Image forming apparatus

Abstract

To suppress contamination or disturbance of an image formed on a sheet.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus 1 includes a recording head 16, a conveyance belt 26, a support plate 27, and a suction device 28. The recording head 16 ejects droplets 45 onto a sheet 2. The conveyance belt 26 conveys the sheet 2 toward a position where an image is to be formed by the recording head 16. The support plate 27 supports the conveyance belt 26. The suction device 28 is located on an opposite side of the recording head 16 relative to the conveyance belt 26 and sucks the sheet 2 together with air to attract the sheet to a surface of the conveyance belt 26. The support plate 27 includes an air inlet 41 and an air vent 43. The air sucked by the suction device 28 passes through the air inlet 41 from the recording head 16 side toward the suction device 28 side. The air inside the suction device 28 passes through the air vent 43 from the suction device 28 side toward the conveyance belt 26 side.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an image recording device equipped with a conveyor belt for conveying paper. The conveyor belt has a large number of through holes for sucking in air to adhere the paper to the surface of the conveyor belt, and a plurality of through holes for flushing through which ink ejected from nozzles passes during flushing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-23374 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In an image recording device such as that described in Patent Document 1, between the conveyor belt and the nozzles, ink ejected from the nozzles during flushing can be fanned by the air flow that occurs as the paper is transported and air is sucked in, and can adhere to the paper being transported by the conveyor belt, causing smearing or disruption of the image formed on the paper.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide an image forming apparatus capable of suppressing smearing or disturbance of an image formed on a sheet of paper. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The image forming apparatus according to the present invention comprises a recording head, an endless belt, a support plate, and a suction device. The recording head ejects droplets onto a recording medium. The endless belt transports the recording medium toward an image forming position by the recording head. The support plate supports the endless belt. The suction device is located on the opposite side of the endless belt from the recording head, and sucks the recording medium together with air onto the surface of the endless belt. The support plate has an air intake hole and a ventilation opening. The air sucked by the suction device passes through the air intake hole from the recording head side toward the suction device side. The ventilation opening allows air inside the suction device to pass from the suction device side toward the endless belt side. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress smearing or disturbance of an image formed on a sheet. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a conveying unit of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a conveying unit of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment; [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a support plate of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. [Diagram 5] 1 is a schematic enlarged view of a portion of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference characters and description thereof will not be repeated.

[0010] An image forming apparatus 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 according to this embodiment.

[0011] The image forming apparatus 1 is a device that forms an image, such as a color multifunction machine, and has the function of executing multiple jobs such as copying, printing, scanning, faxing, etc. The image forming apparatus 1 has a printing unit 3 that records an image or the like on paper 2 (an example of a recording medium) using, for example, an inkjet method, a paper feed unit 4 that supplies the paper 2 to the printing unit 3, and a drying unit 5 that dries the paper 2 on which the image or the like has been recorded.

[0012] The paper 2 supplied from the paper feed section 4 to the printing section 3 has an image or the like recorded thereon, and is then transferred from the printing section 3 to the drying section 5, where it is dried, and then discharged.

[0013] The printing unit 3 of the image forming apparatus 1 includes a transport unit 7 that transports the paper 2, and a recording unit 8 that ejects ink onto the transported paper 2. The recording unit 8 includes a plurality of head units 11-14. Each of the head units 11-14 has a plurality of recording heads 16.

[0014] The conveying section 7 includes a frame body 20, a plurality of rollers 21-24 rotatably mounted on the frame body 20, an endless conveying belt 26 (an example of an endless belt) wound around the rollers 21-24, a support plate 27 (also called a platen) that supports the conveying belt 26 from below, and a suction device 28 that sucks the paper 2 supplied onto the conveying belt 26 onto the surface of the conveying belt 26.

[0015] Next, the conveying section 7 of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the conveying section 7 of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the conveying section 7 of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment.

[0016] 1 to 3, a direction perpendicular to a moving direction 37 of the conveyor belt 26 is defined as a belt width direction 38. The moving direction 37 is an example of a conveying direction.

[0017] The frame body 20 has a pair of side frames 32 facing each other in the belt width direction 38. The rollers 21 to 24 are supported between the pair of side frames 32.

[0018] Any one of the rollers 21 to 24 is forcibly rotated by a motor or the like, which causes the conveyor belt 26 to rotate in one direction and the remaining rollers to rotate accordingly. The conveyor belt 26 conveys the paper 2 toward the image formation position by the recording head 16. The conveyor belt 26 is colored black to absorb light.

[0019] The suction device 28 has a suction chamber 30 formed below the support plate 27, and a plurality of suction fans 31 provided in the suction chamber 30. The support plate 27 forms a ceiling of the suction chamber 30. In other words, the suction device 28 is located on the opposite side of the conveyor belt 26 from the recording head 16.

[0020] The conveyor belt 26 is formed with a large number of suction holes 34 penetrating both the front and back sides and a plurality of through holes 35 for flushing. The diameter of the through holes 35 is set to be larger than the diameter of the suction holes 34. The through holes 35 are formed in a plurality of sets of two rows in the moving direction 37 of the conveyor belt 26.

[0021] Next, the support plate 27 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the support plate 27 of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. Fig. 4 shows a state in which the conveyor belt 26 has been removed from the conveyor section 7 shown in Fig. 3 to expose the support plate 27.

[0022] 4, the support plate 27 has a large number of intake holes 41 and ventilation holes 43 penetrating in the vertical direction, and a large number of communication holes 42 for flushing. In other words, the support plate 27 is formed with a large number of intake holes 41 and ventilation holes 43 penetrating in the vertical direction, and a large number of communication holes 42 for flushing. The opening area of ​​one communication hole 42 is set to be larger than the opening area of ​​one intake hole 41. The communication holes 42 are located directly below each recording head 16.

[0023] For example, the ventilation opening 43 is composed of four openings 43a, 43b, 43c, and 43d. For example, the openings 43a, 43b, 43c, and 43d are arranged in a row in the belt width direction 38. The opening area of ​​each of the openings 43a, 43b, 43c, and 43d is set to be larger than the opening area of ​​one of the air intake holes 41. In the movement direction 37 of the conveyor belt 26, four ventilation openings 43 are formed corresponding to the head units 11 to 14.

[0024] Next, flushing in the image forming apparatus 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an enlarged view of a part of the image forming apparatus 1 according to this embodiment.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of droplet receiving sections 44 are provided in the suction chamber 30 to receive ink droplets 45 that are ejected from the recording head 16 by flushing and pass through the through holes 35 of the conveyor belt 26 and the communication holes 42 of the support plate 27 and do not contribute to image formation.

[0026] The paper 2 supplied from the paper feed unit 4 onto the conveyor belt 26 of the printing unit 3 is conveyed in the moving direction 37 by the rotating conveyor belt 26. At this time, the suction fan 31 rotates to reduce the pressure inside the suction chamber 30, and the outside air flows into the suction chamber 30 through the suction holes 34 or through holes 35 of the conveyor belt 26 and the intake holes 41 or communication holes 42 of the support plate 27. In other words, the air sucked by the suction device 28 passes through the intake hole 41 from the recording head 16 side toward the suction device 28 side. The paper 2 is adsorbed to the surface of the conveyor belt 26 by such air flow D1.

[0027] As a result, the paper 2 is transported in the movement direction 37 without lifting up from the transport belt 26. At this time, ink droplets are ejected from the recording head 16 onto the paper 2 being transported, forming an image on the paper 2.

[0028] In addition, along with the transport of the paper 2 and the air flow D1, an air flow D2 flows toward the air intake hole 41 on the recording head 16 side of the transport belt 26. Furthermore, along with the air flow D2, an air flow D3 is generated that passes through the transport belt 26 from the suction device 28 side to the recording head 16 side. Specifically, the air flow D3 flows into the recording head 16 side of the transport belt 26 through the ventilation opening 43 of the support plate 27 and the suction hole 34 or the through hole 35 of the transport belt 26. In other words, the air inside the suction device 28 passes through the ventilation opening 43 from the suction device 28 side to the transport belt 26 side. As a result, a convection current is generated in which air circulates between the suction device 28 and the recording head 16 across the transport belt 26. In other words, the air flow between the suction device 28 and the recording head 16 is rectified. Therefore, the ink droplets 45 ejected by flushing are less likely to be agitated by the air flow and are less likely to adhere to the conveyor belt 26 and the paper 2 being conveyed by the conveyor belt 26. As a result, it is possible to suppress smearing or disturbance of the image formed on the paper 2.

[0029] In this embodiment, the ventilation opening 43 is located forward of the recording head 16 in the moving direction 37 of the conveyor belt 26. As a result, convection between the suction device 28 and the recording head 16 occurs forward of the recording head 16, making it difficult for air flow D4 to occur from the rear to the front of the recording head 16. As a result, ink droplets 45 ejected by flushing are less likely to be blown by air flow D4 and to adhere to the conveyor belt 26, etc.

[0030] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and can be implemented in various aspects without departing from the gist of the present invention. In addition, the components disclosed in the above embodiments can be modified as appropriate. For example, a certain component among all the components shown in one embodiment may be added to a component of another embodiment, or some components among all the components shown in one embodiment may be deleted from the embodiment.

[0031] In addition, the drawings are mainly schematic illustrations of each component to facilitate understanding of the invention, and the thickness, length, number, spacing, etc. of each component shown in the drawings may differ from the actual ones due to the convenience of creating the drawings. In addition, the configurations of each component shown in the above embodiment are merely examples and are not particularly limited, and it goes without saying that various modifications are possible within a range that does not substantially deviate from the effects of the present invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0032] The present invention can be used in the field of image forming apparatuses. [Explanation of symbols]

[0033] 1: Image forming device 2: Paper 3: Printing department 4:Paper feed section 5:Drying section 7: Transport section 8: Recording section 16: Recording head 26: Conveyor belt 27: Support plate 28:Suction device 37: Direction of movement 41: Air intake 42:Communication hole 43: Ventilation vent 44:Droplet receiver 45:Droplet

Claims

1. A recording head that ejects droplets onto a recording medium; an endless belt that conveys the recording medium toward an image forming position by the recording head; A support plate that supports the endless belt; a suction device that is located on the opposite side of the recording head with respect to the endless belt and that sucks the recording medium together with air onto the surface of the endless belt; Equipped with The support plate is an air intake hole through which the air sucked by the suction device passes from the recording head side toward the suction device side; a ventilation port through which air inside the suction device passes from the suction device side toward the endless belt side; An image forming apparatus comprising:

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the ventilation opening is located forward of the recording head in a transport direction of the recording medium.

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