JP2018111546A - Medium conveying device, and recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To avoid the problem that the side edge of a medium to be conveyed is crushed to the center and remain as wrinkles even if the side edge of the medium to be conveyed is deflected in a medium conveying device, and/or to reduce the degree of the wrinkles.SOLUTION: A medium conveying device 9 includes an endless conveying belt 41 that attracts paper P to the outer surface, a first roller 42 and a second roller 43, at least two rollers around which the conveying belt 41 is wound, where the second roller 43 is positioned downstream of the first roller 42 in the medium conveying direction, a charging roller 44 for charging the conveying belt 41, a first discharging part 46 for removing charges on the surface of the paper P conveyed on the conveying belt 41, and a second discharging part which is positioned upstream of the first discharging part 46 in the medium conveying direction and removes charges on the surface of the paper P conveyed on the conveying belt 41 and has a lower discharging capability than the first discharging part 46.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a medium conveying apparatus that conveys a medium, and a recording apparatus including the medium conveying apparatus.

In a recording apparatus typified by a printer, a configuration in which a medium typified by recording paper is conveyed using a conveyance belt may be employed (for example, Patent Document 1).
In the configuration in which the medium is conveyed using the conveyance belt, the medium includes a charging unit that charges the conveyance belt and a neutralization unit that removes the electric charge on the surface of the medium conveyed by the conveyance belt. The charge on the back surface of the medium and the charge on the surface of the conveyance belt attract each other, whereby the medium is electrostatically attracted to the conveyance belt, and the medium is conveyed to a position facing the recording head.

JP 2010-208116 A

  By the way, if the medium to be conveyed is left in a state where it is accommodated in a paper feed cassette or the like, the medium may absorb moisture from four side edges (front end, rear end, left and right ends), swell and wave. Since the medium absorbs moisture from the four side edges, the central region remains flat, and only the four side edges swell and wave.

On the other hand, since the static elimination means is configured to press the static elimination brush, static elimination roller, etc. against the medium, if the medium that has been swollen due to the swelling of the four side edges as described above is pressed against the conveyor belt, the left and right side edges will bend. May be brought to the center of the medium and eventually collapsed, leaving wrinkles.
In the configuration of transporting a medium using a conventional transport belt, no special consideration has been made for such a problem.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of such problems, and its purpose is to solve the problem that even if the side edge of the medium to be transported is bent, it is brought close to the center and crushed, leaving wrinkles. An object of the present invention is to obtain a medium conveying apparatus that can avoid or reduce the degree of the wrinkles.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, a medium conveying apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention includes an endless conveying belt that adsorbs a medium to an outer surface, and at least two rollers around which the conveying belt is wound. A first roller and a second roller located downstream in the medium conveyance direction with respect to the first roller; a charging unit that charges the conveyance belt; and a first charge removal that removes electric charges on the surface of the medium conveyed by the conveyance belt. And a second neutralization unit that is located upstream of the first neutralization unit in the medium conveyance direction and has a lower neutralization capability than the first neutralization unit, and removes charges on the surface of the medium conveyed by the conveyance belt It is characterized by comprising.

  According to this aspect, the medium conveying device is located on the upstream side in the medium conveying direction from the first charge eliminating unit that removes electric charges on the surface of the medium conveyed by the conveying belt, and the conveying belt. And a second charge removal unit having a charge removal capability lower than that of the first charge removal unit. The second charge removal unit removes the charge on the surface of the medium conveyed by the second transfer unit. As a result, it is possible to suppress the phenomenon that the bending of the medium side edge shifts to the center in the medium width direction. Therefore, in this state, the charge on the surface of the medium is removed by the first charge eliminating portion, and the electrostatic attraction force necessary for recording is obtained, so that the left and right edges of the medium are bent by the first charge removing portion. It is possible to avoid the problem of being moved to the center and eventually being crushed and remaining as wrinkles, or the degree of wrinkles can be reduced.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the second static elimination unit includes a static elimination roller that rotates in contact with an outer surface of the conveyance belt.
According to this aspect, since the second static elimination unit includes the static elimination roller that rotates in contact with the outer surface of the transport belt, friction between the second static elimination unit and the medium is reduced. It is possible to suppress damage to both the second static elimination unit and the medium.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, the static eliminating roller has a cylindrical shape over the entire medium width direction, which is a direction intersecting the medium conveyance direction.
In the configuration in which the rollers are arranged at an appropriate interval along the medium width direction, wrinkles are drawn between the rollers, and the wrinkles are easily crushed and become noticeable wrinkles. Since the entire body width direction, which is the intersecting direction, is formed into a cylindrical shape, the above-described problems can be avoided or suppressed.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the second or third aspect, the static elimination roller is constituted by a metal roller having conductivity.
According to this aspect, since the static elimination roller is comprised with the metal roller which has electroconductivity, the electric potential of the said static elimination roller surface can be set easily.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect, the static eliminating roller is grounded.
According to this aspect, since the static elimination roller is grounded, the second static elimination unit having a static elimination capability lower than that of the first static elimination unit can be realized with a simple configuration.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the second to fifth aspects, the static elimination roller is configured to be able to advance and retreat with respect to the transport belt.
According to this aspect, since the static elimination roller is configured to be able to advance and retreat with respect to the transport belt, it can cope with media having various thicknesses.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in any one of the second to sixth aspects, the static eliminating roller is urged toward the conveyance belt at both ends by an urging member.
According to this aspect, since the neutralizing roller is urged toward the conveyance belt at both ends by the urging member, it is possible to suppress the inclination of the neutralizing roller with respect to the surface of the medium.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the seventh aspect, the static eliminating roller is grounded via the biasing member.
According to this aspect, the structure which earth | grounds the said static elimination roller can be arrange | positioned in space saving.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to eighth aspects, an adsorption force for adsorbing the medium between the second static elimination unit and the first static elimination unit by the conveyor belt is as follows: The neutralization capability of each of the first neutralization unit and the second neutralization unit is set so that the adsorbing force for adsorbing the medium downstream from the second neutralization unit is ½ or less. Features.

  According to this aspect, the adsorption force that the conveyance belt adsorbs the medium between the second static elimination unit and the first static elimination unit is the adsorption force that adsorbs the medium downstream from the second static elimination unit. Since the neutralization capability of each of the first neutralization unit and the second neutralization unit is set so as to be less than or equal to ½ of the above, it is possible to suitably obtain the operation and effect of the first aspect described above. it can.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to ninth aspects, the first static elimination unit is provided on an endless belt movable along the medium width direction, and on the surface of the belt. And a brush which is provided and is in contact with the outer surface of the conveyor belt.
According to this aspect, the first end is configured to include an endless belt movable along the medium width direction, and a brush provided on the surface of the belt and in contact with the outer surface of the conveyance belt. In the medium conveyance device provided with the charge eliminating portion, the same effect as any of the first to ninth aspects described above can be obtained.

A recording apparatus according to an eleventh aspect of the present invention includes a recording head that performs recording on a medium, the conveying belt facing the recording head, and the upstream side of a recording area where recording is performed by the recording head. A medium conveying apparatus according to any one of the first to tenth aspects, comprising one neutralizing unit and the second neutralizing unit.
According to this aspect, in the recording apparatus, the same function and effect as any of the first to tenth aspects described above can be obtained.

1 is an external perspective view of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a sheet conveyance path in a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. The side view of a medium conveyance apparatus. The top view of a medium conveying apparatus. The perspective view which shows the principal part of a medium conveying apparatus. The principal part enlarged view of a medium conveying apparatus. It is principal part sectional drawing of a medium conveying apparatus, and is a figure which shows a mode that a path | route formation member exists in a 1st state. It is principal part sectional drawing of a medium conveying apparatus, and a figure which shows a mode that a path | route formation member exists in a 2nd state. The figure explaining the other example of the structure which reduces the wrinkle of the paper which arises in the 1st static elimination part. The figure explaining the other example of the structure which reduces the wrinkle of the paper which arises in the 1st static elimination part. The figure explaining the other example of the structure which reduces the wrinkle of the paper which arises in the 1st static elimination part.

[Example 1]
First, an outline of a recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. As an example of the recording apparatus of the present embodiment, an ink jet printer 1 (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as the printer 1) is taken as an example.
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a sheet conveyance path in the printer according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a side view of the medium transport device. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the medium transport device. FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a main part of the medium transport device. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a main part of the medium transport device. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the medium transport device, and shows a state where the path forming member is in the first state. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the medium transport device, and shows a state where the path forming member is in the second state.

  In the XYZ coordinate system shown in each figure, the X direction indicates the width direction of the recording medium in the conveyance path in the recording apparatus, the Y direction indicates the conveyance direction of the recording medium, and the Z direction indicates the apparatus height direction. In each figure, the −X direction is the front side of the apparatus, and the + X direction side is the back side of the apparatus.

■■■ Overview of the printer ■■■
The printer 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The printer 1 is configured as a multifunction machine including an apparatus main body 2 and a scanner unit 3. The apparatus main body 2 includes a plurality of paper storage cassettes 4 that store paper P (see FIG. 2) as “medium”. Each paper storage cassette 4 is detachably attached from the front side (the −X axis direction side in FIG. 1) of the apparatus main body 2. In this specification, the paper P indicates, as an example, paper such as plain paper, thick paper, and photographic paper.

  Further, in the apparatus height direction (Z-axis direction) in the apparatus main body 2, the sheet P on which recording has been performed by the line head 10 (FIG. 2) described later is discharged between the scanner unit 3 and the sheet storage cassette 4. A discharge portion 7 that performs the discharge operation and a medium placement portion 5 that places the paper P discharged from the discharge portion 7 are provided. An operation unit 6 is provided on the front side of the apparatus main body 2. The operation unit 6 is provided with display means such as a liquid crystal panel. Further, by operating the operation unit 6, it is possible to input a recording operation and an image reading operation instruction to the printer 1.

■■■ About the printer transport path ■■■
Next, the conveyance path of the paper P in the printer 1 will be described with reference to FIG.
The printer 1 in this embodiment includes a transport path 11 for the paper P. The conveyance path 11 is connected to the feeding path 14 for sending the paper picked up from the paper storage cassette 4 and the recording area by the line head 10 as a “recording head” connected to the feeding path 14 for recording on the medium. , And a face-down discharge path 13 that feeds paper from the straight path 12 to the discharge unit 7.
Further, the transport path 11 is connected to the switchback path 15 branched from the straight path 12 on the downstream side of the line head 10 and the switchback path 15, and the front and back sides (first surface and second surface) of the sheet P are connected. And a reverse path 16 that reverses and returns to the straight path 12, and is configured to perform so-called double-sided recording in which recording is performed on the second side after recording on the first side of the paper P.

In the feeding path 14, a feeding roller 17, a separation roller pair 18 that separates a plurality of sheets into one sheet, and a first conveying roller pair 19 are provided in order along the conveyance direction of the sheet P. .
The feed roller 17 is configured to be rotationally driven by a drive source (not shown). In this embodiment, the separation roller pair 18 and the first transport roller pair 19 are constituted by a driving roller that is rotationally driven by a driving source (not shown) and a driven roller that is rotated by the rotation of the driving roller.
In the following description, it is assumed that one roller in each conveyance roller pair appearing in this specification is configured as a driven roller, and the other roller is configured as a drive roller that is driven to rotate by a drive source (not shown). explain.

  Further, the rotation of each drive roller that is rotationally driven by a drive source is controlled by a control unit (not shown) provided in the apparatus main body 2. The line head 10 described later is also controlled by the control unit. That is, the control unit is configured to be able to execute control necessary for the recording operation in the printer 1.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the plurality of sheets P stored in the sheet storage cassette 4 are picked up by the feeding roller 17 and transported downstream in the transport direction. At this time, the next and subsequent sheets P may be conveyed together with the uppermost sheet P. However, the uppermost sheet P and the next and subsequent sheets P are separated by the separation roller pair 18, and the uppermost sheet P is separated. Only P is sent to the feeding path 14.

A second transport roller pair 21 is provided on the downstream side in the transport direction of the first transport roller pair 19. In the present embodiment, the feeding path 14 and the straight path 12 are connected at the position of the second transport roller pair 21.
The straight path 12 is configured as a linearly extending path, and sequentially includes a second conveyance roller pair 21, a belt conveyance unit 40, a line head 10, and a first sheet detection sensor 24 that detects passage of the sheet P along the conveyance direction. A second paper detection sensor 26 and a first flap 27 are provided. In this embodiment, the straight path 12 is set as a path from the second transport roller pair 21 to the first flap 27. That is, the straight path 12 is a path that passes through the line head 10 and extends upstream and downstream of the line head 10.

  A plurality of paper detection sensors are provided in the transport path 11 of the printer 1 in addition to the first paper detection sensor 24 and the second paper detection sensor 26. For example, there are a third paper detection sensor 33 provided in the face-down discharge path 13, a fourth paper detection sensor 34 provided in the switchback path 15, and the like.

  In the present embodiment, the belt conveying means 40 constituting the medium conveying device 9 for conveying the paper P is disposed in a region facing the head surface of the line head 10 and supports the side opposite to the recording surface of the paper P. ing. The configuration of the medium conveying device 9 including the belt conveying means 40 will be described later in detail.

The line head 10 is configured to perform recording by discharging ink onto the recording surface of the paper P when the paper P is transported to a position facing the line head 10 on the belt transport means 40. The line head 10 is a recording head provided such that the nozzles for ejecting ink cover the entire width of the paper P, and is configured as a recording head capable of recording over the entire medium width without moving in the medium width direction. Has been.
Although the printer 1 of this embodiment includes the line head 10, a serial type recording head that is mounted on a carriage and reciprocates in a direction crossing the medium conveyance direction to perform recording by discharging liquid onto the medium. You may have.

  Subsequently, the first flap 27 can be switched between a state in which the straight path 12 and the switchback path 15 are connected and a state in which the straight path 12 and the face-down discharge path 13 are connected by a drive mechanism (not shown). It is configured. In this embodiment, the drive mechanism for driving the first flap 27 is constituted by a solenoid, and its operation is controlled by a control unit (not shown).

When the straight path 12 and the face-down discharge path 13 are connected by the first flap 27, the paper P is sent from the straight path 12 to the face-down discharge path 13 by the third transport roller pair 28. The face-down discharge path 13 is a conveyance path 11 connected to the straight path 12, and is a path that reverses the recording surface of the paper P recorded by the line head 10 and sends it to the discharge unit 7.
The paper P that has entered the face-down discharge path 13 is transported by a plurality of transport roller pairs 30 and is discharged from the discharge unit 7 and is also placed on the medium placement unit 5 with the recording surface facing downward (FIG. 1). See also).

  When recording on the second side after recording on the first side of the paper P, that is, when executing double-sided recording, the straight path 12 and the switchback path 15 are separated by the first flap 27. The connected paper P is sent from the straight path 12 to the switchback path 15 by the belt conveying means 40. Note that the sheet P passes through the switchback path 15 and the reversing path 16 in the same manner when recording is performed on the second surface although recording is not performed on the first surface.

A second flap 31 is provided above the first flap 27. The second flap 31 is configured to be driven by an interlocking mechanism (not shown) in conjunction with the operation of the first flap 27.
A specific operation will be described. In a state where the first flap 27 connects the straight path 12 and the switchback path 15, the second flap 31 has an attitude that blocks the connection between the switchback path 15 and the reversing path 16. Become. On the other hand, in a state in which the first flap 27 connects the straight path 12 and the face-down discharge path 13, the second flap 31 is in a posture to connect the switchback path 15 and the reverse path 16.

The switchback path 15 is located inside the face-down discharge path 13 that is curved and inverted upward in the apparatus height direction, and extends along the face-down discharge path 13. The switchback path 15 includes a fourth transport roller pair 29.
In the switchback path 15, when the switchback path 15 and the straight path 12 are connected by the first flap 27, the paper P is sent to the switchback path 15 from below the line head 10 by the belt conveying means 40. The paper P is fed to a position where the rear end portion in the transport direction is nipped by the fourth transport roller pair 29 in the switchback path 15.

  Subsequently, the attitude of the first flap 27 is switched from an attitude in which the straight path 12 and the switchback path 15 are connected to an attitude in which the straight path 12 and the switchback path 15 are not connected. At this time, the 2nd flap 31 switches to the attitude | position which connects the switchback path | route 15 and the inversion path | route 16. FIG.

  As a result, the fourth conveying roller pair 29 is rotated in the direction opposite to the direction in which the paper P is sent to the switchback path 15, and the paper P is sent to the reversing path 16 with the rear end side of the paper P as the front end side. That is, the paper P is switched back.

The sheet P that has entered the reversing path 16 is sent by a plurality of conveying roller pairs 32, passes over the line head 10, and is upstream of the second conveying roller pair 21 in the straight path 12 with the recording surface reversed. It reaches. Then, the second transport roller pair 21 enters the straight path 12 again, and recording by the line head 10 is performed.
The sheet P on which recording has been performed on both sides enters the face-down discharge path 13 connected by the first flap 27 from the straight path 12, is discharged from the discharge unit 7, and is placed on the medium placement unit 5.
The reversing path 16 is located below the medium placing section 5 and rotates the medium placing section 5 (see the medium placing section 5 indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 2). It is configured so that it can be opened.

■■■ About the media transport device ■■■
Next, the medium transport device 9 (see also FIG. 2) for transporting the paper P will be described mainly with reference to FIGS.
The medium conveyance device 9 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) according to the present embodiment includes the belt conveyance unit 40 described above, and the belt conveyance unit 40 includes an endless conveyance belt 41 that adsorbs the paper P to the outer surface, A first roller 42 that is at least two rollers around which the conveyor belt 41 is wound, and a second roller 43 that is located downstream of the first roller 42 in the medium conveyance direction (+ Y-axis direction in FIG. 2). ing.

The belt conveyance unit 40 conveys the paper P downstream in the medium conveyance direction by driving the conveyance belt 41 when the first roller 42 is rotationally driven by a driving source (not shown).
A backup plate 45 that supports the conveyor belt 41 is provided below the conveyor belt 41.

In the present embodiment, the transport belt 41 is a belt that electrostatically attracts and transports the paper P on its outer surface 41 a, and the medium transport device 9 is a charging roller 44 as an example of a “charging unit” that charges the transport belt 41. And a first charge removal unit 46 that removes electric charges on the surface of the paper P conveyed by the conveyance belt 41.
The medium transport device 9 removes the charge on the surface of the paper P transported by the transport belt 41 upstream of the first charge removal unit 46 in the medium transport direction, and has a lower charge removal capability than the first charge removal unit 46. It is characterized in that the second static elimination unit 47 is provided.
Hereinafter, the charging roller 44 and the first charge removal unit 46 will be described, and then the second charge removal unit 47 that is a feature of the present invention will be described.

<< About the charging roller >>
As shown in FIG. 3, the charging roller 44 is provided at a position facing the first roller 42 below the transport path 11 (upstream in the rotation direction during transport of the medium of the transport belt 41), and the outer surface of the transport belt 41. 41a is in contact.
When the first roller 42 and the second roller 43 rotate to drive the conveyance belt 41, the outer surface 41 a of the charged conveyance belt 41 after the charging roller 44 comes into contact becomes a path forming surface that forms the conveyance path 11. Therefore, the adsorptivity of the paper P on the transport belt 41 that forms the transport path 11 can be improved.

<< About the 1st charge removal part >>
The first static elimination unit 46 is provided between the line head 10 and the first roller 42 in the medium conveyance direction.
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the first static elimination unit 46 includes a drive roller 48 that is rotationally driven by a drive source (not shown) and a driven roller 49. The driving roller 48 and the driven roller 49 are provided so as to sandwich the conveyance belt 41 in the width direction (X-axis direction) of the paper P. The rotation shaft 48a and the rotation shaft 49a of the drive roller 48 and the driven roller 49 are in the axial direction along the medium conveyance direction (FIG. 4).
A static elimination belt 50 provided with a brush 50a protruding outward from the endless belt is stretched around a driving roller 48 and a driven roller 49. The static elimination belt 50 is provided so that the brush 50 a contacts the entire width of the conveyance belt 41.

When the driving roller 48 is rotated, the static elimination belt 50 moves in the X-axis direction, which is the medium width direction, at a portion facing the paper P on the transport belt 41. Thereby, the site | part which the brush 50a of the static elimination belt 50 contacts the paper P electrostatically attracted to the conveyance belt 41 can be changed.
At this time, the charge 50 is removed from the surface of the paper P by pressing the brush 50 a of the static elimination belt 50 against the paper P. By removing the charge from the surface of the paper P, the adsorptivity of the paper P to the transport belt 41 can be enhanced. In addition, as a material of the brush 50a, metal materials, such as stainless steel, and a resin material can be used.
In addition, the 1st static elimination part 46 can also be set as the structure which uses a static elimination roller other than the structure which uses the static elimination belt 50 as an endless "belt" provided with the brush 50a.

<< About the 2nd static elimination part >>
The second static elimination unit 47 (FIGS. 3 and 4) is provided with a static elimination roller 51 that is provided upstream of the first static elimination unit 46 in the medium conveyance direction and rotates in contact with the outer surface of the conveyance belt 41. Yes.
The neutralization roller 51 as the second neutralization unit 47 removes electric charges on the surface of the paper P conveyed by the conveyance belt 41, and has a neutralization capability lower than that of the first neutralization unit 46.

The static elimination roller 51 is comprised with the metal roller which has electroconductivity. By configuring the static eliminating roller 51 with a conductive metal roller, the potential on the surface of the static eliminating roller 51 can be easily set.
In addition, the static elimination roller 51 is grounded, which makes it possible to make the configuration of the second static elimination part 47 lower than that of the first static elimination part 46 with a simple configuration.

Here, the sheet P left in the state of being accommodated in the sheet accommodation cassette 4 absorbs moisture from the four side edges (front end, rear end, left and right ends), and only the side edges of the four sides remain flat in the central area. It may swell and wave.
When the sheet P having the wavy edges on the four sides is directly pressed against the transport belt 41 by the first static elimination unit 46, for example, the bending of the side edge in the medium width direction is brought to the center. There was a possibility that it would be crushed and attracted to the conveyor belt 41 in a state where wrinkles were formed.

In the present embodiment, on the upstream side of the first static elimination section 46, the second static elimination section 47 whose neutralization capability is set lower than the first static elimination section 46 performs the static elimination on the surface of the paper P. Before the static elimination by the static elimination unit 46, the second static elimination unit 47 can adsorb the swollen side edges of the paper P on the transport belt 41 with a weak adsorption force that can move, and as a result, It is possible to suppress the phenomenon that the deflection of the medium side edge described above shifts to the center in the medium width direction.
Then, in a state where the sheet P is attracted to the conveyor belt 41 to some extent, the first charge eliminating unit 46 removes the charge on the surface of the sheet and obtains an electrostatic attracting force necessary for performing the recording. It is possible to avoid the problem that wrinkles are generated by one static elimination unit 46 or to reduce the degree of wrinkles.

The adsorption force that the conveyance belt 41 adsorbs the paper P between the second static elimination unit 47 and the first static elimination unit 46 is 1/2 of the adsorption force that adsorbs the paper P downstream from the second static elimination unit 47. It is desirable that the respective static elimination capabilities of the first static elimination unit 46 and the second static elimination unit 47 are set so as to be as follows. As a result, it is possible to suitably obtain the effect obtained by providing the second charge removal unit 47.
The relationship between the adsorption force that the conveyance belt 41 adsorbs the paper P between the second static elimination unit 47 and the first static elimination unit 46 and the adsorption force that adsorbs the paper P downstream from the second static elimination unit 47 is as follows. It can be set by changing the static elimination capability of the first static elimination unit 46 or the second static elimination unit 47.
For example, by changing the grounding resistance of the second static elimination unit 47, the static elimination capability of the second static elimination unit 47 is changed, and the conveyor belt 41 is moved between the second static elimination unit 47 and the first static elimination unit 46. The adsorption force for adsorbing the paper P can be made equal to or less than ½ of the adsorption force for adsorbing the paper P downstream from the second static elimination unit 47.

  In the present embodiment, since the second static elimination unit 47 includes the static elimination roller 51, friction between the second static elimination unit 47 and the paper P can be reduced, and the second static elimination unit 47 and the paper can be reduced. Both damages of P can be suppressed.

Next, a detailed configuration of the static elimination roller 51 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 5, the static eliminating roller 51 has a cylindrical shape over the entire medium width direction (X-axis direction), which is a direction intersecting the medium conveyance direction (Y-axis direction). In FIG. 5, the description of the first static elimination unit 46 is omitted for easy understanding of the configuration of the static elimination roller 51.
In the present embodiment, a plurality of static elimination rollers 51a that are short in the medium width direction are arranged with almost no gap across the entire width direction of the medium, and the static elimination roller 51 as a whole has a cylindrical shape.
For example, in a configuration in which a plurality of rollers are arranged at appropriate intervals along the medium width direction, wrinkles are drawn between the rollers arranged at intervals and the rollers are crushed and become prominent wrinkles. Such a problem can be avoided or suppressed by forming the static eliminating roller 51 in a cylindrical shape over the entire medium width direction.

Further, the static elimination roller 51 is configured to be able to advance and retract with respect to the transport belt 41.
Specifically, the static elimination roller 51 is provided on a path forming member 52 (FIGS. 2 and 5) that forms a part of the upper side surface of the conveyance path 11, and the rotation shaft 51b of the static elimination roller 51 is configured to form a path. The bearing 52 is provided on the member 52 (FIGS. 5 and 6).
The path forming member 52 is also provided with a transport driven roller 21b of the second transport roller pair 21 provided on the upstream side of the static elimination roller 51 (FIG. 7).

The bearing portion 53 is formed as a long hole that is long in the direction of advancement / retraction with respect to the conveyor belt 41, that is, the apparatus height direction (Z-axis direction), and the static elimination roller 51 is received by the bearing portion 53. Thus, the outer surface 41a of the conveyor belt 41 is pressed by its own weight. The rotation shaft 51b can move in a direction away from the conveyor belt 41 within the length range of the long hole, so that the static elimination roller 51 can advance and retreat with respect to the conveyor belt 41.
Since the static elimination roller 51 is configured to be able to advance and retreat with respect to the transport belt 41, it can cope with media having various thicknesses.

The static eliminating roller 51 is urged toward the transport belt 41 at both ends.
Specifically, torsion springs 54 (FIG. 6) as “biasing members” for urging the rotation shaft 51 b toward the transport belt 41 are provided at both ends of the rotation shaft 51 b of the static elimination roller 51.
The torsion spring 54 includes a coil portion 54a and two arm portions 54b and 54b extending from the coil portion 54a. The annular coil portion 54a is provided on the shaft portion 55 of the path forming member 52, and one arm portion 54b (FIG. 6). The arm portion 54b on the −Y-axis direction side is in contact with the path forming member 52, and the arm portion 54b on the other side (the arm portion 54b on the + Y-axis direction side in FIG. 6) is in contact with the rotation shaft 51b. Note that the torsion spring 54 and the shaft portion 55 are formed of a conductive material, and the charge removal roller 51 is grounded via the torsion spring 54 and the shaft portion 55. Thereby, the structure which grounds the static elimination roller 51 can be arrange | positioned in space saving.
5 and 6 show the end portion on the −X-axis direction side of the rotation shaft 51b, the + X-axis direction side is configured similarly.

By the way, in this embodiment, the path | route formation member 52 in which the static elimination roller 51 is provided is the 1st state (FIG. 7) in which the static elimination roller 51 contacts the conveyance belt 41 as shown in FIG. And a second state (FIG. 8) spaced from In the first state (FIG. 7), the transport driven roller 21b of the second transport roller pair 21 is also in contact with the transport drive roller 21a. In the second state (FIG. 8), the transport of the second transport roller pair 21 is performed. The driven roller 21b is also separated from the transport driving roller 21a.
When the paper P is transported in the first state (FIG. 7) and maintenance is performed such as a paper jam processing, the path forming member 52 is set to the second state (FIG. 8), and the transport path 11 is opened. Maintenance can be facilitated.

Here, when the rotating shaft 51b of the static elimination roller 51 is in a free state with respect to the bearing portion 53, the path forming member 52 is returned to the first state (FIG. 7) after being set to the second state (FIG. 8). At this time, the rotation shaft 51b of the static elimination roller 51 may be inclined with respect to the surface of the paper P. In addition, the rotating shaft 51b of the static elimination roller 51 may be inclined even after the thick paper P passes.
In this embodiment, since the static elimination roller 51 is urged toward the conveyance belt 41 at both ends, the inclination of the static elimination roller 51 with respect to the surface of the paper P can be suppressed.

  As described above, the static elimination roller 51 is configured to press the conveyance belt 41 by its own weight, and the urging force of the torsion spring 54 is a force enough to prevent the rotary shaft 51b of the static elimination roller 51 from freely moving and tilting. Is set to When the neutralizing roller 51 presses the conveyor belt 41 by the biasing force of the torsion spring 54, the torsion springs 54 provided at both ends of the rotating shaft 51b are attached to realize uniform pressing of the conveyor belt 41 by the electric roller 51. Although it is necessary to balance the power, by adopting a configuration in which the static elimination roller 51 presses the conveyance belt 41 by its own weight, the configuration can be simplified and uniform pressing of the conveyance belt 41 by the static elimination roller 51 can be realized.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the invention described in the claims, and these are also included in the scope of the present invention. Needless to say.

■■■ About another example of a configuration that reduces paper wrinkles generated in the first static elimination unit ■■■
Each of FIGS. 9 to 11 is a diagram illustrating another example of a configuration for reducing the wrinkles of the paper P generated in the first static elimination unit 46. Hereinafter, a description will be given with reference to FIGS.
In the first embodiment, the second static elimination unit 47 that adsorbs the paper P to the conveyance belt 41 to some extent with a weak adsorption force is provided on the upstream side of the first static elimination unit 46 in the medium conveyance direction. In place of the second static elimination unit 47, the sheet member 61 that can hold the paper P toward the conveyance belt 41 with a weak force on the upstream side in the medium conveyance direction of the first static elimination unit 46 is also provided. It is possible to reduce wrinkles of the paper P generated when the paper P with the wavy edges on the four sides is conveyed to one static elimination unit 46.

In FIG. 9, the sheet member 61 is provided at the front end (downstream side) of the path forming member 52, so that the sheet member 61 presses the paper P toward the transport belt 41 in front of the first static elimination unit 46. It has become.
The sheet member 61 can be formed of, for example, a resin material such as polyester (PET).

  By providing the sheet member 61 on the upstream side in the medium conveyance direction of the first static elimination unit 46, the paper is interposed between the first static elimination unit 46 and the conveyance belt 41 in a state where the undulation of the side edge of the paper P is lightly pressed. Since P is transported, it is possible to avoid the problem that wrinkles are generated by the first static elimination unit 46 or to reduce the degree of the wrinkles.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 10, by disposing the first charge removal unit 46 obliquely with respect to the medium width direction, the paper P with the four side edges rippled is conveyed to the first charge removal unit 46. It is possible to reduce the wrinkles of the paper P that occur when the paper is crushed.
By arranging the first static elimination unit 46 obliquely with respect to the medium width direction, when the corrugated paper P is transported between the first static elimination unit 46 and the transport belt 41, the corrugation of the paper P is generated. In FIG. 10, it is possible to escape to the side edge on the −X axis direction side in the direction indicated by the arrow A. As a result, wrinkles caused by the undulation of the paper P approaching the central portion in the medium width direction can be reduced or suppressed.

  A holding member 62 such as a sheet or a film made of a resin material is preferably provided on the upstream side of the first static elimination unit 46. This makes it possible to smoothly move the wave of the paper P in the −X axis direction.

Further, as shown in FIG. 11, the first static elimination unit 46 is arranged along the medium width direction, and is tapered toward the center in the medium width direction on the upstream side of the first static elimination unit 46. By providing the pressing member 63 formed in a shape, the corrugation of the paper P can be brought to both sides in the medium width direction with the taper apex of the pressing member 63 as a boundary (direction indicated by arrow B in FIG. 11). Therefore, the corrugation of the paper P can be released to both side edges in the medium width direction. Also with this configuration, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the corrugation of the paper P is crushed near the center in the medium width direction.
In addition, as the pressing member 63, a sheet or a film formed of a resin material can be used.

1 ... Inkjet printer (recording device), 2 ... Main unit,
3 ... scanner unit, 4 ... paper storage cassette, 5 ... medium placement section,
6 ... operation unit, 7 ... discharge unit, 9 ... medium transport device, 10 ... line head (recording head),
11 ... Conveyance path, 12 ... Straight path, 13 ... Face-down discharge path,
14 ... feed path, 15 ... switchback path, 16 ... reverse path,
17 ... feed roller, 18 ... separation roller pair, 19 ... first transport roller pair,
21 ... Second conveying roller pair, 24 ... First paper detection sensor,
26 ... second paper detection sensor, 27 ... first flap, 28 ... third transport roller pair,
29 ... 4th conveyance roller pair, 30 ... Conveyance roller pair, 31 ... 2nd flap,
32 ... Pair of transport rollers, 33 ... Third paper detection sensor, 34 ... Fourth paper detection sensor,
40 ... belt conveying means, 41 ... conveying belt, 42 ... first roller,
43 ... second roller, 44 ... charging roller, 45 ... backup plate,
46 ... 1st charge removal part, 47 ... 2nd charge removal part, 48 ... Drive roller,
49 ... driven roller, 50 ... static elimination belt, 50a ... brush, 51 ... static elimination roller,
52 ... Path forming member, 53 ... Bearing part, 54 ... Torsion spring, 55 ... Shaft part,
61 ... sheet member, 62 ... pressing member, 63 ... pressing member, P ... medium

Claims (11)

An endless conveyor belt that adsorbs the medium to the outer surface;
A first roller that is at least two rollers around which the transport belt is wound, and a second roller that is positioned downstream in the medium transport direction with respect to the first roller;
Charging means for charging the conveyor belt;
A first static elimination unit that removes electric charges on the surface of the medium conveyed by the conveyance belt;
A second neutralization unit that is located upstream of the first neutralization unit in the medium conveyance direction and removes electric charges on the surface of the medium conveyed by the conveyance belt, and has a lower neutralization capability than the first neutralization unit;
A medium carrying device comprising: The medium conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second static elimination unit includes a static elimination roller that rotates in contact with an outer surface of the conveyance belt.
A medium conveying apparatus characterized by the above. The medium conveying apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the static eliminating roller has a cylindrical shape over the entire medium width direction, which is a direction intersecting the medium conveying direction.
A medium conveying apparatus characterized by the above. The medium conveying apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the static elimination roller is configured by a metal roller having conductivity.
A medium conveying apparatus characterized by the above. The medium conveying apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the static eliminating roller is grounded.
A medium conveying apparatus characterized by the above. The medium conveyance device according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the static elimination roller is configured to be able to advance and retreat with respect to the conveyance belt.
A medium conveying apparatus characterized by the above. The medium conveyance device according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the static elimination roller is urged toward the conveyance belt at both ends by an urging member.
A medium conveying apparatus characterized by the above. The medium conveying apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the static eliminating roller is grounded via the biasing member.
A medium conveying apparatus characterized by the above. The medium conveyance device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the conveyance force that the conveyance belt adsorbs a medium between the second neutralization unit and the first neutralization unit is The neutralization capability of each of the first neutralization unit and the second neutralization unit is set so as to be 1/2 or less of the adsorption force that adsorbs the medium downstream from the second neutralization unit,
A medium conveying apparatus characterized by the above. 10. The medium conveyance device according to claim 1, wherein the first charge eliminating portion is provided on an endless belt movable along the medium width direction, and on a surface of the belt. And a brush in contact with the outer surface of the conveyor belt,
A medium conveying apparatus characterized by the above. A recording head for recording on a medium;
11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the conveying belt is opposed to the recording head, and includes the first charge eliminating unit and the second charge eliminating unit on an upstream side of a recording area where recording is performed by the recording head. The medium conveying apparatus according to any one of the above,
Recording device.

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