JPH10333312A - Sheet heating device and image recorder equipped with the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To satisfactorily carry and sub-scan a sheet without damaging the sheet, and also to efficiently and uniformly heat the sheet. SOLUTION: When the sheet S is stopped on a heating plate, links 44 and 45 are rotated counterclockwise, a spring holding member 39 comes close to a heating guide plate 37, and a spring member 40 is elastically deformed in contact with the sheet S or the heating guide plate 37, then, the sheet S is urged by the spring member 40 so as to come into tight contact with the upper surface of the plate 37. On the other hand, when the sheet S is in carrying by rotating sub scanning rollers 29 and 39, the links 44 and 45 are rotated clockwise so as to separate the spring holding member 39 from the plate 37, then, the spring member 40 is retreated so as to be positioned in non contact with the sheet S and the plate 37. By repeating this operation, the sheet S is brought into tight contact with the plate 37 when the sheet S is stopped, then, the heat is satisfactorily transferred to the sheet S and the prescribed quantity of heat is applied on the sheet S, then, a hot-melt fixation is executed, on the other hand, when the sheet S is in carrying, the sheet is released from being pressed so as not to cause the increase of a carrying resistance, and the sheet is accurately carried without causing the slip between the sheet S and the subscanning rollers 29 and 30.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sheet heating apparatus for heating a sheet-shaped recording medium and an image recording apparatus provided with the apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an apparatus for heat-treating a sheet-shaped recording medium, an improved apparatus for thermally developing a dry silver halide film exposed imagewise has been proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 8-240897. I have.

FIG. 17 shows a side view of a sheet heating apparatus.
The thermal developing device main body 1 includes a heating chamber 2 and a cooling chamber 3,
The heating chamber 2 is covered with a box-shaped heat insulating member 4 and is thermally insulated from the outside well. The heat insulating member 4 is provided with a minimum opening 4a into which the exposed sheet S, which is a photothermographic element, is inserted.

In the heating chamber 2, a first heating roller pair 5,
The second heating roller pair 6 is arranged on the upstream side in the conveying direction of the sheet S, and each of the roller pairs 5 and 6 has an elastic member 5b such as silicon rubber on the outer periphery of a hollow shaft 5a or 6a made of, for example, aluminum. 6b, and a rod-shaped heater 7 is disposed at the center. Both shaft ends of the hollow shafts 5a and 6a are rotatably supported by members (not shown) so that a driving force from a driving source (not shown) is transmitted by power transmission means such as a gear or a timing belt. Has become. One shaft of each of the roller pairs 5 and 6 is rotatably fixed, and the other shaft is given an appropriate pressing force by a member (not shown), and the other roller is pressed against the fixed roller. ing. A temperature sensor (not shown) is in contact with the outer periphery of the pair of rollers 5 and 6, and inputs temperature information to the temperature control device to generate heat of the heater 7 so that the temperature of the pair of rollers 5 and 6 is always kept constant. The amount can be controlled.

A heating guide plate 8 made of, for example, aluminum or the like is fixed on the sheet conveying path, and a planar heater 9 covered with silicon rubber is fixed below the heating guide plate 8. The temperature of the heating guide plate 8 is measured by a temperature sensor (not shown) in the same manner as the roller pairs 5 and 6, and is maintained at a constant temperature by a temperature control device.

Above the heating guide plate 8, there is disposed a sheet pressing means 10 made of a band-shaped elastic member such as synthetic resin having excellent heat resistance, and the upper end of the sheet pressing means 10 is not shown. The rear end, which is fixed to the apparatus by a member and elastically deformed, is in contact with the heating guide plate 8. Thus, the sheet S that has entered is urged against the heating guide plate 8 by the elastic force of the elastic member.

A heater 11 for warming the internal air and a fan 12 for stirring the air to uniform the temperature distribution are provided below the inside of the heating chamber 2. The calorific value can be controlled. A cooling chamber 3 is adjacent to the rear of the heating chamber 2,
A cooling roller pair 13 is built in the cooling chamber 3. The cooling roller pair 13 is located on the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction, and includes a shaft portion 13a and an elastic member 13b.
Similarly to the above, it is rotatably supported by a member (not shown),
It is designed to be driven.

Further, the cooling chamber 3 is covered with a cover 14. The cover 14 has a minimum opening 14a so that the developed sheet S is discharged to the outside of the apparatus. In addition, an intake or exhaust fan (not shown) is provided in the cooling chamber 3 to air-cool the internal atmosphere and the cooling roller pair 13.

When the sheet S is inserted into the heating chamber 2 through the opening 4a from the upstream side, the sheet S is conveyed onto the heating guide plate 8 by the first heating roller pair 5 and the second heating roller pair 6. Is done. Then, the sheet S is urged against the heating guide plate 8 by a predetermined pressure by sheet pressing means 10 made of an elastic member, and is heated by a planar heater 9. Thereafter, the sheet S moves to the cooling chamber 3 and the cooling roller pair 13
, And is discharged downstream from the opening 14a.

FIG. 18 is a side view of a modification of the sheet pressurizing means 10. The sheet S is pressed against the heating guide plate 8 by blowing air onto the sheet S. On the upper surface facing the sheet S, there is disposed a nozzle portion 15 composed of countless small holes 15a, and the nozzle portion 15 has a built-in fan 16 and heater 17. Heater 17
The air heated by the fan 16 is spouted from the small holes 15a toward the sheet S through the passage 15b by the rotation of the fan 16. Thereby, the sheet S can be uniformly pressed and heated at the same time.

FIG. 19 shows a side view of a further modified example of the sheet pressing means 10, in which a heating guide plate 18 having an infinite number of small holes 18a is provided on the lower surface facing the sheet S. It is connected to the passage 18b. The lower surface of the heating guide plate 18 has a planar heater 19 similar to the heater 9.
Is attached.

The sheet S is discharged by discharging air from a discharge port 18c of the heating guide plate 18 with a pump (not shown).
Is sucked and pressurized to make uniform contact with the heating guide plate 18.

[0013]

However, in the above-described conventional sheet heating apparatus, since the sheet is constantly pressed while the sheet S is being conveyed, the sheet S is conveyed and the sheet S is heated by the heating guide plate 8. , And 18 are simultaneously performed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet heating apparatus which improves the above-described conventional example, performs good sheet conveyance and sheet sub-scanning, and efficiently and uniformly heats a sheet S.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an image recording apparatus for recording a high-quality image by performing good sheet heating.

[0016]

In order to achieve the above object, a sheet heating apparatus according to the present invention comprises a sheet heating apparatus for heating a sheet as a recording medium on which an image is recorded. A sheet conveying unit configured to convey the sheet, a sheet guide member that forms a sheet conveying path, a unit that heats the sheet guide member, and a sheet pressing unit that presses the sheet against the sheet guide member. The pressing force on the sheet by the sheet pressing means is released in the sheet conveying step by the conveying means.

Further, an image recording apparatus according to the present invention comprises a recording unit for recording on the sheet, and a sheet heating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11. .

[0018]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described in detail with reference to the embodiments shown in FIGS. FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an ink jet recording apparatus incorporating a sheet heating apparatus according to the first embodiment. The ink jet recording apparatus 20 includes a separating unit 21 for taking out the stacked sheets S one by one, a recording unit 22 for performing recording on the sheets S, a sheet heating unit 23 through which the recorded sheets S pass, and a discharging unit 24 for discharging the sheets S. It is composed of

The separation unit 21 is provided with a paper feed tray 25 on which unused recording sheets S are stacked and placed.
5 is provided with a separation roller 26 connected to a drive source controlled by the control means, and a pressing spring 27 for pressing the paper feed tray 25 against the separation roller 26. A sheet S is recorded in front of the paper feed tray 25. A guide plate 28 leading to the part 22 is arranged.

In the recording section 22, sub-scanning rollers 29 and 30 for intermittently conveying the sheet S in the left direction are rotatably held by the apparatus main body 20, and the sub-scanning rollers 29 and 30 are connected to the above-described driving source. I have. Nip rollers 31, 32 are arranged at opposing positions above the sub-scan rollers 29, 30, respectively. The nip rollers 31, 32 have a function of pressing the sheet S against the sub-scan rollers 29, 30 to pinch the sheet S.

A platen 33 for regulating the position of the sheet S and holding the sheet S is disposed between the sub-scanning rollers 29 and 30, and an ink jet recording head 34 is disposed above the platen 33. An ink cartridge 35 for supplying ink is mounted on 34, and the recording head 34 is mounted on a carriage (not shown). The carriage is connected to the above-described drive source, and is held so as to be able to reciprocate in a direction perpendicular to the sheet surface in a direction substantially perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction, with the recording head 34 and the ink cartridge 35 being mounted.

A sheet heating unit 23 is disposed in front of the recording unit 22. The sheet heating unit 23 prints on the sheet S by, for example, a fusing method having a heat melting layer, and then heats the sheet S to fix the ink. This is the part to do. Further, the sheet heating unit 23 is stored in a heat insulating box 36,
It is insulated from other members inside the recording device 20. Furthermore,
A heating guide plate 37, which is a guide member for guiding the sheet S on which recording has been completed to the left, is fixed to the sheet heating unit 23, and a planar heater 38 is closely attached to the lower surface of the heating guide plate 37. . Then, the temperature of the planar heater 38 is raised to a predetermined temperature by a temperature control means (not shown), and is kept in a predetermined temperature range with respect to that temperature.

A spring holding member 39 having the same width as the sheet S is disposed above the heating guide plate 37, and a spring member 40 for pressing the sheet S at one end of the spring holding member 39.
Has been fixed. The spring member 40 is provided on the sheet S.
Are arranged two-dimensionally in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the camera.

A rubber roller 41 having a function of scraping off the rear end of the sheet S is provided on the discharge section 24 of the sheet S.
And a nip roller 42 pressed by a rubber roller 41. The rubber roller 41 is rotatably driven by the above-described drive source, and has a function of conveying the sheet S that has passed the sheet heating unit 23 to the left. The recording sheet 20 below the rubber roller 41 and the nip roller 42 has a discharge sheet S
Are fixed.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show enlarged side views of the spring holding member 39. The spring holding member 39 is fixed to lower ends of links 44 and 45 via rotary shafts 46 and 47, and the link 4
The upper ends of 4 and 45 are connected to the heat insulating box 16 via the rotating shafts 48 and 49.
, And further connected to the above-mentioned drive source,
It can be driven to rotate by a predetermined angle around 8, 49 as a rotation center.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the spring member 40. The spring member 40 is formed of a linear member, and has a sheet contact portion 40a which is smoothly finished so as not to damage the sheet S. Elastic deformation part 4 that generates pressing force
0b, a locking portion 40c which is connected to a locking groove (not shown) of the spring holding member 39. The protrusion 4 is provided on the locking portion 40c.
0d is formed, and the projection 40d is pressed by the elastic force of the U-shaped elastic deformation portion 40e into a concave portion (not shown) provided in the system stop groove of the spring holding member 40, so that the spring 40d is released from the spring holding member 39. This is for preventing the member 40 from coming off. Since a plurality of the spring members 40 are also arranged in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface, the end portions and the center portion of the abutting sheet S can be pressed without fail, and the spring members 40 are each independently elastically deformed. Therefore, each portion of the sheet S is pressed almost uniformly without being affected by the flatness or parallelism between the heating guide plate 37 and the spring support member 39.

When the recording apparatus 20 receives a recording command according to the above configuration, first, the separation roller 26 rotates one turn clockwise from the position shown in FIG. The uppermost sheet of S is fed out in the lower left direction, and the leading end of the sheet S is inserted between the sub-scanning roller 29 and the nip roller 31 through the guide plate 28. The sub-scanning roller 29 is driven to rotate counterclockwise, and when the leading end of the sheet S reaches the printing range of the recording head 34, the conveyance is stopped. In a state where the sheet S is stopped, the carriage on which the recording head 34 is mounted moves to the back side in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface, and at this time, ink is ejected from the recording head 34 toward the sheet S with a predetermined print width.

While the recording head 34 passes through the printing range and the carriage decelerates and reverses, re-accelerates to the near side and returns to the printing range again, the sub-scanning roller 29 moves the sheet S by a predetermined distance to the left on the paper. Stops again after transport in the direction. Subsequently, with the sheet S stopped, the recording head 34 ejects ink within a predetermined printing range while moving from the back to the front. The reciprocating motion of the recording head 34 and the process of transporting the sheet S in a non-printing state and stopping the transport of the sheet S during printing in synchronization with the reciprocating motion are repeated, and a two-dimensional image is formed on the sheet S. The formation takes place.

The sheet S after the image formation is applied to the sub-scanning roller 2
The sheet enters the sheet heating section 23 sequentially from the leading end by the intermittent driving of 9, 30. In the sheet heating section 23, the spring support member 39 repeats the approach and separation of the sheet S that has entered, in synchronization with the intermittent driving of the sub-scanning roller 29. That is, when the driving of the sub scanning rollers 29 and 30 is stopped and the sheet S is stopped on the heating guide plate 37, the links 44 and 45 rotate counterclockwise as shown in FIG. When the member 39 approaches the heating guide plate 37 and the spring member 40 abuts on the sheet S or the heating guide plate 37 and is elastically deformed, it biases the sheet S and makes the sheet S adhere to the upper surface of the heating guide plate 37.

When the sub-scanning rollers 29 and 30 rotate to convey the sheet S, the links 44 and 45 rotate clockwise as shown in FIG.
Is separated from the heating guide plate 37, and the spring member 40 is retracted to a position where the sheet S and the heating guide plate 37 are not in contact with each other. By repeating this operation, since the sheet S is in close contact with the heating guide plate 37 during stoppage, heat is transmitted well, and a predetermined amount of heat is received to perform hot-melt fixing. Further, since the sheet pressing which causes an increase in the conveyance resistance is released during the conveyance, the sheet S and the sub scanning rollers 29 and 30 are released.
No slippage occurs between them, and high-precision sheet feeding becomes possible. Then, the sheet S that has passed through the sheet heating unit 23
Is conveyed to the sheet discharge section 24 and discharged and stacked on a discharge tray 43 by a discharge roller 41.

As described above, the sheet heating unit 23 is connected to the heat insulating box 3.
6, it becomes difficult for the heat of the sheet heating unit 23 to be transferred to the device outside the heat insulating box 36, and the sheet heating unit 2
It is possible to prevent an increase in the temperature of devices other than the device 3, and the life of the device is extended. Further, since a heating loss due to heat radiation is reduced, power consumption can be reduced, and a rise time of the sheet heating unit 23 can be shortened.

Further, since the sheet holding member is constituted by a plurality of sheet contact portions each of which is independently displaced, each portion of the sheet S is not affected by the flatness and parallelism of the heating guide plate 37 and the sheet holding member. Can be uniformly contacted with each other under pressure to uniformly heat.

FIGS. 5 to 8 show perspective views of modifications of the spring member 40, all of which are fixed to the spring holding member 39. FIG. The spring member 51 shown in FIG. 5 is formed of a plate-like member, and is connected to the sheet contact portion 51a, the elastically deformable portion 51b, and the locking groove (not shown) of the spring holding member 39, similarly to the spring member 40 shown in FIG. Locking part 51c
The notch 51d is provided in the locking portion 51c. The notch 51d is locked by a locking claw (not shown) provided in a system stop groove of the spring holding member 39,
This is for preventing the spring member 51 from coming off the spring holding member 39. As described above, the processing is facilitated by using the plate-shaped member.

FIG. 6 shows a roller 52 as a sheet contact portion. The roller 52 is composed of a smoothly finished circumferential portion 52a and a shaft portion 52b, and is rotatably held by a roller holding member 53. The roller holding member 53 includes an elastic deformation portion 53a, a locking portion 53b, and a notch 53c. As described above, by using the roller 52 as the contact portion, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of scratches due to the rubbing between the sheet S and the pressing member.

FIG. 7 shows a spur roller 54 having a plurality of protrusions on the outer periphery of the roller portion of FIG. The spur roller 54 is supported by a rotating shaft 54a and attached to a roller holding member 55. Then, the roller holding member 5
5 is an elastic deformation portion 55a, a locking portion 55b, a notch 55
c. By making the sheet contact portion spur-shaped in this way, ink on the sheet S is less likely to adhere to the roller 54, and the sheet S is not stained.

FIG. 8 shows a needle-shaped sheet contact portion. The spring member 56 has a needle-like tip end portion 56a in contact with the sheet S, and has an elastic deformation portion 56b and a locking portion 56c.
, A protrusion 56d, and a U-shaped elastic deformation portion 56e. In this manner, by making the sheet contact portion in a needle shape, the ink on the sheet S hardly adheres, and the sheet S is not stained.

9 to 11 show side views of modified examples of the spring support member 39. FIG. 9 shows a spring member 62 connected to a spring holding member 61 which rotates around a rotation shaft 61a.
A toothed pulley 63a is coupled to the spring holding member 61, and the driving force of the motor 65 is transmitted through a toothed belt 64 and a toothed pulley 63b fixed to a shaft of the motor 65. As a result, the link mechanism can be omitted, resulting in a simple configuration.

FIG. 10 shows a spring member 67 fixed to a spring holding member 66 having elongated holes 66a and 66b. In the long holes 66a and 66b, pins 6 fixed to the device side, respectively.
8a and 68b are inserted, and the spring holding member 66 is supported movably in the vertical direction. Spring holding member 66
There is another long hole 66c in the upper part of the lever 69, and the lever 69 is rotatably and slidably fixed via the pin 68c. The lever 69 is rotatably supported around a rotation shaft 69a fixed to the apparatus. A long hole 69b is provided at the center of the lever 69, and the solenoid 7 is connected via a pin 70a.
0 is connected.

When the solenoid 70 is energized, the iron core 70b is pulled upward, the lever 66 rotates clockwise, and the spring holding member 66 moves upward and parallel. Solenoid 70
Is released, the iron core 70b is moved downward by the action of a return spring (not shown), and as a result, the spring holding member 66 is lowered. Thus, the solenoid 7
By using 0, the speed reduction mechanism and the power transmission mechanism required when using the motor can be omitted.

FIG. 11 is a modification of FIG. 10, in which an air cylinder 71 and a piston 72 are used as a driving source. The spring holding member 74 having the spring member 73 has a long hole 74a,
74b is provided, and pins 75a and 75b are inserted, respectively, and the spring holding member 74 is supported movably in the vertical direction. A piston 72 is connected to an upper portion of the spring holding member 74, and the piston 72 is built in the air cylinder 71.

The cylinder 7 is driven by an air supply device (not shown).
Air is supplied to a predetermined portion of the piston 1 to move the piston 72 up and down. As a result, the spring holding member 74 connected to the piston 72 is moved up and down, and the spring member 62 approaches and separates from the seat.

FIGS. 12 and 13 show sectional views of the sheet heating section 23 of the second embodiment, which employs a method in which the sheet S is brought into close contact with the heating guide plate by suction of air. The heat insulation box 81 is insulated from the inside and other parts of the device,
Openings 81a and 81b are provided in the direction in which the sheet S passes. Inside the heat insulation box 81, a heating guide plate 83 having a planar heater 82 fixed to the back surface is disposed, and on the upper surface of the heating guide plate 83, a nozzle 84 having a large number of small holes is provided.
Are divided into three groups and arranged two-dimensionally. The nozzles 84 are respectively provided with exhaust ports 85a, 85
b, 85c, and is connected to one of the exhaust ports 85a, 85c.
5b and 85c are tubes 86a, 86b and 86, respectively.
c, are connected to exhaust pumps 87a, 87b, 87c, and are connected to exhaust ports 88a, 88b, 88c for discharging air sucked by the pumps 87a, 87b, 87c. The tubes 86a, 86b, and 86c are connected to branch pipes 89a, 89b, and 89c, respectively.
9a, 89b, 89c have air release valves 90a, 90b,
90c is attached, and the intake ports 91a, 91b, 91
It is connected to c.

FIG. 12 shows a state in which the conveyance of the sheet S is stopped and the recording head 34 is moving in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface to eject ink, and the leading end of the sheet S is insulated from the opening 81 a of the heat insulating box 81. Inside the box 81. At this time, the nozzle 84 connected to the exhaust ports 85a, 85b
Are all covered with the sheet S, and the atmosphere release valve 90a,
90b is a closed state. Pumps 87a, 87b
Is in the operating state, and the nozzle 8 is
The air in the sheet 4 is discharged, and the sheet S is brought into close contact with the heating guide plate 83 to transfer heat to the sheet S.

FIG. 13 shows a state in which the sheet S is being conveyed leftward by the sub-scan rollers 29 and 30 while the recording head 34 is performing deceleration, reversal and acceleration outside the recording area. At this time, the pumps 87a and 87b remain operating, but the atmosphere release valves 90a and 90b are in the open state, and the atmosphere flows from the intake ports 91a and 91b.
The inside of the nozzle 84 connected to the exhaust ports 85a and 85b does not have a negative pressure, and the sheet S is not sucked. Accordingly, the conveyance resistance of the sheet S is reduced, and a favorable sheet feeding operation is performed.

As described above, the states shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 are alternately repeated, and the recording is performed by performing the intermittent conveyance of the sheet S. After the leading end of the sheet S has completely covered the nozzle 84 connected to the exhaust port 85c, the pump 87c is operated to operate the atmosphere release valve 9
0c is opened and closed in the same manner. After the rear end of the sheet S has passed through the nozzle 84, the pumps 87a, 87b,
The operation of 87c is stopped.

FIG. 14 is a sectional view of a modification of FIGS. 12 and 13, in which exhaust gas from pumps 87a, 87b and 87c is guided into the inside of a heat insulating box 81 by tubes 92a, 92b and 92c. Since the intake ports 91a, 91b, 91c of the air release valves 90a, 90b, 90c are built in the heat insulating box 81, the warmed air inside the heat insulating box 81 is not discharged to the outside, and from outside. The cold air does not enter the inside of the heat insulation box 81. Therefore, the amount of heat generated by the planar heater 82 can be reduced and efficient heating can be performed.

FIGS. 15 and 16 show sectional views of the sheet heating section 23 of the third embodiment, in which the sheet S is brought into close contact with the heating guide plate 36 by blowing air. The heat insulating box 95 covered with a heat insulating material is provided with the minimum openings 95a and 95b through which the sheet S passes, and insulates the internal members from other parts of the apparatus. Further, a duct 96 for blowing air to the sheet S is disposed in the heat insulating box 95, and a flat portion of the lower portion of the duct 96 facing the heating guide plate 36 is formed of a large number of small holes two-dimensionally. The nozzle 96a is arranged. A circular opening 96 b containing a fan 97 is provided above the duct 96, and a heater 98 and a rotating shaft 99 are provided below the fan 97.
100 supported rotatably around a rotation center
Are arranged.

FIG. 15 shows that the sheet S is stopped and the recording head 3 is stopped.
Reference numeral 4 denotes a state in which recording is being performed.
00 is open, and the wind generated by the fan 97 is not shut off. Therefore, air is ejected from each nozzle 96a, and the sheet S comes into close contact with the heating guide plate 37.
By supplying power to the heater 98, the air blown to the sheet S can be heated or the sheet S can be dried.

As described above, the heat insulation box 95 is provided by the fan 97.
Since the air is sucked into the inside and blows on the sheet S,
Heat does not escape to the outside of the heat insulating box 95, and heating can be performed efficiently.

FIG. 16 shows a state in which the sheet S is
0 indicates a state in which the sheet is being conveyed leftward. At this time, the shutter 100 rotates clockwise about the rotation shaft 99, and the air from the fan 97 is shut off. Therefore, sheet S
No air is blown on the sheet S, and the sheet S is not pressed against the heating guide plate 37, so that the sheet S can be accurately moved by a predetermined distance with a light conveying force.

The sheet conveying path is not limited to the shape shown in FIG. 1, but may be a straight line, a U shape, an S shape, or the like.
The recording means is not limited to the ink jet, but may be other means such as light beam exposure or thermal transfer. Further, the on / off of the suction and the air blowing may be performed by turning on / off the fan 97 and the suction pump in addition to the air release valves 90a, 90b, 90c and the shutter 100. It is also possible to use a mechanical sheet pressurizing method and a suction or air blowing method in combination. Particularly, in the case of the suction method, the end of the sheet S may be warped by heating and air may leak from the gap. At this time, if the end of the sheet S is pressed by a mechanical sheet pressing method, the sheet S can be satisfactorily sucked.

Since the sheet pressing means is not in contact with the sheet S, the sheet S is hardly damaged, and the number of mechanically movable parts is small, so that the sound is quiet and the life is prolonged. Etc. can be promoted. Further, by using the heat insulating box 95, the high-temperature gas in the heat insulating box 95 is not exhausted to the outside of the apparatus, so that the heat insulating effect of the heat insulating box 95 can be enhanced.

Further, since the suction and release of the sheet are performed by opening and closing the shutter 100, the response of the suction and release is faster than when the suction pump is turned on and off, and a quick operation is possible. In addition, when the sheet S is warped, air leaks and hinders adsorption. However, the provision of the sheet retainer prevents air leakage and provides a good sheet S.
Can be adsorbed. Further, in the case of only the sheet presser, the sheet S in the portion where there is no sheet presser may rise and not be heated, but by using the sheet S together with the suction, the entire sheet S uniformly adheres to the heating guide plate 37, and the sheet S
Can be uniformly heated.

The heating guide plate 3 for heating the sheet S
7 may be a curved surface instead of a flat surface.
No. 3 is not limited to fixing the sheet S by heat fusion, and may be used in all heating steps such as drying the sheet S before and after recording. Further, the sheet heating unit 23 is connected to the recording unit 22.
The heating step may not necessarily be performed simultaneously with recording. For example, it may be performed in a transport path other than the recording unit 22 or by another device.

[0055]

As described above, in the sheet heating apparatus according to the present invention, the step of bringing the sheet into close contact with the heating section and the step of conveying the sheet are separated, so that the sheet conveyance resistance can be maintained even when the sheet pressure is increased. Since the sheet does not increase, the sheet is not easily damaged, and the roller does not slip or the sheet does not buckle, which causes a jam or an error. Therefore, good sheet conveyance is possible, and the sheet pressing force can be optimally set without being limited by the conveying force. Further, since the sheet can be completely adhered to the heating section, the heat transfer efficiency is improved, the heating time is shortened, and the heater capacity and power consumption can be reduced.

Further, the image recording apparatus according to the present invention can simultaneously perform the recording step and the sheet heating step in the recording apparatus, shorten the processing time, and can reduce the processing time compared with the electrophotographic method or the thermal transfer recording method. The configuration is inexpensive and simple, and it is possible to form an image with high quality and excellent robustness.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an image recording apparatus according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a sheet pressing unit.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a sheet pressing unit.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a spring member.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a modification of the spring member.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a modification of the spring member.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a modified example of a spring member.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a modification of the spring member.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a modification of the sheet pressing unit.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a modification of the sheet pressing unit.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a modification of the sheet pressing unit.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view of a sheet pressing unit according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a sectional view of a sheet pressing unit.

FIG. 14 is a sectional view of a modification of the second embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a sectional view of a sheet pressing unit according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a sectional view of a sheet pressing portion.

FIG. 17 is a sectional view of a conventional sheet heating apparatus.

FIG. 18 is a sectional view of a sheet heating device.

FIG. 19 is a sectional view of a sheet heating device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 20 apparatus main body 29, 30 sub-scanning roller 34 recording head 35 ink tank 36, 81, 95 heat insulation box 37, 83 heating guide plate 38, 98 heater 39, 61, 66, 74 spring holding member 40, 51, 56, 62, 67, 73 Spring member 84 Nozzle 87a, 87b, 87c Pump 96 Duct 100 Fan S seat

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. A sheet heating apparatus for heating a sheet as a recording medium on which an image is recorded, a conveying means for conveying the heated sheet, a sheet guide member for forming a sheet conveying path, and the sheet guide. Means for heating a member, and sheet pressurizing means for pressing the sheet against the sheet guide member, and applying a pressure to the sheet by the sheet pressurizing means in a sheet conveying step by the sheet conveying means. A sheet heating device for canceling. 2. A heat-insulating box for housing the sheet guide member, the heating means, and a sheet conveyance path in contact with the sheet guide member for heat insulation from the outside.
The sheet heating device according to item 1. 3. The sheet heating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet pressing unit is a sheet pressing member that comes into contact with the sheet. 4. The sheet heating apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said sheet pressing member comprises a plurality of sheet contact portions each of which is independently displaced. 5. The sheet heating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said sheet pressurizing means is means for jetting gas. 6. The sheet heating apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising means for heating the gas ejected from said ejection means. 7. The sheet heating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the sheet pressurizing means is means for circulating and ejecting gas inside the heat insulating box. 8. The sheet heating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said sheet pressing means is means for sucking said sheet from said sheet guide member side. 9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the sheet suction means is a valve for communicating a negative pressure portion generating a suction force to the atmosphere. 10. The sheet heating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said sheet pressurizing means is a sheet adsorbing means for circulating and adsorbing gas inside said heat insulating box from said sheet guide member side. 11. The sheet heating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said sheet pressurizing means comprises a sheet sucking means for sucking a sheet from said sheet guide member side and a sheet pressing member contacting said sheet. 12. Recording means for performing recording on the sheet,
An image recording apparatus comprising: the sheet heating device according to claim 1. 13. The image recording apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the recording unit heats the sheet being recorded. 14. The image recording apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said recording means uses an ink jet recording method.