JP2024045008A - Conveyance device, drying device, image forming device, and liquid ejection device - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To reduce the distance between the surface of a transport member having a seam and the tip of a guide member. [Solution] A transport member 18 that holds or places an object to be transported on a transport surface 18a having a seam J and transports it, a guide member 29 that is arranged close to the transport surface 18a and guides the object to be transported from or to the transport member 18, and a rotating body 40 that contacts the transport surface 18a, and the guide member 29 displaces in a direction intersecting the transport surface 18a in conjunction with the displacement of the rotating body 40 when it contacts the seam J. [Selected Figure] Figure 11

Description

The present invention relates to a conveying device, a drying device, an image forming device, and a liquid ejection device.

Image forming devices such as copiers and printers are provided with a conveying device for conveying paper.

One such conveying device is equipped with a conveying belt that holds the paper on its surface and conveys it, and a guide member that guides the paper to or from the conveying belt (see, for example, Patent Document 1: JP 2014-102286 A).

Generally, the tip of the guide member is placed without contacting the surface of the conveyor belt, but if the distance between the tip of the guide member and the surface of the conveyor belt is too large, the guide member and the conveyor belt may There is a possibility that paper cannot be transferred properly between the two. Therefore, the distance between the tip of the guide member and the surface of the conveyor belt is appropriately controlled.

By the way, some endless conveyor belts that are stretched around a plurality of support rollers are belt-shaped belts that are made endless by connecting both ends of the belt to facilitate parts replacement or maintenance work. In the case of such a conveyor belt, since there is a seam, the shape of the conveyor belt becomes uneven at the seam.

For example, if the belt surface protrudes at the seam, it is necessary to set a large gap between the guide member's tip and the belt surface so that the guide member's tip does not interfere with the protruding seam. . However, in this case, the gap between the guide member and the conveyor belt becomes large, especially in areas other than the joints, so there is a risk that paper may get caught between the guide member and the conveyor belt, causing a paper jam or poor conveyance. There is. On the other hand, if the joint part has a concave shape, the gap between the guide member and the conveyor belt becomes large at the joint part, which may cause a problem that the paper gets stuck between the guide member and the conveyor belt.

The present invention aims to reduce the distance between the surface of a conveying member and the tip of a guide member, even if the conveying member has a seam, such as a conveying belt.

To solve the above problems, the transport device according to the present invention comprises a transport member that holds or places an object to be transported on a transport surface having a seam and transports it, a guide member that is arranged close to the transport surface and guides the object to be transported from or to the transport member, and a rotating body that contacts the transport surface, and the guide member is characterized in that it displaces in a direction intersecting the transport surface in conjunction with the displacement of the rotating body when it contacts the seam.

According to the present invention, even if the conveying member has a joint, the distance between the surface of the conveying member and the tip of the guide member can be reduced.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of an ink jet type image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view of a liquid ejection unit according to the present invention. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a drying device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an ultraviolet irradiation device according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a joint portion of a conveyor belt according to the present invention. 11 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between a belt having a seam and a guide member disposed close to the belt; FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a guide member and its surroundings included in the drying device according to the embodiment. FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the guide member according to the present invention viewed from its longitudinal direction. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the configuration of one end in the longitudinal direction of the guide member according to the present invention. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which the rotating body is in contact with a portion other than the joint. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which a rotating body comes into contact with a joint portion. It is a figure which shows the position of the preferable tip of a guide member. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a modified example of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which a joint portion comes into contact with a first rotating body. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which a joint portion comes into contact with a next rotating body. FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example in which the leading end of the guide member approaches and moves away from the downstream conveyor belt. It is a figure showing the composition of another drying device to which the present invention is applicable. It is a figure showing the composition of yet another drying device to which the present invention is applicable.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below, taking as an example a case in which the present invention is applied to a conveyance device mounted on an inkjet image forming apparatus. In each drawing for explaining the present invention, constituent elements such as members and components having the same function or shape are given the same reference numerals as much as possible to distinguish them. Omitted.

First, the overall configuration of an inkjet image forming apparatus according to this embodiment will be described based on FIG. 1.

The inkjet image forming apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 includes a sheet supply section 1, a pre-processing section 2, an image forming section 3, a drying section 4, a front/back reversing section 5, and a sheet discharging section 6.

The sheet supply section 1 is a section that supplies sheets as recording media on which images are formed, and includes a supply tray 11 that can accommodate a plurality of sheets S, and separates and sends out sheets S one by one from the supply tray 11. A feeding device 12 is provided. The sheet S sent out by the feeding device 12 is supplied to the preprocessing section 2.

The pre-processing section 2 applies a treatment liquid to the sheet S supplied from the sheet supply section 1, and is equipped with a treatment liquid application device 13 that applies the treatment liquid. The treatment liquid is, for example, a liquid that has the function of agglomerating ink, and is applied by the treatment liquid application device 13 to the sheet S before image formation in order to improve image quality by preventing ink bleeding and assisting penetration. The sheet S to which the treatment liquid has been applied is supplied to the image forming section 3.

The image forming section 3 is a section that forms an image on the supplied sheet S. Specifically, the image forming unit 3 discharges liquid ink onto the drum 14, which is a first rotating rotating body that supports the sheet S on its outer peripheral surface, and onto the sheet S supported on the drum 14. a plurality of liquid ejection units 15C, 15M, 15Y, and 15K as liquid ejection parts, a transfer drum 16 as a second carrying rotary body that transfers the sheet S supplied from the preprocessing part 2 to the drum 14, and the drum 14. A delivery cylinder 17 is provided as a third carrying rotary body that passes the sheet S from the drying device 30 to an upstream conveyance belt 18 included in a drying device 30, which will be described later. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the liquid ejection unit 15C for cyan ink, the liquid ejection unit 15M for magenta ink, the liquid ejection unit for yellow ink, and A discharge unit 15Y and a liquid discharge unit 15K for black ink are arranged. Note that the arrangement of the liquid ejection units 15C, 15M, 15Y, and 15K is not limited to the order shown in FIG. 1, and may be arranged in any order. Further, a liquid ejection unit that ejects special color ink such as white, gold, or silver may be added as necessary.

When the sheet S is supplied from the pre-processing section 2 to the image forming section 3, the leading edge of the sheet S is gripped by a sheet gripper as a gripping means of the transfer cylinder 16, and the sheet S is transported as the transfer cylinder 16 rotates. The sheet S is then transferred to the drum 14 at a position where the transfer cylinder 16 and the drum 14 face each other. A sheet gripper as a gripping means is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the drum 14, just like the transfer cylinder 16, and the leading edge of the sheet S is gripped by this sheet gripper. In addition, a plurality of suction holes are formed in a dispersed manner on the outer peripheral surface of the drum 14, and an air flow can be generated that is sucked into the drum 14 from the required suction holes by the suction means. As a result, the sheet S is adsorbed and supported on the outer peripheral surface of the drum 14. The sheet S is then transported as the drum 14 rotates while being supported on the outer peripheral surface of the drum 14 by the suction action of the sheet gripper and the air flow.

After that, when the sheet S on the drum 14 is transported to a position facing each of the liquid ejection units 15C, 15M, 15Y, and 15K, ink is ejected from each of the liquid ejection units 15C, 15M, 15Y, and 15K onto the sheet S. Each of the liquid ejection units 15C, 15M, 15Y, and 15K has a head module 20 including a full-line type head as shown in FIG. 2, for example. In detail, the head module 20 has a base portion 21 and a plurality of liquid ejection heads 22 arranged alternately on the base portion 21. The plurality of liquid ejection heads 22 have a plurality of nozzle rows consisting of a plurality of nozzles 23 arranged in the sheet width direction (horizontal direction in FIG. 2) that intersects with the sheet transport direction A.

As shown in FIG. 1, when the sheet S is transported to a position facing each of the liquid ejection units 15C, 15M, 15Y, and 15K, the ejection drive of each of the liquid ejection units 15C, 15M, 15Y, and 15K is controlled by a drive signal based on the image information, and ink is ejected from each of the liquid ejection units 15C, 15M, 15Y, and 15K onto the sheet S. As a result, an image according to the image information is formed on the sheet S. The sheet S is then transferred from the drum 14 to the transfer cylinder 17, and then from the transfer cylinder 17 to the upstream transport belt 18.

The drying section 4 includes a drying device 30 that heats the sheet S to dry the ink on the sheet S. The drying device 30 includes a first heating section 31 that heats the sheet S carried on the delivery cylinder 17, a second heating section 32 that heats the sheet S again after being heated by the first heating section 31, An upstream conveyor belt 18 as a first conveyor member to which the sheet S is passed from the transfer cylinder 17, and a downstream conveyor belt 18 as a second conveyor member to convey the sheet S on the downstream side of the upstream conveyor belt 18 in the sheet conveyance direction. A side conveyor belt 19 is provided. The first heating section 31 and the second heating section 32 are drying means for heating the sheet S to dry the ink, and the upstream conveyance belt 18 and the downstream conveyance belt 19 are used to dry the sheet S in the drying device 30. A transport device 10 that transports S is configured.

When the sheet S is carried on the transfer cylinder 17, the sheet S is heated by the first heating section 31. Then, the sheet S is transferred from the transfer cylinder 17 to the upstream conveyor belt 18 at a position where the transfer cylinder 17 and the upstream conveyor belt 18 face each other while being heated on the transfer cylinder 17 . Furthermore, the sheet S is passed from the upstream conveyor belt 18 to the downstream conveyor belt 19. Then, when the sheet S reaches a position facing the second heating section 32 as the downstream conveyance belt 19 transports it, the second heating section 32 heats the sheet S. In this way, the sheet S is heated by the first heating section 31 and the second heating section 32, thereby promoting drying of the ink on the sheet S.

The front-back reversing section 5 is a section that reverses the front and back of the sheet S and transports the sheet S to the image forming section 3 again when double-sided printing is performed. Specifically, the front-back reversing unit 5 includes a switchback transport unit 24 that transports the sheet S in the reverse direction in a switchback manner, and a switchback transport unit 24 that transports the switched back sheet S to the upstream side of the transfer cylinder 16 in the sheet transport direction. The double-sided conveying section 25 is provided. When forming images on both sides of the sheet S, after the image is formed on the front side of the sheet S in the image forming section 3, the sheet S is conveyed to the front-back reversing section 5 through a drying process in the drying section 4. , and are transported in reverse directions by the switchback transport section 24. Then, the sheet S is conveyed to the upstream side of the transfer drum 16 through the double-sided conveying section 25. Thereby, the sheet S is supplied to the image forming section 3 in a reversed state. After an image is formed on the back side of the sheet S in the image forming section 3 , the sheet S undergoes a drying process in the drying section 4 and is then conveyed from the front-back reversing section 5 to the sheet discharging section 6 .

The sheet discharge section 6 is a section from which sheets S having images formed on one or both sides are discharged, and includes a discharge tray 26 on which the discharged sheets S are stacked. When the sheets S are conveyed from the front-back reversing section 5 to the sheet discharge section 6, the sheets S are stacked one after another and placed on the discharge tray 26.

Next, the overall configuration of the drying device 30 according to this embodiment will be described based on FIG. 3.

As shown in FIG. 3, the first heating section 31 of the drying device 30 has a hot air generator 33. The hot air generator 33 is arranged in a non-contact manner so as to face the outer peripheral surface of the transfer drum 17. The hot air generator 33 is provided with a heater that generates hot air and a nozzle that blows the generated hot air as hot air toward the transfer drum 17. The outer peripheral surface of the transfer drum 17 is heated by blowing hot air from the nozzle onto the outer peripheral surface of the transfer drum 17. As a result, the sheet S on the transfer drum 17 is heated and the ink is dried.

Further, the hot air generator 33 can adjust the temperature of the hot air from room temperature to about 100° C. based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor mounted thereon. The temperature setting of the hot air may be arbitrarily set according to information such as the amount of liquid (ink) adhering to the sheet S and the type (material) of the sheet. Further, from the viewpoint of suppressing the waving (cockling) of the sheet due to the application of liquid such as ink, it is preferable to turn off the heater and blow low-temperature warm air.

As shown in FIG. 3, the second heating unit 32 included in the drying device 30 includes a plurality of ultraviolet irradiation devices 34 arranged in the sheet conveyance direction A. Each ultraviolet irradiation device 34 is arranged above the downstream conveyor belt 19 to face the sheet S, and irradiates the sheet S conveyed by the downstream conveyor belt 19 with ultraviolet rays to heat it.

As shown in FIG. 4, the ultraviolet irradiation device 34 has an irradiation surface 34a on which a plurality of granular UV-LED light-emitting elements 340 are arranged. Since each UV-LED light-emitting element 340 emits light with the same illuminance, the irradiation surface 34a as a whole emits light uniformly. For example, the ultraviolet light (UV light) has a peak wavelength of 395 nm and a wavelength distribution with a full width at half maximum of approximately 15 nm. However, this is not limited to this.

As shown in FIG. 3, the drying device 30 includes a conveying device 10 including an upstream conveying belt 18, a downstream conveying belt 19, and the like. The upstream conveyance belt 18 is endlessly supported by a plurality of support rollers 27 . At least one of the plurality of support rollers 27 functions as a drive roller, so that the upstream conveyance belt 18 rotates (circularly moves). In this embodiment, the upstream conveyance belt 18 is supported by two support rollers 27, but the number of support rollers 27 that support the upstream conveyance belt 18 may be two or more. Further, in this embodiment, as the upstream conveyance belt 18, a mesh belt or a plain weave belt in which a large number of holes are provided on the conveyance surface (outer peripheral surface) 18a that holds the sheet S is used. Note that the "conveyance surface" herein refers to a part that forms a planar conveyance path for holding or placing a sheet, which is an object to be conveyed, and conveying it, and the part that comes into contact with the sheet is not necessarily a plane. The shape is not limited to this, and may be in the form of a mesh. A suction chamber 35 having a blower, fan, or the like as suction means is arranged inside the upstream conveyor belt 18 . As a result, when the suction chamber 35 is driven and air is sucked from the many holes provided in the conveying surface 18a of the upstream conveying belt 18, the sheet S is attracted to the conveying surface 18a by the suctioned air. Then, by rotating the upstream conveyance belt 18 while the sheet S is attracted, the sheet S is conveyed downstream.

The downstream conveyance belt 19 , which is disposed downstream of the upstream conveyance belt 18 in the sheet conveyance direction, is basically configured in the same manner as the upstream conveyance belt 18 . That is, the downstream conveyance belt 19 is endlessly stretched around a plurality of support rollers 28, and rotates (circularly moves) with at least one of these support rollers 28 functioning as a drive roller. In this embodiment, the downstream conveyance belt 19 is supported by two support rollers 28, but the number of support rollers 28 supporting the downstream conveyance belt 19 may be two or more. A suction chamber 36 is also arranged inside the downstream conveyor belt 19 . When the suction chamber 36 is driven and air is suctioned from a large number of holes provided in the conveyance surface 19a of the downstream conveyance belt 19, the sheet S is attracted to the conveyance surface 19a by the suctioned air. Then, by rotating the downstream conveyance belt 19 while the sheet S is attracted, the sheet S is conveyed downstream.

The mechanism for adsorbing the sheet S to the upstream conveyor belt 18 and the downstream conveyor belt 19 is not limited to the mechanism using airflow as described above, but may be an electrostatic adsorption mechanism that uses static electricity to adsorb the sheet to the belt. Also, each conveyor belt 18, 19 may be provided with a gripping portion such as a gripper, and the sheet may be gripped by the gripping portion.

As shown in FIG. 3, a guide member 29 is disposed between the upstream conveying belt 18 and the downstream conveying belt 19. That is, the conveying device 10 according to this embodiment includes, in addition to the upstream conveying belt 18 and the downstream conveying belt 19, a guide member 29 that guides the sheet S from the upstream conveying belt 18 to the downstream conveying belt 19. The guide member 29 is disposed close to but does not come into contact with the conveying surfaces 18a, 19a of the upstream conveying belt 18 and the downstream conveying belt 19, respectively.

The drying device 30 configured as described above operates as follows.

First, when the sheet S is carried on the transfer drum 17, the heat of the transfer drum 17, which has been heated by the hot air generator 33, is applied to the sheet S, heating the sheet S. This promotes the drying of the ink on the sheet S, and the first drying process is performed on the sheet S. Then, while being heated on the transfer drum 17, the sheet S is transferred to the upstream conveyor belt 18, and is conveyed by the upstream conveyor belt 18. The sheet S is then guided to the downstream conveyor belt 19 via the guide member 29, and is conveyed by the downstream conveyor belt 19. When the sheet S reaches a position facing each of the ultraviolet irradiation devices 34 as the downstream conveyor belt 19 conveys the sheet S, ultraviolet rays are irradiated from each of the ultraviolet irradiation devices 34, and the sheet S is heated. This performs the second drying process on the sheet S.

As described above, in the drying device 30 according to the present embodiment, after the first drying process is performed in which the sheet S is heated by the heat of the delivery cylinder 17 heated by the hot air generator 33, each ultraviolet irradiation device A second drying process is performed in which the sheet S is heated by ultraviolet rays from 34. Thereby, the ink on the sheet S can be dried effectively.

In addition, in the drying device 30 according to this embodiment, the ultraviolet irradiation device 34 is used as the heating means for performing the second drying process, so that only the image area (the area where ink is applied) of the sheet S can be selectively heated. This prevents the temperature of the non-image area (the area where ink is not applied) of the sheet S from rising more than necessary, and prevents excessive evaporation of the moisture contained in the non-image area, thereby reducing waviness of the sheet S.

As a means for heating the sheet S, in addition to the ultraviolet irradiation device, an infrared irradiation device that irradiates infrared rays such as an IR lamp to heat an object may be used, but from the viewpoint of maintaining an appropriate moisture content in the sheet after drying, an ultraviolet irradiation device is preferable to an infrared irradiation device. In fact, a test was conducted in which a sheet was heated using an infrared irradiation device and an ultraviolet irradiation device and the surface temperature of the sheet after heating was measured, and there was a large difference in the temperature of the non-image part of the sheet after drying between the case where an infrared irradiation device was used and the case where an ultraviolet irradiation device was used. Generally, in order to dry water-based ink, it is necessary to raise the temperature of the image part of the sheet to about 90°C, so in this test, the image part was heated to a temperature of 90°C both when an infrared irradiation device and an ultraviolet irradiation device were used. As a result, when an infrared irradiation device was used, the temperature of the non-image part of the sheet was 105°C, whereas when an ultraviolet irradiation device was used, the temperature of the non-image part of the sheet was 45°C, which was 60°C lower than when an infrared irradiation device was used. In addition, when the moisture content of the non-image areas was measured, when an infrared irradiation device was used, the moisture content of the non-image areas decreased from 6.1% to 1.4%, whereas when an ultraviolet irradiation device was used, the moisture content of the non-image areas decreased from 6.1% to only 2.9%. In other words, it was confirmed that when an ultraviolet irradiation device was used, the moisture content of the non-image areas could be maintained higher than when an infrared irradiation device was used. From these results, it can be said that an ultraviolet irradiation device is more preferable than an infrared irradiation device for maintaining an appropriate amount of moisture in the sheet after drying processing.

In the drying device 30 according to this embodiment, belts that are endlessly stretched around multiple support rollers are used as the upstream conveyor belt 18 and the downstream conveyor belt 19. Such endless belts can be seamless belts with no seams, or belts that have seams along part of the rotational direction. In particular, belts that are separable at the seams have the advantage that they can be easily removed when replacing or maintaining the belt and other parts. For this reason, in this embodiment, separable belts that have seams along part of the rotational direction are used as the upstream conveyor belt 18 and the downstream conveyor belt 19.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the belt 90 is made endless by connecting both ends 90b and 90c of the belt 90 using a connecting member 91 such as a pin. In the case of such a belt 90, the belt 90 can be easily attached by connecting both ends 90b and 90c of the belt 90 after winding the belt 90 around a plurality of support rollers. By releasing the button, the belt 90 can be easily removed. Although FIG. 5 shows an example in which a mesh belt is used, a flat belt or the like may also be used. Further, as the material of the belt, a material having heat resistance such as a fluorine-based material or a silicone-based material is preferable.

As described above, a belt that can be separated at the joint has the advantage of being easier to replace parts or maintain. However, such a belt has the following problems in relation to the guide member.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between a belt 90 having a seam J and a guide member 80 disposed close to the belt 90.

The guide member 80 shown in FIG. 6 is a member for receiving the conveyed object conveyed by the belt 90 and guiding it downstream. Therefore, the tip 80a of the guide member 80 is disposed close to the conveying surface (outer peripheral surface) 90a of the belt 90 so that the object to be conveyed can be received from the belt 90 well. Here, if the object to be conveyed is a thin member such as a sheet, the tip 80a of the guide member 80 and the belt 90 should be It is preferable to make the distance D from the conveyance surface 90a as small as possible.

However, as shown in FIG. 6, in the case of a belt 90 having a joint J, a connecting member 91 that connects both ends of the belt 90 is inserted at the joint J, so that the joint J is connected to other parts. In comparison, it protrudes in the direction intersecting the conveying surface 90a (towards the outer peripheral surface of the belt 90). Therefore, the guide member 80 must be arranged with a large distance D from the conveying surface 90a so as not to interfere with the joint J. Therefore, a belt having a seam has a problem in that it is difficult to reduce the distance between the tip of the guide member and the conveyance surface of the belt, compared to a seamless belt having no seam.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the guide member is configured as follows so that the gap between the surface of the conveyor belt and the tip of the guide member can be reduced even in the case of a conveyor belt with a seam. The configuration of the guide member according to the embodiment of the present invention is described in detail below.

Figure 7 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the guide member 29 and its surroundings provided in the conveying device 10 according to this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 7, the guide member 29 is formed of a plate-shaped member extending in the width direction of the upstream conveyor belt 18 or the downstream conveyor belt 19. As shown in FIG. The guide member 29 has a guide surface 29b disposed substantially on the same plane as each of the conveying surfaces 18a and 19a of the upstream conveying belt 18 and the downstream conveying belt 19 (the upper surface of each conveying belt 18 and 19 in FIG. 7). The sheet S is guided from the upstream conveyor belt 18 to the downstream conveyor belt 19 along this guide surface 29b. Here, the above-mentioned "width direction of the upstream conveyance belt 18 or the downstream conveyance belt 19" means a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction A along the conveyance surface of the conveyance belt. In addition, in this embodiment, the guide member 29 is formed in a longitudinal shape in the width direction of the conveyor belt, so in the following description, the direction in which the guide member 29 extends in the width direction of the conveyor belt will be referred to as the direction of the guide member 29. "longitudinal direction".

The width of the guide member 29 in the longitudinal direction is set to be greater than or equal to the width of the conveyance area E in which the sheet S is conveyed, and less than or equal to the width of the upstream conveyance belt 18 and the downstream conveyance belt 19. Further, as the material of the guide member 29, a general material can be used as long as the sliding resistance against the sheet S is small. For example, examples of the material used for the guide member 29 include SUS (stainless steel), an electrogalvanized steel plate such as silver top, and a textured steel plate. Further, the guide member 29 may be provided with a rib. Further, it is preferable that the material of the guide member 29 is the same as that of the upstream conveyor belt 18 or the downstream conveyor belt 19. Furthermore, it is preferable that the surface roughness and hardness of the guide member 29 be comparable to those of the upstream conveyor belt 18 or the downstream conveyor belt 19.

As shown in FIG. 7, a pair of frame members 70 are provided on both longitudinal ends of the guide member 29, supporting the guide member 29 as well as the conveyor belts 18, 19 and the support rollers 27, 28. The guide member 29 is attached to each frame member 70 so as to be able to swing in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 7. More specifically, the guide member 29 is supported so as to be able to rotate about a support shaft 41 arranged on the rear end 29c side of the guide member 29. As a result, the tip 29a of the guide member 29 (the end opposite the rear end 29c) is configured to be able to swing toward and away from the conveyor surface 18a of the upstream conveyor belt 18.

Furthermore, a pair of rotating bodies 40 are provided at both ends of the guide member 29 in the longitudinal direction, each of which contacts the conveying surface 18a of the upstream conveying belt 18. Each rotating body 40 is disposed outside the conveyance area E where the sheet S is conveyed so as not to contact the sheet S being conveyed. Further, in a state where each rotating body 40 is in contact with the conveying surface 18a of the upstream conveying belt 18, the tip 29a of the guide member 29 approaches (not) the conveying surface 18a of the upstream conveying belt 18. placed in contact).

Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of the guide member 29 viewed from its longitudinal direction.

8, the guide member 29 is attached and held by the movable stay 42, which is a guide holding member. The movable stay 42 has the above-mentioned support shaft 41 that is the swing center of the guide member 29, and when the movable stay 42 rotates around the support shaft 41, the guide member 29 swings together with the movable stay 42 in a direction intersecting the conveying surface 18a of the upstream conveying belt 18 (the direction of arrow B in FIG. 8). The movable stay 42 is also rotatably attached to the fixed stay 43, which is a support member, via the support shaft 41. In this embodiment, the support shaft 41 is attached to the fixed stay 43 so that it can move in the axial direction (so as to have backlash) so that even if the guide member 29 and the movable stay 42 thermally expand in the longitudinal direction due to the heat of the drying device 30, the support shaft 41 does not interfere with the fixed stay 43 to limit the swing of the guide member 29 or damage the member. The fixed stay 43 is fixed so as not to move relative to the frame member 70.

Further, a rotating body holding member 44 that rotatably holds the rotating body 40 is attached to the movable stay 42. The rotating body 40 is arranged so as to protrude toward the upstream conveyor belt 18 from the tip 29a of the guide member 29. Therefore, when the rotary body 40 is in contact with the conveying surface 18a of the upstream conveying belt 18, the tip 29a of the guide member 29 is arranged so as not to contact the conveying surface 18a.

Further, a spring 45 as a biasing member is attached between the rotating body holding member 44 and the fixed stay 43. The spring 45 is provided to bias the rotating body 40 toward the upstream conveyor belt 18 . As a result, the rotating body 40 is held in contact with the conveying surface 18a of the upstream conveying belt 18.

Figure 9 is a plan view showing the configuration of one longitudinal end of the guide member 29.

As shown in FIG. 9, one longitudinal end of the guide member 29 is provided with a hole 29d into which a fixing member 46 such as a screw is inserted. A hole 29d is also provided on the end side (the other longitudinal end side) opposite to the longitudinal end side of the guide member 29 shown in FIG. 9. The fixing member 46 is inserted into each hole 29d and attached to the movable stay 42, thereby fixing the guide member 29 to the movable stay 42.

Further, the hole portion 29d is constituted by a long hole extending along the guide surface 29b in a direction (vertical direction in FIG. 9) that intersects with the longitudinal direction of the guide member 29. Therefore, by moving the guide member 29 in the direction in which the hole 29d extends, the fixed position of the guide member 29 can be changed upward or downward in FIG. 9. That is, the guide member 29 can be moved toward and away from the conveying surface 18a of the upstream conveying belt 18. Thereby, it is possible to adjust the distance D between the tip 29a of the guide member 29 and the conveyance surface 18a.

Next, the operation of the guide member 29 in this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 10 and 11. Note that the downstream conveyor belt 19 is omitted in Figures 10 and 11.

As shown in FIG. 10, when the tip 29a of the guide member 29 is positioned close to the conveying surface 18a of the upstream conveying belt 18, the rotating body 40 is held in contact with the conveying surface 18a by the biasing force of the spring 45. When the upstream conveying belt 18 rotates from this state, the rotating body 40 also rotates accordingly. In this case, since the rotating body 40 is a circular rotating body with a constant distance from its rotation center P to its outer circumferential surface, the distance between the tip 29a of the guide member 29 and the conveying surface 18a of the upstream conveying belt 18 is maintained constant even when the rotating body 40 rotates.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 11, as the upstream conveyor belt 18 rotates, when the joint J reaches a position facing the rotating body 40, the rotating body 40 comes into contact with the joint J, thereby guiding the The member 29 swings in the direction of arrow B1 in FIG. That is, when the joint J comes into contact with the rotary body 40, the rotary body 40 is pushed in the direction away from the conveying surface 18a, so the tip 29a of the guide member 29 is also conveyed in conjunction with the displacement of the rotary body 40. It swings in the direction away from the surface 18a (arrow B1 direction). As a result, the distance between the tip 29a of the guide member 29 and the outer circumferential surface of the support roller 27 is increased, and the distance necessary for the joint J to pass is secured, so that the portion of the joint J is You can avoid contact with. Note that when the distal end 29a of the guide member 29 swings in the direction away from the conveying surface 18a, the distance between the distal end 29a of the guide member 29 and the portion of the joint J is the same as that of the guide member 29 at the portion other than the joint J. The distance may be greater than or equal to the distance between the tip 29a and the conveying surface 18a. In short, it is sufficient that the guide member 29 can swing so that the tip 29a of the guide member 29 can avoid contact with the joint J portion.

After that, when the joint J passes the position facing the rotating body 40, the tip 29a of the guide member 29 swings in a direction approaching the conveying surface 18a (the opposite direction to the direction of arrow B1 in FIG. 11), and the guide member 29 and the rotating body 40 are returned to their original positions (the positions shown in FIG. 10).

As described above, in this embodiment, the guide member 29 is displaced (swung) in conjunction with the displacement of the rotating body 40 due to the contact between the joint J and the rotating body 40, so that the Contact of the guide member 29 can be avoided. This eliminates the need to set the distance between the tip 29a of the guide member 29 and the conveyance surface 18a large in consideration of the interference between the guide member 29 and the joint J, so that the distance can be set small. Become. Therefore, according to the configuration of this embodiment, even if the conveyor belt has a seam, the distance between the surface of the conveyor belt and the tip of the guide member can be reduced, and the distance between the guide member and the conveyor belt can be reduced. It becomes possible to suppress the sheet from entering. This allows the guide member to guide the sheet smoothly and reliably.

In addition, in this embodiment, the guide member 29 is configured to swing around the support shaft 41 to approach and move away from the conveying surface 18a, so that the displacement of the rear end 29c of the guide member 29 can be reduced compared to a configuration in which the guide member 29 slides linearly toward and away from the conveying surface 18a. Therefore, in this embodiment, the guide member 29 (rear end 29c) can be positioned close to the conveying surface 19a of the downstream conveying belt 19, and the sheet can be transferred smoothly and reliably between the guide member 29 and the downstream conveying belt 19.

The present invention does not exclude a configuration in which the guide member slides linearly toward or away from the conveying surface of the conveyor belt. If there is no member disposed close to the rear end of the guide member, it is not necessary to consider interference between that member and the rear end of the guide member, so it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the guide member slides linearly. On the other hand, in a configuration in which the guide member 29 is disposed between the upstream conveyor belt 18 and the downstream conveyor belt 19, as in this embodiment, and it is difficult to secure space for linear movement of the guide member 29, it is preferable to adopt a configuration in which the guide member 29 oscillates.

Further, as shown in FIG. 12, when viewed from the axial direction of the support roller 27, the position of the tip 29a of the guide member 29 is such that the support roller 27 (specifically, the rotating body 40 is opposed to the It is preferable to set the position on a straight line L passing through the rotation center Q of the support roller 27) and the rotation center P of the rotating body 40. By arranging the tip 29a of the guide member 29 at such a position, the tip 29a of the guide member 29 can be greatly swung (retracted) in synchronization with the timing when the joint J reaches the position of the tip 29a of the guide member 29. ), interference between the tip 29a of the guide member 29 and the joint J can be more reliably avoided.

Further, as in the example shown in FIG. 13, a plurality of rotating bodies 40A and 40B may be arranged side by side in the sheet conveyance direction. In the example shown in FIG. 13, two rotating bodies 40A and 40B are respectively arranged at the position of the tip 29a of the guide member 29 and at a position upstream of the tip 29a in the sheet conveyance direction. In this case, as shown in FIG. 14, when the joint J comes into contact with the first (upstream) rotating body 40A, the guide member 29 moves against the conveyance surface 18a in conjunction with the displacement of the rotating body 40A due to the contact. oscillates in the direction of moving away. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 15, the joint J comes into contact with the next (downstream) rotating body 40B, so that the guide member 29 remains oscillated in the direction away from the conveying surface 18a. maintained in the state. That is, before the joint J part (protrusion) completely passes through the contact position with the first rotating body 40A, the joint J comes into contact with the next rotating body 40B, so that the guide member 29 It is held in a swinging state. Therefore, in this case, the guide member 29 swings in the direction away from the conveyance surface 18a from when the joint J comes into contact with the first rotating body 40A until it passes the next rotating body 40B. It will remain as it is. As a result, the guide member 29 can be continuously retracted from an earlier stage than the joint J reaches, so that contact between the guide member 29 and the joint J can be more reliably avoided. Note that the number of rotating bodies arranged in the sheet conveyance direction is not limited to two, but may be three or more. Further, the rotary body may not only be disposed at a position upstream of the tip 29a of the guide member 29 in the sheet conveyance direction, but also may be disposed at a downstream position. Further, when a plurality of rotating bodies are mounted, the position of the tip 29a of the guide member 29 is determined by one of the plurality of rotating bodies when viewed from the axial direction of the support roller 27, as in the embodiment of FIG. It is preferable to set it on a straight line L passing through the rotation center P of the two rotating bodies and the rotation center Q of the support roller 27. In other words, the rotation center P of any one of the plurality of rotation bodies is a straight line passing through the tip 29a of the guide member 29 and the rotation center Q of the support roller 27 when viewed from the axial direction of the support roller 27. It is preferable to arrange it on L. Thereby, the tip 29a of the guide member 29 can be greatly swung (retracted) in accordance with the timing when the joint J reaches the position of the tip 29a of the guide member 29, and the tip 29a of the guide member 29 and the joint J Interference with the parts can be more reliably avoided.

Although the embodiments of the present invention and their modifications have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the gist of the invention.

In the above embodiment, the tip 29a of the guide member 29 swings in a direction toward or away from the conveying surface 18a of the upstream conveying belt 18, but as in the example shown in FIG. 16, the tip 29a of the guide member 29 may be disposed close to the conveying surface 19a of the downstream conveying belt 19. In this case, when the seam J of the downstream conveying belt 19 comes into contact with the rotating body 40, the tip 29a of the guide member 29 swings in a direction away from the conveying surface 19a, as in the above embodiment, so that interference between the tip 29a of the guide member 29 and the seam can be avoided.

The present invention is not limited to configurations using conveyor belts with protruding seams as described above, but can also be applied to configurations using conveyor belts in which the seams are recessed relative to the rest of the belt.

In a configuration using a conveyor belt with a concave joint, the gap between the guide member and the conveyor belt increases at the joint, contrary to the case where the joint has a convex shape. There is a possibility that a problem may arise in which the sheet gets caught between the sheet and the conveyor belt. However, even in such a configuration, by applying the present invention, it becomes possible to suppress the sheet from entering at the joint portion. That is, by applying the present invention, the guide member is displaced in a direction approaching the conveyance surface in accordance with the shape of the joint, so that the distance between the guide member and the conveyance belt at the joint is reduced. can be made smaller, and sheets can be prevented from entering between the guide member and the conveyor belt.

Furthermore, the present invention is also applicable to the following drying apparatus. Hereinafter, the configuration of a drying device according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described.

In the drying device 30 shown in FIG. 17, the first heating section 31 has an infrared irradiation device 37 in addition to a hot air generator 33. Other than that, it has the same configuration as the drying device according to the above embodiment (see FIG. 3).

In this case, when the sheet S is carried on the transfer cylinder 17, the sheet S is heated by the heat of the hot air generator 33 and also by the infrared rays irradiated from the infrared irradiator 37. This makes it possible to accelerate the drying of the ink on the sheet S more than with the drying device according to the above embodiment.

Next, in the drying device 30 shown in FIG. 18, a blower fan 38 is provided as a cooling means at a position facing the upstream conveyor belt 18. Air is blown from the blower fan 38 onto the upstream conveyor belt 18, and the upstream conveyor belt 18 is cooled, thereby suppressing a rise in temperature of the upstream conveyor belt 18. In this case, the temperature rise of the sheet S conveyed by the upstream conveyor belt 18 is also suppressed, so that not only is it possible to suppress uneven density caused by the movement of the ink pigment, but also the occurrence of waviness in the sheet S.

In addition, in the drying device 30 shown in FIG. 18, the second heating section 32 has a plurality of ultraviolet irradiation devices 34 as well as a heating element 39 that heats the downstream conveyor belt 19. The heating element 39 is, for example, an infrared heater (IR lamp) and is disposed inside the upstream support roller 27 that supports the downstream conveyor belt 19. When the heating element 39 generates heat, the downstream conveyor belt 19 is heated via the support roller 27.

As a result, when the sheet S is held on the downstream conveyor belt 19, the sheet S is heated by the heat of the heated downstream conveyor belt 19. Furthermore, the sheet S is irradiated with ultraviolet rays from each ultraviolet irradiation device 34, which effectively promotes the drying of the ink on the sheet S. Note that, apart from the configuration described above, the configuration is the same as that of the drying device shown in FIG. 17, so a description thereof will be omitted.

In the above embodiment, the case where the conveying device according to the present invention is installed in an inkjet type image forming apparatus, which is an example of a liquid ejecting device, has been described as an example, but the conveying device according to the present invention It is also applicable to a discharge device.

The above-mentioned "liquid ejecting device" refers to a device that includes a liquid ejecting section and drives the liquid ejecting section to eject liquid onto a sheet. Therefore, the "liquid ejection device" is not limited to one that visualizes significant images such as characters and graphics using ejected liquid. For example, there are devices that form patterns that have no meaning in themselves, devices that create three-dimensional images, and even processing liquid discharge devices that discharge processing liquid onto the surface of a sheet for purposes such as modifying the surface of the sheet. , included as a "liquid ejection device".

Further, the "liquid ejecting device" to which the conveying device according to the present invention is applied may include means for feeding, conveying, and discharging sheets, a pre-processing device, and a post-processing device.

The "liquid ejection device" may be one in which the liquid ejection unit moves relative to the sheet, or one in which the liquid ejection unit does not move relative to the sheet. Specific examples of "liquid ejection devices" include serial type devices in which the liquid ejection head (liquid ejection unit) moves, and line type devices in which the liquid ejection head (liquid ejection unit) does not move.

The above-mentioned "sheet" is a material to which a liquid can adhere at least temporarily, and includes a material to which a liquid adheres and sticks, a material to which a liquid adheres and permeates, and the like. Specific examples include recording media such as paper, recording paper, film, and cloth, and electronic boards. Further, the "sheet" may be a sheet (such as cut paper) that is cut in advance to a predetermined size in the sheet conveyance direction, or may be a long sheet that is wound into a roll (such as rolled paper).

The material of the "sheet" can be anything to which the liquid can adhere, even temporarily, such as paper, thread, fiber, cloth, leather, metal, plastic, glass, wood, or ceramics.

The "liquid" discharged by the "liquid discharge device" may have a viscosity or surface tension that allows it to be discharged from the liquid discharge unit, and is not particularly limited, but is preferably one whose viscosity is 30 mPa·s or less at room temperature and pressure, or by heating or cooling. More specifically, it is a solution, suspension, emulsion, etc. that contains a solvent such as water or an organic solvent, a colorant such as a dye or pigment, a functionalizing material such as a polymerizable compound, a resin, or a surfactant, a biocompatible material such as DNA, amino acids, proteins, or calcium, an edible material such as a natural dye, etc. These can be used for applications such as inkjet ink, surface treatment liquid, electronic elements, components of light-emitting elements, liquids for forming electronic circuit resist patterns, and material liquids for three-dimensional modeling.

Further, the conveyance device according to the present invention is not limited to one that is installed in a liquid ejection device such as an inkjet image forming device. For example, the present invention can be applied to a conveyance device installed in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus that forms images using toner, or a conveyance device installed in a belt conveyor device that conveys objects other than sheets. is also applicable.

In summary, the aspects of the present invention described above include a conveying device, a drying device, an image forming device, and a liquid ejection device that have at least the following configurations.

[First configuration]
A first configuration includes a conveying member that holds or places an object on a conveying surface having a seam and conveys the object, and a conveying member arranged close to the conveying surface and conveying the object from or to the conveying member. The guide member includes a guide member that guides an object, and a rotating body that contacts the conveyance surface, and the guide member moves in a direction intersecting the conveyance surface in conjunction with the displacement when the rotary body contacts the joint. It is a displacing transport device.

[Second configuration]
In a second configuration, in the first configuration, the joint has a portion protruding from the conveyance surface, and the guide member is interlocked with displacement when the rotating body contacts the protruding portion. This is a conveyance device that is displaced in a direction away from the conveyance surface.

[Third Configuration]
A third configuration is the conveying device of the first or second configuration, wherein the guide member is configured to be swingable about a support shaft and displaceable relative to the conveying surface.

[Fourth configuration]
In a fourth configuration, in any one of the first to third configurations, the conveyance member is a conveyance belt that is stretched around a support roller, and the tip of the guide member is disposed close to the conveyance belt. is a conveyance device disposed on a straight line passing through the rotation center of the support roller and the rotation center of the rotating body.

[Fifth configuration]
In a fifth configuration, in any one of the first to fourth configurations, the rotating body is a conveying device in which a plurality of rotating bodies are arranged in a line in the conveying direction of the conveyed object.

[Sixth configuration]
In a sixth configuration, in any one of the first to fifth configurations, the conveyance member is arranged downstream of the first conveyance member and the first conveyance member in the conveyance direction of the object to be conveyed. a second conveyance member, the guide member is between the first conveyance member and the second conveyance member, and the guide member is arranged between the first conveyance member and the second conveyance member. This is a transport device that guides an object to be transported.

[Seventh configuration]
In a seventh configuration, in the sixth configuration, the first conveying member conveys the conveyed object to be subjected to a first drying process, and the second conveying member conveys the object to be subjected to a second drying process. This is a transport device that transports the object to be transported.

[Eighth configuration]
An eighth configuration is a drying device that includes the conveyance device of any one of the first to seventh configurations that conveys an object to be conveyed, and a drying section that performs a drying process on the object to be conveyed.

[Ninth Configuration]
The ninth configuration is an image forming apparatus including an image forming section that forms an image on a sheet, and a conveying device of any one of the first to seventh configurations that conveys the sheet.

[Tenth Configuration]
A tenth configuration is a liquid ejection device including a liquid ejection section that ejects liquid onto a sheet, and a conveying device of any one of the first to seventh configurations that conveys the sheet.

3 Image forming section 4 Drying section 10 Conveying device 15C, 15M, 15Y, 15K Liquid discharge unit (liquid discharge section)
18 Upstream conveyance belt (first conveyance member)
18a Conveyance surface 19 Downstream conveyance belt (second conveyance member)
19a Conveyance surface 27 Support roller 28 Support roller 29 Guide member 29a Tip 30 Drying device 31 First heating section (drying means)
32 Second heating section (drying means)
40 Rotating body 41 Support shaft 100 Image forming device (liquid ejection device)
S sheet (object to be transported)
J joint

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2014-102286

Claims (10)

a conveyance member that holds or places an object to be conveyed on a conveyance surface having a seam and conveys the object;
a guide member disposed close to the conveying surface and guiding the conveyed object from or to the conveying member;
comprising a rotating body that contacts the conveyance surface,
The conveyance device is characterized in that the guide member is displaced in a direction intersecting the conveyance surface in conjunction with displacement when the rotating body contacts the joint. The joint has a portion protruding from the conveyance surface,
The conveyance device according to claim 1, wherein the guide member is displaced in a direction away from the conveyance surface in conjunction with displacement when the rotating body contacts the protruding portion. The conveying device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the guide member is configured to be able to swing about a support shaft and displace with respect to the conveying surface. the conveying member is a conveying belt stretched over a support roller,
3. The conveying device according to claim 1, wherein a tip of the guide member disposed adjacent to the conveying belt is disposed on a straight line passing through a center of rotation of the support roller and a center of rotation of the rotating body. The conveying device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a plurality of the rotating bodies are arranged in a line in the conveying direction of the object to be conveyed. The conveyance member includes a first conveyance member and a second conveyance member disposed downstream of the first conveyance member in the conveyance direction of the object to be conveyed,
3. The guide member according to claim 1, wherein the guide member guides the object to be transported from the first transport member to the second transport member between the first transport member and the second transport member. The conveying device described. The first conveying member conveys the object to be conveyed to be subjected to a first drying process,
The conveying device according to claim 6, wherein the second conveying member conveys the object to be conveyed to be subjected to a second drying process. A drying device comprising: the conveying device according to claim 1 or 2, which conveys an object to be conveyed; and a drying means which performs a drying process on the object to be conveyed. An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming section that forms an image on a sheet; and a conveyance device according to claim 2 that conveys the sheet. A liquid ejecting device comprising: a liquid ejecting section that ejects liquid onto a sheet; and a conveying device according to claim 2 that conveys the sheet.

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