Conveyance guide member and drying device

Abstract

To prevent a tip part of a sheet from coming into contact with an end part on the downstream side in the carrying direction of a slit arranged in a carrying guide member.SOLUTION: The conveyance guide member 31 includes the plate-shaped main body portion 32 defining the conveyance path for conveying the sheet in the predetermined conveyance direction, the downstream end portion 35 provided at the end portion of the main body portion 32 on the downstream side in the conveyance direction and bent toward the side away from the conveyance path, and the slit 36 provided along the conveyance direction over the main body portion 32 and the downstream end portion 35, and the width of the slit 36 at the downstream end portion 35 is wider than the width of the slit 36 at the main body portion 32.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a transport guide member and a drying device. [Background technology]

[0002] When forming an image on a sheet using an inkjet method, it is necessary to quickly dry the ink ejected onto the sheet to prevent image distortion, sheet deformation, or sheet sticking. One known technique for drying ink is a drying device equipped with a conveyor belt for conveying the sheet and a heat source for supplying heat to the ink on the sheet. In this configuration, since the dried sheet becomes very hot, it is desirable to provide a means for accelerating sheet cooling downstream of the conveyor belt in the conveying direction. In particular, for large sheets or thick paper, rapid cooling is required because a large amount of heat accumulates after drying in the drying device. However, the conveying path downstream of the conveyor belt in the conveying direction is composed of plate-shaped conveying guide members facing both sides of the sheet, which easily traps heat and makes it difficult for the sheet to cool. Therefore, providing openings in the conveying guide members to improve breathability is considered. Patent Document 1, for example, discloses slits along the conveying direction as an example of such openings. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-19597 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the side edge of the sheet (the edge in the width direction intersecting the conveying direction) may curl, and in that case, the side edge of the sheet may enter the slit, and the leading edge of the sheet (the edge on the front side in the conveying direction) may come into contact with the edge on the downstream side of the slit in the conveying direction, which may damage or jam the sheet.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In consideration of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to prevent the leading edge of a sheet from contacting the downstream end in the conveying direction of a slit provided in a conveying guide member. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, the transport guide member of the present invention comprises a plate-shaped main body portion that defines a transport path for transporting a sheet in a predetermined transport direction, a downstream end portion provided at the downstream end of the main body portion in the transport direction and bent away from the transport path, and a slit provided along the transport direction between the main body portion and the downstream end portion, wherein the width of the slit at the downstream end portion is wider than the width of the slit in the main body portion.

[0007] The slit at the downstream end may be widened in a direction away from the center of the transport path.

[0008] The slit may be provided at a position different from an edge of the sheet in a width direction intersecting with the conveying direction.

[0009] The slit may be provided between the ends of a plurality of types of sheets having different sizes.

[0010] The drying device according to the present invention also includes a heat source that heats the sheet transported along the transport path, and the transport guide member that is provided downstream of the heat source in the transport direction. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the leading edge of the sheet from coming into contact with the downstream end in the conveying direction of the slit provided in the conveying guide member. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view schematically illustrating an internal configuration of an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a front view showing a transport guide member according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a bottom view showing the upper transport guide member according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a main body and a downstream end of a transport guide member according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a parallel portion and a downstream end portion of a conventional transport guide member. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a left side view showing the downstream end portion of a conventional transport guide member. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a left side view showing the downstream end portion of a conventional transport guide member. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a left side view showing the downstream end portion of the transport guide member according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a front view schematically showing a branch point between two transport paths; [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a conventional transport guide member. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a transport guide member according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] An image forming system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0014] Fig. 1 is a front view showing a schematic internal configuration of image forming system 100. In the following description, the front side of the paper in Fig. 1 is the front side (front side) of image forming system 100, and left and right directions are described based on the direction when image forming system 100 is viewed from the front. In each figure, U, Lo, L, R, Fr, and Rr represent up, down, left, right, front, and rear, respectively.

[0015] The image forming system 100 includes a paper feeder 110, an inkjet recording apparatus 1, and a drying apparatus 120. The paper feeder 110 stores sheets S and supplies the sheets S to the inkjet recording apparatus 1. The inkjet recording apparatus 1 forms an image on the sheets S using an inkjet method. The drying apparatus 120 heats the sheets S transported from the inkjet recording apparatus 1 to dry the ink. A post-processing apparatus (not shown) for stacking the discharged sheets S may be provided to the left of the drying apparatus 120. The post-processing apparatus may have functions such as stapling, folding, and punching.

[0016] The sheet feeding device 110 includes a sheet cassette 4, a sheet feed roller 5, a conveying path 10A, a sheet alignment device 6, and an evacuation tray 9. The sheet cassette 4 stores stacked sheets S. The sheet feed roller 5 sends sheets one by one from the sheet cassette 4 to the conveying path 10A. Two sheet alignment devices 6, each with the same basic configuration, are arranged one above the other. The sheet alignment devices 6 have the function of correcting the inclination of the sheet with respect to the conveying direction Y and the function of correcting the positional deviation of the sheet in the width direction X that intersects with the conveying direction Y. The conveying path 10A leads to the sheet alignment device 6 on the lower side. The conveying path 10B branches off from the conveying path 10A and leads to the sheet alignment device 6 on the upper side. The conveying path 10C branches off from the conveying path 10B and leads to the evacuation tray 9. The conveying paths 10A, 10B, and 10C are provided with conveying rollers 17 that convey the sheets.

[0017] At the branch point between conveying paths 10A and 10B, there is provided an opening / closing member 8A that swings about an axis to open either conveying path 10A or conveying path 10B and close the other. When opening / closing member 8A opens conveying path 10A, sheet S is guided into conveying path 10A, and when opening / closing member 8B opens conveying path 10B, sheet S is guided into conveying path 10B.

[0018] At the branch point between conveying path 10B and conveying path 10C, there is provided an opening / closing member 8B that swings about an axis to open one of conveying path 10B and conveying path 10C and close the other. When opening / closing member 8B opens conveying path 10B, sheet S is guided to conveying path 10B, and when opening / closing member 8B opens conveying path 10C, sheet S is guided to conveying path 10C.

[0019] The inkjet recording apparatus 1 includes a transport unit 7 that adsorbs a sheet S and transports it in a predetermined transport direction Y. Four head units 11 that eject ink to form an image are provided above the transport unit 7. The inkjet recording apparatus 1 includes a transport path 10D that passes through the gap between the transport unit 7 and the head units 11. Transport paths 10A and 10B merge into transport path 10D.

[0020] The transport unit 7 includes an endless transport belt 21 and a suction unit 24. The transport belt 21 has a number of air holes (not shown) and is wound around a drive roller 25 and a driven roller 22. The upper surface of the suction unit 24 has a number of air holes (not shown) and is in contact with the inner surface of the transport belt 21. The suction unit 24 sucks air through the air holes of the transport belt 21 and the suction unit 24, thereby adsorbing the sheet S to the transport belt 21. The drive roller 25 is driven counterclockwise by a drive unit (not shown) including a motor and a reduction gear, causing the transport belt 21 to rotate counterclockwise, and the sheet adsorbed to the transport belt 21 is transported in the Y direction.

[0021] Each head unit 11 includes one or more inkjet heads 12. An ink container 20 filled with black, cyan, magenta, or yellow ink is connected to each head unit 11. The four head units 11 are arranged spaced apart from one another, and a maintenance unit 30 that performs maintenance on the inkjet heads 12 is arranged to the right of each head unit 11.

[0022] The control unit 2 (see FIG. 2) includes a calculation unit and a storage unit (not shown). The calculation unit is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The storage unit includes storage media such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory). The calculation unit performs various processes by reading and executing control programs stored in the storage unit. Note that the control unit 2 may be realized by an integrated circuit that does not use software.

[0023] The display operation unit 19 includes a display panel, a touch panel laminated on the display panel, and a keypad (not shown). The control unit 2 displays a screen showing the operation menu and status of the inkjet recording apparatus 1 on the display panel, and controls each part of the inkjet recording apparatus 1 in response to operations detected by the touch panel and the keypad.

[0024] The drying device 120 includes a transport unit 40 and a heating unit 50. The transport unit 40 adsorbs the sheet S onto a transport belt 41 using the same principle as the transport unit 7, and transports the sheet S in the Y direction. The heating unit 50 includes a heat source such as an infrared heater, and dries the ink on the sheet S.

[0025] The drying device 120 includes a conveying path 10E that passes through the gap between the conveying unit 40 and the heating unit 50. The conveying path 10D is connected to the conveying path 10E. The conveying path 10F branches downward from the conveying path 10E. The conveying path 10F branches into the conveying paths 10G and 10J. The conveying paths 10G and 10J are curved in an arc shape. The conveying path 10H branches off to the right from the conveying path 10G, and the conveying path 10K branches off to the right from the conveying path 10J. The conveying paths 10H and 10K merge into the conveying path 10M. The conveying path 10L branches off downward from the conveying path 10M, passes below the conveying paths 10J, 10G, and 10F, and merges with the conveying path 10E. Conveyance paths 10E, 10F, 10G, 10H, 10J, 10K, 10L, and 10M are provided with conveyance rollers 17 for conveying sheets.

[0026] At the branch point between conveying path 10E and conveying path 10F, there is provided an opening / closing member 8C that swings about an axis to open one of conveying path 10E and conveying path 10F and close the other. When opening / closing member 8C opens conveying path 10E, sheet S is guided into conveying path 10E, and when opening / closing member 8C opens conveying path 10F, sheet S is guided into conveying path 10F.

[0027] At the branch point between conveying path 10G and conveying path 10K, there is provided an opening / closing member 8D that swings about an axis to open one of conveying path 10G and conveying path 10K and close the other. When opening / closing member 8D opens conveying path 10G, sheet S is guided into conveying path 10G, and when opening / closing member 8D opens conveying path 10K, sheet S is guided into conveying path 10K.

[0028] At the branch point between conveying paths 10G and 10H, there is provided an opening / closing member 8E that swings about an axis to open one of conveying paths 10G and 10H and close the other. When turning over sheet S, opening / closing member 8E opens conveying path 10G, and conveying rollers 17 convey sheet S counterclockwise until the rear end of sheet S that has entered conveying path 10G passes the branch point, after which opening / closing member 8E opens conveying path 10H, and conveying rollers 17 convey sheet S clockwise.

[0029] At the branch point between conveying path 10J and conveying path 10K, there is provided an opening / closing member 8F that swings about an axis to open one of conveying path 10J and conveying path 10K and close the other. When turning over sheet S, opening / closing member 8F opens conveying path 10J, and conveying rollers 17 convey sheet S counterclockwise until the rear end of sheet S that has entered conveying path 10J passes the branch point, after which opening / closing member 8F opens conveying path 10K, and conveying rollers 17 convey sheet S clockwise.

[0030] At the branch point between conveying path 10L and conveying path 10M, there is provided an opening / closing member 8G that swings about an axis to open one of conveying path 10L and conveying path 10M and close the other. When opening / closing member 8G opens conveying path 10L, sheet S is guided into conveying path 10L, and when opening / closing member 8G opens conveying path 10M, sheet S is guided into conveying path 10M.

[0031] The inkjet recording apparatus 1 includes a conveying path 10N connected to the conveying path 10M, and the paper feeder 110 includes a conveying path 10P extending from the conveying path 10N to the sheet alignment device 6 below. The conveying path 10N includes, for example, an electrostatically adsorbed conveying belt 26 that adsorbs and conveys the sheet S using static electricity.

[0032] The basic operation of the image forming system 100 is as follows. When an image formation job is input to the inkjet recording apparatus 1 from the display / operation unit 19, an external computer, or the like, the paper feed roller 5 feeds sheets S one by one from the paper feed cassette 4 to the conveying path 10A. Each time a sheet S is fed, the open / close member 8A alternately opens the conveying paths 10A and 10B, and the lower and upper sheet alignment devices 6 alternately perform sheet alignment processing. When the sheet alignment device 6 feeds the sheet S to the conveying unit 7 at a predetermined timing, the conveying unit 7 attracts the sheet S to the conveying belt 21 and conveys it in the Y direction. When the control unit 2 supplies raster-format image data to the head unit 11 in synchronization with the conveyance of the sheet S, ink is ejected from the head unit 11, and an image is formed on the sheet S. The sheet S with the image formed thereon is conveyed to the drying device 120.

[0033] In the drying device 120, the ink on the sheet S transported along the transport path 10E is dried. In the case of an image forming job for single-sided printing of only one sheet, the sheet S is guided to the transport path 10E and transported to a post-processing device (not shown) connected to the left of the drying device 120. On the other hand, in the case of an image forming job for single-sided printing of multiple sheets, the sheet S is guided to the transport path 10F, and after being inverted using the transport paths 10G and 10J alternately, it is transported to the post-processing device via the transport path 10L.

[0034] On the other hand, in the case of a double-sided printing image formation job, the sheet S is inverted by alternately using the conveying paths 10G and 10J, and then conveyed to the sheet aligning device 6 below via the conveying paths 10M, 10N, and 10P, where an image is formed on the back side by the inkjet recording device 1. Thereafter, the ink is dried by the drying device 120, and the sheet S is inverted by alternately using the conveying paths 10G and 10J, and then conveyed to the post-processing device via the conveying path 10L.

[0035] [Transport guide parts] Fig. 2 is a front view showing the transport guide member 31. Fig. 3 is a bottom view showing the upper transport guide member 31. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the main body 32 and downstream end 35 of the transport guide member 31. Fig. 8 is a left side view showing the downstream end 35 of the transport guide member 31. Hereinafter, the upstream side and downstream side in the transport direction Y will be referred to as the upstream side and downstream side, respectively.

[0036] The transport guide members 31 are provided, for example, on the transport path 10E (see FIG. 1). A pair of transport guide members 31 facing each other vertically define the upper and lower boundaries of the transport path 10E. The upper transport guide member 31 will be described below, but the lower transport guide member 31 has the same configuration as the upper one except that its basic shape is inverted vertically.

[0037] The transport guide member 31 is shaped like a single plate. The transport guide member 31 can be made of metal, resin, etc., but metal is preferable from the viewpoint of thermal conductivity. In the case of metal, aluminum is easy to process but has low rigidity and is expensive, so stainless steel, which is inexpensive and has high rigidity, is preferable.

[0038] The transport guide member 31 (see FIG. 2) has a main body portion 32, an inclined portion 33, an upstream end portion 34, and a downstream end portion 35. The main body portion 32 is disposed parallel to the main body portion 32 of the paired lower transport guide member 31. The inclined portion 33 is provided upstream of the main body portion 32 and is inclined so as to move away from the transport path 10E as it moves upstream. The upstream end portion 34 is provided at the upstream end of the inclined portion 33 and is bent away from the transport path 10E. The downstream end portion 35 is provided at the downstream end of the main body portion 32 and is bent away from the transport path 10E.

[0039] The transport guide member 31 has slits 36 (see FIGS. 3, 4, and 8) along the transport direction Y. The slits 36 are provided at multiple locations in the width direction X, which intersects with the transport direction Y. The slits 36 are provided at positions different from the ends of the sheets S in the width direction X, which intersects with the transport direction Y. Furthermore, the image forming system 100 can use multiple types of sheets S with different sizes (see FIG. 3, for example, A4, A3, B4, B5, Legal, Letter, etc.). Therefore, the slits 36 are provided between the ends of the multiple types of sheets S with different sizes in the width direction X.

[0040] The slit 36 ​​is provided across the main body portion 32 and the downstream end portion 35. Specifically, the slit 36 ​​extends from the inclined portion 33 through the main body portion 32 and reaches a predetermined height at the downstream end portion 35 that is lower than the upper end of the downstream end portion 35. The width W2 of the slit 36 ​​at the downstream end portion 35 is wider than the width W1 of the slit 36 ​​at the main body portion 32. The width of the slit 36 ​​at the downstream end portion 35 increases in a direction away from the center of the conveying path 10E.

[0041] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the main body 32 and downstream end 35 of a conventional conveying guide member 31. FIGS. 6 and 7 are left side views showing the downstream end 35 of the conventional conveying guide member 31. In the conventional conveying guide member 31, the width W2 of the slit 36 ​​at the downstream end 35 is the same as the width W1 of the slit 36 ​​at the main body 32 (see FIG. 6). If the end of the sheet S in the width direction X is curled upward, the sheet S can be conveyed without any problems as long as the end of the sheet S in the width direction X is positioned between the slits 36. However, if the position of the sheet S in the width direction X is misaligned or if the sheet S is slightly larger than normal, the end of the sheet S in the width direction X may enter the slit 36, and the end of the sheet S on the front side in the conveying direction Y of the end of the sheet S in the width direction X may come into contact with the downstream end 35.

[0042] In contrast to this, in this embodiment (see FIG. 8), the width W2 of the slit 36 ​​at the downstream end 35 is wider than the width W1 of the slit 36 ​​at the main body 32. Furthermore, the width of the slit 36 ​​at the downstream end 35 is increased in a direction away from the center of the conveying path 10E. This configuration can prevent the leading edge of the sheet S from contacting the downstream end of the slit 36 ​​provided in the conveying guide member 31 in the conveying direction Y.

[0043] The transport guide member 31 according to the present embodiment described above includes a plate-shaped main body 32 that defines a transport path 10E along which the sheet S is transported in a predetermined transport direction Y, a downstream end 35 that is provided at the downstream end of the main body 32 in the transport direction Y and bent away from the transport path 10E, and a slit 36 ​​that is provided along the transport direction Y from the main body 32 to the downstream end 35, and the width W2 of the slit 36 ​​at the downstream end 35 is wider than the width W1 of the slit 36 ​​in the main body 32. According to this embodiment, it is possible to prevent the leading edge of the sheet S from contacting the downstream end of the slit 36 ​​provided in the transport guide member 31 in the transport direction Y.

[0044] Furthermore, according to the transport guide member 31 of this embodiment, the slit 36 ​​at the downstream end 35 is widened in a direction away from the center of the transport path 10E. According to this embodiment, it is possible to prevent the leading edge of the sheet S from contacting the downstream end of the slit 36 ​​provided in the transport guide member 31 in the transport direction Y.

[0045] Furthermore, according to the conveying guide member 31 of this embodiment, the slit 36 ​​is provided at a position different from the end of the sheet S in the width direction X that intersects with the conveying direction Y. According to this embodiment, it is possible to make it difficult for the end of the sheet S in the width direction X to enter the slit 36.

[0046] Furthermore, according to the conveying guide member 31 of this embodiment, the slit 36 ​​is provided between the ends of multiple types of sheets S of different sizes. According to this embodiment, even when multiple types of sheets S of different sizes are used, it is possible to prevent the leading edge of the sheet S from contacting the end of the slit 36 ​​on the downstream side in the conveying direction Y.

[0047] Furthermore, the drying device 120 according to this embodiment includes a heat source (heating unit 50) that heats the sheet S transported along the transport path 10E, and a transport guide member 31 that is provided downstream of the heat source in the transport direction Y. According to this embodiment, it is possible to promote cooling of the sheet S after heating.

[0048] The above embodiment may be modified as follows.

[0049] Fig. 9 is a front view schematically showing the branching point of the transport path 10G and the transport path 10H. Fig. 10 is a perspective view schematically showing a conventional transport guide member 31. Fig. 11 is a perspective view schematically showing the transport guide member 31 of this embodiment.

[0050] A transport guide member 31 is provided at the branch point between transport paths 10G and 10H. In order to prevent the switchback sheet S from getting between the open / close member 8E and the transport guide member 31, a slit 36 ​​(see FIGS. 10 and 11) for accommodating the leading edge of the open / close member 8E is provided in the transport guide member 31 from the main body 32 to the downstream end 35. When the sheet S enters the transport path 10G, the open / close member 8E raises its leading edge to open the transport path 10G, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 9. On the other hand, when the sheet S switches back from the transport path 10G to the transport path 10H, the open / close member 8E accommodates its leading edge in the slit 36, as shown by the dashed line in FIG. 9, to open the transport path 10H.

[0051] In the conventional conveying guide member 31, when the sheet S enters along the conveying path 10G, if the end of the sheet S in the width direction X is curled, the sheet S may come into contact with the downstream end 35. In contrast, in this modified example, the slit 36 ​​is widened at the downstream end 35, so that the sheet S is less likely to come into contact with the downstream end 35. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] Y conveying direction S seat 10E Transport path 32 Main body 35 Downstream end 36 Slit 50 Heating unit (heat source) 120 Drying equipment

Claims

1. a plate-shaped main body portion defining a conveyance path along which a sheet is conveyed in a predetermined conveyance direction; a downstream end portion provided at an end portion of the main body portion on a downstream side in the conveying direction and bent to a side away from the conveying path; a slit provided along the conveying direction across the main body portion and the downstream end portion, A transport guide member, wherein the width of the slit at the downstream end is wider than the width of the slit at the main body.

2. 2. The transport guide member according to claim 1, wherein the slit at the downstream end portion is increased in width in a direction away from the center of the transport path.

3. 3. The transport guide member according to claim 1, wherein the slit is provided at a position different from an edge of the sheet in a width direction intersecting with the transport direction.

4. 4. The transport guide member according to claim 3, wherein the slit is provided between edges of a plurality of types of sheets having different sizes.

5. a heat source that heats the sheet being conveyed along the conveying path; the conveying guide member according to claim 1 , which is provided downstream of the heat source in the conveying direction; A drying device comprising:

Images