JP2020146887A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To enable reduction of damage to a recording medium caused by remaining heat of a fixing part.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording medium having a configuration in which a base material and an adhesive layer are stacked on base paper, comprises: fixing means by which an image transferred onto the recording medium is fixed to the recording medium by heating the recording medium; separation means located further upstream in a conveyance direction than the fixing means, and configured to expose the base paper from a surface by separating the base material and the adhesive layer of the recording medium from the base paper in part of a section in the conveyance direction of the recording medium; and control means that controls conveyance of the recording medium and executes control such that the part of the section is stopped at a position facing the fixing means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus.

There is an image forming apparatus that forms an image using roll paper (continuous paper) as a recording medium. In such an image forming apparatus, the toner image is transferred to the continuous paper at the image forming portion, and then heated at the fixing portion to fix the toner image on the continuous paper.

Even when the image formation is completed and the transfer is stopped, the continuous paper near the fixing portion is heated by the residual heat. Therefore, damage (deterioration) due to heat such as charring occurs near the fixing portion of the continuous paper.

As a technique for reducing damage due to residual heat of the fixing portion after printing is completed, there is a method of separating the heating roller of the fixing portion from the continuous paper.

In addition, when it is not possible to secure a space to separate the heating roller from the continuous paper due to the arrangement in the device, in order to prevent the influence of heat, it is constant to the continuous paper by continuing the transfer even after the printing is completed. A technique for preventing the above heat from being applied is also disclosed (for example, Patent Document 1).

A type of continuous paper, a continuous label medium composed of a base material having an adhesive layer and a mount is known. When printing using continuous label media, especially when the base material is a low melting point material, thermal deterioration of the base material is more likely to occur than in ordinary continuous paper due to the residual heat of the fixing portion immediately after the end of printing. When the base material is thermally altered and melted, and the base material is in a torn state, the torn portion is further turned up, so that the base material adheres to the downstream roller via the adhesive layer. This causes problems such as wrapping jam.

In order to solve this problem, when the technique of Patent Document 1 is applied, the base material and the adhesive layer of the continuous label media also have a low melting point, so that it is necessary to secure more time for cooling the fixed portion than with ordinary continuous paper. There is. In this case, it is necessary to continue transporting the continuous label media for the time until the temperature of the fixing portion drops, which causes a problem that a large amount of the continuous label media is consumed. Further, if the transport speed is reduced in order to suppress the consumption of the continuous label media, the time for receiving the residual heat in the media region near the fixing portion becomes long, so that the possibility that the adhesive layer melts out at the portion increases.

An object of the present invention is to provide a technique for reducing damage to a recording medium due to residual heat of a fixing portion.

In order to solve the above problems, the image forming apparatus of the present invention is an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording medium having a structure in which a base material and an adhesive layer are laminated on a mount, and the recording medium is used. A fixing means for fixing the image transferred on the recording medium on the recording medium by heating, and a base of the recording medium located upstream of the fixing means in the transport direction and in a part of the transport direction of the recording medium. A separation means for separating the material and the adhesive layer from the mount and exposing the mount to the surface, and a transport means for controlling the transport of the recording medium and controlling a part of the section to stop at a position facing the fixing means. It is characterized by having.

According to the present invention, damage to the recording medium due to residual heat of the fixing portion can be reduced.

It is a figure which shows an example of the image forming apparatus which concerns on embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the recording medium (form) used in embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the conventional operation example. It is a flowchart which shows the operation example of embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the base material separation means of embodiment, and is the figure which shows one state at the time of performing a base material separation sequence. It is a figure which shows one state at the time of performing the base material separation sequence of an embodiment. It is a figure which shows one state at the time of performing the base material separation sequence of an embodiment. It is a figure which shows one state at the time of performing the base material separation sequence of an embodiment. It is a figure which shows one state at the time of performing the base material separation sequence of an embodiment. It is a figure which shows one state at the time of performing the base material separation sequence of an embodiment. It is a figure which shows one state at the time of performing the base material separation sequence of an embodiment. It is a figure which shows one state at the time of performing the base material separation sequence of an embodiment. It is a figure which shows one state at the time of performing the base material separation sequence of an embodiment.

Hereinafter, the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown below, and can be modified within the range conceivable by those skilled in the art, such as other embodiments, additions, modifications, and deletions. However, as long as the action and effect of the present invention are exhibited, it is included in the scope of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a schematic configuration diagram of a printing machine 100 provided with an image forming apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the printing machine 100 is provided by a paper feeding device 201 that feeds a roll paper BR in which continuous label media is rolled, an image forming device 101 provided with a guide resistance adding portion 110, and a paper winding device 301. It is composed.

The roll paper BR as a recording material used in the printing machine 100 is a continuous label paper wound in a roll shape, and is a base material (base material Fm described later) for forming an image by the image forming apparatus 101 and a surface base. It is composed of an adhesive layer (adhesive layer Fa described later) applied to the back surface of the material and a mount (mounting paper Fb described later) that holds the base material with the adhesive.

The paper feeding device 201 is composed of a roll mounting unit 210 for attaching the roll paper BR, a feeding roller unit 220, a feeding loop detection sensor 231 and a feeding control unit 280, and feeds (feeds) the roll paper BR to the image forming apparatus 101. ).

As the delivery loop detection sensor 231, for example, an optical type sensor that receives the reflected infrared light emitted toward the delivery loop detection mirror 232 provided on the side surface of the image forming apparatus 101 by the light receiving unit may be used. it can.

By using such a feed loop detection sensor 231, it is possible to easily detect that the feed loop 230 formed by the roll paper BR fed from the paper feed device 201 has reached a lower position in the drawing than a predetermined position. .. As a result, the feed control unit 280 can appropriately control the control of the drive source of the feed roller unit 220 that feeds the roll paper BR.

The image forming apparatus 101 includes a display / operation unit 71, an exposure unit 30, a tandem image image unit 20, a transfer unit 40, a guide resistance addition unit 110, a fixing unit 50, a paper ejection roller pair 61, a main body control unit 80, and the like.

The display / operation unit 71 sets and displays the type of recording material and the number of prints of the roll paper BR print unit (hereinafter, the print unit of the roll paper BR is referred to as Form F) fed from the paper feed device 201. It has a display panel, a print start button, and the like. The exposure unit 30 has two exposure devices, a first exposure device 31a and a second exposure device 31b, and the image formation unit 21Y of the tandem image image unit 20 in which the first exposure device 31a is arranged below. The surface of the photoconductor drums 1Y and 1M held at 21M is exposed to form an electrostatic latent image. On the other hand, the surface of the photoconductor drums 1C and 1K provided in the image forming units 21C and 21K of the tandem image forming unit 20 in which the second exposure device 31b is arranged below is exposed to form an electrostatic latent image.

The tandem image forming unit 20 has four (plural) image forming units 21Y, 21M, 21C, and 21K for forming a color toner image along the upper ceiling surface of the intermediate transfer belt 42 of the transfer unit 40. Have.

Each image forming unit 21 is on the photoconductor drums 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K as an image carrier having toner images of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K), respectively. It is formed (supported) in. Here, the configurations of the image-forming units 21 are different in the color of the toner used, and the other configurations are substantially the same. Therefore, the configurations of the image-forming units 21Y will be described below.

The image forming unit 21Y is a photoconductor after being uniformly charged by a photoconductor drum 1Y as an image carrier, a charging roller 2Y that uniformly charges the surface of the photoconductor drum 1Y, and a first exposure device 31a arranged above. It has a developing device 3Y that develops an electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the drum 1Y. It also has a photoconductor cleaning device 4Y that cleans residual toner and the like remaining on the photoconductor drum 1Y after being primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 42 by the primary transfer roller 41Y of the transfer unit 40.

Then, each image forming unit 21 is uniformly charged on the surface of each photoconductor drum 1 based on the control of the main body control unit 80, and then exposed by the exposure unit 30 to be placed on each photoconductor drum 1. An electrostatic latent image corresponding to each color is formed, and the toner image is formed (supported) by being developed by each developing device 3.

A color toner image is formed (supported) on the intermediate transfer belt 42 by sequentially transferring the toner images of each color developed by each developing device 3 onto the intermediate transfer belt 42 included in the transfer unit 40. The Rukoto.

Here, the toner of each color is consumed by each developing device 3 of each image forming unit 21 with the printing operation, but in order to keep the toner concentration in each developing device 3 substantially constant, the main body control unit 80 Toner of each color is replenished from the toner bottles 72Y, 72M, 72C, and 72K based on the control of.

The transfer unit 40 primary transfers the toner image formed on each photoconductor drum 1 of each image forming unit 21 and the intermediate transfer belt 42 arranged substantially in the center of the image forming apparatus 101 onto the intermediate transfer belt 42. It has primary transfer rollers 41Y, 41M, 41C, and 41K, which are primary transfer means. Further, it also has a secondary transfer device 43 for secondary transfer of a color toner image primary transfer on the intermediate transfer belt 42 onto a form F (printing unit of roll paper BR) fed from the paper feed device 201. There is. It also has a belt cleaning device 48 for cleaning residual toner and the like remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 42 after the secondary transfer.

The inner circumference of the intermediate transfer belt 42 is stretched over a plurality of roller members such as the primary transfer roller 41, the belt drive roller 44, the secondary transfer opposing roller 43b, the cleaning opposing roller 47, and the belt driven roller 45, and the tension roller 46 The tension is applied by being urged from the outer peripheral side. Then, by the rotational drive of the belt drive roller 44, the belt drive roller 44 is driven to move and is held so that the surface can be moved (rotated) clockwise in the drawing. The intermediate transfer belt 42 is an image carrier that supports a color toner image that is secondarily transferred onto the foam F.

Each primary transfer roller 41 is provided at a position facing each photoconductor drum 1 with an intermediate transfer belt 42 sandwiched between them, which is a primary transfer position for transferring a toner image from each photoconductor drum 1 to an intermediate transfer belt 42. ing. Then, a primary transfer electric field is formed between the photoconductor drum 1 and the photoconductor drum 1 due to the applied primary transfer bias, and the toner image of each color carried on the surface of each photoconductor drum 1 is primarily transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 42. It is a thing.

The secondary transfer device 43 has a secondary transfer roller 43a provided on the opposite side of the tandem image forming unit 20 with the intermediate transfer belt 42 interposed therebetween, and a secondary transfer roller 43a facing the secondary transfer roller 43a via the intermediate transfer belt 42. It is composed of a next transfer facing roller 43b and the like.

In this secondary transfer device 43, a secondary transfer electric field is formed by applying a secondary transfer bias to the secondary transfer roller 43a pressed against the secondary transfer opposed roller 43b side. Then, by this secondary transfer electric field, the color toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 42 is transferred onto the form F, which is the printing unit of the roll paper BR, which is fed from the paper feeding device 201 via the guide resistance addition unit 110. Next transfer.

The secondary transfer roller 43a included in the secondary transfer device 43 is provided so as to be in contact with and separated from the intermediate transfer belt 42 bridged to the secondary transfer opposed roller 43b by driven driving by the foam F.

Further, in the secondary transfer device 43, the roll paper BR (form F) in which the transfer bias (transfer current) applied to the secondary transfer roller 43a, which is a parameter of the secondary transfer condition, is input from the display / operation unit 71 or the like. ) Is changed by the control of the main body control unit 80 according to the type and the like.

The belt cleaning device 48 includes a belt cleaning blade 49, a case for accommodating the belt cleaning blade 49 (the housing of the belt cleaning device 48), and cleaning facing rollers 47 and the like facing each other via the intermediate transfer belt 42. Then, the residual toner and the like remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 42 after the secondary transfer is scraped off by the belt cleaning blade 49 for cleaning.

As shown in FIG. 1, the guide resistance addition portion 110 includes a first shaft 111a, a second shaft 111b, a third shaft 111c, a friction member 112, an end guide pair 113, and the like as three shafts 111. ..

Then, the form F, which is the printing unit of the roll paper BR fed out from the paper feeding device 201, is positioned and oriented by the end guide pair 113, and the image forming apparatus 101 is given a transport resistance by the friction member 112. It is taken in. After that, it will be sent to the secondary transfer nip portion of the secondary transfer device 43.

Here, the friction member 112 is released from the pressed state in which the friction member 112 is pressed by the compression spring 115 and the eccentric cam 114 via the foam F and the pressed state separated from the second shaft 111b side. It is provided so as to be rotatable around the bending point so that the pressing state is released. Further, the pressing state can be changed depending on the rotation angle of the eccentric cam 114.

The fixing portion 50 can abut and separate from the fixing belt 52 made of an endless belt, the fixing roller 51 and the heating roller 53 that bridge the fixing belt 52, and the portion of the fixing belt 52 that is bridged to the fixing roller 51. It has a pressure roller 55 provided in the. The fixing belt 52, and the fixing roller 51 and the heating roller 53 that bridge the fixing belt 52 are arranged at the upper part in the drawing and can be brought into contact with and separated from the fixing belt 52 that is bridged to the fixing roller 51. The pressurizing roller 55 provided in the above is arranged at the lower part in the drawing.

Then, the foam F is conveyed by the fixing nip portion formed between the portion of the fixing belt 52 spanned by the fixing roller 51 and the pressure roller 55 in contact with the fixing belt 52, and heat and pressure are applied to the foam F. The secondary transferred color toner image is fixed.

A halogen lamp 54 as a heat source is arranged in the heating roller 53, and heats the fixing belt 52 bridged with the fixing roller 51.

The fixing roller 51 supports (hangs around) the fixing belt 52 when the heat of the fixing belt 52 and the pressing force of the pressurizing roller 55 (the force for pressing the foam F toward the fixing roller 51) are applied to the foam F. Take charge of the reaction force of time. Further, it is provided so as to be rotatable clockwise in the figure by a drive source such as a drive motor.

The pressurizing roller 55 is provided so as to be in contact with and separated from the portion of the fixing belt 52 bridged over the fixing roller 51 by the force of a drive source such as an actuator.

Then, a fixing nip portion is formed between the portion of the fixing belt 52 that is hung around the fixing roller 51 and the pressure roller 55 that is in contact with the fixing belt 52.

Due to the frictional force in the nip portion, the fixing belt 52, the heating roller 53, and the pressurizing roller 55 move on the surface by the rotation of the fixing roller 51 which is rotationally driven by the drive source, and the foam F sandwiched between the fixing nip portions. Is transported toward the paper ejection roller pair 61 arranged on the downstream side in the transport direction.

Further, in the fixing portion 50, the temperatures of the fixing belt 52 and the pressure roller 55, the nip width between the fixing belt 52 and the pressure roller 55, and the speed of the fixing roller 51, which are parameters of the fixing conditions, are changed according to the foam F. .. Specifically, the temperature of the halogen lamp 54 and the pressurizing roller 55 are fixed by the fixing roller 51 under the control of the main body control unit 80 according to the type of roll paper BR (form F) input from the display / operation unit 71 or the like. Change the force of the actuator that pushes toward the side.

The paper take-up device 301 includes a roll take-up unit 310, a paper take-in unit 320, a take-up loop detection sensor 331, a take-up control unit 380, and the like. Then, the form F discharged from the image forming apparatus 101 is taken in by the paper taking-in unit 320 and wound up by the roll winding unit 310 to become the take-up roll paper AR.

As the take-up loop detection sensor 331, for example, an optical type sensor is used in which the light receiving portion receives the reflected infrared light emitted toward the take-up loop detection mirror 332 provided on the side surface of the image forming apparatus 101. be able to.

By using such a take-up loop detection sensor 331, it is easy to detect that the take-up loop 330 formed by the foam F discharged from the image forming apparatus 101 reaches the lower part of the drawing from the predetermined position. be able to. Thereby, the control of the drive source of the roll winding unit 310 for winding the discharged foam F can be appropriately controlled by the winding control unit 380.

As described above, the roll paper BR fed from the roll mounting portion 210 of the paper feeding device 201 by the feeding roller unit 220 is taken into the guide resistance adding portion 110 of the image forming apparatus 101 via the feeding loop 230 together with the foam F. Become.

In the taken-in foam F, the position and orientation in the paper width direction orthogonal to the transport direction are regulated by the three shafts 111 of the guide resistance addition portion 110 and the end guide pair 113, and the friction member 112 imparts transport resistance. In this state, it is conveyed to the secondary transfer device 43.

On the other hand, the image forming apparatus 101 receives an image data from an external device such as a personal computer, or after receiving the image data, presses down the print start button of the display / operation unit 71 to send an image drawing start signal. Upon receiving the signal, the drive motor starts rotating the belt drive roller 44. Then, the other plurality of rollers also rotate in a driven manner, and the intermediate transfer belt 42 starts surface movement (rotation).

At the same time, each image forming unit 21 forms a respective monochromatic toner image on each photoconductor drum 1.

Then, the monochromatic toner images formed by each image forming unit 21 are sequentially superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt 42 that is moving on the surface and primary transferred, and a synthetic color toner image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 42. Toner.

The foam F taken into the image forming apparatus 101 is conveyed by the secondary transfer apparatus 43 at the same speed as the intermediate transfer belt 42 carrying the synthetic color image on the intermediate transfer belt 42. Then, the synthetic color toner image supported (formed) on the intermediate transfer belt 42 is secondarily transferred to the surface of the foam F conveyed to the secondary transfer device 43.

After the synthetic color toner image is secondarily transferred, the foam F is sent to the fixing portion 50, and heat and pressure are applied to melt and fix the synthetic color toner image.

After that, the foam F is discharged from the image forming apparatus 101 by the paper ejection roller pair 61, is taken into the paper take-up device 301 through the take-up loop 330 by the paper take-in unit 320, and is taken up by the roll take-up unit 310. Be done.

The image forming apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment has a configuration in which the color toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 42 is transferred to the foam F, but the monochromatic toner image formed on the plurality of photoconductor drums 1 is formed on the foam. It may be configured to be directly superimposed on F and transferred. It can also be applied to a monochrome image forming apparatus.

In the present embodiment, the base material separating means 410 is provided between the secondary transfer device 43 and the fixing portion 50 in the transport direction of the foam F. The device configuration of the base material separating means 410 will be described later, but the structure is such that the adhesive layer and the base material are separated from the mount of Form F.

Here, Form F will be described with reference to FIG. The foam F is a roll-shaped continuous label medium, and is composed of a mount Fb having the highest heat resistance in terms of the structure of the media and a base material Fm having an adhesive layer Fa. Further, FIG. 2 also shows a half-cut state in which only the base material Fm and the adhesive layer Fa are cut.

Here, an operation of reducing thermal alteration due to residual heat of the fixing portion when the conventional technique is applied will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In the description of the prior art in FIG. 3, the above reference numerals will be used as they are for each unit.

The main body control unit 80 of the image forming apparatus 101 inputs media information which is information about a medium (form F which is a recording medium) in advance. The information obtained here is, for example, information on the material of the mount Fb, the adhesive layer Fa, the base material Fm, and the melting point of the adhesive layer Fa.

When the print start button provided on the display / operation unit 71 is pressed (S201), the main body control unit 80 drives the image forming unit 21, the transfer unit 40, and the fixing unit 50 to prepare for printing (S202). .. When these printing preparations are completed, the main body control unit 80 brings the fixing roller 51 into contact with the foam F, and also rotates the other rollers to convey the foam F (S203).

The main body control unit 80 brings the secondary transfer roller 43a into contact with the foam F (S204), and performs image transfer to the foam F at the nip position formed by the transfer unit 40 and the secondary transfer roller 43a (S205). ).

When the transfer of the image data to the form F is completed (S206: No), the main body control unit 80 separates the secondary transfer roller 43a from the form F (S207) and continuously conveys the form F (S208). ..

The main body control unit 80 calculates an allowable temperature that does not damage the foam F based on the above-mentioned media information acquired in advance, and the temperature of the fixing roller 51 of the fixing unit 50 is lowered to this allowable temperature. (S209). When the temperature of the fixing roller 51 has not dropped to the permissible temperature (S209: No), the main body control unit 80 continuously conveys the foam F (S208), and when the temperature drops to the permissible temperature (S209: Yes). The main body control unit 80 separates the fixing roller 51 and stops the transfer of the foam F (S210).

As described above, in the conventional example, even if the printing process (image forming operation) is stopped, the same portion of the foam F is continuously conveyed for a while so as not to stay at the fixing portion 50. By this operation control, local thermal alteration can be suppressed, but the label media that has been continuously transported for a while is consumed.

In the present embodiment, in order to alleviate this problem, the base material separating means 410 is provided between the secondary transfer device 43 and the fixing portion 50. The base material separating means 410 separates the base material Fm and the adhesive layer Fa from the mount Fb and removes them for a part of the foam F so that the mount Fb is exposed on the surface of the foam F. Then, in the present embodiment, the exposed section is conveyed until it reaches the fixing portion 50, and the conveying is stopped when the vicinity of the central portion of the exposed section reaches the fixing portion 50. By doing so, the section from which the base material Fm and the adhesive layer Fa have been removed is located in the vicinity of the fixing portion 50, and the transfer is carried out even in a temperature state where the residual heat of the fixing portion 50 damages the base material Fm. Can be stopped.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation example when the base material separating means 410 is used. Here, information on the base material Fm (media information including the thickness of the base material Fm and the adhesive layer Fa) and information on the time until the unfixed image passes through the fixing portion 50 (in other words, fixing). The base material separating means 410 operates based on the time information until the image fixing process by the unit 50 is completed).

In the flowchart of FIG. 4, the operation (S201 to S207) from when the print start button is pressed (S201) until the image transfer to the form F is completed and the secondary transfer rollers 43a are separated is the same as that of FIG. The same is true.

The main body control unit 80 waits for the time until the unfixed image passes through the fixing unit 50, that is, until the image fixing process by the fixing unit 50 is completed (S401: No, loop of S402). When all the image fixing processes by the fixing unit 50 are completed (S401: Yes), the main body control unit 80 carries out a "base material separation sequence" for separating the base material Fm and the adhesive layer Fa from the mount Fb (S403).

Subsequently, the internal configuration of the base material separating means 410 and the base material separation sequence by the base material separating means 410 will be described. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the internal configuration of the base material separating means 410. The base material separating means 410 is provided on the downstream side in the transport direction from the transfer portion 40 and on the upstream side in the transport direction from the fixing portion 50, and includes a cutting means 420, a suction roller 401, a receiving portion 402, and a leaf spring portion 403 ( It has a pressing member) and a guide member 406.

The cutting means 420 has an actuator 421 and a blade 422, and makes a notch for separating the base material Fm and the adhesive layer Fa from the mount Fb, and performs the half cut shown in FIG. The cutting means 420 cuts the base material and the adhesive layer at two positions spaced apart from each other in the transport direction.

The suction roller 401 is a rotary roller in which ventilation holes are formed over the entire surface, and when the air suction pump 405 operates, air is taken into the roller through the ventilation holes. As a result, the suction roller 401 attracts the base material Fm and the adhesive layer Fa to the roller surface, and separates the base material Fm and the adhesive layer Fa from the mount Fb.

The guide member 406 is a member whose one end is in contact with the suction roller 401. The guide member 406 peels off the base material Fm and the adhesive layer Fa that are attracted to and rotationally move on the roller surface of the suction roller 401 from the suction roller 401 to separate them, and guide them to a fixed position inside the receiving portion 402. The receiving portion 402 stores the base material Fm and the adhesive layer Fa guided by the guide member 406. The leaf spring portion 403 is a member for pressing the foam F from above, and its specific use will be described later.

The base material separating means 410 can be raised and lowered so as to be separated or close to the foam F. The height of the base material separating means 410 is the first height A (retracted position, first position) shown in FIG. 5 and the second height B (base material) described later according to the instruction from the main body control unit 80. It switches to the separation position (third position) and the third height C (base material separation position, second position).

Here, the base material separation sequence of the present embodiment will be described step by step with reference to FIGS. 5 to 13. The operation of this base material separation sequence is performed in response to a control instruction from the main body control unit 80.

When the base material separating means 410 is not in operation, such as during printing, the base material separating means 410 retracts from the foam F at the first height A shown in FIG. In this retracted state, both the suction roller 401 and the leaf spring portion 403 are separated from the foam F.

Immediately after the image fixing process by the fixing unit 50 is completed (S401: Yes in FIG. 4), the suction roller 401 rotates as shown in FIG. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the secondary transfer roller 43a and the pressure roller 55 are separated from the foam F. Due to this separation, the foam F is sandwiched and conveyed only by the paper ejection roller pair 61.

Then, as shown in FIG. 8, the base material separating means 410 moves from the first height A to the second height B (base material separation position). The leaf spring portion 403 is in contact with the foam F and pressed, and the suction roller 401 is in contact with the foam F and is in a state of sandwiching the foam F together with the base material separation auxiliary roller 404.

When the height of the base material separating means 410 reaches the second height B (base material separating position), as shown in FIG. 9, the cutting means 420 half-cuts the foam F located on the cutting base 423. To do. The cutting base 423 functions as a supporting member during this half-cutting. The portion on the foam F cut here is referred to as a "first half-cut portion" (tip portion of a part of the section). Then, the foam F on which the first half-cut portion is formed is continuously conveyed by the paper ejection roller pair 61.

The blade 422 provided in the cutting means 420 slightly moves up and down under the control of the actuator 421. The actuator 421 moves the blade 422 downward so that the foam F can be half-cut. At this time, the thickness information in the above-mentioned information on the base material Fm is used.

When the first half-cut portion reaches the suction roller 401, the air suction pump 405 is driven to bring the suction roller 401 into an intake state, as shown in FIG. By this intake, the base material Fm and the adhesive layer Fa are attracted to the suction roller 401 and separated from the mount Fb, and are conveyed toward the inside of the receiving portion 402 by the rotation of the suction roller 401. On the other hand, since the mount Fb is pulled by the paper ejection roller pair 61, it is continuously conveyed by the paper ejection roller pair 61 without changing the traveling direction.

Then, as shown in FIG. 11, the base material Fm and the adhesive layer Fa separated from the mount Fb are housed inside the receiving portion 402 by the guidance of the guide member 406. Then, the cutting means 420 half-cuts the portion of the foam F located on the cutting base 423. The portion cut here is referred to as a "second half-cut portion" (rear end portion of a part of the section). The foam F on which the second half-cut portion is formed is continuously conveyed by the paper ejection roller pair 61.

After that, as shown in FIG. 12, the base material separating means 410 moves upward to the third height C (base material separation position) at the timing when the second half-cut portion passes through the contact portion of the leaf spring portion 403. .. The third height C is such that the suction roller 401 is separated from the foam F, but the leaf spring portion 403 is in contact with the foam F and pressed downward. At the third height C, the leaf spring portion 403 is in a state of pressing the foam F at a position further rearward (upstream side) in the transport direction than the second half-cut portion.

The base material Fm and the adhesive layer Fa are separated at the second half-cut portion by the tension generated by the upward movement of the base material separating means 410 and the pressing force pressed downward by the leaf spring portion 403. As a result, a part of the section between the first half-cut portion and the second half-cut portion becomes a section in which the base material Fm and the adhesive layer Fa are not formed, that is, a section in which the mount Fb is exposed.

As shown in FIG. 13, the base material separating means 410 continues to move upward and moves from the third height C (base material separation position) to the first height A (evacuation position), and is in the retracted state. .. The base material Fm and the adhesive layer Fa separated from the mount Fb are housed in the receiving portion 402 by the rotation of the suction roller 401 and the guidance of the guide member 406. On the other hand, the foam F is conveyed by the paper ejection roller pair 61 until the central portion of the section containing only the mount Fb reaches directly below the fixing roller 51, and stops at that position. In this state, the base material Fm and the adhesive layer Fa are formed only in the portion separated from the fixing roller 51, and thus are less susceptible to heat.

Here, an example in which the base material separating means 410 is provided between the transfer unit 40 and the fixing unit 50 has been described, but it may be upstream from the fixing unit 50, for example, the guide resistance addition unit 110 and the transfer unit. A base material separating means 410 may be provided between the 40 and the base material separating means 410.

In the above embodiment, it is assumed that the central portion of the section having only the mount Fb reaches directly under the fixing roller 51, but the transfer is not limited to the central portion but is fixed to a part of the section where the mount is exposed. The transport may be stopped at a position where the rollers 51 face each other.

The fixing means corresponds to a configuration including a fixing unit 50 and a main body control unit 80 that controls the operation of the fixing unit 50. The separating means corresponds to a configuration including a base material separating means 410 and a main body control unit 80 that controls the operation of the base material separating means 410. The transporting means corresponds to a configuration including a paper ejection roller pair 61 and a main body control unit 80 that controls the operation of the paper ejection roller pair 61.

The cutting means corresponds to a configuration including a cutting means 420, a cutting base 423, and a main body control unit 80. The suction transport means corresponds to a configuration including a suction roller 401, an air suction pump 405, a leaf spring portion 403, and a main body control portion 80. The storage means corresponds to a configuration including a guide member 406 and a receiving portion 402.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, even at a level where the residual heat of the fixing portion immediately after printing damages the base material and the adhesive layer, the transport is stopped at the position where the exposed portion of the mount and the fixing portion face each other. It is possible to reduce the consumption due to the transport of the continuous label media.

40: Transfer unit 50: Fixing unit 61: Paper ejection roller pair 80: Main body control unit 100: Printing machine 101: Image forming device 110: Guide resistance addition unit 401: Suction roller 402: Receiving unit 403: Leaf spring unit 404: Base Material separation auxiliary roller 405: Air suction pump 406: Guide member 410: Base material separation means 420: Cutting means 421: Actuator 422: Blade 423: Cutting base F: Foam Fa: Adhesive layer Fb: Mount Fm: Base material

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-0555859

Claims (5)

An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium having a structure in which a base material and an adhesive layer are laminated on a mount.
A fixing means for fixing an image transferred on the recording medium to the recording medium by heating the recording medium.
Separation means located upstream of the fixing means in the transport direction, separating the base material and the adhesive layer of the recording medium from the mount in a part of the section in the transport direction of the recording medium, and exposing the mount to the surface.
A transport means that controls the transport of the recording medium and controls the partial section to stop at a position facing the fixing means.
An image forming apparatus characterized by having. In the image forming apparatus according to claim 1,
The separation means
A cutting means for cutting the base material and the adhesive layer of the recording medium at two locations at intervals in the transport direction to provide a front end portion and a rear end portion of the partial section.
An adsorption transport means that adsorbs a base material and an adhesive layer in a part of the section provided with a front end portion and a rear end portion by the cutting means and conveys the adhesive layer in a direction different from the transport direction of the transport means.
A storage means for storing the base material and the adhesive layer transported by the adsorption transport means, and
An image forming apparatus characterized by having. In the image forming apparatus according to claim 2,
The separation means
A suction roller that sucks air and sucks and conveys the base material and the adhesive layer of the recording medium.
A pressing member that presses the recording medium and
Have,
By bringing the suction roller into contact with the recording medium and carrying it by suction, the base material and the adhesive layer at the tip of the partial section are separated from the mount.
The rear end of the partial section is separated from the recording medium by separating the suction roller in the suction-conveyed state with the pressing member pressing the rear side in the transport direction further than the rear end of the partial section. Separate the base material and the adhesive layer from the mount.
An image forming apparatus characterized in that. In the image forming apparatus according to claim 3,
The separating means includes a first position where the suction roller and the pressing member are both separated from the recording medium, and a second position where the suction roller and the pressing member are both brought into contact with the recording medium. , The suction roller is separated from the recording medium, the pressing member is moved to a third position where the pressing member is in contact with the recording medium, and the base material and the adhesive layer of the recording medium are separated from the mount.
An image forming apparatus characterized in that. In the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
The transport means stops transport at a position where the central portion of the partial section faces the fixing means.
An image forming apparatus characterized in that.