JP6776557B2 - Image forming device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that forms an image by transferring and fixing a toner image on a long paper.

Conventionally, electrophotographic image forming devices have been known as printers, copiers, and the like. With such an image forming apparatus, there is known an apparatus capable of forming an image by setting a long paper.

The long paper is provided in the form of roll paper rolled into a roll, and a device for supplying the long paper from the roll paper and a device for winding the long paper after image formation are connected to the image forming device. .. In the operation of forming an image on long paper in the image forming apparatus, the long paper is present in the paper passing path even after the image is formed.

The image forming apparatus is provided with a fixing apparatus that fixes the toner image transferred to the long paper by heating and pressurizing. The fixing device includes a heating rotating body composed of a pair of rollers, a belt and rollers on an equal footing, and a long paper is pressed against the heating rotating body, and the pressurized rotating body is heated to obtain a toner image. Fix on long paper.

In the operation of forming an image on long paper, the long paper remains in the paper passing path even after the image is formed. Therefore, if the pressurized rotating body is in contact with the long paper after the image is formed without being sufficiently cooled, the long paper is long. The paper may be marked by heat, or the long paper may be deformed by heat.

Therefore, a technique has been proposed in which the pressurized rotating body is separated from the long paper after the image is formed, and the long paper is conveyed so as not to loosen, thereby suppressing the contact between the pressurized rotating body and the long paper. (See, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-23370

Even if the heating rotating body and the long paper are separated from each other in a state where the heating rotating body is not sufficiently cooled after the image formation, it is difficult to reliably suppress the contact between the heating rotating body and the long paper, and the long paper and the heating rotation When the body comes into contact with the body, the long paper may be marked by heat, or the long paper may be deformed by heat.

Further, in order to make the temperature of the surface of the heated rotating body uniform, in the configuration in which the heated rotating body stands by in a rotated state at the time of non-image formation, when the long paper comes into contact with the heated rotating body, the surface of the heated rotating body is scratched. It occurs, and image streaks occur at the time of fixing.

Further, in an image forming apparatus that enables the use of long paper, a problem arises even when the long paper is set. That is, the long paper unwound from the roll paper is curled along the direction in which it is rolled into a roll. Therefore, when the long paper is set in the transport path of the image forming apparatus, a paper jam is likely to occur. Therefore, in the past, every time a long piece of paper was set, preparations were made such as correcting the curl, cutting the curled tip, and pasting other rigid paper, but it was very time-consuming and time-consuming. , The paper jam could not be reliably suppressed.

The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and suppresses a paper jam when setting a long paper and suppresses the influence of heat on the long paper by a pressurized rotating body at the time of non-image formation. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus capable of performing the above.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 1 is provided with a transfer means for transferring a toner image to a long paper and a transfer means downstream of the transfer direction of the long paper, and is provided on the long paper. A fixing means for fixing the transferred toner image and a transporting means for transporting the long paper are provided, and the fixing means is provided on the side facing one side of the long paper and is heated and rotated to heat the long paper. A pressurizing rotating body provided on the side of the body facing the other side of the long paper and pressing the long paper against the heating rotating body, and a fixing that moves the heating rotating body and the pressurized rotating body in the direction of separation and contact. A first transporting means provided on the upstream side of the fixing means and a second transporting means provided on the downstream side of the fixing means with respect to the transporting direction of the long paper. The transporting means 1 is provided on the side facing the other surface of the long paper, and the first transporting means side is provided with suction means for sucking the long paper, and the heating rotating body and the pressurized rotating body are pressure-welded. in a state with the heating rotating body and the pressure rotating body and the state in which the spaced, the driving state of the first conveying means and second conveying means so is relatively changed, the heating rotating body and the rotating pressing body in a state in which bets are spaced, the conveying speed of the long sheet of the first conveying means, by Rukoto drives the first conveying means as follows conveying speed of the second conveying unit, a first conveying means first The tension applied to the long paper based on the driving state with the transporting means 2 is in a state where the heating rotating body and the pressurized rotating body are separated from each other rather than in a state where the heating rotating body and the pressurized rotating body are in pressure contact with each other. It is an image forming apparatus provided with a control means for controlling the size of the paper.

According to the second aspect of the present invention , when the long paper is set , the control means sucks the long paper toward the first transport means by the suction means and conveys the long paper by the first transport means. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.

The invention according to claim 3, wherein the control means is a state in which the heating rotating body and the pressurized rotating body are separated from each other at the time of forming a non-image on a long paper, according to claim 1 or 2. Is.

The invention according to claim 4, the control means, a suction force for sucking long paper on the first conveying means side by the suction means may differ during non-image formation for a set time and the long paper of the long paper The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 .

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the control means applies a tension to the long paper to bring the long paper into contact with the pressure rotating means separated from the heating rotating means in a state where the heating rotating body and the pressurized rotating body are separated from each other. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4 .
The invention according to claim 6 is provided with a transfer means for transferring the toner image to the long paper and a toner image provided on the downstream side of the transfer means with respect to the transport direction of the long paper to fix the toner image transferred to the long paper. A fixing means and a transporting means for transporting the long paper are provided, and the fixing means is provided on the side facing one side of the long paper, and a heating rotating body for heating the long paper and the other of the long paper. It is provided on the side facing the surface of the paper, and is provided with a pressurized rotating body that presses a long paper against the heated rotating body and a fixing and depressurizing means that moves the heated rotating body and the pressurized rotating body in the direction of separation and contact. Is provided with a first transport means provided on the upstream side of the fixing means and a second transport means provided on the downstream side of the fixing means with respect to the transport direction of the long paper, and the first transport means is long. A suction means for sucking the long paper is provided on the side facing the other side of the paper, and the long paper is sucked by the suction means when the long paper is set. While sucking to the means side, the long paper is conveyed by the first conveying means, and when the long paper is not image-formed, the heated rotating body and the pressurized rotating body are separated from each other, and the long paper is sucked by the suction means. A control means for sucking the long paper to the first transport means side and applying tension to the long paper by the first transport means and the second transport means is provided, and the control means sucks the long paper by the suction means. a suction force for sucking the conveying means side is images forming device the same at the non-image-forming for the set time and the long paper of long paper.
In the invention according to claim 7, the control means increases the suction force for sucking the long paper toward the first transport means by the suction means when the long paper is set, as compared with the case where the long paper is non-image formed. the image forming apparatus according to claim 4 or claim 6 and.
In the invention according to claim 8, the control means sets the transport speed of the long paper by the first transport means to be equal to or lower than the transport speed by the second transport means in a state where the heating rotating body and the pressurized rotating body are separated from each other. the image forming apparatus according to claim 6 or claim 7 was.
According to the invention of claim 9, the control means applies a tension to the long paper to bring the long paper into contact with the pressure rotating means separated from the heating rotating means in a state where the heating rotating body and the pressurized rotating body are separated from each other. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 8 .
The invention according to claim 10 is any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the control means controls to release the tension applied to the long paper in a state where the heating rotating body and the pressurized rotating body are in pressure contact with each other. The image forming apparatus according to the item.
The invention according to claim 11 is provided with a transfer means for transferring a toner image to a long paper and a toner image provided on the downstream side of the transfer means with respect to the transport direction of the long paper to fix the toner image transferred to the long paper. A fixing means and a transporting means for transporting the long paper are provided, and the fixing means is provided on the side facing one side of the long paper, and a heating rotating body for heating the long paper and the other of the long paper. It is provided on the side facing the surface of the paper, and is provided with a pressurized rotating body that presses a long paper against the heated rotating body and a fixing and depressurizing means that moves the heated rotating body and the pressurized rotating body in the direction of separation and contact. Is provided with a first transport means provided on the upstream side of the fixing means and a second transport means provided on the downstream side of the fixing means with respect to the transport direction of the long paper, and the first transport means is long. A suction means for sucking long paper is provided on the side facing the other surface of the paper, and the first transport means side is provided with a suction means for sucking the long paper, and the heated rotating body and the pressurized rotating body are in pressure contact with each other. The driving state of the first transporting means and the second transporting means is changed by relatively changing the driving states of the first transporting means and the second transporting means in the state where the pressure rotating body is separated from each other. Control means for controlling the tension applied to the long paper based on the above so that the tension applied to the long paper is larger in the state where the heating rotating body and the pressurized rotating body are separated than in the state where the heating rotating body and the pressurized rotating body are in pressure contact with each other. The control means is an image forming apparatus that applies a tension to the long paper to bring the long paper into contact with the pressure rotating means separated from the heating rotating means in a state where the heating rotating body and the pressurized rotating body are separated from each other. Is.

According to the present invention, when the long paper is set, the long paper can be conveyed in a state where the curl and the like are corrected by sucking the long paper into the first conveying means by the suction means. Become. As a result, it is possible to set the long paper without making preparations for setting the long paper, such as correcting the curl in advance, and it is possible to maintain the corrected state of the long paper. Therefore, the occurrence of a paper jam can be suppressed.

Further, when the long paper is not image-formed, by applying tension to the long paper, the slack of the long paper between the first transport means and the second transport means is suppressed, and the long paper is long. The contact of the paper with the heated rotating body is suppressed. As a result, discoloration of long paper can be suppressed, and the occurrence of spoiled paper can be reduced.

Further, since it is possible to prevent the long paper from coming into contact with the heated rotating body that is rotating during standby, it is possible to suppress scratches on the surface of the pressurized rotating body and suppress the generation of image streaks during fixing.

It is a block diagram which shows an example of the image forming apparatus of this embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the image formation system of this embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the paper transport part of this embodiment. It is a functional block diagram which shows an example of the control function of the image forming apparatus and the image forming system of this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the operation of the image forming apparatus and the image forming system of this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the transport operation of a long paper in the image forming apparatus and the image forming system of this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the transport operation of a long paper in the image forming apparatus and the image forming system of this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the transport operation of a long paper in the image forming apparatus and the image forming system of this embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the image forming apparatus and the image forming system of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<Structure example of the image forming apparatus and the image forming system of the present embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an example of an image forming apparatus of the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing an example of an image forming system of the present embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a paper transport unit of the present embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows an example.

The image forming apparatus 1A of the present embodiment is an electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as a copying machine. In this example, a plurality of photoconductors are arranged in the vertical direction so as to face one intermediate transfer belt. This is a so-called tandem type color image forming apparatus that forms a full-color image.

The image forming system 110 of the present embodiment has a configuration in which an image is formed on a long paper P by the image forming apparatus 1A. In the following description, a long paper P will be described as an example of the paper to be processed. As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming system 110 is between the image forming device 1A, the paper supply device 120 for feeding the long paper P into the image forming device 1A, and the image forming device 1A and the paper supply device 120. The buffer device 130 for absorbing the difference in tension of the long paper P in the above is provided. Further, the image forming system 110 is a tension of the long paper P between the winding device 140 for winding the long paper P on which the image is formed by the image forming device 1A and the image forming device 1A and the winding device 140. The buffer device 150 for absorbing the difference between the two is provided.

Here, the long paper P in the present embodiment is a label to which a label is attached to a paper, a film, or a release paper longer than the length of the transport path between the paper feed port and the discharge port in the image forming apparatus 1A. Paper etc.

In the paper supply device 120, the roll paper P11 in which the long paper P before image formation is wound is supported by the shaft 121, and the long paper P is unwound by the rotation of the roll paper P11.

The buffer device 130 constitutes a paper passage path for bending and transporting the long paper P, so that the installation position shifts between the image forming device 1A and the paper feeding device 120, and the image forming device 1A and the paper feeding device 120. It absorbs the difference in tension of the long paper P from 120.

The take-up device 140 includes a shaft 141 that is driven to rotate, and the long paper P on which the image is formed is wound by winding the long paper P discharged from the image forming device 1A around the shaft 141. Roll paper P12 is generated.

The buffer device 150 constitutes a paper passing path for bending and transporting the long paper P, so that the installation position shifts between the image forming device 1A and the winding device 140, and the image forming device 1A and the winding device It absorbs the difference in tension of the long paper P from 140.

Next, the configuration of the image forming apparatus 1A will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1A includes a document reading unit 10, an image forming unit 11, a paper conveying unit 2, and a fixing unit 3.

The document reading unit 10 scans and exposes an image of a document by the optical system of the scanning exposure apparatus, reads the reflected light by a line image sensor, and obtains an image signal. The image forming apparatus 1A may be provided with an automatic document conveying device (not shown) for feeding documents on the upper part.

The image forming unit 11 is an example of an image forming means, and forms an image forming unit 11Y that forms an image of yellow (Y), an image forming unit 11M that forms an image of magenta (M), and an image of cyan (C). An image forming unit 11C for forming an image and an image forming unit 11BK for forming a black (BK) image are provided.

The image forming unit 11Y includes a photoconductor drum Y and a charging unit 12Y arranged around the photoconductor drum Y, an optical writing unit 13Y, a developing device 14Y, and a drum cleaner 15Y. Similarly, the image forming units 11M, 11C, 11BK include the photoconductor drums M, C, BK and the charging units 12M, 12C, 12BK arranged around them, the optical writing units 13M, 13C, 13BK, the developing device 14M, and the like. It is equipped with 14C, 14BK and drum cleaners 15M, 15C, 15BK.

The surface of the photoconductor drum Y is uniformly charged by the charging unit 12Y, and a latent image is formed on the photoconductor drum Y by scanning exposure by the optical writing unit 13Y. Further, the developing apparatus 14Y visualizes the latent image on the photoconductor drum Y by developing with toner. As a result, an image (toner image) of a predetermined color corresponding to yellow is formed on the photoconductor drum Y.

Similarly, the surface of the photoconductor drum M is uniformly charged by the charging unit 12M, and a latent image is formed on the photoconductor drum M by scanning exposure by the optical writing unit 13M. Further, the developing apparatus 14M visualizes the latent image on the photoconductor drum M by developing with toner. As a result, a toner image of a predetermined color corresponding to magenta is formed on the photoconductor drum M.

The surface of the photoconductor drum C is uniformly charged by the charging unit 12C, and a latent image is formed on the photoconductor drum C by scanning exposure by the optical writing unit 13C. Further, the developing apparatus 14C visualizes the latent image on the photoconductor drum C by developing with toner. As a result, a toner image of a predetermined color corresponding to cyan is formed on the photoconductor drum C.

The surface of the photoconductor drum BK is uniformly charged by the charging unit 12BK, and a latent image is formed on the photoconductor drum BK by scanning exposure by the optical writing unit 13BK. Further, the developing apparatus 14BK visualizes the latent image on the photoconductor drum BK by developing with toner. As a result, a toner image of a predetermined color corresponding to black is formed on the photoconductor drum BK.

In the image formed on the photoconductor drums Y, M, C, and BK, the drive roller around which the intermediate transfer belt 16 is wound, which is an example of the transfer belt which is a belt-shaped intermediate transfer body, is rotationally driven to perform intermediate transfer. By driving the belt 16 in the direction of the arrow, the primary transfer rollers 17Y, 17M, 17C, and 17BK sequentially transfer the belt 16 to a predetermined position on the intermediate transfer belt 16.

The image composed of each color transferred on the intermediate transfer belt 16 is transferred by the secondary transfer unit 18 to the long paper P transferred at a predetermined timing by the paper transfer unit 2. The secondary transfer unit 18 is an example of transfer means, in which an intermediate transfer belt 16 is provided on the side of the long paper P facing one surface, and a secondary transfer roller is provided on the side of the long paper P facing the other surface. 18a is provided.

The secondary transfer unit 18 is provided so that the secondary transfer roller 18a can move in the direction in which the secondary transfer roller 18a is separated from the intermediate transfer belt 16, and the secondary transfer roller 18a is pressed against the intermediate transfer belt 16 to cause the transfer nip unit 19 to move. Is formed. In the secondary transfer unit 18, the long paper P is pressed against the intermediate transfer belt 16 by the transfer nip unit 19, and the secondary transfer roller 18a is rotationally driven with the intermediate transfer belt 16 at a constant speed, whereby the long paper P is driven. The image is transferred to the long paper P while carrying.

In the secondary transfer unit 18, in order to transfer the toner image to the long paper P, a positive voltage is applied from the back surface side of the long paper P by the secondary transfer roller 18a. As a result, the long paper P that has passed through the secondary transfer unit 18 is charged with the negative electrode on the image forming surface side on which the toner is transferred and the positive electrode on the back surface.

The paper transport unit 2 is an example of a transport means, and includes a main transport path 23 for transporting the long paper P unwound by the paper supply device 120. The main transport path 23 constitutes a transport path between the paper feed port 22 and the paper discharge port 25. In the image forming system 110 shown in FIG. 2, the paper supply device 120 is connected to the paper feed port 22, and the take-up device 140 is connected to the paper discharge port 25.

The paper transport section 2 includes a transport belt 26 between the secondary transfer section 18 and the fixing section 3. The transport belt 26 is an example of the first transport means, and as shown in FIG. 3, a suction portion 26a provided on the side of the long paper P facing the other surface and sucking the long paper P onto the transport belt 26. To be equipped. An endless belt is hung between the pair of rollers on the transport belt 26. The suction unit 26a is an example of the suction means, and includes a fan that generates a flow of air that sucks the long paper P in the direction of the transport belt 26.

The paper transport unit 2 includes a transport roller 27 on the downstream side of the fixing portion 3. The transport roller 27 is an example of the second transport means, and is composed of a pair of rollers provided on the side facing one surface of the long paper P and the side facing the other surface and pressed against each other, and is rotationally driven. By doing so, the long paper P is conveyed.

The fixing unit 3 is an example of the fixing means, and performs a fixing process for fixing the image on the long paper P on which the image is transferred. The fixing portion 3 includes a fixing belt 30 that heats the long paper P and a pressure roller 31 that presses the long paper P against the fixing belt 30. Further, the fixing portion 3 includes a fixing pressing portion 32 that moves the pressurizing roller 31 in a direction in which the pressure roller 31 is brought into contact with the fixing belt 30.

The fixing belt 30 is an example of a heating rotating body, and is provided on the side facing one surface of the long paper P on which the toner image is transferred by the secondary transfer unit 18, and the energization to the heater 30a is controlled. , The temperature of the fixing belt 30 applied to the long paper P is controlled. The pressure roller 31 is an example of a pressure rotating body, and is provided on the side of the long paper P facing the other surface. The fixing belt 30 and the pressure roller 31 are rotationally driven independently.

The fixing and pressing portion 32 is an example of the fixing and pressing means, and in this example, the fixing member 32a and the actuator 32b that move the pressure roller 31 in the direction of separating and contacting the fixing belt 30 are provided. In this example, the fixing pressure release portion 32 presses and separates the pressure roller 31 from the fixing belt 30 by rotating the support member 32a with the shaft 32c as a fulcrum by the operation of the actuator 32b.

In the fixing portion 3, the fixing nip portion 33 is formed by pressing the pressurizing roller 31 against the fixing belt 30 by the fixing press release portion 32. With the pressure roller 31 pressed against the fixing belt 30, the pressure roller 31 is rotationally driven and the heater 30a is energized to release the long paper P sandwiched between the fixing nip portions 33. At the same time as being conveyed, the image is fixed on the long paper P by pressure and heat. Further, in the fixing portion 3, the pressure contact of the pressure roller 31 with respect to the fixing belt 30 is released by separating the pressure roller 31 from the fixing belt 30 by the fixing pressure separating portion 32.

The image forming apparatus 1A is configured to be capable of forming an image of the sheet-shaped paper P1, and the paper conveying unit 2 is a plurality of paper feeding trays 21 and paper feeding in this example in which the paper P1 is stored. A paper feeding unit 21a for feeding out the paper P1 stored in the tray 21 is provided.

In the paper transport unit 2, the transport path of the paper P1 fed from the paper feed section 21a merges with the main transport path 23, and the paper P1 is transported along the main transport path 23. Further, the paper transport unit 2 includes a reverse transport path 24 that reverses the front and back of the paper P1.

The reversing transport path 24 branches from the main transport path 23 on the downstream side of the fixing section 3 to form a paper passing path that reverses the front and back of the paper P1, and is connected to the main transport path 23 on the upstream side of the secondary transfer section 18. Meet. The paper transport unit 2 is provided with a switching gate 23a at a branching point between the main transport path 23 and the reverse transport path 24, and switches the paper passing path of the paper P1 by forming an image on both the front and back surfaces of the paper P1.

<Example of control function of the image forming apparatus and the image forming system of the present embodiment>
FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the control function of the image forming apparatus and the image forming system of the present embodiment. Here, FIG. 4 describes a transport operation when setting the long paper P and a standby operation when non-image formation is performed on the long paper P.

In this example, the image forming apparatus 1A includes a control unit 100 that performs a series of controls for feeding long paper P, forming an image, and discharging the paper. The control unit 100 is an example of control means, and includes a microprocessor called a CPU and an MPU, and memories such as RAM and ROM as storage means.

Further, the image forming apparatus 1A includes an operation unit 101 for performing various operations such as setting the paper for forming an image and setting the number of images formed.

In the paper transport unit 2, the transport motor 26M is driven under the control of the control unit 100, so that the transport belt 26 rotates and the long paper P is transported. Further, by controlling the rotation speed of the transport belt 26, the transport speed of the long paper P on the transport belt 26 is controlled.

In the paper transport unit 2, the fan motor 26F is driven by the control of the control unit 100, so that the fan of the suction unit 26a rotates and the long paper P is sucked by the transport belt 26. Further, by controlling the rotation speed of the fan motor 26F, the suction force F of the long paper P with respect to the transport belt 26 is controlled.

In the paper transport unit 2, the transport motor 27M is driven under the control of the control unit 100, so that the transport roller 27 rotates and the long paper P is transported. Further, by controlling the rotation speed of the transport roller 27, the transport speed of the long paper P in the transport roller 27 is controlled.

The fixing belt 30 is heated by energizing the heater 30a under the control of the control unit 100. Further, by switching between energization and stop of energization of the heater 30a, control for maintaining the temperature of the fixing belt 30 is performed.

In the fixing unit 3, the pressurizing roller 31 is detached from the fixing belt 30 by driving the actuator 32b under the control of the control unit 100. In the fixing unit 3, the fixing belt 30 is rotated by driving the fixing motor 30M under the control of the control unit 100 in a state where the pressurizing roller 31 is separated from the fixing belt 30, and the fixing belt 30a rotates the fixing belt. The entire longitudinal direction of 30 is heated. Further, in the fixing unit 3, the pressure roller 31 is pressed against the fixing belt 30 and the transfer motor 31M is driven by the control of the control unit 100, so that the pressure roller 31 rotates and the fixing belt The long paper P pressure-welded to 30 by the pressure roller 31 is conveyed.

In the operation of setting the long paper P, the control unit 100 drives the suction unit 26a by controlling the fan motor 26F to suck the long paper P onto the transport belt 26 with a predetermined suction force F1. Further, the control unit 100 rotationally drives the transport belt 26 by controlling the transport motor 26M, and sucks and straightens the long paper P by the transport belt 26 with a predetermined suction force F1 to the fixing unit 3. Transport.

During non-image formation, which stands by with the long paper P set, the control unit 100 rotates the transport roller 27 so that the long paper P can be transported at the transport speed VF by controlling the transport motor 27M. Drive. Further, the control unit 100 rotates and drives the transport belt 26 so that the long paper P can be transported by the transport roller 27 at a transport speed VL equal to or lower than the transport speed VF by controlling the transport motor 26M. Further, the control unit 100 drives the suction unit 26a by controlling the fan motor 26F to suck the long paper P onto the transport belt 26 with a predetermined suction force F2.

As a result, by pulling the long paper P between the transport roller 27 and the transport belt 26 in the transport direction, tension is applied to the long paper P and slack between the transport roller 27 and the transport belt 26 is suppressed. The long paper P is prevented from coming into contact with the fixing belt 30 during non-image formation.

<Operation example of the image forming apparatus and the image forming system of the present embodiment>
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the image forming apparatus and the image forming system of the present embodiment, and FIGS. 6 to 8 are the conveying operations of long papers in the image forming apparatus and the image forming system of the present embodiment. In the explanatory diagram showing an example, the operation of the image forming apparatus and the image forming system of the present embodiment will be described below with reference to each figure.

In step SA1 of FIG. 5, the control unit 100 determines whether or not the long paper P is set. When it is determined that the long paper P is not set, in step SA2, as shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 100 drives the suction unit 26a by controlling the fan motor 26F to push the long paper P. It is sucked onto the transport belt 26 with a predetermined suction force F1. Further, the control unit 100 rotationally drives the transport belt 26 by controlling the transport motor 26M, and transports the straightened long paper P sucked by the transport belt 26 with a predetermined suction force F1 to a predetermined position. To do.

In the fixing portion 3, a gap 34 is formed between the fixing belt 30 and the pressure roller 31 in a state where the pressurizing roller 31 is separated from the fixing belt 30, and is conveyed by the conveying belt 26. The long paper P passes through the gap 34.

When the long paper P is conveyed to a predetermined position, in step SA3, the control unit 100 stops the suction by the suction unit 26a by controlling the fan motor 26F. Further, the control unit 100 stops the rotational drive of the transfer belt 26 by controlling the transfer motor 26M. As a result, the setting of the long paper P is completed in step SA4.

In the paper transport section 2 between the secondary transfer section 18 and the fixing section 3, the long paper P is transported in a state where the toner image transferred to one surface of the long paper P is not fixed, so that the long paper P is long. It is not possible to provide a guide on one side of the paper P with which the long paper P may come into contact.

The long paper P supplied as the roll paper P11 is curled convexly with respect to the transport belt 26, but the curl is corrected by sucking the long paper P to the transport belt 26 by the suction portion 26a without using a guide. In this state, the long paper P can be transported. As a result, it is possible to set the long paper P without making preparations for setting the long paper P, such as correcting the curl in advance by a person.

Further, in a state where the curl of the long paper P is corrected, the tip of the long paper P is conveyed to the gap 34 between the fixing belt 30 and the pressure roller 31, so that the tip of the long paper P is rotationally driven. It is possible to suppress the occurrence of a paper jam caused by hitting the fixing belt 30, the guide plate, or the like that has not been set.

When the control unit 100 determines that the long paper P is set, in step SA5, as shown in FIG. 7, the long paper P can be conveyed at the transfer speed VF by controlling the transfer motor 27M. The transport roller 27 is rotationally driven. Further, the control unit 100 rotates and drives the transport belt 26 so that the long paper P can be transported by the transport roller 27 at a transport speed VR equal to or lower than the transport speed VF by controlling the transport motor 26M. Further, the control unit 100 drives the suction unit 26a by controlling the fan motor 26F to suck the long paper P onto the transport belt 26 with a predetermined suction force F2.

In this way, a difference in transport speed is provided between the transport roller 27 and the transport belt 26 so that the transport speed by the transport belt 26 provided on the upstream side in the transport direction is slowed down, and the long paper P is provided on the transport belt 26. By sucking the long paper P, the long paper P is pulled between the transport roller 27 and the transport belt 26 in the transport direction, and tension is applied to the long paper P.

When the control unit 100 applies tension to the long paper P, the control unit 100 starts warming up (WU) of the fixing unit 3 in step SA6. As a warm-up (WU) operation of the fixing unit 3, the control unit 100 starts energization of the heater 30a in step SA7 with the actuator 32b controlled to separate the pressurizing roller 31 from the fixing belt 30. The fixing belt 30 is heated by driving the fixing motor 30M to rotate the fixing belt 30.

When the warm-up (WU) of the fixing unit 3 is completed in step SA8, the control unit 100 controls the actuator 32b in step SA9 to separate the pressurizing roller 31 from the fixing belt 30. The temperature of the heater 30a is controlled so that the temperature of the heater 30a is maintained at a predetermined standby temperature, and the fixing motor 30M is driven to rotate the fixing belt 30 to put the fixing portion 3 in the standby state.

By applying tension to the long paper P during non-image formation of the long paper P, during warm-up of the fixing portion 3 and during standby, the long paper between the transport roller 27 and the transport belt 26 is applied. The slack of P is suppressed, and the long paper P is suppressed from coming into contact with the heated fixing belt 30 during non-image formation. As a result, discoloration of the long paper P can be suppressed, and the occurrence of spoiled paper can be reduced.

Further, since it is possible to prevent the long paper P from coming into contact with the fixing belt 30 that is rotating during warm-up and standby of the fixing portion 3, scratches on the surface of the fixing belt 30 are suppressed, and at the time of fixing. The generation of image streaks can be suppressed. Further, by applying a tension to the long paper P to bring the long paper P into contact with the pressure roller 31 separated from the fixing belt 30, even if the separation distance between the fixing belt 30 and the pressure roller 31 is short, pressure is applied. By bringing the long paper P into contact with the roller 31, the long paper P can be reliably separated from the fixing belt 30.

Here, in the operation of applying tension to the long paper P, the long paper P is sucked onto the transport belt 26 with a suction force F2 weaker than the suction force F1 at the time of setting the long paper P. When an overload is applied to the paper P, the long paper P can slide against the transport belt 26 so that the overload can be released. On the other hand, by making the suction force F1 when setting the long paper P larger than the suction force F2 when applying tension to the long paper P, curling and the like are ensured when the long paper P is set. The long paper P can be transported while maintaining the corrected state.

When the control unit 100 starts printing the long paper P in step SA10, the control unit 100 controls the transport motor 27M in step SA11 to rotate the transport roller 27 so that the long paper P can be transported at the transport speed V. Drive. Further, the control unit 100 stops the suction by the suction unit 26a by controlling the fan motor 26F. Further, the control unit 100 stops the rotational drive of the transfer belt 26 by controlling the transfer motor 26M. As a result, the tension applied to the long paper P is released.

The transport belt 26 is rotationally driven so that the long paper P can be transported at the same transfer speed V as that of the transfer roller 27. The long paper P may be transported by the transport belt 26 in a state where the long paper P is sucked onto the transport belt 26 with a predetermined suction force F2 and the tension is released.

As shown in FIG. 8, the control unit 100 controls the actuator 32b to bring the pressurizing roller 31 into pressure contact with the fixing belt 30 in step SA12. Further, the transfer motor 31M is controlled to rotate the pressurizing roller 31, and the fixing motor 30M is controlled to stop the rotational driving of the fixing belt 30 to rotate the fixing belt 30 in accordance with the pressurizing roller 31. ..

When the control unit 100 forms an image on the long paper P in step SA13, the control unit 100 controls the actuator 32b in step SA14 to separate the pressure roller 31 from the fixing belt 30. The conveyor motor 31M is controlled to stop the rotary drive of the pressurizing roller 31.

In step SA15, the control unit 100 rotationally drives the transport roller 27 so that the long paper P can be transported at the transport speed VF, as shown in FIG. Further, the control unit 100 rotationally drives the transport belt 26 so that the long paper P can be transported at a transport speed VR (VF ≧ VR). Further, the control unit 100 sucks the long paper P onto the transport belt 26 with a predetermined suction force F2. As a result, tension is applied to the long paper P.

In step SA16, the control unit 100 controls the actuator 32b so that the pressurizing roller 31 is separated from the fixing belt 30 so that the temperature of the fixing belt 30 is maintained at a predetermined standby temperature. The fixing unit 3 is put into a standby state by controlling the temperature and driving the fixing motor 30M to rotate the fixing belt 30.

The control unit 100 determines whether to continue printing on the long paper P, and if it ends, performs a process of shutting off the power supply and ends the process.

The present invention is applied to an image forming system including an image forming apparatus for transferring and fixing a toner image on a long paper to form an image, and an apparatus for supplying and collecting the long paper to the image forming apparatus. Will be done.

1A ... image forming device, 2 ... paper transport unit, 3 ... fixing unit, 26 ... induction transport unit, 26a ... transport belt, 26b ... suction unit, 27 ... transport Roller, 30 ... Fixing belt, 31 ... Pressurized roller, 32 ... Fixing pressure release part, 100 ... Control unit, 110 ... Image forming system, 120 ... Paper supply device, 140・ ・ ・ Winding device

Claims (11)

A transfer means for transferring a toner image to long paper,
A fixing means provided on the downstream side of the transfer means with respect to the transport direction of the long paper and fixing the toner image transferred to the long paper.
Equipped with a transport means for transporting long paper
The fixing means is provided on the side facing one surface of the long paper and is provided on the side facing the other side of the long paper and the heating rotating body for heating the long paper. A pressure rotating body that presses a long piece of paper, and a fixing and depressurizing means that moves the heating rotating body and the pressure rotating body in a direction of separation and contact are provided.
The transport means includes a first transport means provided on the upstream side of the fixing means and a second transport means provided on the downstream side of the fixing means with respect to the transport direction of the long paper.
The first transport means is provided on the side facing the other surface of the long paper, and the first transport means side is provided with suction means for sucking the long paper.
Driving of the first conveying means and the second conveying means in a state where the heating rotating body and the pressurized rotating body are in pressure contact with each other and in a state where the heating rotating body and the pressurized rotating body are separated from each other. Change the state relatively ,
In a state where the heating rotating body and the pressurized rotating body are separated from each other, the transport speed of the long paper by the first transport means is set to be equal to or lower than the transport speed by the second transport means. state by Rukoto was driven, the first tension applied to the long paper based on the driving state of the conveying means and said second conveying means is that the heating rotating body and said pressure rotating body is pressed An image forming apparatus provided with a control means for controlling the state in which the heating rotating body and the pressurized rotating body are separated from each other so as to be larger than the heating rotating body. The control means is characterized in that, when the long paper is set, the suction means sucks the long paper toward the first transport means and the first transport means transports the long paper. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control means keeps the heated rotating body and the pressurized rotating body separated from each other at the time of forming a non-image on a long paper. .. The control means is characterized in that the suction force for sucking the long paper toward the first transport means by the suction means is different between when the long paper is set and when a non-image is formed on the long paper. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3. The control means applies a tension to the long paper to bring the long paper into contact with the pressure rotating means separated from the heating rotating means in a state where the heating rotating body and the pressurized rotating body are separated from each other. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the image forming apparatus is characterized. A transfer means for transferring a toner image to long paper,
A fixing means provided on the downstream side of the transfer means with respect to the transport direction of the long paper and fixing the toner image transferred to the long paper.
Equipped with a transport means for transporting long paper
The fixing means is provided on the side facing one surface of the long paper and is provided on the side facing the other side of the long paper and the heating rotating body for heating the long paper. A pressure rotating body that presses a long piece of paper, and a fixing and depressurizing means that moves the heating rotating body and the pressure rotating body in a direction of separation and contact are provided.
The transport means includes a first transport means provided on the upstream side of the fixing means and a second transport means provided on the downstream side of the fixing means with respect to the transport direction of the long paper.
The first transport means is provided on the side facing the other surface of the long paper, and the first transport means side is provided with suction means for sucking the long paper.
When the long paper is set, the suction means sucks the long paper toward the first transport means, and the first transport means transports the long paper.
At the time of non-image formation of the long paper, the heating rotating body and the pressurized rotating body are separated from each other, and the long paper is sucked to the first conveying means side by the suction means, and the first conveying means A control means for applying tension to the long paper by the second transport means is provided.
The control means is characterized in that the suction force for sucking the long paper toward the first transport means by the suction means is different between when the long paper is set and when a non-image is formed on the long paper. be that images forming device. The control means is characterized in that, when the long paper is set, the suction force for sucking the long paper toward the first transport means by the suction means is made larger than that when the long paper is not formed with an image. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4 or 6 . In the control means, the transport speed of the long paper by the first transport means is set to be equal to or lower than the transport speed by the second transport means in a state where the heating rotating body and the pressurized rotating body are separated from each other. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6 or 7 . The control means applies a tension to the long paper to bring the long paper into contact with the pressure rotating means separated from the heating rotating means in a state where the heating rotating body and the pressurized rotating body are separated from each other. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 8 , wherein the image forming apparatus is characterized. The control means controls to release the tension applied to the long paper in a state where the heating rotating body and the pressurized rotating body are in pressure contact with each other.
The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the image forming apparatus is characterized in that. A transfer means for transferring a toner image to long paper,
A fixing means provided on the downstream side of the transfer means with respect to the transport direction of the long paper and fixing the toner image transferred to the long paper.
Equipped with a transport means for transporting long paper
The fixing means is provided on the side facing one surface of the long paper and is provided on the side facing the other side of the long paper and the heating rotating body for heating the long paper. A pressure rotating body that presses a long piece of paper, and a fixing and depressurizing means that moves the heating rotating body and the pressure rotating body in a direction of separation and contact are provided.
The transport means includes a first transport means provided on the upstream side of the fixing means and a second transport means provided on the downstream side of the fixing means with respect to the transport direction of the long paper.
The first transport means is provided on the side facing the other surface of the long paper, and the first transport means side is provided with suction means for sucking the long paper.
Driving of the first conveying means and the second conveying means in a state where the heating rotating body and the pressurized rotating body are in pressure contact with each other and in a state where the heating rotating body and the pressurized rotating body are separated from each other. By changing the state relatively
The tension applied to the long paper based on the driving state of the first conveying means and the second conveying means is higher than that in the state where the heating rotating body and the pressurized rotating body are in pressure contact with each other. A control means for controlling so that the pressure rotating body and the pressurized rotating body are separated from each other is provided.
The control means applies a tension to the long paper to bring the long paper into contact with the pressure rotating means separated from the heating rotating means in a state where the heating rotating body and the pressurized rotating body are separated from each other.
An image forming apparatus characterized in that.

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