JP6337763B2 - Inkjet recording device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus.

  An ink jet recording apparatus, which is a type of image forming apparatus, forms an image by ejecting ink onto a recording medium such as paper. The ink jet recording apparatus includes a recording head in which nozzles for ejecting ink are formed. In an ink jet recording apparatus, when foreign matter such as paper dust adheres to a nozzle, nozzle clogging may occur and image quality may deteriorate. In order to solve this problem, a technique for suppressing the adhesion of foreign matter to the nozzle has been proposed.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an ink jet recording apparatus including a paper dust removing device on the upstream side in the conveyance direction of a recording medium with respect to the recording head. Specifically, the paper dust removing device includes a static elimination brush and an air blower. The neutralizing brush neutralizes the recording medium. As a result, the paper dust is easily peeled off from the recording medium. The air blower blows air onto the recording medium that has been neutralized to remove paper dust from the recording medium.

JP 2011-183746 A

  However, the ink jet recording apparatus described in Patent Document 1 requires a static eliminating brush and an air blower in order to remove paper dust from the recording medium. This complicates the configuration of the ink jet recording apparatus.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus capable of suppressing adhesion of paper dust to nozzles with a simple configuration.

  The ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention includes a recording head, a transport unit, a space forming unit, and a negative pressure applying unit. The recording head ejects ink onto a recording medium. The transport unit transports the recording medium to a position facing the recording head. The space forming unit is disposed upstream of the recording head in the conveyance direction of the recording medium, and the recording medium passes between the recording unit and a mounting surface of the recording medium in the conveyance unit. A foreign matter recovery space is formed. The negative pressure application unit applies a negative pressure to the foreign substance recovery space. The space forming unit includes a belt and a foreign matter collecting mechanism. The belt has a facing surface that faces the mounting surface. The foreign matter collection mechanism collects foreign matter attached to the belt. The foreign matter collection space is formed by the mounting surface and the facing surface.

  According to the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to suppress the adhesion of paper dust to the nozzles with a simple configuration.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an ink jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming unit according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a cut perspective view illustrating configurations of a conveyance belt, an air circulation chamber, and a guide member illustrated in FIG. 2. It is a top view which shows the structure of the guide member shown in FIG. (A) is a top view which shows the structure of the groove | channel and through-hole which were formed in the guide member shown in FIG. 4, (b) is sectional drawing along the AA of FIG. 5 (a). . It is a figure which shows the space formation part shown in FIG. 2, and its vicinity. It is a figure which shows operation | movement of the space formation part shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the space formation part which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention, and its vicinity. It is a figure which shows operation | movement of the space formation part shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the other example of the space formation part shown in FIG.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings (FIGS. 1 to 10). In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is not repeated.

[Embodiment 1]
First, an ink jet recording apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an inkjet recording apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. The ink jet recording apparatus 1 includes an apparatus casing 100, a sheet feeding unit 2 disposed below the inside of the apparatus casing 100, an image forming unit 3 disposed above the sheet feeding unit 2, and one side of the image forming unit 3. A sheet transport unit 4 disposed on the right side in FIG. 1 and a sheet discharge unit 5 disposed on the other side (left side in FIG. 1) of the image forming unit 3 are provided.

  The paper feed unit 2 includes a paper feed cassette 21, a paper feed roller 22, and a first guide plate 23. The paper feed cassette 21 is detachably attached to the apparatus housing 100. The paper feed cassette 21 accommodates a plurality of recording papers P. Hereinafter, “recording paper” is simply referred to as “paper” for convenience. The paper feed roller (pickup roller) 22 is disposed above one side end (right side end in FIG. 1) of the paper feed cassette 21. The paper feed roller 22 takes out the paper P stored in the paper feed cassette 21 one by one from the top. The first guide plate 23 is disposed between the paper feed roller 22 and the paper transport unit 4 and guides the paper P taken out by the paper feed roller 22 to the paper transport unit 4. The paper P corresponds to an example of “recording medium”.

  The paper transport unit 4 includes a second guide plate 41. The second guide plate 41 constitutes a substantially C-shaped paper conveyance path L. The paper transport unit 4 includes a first transport roller pair 42 provided on the entrance side of the paper transport path L, a second transport roller pair 43 provided in the middle of the paper transport path L, and an exit side of the paper transport path L. A registration roller pair 44 provided in

  The first transport roller pair 42 and the second transport roller pair 43 are feed roller pairs that feed the paper P along the paper transport path L. The first transport roller pair 42 feeds the paper P guided by the first guide plate 23 into the paper transport path L. The second transport roller pair 43 feeds the paper P sent by the first transport roller pair 42 toward the registration roller pair 44 across the paper P.

  The registration roller pair 44 corrects the skew of the paper P sent out by the second transport roller pair 43. In addition, the registration roller pair 44 temporarily stops the paper P in order to synchronize the timing of image formation on the paper P and the conveyance timing of the paper P, and then sets the paper P to the image formation timing. Send to forming unit 3.

  The image forming unit 3 includes a conveyance belt 32, four types of recording heads 34a, 34b, 34c, and 34d, and a third guide plate 36. Since the four types of recording heads 34a, 34b, 34c, and 34d have substantially the same configuration, they may be collectively referred to as the recording head 34.

  The conveyor belt 32 constitutes a placement surface 32a on which a recording medium is placed. The placement surface 32a corresponds to an example of “a placement surface of a recording medium”. The conveyance belt 32 is driven to convey the paper P sent from the registration roller pair 44 in a predetermined direction. In FIG. 1, the conveyor belt 32 is driven counterclockwise. As a result, the paper P is conveyed leftward in FIG. The transport belt 32 corresponds to an example of an “endless belt”. Hereinafter, the direction in which the paper P is transported by the transport belt 32 may be referred to as a transport direction D1. The paper P is transported by the transport belt 32 and passes through a position facing the recording head 34. The recording head 34 discharges ink onto the paper P passing through a position facing the recording head 34, and forms an image on the paper P. The paper P on which an image is formed by the recording head 34 is conveyed toward the third guide plate 36 by the conveyance belt 32.

  The third guide plate 36 guides the paper P transported from the transport belt 32 to the paper discharge unit 5. The paper discharge unit 5 includes a discharge roller pair 51 and a discharge tray 52. The discharge tray 52 is fixed to the apparatus housing 100 so as to protrude from a discharge port 101 formed in the apparatus housing 100 to the outside.

  The discharge roller pair 51 sends the paper P guided by the third guide plate 36 toward the discharge port 101. The paper P sent out by the discharge roller pair 51 is discharged to the outside of the apparatus housing 100 through the discharge port 101. The sheet P discharged from the discharge port 101 is placed on the discharge tray 52.

  Next, the image forming unit 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the image forming unit 3 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming unit 3 includes a transport unit 31, a negative pressure applying unit 33, and a space forming unit 10 in addition to the recording head 34. The transport unit 31 includes a transport belt 32.

  The transport unit 31 is disposed to face the recording head 34. In addition to the conveyance belt 32, the conveyance unit 31 includes a belt speed detection roller 311, an adsorption roller 312, a first drive roller 313, a tension roller 314, and a pair of guide rollers 315.

  The belt speed detection roller 311, the first drive roller 313, the tension roller 314, and the pair of guide rollers 315 stretch the transport belt 32.

  The belt speed detection roller 311 is arranged on the upstream side (right side in FIG. 2) in the transport direction D1 with respect to the negative pressure application unit 33, and is rotated by a frictional force between the belt speed detection roller 311 and the transport belt 32. The belt speed detection roller 311 includes a pulse plate (not shown), and the pulse plate rotates integrally with the belt speed detection roller 311. By measuring the rotational speed of the pulse plate, the rotational speed of the conveyor belt 32 is detected.

  The suction roller 312 is a driven roller. The suction roller 312 faces the guide member 332 included in the negative pressure application unit 33 via the transport belt 32. The suction roller 312 guides the paper P sent from the registration roller pair 44 onto the transport belt 32. The paper P is preferably guided to the transport belt 32 so that the center of the paper P in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction D1 coincides with the center of the transport belt 32 in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction D1. Hereinafter, the direction orthogonal to the transport direction D1 in the paper P may be referred to as the width direction of the paper P. In addition, the direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction D <b> 1 in the conveyance belt 32 may be described as the width direction of the conveyance belt 32.

  The first drive roller 313 is disposed on the downstream side (left side in FIG. 2) in the transport direction D1 with respect to the negative pressure application unit 33. Preferably, the first drive roller 313 is arranged so as to maintain the flatness of the transport belt 32 at a position facing the recording head 34 together with the belt speed detection roller 311.

  The first drive roller 313 is rotationally driven by a motor (not shown), and rotates the transport belt 32 in the counterclockwise direction of FIG.

  The tension roller 314 applies tension to the conveyance belt 32 so that the conveyance belt 32 does not bend.

  The pair of guide rollers 315 are arranged so as to form a space below the negative pressure application unit 33. By arranging in this way, contact between the conveyance belt 32 and the negative pressure application unit 33 below the negative pressure application unit 33 can be prevented.

  The negative pressure application unit 33 is disposed on the back surface side (lower side in FIG. 2) of the conveyance belt 32 so as to face the recording head 34 with the conveyance belt 32 interposed therebetween. The negative pressure application unit 33 applies the negative pressure to the paper P via the transport belt 32, thereby causing the paper P to be attracted to the transport belt 32. The negative pressure application unit 33 includes an air circulation chamber 331, two negative pressure generation units 336, and two ducts 337 in addition to the guide member 332. The guide member 332, the air circulation chamber 331, the two negative pressure generating parts 336, and the two ducts 337 are arranged in this order from the upper side to the lower side.

  The guide member 332 covers the upper surface opening of the air circulation chamber 331 and supports the paper P via the transport belt 32. A placement surface 32 a (see FIG. 1) of the conveyor belt 32 is an upper surface of a portion of the rotating conveyor belt 32 that is supported by the guide member 332. The guide member 332 corresponds to an example of a “conveying plate”. In the present embodiment, the guide member 332 is made of a metal material. Specifically, as the material of the guide member 332, an aluminum die cast, a pressed plate, or the like can be used. Alternatively, as the material of the guide member 332, a resin excellent in slidability with the transport belt 32 can be selected.

  In the present embodiment, for the sake of convenience, the form in which the negative pressure application unit 33 includes the guide member 332 has been described, but the transport unit 31 may include the guide member 332.

  The air circulation chamber 331 is formed by a bottomed cylindrical box-shaped member whose upper surface is open. The upper surface of the side wall constituting the air circulation chamber 331 is fixed to the guide member 332. The two negative pressure generators 336 are disposed below the air circulation chamber 331. Specifically, of the two negative pressure generators 336, one negative pressure generator 336 is disposed below the recording head 34, and the other negative pressure generator 336 is disposed below the space forming unit 10. . By driving the two negative pressure generators 336, a negative pressure is generated in the air circulation chamber 331, and air flows into the air circulation chamber 331 via the transport belt 32 and the guide member 332. As a result, the paper P is sucked toward the transport belt 32. In the present embodiment, the air circulation chamber 331 is in a negative pressure state that is lower by about 0.005 atm (≈about 500 Pa) than the atmospheric pressure by the two negative pressure generation units 336.

  The negative pressure generator 336 generates a negative pressure in the air circulation chamber 331, and is a fan in this embodiment. However, the negative pressure generator 336 is not limited to a fan, and may be a vacuum pump, for example.

  The two ducts 337 are respectively connected to the lower surface of each negative pressure generator 336. The air sucked by each negative pressure generator 336 is discharged to the outside from each duct 337.

  The four types of recording heads 34a, 34b, 34c, and 34d are arranged in parallel from the upstream side to the downstream side in the transport direction D1. Each of the four types of recording heads 34a, 34b, 34c, and 34d has a plurality of nozzles (not shown) arranged in the width direction of the transport belt 32 (in FIG. 2, the direction orthogonal to the paper surface). Each of the recording heads 34a, 34b, 34c, and 34d ejects ink of each color onto the paper P that is passing through the position facing each of the recording heads 34a, 34b, 34c, and 34d. Form. In the present embodiment, the recording head 34 is a line type. That is, the ink jet recording apparatus 1 is a line head type ink jet recording apparatus.

  The space forming unit 10 includes an endless foreign matter collection belt 11 that is an example of a belt, a second drive roller 12, a driven roller 13, and a blade 14 that is an example of a foreign matter collection mechanism.

  The foreign matter recovery belt 11 is disposed on the upstream side in the transport direction D1 with respect to the recording head 34 and is opposed to the transport belt 32. By disposing the foreign matter collection belt 11 so as to face the conveyance belt 32, a foreign matter collection space 35 a is formed between the facing surface 11 f of the foreign matter collection belt 11 and the upper surface of the conveyance belt 32. The foreign matter collecting belt 11 is arranged such that the distance H between the facing surface 11f and the upper surface of the conveying belt 32 is a predetermined distance. The distance H is the vertical length of the foreign substance collection space 35a, and is set to a predetermined threshold distance HS (3 mm in the present embodiment) or less. The threshold distance HS is set so that the velocity of the airflow flowing into the foreign matter collection space 35a from the space around the foreign matter collection space 35a is larger than that before flowing into the foreign matter collection space 35a and before entering the foreign matter collection space 35a. Is done. The threshold distance HS is preferably set so that the velocity (wind velocity) of the air flow flowing into the foreign substance collection space 35a is 6.0 m / second or more. In the present embodiment, the distance H is 2 mm. A resin such as polyimide is used as the material for the foreign matter recovery belt 11.

  The second drive roller 12 and the driven roller 13 stretch the foreign matter collection belt 11. In FIG. 2, the second drive roller 12 is rotationally driven clockwise by a motor (not shown). As a result, the foreign material recovery belt 11 is driven.

  The blade 14 is brought into contact with the foreign matter collecting belt 11 or separated from the foreign matter collecting belt 11 by a drive mechanism (not shown). The blade 14 is provided so as to come into contact with a portion of the foreign matter recovery belt 11 farthest from the recording head 34. The blade 14 is preferably in contact with the foreign matter collecting belt 11 only while the foreign matter collecting belt 11 is rotating. Thereby, a deformation | transformation of the foreign material collection | recovery belt 11 can be suppressed. Moreover, the lifetime of the foreign material collection belt 11 can be extended. As the material of the blade 14, elastic rubber such as urethane and ethylene / propylene / diene rubber (EPDM) is used.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 3, the structure of the conveyance belt 32, the air circulation chamber 331, and the guide member 332 is demonstrated. 3 is a cut perspective view showing the configuration of the conveyor belt 32, the air circulation chamber 331, and the guide member 332 shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of suction holes 321 are formed in the conveyor belt 32 at substantially equal intervals. Specifically, a plurality of rows made of a large number of suction holes 321 arranged in the transport direction D <b> 1 are formed in the width direction of the transport belt 32. The plurality of rows are arranged so that the suction holes 321 are arranged in a staggered manner. In the present embodiment, the diameter of the suction holes 321 is 2 mm, and the interval between the adjacent suction holes 321 is 8 mm. The paper P transported from the paper transport unit 4 onto the transport belt 32 covers a part of the many suction holes 321.

  A plurality of grooves 334 are formed on the upper surface of the guide member 332 (the surface on the conveying belt 32 side). Specifically, a plurality of rows formed of a plurality of grooves 334 arranged along the transport direction D1 are formed in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction D1 of the guide member 332. Hereinafter, the direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction D <b> 1 in the guide member 332 may be referred to as the width direction of the guide member 332. Each groove 334 has an oval shape extending in the transport direction D1. In each groove 334, a through hole 335 that penetrates the guide member 332 in the thickness direction of the guide member 332 is formed. In addition, the plurality of suction holes 321 in the transport belt 32 are arranged corresponding to the plurality of grooves 334, respectively. Each of the plurality of grooves 334 faces at least two suction holes 321. As the transport belt 32 moves, the suction holes 321 facing each of the plurality of grooves 334 are replaced one by one.

  The air circulation chamber 331 communicates with the suction hole 321 of the transport belt 32 through the through hole 335 and the groove 334 of the guide member 332.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the positional relationship between the groove 334, the through hole 335, and the foreign matter collection belt 11 will be described. 4 is a plan view showing the configuration of the guide member 332 shown in FIG. FIG. 5A is a plan view showing the configuration of the groove 334 and the through hole 335 formed in the guide member 332 shown in FIG. 4, and FIG. 5B is the AA line in FIG. FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a through hole 335 is formed at a substantially central position in the conveying direction D <b> 1 in each groove 334. The cross section of the through hole 335 is circular.

  The broken line shown in FIG. 4 indicates the position of the foreign material recovery belt 11 projected onto the guide member 332. As shown in FIG. 4, for each row of the grooves 334, two grooves 334 are formed at positions facing the foreign material recovery belt 11. Of the two grooves 334, the groove 334 formed on the upstream side in the transport direction D1 is further upstream in the transport direction D1 than the position of the upstream end in the transport direction D1 within the range of the projected image of the foreign matter recovery belt 11. Extends to the side. Further, the through hole 335 communicating with the groove 334 is formed within the range of the projected image of the foreign material recovery belt 11. Similarly, of the two grooves 334, the groove 334 formed on the downstream side in the transport direction D1 is further in the transport direction than the position of the downstream end in the transport direction D1 within the range of the projected image of the foreign matter collection belt 11. It extends downstream of D1. Further, a through hole 335 communicating with the groove 334 is also formed within the range of the projected image of the foreign material recovery belt 11. That is, the groove 334 and the through-hole 335 are formed at a position facing the foreign material recovery belt 11. Further, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, a taper 335a and a taper 335b are formed at the upper end and the lower end of the through hole 335, respectively. Thereby, the pressure loss of the air which flows through the through-hole 335 can be reduced.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 2, FIG. 3, and FIG. 6, the effect | action of the airflow which flows in into the foreign material collection space 35a is demonstrated. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the space forming unit 10 illustrated in FIG. 2 and the vicinity thereof.

  As shown in FIG. 6, when the air circulation chamber 331 is in a negative pressure state, air flows into the foreign substance collection space 35a along the arrows FD1 and FD2. The air that has flowed into the foreign matter collection space 35 a passes through the plurality of suction holes 321 (see FIG. 3) formed in the transport belt 32 and the plurality of through holes 335 formed in the guide member 332, and then the air circulation chamber 331. Flow into.

  When the leading end portion of the paper P being transported by the transport belt 32 enters the foreign matter collection space 35a, the air flow flowing along the arrow FD1 flows above the leading end portion of the paper P. Similarly, when the rear end portion of the paper P moves out of the foreign matter collection space 35a, the air flow that flows along the arrow FD2 flows above the rear end portion of the paper P. As described above, the velocity (wind speed) of the airflow flowing into the foreign material collection space 35a along the arrows FD1 and FD2 increases in the foreign material collection space 35a. For this reason, the paper dust PD adhering to the front end portion and the rear end portion of the paper P is peeled off from the paper P and removed. Most of the paper dust PD removed from the paper P is collected in the air circulation chamber 331. However, the paper dust PD may slightly adhere to the opposing surface 11f of the foreign material collection belt 11.

  Next, the operation of the space forming unit 10 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the operation of the space forming unit 10 shown in FIG. The foreign matter collecting belt 11 is driven during non-printing, that is, during a period when the image forming operation on the paper P is not executed. At the time of non-printing, the conveyance belt 32 and the negative pressure generation unit 336 are driven in addition to the foreign matter collection belt 11. Specifically, the conveyance belt 32 is driven in the same direction as that during image formation, and the negative pressure generation unit 336 generates a negative pressure in the air circulation chamber 331.

  As shown in FIG. 7, when the second drive roller 12 rotates clockwise, the foreign matter recovery belt 11 is also driven clockwise. As a result, among the drive directions of the foreign material recovery belt 11, the drive direction of the facing surface 11f is the same as the transport direction D1 as indicated by the arrow D2.

  When the foreign matter collection belt 11 is driven, the paper dust PD adhering to the facing surface 11f is conveyed by the foreign matter collection belt 11 to a place where the foreign matter collection belt 11 and the blade 14 come into contact with each other. As a result, the paper powder PD is scraped off from the foreign matter collection belt 11 by the blade 14. When the scraped paper powder PD accumulates on the blade 14, the paper powder PD falls from the blade 14. The fallen paper powder PD is collected in the air circulation chamber 331 by the air flowing along the arrow FD1. Further, when the foreign matter collecting belt 11 is driven, a part of the paper dust PD that has adhered to the facing surface 11f may fall due to vibration generated due to the driving of the foreign matter collecting belt 11. There is. The paper powder PD dropped by the vibration of the foreign material recovery belt 11 is also collected in the air circulation chamber 331 by the air flowing along the arrow FD1 or the arrow FD2.

  When the paper dust PD adheres to the facing surface 11f of the foreign matter collecting belt 11, the paper dust PD may be scraped off when the curled paper P contacts the facing surface 11f. The scraped paper powder PD may adhere to the paper P, be transported to the lower side of the recording head 34, and adhere to the nozzle. Further, when the paper dust PD is deposited on the facing surface 11f, the adhesion of the paper dust PD on the facing surface 11f is reduced, and the paper dust PD may fall from the facing surface 11f. The fallen paper powder PD may reach below the recording head 34 and adhere to the nozzle. However, according to the present embodiment, the paper dust PD adhering to the foreign material recovery belt 11 is scraped off from the foreign material recovery belt 11 by the blade 14. Alternatively, it is dropped by the vibration due to the drive of the foreign matter collection belt 11 and collected in the air circulation chamber 331. Thereby, it can suppress that paper dust PD accumulates on 11f of opposing surfaces. As a result, the paper dust PD can be prevented from adhering to the nozzle.

  Even when paper dust PD is accumulated on the blade 14, the paper dust PD falls from the blade 14 and is collected in the air circulation chamber 331. Thereby, the paper dust collection | recovery capability of the space formation part 10 is maintainable.

  Further, when the foreign matter collection belt 11 is driven during printing, there is a possibility that the paper powder PD dropped due to vibration generated due to the drive of the foreign matter collection belt 11 adheres to the paper P. Alternatively, the paper dust PD attached to the blade 14 may overflow from the blade 14 and fall and adhere to the paper P. The paper dust PD adhering to the paper P may be conveyed below the recording head 34 and adhere to the nozzles. However, according to the present embodiment, the foreign material recovery belt 11 is driven when not printing. Therefore, it can suppress that paper dust PD adheres to a nozzle.

  Further, the blade 14 is provided so as to abut on a portion of the foreign matter collecting belt 11 farthest from the recording head 34. That is, the blade 14 scrapes off the paper powder PD at a position farthest from the recording head 34 in the foreign matter collection belt 11. For this reason, it is possible to suppress the paper powder PD scraped off by the blade 14 from reaching below the recording head 34. Furthermore, when the blade 14 is provided so as to abut on the position of the foreign matter collecting belt 11 farthest from the recording head 34, the foreign matter collecting belt 11 is preferably driven to rotate clockwise. As a result, the paper dust PD can be efficiently scraped off from the foreign matter recovery belt 11.

  In the present embodiment, polyimide is used as the material for the foreign matter collection belt 11, but the material for the foreign matter collection belt 11 is not limited to this. For example, EPDM or steel can be used as the material for the foreign matter recovery belt 11. When a conductor such as steel is used as the material for the foreign matter collection belt 11, the adhesion of the paper powder PD to the foreign matter collection belt 11 can be reduced.

  In this embodiment, elastic rubber such as urethane and EPDM is used as the material of the blade 14, but the material of the blade 14 is not limited to this. For example, a polyethylene terephthalate film (PET film) can be used as the material of the blade 14.

[Embodiment 2]
Next, an inkjet recording apparatus 1 according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5 and FIGS. In the second embodiment, the space forming unit 10 includes a brush 15 instead of the blade 14 as a foreign matter collecting mechanism. Hereinafter, matters different from the first embodiment will be described with respect to the second embodiment, and descriptions of matters overlapping with the first embodiment will be omitted.

  First, the configuration of the space forming unit 10 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the space forming unit 10 according to the second embodiment and the vicinity thereof. As shown in FIG. 8, the brush 15 is provided above the foreign matter collection belt 11. The brush 15 is configured by flocking a plurality of fibers. In this embodiment, the material of the fiber is polyester. The brush 15 is brought into contact with the upper surface of the foreign material collection belt 11 or separated from the upper surface of the foreign material collection belt 11 by a drive mechanism (not shown). Similar to the blade 14, the brush 15 contacts the upper surface of the foreign matter collection belt 11 only while the foreign matter collection belt 11 is driven. Thereby, a deformation | transformation of the foreign material collection | recovery belt 11 can be suppressed. Moreover, the lifetime of the foreign material collection belt 11 can be extended.

  Next, the operation of the space forming unit 10 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the operation of the space forming unit 10 shown in FIG. The foreign matter collecting belt 11 is driven during non-printing, that is, during a period when the image forming operation on the paper P is not executed. At the time of non-printing, the conveyance belt 32 and the negative pressure generation unit 336 are driven in addition to the foreign matter collection belt 11. Specifically, the conveyance belt 32 is driven in the same direction as that during image formation, and the negative pressure generation unit 336 generates a negative pressure in the air circulation chamber 331.

  As shown in FIG. 9, when the second drive roller 12 rotates counterclockwise, the foreign matter recovery belt 11 is also driven counterclockwise. As a result, among the drive directions of the foreign material recovery belt 11, the drive direction of the facing surface 11f is opposite to the transport direction D1 as indicated by an arrow D3.

  When the foreign matter collection belt 11 is driven, the paper dust PD adhering to the facing surface 11f is conveyed by the foreign matter collection belt 11 to a place where the foreign matter collection belt 11 and the brush 15 come into contact with each other. As a result, the paper powder PD adheres to the brush 15. Thereby, it can suppress that paper dust PD adhering to the brush 15 is conveyed to the opposing surface 11f again. Alternatively, among the paper dust PD adhering to the facing surface 11 f, some paper dust PD may fall due to vibration generated due to the drive of the foreign matter collection belt 11. The paper dust PD dropped by the vibration of the foreign matter collecting belt 11 is collected in the air circulation chamber 331 by the air flowing along the arrow FD1 or the arrow FD2. Thereby, it can suppress that paper dust PD accumulates on 11f of opposing surfaces. As a result, the paper dust PD can be prevented from adhering to the nozzle.

  In addition, among the driving directions of the foreign material recovery belt 11, the driving direction of the facing surface 11f is opposite to the transport direction D1 as indicated by an arrow D3. That is, the paper dust PD adhering to the facing surface 11 f moves in a direction away from the recording head 34. For this reason, the amount of paper dust PD falling from the foreign material recovery belt 11 at a position near the recording head 34 in the foreign material recovery space 35a can be suppressed. As a result, it is possible to suppress the paper dust PD from reaching below the recording head 34.

  Further, when the foreign matter collection belt 11 is driven during printing, there is a possibility that the paper powder PD dropped due to the vibration of the foreign matter collection belt 11 adheres to the paper P. The paper dust PD adhering to the paper P may be conveyed below the recording head 34 and adhere to the nozzles. However, according to the present embodiment, the foreign material recovery belt 11 is driven when not printing. Therefore, it can suppress that paper dust PD adheres to a nozzle.

  Next, another example of the space forming unit 10 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating another example of the space forming unit 10 illustrated in FIG. 8.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the space forming unit 10 may further include a suction mechanism 16. The suction mechanism 16 applies a negative pressure to the brush 15 to suck and remove the paper powder PD attached to the brush 15. The suction mechanism 16 applies a negative pressure to the brush 15 while the brush 15 is in contact with the foreign material recovery belt 11.

  If the paper dust PD accumulates on the brush 15, the adhesion of the paper dust PD to the brush 15 may be reduced. When the adhesion force of the paper dust PD to the brush 15 is reduced, the paper dust PD that could not adhere to the brush 15 may be conveyed again to the opposing surface 11f by the foreign material recovery belt 11. However, according to the present embodiment, the paper powder PD adhering to the brush 15 can be sucked. For this reason, the fall of the adhesive force of paper dust PD to the brush 15 can be suppressed. As a result, the paper dust collection capability of the space forming unit 10 can be maintained.

  In the present embodiment, the opposing surface 11f of the foreign material recovery belt 11 is driven in the direction opposite to the conveyance direction D1 (the direction indicated by the arrow D3), but the driving direction of the opposing surface 11f of the foreign material recovery belt 11 is the conveyance direction. The same direction as D1 may be used.

  The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented in various modes without departing from the gist thereof. For ease of understanding, the drawings schematically show each component as a main component, and the thickness, length, number, etc. of each component shown in the drawings are different from the actual for convenience of drawing. There is a case. Moreover, the shape, dimension, etc. of each component shown by said embodiment are an example, Comprising: It does not specifically limit, A various change is possible in the range which does not deviate substantially from the structure of this invention.

  For example, in the embodiment according to the present invention, the case where the transport belt 32 transports the paper P in the image forming unit 3 has been described. However, the image forming unit 3 may transport the paper P by other methods. For example, the paper P may be transported by a plurality of transport rollers. In this case, it is preferable to apply a negative pressure from between adjacent conveyance rollers.

  Moreover, although embodiment by this invention demonstrated the case where the guide member 332 and the air circulation chamber 331 were separate members, the form by which the guide member 332 and the air circulation chamber 331 were integrally formed may be sufficient. In this case, a negative pressure leak from the air circulation chamber 331 can be prevented. Specifically, air can be prevented from flowing into the air circulation chamber 331 from the gap between the guide member 332 and the air circulation chamber 331.

  Further, in the embodiment according to the present invention, the case where the taper 335a and the taper 335b are respectively formed at the upper end and the lower end of the through hole 335 has been described, but the taper is formed at the upper end or the lower end of the through hole 335. Form may be sufficient.

  Moreover, although embodiment by this invention demonstrated the case where the two negative pressure generation parts 336 were used, the number of the negative pressure generation parts 336 is not limited to two. For example, one or more negative pressure generation units 336 may be used.

  The present invention is applicable to an ink jet recording apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inkjet recording device 3 Image formation part 10 Space formation part 11 Foreign material collection belt 12 Second drive roller 13 Driven roller 14 Blade 15 Brush 16 Suction mechanism 31 Conveyance part 33 Negative pressure application part 332 Guide member 34 Recording head

Claims (11)

A recording head for ejecting ink onto a recording medium;
A transport belt having a plurality of suction holes and transporting the recording medium to a position facing the recording head;
Wherein disposed on the upstream side in the transport direction of the recording medium relative to the recording head, the recording medium to form a foreign matter collecting space passing between the mounting surface of the recording medium in the conveying belt A space forming section;
A negative pressure application unit that applies a negative pressure to the foreign substance recovery space,
The negative pressure application unit has a guide member, an air circulation chamber, and a negative pressure generation unit,
The guide member supports the recording medium via the transport belt,
A plurality of rows formed of a plurality of grooves arranged along the transport direction are formed in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction on the surface of the guide member on the transport belt side,
In each of the plurality of grooves, a through-hole penetrating the guide member is formed,
Tapers are formed at both ends of the through hole,
The negative pressure generating unit generates a negative pressure in the air circulation chamber,
When negative pressure is generated in the air circulation chamber, air flows into the air circulation chamber through the suction hole and the through hole,
The space forming part is
A foreign matter recovery belt having a facing surface facing the mounting surface;
A foreign matter collecting mechanism for collecting foreign matter adhering to the foreign matter collecting belt,
Each of the rows of the plurality of grooves includes two grooves facing the facing surface,
The through hole formed in each of the two grooves is opposed to the facing surface,
The foreign matter collection space is formed by the mounting surface and the facing surface,
The distance between the mounting surface and the facing surface is such that the velocity of the airflow flowing into the foreign material recovery space from the space around the foreign material recovery space flows into the foreign material recovery space after flowing into the foreign material recovery space. An ink jet recording apparatus that is set to be larger than before flowing in . The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the foreign matter collection mechanism includes a blade that contacts the foreign matter collection belt. The foreign matter recovery belt is endless,
The space forming unit further includes a plurality of rollers that stretch and drive the foreign material recovery belt,
The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the blade abuts on the foreign material collecting belt while the foreign material collecting belt is driven. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the blade is in contact with a portion of the foreign matter recovery belt that is farthest from the recording head. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a driving direction on the facing surface of the foreign matter collecting belt is the same as a transport direction of the recording medium. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the foreign matter collecting mechanism includes a brush that contacts the foreign matter collecting belt. The foreign matter recovery mechanism further includes a suction mechanism,
The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the suction mechanism applies a negative pressure to the brush to suck the foreign matter attached to the brush. The foreign matter recovery belt is endless,
The space forming unit further includes a plurality of rollers that stretch and drive the foreign material recovery belt,
The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the brush abuts on the foreign matter collecting belt while the foreign matter collecting belt is driven. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a driving direction on the facing surface of the foreign matter collecting belt is opposite to a transport direction of the recording medium. The inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 5, 8, and 9, wherein the foreign matter collecting belt is driven during non-printing. The two grooves include a first groove and a second groove arranged on the upstream side in the transport direction from the first groove,
The downstream end of the first groove is positioned downstream of the downstream end of the facing surface, and the upstream end of the second groove is positioned upstream of the upstream end of the facing surface. The inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

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