JP6683014B2 - Liquid ejection device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid ejection device.

  An ink jet recording apparatus, which is an example of a liquid ejecting apparatus, is smaller and easier to move than a copying machine installed indoors, and thus is often installed and used outdoors or in a factory. When installed outdoors or inside a factory, compared to indoors such as offices, foreign objects such as dust, sand, and dust are more likely to hit the recording device. If foreign matter such as dust, sand, or dust enters the apparatus, it may lead to a malfunction that hinders the operation of the inkjet recording apparatus.

  For example, if foreign matter such as dust, sand, or dust adheres to the paper when setting the paper in the paper feed tray, the paper with the foreign matter adhered is conveyed to the rollers, belts, guide plates for paper conveyance, etc. May be scratched. In addition, foreign matter may indirectly adhere to parts that do not directly contact the paper. For example, if foreign matter adheres to the nozzles of the recording head of the inkjet recording apparatus, ink ejection failure will occur.

  Further, if foreign matter enters the recording device when the device cover of the inkjet recording device is opened during jam processing or maintenance, the above-mentioned problem may occur.

  As described above, foreign matter directly enters the recording device, or indirectly adheres to and enters the internal parts by contacting the internal parts through the paper, which leads to a failure that hinders the operation of the recording device main body. There was a problem. Various measures have been taken to solve this problem (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

  However, the device described in Patent Document 1 has a problem that foreign matter such as dust, sand, and dust in the surroundings enters the inside of the machine when the dustproof cover is open. In particular, since the paper discharge unit is often open due to the configuration of the printer, foreign matter easily enters through the paper discharge unit.

  Further, even the one described in Patent Document 2 has not solved the problem that foreign matter outside the printer enters the inside of the printer through the paper discharge section having a particularly large opening.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a liquid ejecting apparatus capable of preventing foreign matter from entering the sheet ejecting portion of the liquid ejecting apparatus.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting a liquid onto a recording medium by a liquid ejecting head, the recording medium ejecting section ejecting the recording medium being provided so as to face each other. A first guide plate and a second guide plate having a plurality of ventilation holes, a first fan provided on the side of the first guide plate that does not face the recording medium, and the second guide plate. a second fan in side not facing to the recording medium of the guide plate provided opposite to the first fan, it is arranged in the recording medium conveying path upstream of the recording medium discharge portion, the recording A recording medium detection sensor for detecting a medium, and switching between the tilt angle and the forward / reverse rotation of each of the first fan and the second fan based on the detection information of the recording medium acquired by the recording medium detection sensor. A switching unit, a liquid discharge apparatus characterized in that it comprises a.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a liquid ejection device capable of preventing foreign matter from entering the sheet ejection portion of the liquid ejection device.

1A is a schematic configuration diagram of an inkjet recording apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a schematic perspective view thereof. FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of an airflow generation mechanism of the inkjet recording apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a plan view taken along the line AA of FIG. 2. It is a figure which shows another aspect of the 1st guide plate shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the airflow produced | generated by the airflow generation mechanism which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of another airflow produced | generated by the airflow generation mechanism which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram of the airflow generation mechanism of the inkjet recording device which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the airflow produced | generated by the airflow generation mechanism which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows arrangement | positioning of the paper detection sensor of the inkjet recording device which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic block diagram of the control system of the inkjet recording device which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram of the airflow generation mechanism of the inkjet recording device which concerns on the 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic block diagram of the airflow generation mechanism of the inkjet recording device which concerns on the 5th Embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
First, regarding the first embodiment of the liquid ejection apparatus according to the present invention, the configuration of the inkjet recording apparatus 100 will be described as an example.

  FIG. 1A is a schematic configuration diagram showing the configuration of the inkjet recording apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a schematic perspective view thereof.

  The inkjet recording apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 has a printing mechanism section 104 at the top. The printing mechanism unit 104 includes a carriage 101 that is movable in the main scanning direction inside the main body of the recording apparatus, a recording head 102 as a liquid ejection head mounted on the carriage 101, and an ink cartridge 103 that supplies ink to the recording head 102. It is configured to include.

  The inkjet recording apparatus 100 includes a paper feed tray 106 as a recording medium supply tray at the bottom, a manual feed tray 107 and a paper discharge tray 108 at the center. The paper feed tray 106 is capable of accommodating a large number of paper sheets 105 as recording media, and can be detachably attached to the apparatus main body from the front side. The manual feed tray 107 is a tray for manually feeding the paper 105 and can be opened. The paper 105 fed from the paper feed tray 106 or the manual feed tray 107 is taken in, a desired image is recorded by the printing mechanism unit 104, and then the paper is ejected to the paper ejection tray 108 mounted on the rear side.

  The printing mechanism unit 104 holds the carriage 101 slidably in the main scanning direction by a main guide rod 109 and a sub guide rod 110, which are guide members horizontally extending on the left and right side plates. The carriage 101 is equipped with a recording head 102 including a liquid ejection head that ejects ink droplets of yellow (Y), cyan (C), magenta (M), and black (Bk). The plurality of ink ejection ports (nozzles) of the recording head 102 are arranged in a direction intersecting with the main scanning direction, and the ink droplet ejection direction is arranged downward.

  Also, each ink cartridge 103 for supplying each color ink to the recording head 102 is replaceably mounted on the carriage 101. The ink cartridge 103 has an air port that communicates with the atmosphere at the top, a supply port that supplies ink to the recording head 102 at the bottom, and a porous body filled with ink inside. The ink supplied to the recording head 102 is maintained at a slight negative pressure by the force. Further, although each color head is used here as the recording head 102, it may be one head having nozzles for ejecting ink droplets of each color. Here, the carriage 101 is slidably fitted to the main guide rod 109 on the rear side (downstream side in the sheet conveying direction) and slidably mounted on the sub guide rod 110 on the front side (upstream side in the sheet conveying direction). are doing. Then, in order to move and scan the carriage 101 in the main scanning direction, a timing belt 114 is stretched between a driving pulley 112 and a driven pulley 113 which are rotationally driven by the main scanning motor 111, and the timing belt 114 is used for the carriage 101. The carriage 101 is reciprocally driven by forward and reverse rotations of the main scanning motor 111.

  On the other hand, in order to convey the paper 105 set in the paper feed tray 106 to the lower side of the recording head 102, a paper feed roller (half-moon roller) 115 for separating and feeding the paper 105 from the paper feed tray 106 and a guide for the paper 105. The guide member 117, the transport roller 118 and the tension roller 122 that stretch the transport belt 126, and the transport roller 119 that is pressed against the peripheral surface of the transport roller 118 are provided. The transport roller 118 is rotationally driven by the sub-scanning motor 121 via a gear train. Above the tension roller 122, there is provided a spur 124 which is driven to rotate in order to send out the sheet 105 in the sheet discharge direction. On the downstream side of the tension roller 122 in the paper transport direction, a paper discharge roller 123 and a spur 125 for sending the paper 105 to the paper discharge tray 108 are provided.

  In the present embodiment, the paper 105 stacked on the paper feed tray 106 is fed by the paper feed roller 115, conveyed by the conveyor belt 126 stretched by the conveyor roller 118 and the tension roller 122, and is conveyed on the conveyor path. The paper 105 is discharged to the paper discharge tray 108 by the paper discharge roller 123 which is the most downstream roller. At this time, an image is recorded by ejecting ink onto the surface of the paper by the recording head 102 fixed to the carriage 101 directly above the conveyor belt 126.

  Specifically, at the time of recording, by driving the recording head 102 according to an image signal while moving the carriage 101, ink is ejected onto the stopped paper 105 to record one line, and the paper 105 is recorded. After carrying a predetermined amount, the next line is recorded. Upon receiving a recording end signal or a signal that the trailing edge of the sheet 105 has reached the recording area, the recording operation is terminated and the sheet 105 is ejected. A recovery device 129 for recovering the ejection failure of the recording head 102 is arranged at a position outside the recording area on the right end side of the carriage 101 in the moving direction. The recovery device 129 has a cap unit, a suction unit, and a cleaning unit. The carriage 101 is moved to the recovery device 129 side during printing standby, the recording head 102 is capped by the capping means, and the ejection port portion is kept wet to prevent ejection failure due to ink drying. Further, by ejecting ink that is not related to recording during recording or the like, the ink viscosity of all the ejection ports is made constant, and stable ejection performance is maintained.

  In the case of the double-sided printing operation, after the front surface (first surface) is printed by the recording head 102, the driving direction of the conveyor belt 126 is reversed to reversely convey the sheet 105 to the reversing rollers 131 and 132, and then the conveying belt again. By rotating 126 normally, the back side (second side) printing operation and the paper discharge operation by the paper discharge roller 123 are performed.

  The present embodiment is characterized by the airflow generation mechanism 160A provided in a portion 134 surrounded by a broken line in FIG. 1 including the tension roller 122 and the paper discharge roller 123 that stretch and drive the conveyor belt 126. .

Next, the configuration of the airflow generation mechanism 160A according to the present embodiment will be described.
FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the airflow generation mechanism 160A of the inkjet recording apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment.

  The inkjet recording apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment includes a first fan 141, a second fan 142, a first guide plate 143, and a second guide plate 144.

  The first guide plate 143 and the second guide plate 144 sandwich a paper ejection unit 140 as a recording medium ejection unit for ejecting the paper 105 on the surface of which ink ejected from the recording head 102 which is a liquid ejection head is ejected. Are provided to face the lower side and the upper side of the paper transport path 150, respectively. The first guide plate 143 and the second guide plate 144 are arranged in parallel with the paper transport path 150, and are also in parallel with each other. Further, each of the first guide plate 143 and the second guide plate 144 has a plurality of ventilation holes on the plate surface.

  FIG. 3 is a plan view taken along the line AA of FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the vent hole 145 of the first guide plate 143 is circular, but may be any shape such as rectangular or triangular. The arrangement of the vent holes 145 is a staggered arrangement as shown in FIG. 3, but it may be a parallel arrangement as shown in FIG.

  The shape and arrangement of the ventilation holes of the second guide plate 144 are similar to those of the ventilation holes 145 of the first guide plate 143.

  The first fan 141 faces the sheet 105 below the first guide plate 143 provided below the sheet conveying path 150 between the tension roller 122 and the sheet discharging roller 123 in the sheet discharging unit 140. It is provided on the non-face side. The second fan 142 is provided above the second guide plate 144 provided on the upper side of the sheet conveying path 150, that is, on the side not facing the sheet 105 so as to face the first fan 141. .

  The first fan 141 is arranged in parallel with the paper transport path 150 and the first guide plate 143. That is, the first fan 141 is arranged so as to generate an airflow in a direction perpendicular to the paper transport path 150 and the first guide plate 143. Similarly, the second fan 142 is also arranged in parallel with the paper transport path 150 and the second guide plate 144. That is, the second fan 142 is arranged so as to generate an airflow in a direction perpendicular to the paper transport path 150 and the second guide plate 144. Further, the first fan 141 and the second fan 142 can switch between forward and reverse rotations, that is, can switch the air blowing direction (intake and exhaust).

Next, the airflow generated by the first fan 141 and the second fan 142 will be described.
In the present embodiment, the blowing direction of the first fan 141 and the blowing direction of the second fan 142 are substantially the same.

  FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an air flow generated by the air flow generation mechanism 160A according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 to be described later, for simplicity, the airflow is shown only in the space between the first fan 141 and the second fan 142, but below the first fan 141 and Of course, the airflow also exists in the space above the second fan 142.

  In FIG. 5, both the first fan 141 and the second fan 142 are set to blow air downward. As a result, the second fan 142 acts so as to send the air above the second fan 142 toward the second guide plate 144. Since the air holes are formed in the second guide plate 144, the airflow advances toward the first guide plate 143 through the air holes. Since the ventilation holes 145 are formed in the first guide plate 143 as well, the air flow passes through the ventilation holes 145 of the first guide plate 143 and proceeds below the first guide plate 143. The first fan 141 acts so as to send the air above the first fan 141 to below the first fan 141. In this way, an airflow flowing from the top to the bottom of the paper transport path 150 is generated in the paper discharge section 140. With such an air flow, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from entering the apparatus from the paper discharge unit 140.

  Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 6, both the first fan 141 and the second fan 142 may be set to blow air upward. With this setting, an airflow that flows from the bottom to the top of the paper transport path 150 is generated in the paper discharge unit 140. Even with such an air flow, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from entering the apparatus from the paper discharge unit 140.

Next, effects of the inkjet recording device 100 according to the present embodiment will be described.
As described above, in the inkjet recording apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, the first fan 141 is provided below the first guide plate 143 having the plurality of ventilation holes 145, and the second fan 142 is provided with the plurality of fans. It is provided above the second guide plate 144 having a vent hole so as to face the first fan 141, and the blowing direction of the first fan 141 and the blowing direction of the second fan 142 are substantially equal. . As a result, an airflow that flows vertically is generated in the paper discharge unit 140. As a result, foreign matter outside the apparatus can be prevented from entering from the paper discharge section 140.

  Further, a first guide plate 143 having a plurality of ventilation holes 145 is arranged below the sheet conveying path 150 of the sheet discharging unit 140 and above the first fan 141, and has a plurality of ventilation holes. Guide plate 144 is disposed above the sheet transport path 150 and below the second fan 142. As a result, for example, the blowing directions of the first fan 141 and the second fan 142 are both set to be downward, and the sheet 105 is adsorbed onto the first guide plate 143, so that the sheet conveying path of the sheet ejecting unit 140 is absorbed. It is possible to prevent the image from being disturbed by the sheet 105 floating up on the sheet 150 and coming into contact with the second guide plate 144. In other words, the air suction conveyance can be easily realized in the sheet conveyance path 150 of the sheet discharge section 140.

  Moreover, in the present embodiment, since it is not necessary to perform the conventional electrostatic attraction or air suction in the sheet transport path by the transport belt, the size of the apparatus main body can be reduced.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment will be described.
FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram of the airflow generation mechanism 160B of the inkjet recording apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the first fan 141 and the second fan 142 are arranged so as to incline toward the sheet ejection direction of the sheet conveyance path 150 in a divergent manner.

  Specifically, the first fan 141 and the first guide plate 143 and the second fan 142 and the second guide plate 144 have a required angle with respect to the paper discharge direction of the paper transport path 150. Then they are placed one above the other. The angles of the first fan 141 and the first guide plate 143 with respect to the sheet discharge direction can be arbitrarily adjusted by rotating the rotary shaft portion 155 provided on the first guide plate 143. The first fan 141 is integrally attached to the first guide plate 143 via, for example, the side plate 145. Therefore, the rotation of the rotating shaft portion 155 causes the first guide plate 143 to incline and the first fan 141 to incline at the same angle.

  Similarly, the angles of the second fan 142 and the second guide plate 144 with respect to the paper discharge direction of the paper transport path 150 can be arbitrarily adjusted by the rotation of the rotary shaft portion 156 provided on the second guide plate 144. It has become. The second fan 142 is integrally attached to the second guide plate 144 via the side plate 146. Therefore, the rotation of the rotary shaft portion 156 causes the second guide plate 144 to tilt and the second fan 142 to tilt at the same angle.

  In the present embodiment, the angles of the first fan 141 and the first guide plate 143 with respect to the paper discharge direction and the angles of the second fan 142 and the second guide plate 144 with respect to the paper discharge direction are always fixed. deep.

Next, the airflow generated by the first fan 141 and the second fan 142 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 8, the first fan 141 blows air obliquely upward, and the second fan 142 blows air obliquely downward to generate an airflow in the paper discharge direction.

  With this configuration, by generating an air flow toward the outside of the device in the paper discharge unit 140, it is possible to effectively prevent foreign matter outside the device from entering from the paper discharge unit 140.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment will be described.
In the present embodiment, the sheet detection sensors 161 and 162 as recording medium detection sensors that are arranged on the sheet conveyance path upstream of the sheet discharge unit 140 and that detect the sheet 105, and the sheets of paper acquired by the sheet detection sensors 161 and 162. Further, control devices and the like 180, 163-170, which are switching means for switching the respective tilt angles and forward and reverse rotations of the first fan 141 and the second fan 142 based on the detection information, are further provided.

  Here, the inclination angle refers to an angle formed by each of the first fan 141 and the second fan 142 (fan blade swivel surface) with respect to the sheet conveyance path 150 of the sheet discharge unit 140. As shown in FIG. 2, when the first fan 141 and the second fan 142 are not inclined, the respective fans are arranged in parallel with the sheet conveyance path 150, and therefore the inclination angle is 0 °. In the case of the inclined arrangement as shown in FIG. 7, the predetermined inclination angle is not 0 °.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the two sheet detection sensors 161 and 162 are arranged on the sheet conveyance path on the conveyance belt 126 with a predetermined distance therebetween. A reflection type or a transmission type photo sensor is used as the sheet detection sensors 161 and 162. The sheet detection sensors 161 and 162 detect the leading edge or the trailing edge of the sheet. In this embodiment, the two sheet detection sensors 161 and 162 are used, but either one of the sheet detection sensors may be used.

FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram of a control system that realizes the switching unit in the present embodiment.
The control device 180 is connected to the paper detection sensor 161 and the paper detection sensor 162. Further, the control device 180 is connected to various drivers 164, 166, 168, 170.

  The driver 168 drives the fan motor 167 for rotationally driving the first fan 141 so as to rotate forward and backward. The driver 170 drives the fan motor 169 for rotating the second fan 142 so as to rotate forward and backward.

  Further, the driver 164 drives a tilt angle adjusting motor 163 for rotationally driving the rotary shaft portion 156 of the first fan 141. Similarly, the driver 166 drives the tilt angle adjusting motor 165 for rotationally driving the rotating shaft portion 155 of the second fan 142. Instead of the tilt angle adjusting motors 163 and 165, an electromagnetic solenoid or a cam may be used.

The control device 180 also includes a paper position detection unit 181 and an airflow control unit 182.
The paper position detection unit 181 receives the information of the sensor signals obtained by the paper detection sensor 161 and the paper detection sensor 162, and calculates the paper position. Specifically, the position of the sheet is calculated from the position where the leading edge or the trailing edge of the sheet 105 is detected by the sheet detection sensors 161, 162 and the amount of sheet conveyance after or before the detection. The sheet conveyance amount is calculated based on the detection signal (pulse) from the rotary encoder that detects the rotation of the sub-scanning motor 121 in the control device 180.

  The airflow control unit 182 receives the information on the sheet position from the sheet position detection unit 181, and based on the information on the sheet position, the inclination angles of the first fan 141 and the first guide plate 143, the second fan 142, and the second fan 142. The inclination angle of the second guide plate 144 and the switching between the forward and reverse rotations of the first fan 141 and the second fan 142 are controlled.

Next, the control method will be further described.
(1) First, the airflow control unit 182 of the control device 180 determines whether or not the sheet 105 is present in the sheet conveyance path 150 of the sheet discharge unit 140 based on the sheet position information obtained by the sheet position detection unit 181. to decide.

(2) When the paper 105 does not exist in the paper discharge section 140, the paper discharge operation is completed and the user can take out the paper 105. In this case, the airflow controller 182 does not incline the first fan 141 and the second fan 142 as shown in FIG. Generate an air flow to. This prevents foreign matter from entering from the paper discharge unit 140 when the printed paper is taken out.

(3) When the sheet 105 is present in the sheet discharge unit 140, the sheet 105 is being conveyed on the sheet conveying path 150 during or after the printing operation. In this case, the airflow control unit 182 tilts the first fan 141 and the second fan 142 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 to generate an airflow in the paper discharge direction. This prevents foreign matter from entering from the paper discharge unit 140 during the paper discharge operation.

  If a vertical airflow as shown in FIG. 5 or 6 is generated during the sheet discharging operation, a load (resistance) is applied to the sheet discharging, which may lead to a conveyance failure such as defective discharging. Therefore, during the paper discharge operation, the inclined arrangement is performed as described above, and the generated airflow assists the paper discharge to prevent the discharge failure.

  Further, the generated airflow promotes the drying of the ink printed on the front or the back of the paper, so that the effect of preventing problems such as image stains due to unfixed ink can be obtained. Particularly, in the ink jet recording apparatus 100 in which the sheet conveying path 150 of the sheet discharging section 140 is short, the sheet discharging section 140 is provided immediately after the image forming section by the recording head 102, and the sheet passes through the sheet discharging section 140 without fixing the ink. At that time, image defects are likely to occur due to contact with guide plates, rollers, rollers and the like. When the airflow generation mechanism according to the present embodiment is arranged in the paper transport path 150 of the paper discharge unit 140, even in the case of double-sided printing, the ink on the surface is dried by the airflow, so that the above-described image defect is effectively achieved. Can be prevented.

  The control device 180 described above can be realized by hardware, software, or a combination thereof. Here, being realized by software means being realized by a computer reading and executing a program.

  As described above, the inkjet recording apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment discharges and conveys the paper by automatically switching the inclination angle and the forward / reverse rotation of the first fan 141 and the second fan 142 depending on the situation. It is possible to obtain the dustproof effect without affecting the operation and the paper removal procedure. For example, after the sheet ejection operation, the first fan 141 and the second fan 142 are not tilted, and the airflow direction (forward / reverse rotation) is the same to generate the vertical airflow, so that the sheet is ejected when the sheet is taken out. It is possible to prevent foreign matter from entering through the portion 140. Further, during the paper discharge operation, the first fan 141 and the second fan 142 are tilted to generate an air flow in the paper discharge direction, thereby preventing foreign matter from entering from the paper discharge unit 140 and preventing the paper from being discharged. It is possible to prevent the discharge from being overloaded. In addition, the airflow applied to the front surface and the back surface of the paper 105 can accelerate the drying of the ink printed on the paper.

[Fourth Embodiment]
Next, a fourth embodiment will be described.
FIG. 11 is a schematic configuration diagram of an airflow generation mechanism 160C according to the fourth embodiment.
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, between the first fan 141 and the paper feed tray 106, the airflow generated downward by the first fan 141 is guided into the paper feed tray 106. An exhaust duct 157 is provided.

  With this configuration, the air warmed by heat generated from various motors and substrates in the inkjet recording apparatus 100 can be efficiently distributed to the paper 105 on the paper feed tray 106 or its surroundings by the first fan 141 and the second fan 142. Can be sent to. As a result, it is possible to prevent the humidity of the paper on the paper feed tray 106 from decreasing.

  In particular, in a low temperature environment such as in the morning in winter, the paper surface is curled due to a decrease in humidity on the surface of the paper, and a paper jam occurs at the time of conveying the paper or the recording head 102 and the paper are separated by the image forming unit of the recording head 102. Transport problems such as contact are likely to occur. With the configuration of the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent such a conveyance failure by preventing the paper humidity from decreasing.

  In addition, the airflow is sent into the paper feed tray 106 to allow air to enter between the sheets of the sheet bundle, and at the same time, the separation effect between the sheets can be obtained.

[Fifth Embodiment]
Next, a fifth embodiment will be described.
FIG. 12 is a schematic configuration diagram of an airflow generation mechanism 160D according to the fifth embodiment.
This embodiment differs from the fourth embodiment in that a heater 158 is provided around the first fan 141, as shown in FIG. Although the heater 158 is provided above the first fan 141 in FIG. 12, it may be provided below the first fan 141.

  With this configuration, the air warmed by the heater 158 can be sent by the first fan 141 to the paper 105 on the paper feed tray 106 or its periphery through the exhaust duct 157. This makes it possible to more effectively prevent the humidity of the paper 105 on the paper tray 106 from decreasing.

  In particular, when the recording apparatus main body is not operating (when the power is ON), heat is not generated by the various motors and boards in the apparatus. Even in such a standby state, the heater 158 can warm the air around the first fan 141 and send the warmed air to the paper feed tray 106. As a result, the same effect as the above-described effect obtained in the fourth embodiment can be obtained.

  In the present specification and claims, the “liquid ejecting apparatus” is an apparatus that includes a liquid ejecting head or a liquid ejecting unit and drives the liquid ejecting head to eject the liquid. The liquid ejecting apparatus includes not only an apparatus capable of ejecting a liquid to an object to which the liquid can adhere, but also an apparatus ejecting the liquid into the air or into the liquid.

  The “liquid ejecting device” may include means for feeding, transporting, and discharging paper to which liquid can adhere, as well as a pre-processing device, a post-processing device, and the like.

  For example, as a “liquid ejecting device”, an image forming device that ejects ink to form an image on a recording sheet, and a powder is formed in layers to form a three-dimensional object (three-dimensional object). There is a three-dimensional modeling device (three-dimensional modeling device) that discharges the modeling liquid to the powder layer.

  Further, the “liquid ejection device” is not limited to a device in which a significant image such as a character or a graphic is visualized by the ejected liquid. For example, it also includes those that form a pattern or the like that has no meaning per se, and those that form a three-dimensional image.

  The above-mentioned "liquid can be adhered" means a liquid which can be at least temporarily adhered, and which adheres and fixes, adheres and permeates, and the like. Specific examples include media such as paper, recording paper, recording paper, recording paper such as film and cloth, electronic substrates, electronic components such as piezoelectric elements, powder layers (powder layers), organ models, and inspection cells. Yes, and unless otherwise specified, includes anything to which liquid adheres.

  The material of the above "material to which liquid can be adhered" may be paper, thread, fiber, cloth, leather, metal, plastic, glass, wood, ceramics, etc. as long as liquid can be adhered to it even temporarily.

  Further, the "liquid" may be any one having a viscosity and a surface tension that can be ejected from a liquid ejection head, and is not particularly limited, but the viscosity becomes 30 mPa · s or less at room temperature and atmospheric pressure, or by heating and cooling. It is preferably one. More specifically, solvents such as water and organic solvents, colorants such as dyes and pigments, polymerizable compounds, resins, functionalizing materials such as surfactants, biocompatible materials such as DNA, amino acids, proteins, and calcium. , Solutions, suspensions, emulsions containing edible materials such as natural pigments, etc., such as ink-jet inks, surface treatment solutions, components of electronic devices and light-emitting devices, and formation of electronic circuit resist patterns. It can be used for applications such as a working fluid and a three-dimensional modeling material fluid.

  Further, the “liquid ejecting device” includes a device in which the liquid ejecting head and the device to which the liquid can be attached move relatively, but the device is not limited to this. Specific examples include a serial type device that moves the liquid discharge head, a line type device that does not move the liquid discharge head, and the like.

  In addition, as the "liquid ejecting device", a treatment liquid application device that ejects the treatment liquid onto the paper in order to apply the treatment liquid to the surface of the paper for the purpose of modifying the surface of the paper, a raw material solution, and the like. There is an injection granulating device for spraying a composition liquid dispersed therein through a nozzle to granulate fine particles of a raw material.

  As described above, the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the present invention has the effect of preventing foreign matter from entering the paper ejection unit of the liquid ejecting apparatus, and is useful for all liquid ejecting apparatuses.

100 Inkjet recording device (liquid ejection device)
102 recording head (liquid ejection head)
105 sheets (recording medium)
106 paper feed tray (recording medium supply tray)
140 Paper Ejection Section (Recording Medium Ejection Section)
141 First Fan 142 Second Fan 143 First Guide Plate 144 Second Guide Plate 161, 162 Paper Detection Sensor (Recording Medium Detection Sensor)
163, 165 Inclination angle adjusting motor (switching means)
164, 166 driver (switching means)
167, 169 Fan motor (switching means)
168, 170 driver (switching means)
180 Control device (switching means)

Japanese Patent No. 5782732 JP, 2006-69739, A

Claims (6)

In a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects liquid onto a recording medium by a liquid ejecting head,
A first guide plate and a second guide plate which are provided to face each other with a recording medium discharging section for discharging the recording medium interposed therebetween, each having a plurality of ventilation holes;
A first fan provided on a surface side of the first guide plate that does not face the recording medium;
A second fan provided to face the first fan on a surface side of the second guide plate that does not face the recording medium;
A recording medium detection sensor that is arranged on a recording medium conveyance path upstream of the recording medium discharge unit and detects the recording medium;
Switching means for switching the tilt angle and the forward / reverse rotation of each of the first fan and the second fan based on the detection information of the recording medium acquired by the recording medium detection sensor;
A liquid ejection device comprising: The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the switching unit does not tilt the first fan and the second fan when the recording medium does not exist in the recording medium ejecting unit. The switching unit tilts the first fan and the second fan in a divergent shape with respect to the recording medium ejection direction when the recording medium is present in the recording medium ejection unit. liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. The switching unit tilts the first fan and the second fan in a divergent shape with respect to the recording medium discharge direction during the recording medium discharge operation, and assists discharge of the recording medium by the generated airflow. apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in. Claims before Symbol airflow generated by the first fan and wherein the first fan and the exhaust duct between the recording medium supply tray is provided so as to be guided to the recording medium supply tray The liquid ejection device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 . The liquid ejection device according to claim 5 , further comprising a heater provided around the first fan.

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