JPH04358838A - Ink jet recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent a recording object, etc., with slow drying characteristics from occurrence of rubbing off of an image by switching a carrying path between a carrying path wherein development is performed and a carrying path where development is not performed in accordance with the kind of the recording object in the present apparatus such as a printer. CONSTITUTION:When development is performed, development is set by means of a development setting switch 7. A movable roller 27 is switched thereby so as to be connected with the side of a heat roller 28. Therefore, the recording object is sent to the heat roller 28 by means of a movable guide 27 and after it is developed by heating and drying, it is discharged on a discharging tray 30. When development is not performed, the movable guide 27 is set to the side of a discharging roller 29 and the recording object is discharged on the discharging tray 30 as it is.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording by ejecting ink from a recording means onto a recording material.

0002

[Prior Art] Recording devices that have functions such as printers, copiers, and facsimiles, or that are used as output devices for multifunction machines and workstations including computers, word processors, etc., print paper or thin plastic sheets based on image information. It is configured to record images on recording materials such as. The recording apparatus can be classified into inkjet type, wire dot type, thermal type, laser beam type, etc. depending on the recording method.

Among these, the inkjet type (inkjet recording device) performs recording by ejecting ink from a recording means (recording head) onto a recording material, and the recording means can be easily made compact and can produce high-definition images. Images can be recorded at high speed, can be recorded on plain paper without the need for special processing, running costs are low, there is little noise due to the non-impact method, and moreover, it uses multi-colored ink. It has the advantage that it is easy to record color images. Among these, a line-type apparatus that uses a line-type recording means in which a large number of ejection ports are arranged in the width direction of the paper can achieve even higher recording speeds.

[0004] In a serial type inkjet recording apparatus that employs a recording method that performs main scanning in a direction intersecting the conveying direction (sub-scanning direction) of a recording material, after setting the recording material at a predetermined recording position, An image is recorded (main scanning) by a recording means mounted on a carriage that moves along the material, and after recording one line, the paper is fed by a predetermined amount (pitch conveyance), and then the next line is recorded. By repeating the operation of recording an image (main scanning), the image is recorded on the entire recording material. On the other hand, in a line-type inkjet recording device that records only by sub-scanning in the conveyance direction of the recording material, the recording material is set at a predetermined recording position, one line is recorded at once, and then the Images are recorded on the entire recording material by repeating the operation of feeding the paper a fixed amount (pitch feeding) and then recording the next line all at once.

In particular, inkjet recording means (recording heads) that eject ink using thermal energy,
Electrothermal converters, electrodes, etc. formed on a substrate through semiconductor manufacturing processes such as etching, vapor deposition, and sputtering,
By forming the liquid channel walls, the top plate, etc., it is possible to easily manufacture a device having a high-density liquid channel arrangement (discharge port arrangement), and further compactness can be achieved. On the other hand, there are various requirements for recording materials, and in recent years, in addition to the usual recording materials such as paper and thin resin plates (OHP, etc.), thin paper and processed paper (with punch holes for filing) Paper, perforated paper, paper of arbitrary shapes, etc.) are now required to be used.

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the structure of an inkjet recording apparatus equipped with a line type recording means (recording head), taking the case of a color copying machine as an example. In FIG. 8, the recording unit includes four line-type recording means (recording heads) 1C, 1M, and 1 that record with different ink colors.
It consists of Y, 1B, and each recording head 1C, 1M,
1Y and 1B have a length equivalent to the width of the maximum recording material that can be used in the recording apparatus, and are positioned along the upper surface of the conveyor belt 2. In the case of color recording, the ink colors used in the recording heads 1C, 1M, 1Y, and 1B are, for example, cyan, magenta, yellow, and black.

In FIG. 8, paper feed cassettes 4 and 5 are
An image is recorded on the recording material fed from the recording medium and conveyed by the conveyor belt 2. In that case, after aligning the leading edge of the recording material and the leading edge of the original image,
Based on the image information read in one reading operation,
Since ink is ejected from the long heads at once in the order of the recording heads 1C, 1M, 1Y, and 1B, recording can be performed at a very high speed. The recorded recording material is discharged to the paper discharge tray 6.

[0008]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, the conventional inkjet recording apparatus described above uses a recording material other than special coated paper that has good ink drying properties, such as a recording material that does not have good drying properties such as an OHP film. In some cases, when the recording speed becomes high, the next recording material is ejected before the ink on the previously recorded recording material on the paper ejection tray 6 is sufficiently dried, so that the recorded image Fading and staining on the back of the recording material may occur.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned technical problems, and an object of the present invention is to maintain the image quality even when high-speed recording is performed using a recording material that does not dry well, such as an OHP film. An object of the present invention is to provide an inkjet recording device that can prevent scratches and stains on the back of a recording material.

0010

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention provides an inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording by discharging ink from a recording means onto a recording material, and which has a transport path for fixing the recording material and a corresponding one depending on the type of recording material. The apparatus is configured to include a conveyance path switching means for switching between a conveyance path in which the recording material is not fixed, and when a recording material with poor drying properties such as OHP film is used, a fixing operation is performed to dry the ink. The above object is achieved by switching not to perform the fixing operation when using other coated paper or the like.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the construction of an embodiment of an ink jet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied. This embodiment uses multiple line-type recording heads (long width heads).
The present invention is applied to a color copying machine having: In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an original platen glass for placing an original to be copied, 2 an original pressure plate for pressing the placed original, and 3
is the operation section. The operation section 3 is provided with a start switch 4, a display section 5, a numeric keypad 6, a fixing setting switch 7, and the like. The fixing setting switch 7 is used to switch between a conveying path in which recording material is fixed and a conveying path in which fixing is not performed, which will be described later.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 8 denotes an exposure lamp for illuminating the original, 9, 10, and 11 mirrors for forming an image of the reflected light from the original irradiated by the exposure lamp 8 on the color image sensor 12, and 13 the aforementioned mirrors. An imaging lens arranged in the optical system, 14 an image control circuit, 15C, 15M, 1
5Y and 15B are multiple line types for recording with cyan, magenta, yellow, and black ink.
4) recording heads (line heads). The image control circuit 14 applies various corrections to the image signals color-separated by the color image sensor 12 so as to reproduce the colors of the original, and controls the recording heads 15C, 15M, 15Y.
, 15B, respectively.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 17 indicates a recording head 1 for each color.
Pump for supplying color ink corresponding to 5C, 15M, 15Y, 15B, 16C, 16M, 16Y, 16
Reference numeral B represents an ink tank for storing ink of each color, 18 represents an adsorption charger, and 19 represents a conveyor belt. The adsorption charger 18 adsorbs a recording material such as paper or a thin plastic plate (OHP film, etc.) fed by a paper feeding means to the conveyance belt 19, so that the recording material is attached to the conveyance belt 19.
This is to prevent it from floating or shifting. Note that the paper feeding means includes cassettes 20 and 21.
, paper feed rollers 22 and 23, transport rollers 24 and 2
5, a registration roller 26, etc.

In FIG. 1, 27 is a movable guide for switching the conveyance path in the fixing section, 28 is the same heat roller as that normally provided in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, and 29 is a movable guide for switching the conveyance path in the fixing section.
30 is a paper ejection roller for ejecting the recording material when fixing is not performed, 30 is a paper ejection tray for stacking the ejected recording material, and 31 is for rotating a transport motor, clutch, pump, etc. (not shown). This is a recording device control circuit for controlling the recording device. The movable guide 27 is in the position shown in the figure when fixing is performed, and the recorded material is discharged to the paper discharge tray 30 through the heat roller 28. This heat roller 28 is for heating and drying (fixing) the recorded recording material, and is controlled to always maintain a constant temperature as long as a power switch (not shown) is turned on. Furthermore, in the illustrated example, the heat roller 28 also serves as a paper ejection roller. On the other hand, when fixing is not performed, the movable guide 27 is moved in the direction of the arrow, and the recording material is discharged to the paper discharge tray 30 through the paper discharge roller 29.

[0015] The recording means (recording head) 15C, 15
M, 15Y, and 15B are inkjet recording means that eject ink using thermal energy, and are equipped with an electrothermal converter for generating thermal energy. Moreover, these inkjet recording means 15C, 15
M, 15Y, and 15B perform recording by ejecting ink from an ejection port using pressure changes caused by growth and contraction of bubbles due to film boiling caused by thermal energy applied by the electrothermal converter. be. In addition,
In the following description, the recording means (recording head) 15C,
When referring to all or any one of 15M, 15Y, and 15B, simply refer to the recording means 15 or the recording head (
(or line head) 15.

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view schematically showing the structure of the ink ejection section of the recording means 15. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, a plurality of electrothermal transducers 82 and corresponding wirings are formed on a substrate 81 of the recording means 15 by interposing a layer of a thin film 83 and using a manufacturing process similar to that of a semiconductor (thin film molding method, etc.). is formed. Each electrothermal converter 82 is arranged at a position corresponding to each discharge port 89 and liquid path 86, as shown in the figure. On the substrate 81 (the substrate 81
A liquid path forming member 84 having a plurality of liquid path walls 84A formed in parallel at predetermined intervals on the lower surface is bonded to the top of the upper thin film 83. Furthermore, a top plate 85 is joined to the upper surface of the liquid path forming member 84. Each liquid path wall 84A
A liquid path 86 is formed between the liquid path forming member 84
are positioned and joined in such a positional relationship that each electrothermal converter 82 is disposed at a predetermined position inside each liquid path 86.

Each liquid path wall 84A has a predetermined length,
The rear end of each liquid path 86 is connected to a common liquid chamber 8 formed between the liquid path forming member 84 and the substrate 81 (or thin film 83).
It is connected to 7. On the other hand, the other end (tip) of each liquid path 86 opens at an ejection port forming surface (face surface) 88 of the recording head 15, and an ejection port 89 is formed by each opening. In this way, the electrothermal transducer 82 such as a heating resistor is energized (applied with a pulse voltage) to generate heat, thereby film boiling the ink in the liquid path 86, and the pressure change at that time causes ink to flow from the ejection port 89. An inkjet type recording means (recording head) 15 for ejecting droplets is configured. Note that the recording means 15 is mounted in such a manner that the arrangement direction of the plurality of ejection ports 89 intersects the conveyance direction of the recording material. In the inkjet recording apparatus having the configuration shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the recording material is attached to each recording head 1.
When it comes to a position facing 5, ink is ejected in accordance with the image signal to record an image.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control system of the inkjet recording apparatus shown in FIG. In FIG. 3, the recording device control circuit 31 has a microcomputer 41 as a control means, and controls the normal copying operation as well as the fixing operation by the heat roller 28. That is, when the fixing setting switch 7 of the operation unit 3 is pressed, the image control circuit 14 notifies the recording device control circuit 31 of this, and the microcomputer 41 operates the solenoid 43 via the driver 42, and the crank 44 and lever 45 are activated. The movable guide 27 is switched to the heat roller 28 side (the position shown in FIG. 1) via.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of this embodiment having the configuration described in FIGS. 1 to 3. In FIG. 4, first, an original is placed on the original platen glass 1, and then the original is placed on the original platen 2.
, and select whether or not to fix using the fixing setting switch 7 of the operating section 3 (step S1). Next, the start switch 4 is pressed (step S2), and the following series of recording operations are performed (step S3). That is, a document (not shown) is scanned while being irradiated with an exposure lamp 8, and the reflected light is imaged on a color image sensor 12 through an imaging lens 13 using mirrors 9, 10, and 11. The image control circuit 14 performs various corrections/color conversions on the blue, green, and red image signals separated by the color image sensor 12 and sends them to the cyan recording head 1.
An ink ejection signal is sent to each color recording head consisting of a recording head 5C, a magenta recording head 15M, a yellow recording head 15Y, and a black recording head 15B.

During this operation, the recording device control circuit 31:
Paper feed roller 22 or 23, conveyance roller 24 or 25
By rotating the registration rollers 26 , the recording material is fed from the cassette 20 or 21 and conveyed, and is electrostatically attracted to the conveying belt 19 using the attraction charger 18 . The attracted recording material moves in the direction of the arrow to below the recording head (line head) 15 at a predetermined timing. Therefore, we set the recording heads 15C, 15M, 15Y, and 15C to match the leading edge of the recording material and the leading edge of the original image.
They are driven in the order of B to eject ink onto a recording material to form a color image. Thereafter, the recording material is separated from the conveyor belt 19 by the curvature and enters the movable guide 27.

In steps S4 to S7 of FIG. 4, when the fixing setting switch 7 is set to perform fixing (switch on), the recorded recording material is moved by the movable guide 27 to The sheet is conveyed to the heat roller 28 side, where a fixing operation of heating and drying is performed by the heat roller 28, and then the sheet is discharged. On the other hand, when fixing is not set (the fixing setting switch 7 is off), the recorded material is moved by the movable guide 27 to the paper ejection roller (conveyance roller) 2.
9 side (step S8 and step S9),
The paper is ejected as is (step S7). In the illustrated example, the solenoid 43 is used to switch the movable guide 27, but instead, the movable guide 27 may be operated from a transport motor (not shown) via a gear or the like.

According to the embodiment described above, even when high-speed recording is performed using a recording material that does not dry well, such as an OHP film, the fixing operation can be performed accordingly, and the efficiency can be improved. An inkjet recording device was obtained that can prevent blurring of images and staining of the back of the recording material in a good manner.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a second embodiment of an inkjet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied. In the embodiment described above, the conveyance path was selected by moving the movable guide 27 to switch whether or not to perform fixing, but in the embodiment shown in FIG. ) to switch the conveyance path. In FIG. 5, the fixing unit 5
0 is equipped with a heat roller 28 and a conveyance roller 29, and when the heat roller 28 or the conveyance roller (discharge roller) 29 moves to a predetermined position, a flag 51 or a flag 52 blocks light from the detection surface of the sensor 53. , the fixing unit 50 is configured to stop at that position. In the configuration of the inkjet recording apparatus of FIG. 5, instead of the movable guide 27 in the inkjet recording apparatus of FIG.
It is provided with a movable fixing unit 50 and a motor 54 for moving the fixing unit, and other parts have substantially the same configuration as the case of FIG.
Corresponding parts are indicated by the same reference numerals, and detailed explanation thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control system of the ink jet recording apparatus shown in FIG. In FIG. 6, the recording device control circuit 31 has a microcomputer 41 as a control means, and controls the normal copying operation as well as the fixing operation by the fixing unit 50. That is, when the fixing setting switch 7 of the operation unit 3 is pressed, the image control circuit 14 notifies the recording device control circuit 31 of this, and the microcomputer 41 rotates the motor 54 via the motor driver 56, The fixing unit 50 is moved to a position where the flag 51 blocks light from the sensor 53 via a gear or the like.
to move the recording material conveyance path to the heat roller 28.
Switch to the side.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of this embodiment having the configurations shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. In FIG. 7, first, a document is placed on the document platen glass 1, the document pressure plate 2 is lowered, and whether or not to fix the document is selected with the fixing setting switch 7 of the operation section 3 (step S1). Next, the start switch 4 is pressed (step S2), and a series of recording operations as described above are performed (step S3). When the start switch 4 is pressed (step S2) and after the recording operation, if fixing has been set by the fixing setting switch 7 in step S1, the motor 54 is activated by a signal from the motor driver 56.
is rotated, the fixing unit 50 is moved to a position where the flag 51 blocks light from the sensor 53 via a gear (not shown), etc., and the conveyance path is switched to the heat roller 28 side (step S4, step S5). The recorded material is fixed while passing through the heat roller 28 (step S6).
), and after being fixed, is discharged to the paper discharge tray 30 (step S7).

On the other hand, if the fixing setting has not been made using the fixing setting switch, after the recording operation in step S3, the fixing unit 50 is moved to a position where the flag 52 blocks light from the sensor 53, and the conveying path is set by the conveying roller. 29 side (step S8), the recorded recording material is conveyed by the conveyance roller 29 (step S9), and the recording material is discharged as it is (without a fixing operation) (step S7).

According to the embodiments described above with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7, even when high-speed recording is performed using a recording material that does not dry well, such as an OHP film, the fixing operation is performed accordingly. Thus, an inkjet recording device was obtained that can efficiently prevent blurring of images and staining of the back of the recording material. In each of the above embodiments, whether or not to perform fixing is set in advance by the fixing setting switch 7, but instead of this, it is possible to set the recording material to be a material with good drying properties such as coated paper. The necessity of the fixing operation may be automatically switched by using a sensor or the like to identify whether the fixing operation is made of a material with poor drying properties such as OHP or the like.

In each of the above embodiments, the heat roller 28 was used as the fixing means.
8 or together with the heat roller 28,
Fixing may be performed using one or more fans, flash lamps, or the like. Furthermore, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the case of a color inkjet recording apparatus using a plurality of (four) line type recording means (recording heads) 15 for recording in different colors was exemplified, but the present invention Inkjet printing equipment uses one line-type recording head, or gradation recording inkjet recording equipment uses multiple recording heads with the same color but different densities; It can be applied in the same way to any inkjet recording device, such as a serial type inkjet recording device in which the recording head is mounted on a carriage or the like and main scans along the recording material, regardless of the recording method and number of recording heads. It is possible to achieve similar effects. The recording means (recording head) may be a replaceable cartridge type recording means that combines a recording head and an ink tank, or
Recording means having various structures can be used, such as a recording means having a structure in which the recording head and the ink tank are separated and connected via a coupler and a tube, for example.

The present invention can be applied to inkjet recording devices that use a recording means (recording head) that uses an electromechanical transducer such as a piezo element. This provides excellent effects in an inkjet recording apparatus that ejects ink. This is because, according to such a system, higher recording density and higher definition can be achieved.

For its typical configuration and principle, see, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4,740.
Preferably, this is done using the basic principles disclosed in the '796 specification. This method can be applied to both the so-called on-demand type and continuous type, but
In particular, in the case of the on-demand type, the electrothermal transducer placed corresponding to the sheet holding the liquid (ink) or the liquid path is required to respond to the recorded information and rapidly exceed nucleate boiling. By applying at least one drive signal that causes a temperature increase, the electrothermal transducer generates thermal energy that causes film boiling on the heat-active surface of the recording means (recording head), resulting in a pair of It is effective because it can form bubbles in the liquid (ink).

The growth and contraction of the bubble causes liquid (ink) to be ejected through the ejection opening to form at least one drop. It is more preferable to use this drive signal in a pulse form, since the growth and contraction of bubbles can be carried out immediately and appropriately, so that ejection of liquid (ink) with particularly excellent responsiveness can be achieved. This pulse-shaped drive signal is described in US Pat.
Those described in Japanese Patent No. 463359 and Japanese Patent No. 4345262 are suitable. Incidentally, US Pat.
If the conditions described in No. 24 are adopted, even more excellent recording can be achieved.

[0032] In addition to the configuration of the recording head that combines ejection ports, liquid paths, and electrothermal converters (straight liquid flow path or right-angled liquid flow path) as disclosed in the above-mentioned specifications, U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,333 and U.S. Pat. No. 4 disclose a configuration in which a heat acting part is arranged in a bending region.
A configuration using the specification of No. 459600 is also included in the present invention. In addition, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 123670 of 1982 discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as a discharge part for a plurality of electrothermal converters, and a hole that absorbs pressure waves of thermal energy is disclosed. The present invention is also effective as a configuration based on Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 138461 of 1981, which discloses a configuration in which a discharge portion corresponds to a discharge portion. That is, regardless of the form of the recording head, according to the present invention, recording can be performed reliably and efficiently.

Furthermore, the present invention can be effectively applied to a full-line type recording head having a length corresponding to the maximum width of a recording medium that can be recorded by a recording apparatus. Such a recording head may have a configuration in which the length is satisfied by a combination of a plurality of recording heads, or a configuration as a single recording head formed integrally. In addition, even with the serial type shown in the example above, the recording head is fixed to the device body, or by being attached to the device body, electrical connection to the device body and ink supply from the device body is possible. The present invention is also effective when using a replaceable chip type recording head or a cartridge type recording head in which an ink tank is integrally provided in the recording head itself.

Further, it is preferable to add recovery means for the recording head, preliminary auxiliary means, etc., which are provided as a configuration of the recording apparatus, to the present invention because the effects of the present invention can be further stabilized. Specifically, these are:
Capping means, cleaning means, pressure or suction means, preheating means using an electrothermal transducer or another heating element, or a combination thereof, and ejection other than recording for the recording head. It is also effective to perform a preliminary ejection mode to perform stable printing.

[0035] Regarding the type and number of recording heads mounted, for example, in addition to only one head being provided for single-color ink, there are also configurations that can handle multiple inks with different recording colors and densities. A plurality of them may be provided. That is, for example, the recording mode of the recording device is not only a recording mode for mainstream colors such as black, but also a recording mode for only mainstream colors such as black.
The recording head may be configured integrally or in combination, but the present invention is also extremely effective for devices equipped with at least one of multiple colors of different colors or full color by mixing colors.

In addition, in the embodiments of the present invention described above, the ink is described as a liquid, but ink that solidifies at room temperature or below, softens or liquefies at room temperature, or ink jet In this method, the temperature of the ink itself is generally adjusted within the range of 30°C to 70°C to keep the viscosity of the ink within the stable ejection range. Any liquid may be used. In addition, the temperature rise caused by thermal energy can be actively prevented by using it as energy to change the state of the ink from a solid state to a liquid state, or ink that solidifies when left unused is used to prevent ink evaporation. In any case, the ink is liquefied by applying thermal energy according to the recording signal, and the liquid ink is ejected, or the ink already begins to solidify by the time it reaches the recording medium. The present invention is also applicable when using ink that is liquefied only by thermal energy.

[0037] The ink used in such a case is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 1983-
56847 or Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 60-71260, a form in which the porous sheet is held as a liquid or solid in the recesses or through holes and faces the electrothermal converter. You can also use it as In the present invention, the most effective method for each of the above-mentioned inks is to implement the above-mentioned film boiling method.

In addition, the inkjet recording device according to the present invention can be used as an image output terminal for information processing equipment such as a computer, a copying device combined with a reader, etc., and a facsimile device having a transmitting/receiving function. It may also take the form of

[0039]

As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, in an inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording by ejecting ink from a recording means onto a recording material, it is possible to Since the configuration has a conveyance path switching means for switching between a conveyance path that performs fixing and a conveyance path that does not fix the recording material, the fixing operation is performed when recording materials that do not dry well are used, and when other recording materials are used, the fixing operation is performed. It is possible to switch to disable the fixing operation when using a recording material of An inkjet recording device is provided that can prevent staining on the back side of a material.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing the configuration of an embodiment of an inkjet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway perspective view schematically showing the structure of an ink ejection section of the recording means in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of main parts of a control system of the inkjet recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the control system in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a schematic vertical sectional view showing the configuration of another embodiment of an inkjet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of main parts of a control system of the inkjet recording apparatus shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the control system in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view showing a configuration example of a conventional inkjet recording device.

[Explanation of symbols]

3 Operation unit 4 Start switch 7 Fixing setting switch 14 Image control circuit 15 Recording means (recording head) 19 Conveyance belt 27 Movable guide 28 Heat roller (for fixing) 29 Conveyance roller (discharge roller) 31 Recording device control circuit 41 Microcomputer 43 Solenoid 50 Fixing unit 51 Flag 52 Flag 53 Sensor (for fixing unit position detection) 54
Motor (for moving the fixing unit) 56
motor driver

Claims (5)

[Claims] Claim 1: In an inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording by discharging ink from a recording means onto a recording material, a conveyance path for fixing the recording material and a transport path for fixing the recording material are configured depending on the type of recording material. An inkjet recording apparatus characterized by having a conveyance path switching means for switching between a conveyance path and a conveyance path. 2. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the conveyance path in which fixing is performed and the conveyance path in which fixing is not performed are switched by moving a guide or a fixing unit. 3. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein whether or not to perform fixing is switched manually or automatically. 4. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording means is an inkjet recording means including an electrothermal converter for generating thermal energy for ejecting ink. 5. The ink jet recording according to claim 4, wherein the recording means ejects the ink from the ejection port by utilizing film boiling that occurs in the ink due to thermal energy applied by the electrothermal converter. Device.