JP5463809B2 - Recording medium conveying method and recording apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording medium conveying method.

  Hereinafter, an ink jet printer which is an example of a recording apparatus will be described as an example. Among ink jet printers, there are large ink jet printers that can perform recording by ejecting ink onto a large-sized recording material such as A1 plus (Nobi) size or B0 plus (Nobi) size. In this type of large-scale inkjet printer, a roll-shaped recording material wound in a roll shape with a roll width of 24 inches (about 610 mm), 36 inches (about 914 mm), 44 inches (about 1118 mm) and a roll length of 10 m to 45 m. Is mainly used. In addition, there are a wide variety of types of roll-shaped recording materials, and there are many types such as paper and film, etc., from different materials to high rigidity such as resin-coated photographic paper and low rigidity plain paper. It is used.

  In such a roll-shaped recording material (hereinafter also referred to as roll paper), the roll portion is horizontally supported by a spindle, and the starting end portion of the roll paper drawn from the roll portion is conveyed to the platen, Skew removal is performed so as to maintain the posture. For example, as shown in Patent Document 1, the skew removal is performed by performing a process of winding the roll paper by a spindle motor after the user once pulls out the roll paper.

JP 2007-290866 A

However, depending on the above method, there is a problem that it takes a long time to set the roll paper on the platen.
In view of the circumstances as described above, an object of the present invention is to provide a recording medium transport method that can shorten the time for setting a recording medium.

  In the recording medium conveying method according to the present invention, the recording medium wound around the support shaft is sandwiched between the first roller and the second roller, and the first roller is rotated to convey the recording medium forward in the conveying direction. And a first step of comparing the rotation amount of the first roller and the rotation amount of the support shaft to estimate the outer diameter of the recording medium wound on the support shaft, and the transport direction by the first step. The recording medium conveyed forward is sandwiched between a third roller and a fourth roller disposed in front of the first roller and the second roller in the conveying direction, and the first roller and the second roller And the second step of performing skew removal of the recording medium by rotating the support shaft so as to wind the recording medium backward in the transport direction. Have.

  According to the present invention, the outer diameter of the recording medium can be estimated using the first roller and the second roller, and skew removal can be performed using the third roller and the fourth roller. System estimation and skew removal can be performed continuously in one operation. Thereby, the time for setting the recording medium can be shortened.

In the recording medium conveying method, it is preferable that the second step is performed while adsorbing a lower portion of the recording medium to a support portion.
According to the present invention, since the second step is performed while the lower part of the recording medium is attracted to the support portion, the recording medium can be set reliably.

In the recording medium conveying method, it is preferable that in the second step, the third roller is rotated together with the rotation of the support shaft.
According to the present invention, since the third roller is rotated together with the rotation of the support shaft in the second step, the recording medium can be reliably skewed.

The recording medium conveying method includes a third step of conveying the recording medium forward in the conveying direction by the third roller and the fourth roller sandwiching the recording medium after the second step. Furthermore, it is preferable to have.
According to the present invention, after the second step, the third roller and the fourth roller hold the recording medium, and the recording medium is conveyed in the third step as it is using this state. be able to. Thus, the recording medium can be transported without performing a useless operation.

1 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of an ink jet printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the ink jet printer with a main body cover removed. FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing an outline of an internal structure of the ink jet printer. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a roll paper and a roll rewinding mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a side sectional view showing a roll-shaped recording material conveying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The figure which shows the conveyance process of the roll paper which concerns on this embodiment. The process drawing. The process drawing. The process drawing. The process drawing.

  Hereinafter, a roll recording material conveying apparatus according to the present invention, a spindle motor torque setting method executed by using the roll recording material conveying apparatus, and the roll recording material conveying apparatus are provided. The recording apparatus will be described. First, the inkjet printer 100 is taken up as the best mode for carrying out the recording apparatus of the present invention, and the outline of the overall configuration will be described with reference to the drawings. The ink jet printer 100 described here is, for example, a sheet-like large-format recording material (hereinafter also referred to as a cut sheet) having an A3 plus (Nobi) size or larger, and the above-described A1 plus (Nobi) size or B0 plus (Novi). This is a large-sized ink jet printer that can perform desired recording on the recording surface of a large roll-shaped recording material (also referred to as roll paper) P wound in a roll shape such as a size.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of an ink jet printer with a main body cover attached, and FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing the ink jet printer with a main body cover removed. FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing an outline of the internal structure of the ink jet printer.

  The illustrated ink jet printer 100 includes a printer main body 3 which is an example of a recording apparatus main body, and the printer main body 3 is covered with a main body cover 2 as shown in FIG. A pair of left and right spindles 4L and 4R capable of holding the roll paper P horizontally are provided on the upper portion of the printer main body 3 near the rear part, and are held by roll paper pressers 5L and 5R having a pair of left and right flanges. The roll paper P can be rotated integrally with the spindles 4L and 4R. Further, as an example of the front surface of the printer main body 3, a cartridge holder 8 having a plurality of cartridge slots capable of individually accommodating ink cartridges of each color is provided at a portion near the left end. The ink jet printer 100 includes a control device CONT that controls each unit.

  As an example of the front surface of the ink jet printer 100, an operation panel 9 that controls various operation commands is provided near the right end. Further, the printer main body 3 is provided with a conveyance guide plate 11 in a forward downward inclined posture of about 60 °, and the roll paper P held horizontally by the spindles 4L and 4R is pulled out in the direction A in which the roll paper P is drawn out. It is guided so that it can be conveyed toward the lower front part. Further, the printer main body 3 includes a roll recording material conveying apparatus 1 according to the present invention that conveys the roll paper P toward the downstream recording position 26 while pulling out the roll paper P, and the roll paper P conveyed to the recording position 26. There is provided a recording execution device 12 for discharging ink onto a recording surface and executing desired recording.

  The recording execution device 12 is provided above the recording position 26. The recording head 13 directly performs recording by ejecting ink, and the recording head 13 is mounted in the roll width direction C, which is the scanning direction. And a carriage 10 that reciprocates. Further, below the recording position 26, a platen 28 that supports the back surface of the roll paper P and defines a gap PG with the lower surface of the recording head 13 is provided.

  FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the roll paper and the roll rewinding mechanism, and FIG. The roll-shaped recording material conveying apparatus 1 includes spindles 4L and 4R that support a roll portion 31 of roll paper P wound in a roll shape, and the spindles 4L and 4R that are in a normal rotation direction, a drawing direction A and a reverse rotation direction. A spindle motor 30 that rotates in the winding direction B, and a paper feed drive roller 16 that teaches and feeds the roll paper P from the roll unit 31 and a paper feed driven roller 17. 18, the conveyance roller 21 configured to convey the roll paper P that has been fed and the conveyance roller 21, and the roll diameter D of the roll unit 31. And a tension generating unit 29 that generates a predetermined set tension F on the roll paper P between the transport roller 21 and the roll unit 31. To have.

  In this embodiment, a spindle motor 30 is used as the tension generator 29, and the set torque T of the spindle motor 30 corresponds to the change of the roll diameter D or roll radius R in the roll portion 31 of the roll paper P. In this way, the set tension F of the roll paper P is made constant. The spindles 4L, 4R and the spindle motor 30 are constituent members of a roll rewinding mechanism 32. The roll rewinding mechanism 32 is used for returning the starting end 33 of the roll paper P drawn in the drawing direction A to the origin position in accordance with execution of recording or the like, and the roll between the conveying roller 21 and the roll unit 31 is used. It also has a role of applying tension to the paper P.

  The roll rewinding mechanism 32 includes a support bracket 34, the spindles 4 </ b> L and 4 </ b> R described above that are rotatably supported horizontally via bearings 35 at the upper portion of the support bracket 34, and the right support bracket 34 as an example. The above-described spindle motor 30 attached to the lower part of the motor, and a gear provided between the spindle 4R and the output shaft of the spindle motor 30 to reduce the rotation of the output shaft of the spindle motor 30 and transmit it to the spindle 4R. This is basically configured by including the train wheel 36.

  In the present embodiment, a shaft portion 37 that rotates integrally with the spindle motor 30 is provided on the rear surface of the spindle motor 30 in a protruding state. A disc-shaped detection plate 39 having a large number of slits 38 formed radially at equal pitches is attached to the shaft portion 37, and a spindle motor 30 is provided in the vicinity of the detection plate 39 by the slit 38. The detector 40 for detecting the rotation angle θ2 is provided in a non-contact state. The detection plate 39 and the detector 40 constitute a rotary encoder 41. The rotary encoder 41 forms a first detection unit that indirectly detects the amount of rotation of the roll unit 31.

  Further, a disc-shaped detection plate 44 in which a large number of slits 43 are radially formed at an equal pitch is attached to the roller shaft 42 of the paper feed driving roller 16, and in the vicinity of the detection plate 44. A detector 45 for detecting the rotation angle θ1 of the paper feeding drive roller 16 by the slit 43 is provided in a non-contact state. The detection plate 44 and the detector 45 constitute a rotary encoder 46. The rotary encoder 46 forms a second detection unit that detects the amount of rotation of the paper feed roller 18.

  In the present embodiment, a torque measuring unit 47 that measures the operating torque Tr of the paper feed drive roller 16 is provided in the vicinity of the paper feed drive roller 16. As a result, it is possible to change the operating torque Tr of the paper feed drive roller 16. Note that the operating torque Tr of the sheet feeding drive roller 16 may be constant, and in this case, the torque measuring unit 47 is not necessary.

  Further, in the transport apparatus 1 for a roll-shaped recording material according to the present embodiment, the roll paper P between the paper feeding roller 18 and the roll unit 31 is always constant regardless of the change in the roll diameter D of the roll unit 31. A torque control device 48 is provided for controlling the set torque T of the spindle motor 30 in accordance with the change of the roll diameter D of the roll portion 31 so that the set tension F of the spindle motor 30 acts.

  The torque control device 48 includes a static measurement measuring unit 49 that measures an offset torque T0 when the spindle motor 30 is subjected to a static load, an operating torque Tr of the transport driving roller 19, and a roller of the paper feeding drive roller 16. The tension setting unit 50 that sets the setting tension F of the roll paper P based on the radius r, the rotation angle θ2 of the spindle motor 30 detected by the two rotary encoders 41 and 46, and the rotation angle θ1 of the paper feed drive roller 16 A roll radius estimation unit 51 for estimating the roll radius R of the roll paper P based on the roller radius r of the paper feed drive roller 16 and the reduction ratio 1 / N of the gear train 36; and the spindle motor The offset torque T0 at the time of static load of 30 and the set tension F set by the tension setting unit 50 Torque for setting the set torque T of the spindle motor 30 so that the set tension F is constant by the roll radius R estimated by the roll radius estimation unit 51 and the reduction ratio 1 / N of the gear train 36. The setting unit 52 is provided.

  Next, when the roll-shaped recording material conveying apparatus 1 of this embodiment configured as described above is used, first, the roll paper P is set as shown in FIG. 6, and as shown in FIG. Then, the spindle 4L and 4R are rotated by the spindle motor 30 to feed the roll paper P.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 8, the roll paper P is sandwiched between the paper feed drive roller 16 and the paper feed driven roller 17, and the paper feed drive roller 16 is rotated to move the roll paper P forward in the transport direction. Transport to. Simultaneously with this operation, the outer diameter of the roll paper P wound around the spindles 4L and 4R is estimated by comparing the rotation amount of the paper feed drive roller 16 and the rotation amount of the spindle motor 30 (first step). . The estimation of the outer diameter is performed in a state in which there is no slack between the paper feeding roller 18 and the roll unit 31, the spindle motor 30 is turned off, and the paper feeding driving roller 16 is rotated in the drawing direction A. The feed amount L of the roll paper P is obtained from the rotation angle θ1 of the paper feed drive roller 16, and the roll radius R of the roll unit 31 is estimated from the feed amount L and the rotation angle θ2 of the spindle motor 30. In this step, for example, the roll paper P is fed until the leading edge of the roll paper P reaches a position beyond the platen 28.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 9, the roll paper P is sandwiched between the transport drive roller 19 and the transport driven roller 20, and the paper feed drive roller 16 and the paper feed driven roller 17 are separated from each other. In this case, the transport driven roller 20 and the paper feed driven roller 17 move relative to the roll paper P.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 10, the spindle 4 rotates the spindles 4L and 4R so that the roll paper P is wound backward in the transport direction by the spindle motor 30, thereby removing the skew of the roll paper P. At this time, it is performed while the roll paper P is adsorbed on the platen 28. Further, the rotation is performed while rotating the driving roller 19 with the rotation of the spindle motor 30.

  Immediately after the skew removal, the roll paper P is sandwiched between the transport drive roller 19 and the transport driven roller 20. Therefore, the roll paper P can be transported in the transport direction by driving the transport drive roller 19 immediately from this state.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the outer diameter of the recording medium is estimated using the paper feed drive roller 16 and the paper feed driven roller 17, and the transport drive roller 19, the transport driven roller 20, and the like. Therefore, the estimation of the external system of the roll paper P and the skew removal can be performed continuously in one operation. Thereby, the time until the roll paper P is set on the platen 28 can be shortened.

The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and appropriate modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, the outer diameter of the roll paper P is estimated using the paper supply roller 18 and the skew removal is performed using the transport roller 21. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Alternatively, skew may be removed using the paper supply roller 18 and the outer diameter of the roll paper P may be estimated using the transport roller 21.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Conveyance apparatus, 3 ... Printer main body, 4L, 4R ... Spindle, 12 ... Recording execution apparatus, 13 ... Recording head, 16 ... Feed roller for feed (first roller), 17 ... Driven roller for feed (second) Roller), 19 ... Conveyance drive roller (third roller), 20 ... Conveyance driven roller (fourth roller), 28 ... Platen (support), CONT ... Control device

Claims (8)

The recording medium wound around the support shaft is sandwiched between the first roller and the second roller, the first roller is rotated to convey the recording medium forward in the conveying direction, and the rotation amount of the first roller A first step of estimating the outer diameter of the recording medium wound around the support shaft by comparing the rotation amount of the support shaft;
The recording medium transported forward in the transport direction by the first step is sandwiched between a third roller and a fourth roller disposed in front of the transport direction of the first roller and the second roller, and the The first roller and the second roller are separated to release the recording medium, and the recording medium is skewed by rotating the support shaft so as to wind the recording medium backward in the transport direction. It includes a second step of, the,
In the first step, the recording medium is not sandwiched between the third roller and the fourth roller . The recording medium conveying method according to claim 1, wherein the second step is performed while adhering a lower portion of the recording medium to a support portion. The recording medium conveying method according to claim 1, wherein in the second step, the third roller is rotated together with the rotation of the support shaft. 2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a third step of conveying the recording medium forward in the conveying direction by the third roller and the fourth roller sandwiching the recording medium after the second step. 4. The recording medium conveying method according to claim 1. A first roller and a second roller that sandwich and convey a recording material drawn from a roll-shaped recording material supported by a support shaft;
  A third roller and a fourth roller that sandwich and convey the recording material conveyed from the first roller and the second roller;
  The third roller and the fourth roller are separated from each other, the recording material is sandwiched between the first roller and the second roller, and the recording material is conveyed by rotating the first roller. An estimation unit that compares the amount of rotation of the first roller and the amount of rotation of the support shaft to estimate the outer diameter of the roll-shaped recording material,
  After the outer diameter is estimated, the recording material is sandwiched between the third roller and the fourth roller, the first roller and the second roller are separated from each other, and the support shaft is rotated to thereby record the recording material. A recording apparatus, wherein the recording material is skewed by winding the material.   A support portion for supporting the recording material;
  The skew removal is performed while adsorbing the recording material on the support portion.
  The recording apparatus according to claim 5.   In the skew removal, the third roller is rotated together with the rotation of the support shaft.
  The recording apparatus according to claim 5 or 6.   After the skew removal, the recording material is conveyed by the third roller and the fourth roller that sandwich the recording material.
  The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 7.

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