JP4293034B2 - Belt-type conveying device and image recording device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a belt-type conveyance device that conveys a recording medium by a conveyance belt, and an image recording apparatus including the belt-type conveyance device.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, ink jet image recording apparatuses are widely used as apparatuses for recording high-definition images on various recording media. In particular, when the recording medium is a stretchable fabric or the like, the recording medium is conveyed below the recording head by an endless conveying belt. At this time, the ink ejected from the recording head may adhere to the conveyance belt due to misfeed of the recording medium, so-called borderless printing, ink back-through, and the like. Therefore, troubles such as transfer to a newly supplied recording medium and contamination of the recording medium occur. For this reason, an image recording apparatus provided with such a conveyor belt is usually provided with a cleaning device for cleaning the conveyor belt.

Conventionally, as a means for cleaning the conveyor belt, an image recording apparatus having a cleaning device that wipes unnecessary ink adhering to the conveyor belt with a wiper blade and then sucks the ink from the conveyor belt with a liquid absorbent material is known. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1, Patent Document 2, and Patent Document 3).
Japanese Patent No. 2705922 Japanese Patent No. 2891196 Japanese Patent No. 3016924

  However, in these apparatuses, the wiper blade and the liquid absorbing material are kept away from the transport belt during image recording so as not to adversely affect the transport accuracy of the transport belt, and when the image is not recorded, It is assumed that the absorbent belt is pressed against the conveyor belt to clean the conveyor belt. However, in the case of an image recording apparatus that prints on a fabric as a recording medium, image recording is often performed continuously on the fabric for a long period of time. The ink continues to adhere to the top, stains the fabric, and the ink adheres to the transport belt. Therefore, the conveyance belt must be cleaned simultaneously with image recording.

  Since the conveyance belt is cleaned simultaneously in parallel with image recording, it is necessary to keep the wiper blade and the liquid absorbing material pressed against the conveyance belt during image recording. However, since the transport accuracy of the transport belt is not adversely affected, the wiper blade and the liquid absorbing material are pressed against the transport belt with a relatively weak force, so that the ink attached to the transport belt may not be removed. Therefore, there is a demand for the development of a cleaning device that has a cleaning performance that can reliably remove ink adhering to the transport belt and that can clean the transport belt without adversely affecting the transport accuracy.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and provides a belt-type conveyance device and an image recording apparatus that can reliably remove ink on the conveyance belt without adversely affecting the conveyance accuracy. The purpose is to provide.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the invention according to claim 1 is a belt-type conveyance device that conveys a recording medium by a conveyance belt, and is provided so as to be press-contactable with the conveyance belt, and cleans the conveyance belt with a cleaning liquid. A cleaning member, a cleaning liquid removing mechanism for removing the cleaning liquid attached to the transport belt on the downstream side of the transport belt in the transport direction from the cleaning member, and the cleaning member around an axis parallel to the width direction of the transport belt. It is a cleaning roller provided rotatably,
The cleaning roller rotates so that the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning roller is pressed against the transport belt, and the rotation direction of the cleaning roller is the same as the transport direction of the transport belt at the press-contact position between the transport belt and the cleaning roller. The linear velocity on the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning roller is set to be higher than the transport speed of the transport belt during transport, and the cleaning liquid removing mechanism is disposed on the transport belt at the downstream side of the transport belt in the transport direction with respect to the cleaning member. A wiper blade provided so as to be press-contactable, and wiped off the cleaning liquid from the transport belt, and provided so as to be press-contactable to the transport belt downstream of the cleaning member in the transport direction of the transport belt and absorbs the cleaning liquid from the transport belt comprising an absorbent member, the frictional force at the pressure contact position between the conveyor belt and the cleaning roller, the transportable And frictional force at the pressure contact position between the belt and the absorbing member, and wherein the less than the sum of the frictional force at the pressure contact position between the conveyor belt and the wiper blade.

The control unit controls the conveyance speed of the conveyance belt and the rotation speed of the cleaning roller, and the linear velocity on the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning roller is controlled by the control unit so that the conveyance speed of the conveyance belt during conveyance is controlled. It is preferable that it becomes larger .

In the first aspect of the present invention, when the transport belt moves in the transport direction with the cleaning member being pressed against the transport belt, the transport belt is cleaned with the cleaning liquid by the cleaning member, and the ink attached to the transport belt is removed from the cleaning liquid. Dissolves and diffuses in Therefore, although the cleaning liquid adheres to the transport belt, the cleaning liquid on the transport belt is removed by the cleaning liquid removing mechanism on the downstream side in the transport direction. Therefore, the ink can be reliably removed from the transport belt, and no cleaning liquid remains on the transport belt. Since the transport belt can be efficiently cleaned in this manner, the force for pressing the cleaning member against the transport belt can be weakened, and the transport accuracy of the transport belt is not adversely affected.
  Further, since the conveyor belt can be efficiently cleaned, the force for pressing the cleaning member against the conveyor belt can be weakened, whereby the conveyor belt can have a higher coefficient of friction. Therefore, even a recording medium having a low friction coefficient can be transported by the transport belt, and a wide variety of recording media can be transported.

Further, since the frictional force at the pressure contact position between the cleaning roller and the conveyance belt is smaller than the sum of the frictional force at the pressure contact position between the conveyance belt and the absorbing member and the frictional force at the pressure contact position between the conveyance belt and the wiper blade, A frictional force can be applied in the direction of increasing the tension of the conveying belt on the downstream side in the conveying direction of the wiper blade and the absorbing member. Therefore, the conveying belt can be maintained in a stretched state without being slackened, and a decrease in the conveying accuracy of the conveying belt can be suppressed.

In addition, since the cleaning roller is rotatably provided around an axis parallel to the width direction of the transport belt and the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning roller is pressed against the transport belt, the cleaning roller can be rotated with respect to the transport belt. it can. Therefore, the ink adhering to the conveyance belt can be efficiently removed.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a belt-type conveyance device that conveys a recording medium by a conveyance belt, the cleaning member that is press-contactable to the conveyance belt, and that cleans the conveyance belt with a cleaning liquid; A cleaning liquid removing mechanism that removes cleaning liquid adhering to the transport belt on the downstream side in the transport direction of the transport belt, and the cleaning member is rotatably provided around an axis parallel to the width direction of the transport belt. A cleaning roller, wherein an outer peripheral surface of the cleaning roller is pressed against the transport belt, and the rotation direction of the cleaning roller is the same as the transport direction of the transport belt at the press contact position between the transport belt and the cleaning roller. The cleaning roller rotates, and the linear velocity on the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning roller is set to be larger than the conveyance speed of the conveyance belt during conveyance, The cleaning liquid removing mechanism is provided so as to be press-contactable with the transport belt on the downstream side in the transport direction of the transport belt with respect to the cleaning member, and a wiper blade for wiping the cleaning liquid from the transport belt; and the transport belt with respect to the cleaning member And an absorbing member that absorbs cleaning liquid from the conveyor belt, and the absorbing member is rotatable about an axis parallel to the width direction of the conveyor belt. The outer circumferential surface of the absorbing roller is pressed against the conveying belt, and the rotational direction of the absorbing roller is the same as the conveying direction of the conveying belt at the pressing position between the conveying belt and the absorbing roller. The absorption roller rotates so that the linear velocity on the outer peripheral surface of the absorption roller is equal to the conveyance of the conveyance belt during conveyance The frictional force at the pressure contact position between the cleaning roller and the transport belt is set to be smaller than the degree of friction, and the frictional force at the pressure contact position between the transport belt and the absorption roller and the pressure contact position between the transport belt and the wiper blade It is smaller than the sum of the frictional force in

The control unit controls the conveyance speed of the conveyance belt, the rotation speed of the cleaning roller, and the rotation speed of the absorption roller, and the linear velocity on the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning roller is controlled by the control unit so It is preferable that the speed is set larger than the belt conveyance speed and the linear velocity on the outer peripheral surface of the absorbing roller is smaller than the conveyance speed of the conveyance belt during conveyance.

In the second aspect of the invention, similarly to the first aspect of the invention, when the conveying belt moves in the conveying direction while the cleaning member is in pressure contact with the conveying belt, the conveying belt is washed with the cleaning liquid by the cleaning member. The ink that has been washed and adhered to the conveying belt is dissolved and diffused in the washing liquid. Therefore, although the cleaning liquid adheres to the transport belt, the cleaning liquid on the transport belt is removed by the cleaning liquid removing mechanism on the downstream side in the transport direction. Therefore, the ink can be reliably removed from the transport belt, and no cleaning liquid remains on the transport belt. Since the transport belt can be efficiently cleaned in this manner, the force for pressing the cleaning member against the transport belt can be weakened, and the transport accuracy of the transport belt is not adversely affected.
  Further, since the conveyor belt can be efficiently cleaned, the force for pressing the cleaning member against the conveyor belt can be weakened, whereby the conveyor belt can have a higher coefficient of friction. Therefore, even a recording medium having a low friction coefficient can be transported by the transport belt, and a wide variety of recording media can be transported.

Further, since the absorbing roller is provided so as to be rotatable around an axis parallel to the width direction of the conveying belt and the outer peripheral surface of the absorbing roller is pressed against the conveying belt, the absorbing roller can be rotated with respect to the conveying belt. it can. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently absorb the cleaning liquid adhering to the conveyance belt.
The cleaning roller is rotatably provided around center axis parallel to the width direction of the conveyor belt, because the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning roller is pressed against the conveyor belt, and this rotating cleaning rollers against the conveying belt Can do. Therefore, the ink adhering to the conveyance belt can be efficiently removed.

Furthermore, in the invention according to claim 2, the frictional force at the pressure contact position between the cleaning roller and the conveyance belt is the friction force at the pressure contact position between the conveyance belt and the absorption roller, and the pressure contact position between the conveyance belt and the wiper blade. Since it is smaller than the sum of the frictional force, the frictional force can be applied in the direction of increasing the tension of the conveying belt on the downstream side of the wiper blade and the absorbing member in the conveying direction. Therefore, the conveying belt can be maintained in a stretched state without being slackened, and a decrease in the conveying accuracy of the conveying belt can be suppressed.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a belt-type conveyance device that conveys a recording medium by a conveyance belt. The cleaning member is provided so as to be press-contactable to the conveyance belt and cleans the conveyance belt with a cleaning liquid. A cleaning liquid removing mechanism that removes cleaning liquid adhering to the transport belt on the downstream side in the transport direction of the transport belt, and the cleaning member is rotatably provided around an axis parallel to the width direction of the transport belt. A cleaning roller, wherein an outer peripheral surface of the cleaning roller is pressed against the transport belt, and the rotation direction of the cleaning roller is the same as the transport direction of the transport belt at the press contact position between the transport belt and the cleaning roller. The cleaning roller rotates, and the linear velocity on the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning roller is set to be larger than the conveyance speed of the conveyance belt during conveyance, The cleaning liquid removing mechanism is provided so as to be press-contactable with the transport belt on the downstream side in the transport direction of the transport belt with respect to the cleaning member, and a wiper blade for wiping the cleaning liquid from the transport belt; and the transport belt with respect to the cleaning member And an absorbing member that absorbs cleaning liquid from the conveyor belt, and the absorbing member is rotatable about an axis parallel to the width direction of the conveyor belt. The outer circumferential surface of the absorbing roller is pressed against the conveying belt, and the rotational direction of the absorbing roller is the same as the conveying direction of the conveying belt at the pressing position between the conveying belt and the absorbing roller. The absorption roller rotates so that the linear velocity on the outer peripheral surface of the absorption roller is equal to the conveyance of the conveyance belt during conveyance And the sum of the frictional force at the pressure contact position between the cleaning roller and the conveyance belt and the frictional force at the pressure contact position between the conveyance belt and the absorption roller is the conveyance belt and the wiper blade. It is characterized by being smaller than the frictional force at the pressure contact position.

The control unit controls the conveyance speed of the conveyance belt, the rotation speed of the cleaning roller, and the rotation speed of the absorption roller, and the linear velocity on the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning roller is controlled by the control unit so It is preferable that the linear velocity on the outer peripheral surface of the absorbing roller is larger than the conveying speed of the belt and larger than the conveying speed of the conveying belt during conveyance.

In the third aspect of the invention, similarly to the first aspect of the invention, when the conveying belt moves in the conveying direction while the cleaning member is in pressure contact with the conveying belt, the conveying belt is washed with the cleaning liquid by the cleaning member. The ink that has been washed and adhered to the conveying belt is dissolved and diffused in the washing liquid. Therefore, although the cleaning liquid adheres to the transport belt, the cleaning liquid on the transport belt is removed by the cleaning liquid removing mechanism on the downstream side in the transport direction. Therefore, the ink can be reliably removed from the transport belt, and no cleaning liquid remains on the transport belt. Since the transport belt can be efficiently cleaned in this way, the force for pressing the cleaning member against the transport belt can be weakened, and the effect of not adversely affecting the transport accuracy of the transport belt is achieved.
  Further, since the conveyor belt can be efficiently cleaned, the force for pressing the cleaning member against the conveyor belt can be weakened, whereby the conveyor belt can have a higher coefficient of friction. Therefore, even a recording medium having a low friction coefficient can be transported by the transport belt, and a wide variety of recording media can be transported.

Further, since the absorbing roller is provided so as to be rotatable around an axis parallel to the width direction of the conveying belt and the outer peripheral surface of the absorbing roller is pressed against the conveying belt, the absorbing roller can be rotated with respect to the conveying belt. it can. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently absorb the cleaning liquid adhering to the conveyance belt.
In addition, since the cleaning roller is rotatably provided around an axis parallel to the width direction of the transport belt and the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning roller is pressed against the transport belt, the cleaning roller can be rotated with respect to the transport belt. it can. Therefore, the ink adhering to the conveyance belt can be efficiently removed.

Further, in the invention according to claim 3, the sum of the frictional force at the pressure contact position between the cleaning roller and the conveyance belt and the friction force at the pressure contact position between the conveyance belt and the absorption roller is the pressure contact between the conveyance belt and the wiper blade. Since it is smaller than the frictional force at the position, the frictional force can be applied in the direction of increasing the tension of the conveying belt on the downstream side in the conveying direction of the wiper blade and the absorbing member. Therefore, the conveying belt can be maintained in a stretched state without being slackened, and a decrease in the conveying accuracy of the conveying belt can be suppressed.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the belt-type conveyance device according to any one of the first to third aspects, the opposite side of the pressure contact position with the cleaning member of the conveyance belt is non-contact. It is characterized by.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the conveyance belt is not contacted on the side opposite to the pressure contact position with the cleaning member, the frictional force between the conveyance belt and the cleaning member can be reduced. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the conveyance accuracy of the conveyance belt.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the belt-type conveying device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, a static friction coefficient between the cleaning member and the conveying belt exceeds 0.2. To do.

Note that either the wiper blade or the absorbing member may be arranged on the upstream side in the conveying direction, but preferably the absorbing member is conveyed by the conveying belt rather than the wiper blade as in the invention according to claim 6. It is provided on the downstream side in the direction so as to be able to press against the conveyor belt.

In the first and sixth aspects of the invention, the cleaning liquid adheres to the transport belt from the cleaning member, but the cleaning liquid on the transport belt is wiped off by the wiper blade on the downstream side in the transport direction and further absorbed by the absorbing member. . Therefore, the conveyor belt can be cleaned efficiently. Thereby, the force which presses a washing | cleaning member, a wiper blade, and an absorption member with respect to a conveyance belt can be weakened, and it does not have a bad influence on the conveyance accuracy of a conveyance belt.
In addition, since the cleaning liquid for the conveyor belt is removed by the wiper blade and the absorbing member, it is not necessary to absorb and remove the cleaning liquid by the cleaning member. Therefore, the cleaning member need not be a multifunctional material. Therefore, the cost of the cleaning member can be reduced.

Further, in the invention of claim 6, the cleaning liquid adhering to the conveyance belt can be almost wiped off with the wiper blade, and the absorbing member is pressed against the conveyance belt on the downstream side in the conveyance direction from the wiper blade. An absorbing member having a small absorbing power can be used. Therefore, the cost of the absorbing member can be reduced and the replacement frequency of the absorbing member can be reduced.

A seventh aspect of the present invention is the belt-type conveyance device according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein a static friction coefficient between the absorbing member and the conveyance belt exceeds 0.2.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the belt-type conveying device according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, the opposite side of the pressure contact position with the absorbing member of the conveying belt is not contacted. It is characterized by.

In the invention according to claim 8, since the conveying belt is not contacted on the opposite side of the pressure contact position with the absorbing member, the frictional force between the conveying belt and the absorbing member can be reduced. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the conveyance accuracy of the conveyance belt.

The invention according to claim 9, in belt conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning roller, characterized in that provided in the brush.

In the invention according to claim 9 , since the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning roller is provided in a brush shape, the ink can be efficiently washed off from the transport belt.

An image recording apparatus according to a tenth aspect of the invention is directed to the belt-type conveyance device according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, and a recording medium upstream of the cleaning member in the conveyance direction of the conveyance belt. And a recording head for discharging ink.

According to the present invention, since the conveyor belt can be efficiently cleaned, the force for pressing the cleaning member, the wiper blade, and the absorbing member against the conveyor belt can be weakened, and the conveyance accuracy of the conveyor belt is not adversely affected.
Further, since the conveyor belt can be efficiently cleaned, the force for pressing the cleaning member, the wiper blade, and the absorbing member against the conveyor belt can be weakened, and the generated frictional force can be reduced. Therefore, the conveyance belt can have a higher friction coefficient, and even a recording medium with a low friction coefficient can be conveyed by the conveyance belt.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, although various technically preferable limitations for implementing the present invention are given to the embodiments described below, the scope of the invention is not limited to the following embodiments and illustrated examples.

  FIG. 1 is a side view of an image recording apparatus 1 to which the present invention is applied. The image recording apparatus 1 is a serial type ink jet printer. The image recording apparatus 1 includes a belt-type conveyance device 2 that conveys a sheet-like recording medium 99 such as a fabric, and an image recording unit 3 that records an image on the recording medium 99 conveyed by the belt-type conveyance device 2. Prepare.

  The image recording unit 3 includes a guide member 4 extending in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 1, a carriage 5 provided so as to be movable along the guide member 4 while being supported by the guide member 4, and the carriage 5. And a plurality of recording heads 6 mounted on the head.

  The guide member 4 is provided in a bar shape and is disposed horizontally. The carriage 5 is guided by the guide member 4 and is provided so as to reciprocate along the guide member 4 by being driven by a drive mechanism such as a motor. Hereinafter, the moving direction of the carriage 5 is referred to as a main scanning direction.

  A plurality of recording heads 6 are mounted on the carriage 5 in a state arranged in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. A plurality of ejection openings are formed on the lower surface of each recording head 6, and these ejection openings are arranged in a straight line along a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the carriage 5 (the left-right direction in FIG. 1). ing. The recording head 6 has an element (for example, a piezo element, a heating element, an electrostatic element, etc.) for each ejection port, and is provided so that ink is ejected individually as droplets from each ejection port by the operation of the element. Yes. Among the recording heads 6, one that ejects yellow (Y) ink, one that ejects magenta (M) ink, one that ejects cyan (C) ink, and one that ejects black (K) ink. There are those that discharge, and there are others that discharge light yellow, light magenta, light cyan, and the like. Since FIG. 1 is a side view, the foremost recording head 6 is shown.

  The belt-type conveying device 2 is in a state parallel to the guide member 4, a belt guide plate 10 facing the lower surface of the recording head 6, a drive roller 11 arranged in parallel to the guide member 4, and a drive A driven roller 12 arranged parallel to the roller 11, a tension roller 13 arranged parallel to the driven roller 12 and the driving roller 11, and the driving roller 11, the driven roller 12 and the tension roller 13. And a driving motor 15 that rotationally drives the drive roller 11, a cleaning mechanism 16 that cleans the transport belt 14 with a cleaning liquid, and a cleaning liquid removal mechanism 17 that removes the cleaning liquid adhering to the transport belt 14.

  The driving roller 11 and the driven roller 12 are supported by the upper unit 73 so as to be rotatable around their respective axis centers. The tension roller 13 is supported by the lower unit 71 so as to be rotatable around its axis. Between the driving roller 11 and the driven roller 12, a belt guide plate 10 provided in the upper unit 73 is disposed. A tension roller 13 is disposed below the belt guide plate 10. The conveyor belt 14 is formed in an endless ring, and the driving roller 11, the driven roller 12, the tension roller 13, and the belt guide plate 10 are disposed inside the conveyor belt 14, and the driving roller 11, while the conveyor belt 14 is stretched, It is stretched over the driven roller 12 and the tension roller 13. Between the driving roller 11 and the driven roller 12, the conveyance belt 14 is stretched in parallel to the belt guide plate 10.

  The lower unit 71 is disposed below the upper unit 73, one end of the spring 74 is connected to the lower unit 71, the other end of the spring 74 is connected to the upper unit 73, and the lower unit 71 is moved upward by the spring 74. It is provided in a state suspended from the unit 73.

  A pulley 11a coaxial with the drive roller 11 is attached to the drive roller 11, and an endless belt 15b is stretched around the power take-off shaft 15a and the pulley 11a of the drive motor 15. The drive roller 11 is configured to rotate via the endless belt 15b and the pulley 11a by the rotation of the drive motor 15. The conveyance belt 14 is configured to be rotated so as to return to the driven roller 12 again through the driven roller 12 and the tension roller 13 in this order by the rotation of the driving roller 11. Hereinafter, the direction in which the transport belt 14 circulates is referred to as a transport direction.

  The drive and rotation speed of the drive motor 15 is controlled by the control device, and the control device controls the rotation speed of the drive motor 15, whereby the transport speed of the transport belt 14 is controlled.

  The tension roller 13 can be moved together with the lower unit 71 in a direction perpendicular to the axis thereof, and the tension of the conveying belt 14 can be adjusted by the movement of the tension roller 13.

  The belt guide plate 10 is configured to support the belt guide plate 10 from the lower side (inner side) of the conveyance belt 14. The belt guide plate 10 supports the conveying belt 14 from below, so that the conveying belt 14 passes from the driven roller 12 toward the driving roller 11 on the belt guide plate 10 without being bent under its own weight.

  The recording medium 99 is supplied onto the outer surface of the conveyor belt 14 from above the driven roller 12 and attached to the outer surface of the conveyor belt 14 together with the conveyor belt 14 from the driven roller 12 toward the drive roller 11 and below the recording head 6. Is supposed to pass through. The recording medium 99 that has passed under the recording head 6 is separated from the outer surface of the conveying belt 14 at the position of the driving roller 11. When the carriage 5 reciprocates in the scanning direction above the belt guide plate 10 and ink is ejected from the recording head 6 while the carriage 5 is moving, an image is recorded on the recording medium 99, so the belt guide plate An area between the driving roller 11 and the driven roller 12 above 10 is an image recording area.

  The belt guide plate 10 incorporates an electrostatic adsorption device 10a, and the recording medium 99 is electrostatically adsorbed to the outer surface of the conveyance belt 14 by static electricity generated by the electrostatic adsorption device 10a, and the recording medium 99 with respect to the conveyance belt 14 is detected. It is designed to prevent deviation. Instead of providing the electrostatic chucking device 10a, the outer surface side of the conveyor belt 14 is made sticky, or an electrostatic force generator separate from the belt guide plate 10 is brought into contact with the conveyor belt 14 to make this electrostatic force generator. For example, the recording belt 99 may be adhered to or adsorbed to the conveyance belt 14 by charging the conveyance belt 14.

  The cleaning mechanism 16 includes a cleaning liquid tank 21 disposed between the driving roller 11 and the tension roller 13 outside the conveyor belt 14, and a cleaning roller provided in the cleaning liquid tank 21 in parallel to the driving roller 11. 22 and a cleaning drive motor that rotationally drives the cleaning roller 22.

  The cleaning liquid tank 21 is provided in a box shape having an upper surface opened. A cleaning liquid 21 a is stored in the cleaning liquid tank 21. Although the cleaning liquid 21a is mainly water, a component that improves the cleaning power for ink such as a surfactant may be added to the cleaning liquid 21a as necessary. A cleaning roller 22 is disposed in the cleaning liquid tank 21 so as to be rotatable around its axis. A part of the cleaning roller 22 is immersed in the cleaning liquid 21 a in the cleaning liquid tank 21, and a part of the cleaning roller 22 that is not immersed in the cleaning liquid 21 a is protruding from the cleaning liquid tank 21. The outer peripheral surface of the portion of the cleaning roller 22 that is not immersed in the cleaning liquid 21 a is more preferably downstream of the image recording area in the transport direction and more preferably downstream of the drive roller 11 in the transport direction across the entire width of the transport belt 14. And is in pressure contact with the conveyor belt 14 from the outside to the inside of the conveyor belt 14. The cleaning roller 22 is a brush roller having an outer peripheral surface provided in a brush shape. The axis of the cleaning roller 22 is parallel to the width direction of the transport belt 14.

  In addition, a liquid level sensor 74 that detects the level of the cleaning liquid 21a is provided in the cleaning liquid tank 21, and the liquid level sensor 74 can determine whether or not the cleaning roller 22 is immersed in the cleaning liquid 21a. It is like that. A drain pipe 75 is connected to the bottom of the cleaning liquid tank 21, and the cleaning liquid 21 a is discharged from the cleaning liquid tank 21 by opening a drain cock 76 provided in the drain pipe 75. Further, an overflow pipe 77 is provided in the cleaning liquid tank 21 so as to protrude to a position higher than the bottom of the cleaning liquid tank 21, and when the liquid level of the cleaning liquid 21 a becomes higher than the overflow pipe 77, the cleaning liquid 21 a is discharged through the overflow pipe 77.

  A backup position facing the cleaning roller 22 with the conveyance belt 14 interposed therebetween is a space, and a side of the inner surface of the conveyance belt 14 opposite to the pressure contact position with the cleaning roller 22 is not contacted. Thereby, the frictional force generated between the cleaning roller 22 and the conveyance belt 14 can be reduced, and the decrease in the conveyance accuracy of the conveyance belt 14 can be suppressed.

  A cleaning drive motor is connected to the cleaning roller 22, and the cleaning drive motor rotates the cleaning roller 22. The rotation direction of the cleaning drive motor is set so that the rotation direction of the cleaning roller 22 is the same as the conveyance direction of the conveyance belt 14 at the pressure contact position between the conveyance belt 14 and the cleaning roller 22.

  The rotational speed of the cleaning drive motor is controlled by the control device, and the rotational speed of the cleaning roller 22 is controlled within a predetermined range by the control device controlling the rotational speed of the cleaning drive motor.

  The cleaning liquid removing mechanism 17 includes a wiping mechanism 30 that removes the cleaning liquid from the transport belt 14 by wiping the cleaning liquid from the transport belt 14 on the downstream side in the transport direction from the cleaning roller 22, and a transport on the downstream side in the transport direction from the wiping mechanism 30. And a cleaning liquid absorbing mechanism 40 that removes the cleaning liquid from the transport belt 14 by absorbing the cleaning liquid from the transport belt 14 in contact with the belt 14.

  The wiping mechanism 30 includes a wiper blade 31 in contact with the outer surface of the conveyor belt 14 over the entire width of the conveyor belt 14 on the downstream side of the cleaning roller 22 in the conveyance direction, a cleaning liquid receiver 32 disposed below the wiper blade 31, Is provided.

The wiper blade 31 is disposed on the opposite side of the tension roller 13 with the conveyor belt 14 in between, and is pressed against the conveyor belt 14 in the direction from the outside to the inside of the conveyor belt 14. The wiper blade 31 is configured to rub against the conveyor belt 14 as the conveyor belt 14 circulates. The frictional force F ₂ upstream in the conveying direction is applied to the conveyor belt 14 at the pressure contact position between the conveyor belt 14 and the wiper blade 31. Act. The cleaning liquid receiver 32 is provided in a box shape with the top opened.

  The cleaning liquid absorbing mechanism 40 includes a cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41 that is in contact with the outer surface of the conveying belt 14 over the entire width of the conveying belt 14 on the downstream side of the wiper blade 31 in the conveying direction, and a water tank 42 disposed below the cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41. And a squeezing roller 43 pressed against the cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41, and an absorption drive motor (not shown) for rotationally driving the cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41.

  The water tank 42 is provided in a box shape having an upper surface opened, and is disposed outside the conveyor belt 14. In the water tank 42, water 42a is stored.

  Above the water tank 42, a cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41 is disposed in parallel with the driving roller 11. The cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41 is rotatably provided around its axis, and the axis of the cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41 is parallel to the width direction of the conveying belt 14. A part of the lower side of the cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41 is immersed in the water 42 a in the water tank 42. The outer peripheral surface of the portion of the cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41 that is not immersed in the water 42 a is in contact with the outer surface of the conveyor belt 14 and is pressed against the conveyor belt 14 from the outer side to the inner side of the conveyor belt 14. The cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41 has a porous (sponge-like) outer peripheral surface.

  Further, a liquid level sensor 61 for detecting the level of the water 42 a is provided in the water tank 42, and it can be determined by the liquid level sensor 61 whether or not the cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41 is immersed in the water 42 a. It is like that. A drain pipe 62 is connected to the bottom of the water tank 42, and water 42 a is discharged from the water tank 42 by opening a drain cock 63 provided in the drain pipe 62. Further, an overflow pipe 64 is provided in the water tank 42 so as to protrude to a position higher than the bottom of the water tank 42, and when the liquid level of the water 42 a becomes higher than the overflow pipe 64, the water 42 a The liquid is discharged through the overflow pipe 64.

  Further, a backup position facing the cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41 with the conveying belt 14 interposed therebetween is a space, and the opposite side of the inner surface of the conveying belt 14 to the pressure contact position with the cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41 is not contacted. Thereby, the frictional force generated between the cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41 and the transport belt 14 can be reduced, and the decrease in the transport accuracy of the transport belt 14 can be suppressed.

  An absorption drive motor is connected to the cleaning liquid absorption roller 41, and the absorption drive motor rotates the cleaning liquid absorption roller 41. The rotation direction of the cleaning drive motor is set so that the rotation direction of the cleaning liquid absorption roller 41 is the same as the conveyance direction of the conveyance belt 14 at the pressure contact position between the conveyance belt 14 and the cleaning liquid absorption roller 41.

  The rotation speed of the absorption drive motor is controlled by the control device, and the rotation speed of the cleaning liquid absorption roller 41 is controlled within a predetermined range by the control device controlling the rotation speed of the absorption drive motor.

  In the vicinity of the water surface of the water 42 a in the water tank 42, the squeezing roller 43 is arranged in parallel with the cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41, and a part of the upper side of the squeezing roller 43 or the entire squeezing roller 43 comes from the water 42 a. The squeezing roller 43 is provided so as to be rotatable around its axis and is in pressure contact with the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41. The pressure contact position between the squeezing roller 43 and the cleaning liquid absorption roller 41 is between the water surface of the water 42 a and the pressure contact position between the conveying belt 14 and the cleaning liquid absorption roller 41, and is more than the pressure contact position between the squeezing roller 43 and the cleaning liquid absorption roller 41. There is a water surface of the water 42a on the opposite side of the cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41 in the rotational direction, and the conveying belt 14 and the cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41 are positioned on the rotational direction side of the cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41 from the pressure contact position between the squeezing roller 43 and the cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41. There is a pressure contact position. Accordingly, the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41 contacts the water 42a, the squeezing roller 43, and the transport belt 14 in this order, and circulates back to the water 42a.

  Further, the lower unit 71 is provided with a pressure release lever 65 for releasing pressure contact of the cleaning roller 22, the cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41, and the wiper blade 31 with respect to the transport belt 14. When the pressure release lever 65 is rotated to the upper left in FIG. 1, the cleaning roller 22, the cleaning solution absorbing roller 41, and the wiper blade 31 are moved downward together with the cleaning solution tank 21, the water tank 42 and the cleaning solution receiver 32. The roller 41 and the wiper blade 31 are separated from the transport belt 14. Further, the lower unit 71 is provided with a pressure release sensor 66 for detecting that the cleaning roller 22, the cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41 and the wiper blade 31 are separated from the transport belt 14.

  The relationship between the conveyance speed of the conveyance belt 14, the linear velocity of the outer periphery of the cleaning roller 22, and the linear velocity of the outer periphery of the cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 2, the linear velocity V _{1 on} the outer periphery of the cleaning roller 22 is faster than the conveying velocity V ₀ of the conveying belt 14, and the linear velocity V _{3 on} the outer periphery of the cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41 is the conveying velocity V _{0 of the} conveying belt 14. Slower than. The rotational speeds of the drive motor 15, the cleaning drive motor, and the absorption drive motor are set so that the linear speeds V ₁ and V ₃ and the conveyance speed V ₀ are obtained. The control device controls the rotation speeds of the drive motor 15, the cleaning drive motor, and the absorption drive motor while feeding back the rotation speeds of the drive motor 15, the cleaning drive motor, and the absorption drive motor. To be controlled. The drive motor 15 operates intermittently (intermittently) or continuously, and the control device controls the rotation speeds of the cleaning drive motor and the absorption drive motor in accordance with the operation / rotation speed of the drive motor 15. The speed relationship as described above may be controlled. Conversely, the cleaning drive motor and the absorption drive motor operate continuously, and the control device controls the rotational speed of the drive motor 15 in accordance with the rotational speeds of the cleaning drive motor and the absorption drive motor. The speed relationship may be controlled as follows.

Since the linear velocity V _{1 on} the outer periphery of the cleaning roller 22 is faster than the conveying velocity V _{0 of} the conveying belt 14, slip occurs between the outer surface of the conveying belt 14 and the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning roller 22, and friction in the downstream direction of the conveying direction. The force F ₁ acts on the conveyor belt 14 at the pressure contact position between the conveyor belt 14 and the cleaning roller 22. Further, since the linear velocity V _{1 on} the outer periphery of the cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41 is slower than the conveying speed V _{0 of} the conveying belt 14, slip occurs between the outer surface of the conveying belt 14 and the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41, and the conveying direction. The upstream frictional force F ₃ acts on the conveyor belt 14 at the pressure contact position between the conveyor belt 14 and the cleaning roller 22. The frictional force F ₁ between the cleaning roller 22 and the conveyor belt 14 is the frictional force F ₂ between the wiper blade 31 and the conveyor belt 14 and the frictional force between the cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41 and the conveyor belt 14. It is set to be smaller than the sum of F ₃ .

  The material of the conveyor belt 14 is set so that the static friction coefficient between the conveyor belt 14 and the cleaning roller 22 and the cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41 exceeds 0.2, preferably 0.3 or more. . Thereby, the ink or the cleaning liquid adhering to the transport belt 14 can be efficiently cleaned and absorbed.

  In FIG. 2, the illustration of some of the members shown in FIG. 1 is omitted for easy understanding of the drawing.

On the other hand, the relationship shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the linear velocity V _{1 on} the outer periphery of the cleaning roller 22 is faster than the conveying velocity V ₀ of the conveying belt 14, and the linear velocity V _{3 on} the outer periphery of the cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41 is the conveying velocity V _{0 of the} conveying belt 14. Faster than. The rotational speeds of the drive motor 15, the cleaning drive motor, and the absorption drive motor are set so that the linear speeds V ₁ and V ₃ and the conveyance speed V ₀ are obtained. The control device controls the rotation speeds of the drive motor 15, the cleaning drive motor, and the absorption drive motor while feeding back the rotation speeds of the drive motor 15, the cleaning drive motor, and the absorption drive motor. To be controlled. The drive motor 15 operates intermittently (intermittently) or continuously, and the control device controls the rotation speeds of the cleaning drive motor and the absorption drive motor in accordance with the operation / rotation speed of the drive motor 15. The speed relationship as described above may be controlled. Conversely, the cleaning drive motor and the absorption drive motor operate continuously, and the control device controls the rotational speed of the drive motor 15 in accordance with the rotational speeds of the cleaning drive motor and the absorption drive motor. The speed relationship may be controlled as follows.

Since the linear velocity V _{1 on} the outer periphery of the cleaning roller 22 is faster than the conveying velocity V _{0 of} the conveying belt 14, slip occurs between the outer surface of the conveying belt 14 and the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning roller 22, and friction in the downstream direction of the conveying direction. The force F ₁ acts on the conveyor belt 14 at the pressure contact position between the conveyor belt 14 and the cleaning roller 22. Further, since the linear velocity V _{1 on} the outer periphery of the cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41 is faster than the conveying speed V _{0 of} the conveying belt 14, slip occurs between the outer surface of the conveying belt 14 and the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41, and the conveying direction. A downstream frictional force F ₃ acts on the conveyor belt 14 at the pressure contact position between the conveyor belt 14 and the cleaning roller 22. The sum of the frictional force F ₁ between the cleaning roller 22 and the conveyor belt 14 and the frictional force F ₃ between the cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41 and the conveyor belt 14 is between the wiper blade 31 and the conveyor belt 14. It is set to be smaller than the frictional force F _2.

  In FIG. 3, the illustration of some of the members shown in FIG. 1 is omitted for easy understanding of the drawing.

  If the frictional force is set as shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 3, the frictional force can be applied in the direction of increasing the tension of the conveying belt 14 in the image recording area. Therefore, the conveying belt 14 can be maintained in a stretched state without being slackened, and the load torque of the drive motor 15 can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the conveyance accuracy of the conveyance belt 14 and to stably rotate the conveyance belt 14 even if the output of the drive motor 15 is small.

  Here, a method for measuring the static friction coefficient between the conveyance belt 14 and the cleaning roller 22 will be described. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a method of measuring a static friction coefficient. As shown in FIG. 4, the transport belt 14 is placed on a flat and horizontal base, and a cleaning member 81 made of the same material as the cleaning roller 22 is placed on the transport belt 14. The cleaning member 81 is provided in a columnar shape having a diameter of 80 mm. After the water is once contained in the cleaning member 81, the cleaning member 81 is left to stand to cut water from the cleaning member 81 by gravity, and the cleaning member The bottom surface of 81 is placed on the conveyor belt 14. Then, a weight 82 (for example, 1 kg) is placed on the conveyor belt 14, the cleaning member 81 is slowly pulled with the digital force gauge 83, and the maximum load when the cleaning member 81 starts to move is measured with the digital force gauge 83. When the measured maximum load is F [N] and the total load of the weight 82 and the cleaning member 81 is f [N], the static friction coefficient is F / f. When the load of the weight 82 is sufficiently large with respect to the cleaning member 81, f may be set as the load of the weight 82. The material of the conveyance belt 14 and the cleaning roller 22 is selected so that the static friction coefficient exceeds 0.2 by such a measuring method. It should be noted that when the coefficient of static friction between the conveyor belt 14 and the cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41 is measured, a cleaning liquid absorbing member made of the same material as the cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41 is prepared in the same manner.

Next, the operation of the image recording apparatus 1 will be described.
In the belt-type transport device 2, tension is applied to the transport belt 14 by the weight of the tension roller 13 and the lower unit 71 attached thereto. If necessary, the tension applied to the conveyor belt 14 can be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the load due to the weight of the tension roller 13 and the lower unit 71 using the spring 72 or the weight.

  Further, when the drive motor 15 is operated by a predetermined rotation amount under the control of the control device and the drive roller 11 is rotated, the conveyance belt 14 is moved in the conveyance direction by a predetermined amount, and then the drive motor 15 is stopped. At this time, the control device also controls the rotational speed of the drive motor 15 to control the transport speed of the transport belt 14 to a predetermined value. As the drive motor 15 repeats operation and stop in this manner, the conveyance belt 14 moves intermittently in the conveyance direction and circulates, and the recording medium 99 moves from the driven roller 12 to the drive roller in accordance with the movement of the conveyance belt 14. 11 is intermittently conveyed.

  In accordance with the operation and stop of the drive motor 15, the carriage 5 moves along the guide member 4 in the main scanning direction in the image recording unit 3. When the drive motor 15 is operating, the carriage 5 is stopped. When the drive motor 15 is stopped, the carriage 5 is moved along the guide member 4. As the carriage 5 moves, the recording head 6 discharges ink from the discharge port toward the recording medium 99 while scanning the recording medium 99 in the main scanning direction.

  Specifically, in a state in which the conveyance belt 14 stops moving and the recording medium 99 is stationary, the recording head 6 ejects ink toward the recording medium 99 while scanning in the forward direction of the main scanning direction, and image Make a record. When scanning of the recording head 6 in the forward direction is completed, the conveyance belt 14 moves in the conveyance direction, thereby conveying the recording medium 99 to be stationary. Then, while the recording head 6 scans in the backward direction, ink is discharged in the same manner to perform image recording of the head width. When the scanning of the recording head 6 in the backward direction is completed, the conveying belt 14 moves again to convey the recording medium 99 and stop it. By repeating this, an image is recorded on the recording medium 99.

  Further, the cleaning drive motor and the cleaning liquid absorption drive motor are controlled within a predetermined rotational speed range by the control device, and operate continuously while the image recording apparatus 1 performs the recording operation. Although the relative speed of the outer periphery of the cleaning roller 22 and the cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41 changes depending on whether the transport belt 14 is moved or stopped, the ink and cleaning liquid are completely cleaned and absorbed under the set conditions of the present invention. Is done.

  As described above, when the driving roller 11 is rotated by the driving motor 15, the conveying belt 14 intermittently rotates, but the conveying belt 14 presses the cleaning roller 22, the wiper blade 31, and the cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41 in this order. Go around.

In the cleaning mechanism 16, the cleaning roller 22 is rotated by the cleaning drive motor during the rotation of the transport belt 14, and the cleaning roller 22 that has absorbed the cleaning liquid 21 a in the cleaning liquid tank 21 is transported at a pressure contact position with the transport belt 14. Due to the reaction force from the belt 14, the absorbed cleaning liquid floats on the surface of the cleaning roller 22. Then, the cleaning liquid floating on the surface of the cleaning roller 22 dissolves and diffuses the ink adhering to the surface of the conveying belt 14. Further, since the linear velocity V _{1 on} the outer periphery of the cleaning roller 22 is faster than the conveying speed V _{0 of the} conveying belt 14, slip occurs between the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning roller 22 and the conveying belt 14. The outer peripheral surface acts to rub off ink from the transport belt 14. Furthermore, since the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning roller 22 is provided in a brush shape, the ink adhering to the surface of the transport belt 14 can be washed off efficiently.

  In the wiping mechanism 30, the conveyor belt 14 circulates and rubs against the wiper blade 31, and the cleaning liquid adhering to the conveyor belt 14 is wiped off by the wiper blade 31. The cleaning liquid wiped from the transport belt 14 is stored in the cleaning liquid receiver 32.

  In the cleaning liquid absorbing mechanism 40, the cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41 is rotated by the cleaning liquid absorbing drive motor when the transport belt 14 circulates, and the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41 is the transport belt 14. The water 42a and the squeezing roller 43 are in contact with each other in this order. The cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41 absorbs the cleaning liquid adhering to the transport belt 14 at the pressure contact position with the transport belt 14. The cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41 that has absorbed the cleaning liquid from the transport belt 14 is immersed in the water 42a in the water tank 42, and the cleaning liquid containing ink diffuses from the cleaning liquid absorption roller 41 into the water 42a. When the cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41 coming out of the water 42a is pressed against the squeezing roller 43, the water absorbed by the cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41 is squeezed out.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the transport belt 14 is cleaned with the cleaning liquid by the cleaning roller 22 and the cleaning liquid adheres to the transport belt 14, but the cleaning liquid of the transport belt 14 is wiper blade 31 on the downstream side in the transport direction. And is further absorbed by the cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41 on the downstream side. For this reason, the ink can be reliably removed from the transport belt 14, and further, no cleaning liquid remains on the transport belt 14. Since the conveyor belt 14 can be efficiently cleaned in this way, the force of pressing the cleaning roller 22, the wiper blade 31 and the cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41 against the conveyor belt 14 can be weakened, and the conveyance accuracy of the conveyor belt 14 is adversely affected. Don't give.

  Further, since the conveyor belt 14 can be efficiently cleaned, the force of pressing the cleaning roller 22, the wiper blade 31 and the cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41 against the conveyor belt 14 can be weakened, and the generated frictional force can be reduced. Therefore, the conveyance belt 14 can have a higher friction coefficient, and can be conveyed by the conveyance belt 14 even when the recording medium 99 has a low friction coefficient.

  Further, since the cleaning liquid of the conveying belt 14 is removed by the wiper blade 31 and the cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41, it is not necessary to absorb and remove the cleaning liquid by the cleaning roller 22, so that the cleaning roller 22 does not have to be a multifunctional material. As in this embodiment, the cleaning roller 22 can be a brush roller. Therefore, the cost of the cleaning roller 22 can be reduced, and the cleaning roller 22 can efficiently wash ink from the transport belt 14.

  Further, since the cleaning liquid adhering to the transport belt 14 can be almost wiped off by the wiper blade 31, the cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41 on the downstream side of the wiper blade 31 can be made to have a small absorbing power. For this reason, the cost of the cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41 can be reduced.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various improvements and design changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, in the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to the image recording apparatus 1 that is a serial type ink jet printer, but may be applied to an image recording apparatus that is a line head type ink jet printer. In the case of a line head type ink jet printer, a line type recording head is disposed above the image recording area instead of the image recording unit 3 in FIG. 1, and the lower surface of the line type recording head is positioned above the image recording area. 99, the line type recording heads are provided long in the width direction of the conveying belt 14 so as to face the conveying belt 14, and a plurality of such line type recording heads are arranged in parallel. On the lower surface of the line type recording head, a plurality of ejection openings for ejecting ink are formed in a line in the width direction of the conveying belt 14.

  Further, instead of the rotating cleaning roller 22, a fixed cleaning member may be provided in pressure contact with the transport belt 14. In this case, the cleaning member contains a cleaning liquid. When such a cleaning member is provided, the cleaning member slides relative to the transport belt as the transport belt 14 circulates, and the transport belt 14 is cleaned with the cleaning liquid contained in the cleaning member.

  Further, instead of the rotating cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41, a fixed absorbing member may be provided in pressure contact with the transport belt 14. In this case, the absorbing member is preferably a porous material such as a sponge. When such an absorbing member is provided, the absorbing member slides relative to the conveying belt as the conveying belt 14 circulates, and the cleaning liquid adhering to the conveying belt 14 is absorbed by the absorbing member. In this case, since the cleaning liquid adhering to the conveyor belt 14 can be wiped off with the wiper blade 31, the replacement frequency of the cleaning member can be reduced.

1 is a side view of an image recording apparatus 1 in an embodiment to which the present invention is applied. _{6 is a} diagram showing the directions of the frictional forces F _{1 to} F ₃ acting on the conveyor belt 14, the conveying direction of the conveyor belt 14, the rotation direction of the cleaning roller 22, and the rotation direction of the cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41 by arrows. _{6 is a} diagram showing the directions of the frictional forces F _{1 to} F ₃ acting on the conveyor belt 14, the conveying direction of the conveyor belt 14, the rotation direction of the cleaning roller 22, and the rotation direction of the cleaning liquid absorbing roller 41 by arrows. It is drawing for demonstrating the method for measuring a static friction coefficient.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image recording apparatus 2 Belt-type conveying apparatus 6 Recording head 14 Conveying belt 16 Cleaning mechanism 22 Cleaning roller (cleaning member)
17 Cleaning liquid removing mechanism 30 Wiping mechanism 31 Wiper blade 40 Cleaning liquid absorbing mechanism 41 Cleaning liquid absorbing roller (absorbing member)

Claims (10)

In a belt-type transport device that transports a recording medium by a transport belt,
A cleaning member provided so as to be press-contactable to the conveyor belt, and cleaning the conveyor belt with a cleaning liquid;
A cleaning liquid removing mechanism for removing cleaning liquid adhering to the conveyor belt on the downstream side in the transport direction of the conveyor belt from the cleaning member;
With
A cleaning roller provided so that the cleaning member is rotatable around an axis parallel to the width direction of the conveyor belt;
The outer peripheral surface of the cleaning roller is pressed against the conveyor belt,
The cleaning roller rotates so that the rotation direction of the cleaning roller is the same as the transport direction of the transport belt at the pressure contact position between the transport belt and the cleaning roller,
The linear velocity on the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning roller is set to be larger than the conveying speed of the conveying belt during conveyance,
The cleaning liquid removing mechanism is
A wiper blade provided so as to be able to press contact with the transport belt on the downstream side in the transport direction of the transport belt with respect to the cleaning member, and wiping the cleaning liquid from the transport belt;
An absorbing member that is provided so as to be press-contactable to the conveyor belt on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the conveyor belt with respect to the cleaning member, and that absorbs cleaning liquid from the conveyor belt ,
The frictional force at the pressure contact position between the cleaning roller and the transport belt is the sum of the frictional force at the pressure contact position between the transport belt and the absorbing member and the friction force at the pressure contact position between the transport belt and the wiper blade. Is also small . In a belt-type transport device that transports a recording medium by a transport belt,
A cleaning member provided so as to be press-contactable to the conveyor belt, and cleaning the conveyor belt with a cleaning liquid;
A cleaning liquid removing mechanism for removing cleaning liquid adhering to the conveyor belt on the downstream side in the transport direction of the conveyor belt from the cleaning member;
With
  The cleaning member is a cleaning roller provided rotatably around an axis parallel to the width direction of the transport belt;
  The outer peripheral surface of the cleaning roller is pressed against the conveyor belt,
  The cleaning roller rotates so that the rotation direction of the cleaning roller is the same as the transport direction of the transport belt at the pressure contact position between the transport belt and the cleaning roller,
  The linear velocity on the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning roller is set to be larger than the conveying speed of the conveying belt during conveyance,
  The cleaning liquid removing mechanism is
  A wiper blade provided so as to be able to press contact with the transport belt on the downstream side in the transport direction of the transport belt with respect to the cleaning member, and wiping cleaning liquid from the transport belt;
  An absorbing member that is provided so as to be press-contactable to the conveyor belt on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the conveyor belt with respect to the cleaning member, and that absorbs cleaning liquid from the conveyor belt,
  The absorbing member is an absorbing roller provided rotatably around an axis parallel to the width direction of the conveyor belt;
  The outer peripheral surface of the absorbing roller is pressed against the conveyor belt,
  The absorbing roller rotates so that the rotation direction of the absorbing roller is the same as the conveying direction of the conveying belt at the pressure contact position between the conveying belt and the absorbing roller;
  The linear velocity on the outer peripheral surface of the absorbing roller is set to be smaller than the conveying speed of the conveying belt during conveyance,
  The frictional force at the pressure contact position between the cleaning roller and the transport belt is the sum of the frictional force at the pressure contact position between the transport belt and the absorption roller and the friction force at the pressure contact position between the transport belt and the wiper blade. Is also small. In a belt-type transport device that transports a recording medium by a transport belt,
A cleaning member provided so as to be press-contactable to the conveyor belt, and cleaning the conveyor belt with a cleaning liquid;
A cleaning liquid removing mechanism for removing cleaning liquid adhering to the conveyor belt on the downstream side in the transport direction of the conveyor belt from the cleaning member;
With
  The cleaning member is a cleaning roller provided rotatably around an axis parallel to the width direction of the transport belt;
  The outer peripheral surface of the cleaning roller is pressed against the conveyor belt,
  The cleaning roller rotates so that the rotation direction of the cleaning roller is the same as the transport direction of the transport belt at the pressure contact position between the transport belt and the cleaning roller,
  The linear velocity on the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning roller is set to be larger than the conveying speed of the conveying belt during conveyance,
  The cleaning liquid removing mechanism is
  A wiper blade provided so as to be able to press contact with the transport belt on the downstream side in the transport direction of the transport belt with respect to the cleaning member, and wiping cleaning liquid from the transport belt;
  An absorbing member that is provided so as to be press-contactable to the conveyor belt on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the conveyor belt with respect to the cleaning member, and that absorbs cleaning liquid from the conveyor belt,
  The absorbing member is an absorbing roller provided rotatably around an axis parallel to the width direction of the conveyor belt;
  The outer peripheral surface of the absorbing roller is pressed against the conveyor belt,
  The absorbing roller rotates so that the rotation direction of the absorbing roller is the same as the conveying direction of the conveying belt at the pressure contact position between the conveying belt and the absorbing roller;
  The linear velocity on the outer peripheral surface of the absorbing roller is set to be greater than the conveying speed of the conveying belt during conveyance;
  The sum of the frictional force at the pressure contact position between the cleaning roller and the transport belt and the frictional force at the pressure contact position between the transport belt and the absorption roller is obtained from the frictional force at the pressure contact position between the transport belt and the wiper blade. Is also small. The belt-type conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein an opposite side of the pressure contact position with the cleaning member is not contacted. The belt-type conveyance device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a coefficient of static friction between the cleaning member and the conveyance belt exceeds 0.2. The belt according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the absorbing member is provided so as to be capable of being pressed against the conveyor belt at a downstream side of the wiper blade in the conveyance direction of the conveyor belt. Type conveyor. The belt type conveying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein a static friction coefficient between the absorbing member and the conveying belt exceeds 0.2. The belt-type conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein a side of the conveying belt opposite to the pressure contact position with the absorbing member is not contacted. The belt type conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , wherein an outer peripheral surface of the cleaning roller is provided in a brush shape. A belt-type conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 9 ,
An image recording apparatus comprising: a recording head that discharges ink toward a recording medium upstream of the cleaning member in the conveying direction of the conveying belt.

Images