JP6297286B2 - Inkjet recording apparatus and inkjet recording method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus and an ink jet recording method for recording an image using the ink jet recording apparatus.

  Techniques related to ink jet recording have been proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an image recording apparatus. This image recording apparatus includes an inkjet head and a table on which a recording medium is placed. The table is composed of a plate-like member, and an adsorption groove for adsorbing and holding the recording medium is formed on the surface thereof. A suction hole is formed in a part of the suction groove. The suction hole is connected to a vacuum pump. The table is provided with three positioning pins that come into contact with two mutually orthogonal sides of the recording medium. The positioning pin moves up and down between a lowered position whose upper end is lower than the surface of the table and a positioning position whose upper end is higher than the surface of the recording medium placed on the table by driving the air cylinder.

International Publication No. 2008/149545

  The ink jet recording apparatus can record an image on a recording medium with high quality. Therefore, the ink jet recording apparatus is used not only for home use but also in the industrial field. The shape of the recording medium is not constant, and the width and length may be different. Image recording is performed by placing and holding such a recording medium on a mounting portion included in the ink jet recording apparatus. In some cases, a plurality of recording media are placed on the placement unit at a time, and images are recorded on the respective recording media. The recording medium placed on the placement unit is held by sucking air (outside air) from a plurality of suction holes formed on the placement surface on the side where the recording medium is placed in the placement unit.

  When an image is recorded with the recording medium placed on the placement unit, the ejected ink may adhere to the surface of the placement unit on which the recording medium is placed, and this surface may become dirty. Ink may adhere to the suction holes. When a new recording medium is placed in a state where the surface of the placement unit on which the recording medium is placed is dirty, the ink adhering to the surface of the placement unit described above adheres to the new recording medium, and the new recording medium Will get dirty. Therefore, the mounting portion must be cleaned at a predetermined timing. Cleaning the ink adhering to the suction holes took time. Such cleaning may be a factor that reduces productivity. Therefore, the inventor has studied an ink jet recording apparatus and an ink jet recording method that can smoothly perform the cleaning operation as described above. Further, the inventor can hold the placed recording medium without hindering the image recording even when the shape and / or the number of the recording media placed on the placing portion is changed. We examined the configuration to do.

An object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus and an ink jet recording method capable of efficiently recording an image.

One aspect of the present invention provides a mounting portion in which a plurality of suction holes connected to a suction device are formed on a mounting surface on a side on which a recording medium is placed, an ink jet head in which nozzles for discharging ink are formed, and the suction comprising a conveying unit for conveying the band-shaped air permeability sheet having air permeability inhibiting amount of air sucked from the holes on the mounting surface, and in the mounting section, is the mounting surface, said recording medium the recording surface is covered by and before KiToru gas sheet in contact with the surface opposite the conveying unit, one side of the conveying direction in which the air permeability sheet by the conveying unit is conveyed on the placement surface Provided, the supply unit that supports the air-permeable sheet and feeds it to the placement surface side, and one side of the conveyance direction is provided on the other side of the conveyance direction opposite to the placement unit, The air permeable sheath fed from the supply unit onto the mounting surface. A winding unit that winds up the tape, and the mounting unit includes a fixing unit that fixes the air-permeable sheet to the mounting surface on an end side in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction, and the fixing unit When the recording medium is placed on the mounting section, an image is recorded on the recording medium with ink ejected from the nozzle, and the recording medium on which the image is recorded is removed from the mounting section, When fixing an end portion of the air permeable sheet on the placement surface in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction and transporting the air permeable sheet in the transport direction on the placement surface by the transport unit, It is an inkjet recording apparatus which cancels | releases fixation of the said edge part of the said air permeable sheet on a surface .

According to this, the surface on which the recording medium is placed can be kept clean by replacing the air-permeable sheet. It is possible to prevent the recording medium from being soiled on the mounting portion due to ink that has not landed on the recording medium during repeated image recording. Maintenance of the ink jet recording apparatus can be easily performed. It is assumed that the suction holes are not completely covered by the recording medium placed on the placement unit without using the air-permeable sheet. In this case, along with the suction by the suction device, a large amount of air is sucked from a suction hole that is not covered by the recording medium. For this reason, it is assumed that a sufficient force for holding the recording medium cannot be obtained and the recording medium cannot be sufficiently held. On the other hand, in the above-described ink jet recording apparatus, even if the suction hole is disposed at a position not covered by the recording medium, the suction hole is covered with the air permeable sheet. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the amount of air sucked through the suction holes that are not covered by the recording medium. Therefore, regardless of the arrangement of the recording medium with respect to the mounting surface and / or the shape of the recording medium, the holding force of the recording medium obtained when it is assumed that all the suction holes are covered with the recording medium having no air permeability. As a reference, a decrease in holding power can be suppressed. An image can be recorded in a state where the recording medium is held on the mounting portion. Further, the air permeable sheet can be fixed on the placement surface. For example, it is possible to prevent the air permeable sheet from being displaced when a new recording medium is placed on the placement unit and when a recording medium on which an image is recorded is taken out from the placement unit. Furthermore, the air permeable sheet can be replaced smoothly.

The said conveyance part is provided on the said mounting surface in the one side of the said conveyance direction, and the press part which presses the said air permeable sheet drawn | fed out on the said mounting surface from the said supply part to the said mounting surface side May be provided. According to this, the newly supplied air-permeable sheet can be brought into contact with the placement surface.

In another aspect of the present invention, a plurality of suction holes connected to the suction device are formed on the mounting surface on the side on which the recording medium is placed, and the above-described mounting surface has air permeability that suppresses the amount of air sucked from the suction holes. The recording medium is placed on a mounting portion of the inkjet recording apparatus that is covered with a belt-shaped air permeable sheet having a surface opposite to the recording surface of the recording medium in contact with the air permeable sheet. and placing step, the loaded placed the recording medium to the mounting section, ejecting ink from nozzles formed in an inkjet head included in the ink jet recording apparatus, a recording step of recording an image on said recording surface, said The air permeable sheet is provided on one side in the transport direction in which the air permeable sheet is transported on the mounting surface by a transport unit included in the ink jet recording apparatus, and the supply unit of the transport unit supports the air permeable sheet. The air-permeable sheet is fed out to the placement surface side, and is wound by the winding portion of the conveyance portion provided on the other side in the conveyance direction opposite to the one side in the conveyance direction with the placement portion interposed therebetween. By winding up the air permeable sheet fed from the supply unit onto the placement surface, the air permeable sheet is transported in the transport direction on the placement surface, and the air permeability on the placement surface is described above. A replacement step of replacing a portion of the sheet with a new air-permeable sheet , wherein the recording step sucks air from the suction hole, and is placed on the end side in the direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction at the placement portion. It is performed while fixing the end portion in the direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the air permeable sheet on the placement surface, with the fixing portion of the placement portion provided, and the replacement step is performed from the suction hole. The air suction is stopped, and the above-mentioned mounting surface is fixed by the fixing part. It is performed to release the said end portion of the air sheet, an ink jet recording method.

According to this, the surface on which the recording medium is placed can be kept clean by replacing the air-permeable sheet. It is possible to prevent the recording medium from being soiled on the mounting portion due to ink that has not landed on the recording medium during repeated image recording. Maintenance of the ink jet recording apparatus can be easily performed. It is assumed that the suction holes are not completely covered by the recording medium placed on the placement unit without using the air-permeable sheet. In this case, along with the suction by the suction device, a large amount of air is sucked from a suction hole that is not covered by the recording medium. For this reason, it is assumed that a sufficient force for holding the recording medium cannot be obtained and the recording medium cannot be sufficiently held. On the other hand, in the above-described ink jet recording method, even if the suction hole is disposed at a position not covered by the recording medium, the suction hole is covered with the air permeable sheet. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the amount of air sucked through the suction holes that are not covered by the recording medium. Therefore, regardless of the arrangement of the recording medium with respect to the mounting surface and / or the shape of the recording medium, the holding force of the recording medium obtained when it is assumed that all the suction holes are covered with the recording medium having no air permeability. As a reference, a decrease in holding power can be suppressed. The recording process can be performed in a state where the recording medium is held on the mounting portion. Further, the air permeable sheet can be fixed on the placement surface. For example, it is possible to prevent the air permeable sheet from being displaced when a new recording medium is placed on the placement unit and when a recording medium on which an image is recorded is taken out from the placement unit. Furthermore, the air permeable sheet can be replaced smoothly.

According to the present invention, an ink jet recording apparatus and an ink jet recording method capable of efficiently recording an image can be obtained.

1 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of an inkjet recording apparatus in a standby state. It is a perspective view which shows schematic structure of a mounting part. FIG. 2 is an end view taken along line AA of FIG. 1 showing an implementation configuration based on the present embodiment, and an end view showing a comparative configuration. It is a perspective view which shows schematic structure of the inkjet recording device of the state which is implementing the recording process in the inkjet recording method.

  Embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the configurations described below, and various configurations can be employed in the same technical idea. For example, some of the configurations shown below may be omitted or replaced with other configurations. Other configurations may be included.

<Inkjet recording apparatus>
The ink jet recording apparatus 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. The ink jet recording apparatus 10 includes a placement unit 20, a transport unit 30, a recording unit 40, an irradiation unit 50, a first moving unit 60, a second moving unit 80, and a control device 90. The ink jet recording apparatus 10 is a serial recording apparatus, and moves a recording unit 40 and an irradiation unit 50 in the sub scanning direction while reciprocating in the main scanning direction, and records a predetermined image on the recording medium 12. The sub-scanning direction is a direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction. The movement in the sub-scanning direction is intermittently performed according to the movement in the main scanning direction, as in a known serial type ink jet recording apparatus. Examples of the recording medium 12 include various industrial materials. Examples of the industrial material used as the recording medium 12 include each base material used as an inner wall material, an outer wall material, or a door of a building, or an outer plate of a product installed on the building or an outer plate of furniture. Materials.

  For recording an image, ink of a predetermined color is used. For example, active energy curable inks of black, magenta, yellow, and cyan are used. Examples of the active energy curable ink include ultraviolet curable ink and electron beam curable ink. The active energy curable ink contains a pigment, a reactive monomer and / or a reactive oligomer, a photopolymerization initiator, and further contains an additive as necessary. An active energy curable ink such as an ultraviolet curable ink or an electron beam curable ink has already been put into practical use. In the present embodiment, a description will be given by taking four ultraviolet curable inks of black, magenta, yellow, and cyan as an example.

  The placement unit 20 is a table on which the recording medium 12 is placed. In the present embodiment, the surface of the placement unit 20 is referred to as a “placement surface 21” (see FIG. 2). As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of suction holes 22 are formed in the mounting surface 21. The plurality of suction holes 22 are formed in the mounting surface 21 in a state of being aligned in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction. The plurality of suction holes 22 communicate with each other inside the placement unit 20 and are connected to the suction device 100 (see “implementation configuration” in FIG. 3). The suction device 100 is configured by, for example, a vacuum pump or a suction blower. When an image is recorded by the inkjet recording apparatus 10, the mounting surface 21 is in a state where at least a range where the suction holes 22 are formed is covered with the air permeable sheet 14, and the recording medium 12 is the air permeable sheet 14. It is placed on the covered placement surface 21 (see FIGS. 1 and 4). The recording medium 12 is in contact with the air permeable sheet 14 on the surface opposite to the recording surface 13. The recording surface 13 of the recording medium 12 is a surface on which an image is recorded.

  The placement unit 20 includes a fixing unit 23. The fixing portions 23 are provided on both sides of the placement portion 20 in the main scanning direction, respectively, and fix the air permeable sheet 14 disposed on the placement surface 21 on the placement surface 21. The air permeable sheet 14 is fixed by the fixing portion 23 by sandwiching the end portions of the air permeable sheet 14 on the placement surface 21 between the placement surface 21 and the fixing portions 23 provided on both sides in the main scanning direction, respectively. Is called. The fixing portion 23 may be urged downward in the vertical direction by a first urging mechanism (not shown) to increase the pinching force. In addition, the air-permeable sheet 14 is fixed by the fixing portion 23 in a state where the air-permeable sheet 14 is sandwiched between the mounting surface 21 and the fixing portion 23 and the fixing portion 23 is attached to the mounting surface 21 with a fastener such as a screw. It may be performed by fastening. As will be described later, when the air permeable sheet 14 is conveyed to the second side in the sub-scanning direction by the conveying unit 30, the fixing of the air permeable sheet 14 by the fixing unit 23 is released.

  The air permeable sheet 14 is a sheet material having air permeability, and suppresses the amount of air sucked from the suction holes 22. The air permeable sheet 14 is a belt-like sheet material whose width in the main scanning direction corresponds to the width of the placement surface 21. The strip-shaped air permeable sheet 14 is set in the transport unit 30 in a state of being wound and rolled, for example. This embodiment demonstrates the structure made into roll shape regarding the strip | belt-shaped air permeable sheet 14 as an example. The air permeable sheet 14 is, for example, paper. Examples of paper that can be used as the air-permeable sheet 14 include PPC (Plain Paper Copier) paper or high-quality paper. In addition, the air permeable sheet 14 may be a fabric.

Conveying section 30 conveys on surface 21 mounting the strip-shaped air permeability sheet 14. The transport unit 30 includes a supply unit 31, a winding unit 34, and a pressing unit 37. The supply unit 31 and the winding unit 34 are provided on both sides of the mounting unit 20 with the mounting unit 20 interposed therebetween. For example, with reference to the placement unit 20, the supply unit 31 is provided on the first side in the sub-scanning direction, and the winding unit 34 is provided on the second side in the sub-scanning direction. In the present embodiment, the conveyance unit 30 provided with the supply unit 31 and the winding unit 34 in the state described above with respect to the placement unit 20 will be described as an example. In this case, the air permeable sheet 14 is conveyed from the first side in the sub-scanning direction to the second side by the conveyance unit 30. A direction from the first side to the second side in the sub-scanning direction in which the air permeable sheet 14 is conveyed is also referred to as a “conveying direction”. The supply unit 31 supports the roll-shaped air permeable sheet 14 so as to be rotatable in a direction corresponding to the conveyance direction, and feeds the air permeable sheet 14 toward the placement surface 21. The supply unit 31 includes a support shaft 33 that is rotatably supported via a bearing 32 in a direction corresponding to the transport direction. In the supply unit 31, the roll-shaped air permeable sheet 14 is supported by the support shaft 33.

The winding unit 34 winds up the air permeable sheet 14 that is fed from the supply unit 31 onto the placement surface 21. The winding unit 34 includes a motor 35 and a winding shaft 36. The rotating shaft of the motor 35 is connected to the winding shaft 36. The motor 35 rotates the winding shaft 36 in a direction corresponding to the conveying direction (see “arc-shaped arrow” shown in the vicinity of the winding shaft 36 in FIG. 1). The leading end portion of the belt-shaped air permeable sheet 14 is attached to the winding shaft 36. Winding of the air-permeable sheet 14 by the winding unit 34 is performed by rotating the winding shaft 36 in the direction corresponding to the conveying direction by the motor 35. With the winding of the winding unit 34, the air permeable sheet 14 is fed out from the supply unit 31 and conveyed in the conveying direction. Winding by the winding unit 34 is performed when an operator inputs an instruction for operating the operation unit 92 of the control device 90 (to be described later) to instruct a replacement process, and / or when an image is recorded for a predetermined time. Done if done. At that time, the suction through the suction hole 22 is stopped. One winding amount is a length corresponding to the dimension of the mounting surface 21 in the sub-scanning direction. The winding amount is controlled by using a motor (for example, a servo motor with an encoder) capable of controlling the rotation of the motor 35 with high accuracy, or by rotating the motor 35 for a predetermined time. Accordingly, a new air permeable sheet 14 is set on the placement surface 21.

  The pressing portion 37 is provided on the mounting surface 21 in a state that it is rotatably supported and is urged downward in the vertical direction by a second urging mechanism (not shown). The position on the mounting surface 21 where the pressing portion 37 is provided is the first side of the mounting surface 21 in the sub-scanning direction. When the winding unit 34 operates and the air permeable sheet 14 is conveyed in the conveying direction, the pressing unit 37 is newly disposed on the placement surface 21 on the first side in the sub-scanning direction. The air permeable sheet 14 is pressed against the mounting surface 21 in contact with the surface of the air sheet 14. At this time, the pressing portion 37 rotates following a direction corresponding to the transport direction. The air permeable sheet 14 is in a state where the back surface is in contact with the placement surface 21 on the first side in the sub-scanning direction. The air permeable sheet 14 is transported in the transport direction on the placement surface 21 in this state.

  The operator places the recording medium 12 on the placement unit 20 covered with the air permeable sheet 14 (see FIG. 1). At this time, the operator may place a plurality of recording media 12 having different shapes. The recording medium 12 is placed on the placement unit 20 while being positioned with respect to the placement surface 21. When a plurality of recording media 12 are placed, all the recording media 12 are respectively positioned at predetermined positions. In FIG. 1, a mode in which three recording media 12 are placed on the placement unit 20 is illustrated, but the number and arrangement of the recording media 12 placed on the placement unit 20 is different from this. May be. The number and arrangement of the recording media 12 placed on the placement unit 20 are appropriately determined based on the size of the recording medium 12 with respect to the placement surface 21 and / or image data of an image recorded on the recording medium 12. For example, a single recording medium 12 may be placed in a state of being positioned on the placement unit 20.

  The recording unit 40 includes an inkjet head 41K, an inkjet head 41M, an inkjet head 41Y, an inkjet head 41C, and a carriage 42. The ink jet head 41K is an ink jet head that discharges black ultraviolet curable ink. The inkjet head 41M is an inkjet head that ejects magenta ultraviolet curable ink. The inkjet head 41Y is an inkjet head that discharges yellow ultraviolet curable ink. The inkjet head 41 </ b> C is an inkjet head that discharges cyan ultraviolet curable ink. Ink jet heads 41K, 41M, 41Y, and 41C are formed with nozzles that eject ultraviolet curable ink of each color. The inkjet heads 41K, 41M, 41Y, and 41C have the same configuration. The ultraviolet curable ink of each color is stored in an ink tank (not shown) for each color, flows through the ink flow path (not shown) for each color, and is supplied to the corresponding inkjet heads 41K, 41M, 41Y, 41C, respectively. Is done.

  Ink jet heads 41K, 41M, 41Y, and 41C are mounted on the carriage. The inkjet heads 41K, 41M, 41Y, and 41C are mounted on the carriage 42 so as to be adjacent to each other in the main scanning direction. The order of arrangement of the inkjet heads 41K, 41M, 41Y, and 41C in the carriage 42 may be different from that shown in FIGS. These arrangement orders are appropriately determined in consideration of various conditions. The recording unit 40 is the same as the recording unit provided in a known serial type ink jet recording apparatus. Therefore, the other description regarding the recording part 40 is abbreviate | omitted.

  The irradiation unit 50 irradiates ultraviolet rays as active energy rays. The ultraviolet rays irradiated from the irradiation unit 50 are applied to the ink dots made of the ultraviolet curable ink of each color landed on the recording medium 12. The ultraviolet curable ink that forms the ink dots of each color is cured by irradiation with ultraviolet rays. The irradiation unit 50 is attached to the carriage 42 in a state adjacent to the inkjet head 41C on the third side in the main scanning direction. The irradiation unit 50 is the same as the irradiation unit provided in a known serial type ink jet recording apparatus using ultraviolet curable ink. Therefore, the other description regarding the irradiation part 50 is abbreviate | omitted.

  The first moving unit 60 and the second moving unit 80 constitute a moving device that moves the recording unit 40 and the irradiation unit 50. First, the second moving unit 80 will be described. The second moving unit 80 moves the recording unit 40 and the irradiation unit 50 in the main scanning direction. The second moving unit 80 includes two pulleys 81 and 82, a motor 83, and a timing belt 84. The two pulleys 81 and 82 are provided on both sides in the main scanning direction, respectively. A pulley 81 provided on the third side in the main scanning direction is rotatably supported in a direction corresponding to the main scanning direction via a rotation shaft 87 attached to a support portion 85 via a bearing 86. A pulley 82 provided on the fourth side in the main scanning direction is connected to a rotation shaft of a motor 83 attached to a support portion 88. The pulley 82 and the rotating shaft of the motor 83 are connected directly or via a speed reducer or the like. The motor 83 rotates the pulley 82 in a direction corresponding to the main scanning direction. As the motor 83, a motor capable of controlling the rotation with high accuracy is employed. For example, a servo motor with an encoder is employed. The timing belt 84 is stretched over pulleys 81 and 82 in a state where tension is applied. The recording unit 40 and the irradiation unit 50 are attached to the timing belt 84 via a support unit 89 fixed to the carriage 42.

  When an image is recorded by the inkjet recording apparatus 10 (see FIG. 4), the motor 83 reciprocally rotates in the clockwise and counterclockwise directions. Then, as the motor 83 rotates, the pulley 82 reciprocates in both the left and right directions (for the rotation direction of the pulley 82, see “arc-shaped arrow” shown in the vicinity of the pulley 82 in FIG. 4). When the pulley 83 rotates counterclockwise as the motor 83 rotates in a predetermined direction, the timing belt 84 rotates counterclockwise. The pulley 81 rotates following the timing belt 84 that rotates counterclockwise. Accordingly, the recording unit 40 and the irradiation unit 50 move from the third side to the fourth side in the main scanning direction. When the recording unit 40 and the irradiation unit 50 reach the fourth moving end in the main scanning direction, the rotation direction of the motor 83 is reversed, and the pulley 82 rotates to the right. When the pulley 82 rotates to the right, the timing belt 84 also rotates to the right. The pulley 81 rotates following the timing belt 84 that rotates clockwise. Accordingly, the recording unit 40 and the irradiation unit 50 move from the fourth side in the main scanning direction to the third side. When the recording unit 40 and the irradiation unit 50 reach the third moving end in the main scanning direction, the rotation direction of the motor 83 is reversed again, and the pulley 82 rotates counterclockwise again. The reciprocating movement of the recording unit 40 and the irradiation unit 50 in the main scanning direction by the second moving unit 80 is repeated until the image recording is completed.

  In the inkjet recording apparatus 10 in which the irradiation unit 50 is attached to the third side in the main scanning direction with respect to the recording unit 40, the recording unit 40 and the irradiation unit 50 move from the third side in the main scanning direction to the fourth side. Ink of each color ultraviolet curable ink ejected from the nozzles formed on the inkjet heads 41K, 41M, 41Y, and 41C, and the ultraviolet rays from the irradiation unit 50 landed on the recording medium 12, respectively. Irradiate the dots. When the inkjet recording apparatus 10 is configured to eject ultraviolet curable ink while the recording unit 40 and the irradiation unit 50 are moving from the fourth side to the third side in the main scanning direction, the irradiation unit 50 has the main scanning direction. Are provided on both sides of the recording unit 40.

  The first moving unit 60 moves the recording unit 40 and the irradiation unit 50 in the sub-scanning direction. The recording unit 40 and the irradiation unit 50 are moved by the first moving unit 60 by moving the second moving unit 80 to which the recording unit 40 and the irradiation unit 50 are attached. The first moving unit 60 includes moving mechanism units 61 and 71. With the mounting unit 20 as a reference, the moving mechanism unit 61 is provided on the third side in the main scanning direction, and the moving mechanism unit 71 is provided on the fourth side in the main scanning direction. The moving mechanism parts 61 and 71 have the same configuration. That is, the moving mechanism unit 61 includes a ball screw 62 and a motor 65, and the moving mechanism unit 71 includes a ball screw 72 and a motor 75.

  In the moving mechanism portion 61, a support portion 85 provided on the third side of the second moving portion 80 in the main scanning direction is attached to the nut portion 63 of the ball screw 62. The screw shaft 64 of the ball screw 62 is connected to the rotation shaft of the motor 65. The screw shaft 64 and the rotation shaft of the motor 65 are connected directly or via a speed reducer or the like. The motor 65 rotates the screw shaft 64 in a direction corresponding to the moving direction in which the recording unit 40 and the irradiation unit 50 are moved. As the motor 65, a motor capable of controlling the rotation with high accuracy is employed. For example, a servo motor with an encoder is employed. In the moving mechanism portion 71, a support portion 88 provided on the fourth side of the second moving portion 80 in the main scanning direction is attached to the nut portion 73 of the ball screw 72. The screw shaft 74 of the ball screw 72 is connected to the rotation shaft of the motor 75. The screw shaft 74 and the rotation shaft of the motor 75 are connected directly or via a speed reducer or the like. The motor 75 rotates the screw shaft 74 in a direction corresponding to the moving direction in which the recording unit 40 and the irradiation unit 50 are moved. As the motor 75, a motor capable of controlling the rotation with high accuracy is employed, similar to the motor 65. For example, a servo motor with an encoder is employed.

  In the first moving unit 60, the motors 65 and 75 are driven synchronously. The motors 65 and 75 rotate by the same amount in the same direction at the same rotational speed. The screw shafts 64 and 74 rotate by the same amount in the same direction, and the nut portions 63 and 73 move along the screw shafts 64 and 74 by the same amount in the same direction. When an image is recorded by the inkjet recording apparatus 10 provided with the irradiation unit 50 only on the third side in the main scanning direction, the movement in the sub-scanning direction by the first moving unit 60 is performed by the recording unit 40 and the irradiation unit 50. Is intermittently performed corresponding to the case of moving from the fourth side to the third side in the main scanning direction.

  The control device 90 includes a control unit 91, an operation unit 92, and a display unit 93. The control unit 91 includes, for example, a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and a storage device. The control unit 91 (CPU) controls the inkjet recording apparatus 10 by executing computer programs for various processes executed by the inkjet recording apparatus 10. The computer program is stored in the storage device. The controller 91 controls an ink jet recording method to be described later. In the ink jet recording method, the control unit 91 controls the discharge of the ultraviolet curable ink of each color from the nozzles formed in the ink jet heads 41K, 41M, 41Y, and 41C, respectively. The ejection of the ultraviolet curable ink of each color by the inkjet heads 41K, 41M, 41Y, and 41C is controlled according to the image data corresponding to the image recorded by the recording unit 40. Further, the control unit 91 controls the irradiation of ultraviolet rays from the irradiation unit 50 and the stop thereof. Further, the control unit 91 controls driving of the first moving unit 60 and the second moving unit 80.

  The control unit 91 continues the above-described controls for all parts of the image data to be processed until the ejection of the ultraviolet curable ink is completed. When the image recording is finished, the control unit 91 controls the driving of the first moving unit 60 and the second moving unit 80 and returns the recording unit 40 and the irradiation unit 50 to the standby position. As a result, the inkjet recording apparatus 10 enters a standby state (see FIG. 1).

  The operation unit 92 is a user interface for inputting a predetermined command to the inkjet recording apparatus 10. The operation unit 92 includes a keyboard and a mouse. For example, when renewing the air permeable sheet 14 on the placement surface 21, the operator operates the operation unit 92 after releasing the fixation of the air permeable sheet 14 by the fixing unit 23, and performs this operation (replacement). A command for instructing the process is input. The control unit 91 acquires the input command and controls driving of the transport unit 30. Accordingly, the motor 35 starts rotating in the winding unit 34, and the winding shaft 36 rotates in a direction corresponding to the transport direction. Along with the winding of the winding unit 34, the air permeable sheet 14 is fed from the supply unit 31 by a length corresponding to the dimension of the placement surface 21 in the sub-scanning direction and conveyed in the conveying direction. The display unit 93 displays predetermined information.

  The inkjet recording apparatus 10 includes, for example, a shielding unit (not shown) in addition to the above-described units. The shielding unit shields the progress of the ultraviolet rays irradiated from the irradiation unit 50, and prevents the ultraviolet rays from leaking to the worker side. Such a shield is configured to include a known inkjet recording apparatus that records an image using an active energy curable ink such as an ultraviolet curable ink. Therefore, the other description regarding a shielding part is abbreviate | omitted. In addition, when an electron beam curable ink is used for image recording, the shielding unit shields the electron beam.

<Inkjet recording method>
An ink jet recording method performed by the ink jet recording apparatus 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 4. The ink jet recording method includes a placing process, a recording process, and a replacement process. The placement process is a process of placing the recording medium 12 on the placement unit 20 in which the placement surface 21 is covered with the air permeable sheet 14. The recording medium 12 placed on the placement unit 20 in the placement step is in contact with the air permeable sheet 14 on the side opposite to the recording surface 13 on which an image is recorded. As described above, the worker may place a plurality of recording media 12 on the placement unit 20 in the placement step. With the end of the mounting process, the ink jet recording apparatus 10 is in the state shown in FIG.

  After the placement process, the operator operates the operation unit 92 and inputs a command for instructing the execution of the recording process. With the input of this command, the ink jet recording method shifts to a recording process. The recording step is a step of recording an image on the recording medium 12 placed on the placement unit 20. In the recording process, in the inkjet recording apparatus 10 in the standby state, the first moving unit 60 and the second moving unit 80 start driving, and the recording unit 40 and the irradiation unit 50 are appropriately moved in the sub-scanning direction and the main scanning direction, They are arranged at predetermined positions as image recording start positions. Thereafter, the recording unit 40 and the irradiation unit 50 are reciprocated in the main scanning direction by the second moving unit 80 (see FIG. 4). At that time, in the recording unit 40, the ultraviolet curable ink of each color is appropriately ejected from the nozzles of the inkjet heads 41K, 41M, 41Y, and 41C of each color according to the image data, and the irradiation unit 50 is irradiated with ultraviolet rays. By irradiating with ultraviolet rays, each color of ultraviolet curable ink that has landed on the recording medium 12 and formed ink dots is cured. The recording unit 40 and the irradiation unit 50 are intermittently moved in the sub scanning direction by the second moving unit 80. The movement by the second moving unit 80 is performed, for example, at a timing when the recording unit 40 and the irradiation unit 50 are moving from the fourth side to the third side in the main scanning direction. The recording process is continued until the discharge of the ultraviolet curable ink is completed for all portions of the image data to be processed.

  With the end of the recording process, the recording unit 40 and the irradiation unit 50 are moved by the first moving unit 60 and the second moving unit 80 to the standby position. As the movement ends, the ink jet recording apparatus 10 enters a standby state (see FIG. 1). The operator takes out the recording medium 12 on which the image is recorded from the placement unit 20. When recording an image again, the placing process and the recording process are performed in the same manner as described above. The placing process and the recording process are performed in a state where air is sucked from the suction hole 22. However, when the recording medium 12 on which the mounting step and / or the image is recorded is taken out from the mounting unit 20, the suction may be stopped. The stoppage of suction will be described later.

  The replacement process is a process of replacing a portion of the air permeable sheet 14 on the placement surface 21 with a new air permeable sheet 14. The replacement process is performed when the operator operates the operation unit 92 to input a command for instructing the execution of the process and / or when an image is recorded for a predetermined time. For example, the operator inputs the above-described command when the portion of the air permeable sheet 14 on the placement surface 21 is stained with the ultraviolet curable ink by performing the recording process. At that time, the operator releases the fixation of the air permeable sheet 14 by the fixing portion 23.

  As the command for instructing the replacement process is input or a predetermined time elapses, the air permeable sheet 14 is wound up by the winding unit 34, and the new air permeable sheet 14 is dimensioned in the sub-scanning direction. Is fed out from the supply unit 31 by a length corresponding to. The fed new air permeable sheet 14 is conveyed in the conveyance direction, passes through the pressing portion 37, and is disposed on the placement surface 21. Prior to the rotation of the motor 35 in the winding unit 34, the suction through the suction hole 22 is stopped. For example, the suction is stopped by stopping the suction device 100. In addition, an open / close valve (not shown) may be provided between the suction device 100 and the placement unit 20 and the open / close valve may be closed. The stopped suction is resumed with the operation of the suction device 100 resumed or the open / close valve opened at a predetermined timing such as the timing when the replacement process is completed. An example of the opening / closing valve is an electromagnetic valve. The controller 91 controls driving and stopping of the suction device 100 or opening / closing of the opening / closing valve. Each command for instructing driving and stopping of the suction device 100 or opening / closing of the opening / closing valve may be input via the operation unit 92.

<Effect of this embodiment>
According to this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

  (1) The inkjet recording apparatus 10 includes the mounting portion 20 in which a plurality of suction holes 22 connected to the suction device 100 are formed on the mounting surface 21, and the mounting surface 21 is covered with the air permeable sheet 14. The image is recorded on the recording medium 12 placed on the unit 20 (see FIG. 4). Therefore, by replacing the air-permeable sheet 14, the surface on which the recording medium 12 is placed can be kept clean. It is possible to prevent the recording medium 12 from being soiled on the placement unit 20 by ultraviolet curable ink or the like that has not landed on the recording medium 12 during repeated image recording. Maintenance of the inkjet recording apparatus 10 can be easily performed. Cleaning the ultraviolet curable ink that has been cured by the irradiation of ultraviolet rays takes time. In particular, it is difficult to remove the ultraviolet curable ink that has entered the suction hole 22 and has been cured. When the ultraviolet curable ink is cured in the suction hole 22, the suction hole 22 is clogged, air cannot be sucked, and the recording medium 12 may not be sufficiently held. The air permeable sheet 14 can prevent the ultraviolet curable ink from entering the suction holes 22. Further, by replacing the air-permeable sheet 14, the cured ultraviolet curable ink can be easily removed.

  It is assumed that the suction holes 22 are not entirely covered by the recording medium 12 placed on the placement unit 20 without using the air permeable sheet 14 (see “Comparative Configuration” in FIG. 3). In the comparative configuration, along with the suction by the suction device 100, a large amount of air is sucked from the suction hole 22 that is not covered by the recording medium 12. For this reason, it is assumed that a sufficient force for holding the recording medium 12 cannot be obtained and the recording medium 12 cannot be sufficiently held. On the other hand, in the configuration according to the present embodiment (see FIG. 3), even if the suction hole 22 is arranged at a position not covered by the recording medium 12, the suction hole 22 is covered by the air permeable sheet 14. Is called. Therefore, the amount of air sucked through the suction holes 22 that are not covered by the recording medium 12 can be suppressed. Therefore, it is obtained when it is assumed that all the suction holes 22 are covered with the recording medium 12 having no air permeability regardless of the arrangement of the recording medium 12 with respect to the mounting surface 21 and / or the shape of the recording medium 12. Based on the holding force of the recording medium 12, a decrease in holding force can be suppressed. An image can be recorded with the recording medium 12 held on the mounting unit 20. By using the air permeable sheet 14 as paper or cloth, it is possible to obtain a holding force capable of suppressing the displacement of the recording medium 12 when an image is recorded.

  (2) The mounting portion 20 is provided with the fixing portion 23, and the air-permeable sheet 14 covering the mounting surface 21 is fixed (see “implementation configuration” in FIGS. 1 and 3 and FIG. 4). Therefore, the air permeable sheet 14 can be fixed on the placement surface 21. For example, when the new recording medium 12 is placed on the placement unit 20 and when the recording medium 12 on which an image is recorded is taken out from the placement unit 20, it is possible to prevent the air permeable sheet 14 from being displaced. it can.

  (3) The transport unit 30 including the supply unit 31 and the winding unit 34 is provided, and the belt-shaped air permeable sheet 14 is transported in the transport direction in a state of being bridged between the supply unit 31 and the winding unit 34. (See FIG. 1). When the air permeable sheet 14 on the placement surface 21 is a new air permeable sheet 14, the air permeable sheet 14 is taken up by the winding unit 34, and accordingly, the new air permeable sheet 14 is sub-scanned. The feed unit 31 is fed by a length corresponding to the dimension of the mounting surface 21 in the direction. Therefore, the air permeable sheet 14 on the placement surface 21 can be replaced smoothly.

  (4) The pressing unit 37 is provided in the transport unit 30 (see FIG. 1). The pressing part 37 is provided on the mounting surface 21 in a state of being rotatably supported. The position on the mounting surface 21 where the pressing portion 37 is provided is the first side of the mounting surface 21 in the sub-scanning direction. Therefore, the newly supplied air-permeable sheet 14 can be brought into contact with the placement surface 21. A state in which the newly supplied air-permeable sheet 14 is further in contact with the placement surface 21 by causing the pressing portion 37 to be biased downward in the vertical direction by a second biasing mechanism (not shown). It can be.

<Modification>
This embodiment can also be performed as follows. Some configurations of the modifications shown below can be appropriately combined and employed. Effects similar to those described above can also be obtained by an ink jet recording apparatus employing the following configuration. Hereinafter, points different from the above will be described, and description of similar points will be omitted as appropriate.

  (1) In the above description, the ink jet recording apparatus 10 including the transport unit 30 is used, and the belt-shaped air permeable sheet 14 is transported between the supply unit 31 and the winding unit 34 in the transport direction. The conveyance unit 30 may be omitted. In this case, the air-permeable sheet has a size corresponding to the shape of the placement surface 21 in each dimension in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction. For example, when the air permeable sheet is soiled by ultraviolet curable ink or the like, the operator removes the air permeable sheet covering the placement surface 21 and places a new air permeable sheet on the placement surface 21. The operator brings the newly placed air-permeable sheet into contact with the placement surface 21.

  In the above description, the mounting unit 20 including the fixing units 23 on both sides in the main scanning direction has been described as an example. When suction by the suction device 100 is performed, the air permeable sheet 14 on the placement surface 21 is in a state of being adsorbed on the placement surface 21, and the air permeable sheet 14 is less likely to be displaced. The fixing portion 23 may be omitted when the deviation of the air permeable sheet 14 is not a big problem. When the dimension in the sub-scanning direction as described above is a gas permeable sheet having a size corresponding to the shape of the mounting surface 21 and the conveyance unit 30 is omitted, the fixing unit 23 You may make it provide in an edge part. In this case, the fixing unit 23 in the main scanning direction may be omitted. Regardless of the shape of the air-permeable sheet 14 (including the air-permeable sheet whose size in the sub-scanning direction corresponds to the shape of the placement surface 21 as described above), the position where the fixing portion 23 is provided in the placement portion 20 is It is determined as appropriate in consideration of various conditions.

  (2) In the above description, the ultraviolet curable ink, which is one of the active energy curable inks, has been described as an example. However, for recording an image, various inks that are cured without being irradiated with active energy rays such as ultraviolet rays. May be used. In this case, the irradiation unit 50 may be omitted in the ink jet recording apparatus. When an electron beam curable ink is used as the active energy curable ink, the irradiation unit 50 irradiates an electron beam as an active energy ray. Which ink is to be used for image recording may be appropriately determined in consideration of the environment in which the image formation formed by recording the image on the recording medium 12 is installed or the use of the image formation. .

  (3) In the above, the serial type ink jet recording apparatus 10 that records a predetermined image on the recording medium 12 by moving the recording unit 40 and the irradiation unit 50 in the sub scanning direction while reciprocating in the main scanning direction is taken as an example. This has been described (see FIGS. 1 and 4). The mounting portion 20 whose mounting surface 21 is covered with the air permeable sheet 14 is employed in an ink jet recording apparatus including a recording section including a full line type ink jet head (hereinafter referred to as a “full line type ink jet recording apparatus”). You can also. The full-line type inkjet head is attached to the carriage in a state where the inkjet heads for each color are arranged in the sub-scanning direction. In the inkjet head for each color, the nozzles are formed side by side in the main scanning direction (see FIG. 2). The range in the main scanning direction in which the nozzles are formed in the ink jet heads for the respective colors is equal to or larger than the range in the main scanning direction set as an area on which the recording medium 12 is placed on the mounting surface 21. When recording an image, the recording unit and the irradiation unit are continuously moved in the sub-scanning direction (see FIG. 2).

  In the full-line type ink jet recording apparatus, a moving unit (corresponding to the “second moving unit 80” above) that moves the recording unit and the irradiation unit in the main scanning direction during image recording is omitted. The recording unit to which the irradiation unit is attached is attached to the first moving unit. The irradiation unit is provided adjacent to the recording unit on the backward side in the direction in which the recording unit moves during image recording. For example, when image recording is performed by moving the recording unit from the first side in the sub-scanning direction to the second side, the irradiation unit is provided on the first side in the sub-scanning direction with respect to the recording unit.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Inkjet recording device 12 Recording medium 13 Recording surface 14 Air-permeable sheet 20 Mounting part 21 Mounting surface 22 Suction hole 23 Fixing part 30 Conveying part 31 Supply part 32 Bearing 33 Supporting shaft 34 Winding part 35 Motor 36 Winding shaft 37 Pressing section 40 Recording section 41K, 41M, 41Y, 41C Inkjet head 42 Carriage 50 Irradiating section 60 First moving section 61, 71 Moving mechanism section 62, 72 Ball screw 63, 73 Nut section 64, 74 Screw shaft 65, 75 Motor 80 Second moving portion 81, 82 Pulley 83 Motor 84 Timing belt 85, 88, 89 Support portion 86 Bearing 87 Rotating shaft 90 Control device 91 Control portion 92 Operation portion 93 Display portion 100 Suction device

Claims (3)

A mounting portion in which a plurality of suction holes connected to the suction device are formed on the mounting surface on which the recording medium is placed; and
An inkjet head on which nozzles for ejecting ink are formed;
A transport unit that transports a belt-shaped air-permeable sheet having air permeability that suppresses the amount of air sucked from the suction hole on the placement surface , and
In the mounting section, the mounting surface is said to the recording surface of the recording medium is covered by and before KiToru gas sheet in contact with the surface opposite
The transport unit is
The air permeable sheet is provided on one side in the conveyance direction in which the air permeable sheet is conveyed on the placement surface by the conveyance unit, and the supply unit that supports the gas permeable sheet and feeds it to the side of the placement surface;
Winding that winds up the air permeable sheet that is provided on the other side in the transport direction opposite to the one side in the transport direction and sandwiches the placement unit, and that is fed from the supply unit onto the placement surface. And comprising
The mounting unit includes a fixing unit that fixes the air permeable sheet to the mounting surface on an end side in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction,
The fixing part is
When the recording medium is placed on the mounting section, an image is recorded on the recording medium with the ink ejected from the nozzle, and the recording medium on which the image is recorded is taken out from the mounting section, Fixing an end portion in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the air-permeable sheet on a surface;
An ink jet recording apparatus that releases the fixing of the end portion of the air permeable sheet on the placement surface when the air permeable sheet is transported in the transport direction on the placement surface by the transport unit. The said conveyance part is provided on the said mounting surface in the one side of the said conveyance direction, and the press part which presses the said air permeable sheet drawn | fed out on the said mounting surface from the said supply part to the said mounting surface side An inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising: A plurality of suction holes connected to the suction device are formed on the mounting surface on the side where the recording medium is placed, and the mounting surface is covered with a belt- like air-permeable sheet having air permeability that suppresses the amount of air sucked from the suction holes. A placement step of placing the recording medium on a placement portion included in the inkjet recording apparatus in a state where a surface opposite to the recording surface of the recording medium is in contact with the air-permeable sheet;
A recording step of recording an image on the recording surface by ejecting ink from nozzles formed on an inkjet head included in the inkjet recording apparatus to the recording medium placed on the placement unit;
The air permeable sheet is provided on one side in the transport direction in which the air permeable sheet is transported on the mounting surface by the transport unit included in the ink jet recording apparatus, and the air permeable sheet is supported from the supply unit of the transport unit that supports the air permeable sheet. From the supply unit by the take-up unit of the transport unit provided on the other side of the transport direction opposite to the one side of the transport direction across the placement unit. By winding up the air permeable sheet drawn out on the placement surface, the air permeable sheet is transported in the transport direction on the placement surface, and the portion of the air permeable sheet on the placement surface is A replacement step of replacing the air permeable sheet with a new one ,
In the recording step, air is sucked from the suction hole, and the air permeability on the placement surface is a fixing portion of the placement portion provided on an end side of the placement portion in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction. Performed while fixing the end portion of the sheet in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction ,
The ink-jet recording method , wherein the replacement step is performed by stopping the suction of air from the suction hole and releasing the fixing of the end portion of the air-permeable sheet on the placement surface by the fixing portion .

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