17E2 of the air guide member 17 is provided with a storage chamber 17C for storing paper powder carried by the wind W of the blower 18. The storage chamber 17 </ b> C is provided with a discharge port 17 </ b> O for discharging the paper dust accumulated therein to the outside of the printer PT. Furthermore, the disclosed printer PT further includes a static elimination brush 21 disposed between the tractor 10 </ b> A and the air guide member 17 in the paper conveyance direction. In FIG. 9, the sheet conveyance direction is indicated by an arrow A92. The neutralizing brush 21 is an example of a neutralizing member in the printer according to the present application.

  FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged view showing the vicinity of the air guide member 17 and the air blower 18 in FIG. 9. The disclosed printer PT employs a general square fan as the blower 18. The air blower 18 can eject a wind W having an air volume and a wind pressure sufficient to carry the paper dust that has entered the air passage 17D of the air guide member 17 to the end portion 17E2 of the air guide member 17 (see FIG. 9). ). While the continuous paper P is being conveyed by the blower 18 tractor 10A, the wind W is always ejected. Since the air blower 18 shown in FIG.9 and FIG.10 is small, power consumption is small and it is excellent in silence. In particular, the noise generated by the air blower 18 is much smaller than the noise generated by a driving device such as a motor included in the printer PT, so that the noise reduction of the entire printer PT is not deteriorated due to the air blower 18. .

  Referring to FIG. 10, the static elimination brush 21 of the disclosure has a contact portion 210 with the continuous paper PT made of a conductive material, and plays a role of removing static electricity from the continuous paper P. The contact portion 210 of the static elimination brush 21 is formed by, for example, fiberizing stainless steel. The neutralizing brush 21 preferably extends over the entire length in the width direction of the continuous paper. As a result, the static electricity of the continuous paper can be removed without leakage. If the static electricity of the continuous paper is removed by the neutralizing brush 21 on the front side of the air guide member 17, paper dust remaining on the continuous paper P can be easily peeled off from the continuous paper. As a result, the paper dust removal efficiency by the air guide member 17 and the blower 18 can be improved.

  FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific positional relationship between the tractor 10 </ b> A provided in the conveyance path R of the continuous paper P and the ink head 2 in the printer PT of this embodiment. The continuous paper P drawn by the tractor 10A from the continuous paper bundle PP placed on the side of the printer PT removes paper dust adhering to the periphery of the feed hole by the brush 3. The continuous paper P that has passed through the tractor 10 </ b> A passes under the ink head 2 and is printed by the ink head 2. There are a plurality of ink heads 2 arranged in two rows. The continuous paper P printed by the ink head 2 is sent to the paper discharge unit 4 through the transport path R by a plurality of rollers 8.

  In the continuous paper P, the paper dust adhering to the periphery of the feed hole is removed by the brush 3, but the paper dust to be removed is only paper dust adhering to the surface around the feed hole, and is formed on the inner wall portion of the feed hole. Residual paper dust cannot be completely removed by the brush 3. The paper dust remaining on the inner wall of the feed hole is pushed out of the feed hole by the pin when the pin of the tractor 10A is inserted into the feed hole of the continuous paper P from below, and the periphery of the feed hole on the surface of the continuous paper P Adhere to. Further, when the pin is pulled out from the feed hole of the continuous paper P, the paper dust still remaining in the feed hole is drawn to the lower side of the continuous paper P by the pin.

  In the transport path R of the comparative technique described in FIG. 3, when the paper dust attached to the periphery of the feed hole on the surface of the continuous paper P is conveyed by the continuous paper P by the tractor 10 and adheres to the ink discharge port of the ink head 2, Printing failure due to the ink head 2 may occur. On the other hand, the printer PT of this embodiment includes an air guide member 17 disposed between the tractor 10A and the ink head 2 in the paper transport direction. The disclosed air guide member 17 includes first and second side wall portions 171 and 172 arranged side by side in the paper conveyance direction, and is a space sandwiched between the first and second side wall portions 171 and 172. Forms a ventilation path 17D extending in a direction crossing the sheet conveying direction above the continuous sheet P. In the printer PT of the present embodiment, the paper dust remaining on the continuous paper P passes through the gap G1 below the first side wall portion 171 and is then wound up by the updraft in the ventilation path 17D and is passed through the ventilation path 17D. (See Figure 6 for details). When the dimension L5 in the height direction of the first side wall part 171 is set to 34.5 mm, for example, the dimension L6 in the height direction of the second side wall part 172 can be set to 31.5 mm, for example. In this case, the distance L3 between the first side wall part 171 and the second side wall part 172 can be set to 19.0 mm, for example.

  Further, the printer PT according to the present embodiment includes a blower (not shown) that is attached to one end portion in the extending direction of the air guide member 17 and generates a wind that flows in a direction crossing the sheet conveying direction. Therefore, in the printer PT of the present embodiment, the paper dust that has entered the ventilation path 17D is carried in a direction crossing the paper conveyance direction by the wind of the blower. As a result, the wind accompanying the movement of the continuous paper P and the paper dust carried by the continuous paper P itself are removed on the upstream side of the ink head 2, so that the paper into the gap G3 between the ink head 2 and the continuous paper P is removed. Intrusion of powder can be prevented. Referring to FIG. 6, the paper powder PD carried by the winds w1 and w2 accompanying the movement of the continuous paper P is diffused in the upstream region of the first side wall portion 171 or diffused in the ventilation path 17D. Removed by the wind of the blower (see also FIG. 7A). Also, the paper dust PD carried by the continuous paper P itself is peeled off from the inner wall surface of the feed hole by the rising air current in the ventilation path 17D while the continuous paper P passes under the air guide member 17, and the blower Removed by wind. As a result, the possibility that the paper dust PD is carried to the lower part of the ink head 2 is low, and thus the possibility that the paper dust PD adheres to the ejection surface 2A of the ink head 2 is low.

  Referring again to FIG. 9, the disclosed printer PT may include another blower device 28 disposed between the tractor 10 </ b> A and the ink head 2 in the paper transport direction. In the disclosed printer PT, the blower 28 is disposed between the tractor 10 </ b> A and the static elimination brush 21 in the paper transport direction. In the following description, the blower 28 may be referred to as a second blower 28. FIG. 12 is a partial perspective view showing the tractor 10A used in the printer PT of this embodiment. In the present embodiment, the cover member 16 provided on the tractor 10A includes a cover portion 16C and an extending portion 16E. The cover portion 16C can be opened and closed by a hinge shaft HA provided on the housing 19 of the tractor 10A, and covers a belt and a pin (not shown) on the tractor 10A. When changing the continuous paper (not shown) to the tractor 10A, the cover portion 16C is opened by the user. The extending portion 16E is provided in an area between the tractor 10A and an ink head (not shown) adjacent to the cover portion 16C. Two extending | stretching parts 16E are attached with the 2nd air blower 28, and the container 20 which receives the paper powder conveyed by the wind of the 2nd air blower 28 is arrange | positioned under the extending | stretching part 16E.

  FIG. 13 is a perspective view of one of the second blower devices 28 shown in FIG. 12 as viewed from the bottom surface side. The second blower 28 has a nozzle 28N that ejects the wind WW toward a feed hole of continuous paper (not shown) conveyed by the disclosed tractor 10A. The wind WW ejected from the nozzle 28N is a wind having directivity that does not spread after exiting the nozzle 28N, for example, a vortex wind. The wind WW ejected from the nozzle 28N passes through the continuous paper feed hole and flows below the continuous paper. Therefore, the paper dust remaining on the inner wall surface of the feed hole is peeled off from the inner wall surface by the wind WW of the second blower 28 and carried below the continuous paper. The paper dust removed from the continuous paper in this way is stored in a container 20 positioned below the continuous paper (see FIG. 12). As described above, in the disclosed printer PT, the second air blower 28 removes paper dust on the upstream side of the air guide member 17 in the paper conveyance direction, so the amount of paper dust that reaches the lower portion of the air guide member 17 Can be reduced (see FIG. 9). As a result, according to the disclosed printer PT, it is possible to further reduce the amount of paper powder that passes through the air guide member 17 and is conveyed downstream in the paper conveyance direction.

Table 1 below shows the number of defective portions included in the printed matter output by the printer after a predetermined number of running tests. Specifically, Table 1 below shows the results of visually confirming the number of missing dots contained in the printed matter, for each of the printers of the comparative technology and the printer of this embodiment shown in FIGS. Show. The number of missing dots shown in Table 1 is an average value of two running tests. In the running test of the printer of the present embodiment, only the blower 18 attached to the disclosed wind guide member 17 was operated, and the second blower 28 arranged on the upstream side of the wind guide member 17 was not operated. (See FIG. 9). In the running test, the distance D1 between the first side wall 171 of the air guide member 17 and the continuous paper P is 1.0 mm, and the distance between the second side wall 172 and the continuous paper P is set to 1.0 mm. D2 was set to 1.0 mm (see FIG. 6). Further, in the running test, the distance D3 between the ejection surface 2A of the ink head 2 and the continuous paper P is set to 1.5 mm (see FIG. 6). As can be seen from Table 1, in the printer of the comparative technique, missing dots have already occurred after printing 2000 sheets, and 1 to 2.5 missing dots have occurred thereafter. On the other hand, in the printer of this example, no dot omission was confirmed even after printing 10,000 sheets.

  The present application has been described in detail with particular reference to preferred embodiments thereof. For easy understanding of the present application, specific forms of the present application are appended below.

(Appendix 1) A printer for printing on continuous paper with a feed hole,
A conveying device that includes a pin inserted into the feed hole and a moving mechanism of the pin, and conveys the continuous paper by moving the pin;
A printing device that is provided at a subsequent stage of the transport device in the transport direction of the continuous paper and performs printing on the surface of the continuous paper;
A pair of wall portions arranged side by side between the transport device and the printing device in the transport direction, each having an edge extending in a direction crossing the transport direction along the surface of the continuous paper;
And a blower that generates wind that flows in a direction across the conveying direction between the pair of wall portions.

(Additional remark 2) The distance between each said edge part of said pair of wall part and the surface of the said continuous paper is formed smaller than the distance between the said printing apparatus and the surface of the said continuous paper, The printer according to appendix 1.
(Additional remark 3) The distance between the said edge part of the wall part located in the said printing apparatus side among the said pair of wall parts, and the surface of the said continuous paper is the said edge of the wall part located in the said conveying apparatus side The printer according to claim 1, wherein the printer is formed to be larger than a distance between a portion and a surface of the continuous paper.
(Supplementary note 4) The printer according to any one of supplementary notes 1 to 3, wherein each of the pair of wall portions extends over the entire length of the continuous sheet in a direction crossing the transport direction.

(Additional remark 5) It is provided between the said conveying apparatus and the said pair of wall part in the said conveyance direction, It further includes the static elimination member which contacts the surface of the said continuous paper and removes the static electricity of the said continuous paper, Additional remarks 1 5. The printer according to any one of 4.
(Additional remark 6) The said static elimination member is a printer of Additional remark 5 provided with the contact part which contacts the surface of the said continuous paper over the full length of the said continuous paper in the direction crossing the said conveyance direction.
(Supplementary Note 7) The blower is attached to one end in the extending direction of the pair of wall portions,
Any one of appendices 1 to 6, further comprising a storage chamber that is provided at the other end in the extending direction of the pair of wall portions and stores paper dust of the continuous paper carried by the wind of the blower. The printer described in.

(Additional remark 8) Any one of Additional remarks 1-7 further provided with the other air blower which is arrange | positioned between the said conveying apparatus and the said pair of wall part in the said conveyance direction, and ejects a wind toward the said feed hole. Printer.
(Additional remark 9) The container which receives the paper dust of the said continuous paper carried through the said feed hole by the wind which the said other air blower ejected was provided on the opposite side to the said other air blower on both sides of the said continuous paper The printer according to appendix 8, further comprising:
(Additional remark 10) The said conveying apparatus is arrange | positioned facing the front-end | tip of the said pin, and the extending | stretching extended | stretched from the said cover part to the downstream of the said conveyance direction from the cover part which prevents detachment | leave from the said pin. And further comprising
The printer according to appendix 8 or 9, wherein the other blower is attached to the extending portion of the transport device.

(Additional remark 11) The said conveying apparatus is a tractor by which the belt spanned between the driving wheel, the driven wheel, and the said driving wheel and the said driven wheel was provided in the housing | casing, The said pin protrudes in the said belt. The printer according to any one of appendices 1 to 10, which is provided.
(Supplementary note 12) The printer according to any one of supplementary notes 1 to 11, wherein the printing apparatus is an inkjet head.

1 Paper Feeding Unit 2 Printing Device (Ink Head)
2A discharge surface 4 paper discharge unit 10, 10A tractor (conveyance device)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Drive wheel 12 Drive wheel 13 Belt 14 Pin 16 Lid member 16E Extending part 17 Air guide member 170 Upper wall part 171 1st side wall part 172 2nd side wall part 173,174 Edge part 17D Ventilation path 18 Blower 28 Second Blower P Continuous paper PD Paper dust PH Feed hole PM Perforation R Conveyance path

Claims (5)

A printer that prints on continuous paper with feed holes,
A conveying device that includes a pin inserted into the feed hole and a moving mechanism of the pin, and conveys the continuous paper by moving the pin;
A printing device that is provided at a subsequent stage of the transport device in the transport direction of the continuous paper and performs printing on the surface of the continuous paper;
A pair of wall portions arranged side by side between the transport device and the printing device in the transport direction, each having an edge extending in a direction crossing the transport direction along the surface of the continuous paper;
And a blower that generates wind that flows in a direction across the conveying direction between the pair of wall portions.   The distance between the edge of each of the pair of wall portions and the surface of the continuous paper is formed to be smaller than the distance between the printing apparatus and the surface of the continuous paper. The printer described.   Of the pair of wall portions, the distance between the edge portion of the wall portion located on the printing device side and the surface of the continuous paper is such that the edge portion of the wall portion located on the transport device side and the continuous portion are continuous. The printer according to claim 2, wherein the printer is formed to be larger than a distance between the surface of the paper.   4. The printer according to claim 1, wherein each of the pair of wall portions extends over the entire length of the continuous sheet in a direction crossing the continuous sheet.   5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a static elimination brush that is provided between the conveyance device and the pair of wall portions in the conveyance direction and that contacts a surface of the continuous paper to remove static electricity from the continuous paper. The printer according to claim 1.

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