JP7251159B2 - Drying device and image forming device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a drying device and an image forming apparatus.

Patent Literature 1 discloses a tablet printing apparatus capable of effectively drying tablets printed by an inkjet printing mechanism without imposing a large heat load on a conveying belt that conveys the tablets.

WO 2016/194761

According to the present invention, the relative distance between the three-dimensional object and an irradiation unit having a plurality of laser elements for irradiating the three-dimensional object onto which droplets are ejected changes with the height of the three-dimensional object. An object of the present invention is to suppress uneven drying of droplets.

A drying apparatus according to a first aspect includes an irradiating unit in which a plurality of laser elements for irradiating a three-dimensional object onto which liquid droplets are discharged and conveyed with laser light are arranged along the direction in which the three-dimensional object is conveyed; and an adjusting unit that adjusts a relative distance between the three-dimensional object and the irradiation unit in a direction crossing the conveying direction to a predetermined value regardless of the height of the object.

A drying apparatus according to a second aspect is the drying apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the adjustment unit uses the height position of the ejection surface of the three-dimensional object onto which the droplets are ejected as a reference on the three-dimensional object side. Adjust the relative distance.

A drying apparatus of a third aspect is the drying apparatus of the second aspect, wherein the height position of the ejection surface corresponds to the average height of the ejection surface.

A drying apparatus according to a fourth aspect is the drying apparatus according to the second aspect, wherein the adjustment unit adjusts the height position of the ejection surface so that the amount of droplets ejected from the ejection surface becomes maximum. Adjust to fit the area.

A drying device according to a fifth aspect is the drying device according to the first to fourth aspects, wherein the adjustment unit adjusts the relative distance using the input three-dimensional object information regarding the three-dimensional object.

A drying device according to a sixth aspect is the drying device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the adjustment unit uses three-dimensional object information about the three-dimensional object measured upstream of the irradiation unit in the transport direction. to adjust the relative distance.

A drying apparatus according to a seventh aspect is the drying apparatus according to the fifth or sixth aspect, wherein the irradiation unit adjusts the laser intensity of the laser light using the three-dimensional object information, and the adjustment unit , adjusting the relative distance according to the adjusted laser intensity.

An image forming apparatus according to an eighth aspect comprises the drying device according to the first to seventh aspects, a transporting section for transporting the three-dimensional object, and the transporting direction upstream side of the drying device. an ejection unit configured to eject the liquid droplets onto a three-dimensional object.

An image forming apparatus according to a ninth aspect is the image forming apparatus according to the eighth aspect, further comprising: a measurement unit for measuring three-dimensional object information regarding the three-dimensional object on the upstream side of the ejection unit in the transport direction; The unit adjusts the separation amount in the crossing direction by which the ejection unit separates from the three-dimensional object, using the three-dimensional object information measured by the measurement unit.

An image forming apparatus according to a tenth aspect is the image forming apparatus according to the eighth or ninth aspect, further comprising a measurement unit for measuring three-dimensional object information on the three-dimensional object, on the upstream side of the ejection unit in the conveying direction. and the adjusting unit adjusts the conveying speed of the conveying unit using the three-dimensional object information measured by the measuring unit.

According to the first aspect, the relative distance between the irradiation unit having a plurality of laser elements for irradiating the three-dimensional object onto which droplets are ejected with laser light and the three-dimensional object changes according to the height of the three-dimensional object. In comparison, uneven drying of droplets can be suppressed.

According to the second aspect, compared to the configuration in which the reference on the three-dimensional object side for determining the relative distance between the three-dimensional object and the irradiating section is shifted from the ejection surface of the three-dimensional object on which the droplets are ejected, the droplets Dry unevenness can be suppressed.

According to the third aspect, when the height on the ejection surface changes, uneven drying of droplets can be suppressed compared to the configuration in which the lowest height on the ejection surface is the height position of the ejection surface.

According to the fourth aspect, regardless of the amount of droplets ejected onto the ejection surface, droplets can be dried more efficiently than in a configuration in which the height position of the ejection surface is set constant.

According to the fifth aspect, it is possible to omit the work of measuring the three-dimensional object information, compared with the configuration in which the three-dimensional object information about the three-dimensional object is measured and the relative distance is adjusted using the measured three-dimensional object information.

According to the sixth aspect, it is possible to reduce the influence of individual differences for each three-dimensional object, compared to the configuration in which the relative distance is adjusted using the three-dimensional object information about the input three-dimensional object.

According to the seventh aspect, droplets can be dried efficiently compared to a configuration in which the laser intensity of the laser light is fixed.

According to the eighth aspect, in accordance with the height of the three-dimensional object, the relative distance between the irradiation unit having a plurality of laser elements for irradiating the three-dimensional object onto which droplets are ejected with laser light and the three-dimensional object changes. In comparison, the image defect of the image formed on the three-dimensional object can be suppressed.

According to the ninth aspect, contact between the three-dimensional object being transported and the ejection part can be suppressed compared to the configuration in which the position of the ejection part is fixed.

According to the tenth aspect, image defects in the image formed on the three-dimensional object can be suppressed as compared with the configuration in which the transport speed of the transport unit is constant.

1 is a front view showing an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1; FIG. It is an example of three-dimensional object information stored in a ROM. It is explanatory drawing which shows the initial position of a drying apparatus. 3 is a functional block diagram of a CPU of a control unit; FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the average height of the ejection surface of a three-dimensional object. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the relative distance and the drying effect of ink droplets; It is explanatory drawing which shows the drying apparatus after a movement. 1 is a front view showing an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment; FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 9; FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the amount of ink droplets ejected onto a three-dimensional object; It is explanatory drawing explaining a three-dimensional object.

Hereinafter, when the image forming apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment is described, the direction based on the image forming apparatus 10 will be used. Specifically, the horizontal direction of the image forming apparatus 10 shown in FIG.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, an inkjet image forming apparatus 10 that ejects ink droplets as liquid droplets onto a three-dimensional object D will be described with reference to the drawings. The three-dimensional object D in the first embodiment is an ellipsoid as shown in FIG. The outer peripheral surface above the central portion of the three-dimensional object D in the height direction Y serves as an ejection surface N onto which ink droplets are ejected.

The image forming apparatus 10 includes a discharge section 12 , a conveying section 16 , support rolls 18 and 20 and a drying device 30 .

The ejection unit 12 ejects ink droplets onto the three-dimensional object D to form an image on the three-dimensional object D. As shown in FIG. The ejection unit 12 includes an inkjet head 14K that forms a K (=black) image, an inkjet head 14C that forms a C (=cyan) image, and an inkjet head 14C that forms an M (=magenta) image. It has a head 14M and an inkjet head 14Y that forms a Y (=yellow) image.

Each inkjet head 14 is arranged along the transport direction T of the three-dimensional object D in the order of K→C→M→Y. Note that the order in which the inkjet heads 14 are arranged is an example, and is not limited to the order described above.

The discharge section 12 also includes a drive section 15 (see FIG. 2) using a motor and gears (not shown). The ejection section 12 can move up and down along the height direction Y by being driven by the driving section 15 .

As shown in FIG. 1 , the endless conveying section 16 that conveys the three-dimensional object D is supported by support rolls 18 and 20 . Then, the support roll 20 receives a rotational force from a motor (not shown) and rotates clockwise in FIG. Transported along T.

The drying device 30 is arranged downstream in the transport direction T from the discharge section 12 . The drying device 30 irradiates a three-dimensional object D with a laser beam, and dries ink droplets ejected onto the three-dimensional object D by heat generated by the laser beam.

As shown in FIG. 2, the drying device 30 includes a control section 22, a drive section 36, and an irradiation section 38. As shown in FIG.

The control section 22 controls operations of the image forming apparatus 10 including the drying device 30 . The control unit 22 is connected to a CPU 22A (=Central Processing Unit), a ROM 22B (=Read Only Memory), a RAM 22C (=Random Access Memory), and an input/output interface (=I/O 22D) via a bus. .

The ROM 22B stores programs to be executed by the CPU 22A. Then, the CPU 22A executes various functions by reading programs from the ROM 22B and developing them in the RAM 22C.

For example, the ROM 22B stores three-dimensional object information regarding the three-dimensional object D. FIG. FIG. 3 is a storage table showing an example of three-dimensional object information stored in the ROM 22B. In the storage table shown in FIG. 3, as an example of three-dimensional object information, the height position of the ejection surface N, the presence or absence of surface coating, and the color of the three-dimensional object D (e.g., three-dimensional object a, three-dimensional object b, three-dimensional object ) are stored corresponding to the items c.

The height position of the ejection surface N is a reference position on the three-dimensional object D side when determining the relative distance R in the height direction Y intersecting the transport direction T between the three-dimensional object D and the irradiation unit 38 . The height position of the ejection surface N in the first embodiment corresponds to the average height W3 of the ejection surface N. As shown in FIG. The details of the average height W3 of the ejection surface N will be described later. Also, the relative distance R is the length in the height direction Y from the lower end of the laser element 40 to the height position of the ejection surface N, which will be described later.

The storage table shown in FIG. 3 also stores whether or not the surface of the three-dimensional object D is coated with a glass coating agent or sugar, for example, to make the surface glossy. Specifically, "present" is stored when the surface is coated, and "absent" is stored when the surface is not coated. Further, the storage table shown in FIG. 3 stores colors corresponding to the types of three-dimensional objects D. FIG.

In addition to the three-dimensional object information, the ROM 22B stores the reference height U1 of the drying device 30, the reference height V1 of the discharge section 12, and the ideal relative distance R (hereinafter, “ideal distance U2 ”) and an ideal separation amount S in the height direction Y at which the ejection unit 12 separates from the three-dimensional object D (hereinafter referred to as “ideal separation amount V2”).

The reference height U1 of the drying device 30 is the length in the height direction Y from the lower end of the laser element 40 to the top of the conveying section 16 at the initial position of the drying device 30 . In the first embodiment, the reference height U1 of the drying device 30 is 25 mm.

The reference height V1 of the ejection section 12 is the length in the height direction Y from the lower end of the ejection section 12 to the top of the transport section 16 at the initial position of the ejection section 12 . In the first embodiment, the reference height V1 of the ejection portion 12 is 3 mm.

The ideal distance U2 is the relative distance R at which the dispersion of the laser light irradiated to the three-dimensional object D is within the allowable range. In the first embodiment, the ideal distance U2 is 30 mm. The ideal distance U2 of 30 mm is an example of a predetermined value.

The ideal separation amount V2 is the length in the height direction Y from the lower end of the ejection section 12 to the height position of the ejection surface N, which allows ink droplets to be ejected onto the three-dimensional object D with high accuracy. In the first embodiment, the ideal distance V2 is 3 mm.

As shown in FIG. 2, the communication section 24, the ejection section 12, the drive section 36, and the irradiation section 38 are connected to the I/O 22D.

The communication unit 24 is an interface for mutual data communication between a terminal device such as a personal computer (not shown) and the image forming apparatus 10 .

The drive unit 36 is configured using a motor and gears (not shown), and moves the drying device 30 up and down along the height direction Y by being driven by the control unit 22 .

The irradiating unit 38 irradiates the three-dimensional object D with diffused laser light. As shown in FIG. 4, the irradiation unit 38 has a plurality of laser elements 40 arranged along the transport direction T for irradiating laser light onto the three-dimensional object D on which ink droplets are ejected and transported. In the irradiating section 38, a plurality of laser elements 40 arranged along the transport direction T are arranged along the depth direction Z. As shown in FIG. That is, in the irradiation section 38, the laser elements 40 are arranged in a matrix along the transport direction T and the depth direction Z. As shown in FIG. As the laser element 40, for example, a surface emitting laser element that emits laser light from a surface is used. As the surface emitting laser element, for example, one called VCSEL (=Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser) including a vertical cavity type light emitting element in which a plurality of light emitting elements are arranged along the transport direction T is used. .

The irradiation unit 38 has an irradiation area for the three-dimensional object D in which the irradiation range along the width direction X is wider than the irradiation range along the depth direction Z. This irradiation area is determined by the spread angle of the laser light and the distance between the drying device 30 and the three-dimensional object D. As shown in FIG.

The laser intensity of the laser light emitted by the irradiation unit 38 is set to a predetermined constant value. Driving of the plurality of laser elements 40 of the irradiation unit 38 is controlled by the control unit 22 .

Next, functions of the control unit 22 will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, the CPU 22A of the control unit 22 functions as a calculation unit 34 by executing programs stored in the ROM 22B. The calculator 34 is an example of an adjuster.

The calculator 34 adjusts the relative distance R to a predetermined value regardless of the height of the three-dimensional object D. The calculator 34 calculates the amount of movement of the drying device 30 in the height direction as the adjustment of the relative distance R. FIG. Then, the calculation unit 34 calculates the amount of movement of the drying device 30 in the height direction using the three-dimensional object information input to the ROM 22B.

Further, the calculation unit 34 adjusts the separation amount S to a predetermined value regardless of the height of the three-dimensional object D. FIG. The calculation unit 34 calculates the amount of movement of the ejection unit 12 in the height direction as the adjustment of the separation amount S. As shown in FIG. Then, the calculation unit 34 calculates the amount of movement of the ejection unit 12 in the height direction using the three-dimensional object information input to the ROM 22B.

Next, operation of the image forming apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment will be described.
First, the control unit 22 acquires image data representing an image to be formed on the three-dimensional object D from a terminal device (not shown) via the communication unit 24 . As a result, jobs, which are predetermined units of processing, are accumulated in the control unit 22 . The job includes at least type information regarding the type of the three-dimensional object D for which an image is to be formed in the image forming process. In the image forming apparatus 10, adjustment is performed by the calculator 34 based on this type information.

Next, when a specific job is selected by the user, the calculator 34 uses the acquired type information to acquire the three-dimensional object information of the three-dimensional object D corresponding to the type information from the ROM 22B.

A case where the type of the three-dimensional object D corresponding to the acquired type information is the three-dimensional object a shown in FIG. 3 will be described below as an example.

Using the acquired type information, the calculation unit 34 obtains the three-dimensional object information of the three-dimensional object a from the ROM 22B such that the height position of the ejection surface N is "5.0 mm", the surface coating is "absent", and the color is Acquire the fact that it is "yellow".

"5.0 mm", which is the height position of the ejection surface N of the three-dimensional object a, corresponds to the "average height W3 of the ejection surface N". The average height W3 of the ejection surface N is, as shown in FIG. It is the length of the height direction Y from the height position of the ejection surface N to the top of the conveying section 16, which is the average of the length W2 in the height direction Y up to the height W2.

Further, the calculation unit 34 acquires the reference height U1 of the drying device 30, the reference height V1 of the ejection unit 12, the ideal distance U2, and the ideal separation amount V2 from the ROM 22B.

Here, the relationship between the relative distance R and the ink droplet drying effect will be described with reference to FIG.
The vertical axis on the left side of the drawing indicates the laser intensity, and indicates that the laser intensity when the three-dimensional object D is irradiated increases from the lower side to the upper side in the drawing. The vertical axis on the right side of the drawing indicates the dispersion of the laser light, and indicates that the dispersion of the laser light when the three-dimensional object D is irradiated increases from the lower side to the upper side in the drawing. The variation in laser light is the difference between the portion where the laser intensity of the laser light irradiated to the discharge surface N is maximum and the portion where it is minimum. The horizontal axis in the drawing indicates the relative distance R, and indicates that the relative distance R increases from left to right in the drawing. A curve indicated by a solid line is a graph corresponding to laser intensity, and a curve indicated by a broken line is a graph corresponding to variations in laser light.

A case where the relative distance R is at the point α, the point β, or the point γ will be described below as an example.
When the relative distance R is at the point α, the laser intensity is at the point α1 and the laser beam dispersion is at the point α2. In this case, since the relative distance R is the shortest among the above three points, the laser intensity is the strongest. Further, in this case, there are portions where the interference between the adjacent laser elements 40 is strong and portions where the interference is weak.

When the relative distance R is at the point β, the laser intensity is at the point β1 and the laser beam dispersion is at the point β2. In this case, since the relative distance R is the longest among the three points, the laser intensity is the weakest. In this case, the closer to the central portion of the ejection surface N, the stronger the laser intensity of the irradiated laser light, and the closer to the edge of the ejection surface N, the weaker the laser intensity of the irradiated laser light. The dispersion of the laser light on the surface N is large.

When the relative distance R is at the point γ, the laser intensity is lower than when the relative distance R is at the point α, and is higher than when the relative distance R is at the point β. Also, in this case, the variation in the laser light on the ejection surface N is smaller than when the relative distance R is at the point α and when the relative distance R is at the point β. In other words, in this case, it means that the three-dimensional object D is positioned at the ideal distance U2 where the dispersion of the laser light emitted is within the allowable range.

Therefore, in the first embodiment, the calculation unit 34 calculates the amount of movement of the drying device 30 in the height direction so that the relative distance R becomes the ideal distance U2.

As described above, in the first embodiment, the ideal distance U2 is 30 mm, and the reference height U1 of the drying device 30 is 25 mm. Moreover, the height position of the ejection surface N of the three-dimensional object a acquired by the calculation unit 34 is set to 5.0 mm. Then, using the reference height U1 of the drying device 30 and the height position of the ejection surface N of the three-dimensional object a, the calculation unit 34 calculates the relative distance R before adjustment to be 20 mm.

As shown in FIG. 4, when the three-dimensional object a is irradiated with laser light while the relative distance R is 20 mm, the laser light varies greatly on the ejection surface N because the relative distance R is short. The calculation unit 34 subtracts the relative distance R before adjustment from the ideal distance U2 so that the relative distance R becomes the ideal distance U2, and calculates the difference of 10 mm as the amount of movement of the drying device 30 in the height direction. Then, an instruction to move the drying device 30 upward by 10 mm is input to the driving unit 36, and the driving unit 36 moves the drying device 30 upward by 10 mm from the state shown in FIG.

After the drying device 30 is moved, as shown in FIG. 8, the relative distance R coincides with the ideal distance U2, and the dispersion of the laser light on the ejection surface N falls within the allowable range. The irradiation range along the depth direction Z of the irradiation unit 38 shown in FIG. is wider than the dimension along the width direction X of the . That is, the irradiation area of the irradiation unit 38 shown in FIG. 8 includes the entire three-dimensional object a.

Further, as described above, in the first embodiment, the ideal distance V2 is set to 3 mm, and the reference height V1 of the discharge section 12 is set to 3 mm. Further, the height position of the ejection surface N of the three-dimensional object a obtained by the calculation unit 34 is 5.0 mm.

That is, before the adjustment by the calculation unit 34, the reference height V1 of the ejection unit 12 is lower than the height position of the ejection surface N of the three-dimensional object a. comes into contact with Therefore, the calculation unit 34 subtracts the reference height V1 of the ejection unit 12 from the sum of the ideal separation amount V2 and the height position of the ejection surface N so as to obtain the ideal separation amount V2, and calculates the difference of 5 mm as the ejection unit height. 12 is calculated as the amount of movement in the height direction. Then, an instruction to move the ejection section 12 upward by 5 mm is input to the drive section 15 , and the ejection section 12 is driven by the drive section 15 to move upward by 5 mm.

After the drying device 30 and the discharge section 12 are moved, the control section 22 rotates the support roll 20 clockwise in FIG. 1 at a predetermined constant speed. As a result, the conveying section 16 supported by the support rolls 18 and 20 is rotated clockwise in FIG. 1 at a constant conveying speed by applying a tension in the conveying direction T.

Next, the control unit 22 drives a hopper (not shown) arranged on the upstream side in the transport direction T of the discharge unit 12 to sequentially supply the three-dimensional objects a onto the transport unit 16 . Here, the hopper accommodates a plurality of types of three-dimensional objects D having different shapes and sizes, and the three-dimensional objects D of types based on the control of the control section 22 are sequentially supplied onto the transport section 16 .

After that, ink droplets are ejected from the ejecting unit 12 on the three-dimensional object a placed on the conveying unit 16 under the control of the control unit 22, and an image is formed.

The ink droplets ejected onto the three-dimensional object a are dried by laser light emitted from the plurality of laser elements 40 driven by the control unit 22, thereby fixing the image on the three-dimensional object a.

After being conveyed on the conveying section 16, the three-dimensional object a on which the image is fixed falls from the conveying section 16 and is collected in a collection tray (not shown).

After the job is completed, the control unit 22 issues an instruction to the driving unit 36 to move the drying device 30 to the reference height U1 of the drying device 30, and an instruction to move the ejection unit 12 to the reference height V1 of the ejection unit 12. is output to the drive unit 15. Then, the drive section 36 that receives the instruction from the control section 22 is driven, and the drying device 30 is moved downward by 10 mm. In addition, the drive section 15 that receives the instruction from the control section 22 is driven, and the ejection section 12 is moved downward by 5 mm.

Next, the effects of the first embodiment will be described.
The calculator 34 calculates the movement amount of the drying device 30 in the height direction so that the relative distance R becomes the ideal distance U2 regardless of the height of the three-dimensional object D. Then, the driving unit 36 moves the drying device 30 by the movement amount in the height direction of the drying device 30 calculated by the calculation unit 34 to position the drying device 30 at the ideal distance U2. The ideal distance U2 is the relative distance R at which the dispersion of the laser light with which the three-dimensional object D is irradiated is within the allowable range.

Therefore, according to the first embodiment, compared to the configuration in which the relative distance R between the irradiation unit 38 and the three-dimensional object D changes according to the height of the three-dimensional object D without moving the drying device 30, the ink It is possible to suppress uneven drying of droplets. Therefore, according to the image forming apparatus 10 including the drying device 30, the relative distance R between the irradiation unit 38 and the three-dimensional object D changes according to the height of the three-dimensional object D without moving the drying device 30. Image defects in the image formed on the three-dimensional object D can be suppressed compared to the configuration.

The relative distance R is the length in the height direction Y from the lower end of the laser element 40 to the height position of the ejection surface N. As shown in FIG. Then, the calculation unit 34 calculates the amount of movement of the drying device 30 in the height direction, using the height position of the ejection surface N as the reference for the three-dimensional object D when determining the relative distance R. That is, the calculation unit 34 moves the drying device 30 in the height direction so that the variation in the laser light with which the three-dimensional object D is irradiated falls within the allowable range on the ejection surface N of the three-dimensional object D onto which ink droplets are ejected. Calculate quantity.

Therefore, according to the first embodiment, compared to the configuration in which the reference on the side of the three-dimensional object D for determining the relative distance R between the three-dimensional object D and the irradiation unit 38 is shifted from the ejection surface N, drying of ink droplets Unevenness can be suppressed.

The height position of the ejection surface N in the first embodiment corresponds to the average height W3 of the ejection surface N (see FIG. 6). The average height W3 of the ejection surface N is the length W1 in the height direction Y from the upper end of the ejection surface N to the top of the transport portion 16, and the length W1 in the height direction Y from the bottom end of the ejection surface N to the top of the transport portion 16. It is the length in the height direction Y from the height position of the ejection surface N to the top of the conveying section 16, averaging the height W2. As a result, in the first embodiment, the height direction of the drying device 30 is calculated by the calculation unit 34 so that the dispersion of the laser light irradiated to the three-dimensional object D is within the allowable range at the average height W3 of the ejection surface N. A movement amount is calculated.

Therefore, according to the first embodiment, when the height above the ejection surface N changes in the transport direction T, for example, when the ejection surface N is curved, the minimum height above the ejection surface N As compared with the configuration of the height position of , uneven drying of the ink droplets can be suppressed.

The calculator 34 adjusts the relative distance R using the three-dimensional object information input to the ROM 22B. Therefore, according to the first embodiment, it is possible to omit the work of measuring the three-dimensional object information, compared to the configuration in which the three-dimensional object information is measured and the relative distance R is adjusted using the measured three-dimensional object information.

(Second embodiment)
Next, the configuration and operation of the image forming apparatus 10 according to the second embodiment will be described while omitting or simplifying portions that overlap with other embodiments.

As shown in FIG. 9, the image forming apparatus 10 according to the second embodiment includes a measurement section 42 that measures three-dimensional object information on the upstream side of the ejection section 12 in the transport direction T. As shown in FIG. The measurement unit 42 is connected to the I/O 22D of the control unit 22, as shown in FIG. The measuring unit 42 is a sensor capable of measuring at least the shape, size, material, and color of the three-dimensional object D being conveyed as three-dimensional object information.

After a specific job is selected by the user, the control section 22 rotates the support rolls 20 and accordingly rotates the transport section 16 . Next, the control unit 22 drives a hopper (not shown) to sequentially supply three-dimensional objects D of a type corresponding to the job onto the transport unit 16 .

After that, the three-dimensional object D is transported to a position facing the measuring unit 42, and the three-dimensional object information is measured by the measuring unit 42. FIG. The three-dimensional object information measured by the measurement unit 42 is input to the control unit 22 .

The calculation unit 34 in the second embodiment calculates the amount of movement of the drying device 30 in the height direction using the three-dimensional object information measured by the measurement unit 42 . The calculation unit 34 uses the acquired three-dimensional object information to calculate, for example, that the height position of the ejection surface N of the three-dimensional object D is “5.0 mm”. The height position of the ejection surface N in the second embodiment corresponds to the average height W3 of the ejection surface N, as in the first embodiment. Therefore, the calculation unit 34 uses the shape and size information of the three-dimensional object D among the acquired three-dimensional object information to calculate the length W1 in the height direction Y from the upper end of the ejection surface N to the top of the transport unit 16, The average height W3 of the ejection surface N is calculated by averaging the length W2 in the height direction Y from the lower end of the ejection surface N to the top of the conveying unit 16 .

Further, the calculation unit 34 acquires the reference height U1 of the drying device 30, the reference height V1 of the ejection unit 12, the ideal distance U2, and the ideal separation amount V2 from the ROM 22B.

In the second embodiment, the ideal distance U2 is 30 mm and the reference height U1 of the drying device 30 is 25 mm. Further, the average height W3 of the discharge surface N of the three-dimensional object D calculated by the calculation unit 34 is 5.0 mm. Then, using the reference height U1 of the drying device 30 and the height position of the ejection surface N of the three-dimensional object D, the calculation unit 34 calculates the relative distance R before adjustment to be 20 mm.

Therefore, in the second embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, an instruction to move the drying device 30 upward by 10 mm is input to the driving unit 36, and the driving unit 36 drives the drying device 30 upward by 10 mm. be moved.

The calculation unit 34 also calculates the amount of movement of the ejection unit 12 in the height direction using the three-dimensional object information measured by the measurement unit 42 . In the second embodiment, the ideal separation amount V2 is 3 mm, and the reference height V1 of the discharge section 12 is 3 mm. Further, the average height W3 of the discharge surface N of the three-dimensional object D calculated by the calculation unit 34 is 5.0 mm.

Therefore, in the second embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, an instruction to move the ejection section 12 upward by 5 mm is input to the driving section 15, and the ejection section 12 is moved upward by 5 mm by driving the driving section 15. be moved.

After that, the three-dimensional object D is transported to a position facing the ejector 12 , and ink droplets are ejected by the ejector 12 . Then, the ink droplets ejected onto the three-dimensional object D are dried by laser light emitted from the plurality of laser elements 40 driven by the control unit 22 , thereby fixing the image on the three-dimensional object D.

After being conveyed on the conveying section 16, the three-dimensional object D on which the image is fixed falls from the conveying section 16 and is collected in a collection tray (not shown).

After the job is completed, the control unit 22 issues an instruction to the driving unit 36 to move the drying device 30 to the reference height U1 of the drying device 30, and an instruction to move the ejection unit 12 to the reference height V1 of the ejection unit 12. is output to the drive unit 15. Then, the drive section 36 that receives the instruction from the control section 22 is driven, and the drying device 30 is moved downward by 10 mm. In addition, the drive section 15 that receives the instruction from the control section 22 is driven, and the ejection section 12 is moved downward by 5 mm.

Next, functions and effects of the second embodiment will be described.
An image forming apparatus 10 according to the second embodiment includes a measurement unit 42 that measures three-dimensional object information. Then, the calculation unit 34 uses the three-dimensional object information measured by the measurement unit 42 to calculate the amount of movement of the drying device 30 in the height direction, and uses the three-dimensional object information measured by the measurement unit 42 to Calculate the amount of movement in the height direction.

Therefore, according to the second embodiment, compared with the configuration in which the relative distance R is adjusted using the input three-dimensional object information, the influence of individual differences for each three-dimensional object D can be reduced.

In addition, according to the second embodiment, contact between the three-dimensional object D being transported and the discharge section 12 can be suppressed compared to the configuration in which the position of the discharge section 12 is fixed. Furthermore, according to the second embodiment, the influence of individual differences for each three-dimensional object D can be reduced compared to the configuration in which the separation amount S is adjusted using the input three-dimensional object information.

(Third Embodiment)
Next, the configuration and operation of the image forming apparatus 10 according to the third embodiment will be described while omitting or simplifying portions that overlap with other embodiments.

First, the control unit 22 acquires image data representing an image to be formed on the three-dimensional object D from a terminal device (not shown) via the communication unit 24 . This image data includes ejection information relating to areas on the ejection surface N where ink droplets are ejected (hereinafter referred to as "ejection areas") and the amount of ink droplets ejected in the ejection areas. Further, the ejection information includes the height from the transport section 16 for each ejection area.

Next, when the user selects a specific job, the calculator 34 adjusts the height position of the ejection surface N using the ejection information included in the acquired image data. Specifically, the calculation unit 34 adjusts the height position of the ejection surface N so as to match the ejection area where the amount of ink droplets ejected on the ejection surface N is maximum (hereinafter referred to as “maximum area”). do. At this time, if the maximum area has a height equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the calculation unit 34 may adjust the height position of the ejection surface N so as to match the average position of the maximum area in the height direction. .

For example, when the ejection region occupies only a constant height position, such as the ejection region E shown in FIG. The height position of the ejection surface N is set according to the height e from 16 .

For example, like the ejection region F shown in FIG. The height position of the ejection surface N is set as follows. In this case, the calculation unit 34 uses the ejection information to specify the maximum area, and sets the height position of the ejection surface N according to the height of the maximum area from the transport unit 16 . In the case shown in FIG. 11B, the calculator 34 uses the ejection information to identify the maximum area as the second ejection area F2. Therefore, the calculation unit 34 sets the height position of the ejection surface N according to the height f2 of the second ejection region F2 from the transport unit 16, not the height f1 of the first ejection region F1 from the transport unit 16. do.

The operation of the image forming apparatus 10 after the height position of the ejection surface N is set by the calculation unit 34 overlaps with that of other embodiments, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

Next, functions and effects of the third embodiment will be described.
The calculator 34 adjusts the height position of the ejection surface N so as to match the maximum area. As a result, in the third embodiment, the amount of movement of the drying device 30 in the height direction is calculated by the calculation unit 34 so that the variation in the laser light irradiated to the three-dimensional object D is within the allowable range in the maximum area. .

Therefore, according to the third embodiment, regardless of the amount of ink droplets ejected onto the ejection surface N, ink droplets can be efficiently ejected compared to the configuration in which the setting reference for the height position of the ejection surface N is constant. Can be dried.

(Fourth embodiment)
Next, the configuration and operation of the image forming apparatus 10 according to the fourth embodiment will be described while omitting or simplifying portions that overlap with other embodiments.

As in the second embodiment, the image forming apparatus 10 in the fourth embodiment includes a measurement unit 42 capable of measuring at least the shape, dimensions, material, and color of the three-dimensional object D being conveyed as three-dimensional object information. It has

After a specific job is selected by the user, the control section 22 rotates the support rolls 20 and accordingly rotates the transport section 16 . Next, the control unit 22 drives a hopper (not shown) to sequentially supply three-dimensional objects D of a type corresponding to the job onto the transport unit 16 .

After that, the three-dimensional object D is transported to a position facing the measuring unit 42, and the three-dimensional object information is measured by the measuring unit 42. FIG. The three-dimensional object information measured by the measurement unit 42 is input to the control unit 22 .

The calculation unit 34 in the fourth embodiment adjusts the transport speed of the transport unit 16 using the three-dimensional object information measured by the measurement unit 42 . The calculation unit 34 refers to the obtained three-dimensional object information, and when it determines that the drying effect of the three-dimensional object D is low, adjusts the conveying speed of the conveying unit 16 to be slow. Here, "the effect of drying the three-dimensional object D is low" means that when the height difference H (see FIG. 12) of the ejection surface N exceeds a predetermined value, the surface of the three-dimensional object D is coated with a glossy surface. This is the case when the absorbability of ink droplets is low, or when the three-dimensional object D has a color that does not easily absorb heat.

Specifically, the calculating unit 34 calculates the height difference H of the ejection surface N shown in FIG. When the height difference H of N exceeds a predetermined value and ink droplets are ejected on both the ejection surface N on the upper side of the step and the ejection surface N on the lower side of the step, the transport speed of the transport unit 16 is changed. Adjust to slow down. In addition, the calculation unit 34 determines whether or not the surface of the three-dimensional object D is coated by using the material information of the acquired three-dimensional object information. adjusts the conveying speed of the conveying unit 16 to be slow. Further, the calculation unit 34 uses the color information among the acquired three-dimensional object information, and if the three-dimensional object D is a color that does not easily absorb heat (eg, white), the transport speed of the transport unit 16 is adjusted to Adjust to slow down.

If the calculation unit 34 determines that the drying effect of the three-dimensional object D is low, the calculation unit 34 adjusts the transport speed of the transport unit 16 to slow down, and calculates the transport speed of the transport unit 16 necessary to enhance the drying effect and the transport speed. The rotation speed of the support roll 20 required to obtain the speed is calculated. Then, an instruction to change to the rotation speed calculated by the calculator 34 is input to the support rolls 20, and the rotation speed of the support rolls 20 slows down. The conveying speed of the conveying unit 16 becomes slower as the rotation speed of the support roll 20 becomes slower.

The operation of the image forming apparatus 10 after the conveying speed of the conveying unit 16 is slowed down overlaps with that of other embodiments, so the description thereof is omitted.

Next, functions and effects of the fourth embodiment will be described.
The calculation unit 34 refers to the three-dimensional object information measured by the measurement unit 42, and when determining that the drying effect of the three-dimensional object D is low, calculates the transport speed of the transport unit 16 necessary to enhance the drying effect, and A rotational speed of the support rolls 20 required to obtain the transport speed is calculated. Then, an instruction to change the rotational speed calculated by the calculator 34 is input to the support rolls 20, the rotational speed of the support rolls 20 slows down, and the conveying speed of the conveying unit 16 accordingly slows down. In other words, in the fourth embodiment, the conveying speed of the conveying unit 16 is changed depending on whether the calculation unit 34 determines that the drying effect of the three-dimensional object D is low and when it does not determine that the drying effect of the three-dimensional object D is low. , the individual difference for each three-dimensional object D is considered.

Therefore, according to the fourth embodiment, image defects in the image formed on the three-dimensional object D can be suppressed as compared with the configuration in which the transport speed of the transport unit 16 is constant.

(Fifth embodiment)
Next, the configuration and operation of the image forming apparatus 10 according to the fifth embodiment will be described while omitting or simplifying portions that overlap with other embodiments.

When a specific job is selected by the user, the calculation unit 34 uses the acquired type information to acquire the three-dimensional object information of the three-dimensional object D corresponding to the type information from the ROM 22B.

Here, the irradiation unit 38 in the fifth embodiment can change the laser intensity of the laser light. Therefore, the calculation unit 34 in the fifth embodiment refers to the obtained three-dimensional object information, and when it determines that the drying effect of the three-dimensional object D is low, the laser intensity of the laser beam irradiated by the irradiation unit 38 is reduced to Adjust to make it stronger.

For example, the calculation unit 34 determines whether the three-dimensional object D has a surface coating with low ink droplet absorbability or has a color (eg, white) that does not easily absorb heat. If applicable, an adjusted laser intensity with a higher output value than the laser intensity in the initial state is calculated. Note that the type of the three-dimensional object D in the fifth embodiment is assumed to be the three-dimensional object c (see FIG. 3).

As shown in FIG. 3, the surface coating of the three-dimensional object c is “yes” and the color is “white”, so the calculator 34 calculates the adjusted laser intensity with which the three-dimensional object c is irradiated.
After that, the calculator 34 calculates the amount of movement of the drying device 30 in the height direction according to the adjusted laser intensity.

Since the operation of the other image forming apparatus 10 described above overlaps with that of other embodiments, the description thereof is omitted.

Next, functions and effects of the fifth embodiment will be described.
The irradiation unit 38 adjusts the laser intensity of the laser light using the three-dimensional object information.
Specifically, the calculation unit 34 refers to the obtained three-dimensional object information, and when it determines that the drying effect of the three-dimensional object D is low, the laser intensity after adjustment, which has a higher output value than the laser intensity in the initial state, Calculate In this case, the adjusted laser intensity calculated by the calculation unit 34 is set for the irradiation unit 38 .
Then, the calculation unit 34 calculates the amount of movement of the drying device 30 in the height direction according to the adjusted laser intensity.

That is, in the fifth embodiment, the laser intensity is changed depending on whether the calculation unit 34 determines that the drying effect of the three-dimensional object D is low and when it does not determine that the drying effect of the three-dimensional object D is low. Considering individual differences. Therefore, according to the fifth embodiment, ink droplets can be dried more efficiently than in a configuration in which the laser intensity of the laser light is fixed.

(others)
The three-dimensional object D may be three-dimensional, and its type and shape are not particularly limited. For example, the type of three-dimensional object D may be food, parts, tablets, or the like. Further, the shape of the three-dimensional object D is not limited to the ellipsoid having a curved ejection surface N as in the above embodiment, but may be a cube, a rectangular parallelepiped, or the like having a flat ejection surface N.

In the above embodiment, the case where the height position of the ejection surface N is set to the average height W3 of the ejection surface N and the case where it is adjusted to the maximum area have been described. However, the height position of the ejection surface N may be a position other than that shown in the above embodiment. For example, the upper end of the ejection surface N, the lower end of the ejection surface N, the upper end of the three-dimensional object D, or the height obtained by multiplying the length in the height direction Y from the upper end of the three-dimensional object D to the top of the conveying unit 16 by an arbitrary ratio. , the height position of the ejection surface N.

In the above embodiment, the drying device 30 is moved up and down along the height direction Y so that the relative distance R becomes a predetermined value regardless of the height of the three-dimensional object D. However, without being limited to this, a configuration is provided in which the transport unit 16 can be moved up and down along the height direction Y, and the three-dimensional object D is moved up and down along the height direction Y to determine the relative distance R in advance. may be adjusted to the desired value. Moreover, the drying device 30 is not limited to moving only in the height direction Y, and may be movable along the transport direction T in the directions approaching and separating from the three-dimensional object D.

In the above embodiment, the drying device 30 and the ejection section 12 are moved only once during the job, but the drying device 30 and the ejection section 12 may be moved multiple times during the job. For example, when the height difference H (see FIG. 12) of the ejection surface N exceeds a predetermined value and ink droplets are ejected on both the ejection surface N on the upper side of the step and the ejection surface N on the lower side of the step. Alternatively, the drying device 30 and the ejection section 12 may be moved a plurality of times in response to the timing when the height of the ejection surface N changes.

In the above embodiment, after the job is completed, the drying device 30 and the ejection section 12 are returned to the reference height U1 of the drying device 30 and the reference height V1 of the ejection section 12 . However, the present invention is not limited to this, and after the job is finished, the drying device 30 and the ejection section 12 may remain positioned at the positions adjusted by the calculation section 34 .

In the above embodiment, the irradiation unit 38 is configured to irradiate the three-dimensional object D with diffused laser light, but may be configured to irradiate the three-dimensional object D with linear laser light. In this case, a diffusion lens for diffusing the laser light is provided between the irradiation unit 38 and the transport unit 16 in the height direction Y, and the three-dimensional object D is irradiated after the laser light is diffused by the diffusion lens. is desirable.

In the above-described embodiment, the calculation unit 34 is used as an example of the adjustment unit, but the calculation unit 34 and the driving unit 36 may be used as an example of the adjustment unit without being limited to this. In this case, the drive unit 36 moves the drying device 30 or the ejection unit along the height direction Y by the amount of movement in the height direction of the drying device 30 or the amount of movement in the height direction of the ejection unit 12 calculated by the calculation unit 34 . Move 12 up and down.

In the third embodiment, the height position of the ejection surface N is adjusted to match the maximum area. You may adjust so that it may match with the discharge area|region which becomes.

In the third embodiment, the height position of the ejection surface N is adjusted by acquiring image data including ejection information from a terminal device (not shown). However, the present invention is not limited to this. The calculation unit 34 may adjust the height position of the ejection surface N using this.

Also, the configuration shown in each of the above embodiments is an example, and the configuration in each embodiment can be appropriately combined and applied. For example, in the fifth embodiment, the three-dimensional object information is acquired from the ROM 22B, but the present invention is not limited to this. You can also

10 Image forming apparatus 12 Discharge unit 16 Conveying unit 30 Drying unit 34 Calculation unit (an example of adjustment unit)
38 irradiation unit 40 laser element 42 measurement unit

Claims (8)

an irradiation unit in which a plurality of laser elements for irradiating a three-dimensional object on which droplets are discharged and conveyed with a laser beam are arranged along the direction in which the three-dimensional object is conveyed;
A predetermined length in the height direction with respect to the transport direction from the lower end of the laser element to the top of the transport unit that transports the three-dimensional object, and a height position of the ejection surface of the three-dimensional object onto which the droplets are ejected. from the storage device, and subtracting the height position of the ejection surface from the length in the height direction from the lower end of the laser element to the top of the transport section, the height between the three-dimensional object and the irradiation section is obtained. A relative distance in the height direction is calculated, an ideal distance, which is the predetermined ideal relative distance, is obtained from the storage device, and the amount of movement in the height direction is calculated by subtracting the relative distance from the ideal distance. an adjusting unit that adjusts the relative distance so that it matches the ideal distance regardless of the height of the three-dimensional object by inputting an instruction to the driving unit to move the device by
with
The adjustment unit adjusts the relative distance using a height position of the ejection surface corresponding to an average height of the ejection surface as a reference on the side of the three-dimensional object.
drying equipment. 2. The drying apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the adjustment unit adjusts the height position of the ejection surface so as to match the area where the amount of the droplets ejected on the ejection surface is maximized. The drying apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the adjustment unit adjusts the relative distance using three-dimensional object information about the three-dimensional object measured upstream of the irradiation unit in the conveying direction. an irradiation unit in which a plurality of laser elements for irradiating a three-dimensional object on which droplets are discharged and conveyed with a laser beam are arranged along the direction in which the three-dimensional object is conveyed;
A predetermined length in the height direction with respect to the transport direction from the lower end of the laser element to the top of the transport unit that transports the three-dimensional object, and a height position of the ejection surface of the three-dimensional object onto which the droplets are ejected. from the storage device, and subtracting the height position of the ejection surface from the length in the height direction from the lower end of the laser element to the top of the transport section, the height between the three-dimensional object and the irradiation section is obtained. A relative distance in the height direction is calculated, an ideal distance, which is the predetermined ideal relative distance, is obtained from the storage device, and the amount of movement in the height direction is calculated by subtracting the relative distance from the ideal distance. an adjusting unit that adjusts the relative distance so that it matches the ideal distance regardless of the height of the three-dimensional object by inputting an instruction to the driving unit to move the device by
with
The adjustment unit adjusts the relative distance using three-dimensional object information about the three-dimensional object that has been input.
drying equipment. The irradiation unit adjusts the laser intensity of the laser light using the three-dimensional object information,
The drying device according to claim 3 or 4 , wherein the adjustment unit adjusts the relative distance according to the adjusted laser intensity. A drying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5 ;
a transport unit that transports the three-dimensional object;
a discharge unit provided on the upstream side of the drying device in the conveying direction for discharging the liquid droplets onto the three-dimensional object being conveyed;
An image forming apparatus comprising: A measurement unit for measuring three-dimensional object information related to the three-dimensional object is provided on the upstream side of the ejection unit in the transport direction,
7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the adjustment unit adjusts the distance in the height direction by which the ejection unit separates from the three-dimensional object using the three-dimensional object information measured by the measurement unit. A measurement unit for measuring three-dimensional object information related to the three-dimensional object is provided on the upstream side of the ejection unit in the transport direction,
8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the adjusting section adjusts the conveying speed of the conveying section using the three-dimensional object information measured by the measuring section.

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