Recording device

Abstract

To suppress a medium 2 from decreasing in dryness and to suppress a surface of an air flow path body 8 from rising in temperature.SOLUTION: A recording device comprises: a recording part 5 which records an image on a medium conveyed by a conveyance part 4; a heating part 6 which heats the medium after the recording conveyed in a first direction D1; and a downstream conveyance path member 7 which constitutes a conveyance path downstream from the heating part, wherein the downstream conveyance path member is arranged at a position overlapping with the heating part in plan view from the first direction, the heating part comprises an air flow path body 8 and a heater 9, an air intake 10 for sucking air into the air flow path body, an air outlet 11 for blowing air out of the air flow path body, and a fan 12 sending the air from the air intake to the air outlet, and the air intake 10 is provided in a region on the opposite side facing the medium in a second direction D2 crossing the first direction D1 of the air flow path body 8.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a recording apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] As an example of this type of apparatus, there can be mentioned the heating apparatus and the medium processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 describes the following. The heating apparatus 40 includes a heating unit 41 for heating a medium 99, a housing 42 that houses the heating unit 41, a flow path 43 through which a gas flows, and a blower 44 for blowing the gas. The flow path 43 has an inlet 53 for taking in the gas into the flow path 43 and an outlet 54 for blowing out the gas in the flow path 43. The inlet 53 and the outlet 54 open toward the support surface 23. Since the gas inside the apparatus heated by the heating unit 41 flows along the support surface 23 to the side opposite to the side where the recording unit 15 is located, it is possible to reduce the risk of the heated gas flowing toward the recording unit 15.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the above conventional example, the heater path is oblique, but in order to miniaturize the apparatus, the heater path may be made vertical. Also, in order to enable the user to easily access the wound medium, the winding position of the winding unit may be arranged on the front side. With such an arrangement, the air heated around the lower part of the heater and above the winding unit stays. In the above conventional example, since the inlet is open toward the support surface, that is, the direction of the medium, the stagnant air flows into the heater. Therefore, it is difficult to take in fresh air from the outside into the heater, and the suppression of the temperature rise on the surface of the heater exterior and the drying property of the medium deteriorate.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, a recording apparatus according to the present invention includes a conveyance unit that conveys a medium in the conveyance direction of a conveyance path, a recording unit that records an image on the medium conveyed by the conveyance unit, a heating unit that heats the recorded medium conveyed in a first direction in the conveyance direction, and a downstream conveyance path member that constitutes the conveyance path at a position downstream of the heating unit in the conveyance direction. The downstream conveyance path member is disposed at a position overlapping the heating unit in a plan view from the first direction. The heating unit includes an air flow path body, a heater that is disposed outside the air flow path body and heats the medium, an intake port for sucking outside air of the air flow path body into the inside of the air flow path body, a blowout port for blowing out the air inside the air flow path body toward the medium outside the air flow path body, and a fan that is disposed inside the air flow path body and sends air from the intake port to the blowout port. The intake port is provided at a portion on the side opposite to the side facing the medium in a second direction intersecting the first direction of the air flow path body.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0006]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0007] The present invention will first be schematically described below. A first aspect of the recording apparatus according to the present invention includes a transport unit that transports a medium in a transport direction of a transport path, a recording unit that records an image on the medium transported by the transport unit, a heating unit that heats the recorded medium transported in a first direction in the transport direction, and a downstream transport path member that constitutes the transport path at a position downstream of the heating unit in the transport direction. The downstream transport path member is disposed at a position overlapping the heating unit in a plan view from the first direction, and the heating unit includes an air flow path body, a heater disposed outside the air flow path body for heating the medium, an intake port for sucking outside air of the air flow path body into the inside of the air flow path body, a blowout port for blowing out the air inside the air flow path body toward the medium outside the air flow path body, and a fan disposed inside the air flow path body for sending air from the intake port to the blowout port. The intake port is provided at a portion on the side opposite to the side facing the medium in a second direction intersecting the first direction of the air flow path body.

[0008] According to this aspect, the intake port is provided at a portion on the side opposite to the side facing the medium in a second direction intersecting the first direction of the air flow path body. As a result, although the downstream transport path member is disposed at a position downstream of the heating unit in the transport direction, the intake port is located away from the downstream transport path member. In other words, the intake port can take in fresh air into the inside of the air flow path body from a space different from the space where the heated air staying near the downstream transport path member exists. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the drying property of the medium. Further, it is possible to suppress an increase in the temperature of the surface of the air flow path body.

[0009] A second aspect of the recording apparatus according to the present invention is an aspect dependent on the first aspect, wherein the air flow path body includes a first flow path body that extends along the first direction and has the intake port, and a second flow path body that is connected to an upstream end portion of the first flow path body in the conveyance direction, extends in the second direction, and has the air outlet, and the heater is provided at a portion facing both the first flow path body and the second flow path body.

[0010] According to this aspect, the heater is provided at a portion facing both the first flow path body and the second flow path body. In other words, in the heating portion constituted by the heater and the air flow path body, the heater and the second flow path body overlap in the first direction. Thereby, an increase in the overall thickness of the heating portion can be suppressed.

[0011] A third aspect of the recording apparatus according to the present invention is an aspect dependent on the second aspect, wherein the fan is disposed in a region that is inside the second flow path body and also inside the first flow path body.

[0012] According to this aspect, the fan is disposed in a region that is inside the second flow path body and also inside the first flow path body. In other words, the fan is disposed across both regions of the first flow path body and the second flow path body. Thereby, even if the fan is of a size that cannot be disposed inside the first flow path body, a part of the fan is disposed in the region of the second flow path body, so that an increase in the overall size of the heating portion can be suppressed.

[0013] A fourth aspect of the recording apparatus according to the present invention is an aspect dependent on the second aspect, wherein the intake port is provided at a position of an end portion of the first flow path body on the side opposite to the second flow path body. Note that this aspect can also be made dependent on the third aspect.

[0014] According to this aspect, the intake port is provided at a position at an end of the first flow path body on the side opposite to the second flow path body. Thereby, fresh external air is sucked in from the intake port at the position, flows over the entire length of the first flow path body, and reaches the inside of the second flow path body. Then, it flows through the second flow path body and is blown out from the blowout port. Therefore, by touching the fresh external air, the first flow path body and the second flow path body can efficiently suppress the temperature rise of the entire surface of the air flow path body. Also, since a large distance can be ensured between the intake port and the fan, it is possible to reduce the intake loss due to a large bend in the portion that becomes the intake part of external air.

[0015] A fifth aspect of the recording apparatus according to the present invention is an aspect that depends on the third aspect, wherein the direction in which the fan sends air is different from the direction in which air is blown out from the blowout port, and a wall portion is provided in a region between the fan and the blowout port, and the wall portion guides the direction of the air sent from the fan toward the position where the blowout port is disposed.

[0016] According to this aspect, a wall portion is provided between the fan and the blowout port, and the wall portion guides the direction of the air sent from the fan toward the position where the blowout port is disposed. Thereby, even if the direction in which the fan sends air is different from the direction in which air is blown out from the blowout port, since the air sent out from the fan first hits the wall portion, the air can be guided to the blowout port while spreading in the width direction intersecting the conveyance direction by the wall portion.

[0017] A sixth aspect of the recording apparatus according to the present invention is an aspect that depends on the fifth aspect, wherein a plurality of the blowout ports are arranged in a width direction intersecting the conveyance direction of the conveyance path.

[0018] According to this aspect, since a plurality of the blowout ports are arranged in the width direction intersecting the conveyance direction of the conveyance path, air can be blown out uniformly in the width direction.

[0019] The seventh aspect of the recording apparatus according to the present invention is an aspect subordinate to the first aspect, and is characterized in that the first direction is the vertical direction. In addition, this aspect can also be made subordinate to any one of the second to sixth aspects.

[0020] According to this aspect, since the first direction is the vertical direction, miniaturization in the front-rear direction of the recording apparatus can be promoted.

[0021] [Embodiment] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the recording apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. In the following description, three mutually orthogonal axes are defined as the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis as shown in each figure. The directions indicated by the arrows of the three axes (X, Y, Z) are the + directions of each direction, and the opposite directions are the - directions. The Z-axis direction corresponds to the vertical direction, that is, the direction in which gravity acts. The +Z direction indicates vertically upward, and the -Z direction indicates vertically downward. The X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction correspond to the horizontal direction. The +Y direction indicates the front direction of the recording apparatus, and the -Y direction indicates the rear direction of the apparatus. The +X direction indicates the right direction of the apparatus, and the -X direction indicates the left direction of the apparatus.

[0022] [Embodiment 1] The recording apparatus of Embodiment 1 is called a digital resist printing machine in which the medium is cloth. This recording apparatus gives an appropriate tension to the cloth in a conveyance method called the Roll to Reel conveyance method to make the recording range float. The medium after recording is heated and dried by a heating unit arranged in the conveyance path and is wound up by a winding unit. Hereinafter, the recording apparatus of this embodiment will be specifically described.

[0023] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, a recording apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a conveyance unit 4 that conveys a medium 2 such as a fabric in the conveyance direction F of a conveyance path 3, a recording unit 5 that records an image on the medium 2 conveyed by the conveyance unit 4, and a heating unit 6 that heats the recorded medium 2 conveyed in the first direction D1 in the conveyance direction F. As shown in FIG. 2, in the present embodiment, the first direction D1 is the vertical direction (-Z direction). A downstream conveyance path member 7 that constitutes the conveyance path 3 at a downstream position in the conveyance direction F is disposed at a position downstream of the heating unit 6. As shown in FIG. 2, the downstream conveyance path member 7 is disposed at a position overlapping the heating unit 6 in a plan view from the first direction D1.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 2, the heating unit 6 includes an air flow path body 8 and a heater 9. The heater 9 is disposed outside the air flow path body 8. The heater 9 is rod-shaped and includes a reflector 21 and a wire mesh 22. The air flow path body 8 has an intake port 10 (FIGS. 1 and 2) for sucking external air into the interior of the air flow path body 8 and an outlet port 11 for blowing the air inside the air flow path body 8 toward the medium 2 outside the air flow path body 8. Further, a fan 12 is disposed inside the air flow path body 8, and the fan 12 sends air from the intake port 10 to the outlet port 11. That is, the fan 21 creates a flow of air from the intake port 10 to the outlet port 11. Reference numeral K indicates the direction of the air flow. The intake port 10 is provided at a portion on the side (+Y side) opposite to the side (-Y side) facing the medium 2 conveyed in the first direction D1 in the second direction D2 intersecting the first direction D1 of the air flow path body 8.

[0025] <Conveyance path, conveyance unit, downstream conveyance path member> As shown in Fig. 2, in this embodiment, a roll body R1 of the medium 2 is rotatably supported on a feed shaft 35 of the feeding unit 31. The medium 2 drawn from the roll body R1 is conveyed through the recording range of the recording unit 5 by the intermediate roller 33 and the intermediate roller 38 that constitute the conveyance path 3. Further, it is conveyed through the heating range of the heating unit 6 by the intermediate roller 38 and the guide bar 34. The medium 2 that has passed through the guide bar 34 is wound around a roll body R2 that is supported on a winding shaft 36 of the winding unit 32. The winding shaft 36 is rotationally driven by transmission of rotational power from a drive source (not shown) and rotates the roll body R2 in the winding direction. In this embodiment, the conveyance unit 4 is composed of the roll body R2 of the winding unit 32, the guide bar 34, the intermediate roller 38, the intermediate roller 33, and the roll body R1 of the feeding unit 31. Further, the downstream conveyance path member 7 is composed of the guide bar 34 disposed downstream in the conveyance direction F of the heating unit 6 and the winding unit 32.

[0026] <Air flow path body> As shown in the enlarged view of Fig. 3, in this embodiment, the air flow path body 8 has a first flow path body 81 and a second flow path body 82. The first flow path body 81 extends along the first direction D1 and has an intake port 10. The second flow path body 82 is connected to the upstream end portion 13 in the conveyance direction F of the first flow path body 81, extends in the second direction D2, and has a structure with an air outlet 11. The second flow path body 82 has an internal space connected at the upstream end portion 13 of the first flow path body 81 on the side facing the conveyance path 3. Thereby, the air flowing in from the intake port 10 flows in the direction K and flows out to the outside from the air outlet 11. The heater 9 is provided at a portion facing both the first flow path body 81 and the second flow path body 82. In other words, the heater 9 is disposed within the range of the length of the second flow path body 82 in the Y-axis direction. Here, two heaters 9 are installed along the conveyance path 3. A cover 20 (Fig. 3) that constitutes a part of the appearance of the heating unit 6 is provided at the lower end portion of the first flow path body 81.

[0027] <Fan, wall portion> In this embodiment, the fan 12 is disposed in a region that is inside the second flow path body 82 and inside the first flow path body 81. As shown in FIG. 3, the direction Fa in which the fan 12 blows air is different from the blowing direction Fb in which air blows out from the air outlet 11. Therefore, in this embodiment, a wall portion 15 is provided in the region between the fan 12 and the air outlet 11. Specifically, the wall portion 15 is a U-shaped plate material installed on the upper surface of the fan 12, and is installed such that the open side of the U-shape faces the direction of the air outlet 11. As shown by the arrow A, the wall portion 15 is configured to guide the direction Fa in which the fan 12 blows air toward the position where the air outlet 11 is disposed. As shown in FIG. 5, in this embodiment, a plurality of air outlets 11 are arranged in the width direction (X-axis direction) of the conveyance path.

[0028] <Air inlet> As shown in FIG. 3, in this embodiment, the air inlet 10 is provided at the position of the end portion 14 on the side of the first flow path body 81 opposite to the second flow path body 82. In other words, the air inlet 10 is provided at the portion farthest from the fan 12. With this arrangement, the air sucked in by the suction force of the fan 12 from the air inlet 10 flows through the entire length in the vertical direction (+Z direction) within the first flow path body 81 and reaches the fan 12. As shown in FIG. 1, the air inlet 10 is located on the front side of the recording device 1, and three air inlets 10 are provided in the width direction (X-axis direction). Of course, it is not limited to three, and it may have two or four or more structures. Although not shown, the air inlet 10 is formed of a fine mesh body or a lattice body. The winding unit 32 is also located on the front side of the recording device 1. In FIG. 1, only the winding shaft 36 of the winding unit 32 is shown, and the illustration of the roll body R2 is omitted.

[0029] [Modification example] Although the intake port 10 has been described as being provided at the position of the end portion 14 on the side opposite to the second flow path body 81 of the first flow path body 81 in the above description, it is not limited to this position. For example, it may be arranged at the end face in the -Z direction of the first flow path body 81, that is, the lower end face, at a position away from the conveyance path 3.

[0030] <Description of the effects of Embodiment 1> (1) In the present embodiment, the intake port 10 is provided at a portion in the second direction D2 that intersects the first direction D1 of the air flow path body 8 and on the side opposite to the side facing the medium 2. As a result, although the downstream conveyance path members 7 such as the guide bar 34 and the roll body R2 are arranged at positions downstream in the conveyance direction F from the heating unit 6, the intake port 10 is located away from the downstream conveyance path members 7. In other words, the intake port 10 can take in fresh air into the air flow path body 8 from another space separated from the space where the heated air staying near the downstream conveyance path members 7 exists. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the drying property of the medium 2. In addition, it is possible to suppress an increase in the temperature of the surface of the air flow path body 8.

[0031] (2) Further, in the present embodiment, the heater 9 is provided at a portion facing both the first flow path body 81 and the second flow path body 82. In other words, in the heating unit 6 composed of the heater 9 and the air flow path body 8, the heater 9 and the second flow path body 82 overlap when viewed in the first direction D1. Thereby, an increase in the overall thickness of the heating unit 6 can be suppressed. (3) Further, in the present embodiment, the fan 12 is arranged inside the second flow path body 82 and in the region that becomes the inside of the first flow path body 81. In other words, the fan 12 is arranged straddling both regions of the first flow path body 81 and the second flow path body 82. Thereby, even if the fan 12 is of a size that cannot be arranged inside the first flow path body 81, since a part of the fan 12 is arranged in the region of the second flow path body 82, an increase in the overall size of the heating unit 9 can be suppressed.

[0032] (4) Also, in the present embodiment, the intake port 10 is provided at the position of the end portion of the first flow path body 81 on the side opposite to the second flow path body 82. As a result, fresh external air is sucked in from the intake port 10 at the said position, flows over the entire length of the first flow path body 81, and reaches the inside of the second flow path body 82. Then, it flows through the second flow path body 82 and is blown out from the blowout port 11. Therefore, the first flow path body 81 and the second flow path body 82 can efficiently suppress the temperature rise of the entire surface of the air flow path body 8 by coming into contact with the fresh external air. Moreover, since a large distance can be ensured between the intake port 10 and the fan 12, it is possible to reduce the intake loss due to a large bend in the portion that serves as the intake portion of the external air.

[0033] (5) Also, in the present embodiment, a wall portion 15 is provided between the fan 12 and the blowout port 11, and the wall portion 15 guides the direction Fa of the air sent from the fan 12 toward the position where the blowout port 11 is arranged, as indicated by the arrow A. As a result, even if the direction Fa in which the fan 12 sends air is different from the direction Fb in which the air is blown out from the blowout port 11, since the air sent from the fan 12 first hits the wall portion 15, the air can be guided to the blowout port 11 while spreading in the width direction (X-axis direction) that intersects the conveyance direction by the wall portion 15.

[0034] (6) Also, in the present embodiment, since a plurality of blowout ports 11 are arranged in the width direction (X-axis direction) of the conveyance path 3, air can be blown out uniformly in the width direction (X-axis direction). (7) Also, in the present embodiment, since the first direction D1 is the vertical direction, miniaturization in the front-rear direction of the recording apparatus 1 can be promoted.

[0035] 〔Other Embodiments〕 The recording apparatus 1 according to the present invention is basically configured to have the configuration of the above-described embodiment, but it is of course possible to make partial configuration changes, omissions, etc. without departing from the gist of the present invention.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0036] 1. Recording device, 2. Medium, 3. Conveying path, 4. Conveying unit, 5. Recording unit, 6. Heating unit, 7. Downstream conveying path member, 8. Air flow path body, 9. Heater, 10. Air intake, 11. Air outlet, 12. Fan, 13. Upstream end, 14. Opposite end, 15. Wall portion, 21. Reflector, 22. Wire mesh, 31. Pay-out section, 32. Take-up section, 33. Intermediate roller, 34. Guide bar, 35. Pay-out shaft, 36. Take-up shaft, 38. Intermediate roller, A. Air flow induced by the wall portion, F. Conveying direction, Fa. Direction in which the fan sends air, Fb. Blowing direction, K. Air flow direction, R1. Roll body, R2. Roll body

Claims

1. A conveying unit that conveys a medium in the conveying direction of a conveying path; A recording unit that records an image on the medium conveyed by the conveying unit; A heating unit that heats the medium after recording and conveyed in a first direction in the conveying direction; A downstream conveying path member that constitutes the conveying path at a position downstream of the heating unit in the conveying direction, and is provided with; The downstream conveying path member is disposed at a position overlapping the heating unit in a plan view from the first direction; The heating unit includes: An air flow path body; A heater disposed outside the air flow path body for heating the medium; An air inlet for sucking outside air of the air flow path body into the inside of the air flow path body; An air outlet for blowing out the air inside the air flow path body toward the medium outside the air flow path body; A fan disposed inside the air flow path body for sending air from the air inlet to the air outlet, and is provided with; The air inlet is provided at a portion on the opposite side of the side facing the medium conveyed in the first direction in a second direction intersecting the first direction of the air flow path body; A recording apparatus characterized by the above.

2. In the recording apparatus according to Claim 1, The air flow path body includes: A first flow path body extending along the first direction; A second flow path body connected to an upstream end portion of the first flow path body in the conveying direction, extending in the second direction, and having the air outlet; The heater is provided at a portion facing both the first flow path body and the second flow path body; A recording apparatus characterized by the above.

3. In the recording apparatus according to Claim 2, The fan is disposed inside the second flow path body and in a region that becomes inside the first flow path body; A recording apparatus characterized by the above.

4. In the recording apparatus according to Claim 2, The air inlet is provided at a position of an end portion of the first flow path body on the side opposite to the second flow path body; A recording apparatus characterized by the above.

5. In the recording apparatus according to Claim 3, The direction in which the fan sends air is different from the direction in which air is blown out from the air outlet; A wall portion is provided between the fan and the air outlet; The wall portion guides the direction of the air sent from the fan toward the position where the air outlet is disposed; A recording apparatus characterized by the above.

6. In the recording apparatus according to Claim 5, A plurality of the air outlets are arranged in a width direction intersecting the conveying direction of the conveying path; A recording apparatus characterized by the above.

7. In the recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first direction is the vertical direction, a recording apparatus characterized by this.

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