JP5292750B2 - Liquid ejector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid jet apparatus capable of efficiently installing a heating means in a support member plurally formed at predetermined intervals with suction hole rows extending in a direction crossing a conveyance direction of a target. <P>SOLUTION: An inkjet type printer is provided with a platen 48 for supporting continuous paper 12 conveyed from an upstream side (the left side) in the conveyance direction (a horizontal direction) of the continuous paper 12, and the platen 48 is plurally formed at predetermined intervals in the horizontal direction with the suction hole rows 85 comprised of a plurality of suction holes 48a formed along a fore and aft direction. A plurality of heaters 81, 82, 83 is buried in the platen 48. Each heater 81, 82, 83 is respectively provided with a plurality of first heating parts 86 arranged between mutually adjacent suction hole rows 85 in the horizontal direction and extending along the fore and aft direction, and a second heating part 87 connecting the first heating parts 86 arranged in mutually different positions in the horizontal direction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting apparatus such as an ink jet printer.

  In general, an ink jet printer (hereinafter referred to as “printer”) is widely known as a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects liquid onto a target (for example, Patent Document 1). The printer described in Patent Document 1 includes a platen (supporting member) for supporting a printing tape (target) that is continuous paper, and a recording head (jet) that ejects ink (liquid) onto the printing tape supported by the platen. Liquid ejecting head). When the printing tape is conveyed onto the platen from the upstream side of the platen, ink is ejected from the recording head to the printing tape on the platen in a state where conveyance of the printing tape is temporarily stopped. ing. Thereafter, when the ejection of ink by the recording head to the printing tape on the platen is completed, the printing tape on the platen is conveyed downstream from the platen in the conveyance direction of the printing tape.

  Further, the platen has a plurality of suction hole rows formed with a plurality of suction holes formed along the width direction of the printing tape perpendicular to (crossing) the printing tape conveyance direction. Has been. Then, the inside of all the suction holes forming each suction hole row is sucked by a suction means (for example, a fan) so that the printing tape is attracted to the platen. As a result, the flatness of the printing tape on the platen is ensured, and the ink ejected from the recording head is suitably landed on the printing tape.

Further, in the platen, heating means (for example, a heater) extending in the width direction of the printing tape is provided between the suction hole rows adjacent to each other in the transport direction. Then, heat from each of these heating means is transmitted to the printing tape on the platen through the platen, thereby contributing to quick drying of the ink landed on the printing tape.
JP 2006-150723 A

  By the way, in the printer described in Patent Document 1, many heating means are arranged one by one between the respective suction hole rows in the platen. For this reason, at the time of manufacturing the printer, it takes a lot of time and labor to install the heating means one by one in the platen, and it has been strongly desired to improve the manufacturing efficiency of the printer.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a support in which a plurality of suction hole arrays extending in a direction intersecting the target transport direction are formed at predetermined intervals in the transport direction. An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid ejecting apparatus capable of efficiently installing a heating means in a member.

In order to achieve the above object, a liquid ejecting apparatus of the present invention includes a support member for supporting a target transported from the upstream side in the transport direction, a heating unit for heating the support member, and the support member A plurality of suction holes formed in the support member along a direction intersecting the transport direction of the target on the support member. In the liquid ejecting apparatus in which the plurality of suction hole rows are formed at equal intervals in the transport direction, the heating means is disposed at the center between the suction hole rows adjacent to each other in the transport direction. A plurality of first heating parts extending along the extending direction of the suction hole row and a second heating part for connecting the first heating parts arranged at different positions in the transport direction And the heating means are arranged at positions different from each other in the transport direction on the outer side in the extending direction than both ends in the extending direction of the suction hole row. Are connected to each other by the second heating part, and the second heating part connects the first heating parts in an arrangement mode in which one suction hole row is sandwiched in the transport direction, and the suction holes. The second heating unit is formed in an arc shape centering on a suction hole located at an end portion in the extending direction of the row, and the radius of curvature of the second heating unit is the first heating unit and the suction hole row in the transport direction. Is equal to the distance between

In the above configuration, a heating unit including a plurality of first heating units and a second heating unit that connects the first heating units is provided in the support member. The first heating part of the heating means corresponds to a conventional heating means (hereinafter referred to as “conventional heating means”). That is, when the heating means of the present invention is installed in the support member, the same number of conventional heating means as the number of the first heating parts of the heating means is installed. Therefore, the heating means can be efficiently installed in a support member in which a plurality of suction hole rows extending in a direction intersecting the target transport direction is formed at a predetermined interval in the transport direction.
Moreover, it becomes possible to arrange | position the edge part in the width direction of the target arrange | positioned on a supporting member inside the extending direction of a suction hole row | line | column rather than a 2nd heating part. Therefore, the occurrence of temperature unevenness in the region where the target is disposed on the support member is suppressed.
In general, when the distance between the suction hole and the heating unit changes, temperature unevenness may occur in the peripheral portion of the support member around the suction hole. In this respect, in the present invention, since the second heating part is formed to have an arc shape centered on the suction hole, occurrence of temperature unevenness in the peripheral part of the suction hole in the support member is suppressed.

In the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, the heating unit includes a single long member, and the second heating unit is formed by bending a part of the long member.
In the above configuration, since the heating means is composed of one long member, it is possible to further contribute to the improvement of manufacturing efficiency as compared with the case where the heating means is configured by combining a plurality of members.

In the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, the liquid ejecting apparatus further includes suction means for sucking all the suction holes constituting each suction hole row.
In the above-described configuration, the inside of each suction hole is sucked by the suction means, whereby the target conveyed on the support member can be adsorbed to the support member. Therefore, heat from the heating means can be efficiently transmitted to the target through the support member.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment in which a liquid ejecting apparatus of the invention is embodied in an ink jet printer will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, when referring to “front-rear direction”, “left-right direction”, and “up-down direction”, the directions indicated by arrows in FIGS. 1 and 2 are used as a reference.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an ink jet printer 11 as a liquid ejecting apparatus sequentially prints on a feeding unit 13 that feeds a continuous paper 12 as a long target, and a continuous paper 12 fed from the feeding unit 13. A main body 14 that is performed and dried, and a winding unit 15 that winds the continuous paper 12 that has been printed and dried by the main body 14 are provided. That is, the main body portion 14 includes a rectangular parallelepiped main body case 16, and the feeding portion 13 is disposed on the left side of the main body case 16 on the upstream side in the conveying direction of the continuous paper 12 and the main body case 16 on the downstream side. The winding part 15 is arrange | positioned on the right side.

  The feeding portion 13 includes a support plate 17 extending leftward from the lower left end portion of the main body case 16, and the front surface of the support plate 17 is a vertical surface. A winding shaft 18 extending toward the front (front side in the direction orthogonal to the paper surface in FIG. 1) is rotatably supported with respect to the support plate 17 at the front end portion of the front surface of the support plate 17. A disc-shaped rotating plate 19 is provided at the proximal end of the winding shaft 18 so as to rotate integrally with the winding shaft 18.

  A continuous paper 12 previously wound in a roll shape is supported on the winding shaft 18 so as to be integrally rotatable with the winding shaft 18, and a rotating plate 19 is formed on both side edges of the continuous paper 12 wound in a roll shape. The side edge of the side is in contact with the front surface of the rotating plate 19. That is, when the continuous paper 12 previously wound in a roll shape is supported on the winding shaft 18, one side edge of the continuous paper 12 wound in the roll shape comes into contact with the front surface of the rotating plate 19. Thus, positioning in the front-rear direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the continuous paper 12 is performed. Note that glossy paper is used as the continuous paper 12 of the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the feeding portion 13 includes a plate-like feeding stand 20 that extends horizontally from the central portion of the left surface of the main body case 16 toward the left. A relay roller 21 is rotatably provided for winding the continuous paper 12 fed from the winding shaft 18 and guiding it to the upper surface of the feeding table 20.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a guide portion 24 as an elongated block-shaped guide means extending along the left-right direction is provided on almost the entire rear end edge on the rear end edge on the upper surface of the feeding table 20. . Furthermore, a guide block 25 is provided on the upper surface of the feeding table 20 as guide means disposed so as to face the left end portion of the guide portion 24. An area between the guide portion 24 and the guide block 25 on the upper surface of the feeding table 20 is a part of the transport path of the continuous paper 12, and the guide portion 24 and the guide block 25 are widths in the front-rear direction of the continuous paper 12. Are separated by the same distance.

  When the continuous paper 12 is conveyed toward the right side (the main body 14 side) along the upper surface of the feeding table 20, the front and rear side edges of the continuous paper 12 are in relation to the guide portion 24 and the guide block 25. By sliding, the continuous paper 12 is guided along the transport direction (here, the right direction). Note that the guide block 25 is movable in the front-rear direction on the upper surface of the feeding table 20, and when the width of the continuous paper 12 in the front-rear direction is changed, the guide block 24 is moved to move the guide unit 24. The distance between the guide block 25 and the guide block 25 is changed according to the width of the continuous paper 12 in the front-rear direction.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a plate-like base 30 that divides the inside of the main body case 16 vertically is provided at a position slightly above the central portion in the vertical direction in the main body case 16 of the main body portion 14. The area above the base 30 in the main body case 16 is a printing chamber 31 for printing on the continuous paper 12. On the other hand, in the area below the base 30 in the main body case 16, three compartments 33, 34, and 35 that are partitioned to be arranged in the left-right direction are formed. These three compartments are, in order from the left, a first compartment 33, a second compartment 34, and a third compartment 35.

  The left wall of the main body case 16 is provided with a carry-in port (not shown) for carrying the continuous paper 12 into the first compartment 33 from the upper surface of the feeding table 20. A pull-in driving roller 36 is rotatably provided so as to face each other at a close position. That is, the pull-in driving roller 36 is disposed at the left end portion of the first compartment 33.

  A relay roller 40 is rotatably provided on the right side of the pull-in driving roller 36 in the first compartment 33. Then, the continuous paper 12 drawn into the first compartment 33 by driving the drawing drive roller 36 is wound around the relay roller 40 so as to go to a position near the left end of the printing chamber 31.

  An elevating roller 42 that moves up and down based on driving of an elevating mechanism (not shown) is provided between the drawing drive roller 36 and the relay roller 40 in the first compartment 33. The continuous paper 12 is wound around the elevating roller 42 from below.

  Here, the length of the continuous paper 12 positioned between the pull-in driving roller 36 and the relay roller 40 becomes longer as the elevating roller 42 is lowered and shorter as the elevating roller 42 is raised. . That is, the transport distance of the continuous paper 12 between the pull-in drive roller 36 and the relay roller 40 becomes longer as the lift roller 42 is positioned on the lower side, and the pull-up drive roller 36 and the relay are relayed as the lift roller 42 is positioned on the upper side. The conveyance distance of the continuous paper 12 between the rollers 40 is shortened.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the continuous paper 12 is guided along the conveyance direction (here, upward) so as to vertically penetrate the base 30 at a position facing the relay roller 40 in the base 30. A guide device 43 is provided. A relay roller 46 is provided on the upper side of the guide device 43 in the printing chamber 31, and the continuous paper 12 is wound around the relay roller 46 from the lower left side and is conveyed horizontally in the right direction. Yes.

  A platen 48 as a rectangular plate-like support member supported on the base 30 is provided in a region on the right side of the relay roller 46 in the printing chamber 31. A conversion roller 49 is provided on the right side of the platen 48 so as to face the relay roller 46 with the platen 48 interposed therebetween. In this case, the upper surface of the relay roller 46, the upper surface of the platen 48, and the upper surface of the conversion roller 49 are flush with each other.

  The continuous paper 12 conveyed in the horizontal right direction from the relay roller 46 along the upper surface of the platen 48 is wound on the conversion roller 49 from the upper left side, and the conveyance direction of the continuous paper 12 is changed from the horizontal right direction to the vertical downward direction. Has been. Then, the continuous paper 12 whose conveyance direction is changed vertically downward by the conversion roller 49 is conveyed into the third compartment 35 through an insertion hole (not shown) provided in the base 30. .

  Guide rails 50 (indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1) extending in the left-right direction are provided on both the front and rear sides of the platen 48 in the printing chamber 31 so as to form a pair. It is higher than the top surface. A rectangular plate-shaped carriage 51 is supported on the upper surfaces of both guide rails 50 so as to be capable of reciprocating in the left-right direction along the both guide rails 50. The carriage 51 moves in the left-right direction on both guide rails 50 based on driving of a drive mechanism (not shown).

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a rectangular plate-like slide plate 53 is supported on the lower surface of the carriage 51 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction with respect to the carriage 51. A recording head 54 is supported on the lower surface of the slide plate 53. In addition, a plurality of valve units 55 that temporarily store ink as liquid are provided on the upper rear wall of the main body case 16 in the printing chamber 31. Each valve unit 55 temporarily stores inks of different colors.

  Each valve unit 55 is connected to the recording head 54 via an ink supply tube (not shown), and supplies each ink to the recording head 54 via each ink supply tube. A plurality of nozzle openings (not shown) are provided on the lower surface of the recording head 54, and the ink supplied from each valve unit 55 is conveyed from the nozzle openings onto the platen 48 and stopped on the continuous paper 12. Printing is performed by jetting toward the vehicle.

  Therefore, the area from the left end to the right end of the platen 48 where the continuous paper 12 is printed, which is in the middle of the transport path of the continuous paper 12, is a printing area A as a liquid ejecting area. The conveyance path of the continuous paper 12 is intermittently conveyed by the printing area A unit.

  In the main body case 16, a plurality of ink cartridges (not shown) containing inks of different colors are provided in a detachable state. Each of these ink cartridges (not shown) is connected to each valve unit 55 via an ink supply tube (not shown) so that ink can be supplied. Further, a pressurizing pump (not shown) for pressurizing the inside of each ink cartridge (not shown) is provided in the main body case 16, and each ink cartridge (not shown) is driven by driving the pressurizing pump. ) Is pressurized and supplied to each valve unit 55 via an ink supply tube (not shown).

  Flushing boxes 58 are provided on the left and right sides of the platen 48 on the base 30 to receive ink ejected from the nozzle openings (not shown) of the recording head 54 when performing flushing as needed during printing. ing. A maintenance unit 59 for performing maintenance such as cleaning of the recording head 54 is provided on the left side of the left flushing box 58 on the base 30. The maintenance unit 59 includes a cap 59a corresponding to the recording head 54, and the cap 59a can be moved up and down.

  The inside of the cap 59a communicates with a waste liquid tank (not shown) through a discharge tube (not shown). In addition, a tube pump (not shown) capable of sucking the inside of the discharge tube from the cap 59a side toward the waste liquid tank (not shown) side is provided at an intermediate position of the discharge tube. Then, when the cap 59a is lifted with the carriage 51 moved on the maintenance unit 59, the cap 59a contacts the recording head 54 so as to surround each nozzle opening (not shown) of the recording head 54. It is like that.

  Each tube of the recording head 54 is driven by driving a tube pump (not shown) with the cap 59a in contact with the recording head 54 so as to surround each nozzle opening (not shown) of the recording head 54. So-called cleaning is performed in which ink or bubbles thickened from the opening are forcibly discharged into the cap 59a. The discharged ink discharged into the cap 59a by cleaning is collected in a waste liquid tank (not shown) through a discharge tube (not shown).

  As shown in FIG. 1, a forced drying device that is long in the vertical direction as a forced drying means for forcibly drying the continuous paper 12 that has been printed in the printing area A at a position on the left side in the third compartment 35. 60 is provided. Then, the continuous paper 12 that is wound around the conversion roller 49 and conveyed vertically downward passes through the forced drying device 60 and is turned upward to the reverse roller 61 that is rotatably provided below the forced drying device 60. It is wound around and is conveyed slightly diagonally upward to the right.

  In this way, the area from the upper end to the lower end in the forced drying apparatus 60 where the continuous paper 12 is forcibly dried in the middle of the transport path of the continuous paper 12 is defined as the forced drying area B. The distance of the forced drying region B in the transport direction (here, the vertical direction) of the continuous paper 12 is a positive integer multiple of the distance of the print region A in the transport direction (here, the left-right direction) of the continuous paper 12 (this embodiment). Is set to 1). Incidentally, in the present embodiment, the distance of the forced drying region B and the distance of the printing region A are set to be equal in the transport direction of the continuous paper 12.

  In addition, an area where the continuous paper 12 is wound around the conversion roller 49 between the printing area A and the forced drying area B in the middle of the conveyance path of the continuous paper 12 is a continuous area after printing in the printing area A. Since the paper 12 is an area that is naturally dried before being forcedly dried in the forced drying area B, the paper 12 is defined as the natural drying area C. In the present embodiment, the forced drying region B and the natural drying region C constitute a drying region.

  The continuous paper 12 conveyed from the reverse roller 61 obliquely upward to the right is wound around the relay roller 62 rotatably provided at the lower right end portion in the third compartment 35 from the lower left side, and the third compartment 35 is conveyed upward along the right wall of the body case 16. At the position between the reverse roller 61 and the relay roller 62 in the third compartment 35, the continuous paper 12 is placed on the lower side so as to apply tension to the continuous paper 12 after forced drying in the forced drying region B. A dancer roller 93 is provided for pressing from above.

  Further, an unillustrated unloading port for unloading the continuous paper 12 to the take-up unit 15 side is provided at a position corresponding to the upper end of the third compartment 35 on the right wall of the main body case 16. A feed driving roller 64 is rotatably provided in the chamber 35 so as to face the carry-out port at a close position. Then, by driving the feed driving roller 64, the continuous paper 12 is fed to the winding unit 15 side through the carry-out port.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the winding unit 15 includes a rectangular parallelepiped winding frame 68, and the height of the winding frame 68 is substantially the same as the height of the feed drive roller 64. A relay roller 69 is rotatably provided at the upper end of the front surface of the winding frame 68. The continuous paper 12 sent out from the carry-out port is wound around the relay roller 69 from the upper left side and is conveyed right below.

  At a position below the relay roller 69 on the front surface of the take-up frame 68, there is a guide device 72 that guides the continuous paper 12 conveyed from the relay roller 69 directly downward along the conveyance direction (downward here). Is provided. A relay roller 73 is rotatably provided at a position below the guide device 72 on the front surface of the take-up frame 68, and the continuous paper 12 conveyed and guided downward via the guide device 72 is left on the relay roller 73. Is wound around and conveyed toward the lower right.

  A winding drive shaft 74 extending forward is supported on the front surface of the winding frame 68 diagonally to the right of the relay roller 73 so as to be rotatable with respect to the winding frame 68. The continuous paper 12 conveyed from the relay roller 73 toward the lower right is wound around the winding drive shaft 74, and the continuous paper 12 is wound around the winding drive shaft 74 by rotationally driving the winding drive shaft 74. Are wound up sequentially.

  A disc-shaped rotating plate 75 that rotates integrally with the take-up drive shaft 74 is provided at the base end of the take-up drive shaft 74, and the rotary plate 75 winds the continuous paper 12 by the take-up drive shaft 74. When taking, it functions as a guide for allowing the continuous paper 12 to be taken up accurately.

Next, the configuration of the platen 48 will be described below with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, the platen 48 is formed with a number of suction holes 48 a that penetrate the platen 48 in the vertical direction (the thickness direction of the platen 48). Each suction hole 48a is formed such that a plurality (sixteen in FIG. 3) of suction holes 48a form a plurality of suction hole rows 85 (19 rows in FIG. 3) along the front-rear direction at predetermined intervals in the left-right direction. Arranged regularly. Further, below the platen 48 (that is, an area between the platen 48 and the base 30), a fan 56 is provided as a suction unit for sucking air in each suction hole 48a. Then, by driving each fan 56, a negative pressure is generated in each suction hole 48 a, and by the generation of the negative pressure, the continuous paper 12 is sucked through each suction hole 48 a through the platen 48, and the upper surface of the platen 48. The continuous paper 12 is absorbed.

Next, a heating apparatus for heating the platen 48 will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, the heating device 80 includes a plurality of (three in the present embodiment) heaters 81, 82, 83 embedded in the platen 48, and generates heat in each of the heaters 81, 82, 83. In order to make it possible, each of the heaters 81, 82, 83 is provided with an apparatus main body 84 for supplying current individually. These heaters 81, 82, 83 are arranged in the platen 48 so as to be arranged in the left-right direction (that is, the positions in the left-right direction are different), and current is individually supplied from the apparatus main body 84. Each generates heat. The heat from the heaters 81, 82, 83 is transmitted to the continuous paper 12 on the platen 48 via the platen 48.

  Each heater 81, 82, 83 is formed by bending a plurality of portions of one long member. That is, the heaters 81, 82, 83 extend in the front-rear direction and are arranged for each of the suction hole rows 85 that are adjacent to each other in the left-right direction (six in the present embodiment), It is set as the structure provided with the 2nd heating part 87 of multiple (this embodiment five) for connecting the 1st heating parts 86 of the arrangement | positioning aspect which pinched | interposed the one suction hole row | line | column 85 in the left-right direction. .

  Each first heating unit 86 is formed such that the length in the front-rear direction is longer than the length in the front-rear direction of the suction hole row 85. In addition, each first heating unit 86 is disposed at the center in the left-right direction of both suction hole rows 85 located on both the left and right sides. Therefore, the distance between the first heating unit 86 and the suction hole row 85 adjacent to the first heating unit 86 in the left-right direction is a predetermined distance r.

  Each of the second heating portions 87 has an arc shape centering on the suction hole 48a located at the end in the front-rear direction of the suction hole row 85 (that is, the extending direction of the suction hole row 85) that is the same position in the left-right direction. Are formed respectively. That is, the second heating part 87 located in front of the suction hole row 85 among the second heating parts 87 has a radius of curvature of a predetermined distance r around the suction hole 48a located at the front end of the suction hole row 85. It is formed so as to form an arc shape. In addition, the second heating part 87 located on the rear side of the suction hole row 85 among the second heating parts 87 has a radius of curvature centered on the suction hole 48a located at the rear end portion of the suction hole row 85. It is formed so as to form an arc shape having a distance r.

  Next, the operation of the ink jet printer 11 of this embodiment will be described focusing on the operation when the heaters 81, 82, 83 heat the continuous paper 12 on the platen 48. The continuous paper 12 arranged on the platen 48 has both ends (both edges) in the front-rear direction positioned on the inner side of the arrangement position of the second heating unit 87 of each heater 81, 82, 83. To do.

  Now, when printing on the continuous paper 12 by the ink jet printer 11 is started, each fan 56 disposed below the platen 48 is driven to suck air in each suction hole 48a. Then, a portion of the continuous paper 12 supported by the platen (indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 3) is adsorbed on the upper surface of the platen 48.

  Further, when each heater 81, 82, 83 generates heat based on the driving of the apparatus main body 84, heat from each heater 81, 82, 83 is transmitted to the platen 48. In addition, the distance between the suction hole array 85 and the first heating portions 86 adjacent in the left-right direction is set to a predetermined distance r, so that the temperature in the vicinity of each suction hole 48a in the platen 48 is substantially the same. Become temperature. As a result, on the upper surface of the platen 48, the same amount of heat is applied to the continuous paper 12 in the entire region where the continuous paper 12 is to be disposed. Therefore, when printing is performed on a portion of the continuous paper 12 positioned on the platen 48 (that is, ink is ejected from the recording head 54), the ink that has landed on the continuous paper 12 Dry to some extent. Thereafter, a portion of the continuous paper 12 on which printing has been completed on the platen 48 is conveyed to the winding unit 15 side.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) In the platen 48, heaters 81, 82, and 83 including a plurality of first heating units 86 and a second heating unit 87 that connects the first heating units 86 are embedded. The first heating section 86 of the heaters 81, 82, 83 corresponds to conventional heating means (a linear heater extending in the front-rear direction and referred to as “conventional heating means”). That is, installing one heater 81, 82, 83 of this embodiment in the platen 48 is equivalent to installing six conventional heating means in the platen 48. Therefore, the heaters 81, 82, and 83 can be efficiently installed in the platen 48 in which the suction hole rows 85 extending in the front-rear direction are formed in a plurality of rows at predetermined intervals in the left-right direction. Therefore, the manufacturing efficiency of the ink jet printer 11 can be improved.

  (2) Both end portions in the width direction (front-rear direction) of the continuous paper 12 conveyed on the platen 48 may be arranged on the inner side in the front-rear direction than the second heating portions 87 of the heaters 81, 82, 83. It becomes possible. For this reason, the occurrence of temperature unevenness in the region where the continuous paper 12 is disposed on the platen 48 can be suppressed, so that the ink that has landed on the continuous paper 12 on the platen 48 can be quickly dried.

  (3) Generally, when the distance between the suction hole 48a and the heaters 81, 82, 83 changes, the balance between the amount of heat given by the heaters 81, 82, 83 and the amount of heat released from the suction hole 48a according to the distance. Will change. Therefore, if the second heating unit 87 is not in the shape of an arc centered on the suction hole 48a, the temperature around the suction hole 48a surrounded by the second heating unit 87 in each suction hole 48a is There is a possibility that the temperature around the suction holes 48a other than the suction holes 48a may be different. In such a case, temperature unevenness may occur on the upper surface of the platen 48, and the drying state of the ink that has landed on the continuous paper 12 supported by the platen 48 may vary depending on the position of the platen 48. . In this regard, in the present embodiment, since the second heating unit 87 has an arc shape centered on the suction hole 48a, the distance between the heaters 81, 82, 83 and each suction hole 48a is constant (predetermined distance r). ). Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of temperature unevenness in the peripheral portion of the suction hole 48a in the platen 48, and contribute to the drying of the ink on the platen 48.

  (4) Since each heater 81, 82, 83 is composed of one long member, the production efficiency is higher than when one heater 81, 82, 83 is constructed by combining a plurality of members. It can contribute further to improvement.

  (5) By sucking the inside of each suction hole 48 a by driving the fan 56, the continuous paper 12 conveyed on the platen 48 can be adsorbed to the platen 48. Therefore, the heat from each heater 81, 82, 83 can be efficiently transmitted to the continuous paper 12 via the platen 48.

The above embodiment may be changed to another embodiment as described below.
In the above embodiment, the heaters 81, 82, and 83 may be configured by combining the first heating unit 86 and the second heating unit 87 that is separate from the first heating unit 86. Even in this configuration, the assembly of the heaters 81, 82, 83 is completed before the heaters 81, 82, 83 are embedded in the platen 48, thereby improving the manufacturing efficiency of the ink jet printer 11. Can contribute.

  In the above embodiment, the second heating unit 87 has an arbitrary shape (for example, a “U” shape) as long as it surrounds the suction holes 48 a located at the end portions in the front-rear direction of the suction hole row 85. It may be.

  In the above-described embodiment, the heaters 81, 82, and 83 have both the first heating units 86 and both the first heating units 86 in an arrangement mode in which a plurality of (for example, two) suction hole arrays 85 are sandwiched in the left-right direction. The second heating unit 87 may be connected to each other (that is, a configuration having a substantially “U” shape).

  In the above-described embodiment, the heaters 81, 82, and 83 include a plurality of first heating portions 86 that extend from one end (for example, the front end) in the front-rear direction of the suction hole array 85 to a midway portion in the front-rear direction, and each first heating portion 86. The structure provided with the 2nd heating part 87 which connects may be sufficient. In this case, heaters 81, 82, 83 including a plurality of first heating portions 86 extending from the other end (for example, the rear end) in the front-rear direction of the suction hole array 85 to the midway part in the front-rear direction are embedded in the platen 48. It is desirable.

  In the above embodiment, any number of heaters other than three (for example, one or four) may be provided in the platen 48 as long as the portion of the platen 48 that supports the continuous paper 12 can be heated. 81, 82, 83 may be embedded.

  In the above embodiment, the heating unit may be any heating unit other than the heater as long as it can transmit heat to the continuous paper 12 via the platen 48. For example, by forming a flow path through which fluid can flow in the platen 48 and supplying warm fluid (for example, hot water or hot air) into the flow path, heat is applied to the platen 48 and the continuous paper 12 on the platen 48. You may make it tell. In this case, the heating means is constituted by the flow path and the warm fluid.

In the above embodiment, when the ink to be used is an ultraviolet effect type ink, an ultraviolet irradiation device may be provided as the forced drying device 60.
In the above embodiment, instead of the continuous paper 12, a long plastic film or the like may be used as a target.

  In the above embodiment, the liquid ejecting apparatus is embodied in the ink jet printer 11. However, the liquid ejecting apparatus is not limited to this, and other liquids (liquids in which functional material particles are dispersed or mixed in the liquid or gel) It is also possible to embody the present invention in a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects or discharges a fluid (including such a fluid). For example, a liquid that ejects a liquid (liquid material) that is dispersed or dissolved in a material such as an electrode material or a color material (pixel material) used for manufacturing a liquid crystal display, an EL (electroluminescence) display, and a surface emitting display. The liquid ejecting apparatus may be a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a bio-organic matter used for biochip manufacturing, or a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a liquid that is used as a precision pipette and serves as a sample. In addition, transparent resin liquids such as UV curable resin to form liquid injection devices that pinpoint lubricant oil onto precision machines such as watches and cameras, and micro hemispherical lenses (optical lenses) used in optical communication elements. A liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a liquid onto the substrate, a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects an etching solution such as acid or alkali to etch the substrate, and a liquid ejecting that ejects a liquid (fluid) such as a gel (for example, a physical gel) It may be a device. The present invention can be applied to any one of these liquid ejecting apparatuses.

1 is a schematic front view of an ink jet printer according to an embodiment. 1 is a schematic plan view of an ink jet printer according to an embodiment. The schematic plan view of the platen in this embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Inkjet printer as a liquid ejecting apparatus, 12 ... Continuous paper as a target, 48 ... Platen as a support member, 48a ... Suction hole, 54 ... Recording head as a liquid ejecting head, 56 ... Fan as a suction means, 81, 82, 83 ... heater as heating means, 85 ... suction hole array, 86 ... first heating part, 87 ... second heating part.

Claims (3)

A support member for supporting the target transported from the upstream side in the transport direction, a heating unit for heating the support member, and a liquid ejecting head for ejecting liquid to the target supported on the support member The support member includes a plurality of suction hole rows formed along a direction intersecting the target transport direction on the support member, and spaced at equal intervals in the transport direction. In the liquid ejecting apparatus formed in a plurality of rows,
The heating means is disposed at the center between the suction hole rows adjacent to each other in the transport direction and has a plurality of first heating portions extending along the extending direction of the suction hole rows and positions different from each other in the transport direction. And a second heating unit that couples the first heating units arranged in each other,
The heating means includes first heating units arranged at positions different from each other in the transporting direction outside the both ends in the extending direction of the suction hole row in the transporting direction. Configured to concatenate,
The second heating unit connects the first heating units in an arrangement mode in which one suction hole row is sandwiched in the transport direction, and suction holes located at an end of the suction hole row in the extending direction. Is formed in a circular arc shape around the center ,
The radius of curvature of the second heating unit is a liquid ejecting apparatus that is equal to the distance between the first heating unit and the suction hole array in the transport direction . 2. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the heating unit includes a single long member, and the second heating unit is formed by bending a part of the long member. . The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising a suction means for sucking all the suction hole constituting each suction hole row.

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