JPH09262968A - Ink-jet printing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To sufficiently display the excellent characteristic of an ink-jet recording method and an achieve high-grade and high-accurate printing by providing respective means for preventing the floating movement of a platelike medium surface and for preventing the rotational movement of the platelike medium during the transfer of the same by a transfer means. SOLUTION: An optical information medium 1 has a circular opening formed concentrically with the medium. Accordingly, a cylindrical protrusion provided on a support member 20 is fitted into a center hole of the circular opening, whereby the optical information medium 1 is supported by the support member 20 without being floated or rotated during transfer. The support member 20 is moved on a guide table 8 by the rotations of a plurality of rollers 9, 10, 11, 12. That is, these rollers consist of a transfer roller pair 9 for regulating a transfer speed, a delivery roller pair 10, and guide roller pairs 11, 12. These rollers 9, 10, 11, 12 are to arranged as to be in parallel with a guide shaft 5 and a support shaft 6.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an inkjet printing apparatus, and more particularly to a structure of an information medium supporting member for recording on a plate-shaped optical information medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An optically readable plate-shaped recording medium,
For example, compact discs (hereinafter also referred to as CDs or simply discs) are used in a wide range of industrial fields such as information processing, music, video, and publishing, and are widely spread to general households. A writable technology has also been developed for a CD-ROM that uses the CD technology as an information recording medium, and has the possibility of developing as a storage device in the future due to its large capacity characteristics. Therefore, particularly in the information processing field, each individual has a plurality of CDs as recording media on which various kinds of information are recorded, and a plurality of CDs are recorded based on the titles and indexes printed on one side of these CDs. Clearly, the need for individual identification of CDs will increase even further.

The above-mentioned CD is screen-printed with a surface on which information (characters, sounds, images, images) converted into a digital signal that can be read by a laser spot is recorded, and an index and label information according to the recorded information content. Alternatively, it has a tampo printed surface.

By the way, although the above-mentioned printing method (screen printing or tampo printing) on a CD is suitable for printing a large amount of the same contents at the same time, it is necessary to reduce the production efficiency and the small number of different indexes and labels. Lack of flexibility in terms of cost. However, printing an index or the like on a CD requires printing of different contents for each CD, including a personal basis. Furthermore, considering the use on an individual basis, an inexpensive and simple printing method is desired as the print recording method.

As an inexpensive and simple printing method, an ink jet recording method has been conventionally known. This method
The recording liquid ejects small droplets and is applied to the recording medium to perform recording. That is, the ink jet recording method has excellent features such that the surface of the recording medium can be easily protected and the medium surface shape is not selected, because the recording is achieved in a state where the recording medium and the recording means are not in contact with each other. Also,
Color recording is also possible by ejecting a plurality of color inks.

Therefore, for the above reasons, there is an increasing need for a so-called inkjet printing apparatus for optical information media, which is most suitable for printing on the surface of a CD, and various techniques have been disclosed. For example, in the recording method disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 64-38237, a rotating disc is
Recording is performed by linearly moving the printhead. Further, an example is also disclosed in which a disc is placed on a conveyor belt and recorded while moving and transporting the disc. Further, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-60432 discloses an example in which a disc is supported by a holder and recording is performed while being conveyed on a feed table by a roller pair.

[0007]

However, the conventional ink jet printing apparatus for optical information medium has the following problems to be solved.

Printing on one side of a CD is performed by using general character information,
The graphic information is arranged along a direction orthogonal to a straight line passing through the center of one surface of the disc from the viewpoint of visibility that the linear arrangement is easier to read. Therefore, the printed portion of information is concentrated on a specific portion of the surface and has a linear arrangement. For example, a portion in which the title of the CD is printed and a portion in which the index is printed are formed in a rectangular shape on one surface of the CD. However, JP-A-64-
In the recording method of rotating a disc disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 38237, recording is performed by linearly moving a print head with respect to a rotating disc.
The recording operation is substantially along the circumferential direction. for that reason,
Useless operating time is likely to occur until the end of recording. Further, in the conveyor belt mounting method disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 64-38237, since the disk is directly mounted on the conveyor belt, the disk may be lifted in the mounted state or minute vibrations of the conveyor belt may cause the disk to move. The print may be disturbed due to slight movement or rotation. Further, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No.
According to Japanese Patent No. 60432, since the disc is not fixed in the holder, the medium may float up from the holder during transportation, or the disc may slightly move or rotate due to minute vibration, which may cause print disturbance. .

In recent years, it has become necessary to increase the printing accuracy in accordance with colorization, and it is desired to record color information in view of its visibility when recording on a CD. Furthermore, there is a tendency for higher definition by increasing the resolution,
The printing accuracy is becoming more important, and it is difficult to improve the printing accuracy in the transport state where the disk floats, moves slightly, or rotates as described above. Therefore, there has conventionally been a technical problem of improving the printing accuracy on one side of a CD.

Therefore, the present invention solves the above-mentioned problems,
Provided is an inkjet printing apparatus that can perform printing operation and conveyance operation with less waste than conventional ones, and can achieve high-quality and high-precision printing by fully exhibiting the excellent characteristics of the inkjet printing method. The purpose is to do.

[0011]

In order to solve the above problems, an ink jet printing apparatus based on the present invention is
An inkjet printing apparatus for printing predetermined information on a plate-shaped medium, a supporting member for supporting the plate-shaped medium, and a conveying means for conveying the supporting member along the sub-scanning direction, A carriage that carries printing means for printing predetermined information on a plate-like medium and moves along the main scanning direction; and a conveying member, a carriage, and control means for controlling the drive of the printing means, Further, the support member has means for preventing the surface of the plate-shaped medium from levitating during the conveyance by the conveying means, and means for preventing the plate-shaped medium from rotating during the conveyance by the conveying means. And

Preferably, the plate-shaped medium has a fitting portion, and a fitting portion that can be fitted into and removed from the fitting portion is provided on the support member.

Preferably, the fitting portion of the plate-like medium is formed of a hole, while the fitting portion of the supporting member is formed of a flexible protrusion, and the hole and the protrusion are fitted to each other. The protrusion serves as the levitation movement prevention means and the rotation movement prevention means.

Preferably, as the levitation movement prevention means and the rotation movement prevention means, an adsorption means utilizing a pressure difference from the atmospheric pressure is used.

Preferably, a suction means utilizing adhesiveness is used as the levitation movement prevention means and the rotation movement prevention means.

It is preferable that the floating movement preventing means and the rotation movement preventing means include a releasing means for releasing the fitted state between the fitting portion of the plate-shaped medium and the fitting portion of the supporting member.

Preferably, it has a detection means for detecting that the optical information medium is carried on the support member.

Preferably, the support member is provided with an absorber capable of receiving ink.

Preferably, the support member has a recess for supporting the optical information medium.

Preferably, the plate-shaped medium is an optical information medium such as a music CD, a CD-ROM, an AV CD or the like.

[0021] Preferably, the printing means is a printing means compatible with color recording.

Preferably, the printing means is an ink jet print head having an electrothermal converter as an energy generating means for ejecting ink droplets, which uses heat energy to cause film boiling in the ink.

[0023]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[First Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing an example of an ink jet printing apparatus according to the present invention. The inkjet printing apparatus includes a carriage 2 that slides on a guide shaft 5 and a support shaft 6 along a direction (vertical direction in the drawing) orthogonal to the arrow A direction in the drawing, and a print head detachably supported by the carriage 2. It has a unit 3, an ink cartridge 4, and a head electrical connection member 7.
Further, the printing apparatus has a support member 20 for carrying a disc-shaped optical information medium (for example, a commercially available CD) 1 along the arrow A direction.

The optical information medium 1 has a circular opening (center hole) formed concentrically with the medium. Therefore, by fitting the cylindrical convex portion (a claw portion described later) provided on the support member 20 and the center hole thereof, the support member 20 does not float or rotate during transport of the optical information medium 1. Supported by. In the figure, the guide table of reference numeral 8 serves as a support surface when the support member 20 is moved in the direction of arrow A. In addition, the support member 20 includes a plurality of rollers 9, 10, 11, 1.
The rotation of 2 moves on the guide table 8. That is, reference numeral 9 is a pair of transport rollers that regulate the transport speed, and 1
Reference numeral 0 is a paper discharge roller pair, and 11 and 12 are guide roller pairs. The guide roller pair 11 is a first guide roller 11a arranged so as to contact the upper surface of the support member.
And a second guide roller 11b arranged so as to contact the lower surface of the support member. These rollers 9,
10, 11, and 12 are the guide shaft 5 and the support shaft 6 described above.
Are arranged in parallel with.

Further, the ink jet printing apparatus of this embodiment has a medium sensor 13 for detecting the presence / absence of the optical information medium 1 on the supporting member 20. This medium sensor 1
3 detects the presence or absence of the medium on the support member 20 through the hole 14 formed in the guide table 8 and the hole 29 formed in the support member 20. Further, in this embodiment, it is also possible to detect whether or not the end portion of the support member 20 has passed through the hole 14 by the medium sensor 13.

Next, the operation of the ink jet printing apparatus having such a structure will be described.

First, the optical information medium 1 is fixed to the support member 20 by fitting the center hole of the optical information medium 1 into the cylindrical convex portion provided on the support member 20.

The support member 20 holding the optical information medium 1 is
The guide table 8 is placed on the guide table 8 and the tip of the support member 20 is clamped by the guide roller pair 11.

Media sensor 1 through hole 14 in table 8
3 detects the tip of the support member 20. When the control unit (not shown) connected to the medium sensor 13 determines that the tip of the support member 20 is located on the hole 14 of the table 8, the control unit determines that the rollers 9, 10, 11, 12 are connected. Is driven to convey the support member 20 in the direction of arrow A by a predetermined amount.

Next, when the hole 29 of the support member 20 coincides with the position of the medium sensor 13, the presence or absence of the optical information medium 1 is detected. The medium sensor 13 is, for example, an optical reflection type sensor, and can detect the presence or absence of the medium by the amount of light reflected from the information recording surface on the back surface of the medium. The support member 20
Since the back surface of the optical information medium 1 has a reflection level different from that of the back surface of the optical information medium 1, the support member 2 has a different reflection amount due to the difference in the light amount.
The leading and trailing edges of 0 can also be detected separately from the presence or absence of the medium.

When it is determined that the optical information medium 1 is present, the supporting member 20 is further conveyed in the direction of arrow A. When the tip of the optical information medium 1 reaches the lower part of the print head unit 3, the recording operation is started.

The printing operation is similar to the printing operation applied to a general printer or the like, the drive of the print head unit 3 along the main scanning direction (the vertical direction in the drawing) and the sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction. This is done by repeating the transport of the optical information medium 1 along. Therefore, the support member 20 is recorded / conveyed in the direction of arrow A in the figure, and recording on the medium surface is completed.

In the previous medium detection, when there is no optical information medium 1, the medium is announced, the control for executing the printing operation is stopped, the supporting member is discharged in the direction of arrow A in the figure, and the series of operations is completed. To do.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the support member 20. The support member 20 is a substantially rectangular member made of, for example, a resin material. In addition, a recess having an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the optical information medium 1 is formed on one surface of the support member 20. Further, the depth of the recess is larger than the thickness of the optical information member 1. A substantially cylindrical convex portion (hereinafter, also referred to as a claw portion) 23 into which the central hole of the optical information medium 1 fits is formed in the central portion of the concave portion. The claw portion 23 functions as a means for preventing the surface of the optical information medium 1 from levitating during transportation and a means for preventing the medium from rotating in a plane in the transportation direction. That is, the claw portion 23 has a plurality of claw-shaped projection pieces whose tip ends are bent inwardly and equally arranged in a circle, and is erected so as to draw a circle. Is. The outer diameter of the claw portion 23 has a margin for the inner diameter of the center hole of the optical information medium 1. Furthermore, the recess 2 is further formed toward the outside of the peripheral edge of the recess formed in the support member 20.
1 and 22 are formed. These recesses are recesses into which fingers can be inserted when holding the optical information medium 1, and the bottom of the recesses are
It is located at a position lower than the height of the back surface of the optical information medium 1 inserted in the recess (that is, the recess is deeper than the recess).

FIG. 3 is a sectional view for explaining the structure of the claw portion of the support member according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In the figure,
φ _M is the inner diameter of the central hole of the optical information medium 1, and φ _H is the outer diameter of the claw portion 23 of the support member 20. Reference numeral 24 represents a root portion of the claw portion 23, and the thickness dimension of this portion is configured to be sufficiently flexible as compared with the basic thickness of the support member 20. Further, reference numeral 231 indicates the claw portion 2.
The claw taper portion located in the middle of 3 has a taper that changes from an outer diameter smaller than φ _M to φ _H. Where φ _M
Between φ and φ _H, a positive interference margin α is set such that φ _H = φ _M −α. Therefore, when mounting the optical information medium 1,
The center hole is guided by the claw taper portion 231 and gradually inserted, and the outer diameter of the claw portion 23 becomes the same as φ _M due to the flexibility of the base portion 24 as the pushing operation is performed. The optical information medium 1 is pressed in the normal direction. With this pressing force in the normal direction, the levitating motion and the rotating motion of the optical information medium 1 are prevented. If this pressing force is set to a minimum value that allows a rotation moment larger than the rotation moment acting on the medium at the time of conveyance to be obtained at the inner circumference of the central hole, the operation force at the time of removal can be made small.

As described above, the optical information medium supporting member having the means for preventing the surface of the optical information medium 1 from floating during the transportation and the means for preventing the medium from rotating within the plane in the transportation direction. By transporting the medium, it is possible to ensure the integral transport of the medium and the supporting member and to improve the printing accuracy with a simpler configuration than the conventional one. Further, since the positional relationship between the optical information medium and the support member in the insertion direction can be kept constant at all times,
The droplet flight distance that affects the ejection performance of the print head can be kept constant, and stable printing quality can be obtained. Furthermore, since the surface of the optical information medium is recessed from the surface of the support member, the transport roller pair can sandwich the support member in a non-contact state with the optical information medium. Therefore, the structure is advantageous for protecting the surface of the optical information medium and fixing the ink. Similarly, since the arrangement of the pair of conveying rollers in the carriage scanning direction can be arbitrarily arranged, it is possible to contribute to the improvement of the conveying accuracy even when the supporting member is conveyed. Further, since the recess is provided in the region including the outer edge of the optical information medium, it is easy for the fingers to enter during the removal operation, and the medium can be handled safely. In addition, since the back surface of the optical information medium is also protected by the supporting member, the most important optical information recording can be safely handled.

[Second Embodiment] FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a second example of a supporting member applied to an ink jet printing apparatus according to the present invention. The support member in the first embodiment of FIG. 3 is different from the support member in the levitating motion and the rotating motion, and is provided with a device for releasing the fitting with the blocking device.

The support member 30 of this embodiment is made of a substantially rectangular member having a recess as in the support member 20 of the first embodiment.

Further, there is provided a guide portion 33 having an outer diameter dimension which is loosely fitted to the inner diameter of the central hole of the optical information medium 1. Dent 3
1 is a recess into which a finger can be inserted when holding the optical information medium 1,
The depth is deeper than the back surface of the optical information medium 1. Reference numeral 34 is, for example, a flexible suction cup member made of rubber or the like, and is arranged with one end fixed to the support member 30. Reference numeral 35 is a release lever and a push-up portion 351 is attached to the tip.
It is a member having a shape that is partially flexible in the direction of the arrow D in the figure. Reference numeral 36 is a spring, one end of which is locked to the wall surface of the support member 30 and the other end of which is locked to the release lever 35, thereby urging the release lever 35 in the direction of arrow C in the figure. Next, with reference to FIG. 5, the operation of the means for blocking the levitating motion and the rotating motion and the means for releasing the fitting between the blocking means will be described. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a support member according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state in which is operated in the direction of arrow B in the drawing. That is, FIG. 4 shows the fitted state of the optical information medium and the means for blocking the levitating motion and the turning motion, and FIG. 5 shows the released state of the optical information medium and the means for blocking the levitating motion and the turning motion. Is. In FIG. 4, the suction cup 34 is a closed space 341 surrounded by the optical information medium 1 in a state of being attracted thereto.
The internal volume is smaller than the open space 342 shown in FIG. This is because the suction cup 34 is deformed by its flexibility while discharging the air in the open space 342 to the outside when the optical information medium 1 is inserted in the direction opposite to the arrow D in the figure. In this state, the suction cup 34 decompresses the inside of the closed space 341 by the repulsive force to restore the shape shown in FIG. 5, and the suction cup 34 adsorbs the optical information medium 1. Next, when the release lever 35 is operated in the direction of arrow B in the drawing, the state shown in FIG. 5 is obtained. In FIG. 5, the release lever 35 partially deforms with flexibility, and the push-up portion 351 pushes up in the direction of the arrow D in the drawing along the tapered portion 37 provided on the support member 30. Along with this, the optical information medium 1 is biased in the direction of the arrow D in the drawing along the guide portion 33 which is loosely fitted,
The suction state is released by applying the restoring force of the suction cup 34, and the state shown in the figure is obtained. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a supporting member according to a second embodiment of the present invention, showing the state of FIG. 4 and the state of FIG. 5 by a chain line.

As described above, as a means for preventing the surface of the optical information medium from levitating during transportation and a means for preventing the medium from rotating within the plane of the transportation direction, the adsorption utilizing the pressure difference from the atmospheric pressure is used. By conveying the optical information medium supporting member having the means, it is possible to ensure the integral conveyance of the medium and the supporting member with a simple structure, and to improve the printing accuracy. In addition, since the positional relationship between the optical information medium and the supporting member in the insertion direction can be more stably maintained at a constant level by suction, the droplet flight distance that affects the ejection performance of the print head can be maintained at a constant level. The print quality can be obtained. Furthermore, by providing a releasing means for releasing the fitted state between the floating movement preventing means or the rotation movement preventing means and the optical information medium, a simpler safe operation and handling can be performed even if the medium is removed, It is possible to provide a user-friendly printing device that is also effective for protection of the recording surface.

[Third Embodiment] FIGS. 7 and 8 are a plan view and a sectional view, respectively, showing a supporting member according to a third embodiment of the present invention. An absorber capable of receiving ink is arranged on the support member in the first embodiment of FIG. Regarding the reference numerals, the parts having the same functions as those in FIG. 3 are given the same numbers. 7 and 8, reference numeral 5
Reference numeral 0 denotes an absorber having an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer shape of the optical information medium 1 at the center of the supporting member 20 and capable of receiving ink, which is disposed in the recess provided in the supporting member 20. Further, reference numeral 51 is an absorber capable of receiving ink similarly to the absorber 50, and has an outer diameter substantially the same as the outer diameter of the claw portion 23.
It is composed of a portion that is loosely fitted in the hole portion and a portion that has a crimp margin for the hole portion. The absorber 50 is fixed to the support member 20 with, for example, an adhesive material, and the absorber 51 is fixed by utilizing its shape and the flexibility of the claw portion 23.

With the above-described structure, when recording is performed in the area of the circular optical information medium 1, even if the ejection for recording is accidentally performed out of the area, the absorbers 50 and 51 cause the recording. It can be received and prevent stains on other parts. For example,
It is assumed that the position of the support member 20 in the transport direction shifts, or the position of the carriage scanning direction shifts, causing a preset recording area of the optical information medium 1 to shift from a desired position. In addition, since measures are taken to prevent stains, the non-recording area that should be provided between the recording area and the outer shape of the optical information medium 1 can be reduced, and the recordable area can be effectively used. Further, as described in the first embodiment, the holes 29 of the support member 20 and the medium sensor 13 cause
If the detection of the presence or absence of the optical information medium 1 on the support member is combined, it is effective against erroneous operation and the printing device is excellent in safety.

As described above, by disposing the detecting means for detecting that the medium is carried on the supporting member and the absorber capable of receiving ink, it is possible to record up to the vicinity of the boundary between the opening and the outer edge. The range can be expanded and the support member,
It is possible to prevent stains due to blank recording inside the printing device.

[Fourth Embodiment] FIGS. 9 and 10 are a plan view and a sectional view, respectively, showing a supporting member according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. Absorber 5 in the third embodiment of FIGS.
An absorber 52 is added to 0 and 51, and both of them are configured to be capable of guiding ink. Regarding the reference numerals, the parts having the same functions as those in FIGS. In FIGS. 9 and 10, 52 is an absorber 50, 51.
Similar to the above, it is an absorber capable of receiving ink, and partly has a portion 523 (a fitting hole in the example shown in FIG. 10) capable of contacting the absorber 51. Further, the absorbent body 52 has a width capable of contacting the absorbent body 50 as shown by the broken line in FIG. 9,
The both ends 521 and 522 are in contact with the absorber 51. The degree of abutting is sufficient as long as ink can be transferred between them, and it is not necessary to firmly fix them.

With the above configuration, the total amount of ink that can be received even if the ink is erroneously discharged onto the absorber 51 when recording is performed in the area of the circular optical information medium 1 is as follows. It is the sum of 50, 51 and 52, and thus the total amount that can be accepted can be increased.

[Others] As the levitation movement prevention means and the rotation movement prevention means in the present invention, an embodiment using fitting with a flexible projection and differential pressure from the atmospheric pressure has been described. However, a method in which a region having adhesiveness is provided in a part of the support member and the region is held by adhesion with the medium may be used. In this case, the adhesiveness required may be a minimum value that can obtain a rotation moment larger than the rotation moment acting on the medium during transportation, as described in the previous embodiment.

Also, in the case of fitting with a protrusion having flexibility, the fitting was performed with respect to the inner diameter of the center hole of the medium, and this was used, but with respect to the outer diameter of the medium or a part thereof. It is obvious that the similar effect of preventing the levitating / rotating motion can be obtained by taking the fitting.

The recess of the region including the outer edge of the optical information medium in the support member may be formed by a hole or by forming a shape in which a part of the outer edge of the support member is omitted. The effect is obtained.

Although the release lever and the spring are set as the release means, if the initial position can be held by the reaction force due to the elasticity, the elasticity is obtained by the shape of the operation lever itself so that the spring and the lever are integrally configured. Is also possible. Also,
Although the motion direction was converted by the taper and the linear guide, it goes without saying that the object of the present case can be achieved by other motion direction conversion methods. For example, by using a release lever having a rotation fulcrum, the movement direction can be changed and the fitting state can be released.

Further, the medium sensor may be replaced by a detection based on the presence or absence of a shape by an optical transmission type sensor and a light shielding plate, or a method of directly contacting the medium with a micro switch or the like may be used.

Further, although the optical information medium having a circular shape is taken as an example in this embodiment, it is obvious that the same effect can be obtained even if the medium has a rectangular or irregular shape.

The ink jet print head unit mounted in the ink jet printing apparatus according to the present invention has an electric machine heat converter for generating thermal energy that causes film boiling of the ink in order to eject the ink. The inkjet printhead unit may be compatible with color recording or single-color recording.

[0053]

As described above, the ink jet printing apparatus based on the present invention prevents the optical information medium surface from levitating during transportation and prevents the medium from rotating in a plane in the transportation direction. The optical information medium supporting member having the means for carrying the optical information medium is conveyed, and the releasing means for releasing the fitting state between the floating movement preventing means or the rotational movement preventing means and the optical information medium is provided, and the medium is carried on the supporting member. By arranging the detection means for detecting that and the absorber capable of receiving the ink, it is possible to guarantee the integrated conveyance of the medium and the supporting member, it is possible to improve the printing accuracy, and it is easy to handle the medium, It is possible to provide a user-friendly printing device that is also effective for protecting the recording surface of a medium. Further, it is possible to expand the recordable range up to the vicinity of the boundary of the opening and the outer edge portion, and it is possible to prevent the support member and the inside of the printing apparatus from being soiled due to blank recording. Further, according to the present invention, high-definition recording can be performed on media of various outer shapes.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view for explaining a schematic configuration of an inkjet printing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a first embodiment of a support member applied to an inkjet printing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a claw portion of a support member according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a second embodiment of a support member applied to the inkjet printing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a support member according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a support member according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a third embodiment of a supporting member applied to the inkjet printing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing a support member according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a fourth embodiment of a supporting member applied to the inkjet printing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing a support member according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Optical Information Medium 2 Carriage 3 Printhead Unit 4 Ink Cartridge 9 Conveying Roller Pair 10 Paper Ejecting Roller Pair 13 Media Sensor 20, 30 Supporting Member 21, 22 Depression 23 Claw 34 Sucker 35 Release Lever 351 Pushup 36 Spring 50, 51 , 52 absorber

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. An inkjet printing apparatus for printing predetermined information on a plate-shaped medium, comprising: a support member for supporting the plate-shaped medium; and a conveyance member for conveying the support member along the sub-scanning direction. Transporting means, a carriage for mounting the printing means for printing the predetermined information on the plate-shaped medium and moving in the main scanning direction, and controlling driving of the transporting member, the carriage, and the printing means. Further, the support member has a means for preventing the plate-like medium surface from performing a levitating motion during the conveying by the conveying means, and the supporting member during the conveying by the conveying means. And a means for preventing the rotational movement. 2. The inkjet according to claim 1, wherein the plate-shaped medium has a fitting portion, and a fitting portion that can be fitted into and removed from the fitting portion is provided on the support member. Printing equipment. 3. The fitting portion of the plate-shaped medium is formed of a hole, while the fitting portion of the support member is formed of a flexible projection, and the hole and the projection are fitted together. 3. The inkjet printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the protrusion serves as the levitation movement prevention means and the rotational movement prevention means. 4. The ink jet printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a suction means that utilizes a differential pressure from atmospheric pressure is used as the floating movement prevention means and the rotation movement prevention means. 5. The ink jet printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a suction means utilizing an adhesive property is used as the levitation movement prevention means and the rotation movement prevention means. 6. A release means for releasing the fitting state between the fitting portion of the plate-shaped medium and the fitting portion of the supporting member as the floating movement preventing means and the rotation movement preventing means. The inkjet printing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 and 3. 7. The inkjet printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a detection unit for detecting that the optical information medium is carried on the support member. 8. An absorber capable of receiving ink is disposed on the support member.
The inkjet printing apparatus according to any one of 1. 9. The inkjet printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support member has a recess for supporting the optical information medium. 10. The inkjet printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plate-shaped medium is an optical information medium. 11. The ink jet printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the printing unit is a printing unit compatible with color recording. 12. The printing means is an inkjet print head having an electrothermal converter for generating film boiling in the ink by using thermal energy as energy generating means for ejecting ink droplets. The inkjet printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11.