Image formation system

Abstract

To provide an image formation system which enables sufficient static elimination from a recording material rolled in a roll form.SOLUTION: An image formation system includes: a supply device which feeds a recording material rolled in a roll form to supply the recording material to the downstream side in a transport direction; an image formation device which forms images on the recording material; a recovery device which rolls the recording material with the images formed thereon in the roll state and recovers the recording material; a first water application device disposed between the supply device and the image formation device; and a second water application device disposed between the image formation device and the recovery device. The first water application device and the second water application device apply water to the transported recording material.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming system. [Background technology]

[0002] In an image forming apparatus using a recording material wound in a roll, such as roll paper, the amount of charge tends to be high. Since the recording material wound in a roll is endless, it is difficult to discharge compared to a sheet of paper, and the charge tends to accumulate. In particular, when a film-like recording material is used, the amount of charge tends to be high due to the characteristics of the material.

[0003] If the recording material has a large amount of charge after image formation, the recording material sticks to the recording material after being wound up (electrostatic adhesion) and becomes difficult to peel off. Also, if the recording material has a large amount of charge on its image-forming surface when being conveyed to the image forming section, image unevenness is likely to occur when toner is transferred to the recording material.

[0004] For this reason, methods have been proposed for eliminating static electricity from recording materials before and after image formation. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a humidification method in which a fluid spray nozzle is used to spray moisture onto a printed matter. Also, a method for manufacturing a film roll has been proposed in which, when the film is wound around a core, ions generated by a static eliminator (ionizer) are sprayed onto the film surface to eliminate static electricity (see, for example, Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 58-59083 [Patent Document 2] JP 2020-75818 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, the above-mentioned humidification method of spraying water on the printed matter has the risk of causing parts to rust due to water scattering inside the device. In addition, the method of spraying ions with an ionizer does not provide sufficient control of the electric potential for recording materials other than the film used in image formation, and there is a concern that this may affect image formation.

[0007] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides an image forming system capable of sufficiently removing static electricity from a recording material wound in a roll shape. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The image forming system of the present invention includes a supply device that pays out a recording material wound in a roll and supplies it downstream in the transport direction, an image forming device that forms an image on the recording material, a recovery device that winds the recording material on which the image has been formed in a roll and recovers it, a first water application device disposed between the supply device and the image forming device, and a second water application device disposed between the image forming device and the recovery device. The first water application device and the second water application device apply water to the recording material being transported. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an image forming system capable of sufficiently removing static electricity from a recording material wound in a roll shape.

[0010] Problems, configurations and effects other than those described above will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an image forming system. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a system block diagram of an image forming system. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a first water application device. [Figure 4] 4 is a side view of the first water applicator as seen from the width direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the recording material. FIG. [Diagram 5] 4 is a side view showing the configuration of a side end portion of a first water applicator as viewed from the upstream side in the conveying direction of the recording material. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a side view of the first water applicator as viewed in a width direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the recording material; [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the supply of water to a water supply unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Image forming system Specific embodiments of the semiconductor device of the present invention will be described below. Hereinafter, examples of embodiments of the present invention will be described, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples. A schematic configuration of an image forming system is shown in Fig. 1. The image forming system 1 shown in Fig. 1 uses a roll-shaped recording material S and forms an image on this recording material S. The image forming system 1 includes, from the upstream side in the conveying direction of the recording material S, a supply device 10 for the recording material S, a first water application device 20, an image forming device 40, a second water application device 30, a reading device 50, and a recovery device 60.

[0013] The supply device 10 includes a supply section for the recording material S. The supply section for the recording material S includes a support shaft 11 that rotatably holds the recording material S wound in a roll. The supply section for the recording material S also includes a conveying section 14. The conveying section 14 conveys the recording material S wound around the support shaft 11 at a constant speed by a plurality of rollers. The supply device 10 feeds the recording material S wound around a roller, and conveys it to an image forming section 46 of the image forming device 40.

[0014] In the supply device 10, the recording material S wound in a roll is attached to a support shaft 11. The recording material S is also wound around a core member 16, thereby being wound in a roll. In the supply device 10, a support shaft 11 serves as a rotation center and is driven to unwind the roll-shaped recording material S.

[0015] The image forming apparatus 40 includes a control unit 41, an operation display unit 42, a conveying unit 44, an image processing unit 45, an image forming unit 46, and a fixing unit 47. The image forming apparatus 40 may include the above-mentioned supply device 10 as a recording material supply unit within the image forming apparatus 40.

[0016] The control unit 41 comprehensively controls each component of the image forming system 1 and the image forming apparatus 40. The image processing unit 45 performs image processing on the image data input from the control unit 41 and outputs the image to the image forming unit 46. The configurations of the control unit 41 and the image processing unit 45 will be described in detail later.

[0017] The operation display unit 42 is composed of an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or the like. The operation display unit 42 displays various operation buttons, device status indication, operation status of each function, etc. on the display screen according to instructions of a display signal input from the control unit 41. The LCD display screen is covered with a pressure-sensitive (resistive film pressure) touch panel configured by arranging transparent electrodes in a grid pattern. The touch panel detects the XY coordinates of the point of force pressed by a finger, a touch pen, etc. as a voltage value, and outputs the detected position signal to the control unit 41 as an operation signal. The operation display unit 42 also includes various operation buttons such as numeric buttons and a start button. The operation display unit 42 outputs an operation signal by button operation to the control unit 41.

[0018] The image forming unit 46 forms an image on the recording material S transported from the supply device 10. The image forming unit 46 forms an image by electrophotography based on image data for each page input from the image processing unit 45. The image forming unit 46 has a recording material transport path. The recording material transport path has a transport belt, transport rollers such as registration rollers, and motors (not shown) that drive these. The image forming unit 46 forms an image on the recording material S while transporting the recording material S according to the control of the control unit 41.

[0019] The image forming unit 46 includes four sets of exposure units 461 corresponding to the respective color components of Y, M, C, and K, a photoconductor 462, a developing unit 463, a primary transfer roller 464, an intermediate transfer belt 465, and a secondary transfer roller 466. The four sets of exposure units 461, photoconductor 462, developing unit 463, and primary transfer roller 464 corresponding to the respective color components are arranged in the order of Y, M, C, and K from the upstream side.

[0020] The exposure unit 461 has a laser light source, a polygon motor, a polygon mirror, a plurality of lenses, etc. The exposure unit 461 irradiates and exposes the charged photoconductor 462 with laser light by the laser light source and the polygon mirror based on the recording material conveyance speed, and forms an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor 462. The developing unit 463 supplies toner of a predetermined color (Y, M, C, or K) onto the exposed photoconductor 462 , thereby developing the electrostatic latent image formed on the photoconductor 462 . The primary transfer roller 464 is disposed opposite to the photoconductor 462. A primary transfer bias of the opposite polarity to the toner is applied to the primary transfer roller 464. The primary transfer roller 464 presses a predetermined position on the intermediate transfer belt 465 against the photoconductor 462, and transfers (primary transfer) the toner image formed on the photoconductor 462 to the intermediate transfer belt 465. The primary transfer rollers 464 for Y, M, C, and K sequentially press the intermediate transfer belt 465 against the photoconductor 462, and a color toner image in which layers of each color are superimposed is written onto the intermediate transfer belt 465.

[0021] The intermediate transfer belt 465 is a semiconductive endless belt that is suspended around a plurality of rollers and rotatably supported. The intermediate transfer belt 465 is rotated in accordance with the rotation of the rollers, and conveys the formed toner image to the secondary transfer roller 466. A bias voltage of the opposite polarity to the toner is applied to the secondary transfer roller 466. The secondary transfer roller 466 transfers (secondarily transfers) the color toner image written on the intermediate transfer belt 465 onto the recording material S by nipping and transporting the recording material S.

[0022] The fixing unit 47 applies heat and pressure to fix the toner image to the recording material S. The fixing unit 47 includes a fixing roller 471 and a pressure roller 472. The fixing roller 471 incorporates a halogen heater or the like. The pressure roller 472 is disposed at a position facing the fixing roller 471 across the recording material transport path. The pressure roller 472 is a pressure member that presses the fixing roller 471. The fixing unit 47 also includes a temperature sensor. The temperature sensor detects the temperature of the fixing roller 471. The fixing unit 47 applies heat and pressure to fix the toner image on the recording material S while sandwiching and transporting the recording material S to which the toner image has been transferred in a nip portion formed between the fixing roller 471 and the pressure roller 472. Fixing unit 47 also has a position changing mechanism (not shown) that adjusts the position of fixing roller 471. The position changing mechanism adjusts the nip pressure of the nip portion between fixing roller 471 and pressure roller 472, and releases the pressure contact.

[0023] The reading device 50 is disposed between the image forming device 40 and the collection device 60. The reading device 50 has an image reading section 51 that reads an image formed on the recording material S.

[0024] The recovery device 60 includes a recovery section that winds up the recording material S. The recovery section winds up the recording material S conveyed from the reading device 50 around a support shaft 61 at a constant speed via a plurality of rollers. The recovery device 60 includes a support shaft 61 and a transport unit 64. The support shaft 61 rotatably holds the recording material S to be recovered by winding the recording material S in a roll shape. The transport unit 64 transports the recording material S wound around the support shaft 61 at a constant speed by a plurality of rollers. The recovery device 60 recovers the recording material S by winding the recording material S around a core member 67 attached to a support shaft 61. The recovery device 60 is driven with the support shaft 61 as the center of rotation, and recovers the recording material S in a roll form.

[0025] The first water application device 20 is disposed between the supply device 10 and the image forming device 40. The second water application device 30 is disposed between the image forming device 40 and the reading device 50. The first water application device 20 and the second water application device 30 apply water to the recording material S transported within the device. 1, the first water application device 20 and the second water application device 30 have the same configuration. Note that the first water application device 20 and the second water application device 30 do not have to have the same configuration as long as they are configured to apply water to the recording material S.

[0026] (Reading device) The image forming system 1 has an image reading unit 51 in the housing of the reading device 50 . The image reading unit 51 reads an image formed on the recording material S. The image reading unit 51 is configured, for example, with an in-line sensor. In the in-line sensor, optical sensors such as imaging elements and colorimeters such as spectrophotometers are arranged along a direction (width direction) perpendicular to the recording material conveyance direction. The image reading unit 51 performs color measurement of the image formed on the recording material S, for example, using a spectrum method (spectrophotometer) capable of measuring each wavelength of light. In this way, the image reading unit 51 obtains color measurement values ​​(L*a*b* values, XYZ values, etc.).

[0027] The reading device 50 may include, in addition to the image reading unit 51, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a system memory, a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), a GPU memory, and a recording unit. The CPU and GPU are processors that perform arithmetic processing. The CPU corresponds to a first processor, and the GPU corresponds to a second processor that has higher image processing capabilities than the first processor. The system memory is the memory (first memory) used by the first processor (CPU), and the GPU memory is the memory (second memory) used by the second processor (GPU). The recording unit stores various control programs and setting data executed by the CPU. The recording unit also stores various information input to the image reading unit 51. Examples of the various information include read image data acquired by the image reading unit and image-processed image data acquired from the control unit 41 of the image forming device 40.

[0028] The CPU reads out various control programs and setting data stored in the recording unit, stores them in the system memory, and executes the programs to inspect the images. The system memory is composed of RAM. At the instruction of the CPU, the GPU stores image data stored in the recording unit or system memory in the GPU memory, and processes the image data, such as image processing and image inspection.

[0029] Furthermore, the reading device 50, with the CPU and GPU working together, inspects the image (read image data) read by the image reading unit 51 by comparing it with preset inspection conditions, for example, image data of a correct image (correct image data) stored in the storage unit of the image reading unit 51. Then, defects and deterioration in quality, such as streaks (vertical), streaks (horizontal), spotted unevenness, white spots (fireflies), misalignment, and creases in the recording material (paper creases), are detected in the read image data.

[0030] [System Configuration] 2 shows a system block diagram of the configuration of the image forming system 1. Note that, in the following, a description of the configuration that overlaps with the description of the image forming system 1 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus 40 includes a control unit 41, an operation display unit 42, a conveying unit 44, an image processing unit 45, an image forming unit 46, a fixing unit 47, a storage unit 48, and a communication unit 49. The supply device 10 includes a control unit 12, a communication unit 13, a transport unit 14, and a storage unit 15. The first water application device 20 and the second water application device 30 include control units 21 and 31, communication units 22 and 32, and water supply units 26 and . The reading device 50 includes an image reading unit 51, a control unit 52, a communication unit 53, a conveying unit 54, and a storage unit 55. The recovery device 60 includes a control unit 62 , a communication unit 63 , a transport unit 64 , a memory unit 65 , and a cutting unit 66 .

[0031] The control units 12, 21, 31, 41, 52, and 62 of each component are configured with, for example, a CPU, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The control units 41, 12, 31, 52, and 62 are used as an example of a computer that controls the operation of each unit of the image forming system 1. The CPU is an example of a calculation unit related to the image forming system 1. The CPU reads out program code of software related to various processes of the image forming system 1 stored in a ROM (an example of a recording medium), expands it in a RAM, and performs centralized control of the operation of each part of the image forming system 1 according to the expanded program. Note that, instead of the CPU, other calculation devices such as an MPU (Micro Processing Unit) may be used as the calculation unit. The ROM stores various processing programs for controlling each part of the image forming system 1, parameters and data tables required for executing the programs, various files, and the like. The RAM is a volatile semiconductor memory that forms a work area for temporarily storing various processing programs, input data, output data, parameters, etc., read from the ROM during various processes executed and controlled by the CPU.

[0032] The storage units 15, 48, 55, and 65 of each component are an example of a recording medium made of a nonvolatile storage, etc. The storage units 15, 48, 55, and 65 store various processing programs executed by the CPU, programs such as an OS, information on the processing functions of the device itself required to execute the programs, image data input from a client device (not shown), and various data tables used for calculations by the control units 12, 21, 31, 41, 52, and 62. The storage units 15, 48, 55, and 65 may be, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a CD-R, a magnetic tape, or a nonvolatile memory card.

[0033] The control unit 12 of the supplying device 10 comprehensively controls the operations of each unit of the supplying device 10, such as the communication unit 13, the transport unit 14, and the storage unit 15, which are connected via a system bus (not shown). The storage unit 15 stores programs and the like executed by the control unit 12. The storage unit 15 is also used as a work area for the control unit 12. The communication unit 13 transmits and receives data to and from a communication unit 49 of the image forming apparatus 40 constituting the image forming system 1. In addition, the communication unit 13 transmits and receives data to and from each communication unit of the first water application device 20, the second water application device 30, the reading device 50, the recovery device 60, etc., via the communication unit 49 of the image forming apparatus 40. The conveying section 14 unrolls and conveys the recording material S stored in the supply device 10 , and supplies it to the image forming device 40 .

[0034] The control unit 41 of the image forming apparatus 40 is composed of, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), etc. (not shown). The CPU of the control unit 41 reads out various processing programs stored in the ROM, loads them in the RAM, and generally controls the operations of each unit of the image forming apparatus 40, such as the operation display unit 42, the conveying unit 44, the image processing unit 45, the image forming unit 46, the fixing unit 47, the storage unit 48, and the communication unit 49, which are connected via the system bus of the image forming apparatus 40, in accordance with the loaded programs. In addition, the control unit 41 controls the supplying device 10, the reading device 50, and the collecting device 60 via the communication unit 49.

[0035] The storage unit 48 is composed of a non-volatile memory such as an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory) or a flash memory. The storage unit 48 stores programs executed by the control unit 41 and is used as a work area for the control unit 41. The storage unit 48 also stores image forming conditions set in an image forming job, recording material information including the size and type of the recording material S, and the like.

[0036] The communication unit 49 of the image forming device 40 transmits and receives data to and from the communication unit 13 of the supplying device 10. The communication unit 49 also transmits and receives data to and from each communication unit of the supplying device 10, the first water application device 20, the second water application device 30, the reading device 50, the recovery device 60, etc.

[0037] The image processing unit 45 acquires image data from the input job information and processes the image. Under the control of the control unit 41, the image processing unit 45 performs processing such as shading correction, image density adjustment, and image compression on the acquired image data as necessary. The image data processed by the image processing unit 45 is then sent to the image forming unit 46. The conveying section 44 conveys the recording material S supplied from the supply device 10 to the image forming section 46, the fixing section 47, and the like, based on the control of the control section 41. The image forming section 46 receives the image data that has been image-processed by the image processing section 45, and forms an image on the recording material S that has been conveyed to the image forming section 46 by the conveying section 44 based on this image data.

[0038] The operation display unit 42 has a display unit configured with a display such as a liquid crystal display device, and an operation unit configured with a touch panel and multiple keys superimposed on the display. The operation display unit 42 is an example of a display unit and an operation unit, and displays an instruction menu for the user, information on the acquired image data, etc. Furthermore, the operation display unit 42 accepts input of various instructions, characters, numbers, and other data by user operation, and outputs an input signal to the control unit 41.

[0039] The control units 21, 31 of the first water application device 20 and the second water application device 30 comprehensively control the operation of each unit, such as the communication units 22, 32, the transport units 24, 34, and the water supply units 26, 36, which are connected via a system bus. The communication units 22 and 32 transmit and receive data to and from a communication unit 49 of an image forming apparatus 40 constituting the image forming system 1. For example, the communication unit 32 transmits and receives data to and from each communication unit of the supplying device 10, the reading device 50, the collecting device 60, etc., via the communication unit 49 of the image forming apparatus 40. The conveying sections 24 and 34 are driven in accordance with instructions from the control sections 21 and 31 to convey and stop the recording material S carried into the image forming apparatus 40 and the recording material S carried out from the image forming apparatus 40. The water supply units 26, 36 supply water from the outside to the first water application device 20 and the second water application device 30. In addition, the water is circulated between the first water application device 20 and the second water application device 30.

[0040] The control unit 52 of the reading device 50 comprehensively controls the operations of each unit, such as the image reading unit 51, the communication unit 53, the transport unit 54, and the storage unit 55, which are connected via the system bus of the reading device 50. Communication unit 53 transmits and receives data to and from communication unit 49 of image forming apparatus 40 constituting image forming system 1. Communication unit 53 also transmits and receives data to and from each communication unit of supply device 10, first water application device 20, second water application device 30, recovery device 60, etc., via communication unit 49 of image forming apparatus 40. The conveying section 54 is driven in accordance with instructions from the control section 52 to convey and stop the recording material S conveyed from the image forming device 40 to the reading device 50.

[0041] The control unit 62 of the recovery device 60 comprehensively controls the operation of each part of the recovery device 60, such as the communication unit 63, the conveying unit 64, the memory unit 65, and the cutting unit 66, which are connected via a system bus (not shown). The storage unit 65 stores programs executed by the control unit 62 and is also used as a work area for the control unit 62. The communication unit 63 transmits and receives data to and from the communication unit 49 of the image forming apparatus 40 constituting the image forming system 1. In addition, the communication unit 63 transmits and receives data to and from each communication unit of the supplying device 10, the first water application device 20, the second water application device 30, the reading device 50, etc., via the communication unit 49 of the image forming apparatus 40. The conveying section 64 winds up the recording material S stored in the recovery device 60 and recovers it.

[0042] [Water application device configuration] The following describes the configurations of the first water application device 20 and the second water application device 30. The first water application device 20 and the second water application device 30 have the same configuration. Therefore, in the following description, only the configuration of the first water application device 20 will be described.

[0043] Figures 3 to 5 show the configuration of the first water application device 20. Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the first water application device 20. Figure 4 is a side view of the first water application device 20 as viewed from the width direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the recording material S. Figure 5 is a side view showing the configuration of a side end portion of the first water application device 20 as viewed from the upstream side in the transport direction of the recording material S.

[0044] As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the first water application device 20 has a first roller 210 arranged on the upstream side in the transport direction of the recording material S, and a second roller 220 arranged on the downstream side. The first water application device 20 also has a water supply section 230 that supplies water to the second roller 220. Note that FIG. 3 shows transport rollers 201, 202 arranged downstream of the second roller 220. The transport rollers 201, 202 transport the recording material S in the first water application device 20.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 3, the recording material S is wound around the first roller 210 and the second roller 220 and transported. Therefore, the recording material S is wound around the first roller 210 in a convex direction with respect to the image forming surface. The recording material S is wound around the second roller 220 in a concave direction with respect to the image forming surface. In other words, the recording material S is wound around the second roller 220 in a convex direction with respect to the opposite surface (rear surface) of the image forming surface. Note that the order in which the recording material S is wound may be reversed. The recording material S may be wound around the first roller 210 in a concave direction with respect to the image forming surface, and around the second roller 220 in a convex direction with respect to the image forming surface.

[0046] The first roller 210 has an application roller 211 and a shaft portion 215. The shaft portion 215 is fitted into the center of the rotation shaft of the application roller 211. The shaft portion 215 is suspended from a housing or the like of the first water application device 20, and serves as the rotation shaft of the first roller 210. Second roller 220 has application roller 221 and shaft portion 225. Shaft portion 225 is fitted into the center of the rotation shaft of application roller 221. Shaft portion 225 is suspended from a housing or the like of first water application device 20 and serves as the rotation shaft of second roller 220.

[0047] The coating roller 211 has a conveying portion 212 at the center and side ends 213 at both ends in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the recording material S. The conveying portion 212 has a straight shape formed to be larger than the maximum conveying width of the recording material. The side ends 213 have an outer diameter larger than that of the conveying portion 212. The conveying portion 212 and the side ends 213 are formed continuously. The coating roller 221 has a central transport section 222 and side ends 223 on both ends in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the recording material S. The transport section 222 has a straight shape formed to be larger than the maximum transport width of the recording material. The side ends 223 have an outer diameter larger than that of the transport section 222. The transport section 212 and the side ends 213 are formed continuously. Moreover, the application roller 211 and the application roller 221 come into contact with each other at the side end 213 and the side end 223. That is, the application roller 211 and the application roller 221 come into contact with each other at both end sides.

[0048] The application roller 211 and the application roller 221 are made of a material having water absorption. For example, the application roller 211 and the application roller 221 are made of polyurethane having a sponge-like structure with "interconnected pores" in which the holes of the application rollers are connected. The polyurethane used for the application rollers 211 and 221 preferably has a hardness of 80°, a pore size of 40 to 100 μm, a porosity of 80%, a water absorption rate of 0.2 to 1.5% (weight ratio·24h), a specific gravity of 1.03 to 1.50, and a tensile modulus of elasticity of 70 to 690 MPa. Polyurethane with such a structure has good water absorption and water retention. Therefore, the application roller 211 and the application roller 221 can easily apply water to the recording material S. In addition, polyurethane has good water resistance, heat resistance, abrasion resistance, and chemical resistance. Therefore, the application roller 211 and the application roller 221 have high durability. Furthermore, due to its high elasticity, polyurethane has high impact strength (impact resistance) and high tear strength (tensile strength).

[0049] At least a portion of the application roller 221 comes into contact with the water W in the water storage section 232 of the water supply section 230 . 3 and 4, side end 213 of application roller 221 comes into contact with water W in water storage section 232 of water supply section 230. At this time, water moves from water storage section 232 to side end 213, as shown by arrow W1 in Fig. 5, which indicates the direction of water movement. Water also moves from side end 223 to conveying section 222, as shown by arrow W2. In this way, by side end 213 coming into contact with water, the entire application roller 221 becomes water-absorbed. Furthermore, the side ends 213, 223 of the application roller 221 and the application roller 211 are in contact with each other. Therefore, as shown by arrow W3, water permeates from the side end 223 to the side end 213. Then, as shown by arrow W4, water permeates from the side end 213 to the conveying section 212. In this way, the entire application roller 211 becomes water-absorbed.

[0050] The application roller 211 and the application roller 221 come into contact with the surface of the conveyed recording material S to apply water. The application roller 211 and the application roller 221 apply water to both sides of the recording material S by bringing the conveying sections 212 and 222 into contact with either side of the recording material S. 6, the first roller 210 conveys the recording material S while rotating. At this time, the conveying portion 212 of the application roller 211 of the first roller 210 comes into contact with the back surface of the recording material S. As described above, since the application roller 211 contains water throughout, water is applied to the back surface of the recording material S that comes into contact with the conveying portion 212. The second roller 220 also transports the recording material S while the application roller 221 rotates. At this time, the transport portion 222 of the application roller 221 of the second roller 220 comes into contact with the image forming surface side of the recording material S. As described above, since the application roller 221 contains water throughout, water is applied to the image forming surface of the recording material S that comes into contact with the transport portion 222. In this manner, the first water application device 20 can apply water to both sides of the recording material S while conveying the recording material S.

[0051] While the application roller 221 is rotating to transport the recording material S, the side end 223 is always in contact with the water W from the water supply unit 230. Therefore, even if water is applied to the recording material S in the transport unit 222, water continues to be supplied from the side end 223 to the transport unit 222. In particular, because the application roller 221 is made of a water-absorbent material, water easily moves from the side end 223 to the transport unit 222, which has lost water due to application. Similarly, while the application roller 221 is rotating to transport the recording material S, the side edge 213 is always in contact with the side edge 223 of the second roller 220. Therefore, even if water is applied to the recording material S by the transport section 212, water is always supplied from the side edge 223 via the side edge 213 to the transport section 212.

[0052] In the image forming system 1, it is preferable to apply water to at least the image forming surface of the recording material S. For this reason, in the configuration shown in FIG. 1, water is applied to the recording material S by at least the application roller 221 of the first water application device 20. Note that the order of application of water may be reversed with respect to the conveyance direction of the recording material S. That is, the application roller 211 of the first roller 210 may apply water to the image forming surface of the recording material S, and the application roller 221 of the second roller 220 may apply water to the back surface of the recording material S.

[0053] (Configuration of water supply section) 3 to 5, the water supply unit 230 has a water supply unit main body 231 and a water storage unit 232 formed in the center of the water supply unit main body 231 in the conveying direction of the recording material S. The water storage unit 232 is a groove formed in the main body 231. The water storage unit 232 is formed in a range in which the length in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the recording material S is longer than the application roller 221 of the second roller 220. In addition, the water storage unit 232 is formed so that the length (width) in the conveying direction of the recording material S can be inserted to a depth where at least a part of the side ends 213, 223 of the application rollers 211, 221 can come into contact with water. The water supply unit 230 is not limited in structure, material, etc., as long as it can store water therein and supply water to the application roller 221.

[0054] In the water supply unit 230, water is supplied from the outside to the water storage unit 232. A state in which water is supplied to the water supply unit 230 from the outside is shown in FIG. 7 shows the first water application device 20, the image forming device 40, the second water application device 30, and the recording material S transported thereto. In addition, in the first water application device 20 and the second water application device 30, the rollers are omitted, and only the water supply units 230 and 330 are shown.

[0055] 7, a first water application device 20, an image forming device 40, and a second water application device 30 are arranged from upstream in the transport direction of the recording material S. Water is supplied from the outside to the water supply section 230 of the first water application device 20 and the water supply section 330 of the second water application device 30. Like the water supply section 230, the water supply section 330 has a water supply section main body 331 and a water storage section 332 formed in the center of the water supply section main body 331 in the transport direction of the recording material S.

[0056] In the image forming system 1, water circulates between the first water application device 20 and the second water application device 30. In the configuration shown in Fig. 7, water circulates between the first water application device 20 and the second water application device 30 via pipes L1, L2, and L3 and a cooling device 250.

[0057] First, water cooled by the cooling device 250 is supplied to the second water application device 30 through the pipe L1. The temperature of the water supplied from the cooling device 250 is, for example, about 15 to 30° C. The second water application device 30 is disposed immediately after the fixing unit 47 of the image forming apparatus 40. Therefore, the recording material S in a heated state in the fixing unit 47 is conveyed to the second water application device 30. On the other hand, if the temperature of the recording material S is too high, it affects reading by the downstream reading device 50. For this reason, it is preferable for the second water application device 30 to lower the temperature of the recording material S. Therefore, the water cooled by the cooling device 250 is supplied to the second water application device 30 downstream of the image forming device 40.

[0058] The second water application device 30 applies cooling water supplied from the cooling device 250 to the recording material S. At this time, heat exchange occurs between the recording material S heated in the fixing unit 47, the applied water, and the application rollers 211, 221. As a result, the recording material S can be cooled to lower its temperature. In addition, in the second water application device 30, the water is heated to about 50 to 60°C by heat exchange between the recording material S and the water via the application rollers 211, 221.

[0059] Next, water is transferred from the second water applicator 30 to the first water applicator 20 through the pipe L2. The water in the pipe L2 is water heated by the second water applicator 30. For this reason, heated water is supplied to the first water applicator 20. The first water applicator 20 is disposed immediately after the supply device 10 for the recording material S. The recording material S conveyed from the supply device 10 is usually at a lower temperature than the water in the first water applicator 20. If the temperature of the recording material S is too low, poor fixing of the toner is likely to occur during image formation. For this reason, the recording material S can be heated by using the water heated by the second water applicator 30 in the first water applicator 20.

[0060] Next, water is transferred from the first water application device 20 to the cooling device 250 through the pipe L3. Then, the water cooled by the cooling device 250 is supplied again to the second water application device 30. Water may also be supplied to the cooling device 250 from the outside. By supplying water from the outside, it is possible to replenish the water lost during circulation. It is preferable to supply water via the cooling device 250 rather than supplying water directly from the outside to the second water application device 30. As the cooling device 250, a heat exchanger such as a radiator can be used.

[0061] The image forming system 1 described above can apply water to the recording material S by the first water application device 20 and the second water application device 30. The first water application device 20 applies water to the recording material S before it is conveyed to the image forming device 40. This eliminates static electricity from the recording material S, and suppresses the occurrence of image unevenness during toner transfer. Moreover, the first water applicator 20 applies water transferred from the second water applicator 30 to the recording material S, thereby increasing the temperature of the recording material S. This makes it possible to suppress the occurrence of poor fixing of the toner. The second water application device 30 applies water to the recording material S discharged from the image forming device 40. This eliminates electricity from the recording material S, making it possible to prevent the recording material S from sticking (electrostatic adsorption) when it is taken up by the recovery device 60. Moreover, the second water application device 30 applies water transferred from the cooling device to the recording material S, thereby lowering the temperature of the recording material S. This makes it possible to suppress a decrease in the reading performance of the reading device 50 disposed downstream of the second water application device 30.

[0062] The present invention is not limited to the configurations described in the above-mentioned embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] 1 Image forming system, 10 Supply device, 11,61 Support shaft, 12,21,41,52,62 Control unit, 13,22,32,49,53,63 Communication unit, 14,24,44,54,64,212,222 Conveying unit, 15,48,55,65 Memory unit, 16,67 Core member, 20 First water application device, 26,230,330 Water supply unit, 30 Second water application device, 40 Image forming device, 42 Operation display unit, 45 Image processing unit, 46 Image forming unit, 47 Fixing unit, 50 Reading device, 51 Image reading unit, 60 Collection device, 66 Cutting unit, 201 Conveying roller, 210 First roller, 211,221 Application roller, 213,223 Side end, 215,225 Shaft portion, 220, second roller, 231, main body, 231, 331, water supply unit main body, 232, water storage unit, 250, cooling device, 332, water storage unit, 461, exposure unit, 462, photoconductor, 463, developing unit, 464, primary transfer roller, 465, intermediate transfer belt, 466, secondary transfer roller, 471, fixing roller, 472, pressure roller, L1, L2, L3, piping, W1, W2, W3, W4, arrows

Claims

1. a supply device that pays out a recording material wound in a roll and supplies it to a downstream side in a conveying direction; an image forming apparatus for forming an image on the recording material; a recovery device that recovers the recording material on which the image has been formed by winding the recording material into a roll; a first water application device disposed between the supply device and the image forming device; a second water application device disposed between the image forming device and the recovery device; The first water application device and the second water application device apply water to the recording material being conveyed. Image forming system.

2. The first water application device and the second water application device, a first roller disposed on the upstream side in a conveying direction of the recording material and a second roller disposed on the downstream side, The recording material is conveyed by wrapping it around the first roller and the second roller. The image forming system according to claim 1 .

3. At least one of the first roller and the second roller applies water to the wound recording material. The image forming system according to claim 2 .

4. The first water application device and the second water application device, A water supply unit is provided to supply water to at least one of the first roller and the second roller. The image forming system according to claim 3 .

5. At least one of the first roller and the second roller absorbs water from the water supply unit and applies the water to the recording material. The image forming system according to claim 4 .

6. In a direction perpendicular to a conveying direction of the recording material, at least one of the first roller and the second roller is a conveying portion formed at a center thereof and having a width larger than a maximum conveying width of the recording material, and side ends formed at both ends of the conveying portion and having an outer diameter larger than that of the conveying portion, The side end portion is supplied with water by the water supply portion, The conveying unit applies water to the recording material. The image forming system according to claim 5 .

7. The water supply unit is connected between the first water application device and the second water application device, and water is circulated between the first water application device and the second water application device. The image forming system according to claim 4 .

8. Water is supplied to the second water application device from the outside. The image forming system according to claim 7.

9. a reading device for reading an image formed on the recording material between the second water application device and the recovery device; The image forming system according to claim 1 .

Images