JP7087433B2 - Inkjet recording device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention includes a recording head that ejects ink onto a recording medium such as paper, a conveyor belt that is arranged below the recording head and conveys the recording medium, and a suction unit that attracts the recording medium to the conveyor belt. It relates to an inkjet recording device.

As a recording device such as a facsimile, a copying machine, and a printer, an inkjet recording device that ejects ink to form an image is widely used because it can form a high-definition image.

Such an inkjet recording device includes a recording head, a transport belt arranged below the recording head and having a plurality of vents formed to convey the recording medium, and a suction unit for sucking the recording medium to the transport belt. Inkjet recording devices are known.

An inkjet recording apparatus including a recording head, a transport belt having a plurality of vents formed to transport the recording medium, and a suction unit for sucking the recording medium to the transport belt is disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1. There is.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-196321

By the way, in an inkjet recording apparatus, when ink is ejected onto the first surface of a recording medium to form an image, the ink permeates the first surface of the recording medium, the first surface expands, and the first surface becomes convex. The recording medium is curled so as to be. Therefore, when the recording medium is conveyed below the recording head in order to form an image on the second surface of the recording medium, the tip end portion of the recording medium is lifted (warped) upward (toward the recording head) for recording. There is a problem that the tip of the medium comes into contact with the recording head and a jam (paper jam) occurs.

It is possible to suppress the occurrence of jam by increasing the suction force of the suction unit, but since the air flow at the bottom of the recording head becomes stronger, the ink landing accuracy decreases and the suction unit is driven. The sound becomes louder.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is an inkjet recording apparatus capable of suppressing the generation of jam by improving the adsorptivity to a recording medium. Is to provide.

In order to achieve the above object, the inkjet recording apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention is arranged along the recording medium transport direction, and includes a plurality of recording heads having ink ejection ports for ejecting ink on the recording medium. It is provided with a transport belt which is arranged below the recording head and has a transport surface for transporting the recording medium as well as forming a plurality of ventilation holes, and a suction unit for sucking the recording medium to the transport belt. The suction portion contacts the back surface of the transport belt opposite to the transport surface to support the transport belt, and is arranged below the guide plate and the guide plate having a plurality of through holes to communicate with the through holes. The upstream side air flow chamber, the downstream side air flow chamber arranged on the downstream side in the recording medium transport direction with respect to the upstream side air flow chamber and communicating with the through hole, and the upstream side air flow chamber and the downstream side air flow chamber are separated. It has a suction case having a first partition wall, and an upstream suction device and a downstream suction device for sucking air in the upstream air flow chamber and the downstream air flow chamber, respectively. The first partition wall is arranged at a position directly below the first head arranged at the uppermost stream in the recording medium transport direction among the plurality of recording heads so as to extend in the recording medium width direction orthogonal to the recording medium transport direction. ing.

According to the inkjet recording apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, the first partition wall for partitioning the upstream air flow chamber and the downstream air flow chamber extends in the width direction of the recording medium among a plurality of recording heads. It is arranged at a position directly below the first head arranged at the uppermost stream in the recording medium transport direction. As a result, as the recording medium is conveyed by the transport belt, the through hole connected to the upstream air flow chamber is closed by the recording medium, so that the negative pressure in the upstream air flow chamber (upstream air with respect to the atmospheric pressure) is closed. The difference in pressure in the distribution chamber) becomes large. Then, when the tip of the recording medium reaches the first head, the negative pressure in the upstream air flow chamber becomes sufficiently large, so that even when the tip of the recording medium is curled upward, the recording medium The tip can be attracted to the transport belt. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the tip of the recording medium from coming into contact with the first head and causing a jam (paper jam).

According to the inkjet recording apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, it is not necessary to increase the suction force of the suction portion in order to suppress the occurrence of jam, so that the ink landing accuracy is lowered or the suction portion is affected. It is possible to suppress the driving sound from becoming loud.

It is sectional drawing which showed the schematic structure of the inkjet recording apparatus of one Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which showed the structure of the 1st belt transport part and the recording part of the inkjet recording apparatus of one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which showed the 1st belt transport part and the recording part of the inkjet recording apparatus of one Embodiment of this invention from above. It is a figure which showed the structure of the recording part of the inkjet recording apparatus of one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which showed the structure of the recording head which constitutes the line head of the recording part of the inkjet recording apparatus of one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which showed the recording head of the inkjet recording apparatus of one Embodiment of this invention from the ink ejection surface side. It is a top view which showed the structure of the 1st belt transport part of the inkjet recording apparatus of one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which showed the structure of the guide plate of the inkjet recording apparatus of one Embodiment of this invention from above. It is a perspective view which showed the structure of the groove and the through hole of the guide plate of the inkjet recording apparatus of one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which showed the positional relationship between the through hole of the guide plate of the guide plate of the inkjet recording apparatus of one Embodiment of this invention, and the ink ejection area. It is a top view which shows the structure around the suction case of the inkjet recording apparatus of one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows a part of the control path of the inkjet recording apparatus of one Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the structure around the suction case of the inkjet recording apparatus of the 1st modification of this invention. It is sectional drawing which showed the structure of the 1st belt transport part and the recording part of the inkjet recording apparatus of the 2nd modification of this invention.

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

As shown in FIG. 1, in the inkjet recording apparatus 100 of the embodiment of the present invention, a paper feed cassette 2 which is a paper accommodating portion is arranged below the inside of the apparatus main body 1. Paper P, which is an example of a recording medium, is housed inside the paper cassette 2. The paper feed device 3 is arranged on the downstream side of the paper feed cassette 2 in the paper transport direction (recording medium transport direction), that is, above the right side of the paper feed cassette 2 in FIG. By this paper feeding device 3, the paper P is separated and sent out one by one toward the upper right side of the paper feed cassette 2 in FIG.

Further, the inkjet recording apparatus 100 is provided with a first paper transport path 4a inside. The first paper transport path 4a is located on the upper right side of the paper feed cassette 2 in the paper feed direction. The paper P sent out from the paper feed cassette 2 is vertically upwardly conveyed along the side surface of the apparatus main body 1 by the first paper transfer path 4a.

A resist roller pair 13 is provided at the downstream end of the first paper transport path 4a in the paper transport direction. Further, the first belt transport unit 5 and the recording unit 9 are arranged in the immediate vicinity of the resist roller pair 13 on the downstream side in the paper transport direction. The paper P sent out from the paper feed cassette 2 reaches the resist roller pair 13 through the first paper transport path 4a. The resist roller pair 13 measures the timing of the ink ejection operation executed by the recording unit 9 while correcting the diagonal feed of the paper P, and feeds the paper P toward the first belt transport unit 5. The first belt transport unit 5 transports the paper P while sucking and holding it. The detailed structure of the first belt transport unit 5 will be described later.

On the downstream side (left side in FIG. 1) of the first belt transport unit 5 with respect to the paper transport direction, a second belt transport unit 12 that transports the paper P while sucking and holding it is arranged. The paper P on which the ink image is recorded by the recording unit 9 is sent to the second belt transport unit 12, and the ink ejected to the surface of the paper P is dried while passing through the second belt transport unit 12.

A decaler portion 14 is provided on the downstream side of the second belt transport portion 12 with respect to the paper transport direction and in the vicinity of the left side surface of the apparatus main body 1. The paper P to which the ink has been dried by the second belt transport unit 12 is sent to the decaler unit 14, and the curl generated on the paper P is corrected.

A second paper transport path 4b is provided on the downstream side (upper side of FIG. 1) of the decaler portion 14 with respect to the paper transport direction. When double-sided recording is not performed, the paper P that has passed through the decaler unit 14 is discharged from the second paper transport path 4b to the paper ejection tray 15 provided outside the left side surface of the inkjet recording apparatus 100.

An inversion transport path 16 for performing double-sided recording is provided above the recording unit 9 and the second belt transport unit 12 in the upper part of the apparatus main body 1. When double-sided recording is performed, the paper P that has passed through the second belt transport unit 12 and the decaler unit 14 after the recording on the first surface is completed is sent to the reverse transport path 16 through the second paper transport path 4b. .. The paper P sent to the reverse transfer path 16 is subsequently switched in the transfer direction for recording on the second surface, passes through the upper part of the apparatus main body 1, and is sent toward the right side, and is sent to the right side, and the first sheet transfer path 4a. And, it is sent to the first belt transport section 5 again in a state where the second surface faces upward through the resist roller pair 13.

Further, a wipe unit 19 and a cap unit 50 are arranged below the second belt transport unit 12. The wipe unit 19 horizontally moves below the recording unit 9 when performing purging, wipes the ink extruded (purged) from the ink ejection port of the recording head, and collects the wiped ink. The cap unit 50 moves horizontally below the recording unit 9 when capping the ink ejection surface of the recording head, and further moves upward and is mounted on the lower surface of the recording head.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the recording unit 9 includes a head housing 10 and line heads 11C, 11M, 11Y, and 11K held in the head housing 10. These line heads 11C to 11K are supported at a height such that a predetermined interval (for example, 2 mm) is formed with respect to the transport surface 8a of the transport belt 8 described later, and are orthogonal to the paper transport direction (arrow X direction). A plurality of (here, three) recording heads 17a to 17c are arranged in a staggered manner along the paper width direction (recording medium width direction, arrow YY'direction). Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the recording head 17a and the recording head 17c are arranged at a predetermined interval in the paper width direction, and the recording head 17b is located on the upstream side in the paper transport direction (FIG. 3). 3), the recording heads 17a and 17c are arranged adjacent to the recording heads 17a and 17c on the downstream side in the paper transport direction so as to close the space between the recording heads 17a and 17c. The line heads 11C to 11K have a recording area equal to or larger than the width of the paper P to be conveyed, and water-based ink is applied to the paper P conveyed on the transfer belt 8 from the ink ejection port corresponding to the printing position. It can be discharged.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the ink ejection surface F of the recording heads 17a to 17c is provided with an ink ejection region R in which a large number of ink ejection ports 18 (see FIG. 3) are arranged. Since the recording heads 17a to 17c have the same shape and configuration, the recording heads 17a to 17c are shown in one figure in FIGS. 5 and 6. Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the three recording heads 17a to 17c constituting the same line heads 11C to 11K have a part of the ink ejection port 18 provided in each recording head 17a to 17c. The ends are arranged so as to overlap each other in the paper transport direction.

In the recording heads 17a to 17c constituting each line head 11C to 11K, inks of four colors (cyan, magenta, yellow and black) stored in ink tanks (not shown) are contained in the line heads 11C to 11K. It is supplied for each color.

Each of the recording heads 17a to 17c is attracted to the first belt transport unit 5 according to the image data received from an external computer or the like by a control signal from the control unit 110 (see FIG. 1) that controls the entire inkjet recording device 100. Ink is ejected from the ink ejection port 18 toward the paper P that is held and conveyed. As a result, a color image in which four color inks of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black are superimposed is formed on the paper P on the transport belt 8.

Next, the structure around the first belt transport portion 5 will be described in detail.

As shown in FIG. 2, the first belt transport unit 5 includes an endless transport belt 8 wound around a drive roller 6, a tension roller 7, and a pair of guide rollers 21. As the drive roller 6 rotates, the conveyor belt 8 rotates in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 2, and the tension roller 7 and the pair of guide rollers 21 rotate in a driven manner. The paper P fed by the resist roller pair 13 is held on the transport surface 8a (upper surface in FIG. 2) of the transport belt 8 and is conveyed in the arrow X direction (right to left) in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 7, the transport belt 8 is provided with a large number of air suction holes 8b. The ventilation holes 8b have a diameter of 1.5 mm to 2.5 mm and are arranged in a staggered manner with an interval of 5 mm to 10 mm.

As shown in FIG. 2, inside the transport belt 8, a suction portion 30 for sucking the paper P to the transport belt 8 is provided.

The suction unit 30 has a guide plate 40 that comes into contact with the back surface (inner surface) of the transport belt 8 opposite to the transport surface 8a to support the transport belt 8, a suction case 50 arranged below the guide plate 40, and suction. It has a plurality of suction devices 60, which are arranged below the case 50 and suck air.

A suction roller 22 is arranged on the end of the guide plate 40 on the upstream side (right side in FIG. 2) in the paper transport direction so as to face the guide plate 40 with the transport belt 8 interposed therebetween. The suction roller 22 is a driven roller that rotates with the rotation of the transport belt 8, and guides the paper P fed from the resist roller pair 13 to the transport surface 8a of the transport belt 8.

The guide plate 40 is made of a resin such as PPS and is formed so as to cover the upper opening of the suction case 50. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 8, a plurality of oval-shaped grooves 41 extending along the paper transport direction are formed on the upper surface of the guide plate 40. The grooves 41 are arranged at predetermined pitches in the paper transport direction and the paper width direction, and are provided in substantially the entire area of the guide plate 40. The groove 41 is formed so as to have a width of about 6 mm (a length in the paper width direction) and a depth of about 2 mm to 3 mm. In FIG. 8, the recording heads 17a to 17c are shown by thick two-dot chain lines for easy understanding.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, a through hole 42 that penetrates the guide plate 40 in the thickness direction is provided at a predetermined position inside the groove 41. The through hole 42 is formed to have a diameter of about 6 mm.

As shown in FIG. 10, the through hole 42 is arranged so as to avoid a position directly below the ink ejection port 18 (indicating the ink ejection region R in FIG. 10). In FIG. 10, the recording heads 17a to 17c are shown by thick two-dot chain lines and the ink ejection region R is hatched for easy understanding.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the through holes 42 are arranged along the upstream side end portion (upstream end) and the downstream side end portion (downstream end) of each recording head 17a to 17c in the paper transport direction in a plan view. There is. Further, the through hole 42 is also provided on the upstream side (lower side of FIG. 8) in the paper transport direction with respect to the recording heads 17a and 17c (recording heads 17a and 17c arranged at the uppermost stream in the paper transport direction) of the line head 11C. In addition to being arranged, they are also arranged on the downstream side (upper side in FIG. 8) in the paper transport direction with respect to the recording heads 17a and 17c of the line head 11K.

The suction case 50 is made of, for example, resin, and is formed in a box shape with an open upper surface as shown in FIG. The suction case 50 has an upstream air flow chamber 51 communicating with the plurality of through holes 42 and a downstream air flow chamber arranged on the downstream side in the paper transport direction with respect to the upstream air flow chamber 51 and communicating with the plurality of through holes 42. It has a chamber 52 and. As shown in FIG. 11, the upstream air flow chamber 51 is formed from one end (left end in FIG. 11) to the other end (right end in FIG. 11) of the suction case 50 in the paper width direction. On the other hand, the downstream air flow chamber 52 has a central distribution chamber 52a arranged in the central portion of the suction case 50 in the paper width direction and a pair of outer circulation chambers arranged on both sides in the paper width direction with respect to the central distribution chamber 52a. It is divided into chambers 52b and 52c.

Further, in the suction case 50, a first partition wall 55 for partitioning the upstream air flow chamber 51 and the downstream air flow chamber 52, and a second partition wall 56a for partitioning the central flow chamber 52a and the outer flow chamber 52b are provided. And a second partition wall 56b that separates the central distribution chamber 52a and the outer distribution chamber 52c are provided. In FIG. 11, the first partition wall 55 and the second partition walls 56a and 56b are shown by thick lines for ease of understanding.

The first partition wall 55 is formed so as to extend in the paper width direction. The first partition wall 55 is arranged at a position directly below the first head 17d (recording heads 17a and 17c of the line head 11C) arranged at the uppermost stream in the paper transport direction among the plurality of recording heads 17a to 17c and the paper. At a position directly below the pair of first partition portions 55a extending in the width direction and the second head 17e (recording head 17b of the line head 11C) arranged adjacent to the first head 17d on the downstream side in the paper transport direction. A second partition 55b that is arranged and extends in the paper width direction, and a pair of third partition 55c that extends in the paper transport direction and connects the ends of the first partition 55a and the ends of the second partition 55b. Have. The central portion of the second partition portion 55b in the paper width direction is formed in an arc shape so as to avoid the opening 53 described later.

The second partition walls 56a and 56b are formed so as to extend in the paper transport direction so as to extend the third partition portion 55c of the first partition wall 55. Further, the third partition portion 55c and the second partition walls 56a and 56b of the first partition wall 55 are arranged along both ends of the recording head 17b in the paper width direction.

The suction device 60 is composed of a fan. The suction device 60 includes an upstream suction device 61 and a downstream suction device 62 that suck the air in the upstream air flow chamber 51 and the downstream air flow chamber 52, respectively. The downstream suction device 62 has a central suction device 62a connected to the central distribution chamber 52a and a pair of outer suction devices 62b and 62c connected to the pair of outer circulation chambers 52b and 52c, respectively.

Circular openings 53 are formed at predetermined positions on the bottom surfaces of the upstream air circulation chamber 51, the central circulation chamber 52a, and the outer circulation chambers 52b and 52c. The upstream suction device 61, the central suction device 62a, and the outer suction devices 62b and 62c suck the air in the upstream air circulation chamber 51, the central circulation chamber 52a, and the outer circulation chambers 52b and 52c, respectively, through the opening 53. As a result, the upstream air circulation chamber 51, the central distribution chamber 52a, the outer circulation chambers 52b and 52c become negative pressure, and the paper P is adsorbed on the transport belt 8.

As shown in FIG. 12, the control unit 110 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and the like. Further, the control unit 110 is configured to be able to control the recording unit 9, the first belt transport unit 5, the second belt transport unit 12, the decaler unit 14, the wipe unit 19, the cap unit 50, various rollers, and the like.

The ROM contains a control program for the inkjet recording device 100, numerical values necessary for control, and other data that are not changed during use of the inkjet recording device 100. Further, the ROM also stores image data and data in which the type of paper P and the curl amount are associated with each other. Regarding the type of paper P (for example, thickness, material, basis weight, size), information input by the user may be received by an external computer, or the type of recording medium is detected by using a media sensor. May be good.

The RAM stores necessary data generated during the control of the inkjet recording device 100, data temporarily required for control of the inkjet recording device 100, and the like.

The control unit 110 can individually control each suction device 60 (upstream suction device 61, central suction device 62a, outer suction device 62b and 62c). Further, the control unit 110 can not only turn on and off each suction device 60, but also increase or decrease the rotation speed (that is, the suction force) of the suction device 60.

Further, the control unit 110 can predict the amount of curl generated on the paper P based on the image data (specifically, at least one of the ink amount and the printing rate) and the type of the paper P.

Next, the printing operation of the inkjet recording apparatus 100 of the present embodiment will be described.

When printing on both sides (first side and second side) of the paper P, the control unit 110 predicts the amount of curl generated on the paper P based on the image data to be printed on the first side and the type of the paper P. do. If the curl amount (predicted curl amount) of the paper P is equal to or more than a predetermined value, there is a high possibility that jam will occur. Therefore, the control unit 110 performs a printing operation with the rotation speed of the suction device 60 set to a predetermined value. To execute. At this time, the rotation speed of the suction device 60 is set to the same value both when printing on the first surface of the paper P and when printing on the second surface. That is, the rotation speed of the suction device 60 is not changed between printing on the first surface and printing on the second surface (during printing on one sheet of paper P).

On the other hand, when the curl amount (predicted curl amount) of the paper P is less than a predetermined value, the possibility of jam occurrence is low, so that the control unit 110 reduces the rotation speed of the suction device 60 to the minimum necessary. Execute the print operation in the state.

Further, when printing is performed only on one side (first side) of the paper P, the paper P conveyed to the recording heads 17a to 17c is not curled, so that the possibility of jam is low. Therefore, the control unit 110 executes the printing operation in a state where the rotation speed of the suction device 60 is reduced to the minimum necessary.

Further, the control unit 110 may stop a part of the suction device 60 or reduce the rotation speed of a part of the suction device 60. For example, if the paper P having a size (A4 size or the like) reaching from the top of the outer distribution chamber 52b to the top of the outer distribution chamber 52c is not curled (or the amount of curling is small), the central suction device 62a may be stopped or the center may be stopped. The printing operation may be executed in a state where the rotation speed of the suction device 62a is reduced. Further, the control unit 110 does not curl (or curl) the paper P having a size that does not pass over the outer distribution chamber 52b and the outer distribution chamber 52c (size that passes only over the central distribution chamber 52a, A5 size vertical, etc.). In the case of a small amount), the printing operation may be executed with the outer suction devices 62b and 62c stopped or the rotation speeds of the outer suction devices 62b and 62c lowered.

In the present embodiment, as described above, the first partition wall 55 for partitioning the upstream air flow chamber 51 and the downstream air flow chamber 52 extends in the paper width direction among the plurality of recording heads 17a to 17c. It is arranged at a position directly below the first head 17d arranged at the uppermost stream in the paper transport direction. As a result, as the paper P is transported by the transport belt 8, the through hole 42 (here, the groove 41) connected to the upstream air flow chamber 51 is closed by the paper P, so that the upstream air flow chamber 51 Negative pressure (difference in pressure in the upstream air flow chamber 51 with respect to atmospheric pressure) becomes large. Then, when the tip of the paper P reaches the first head 17d, the negative pressure of the upstream air flow chamber 51 becomes sufficiently large, so that even when the tip of the paper P is curled upward, the paper is curled upward. The tip of P can be attracted to the transport belt 8. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the tip end portion of the paper P from coming into contact with the first head 17d and causing a jam (paper jam).

According to the inkjet recording apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, it is not necessary to increase the suction force of the suction unit 30 in order to suppress the occurrence of jam, so that the ink landing accuracy is lowered and the suction unit 30 is driven. It is possible to suppress the sound from becoming loud.

Further, as described above, the through hole 42 is arranged along the upstream end portion of the first head 17d in the paper transport direction. As a result, the tip of the paper P can be attracted to the transport belt 8 immediately before the tip of the paper P reaches the first head 17d, so that the tip of the paper P does not come into contact with the first head 17d. It can be suppressed.

Further, as described above, the through holes 42 are arranged along the upstream side end portion and the downstream side end portion of each recording head 17a to 17c in the paper transport direction. As a result, it is possible to prevent the tip of the paper P from entering between the recording heads 17a and 17c adjacent to each other in the paper transport direction and the recording head 17b, so that jam (paper jam) is further suppressed. can do.

Further, as described above, the first partition wall 55 is also arranged at a position directly below the second head 17e so as to extend in the paper width direction. As a result, the negative pressure of the upstream air flow chamber 51 becomes even larger immediately before the tip of the paper P reaches the second head 17e, so that the tip of the paper P comes into contact with the second head 17e and jam occurs. Can be suppressed.

Further, as described above, the first partition wall 55 is arranged at a position directly below the first head 17d and extends in the paper width direction, and is arranged at a position directly below the second head 17e and has a paper width. It has a second partition portion 55b extending in the direction, and a third partition portion 55c extending in the paper transport direction and connecting the end portions of the first partition portion 55a and the end portions of the second partition portion 55b to each other. As a result, the first partition wall 55 can be easily arranged at a position directly below the first head 17d and a position directly below the second head 17e so as to extend in the paper width direction.

Further, as described above, the downstream air circulation chamber 52 has a central distribution chamber 52a and a pair of outer circulation chambers 52b and 52c arranged on both sides in the paper width direction with respect to the central distribution chamber 52a. The downstream suction device 62 has a central suction device 62a connected to the central distribution chamber 52a and a pair of outer suction devices 62b and 62c connected to the pair of outer circulation chambers 52b and 52c, respectively. As a result, it is possible to stop a part of the suction device 60 or reduce the rotation speed of a part of the suction device 60 according to the curl state of the paper P and the size of the paper P, so that the power consumption can be reduced. It can be suppressed.

Further, as described above, a plurality of grooves 41 extending along the paper transport direction are formed on the upper surface of the guide plate 40, and the through holes 42 are provided inside the grooves 41. As a result, the through hole 42 can be easily connected to the ventilation hole 8b of the transfer belt 8 through the groove 41 at all times, so that the through hole 42 can be easily prevented from being blocked by the transfer belt 8. can.

Further, as described above, the through hole 42 is arranged so as to avoid the position directly below the ink ejection port 18. As a result, it is possible to suppress an increase in the air flow between the ink ejection surface F of the recording heads 17a to 17c and the transport surface 8a of the transport belt 8, and thus it is possible to further suppress the deterioration of the ink landing accuracy. can do.

It should be noted that the embodiments disclosed this time are exemplary in all respects and are not considered to be restrictive. The scope of the present invention is shown by the scope of claims rather than the description of the embodiment described above, and further includes all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of claims.

For example, in the above embodiment, an example in which one line head is configured by three recording heads 17a to 17c has been shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, one line head may be configured by one recording head. Further, one line head may be composed of two or four or more recording heads.

Further, in the above embodiment, an example in which the first partition wall 55 is also arranged at a position directly below the second head 17e has been shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the first partition wall 55 may not be arranged at a position directly below the second head 17e, as in the suction case 50 of the inkjet recording device 100 of the first modification of the present invention shown in FIG. That is, the first partition wall 55 may be formed in a straight line extending in the paper width direction.

Further, in the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, an example is shown in which the upstream air flow chamber 51 and the downstream air flow chamber 52 partitioned by the first partition wall 55 are connected by a groove 41. The present invention is not limited to this. For example, as in the inkjet recording device 100 of the second modification of the present invention shown in FIG. 14, a partition wall 45 is provided on the guide plate 40, and the upstream air flow chamber 51 and the downstream air flow chamber 52 are connected by a groove 41. It may be configured so as not to be connected.

Further, a configuration obtained by appropriately combining the configurations of the above-described embodiments and modifications is also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

8 Conveyance belt 8a Conveyance surface 8b Vent holes 17a to 17c Recording head 17d 1st head 17e 2nd head 18 Ink ejection port 30 Suction part 40 Guide plate 41 Groove 42 Through hole 50 Suction case 51 Upstream side air flow chamber 52 Downstream side air Distribution room 52a Central distribution room 52b, 52c Outer distribution room 55 1st partition wall 55a 1st partition 55b 2nd partition 55c 3rd partition 56a, 56b 2nd partition wall 61 Upstream suction device 62 Downstream suction device 62a Central suction device 62b, 62c Outer suction device 100 Inkjet recording device P paper (recording medium)

Claims (7)

A plurality of recording heads arranged along the recording medium transport direction and having an ink ejection port for ejecting ink on the recording medium, and a plurality of recording heads.
A transport belt arranged below the recording head, having a plurality of ventilation holes and having a transport surface for transporting the recording medium, and a transport belt.
A suction unit that attracts the recording medium to the transport belt,
Equipped with
The suction part is
A guide plate which is in contact with the back surface of the transport belt opposite to the transport surface to support the transport belt and has a plurality of through holes formed therein.
An upstream air flow chamber arranged below the guide plate and communicating with the through hole, and a downstream air flow chamber arranged downstream of the upstream air flow chamber in the recording medium transport direction and communicating with the through hole. A suction case having a chamber and a first partition wall for partitioning the upstream air flow chamber and the downstream air flow chamber.
An upstream suction device and a downstream suction device that suck air in the upstream air flow chamber and the downstream air flow chamber, respectively.
Have,
The first partition wall is directly below the first head arranged in the uppermost stream of the plurality of recording heads in the recording medium transport direction so as to extend in the recording medium width direction orthogonal to the recording medium transport direction. Placed in position ,
A plurality of the first heads are arranged at predetermined intervals in the width direction of the recording medium.
The recording heads other than the first head are adjacent to the first head on the downstream side in the recording medium transport direction so as to close the space between the first heads when viewed from the upstream side in the recording medium transport direction. Including the second head placed in
An inkjet recording apparatus , wherein the first partition wall is also arranged at a position directly below the second head so as to extend in the width direction of the recording medium . The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the through hole is arranged along an upstream end portion of the first head in the recording medium transport direction. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the through holes are arranged along the upstream end and the downstream end of each recording head in the recording medium transport direction. The first partition wall is a first partition wall arranged at a position directly below the first head and extending in the width direction of the recording medium, and a first partition wall arranged at a position directly below the second head and extending in the width direction of the recording medium. 2 . The inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of 3 to 3 . The downstream air circulation chamber has a central distribution chamber and a pair of outer circulation chambers arranged on both sides in the width direction of the recording medium with respect to the central distribution chamber.
A second partition wall extending in the recording medium transport direction is provided between the central distribution chamber and the outer distribution chamber.
Claims 1 to 4 are characterized in that the downstream suction device includes a central suction device connected to the central distribution chamber and a pair of outer suction devices connected to the pair of outer circulation chambers, respectively. The inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of the above items. A plurality of grooves extending along the recording medium transport direction are formed on the upper surface of the guide plate.
The inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the through hole is provided inside the groove. The inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the through hole is arranged so as to avoid a position directly below the ink ejection port.

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