Medium transport apparatus and recording apparatus

Abstract

Collecting the dust such as the medium powder of the medium may cause the medium powder to float in the medium transport device.SOLUTION: The media conveying device 9 has an endless electrostatic attraction belt 18c that conveys media P, pulleys that rotatably support the electrostatic attraction belt 18c, and a vacuum unit 60 that suctions air through a vacuum port 61 disposed on the inside circumference side of the electrostatic attraction belt 18c, and a through-hole 18c that connects the inside circumference side of the electrostatic attraction belt 18c and the outside circumference side of the electrostatic attraction belt 18c is disposed in the electrostatic attraction belt 18h.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a medium transport device and a recording device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a recording device including a recording medium transport device that includes a transport belt that attracts and transports a recording medium and a cleaning blade that cleans the transport belt, and an inkjet recording head that records on the recording medium. The transport belt attracts and transports the recording medium by electrostatic attraction. The inkjet recording head records on the recording medium by ejecting ink from nozzles formed in a nozzle plate that is positioned opposite the surface of the transport belt. The cleaning blade wipes the surface of the transport belt to scrape off deposits such as ink and paper dust that have adhered to the surface of the transport belt. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-184994 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the recording medium transport device of Patent Document 1, there is a risk that paper dust will become airborne when the recording medium is transported. Furthermore, when cleaning with a cleaning blade, wiping the surface of the transport belt may cause paper dust on the transport belt to become airborne. In this case, there is a risk that the airborne paper dust will adhere to the transport path and contaminate the transport path. In the recording device, there is a risk that the airborne paper dust will adhere to the inkjet recording head, causing ink to not be ejected properly from the nozzles of the inkjet recording head. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The medium transport device is formed endless and includes an electrostatic adsorption belt that transports the medium, a pulley that rotatably supports the electrostatic adsorption belt, and a suction unit that sucks air through a suction port provided on the inner surface of the electrostatic adsorption belt, and the electrostatic adsorption belt is provided with a communication hole that connects the inner surface of the electrostatic adsorption belt with the outer surface of the electrostatic adsorption belt.

[0006] The recording device includes an endless electrostatic adsorption belt that transports a medium, a pulley that rotatably supports the electrostatic adsorption belt, a suction unit that sucks air through a suction port provided on the inner surface of the electrostatic adsorption belt, and a discharge unit that discharges liquid onto the medium transported by the electrostatic adsorption belt, and the electrostatic adsorption belt is provided with a communication hole that connects the inner surface side of the electrostatic adsorption belt with the outer surface side of the electrostatic adsorption belt. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a recording apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing a transport path of the medium transport device according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing a medium transport path of the medium transport device according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a side view showing the configuration of the belt conveyance unit and its surroundings of the medium conveyance device according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the configuration of the belt conveyance unit and its surroundings of the medium conveyance device according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the configuration of the belt conveyance unit and its surroundings of the medium conveyance device according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a side view showing the configuration of the belt conveyance unit and its surroundings of the medium conveyance device according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the configuration of the belt conveyance unit and its surroundings of the medium conveyance device according to the embodiment. [Figure 9] 10A and 10B are side views illustrating the operation of the suction unit of the medium conveying device according to the embodiment. [Figure 10] 10A and 10B are side views illustrating the operation of the suction unit of the medium conveying device according to the embodiment. [Figure 11] 10A and 10B are side views illustrating the operation of the suction unit of the medium conveying device according to the embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a side view showing the configuration of a suction unit of a medium conveying device according to another embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a side view showing the configuration of a suction unit of a medium conveying device according to another embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a side view showing the configuration of a suction unit of a medium conveying device according to another embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the configuration of the periphery of a belt conveyance unit of a medium conveyance device according to another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] The present disclosure will be described below based on embodiments. In each drawing, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations may be omitted. When used in this specification, the terms "same," "identical," and "simultaneous" do not necessarily mean that something is completely the same.

[0009] For example, in this specification, when the terms "same," "identical," and "simultaneous" are used, it is intended to include cases where the same is true in consideration of measurement error. Also, for example, in this specification, when the terms "same," "identical," and "simultaneous" are used, it is intended to include cases where the same is true in consideration of manufacturing variations of components.

[0010] In this specification, the terms "same," "identical," and "simultaneous" are intended to include cases where the same is true to the extent that the functionality is not impaired. For example, "the dimensions of both are the same" means that, taking into account measurement errors and manufacturing variations of components, the difference in the dimensions of both is within ±5% of one dimension, and more preferably within ±3%.

[0011] In each figure, X, Y, and Z represent three spatial axes that are orthogonal to one another. In this specification, the directions along these axes are referred to as the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction. When specifying a direction, the positive direction is indicated by "+" and the negative direction by "-", and both positive and negative signs are used to indicate the direction, with the direction indicated by the arrow in each figure being the + direction and the direction opposite the arrow being the - direction.

[0012] The Z-axis direction indicates the direction of gravity, the +Z direction indicates the vertically upward direction, and the -Z direction indicates the vertically downward direction. The plane containing the X-axis and Y-axis is described as the XY plane, the plane containing the X-axis and Z-axis as the XZ plane, and the plane containing the Y-axis and Z-axis as the YZ plane. The XY plane is a horizontal plane. The three spatial axes of X, Y, and Z, which are not limited to positive and negative directions, will be described as the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis.

[0013] The X-axis direction is the horizontal direction along the installation surface, which is a horizontal plane on which the recording device 1 is installed. The X-axis direction is the width direction of the medium P transported by the medium transport device 9. The Y-axis direction is the horizontal direction along the installation surface on which the recording device 1 is installed. The Z-axis direction is the normal direction to the installation surface on which the recording device 1 is installed, and is the height direction of the recording device 1.

[0014] In the following explanation, the +Z direction may be referred to as "vertically upward" and the -Z direction may be referred to as "vertically downward." In the following explanation, in the medium conveying device 9 and the recording device 1, the end of the medium P in the conveying direction may be referred to as "downstream" and the side going back in the conveying direction may be referred to as "upstream." In the following explanation, the downstream end of the medium P in the conveying direction may be referred to as the "leading end," and the upstream end of the medium P in the conveying direction may be referred to as the "rear end." For convenience of illustration, the sizes of each component may differ from the actual sizes.

[0015] <Embodiment> As shown in FIG. 1, the recording device 1 includes a device main body 2A, a scanner unit 3 provided on the upper side of the device main body 2A, and extension units 2B and 2C provided on the lower side of the device main body 2A.

[0016] The scanner unit 3 reads an image recorded on a document. The expansion unit 2B includes a cassette 10B. The expansion unit 2C includes a cassette 10C. The cassettes 10B and 10C store a medium P such as recording paper.

[0017] Cassettes 10B and 10C are provided so that they can be removed in the -X direction. Expansion units 2B and 2C are optional units for increasing the number of media P that can be stored, and are optionally attached to device main body 2A.

[0018] The recording device 1 includes an operation unit 5 in the device body 2A. The operation unit 5 is provided so that an operator can operate it to instruct various operations to the recording device 1. As shown in Fig. 2, the recording device 1 includes a discharge unit 8, a medium conveying device 9, a maintenance unit 50, and a control unit 90 in the device body 2A.

[0019] The medium transport device 9 transports the medium P along a transport path. The ejection unit 8 performs recording by ejecting ink, which is an example of a liquid, onto the medium P transported by the medium transport device 9. The maintenance unit 50 performs maintenance on the ejection unit 8.

[0020] The ejection unit 8 ejects ink from nozzles 82 that open to a nozzle surface 81. The ejection unit 8 is provided at a position on the +Z direction side of a belt conveyance unit 18 of a medium conveyance device 9, which will be described later. The ejection unit 8 is provided at a position where the nozzle surface 81 faces the outer peripheral surface of an electrostatic adsorption belt 18c of the belt conveyance unit 18 (see FIG. 4).

[0021] The ejection unit 8 of this embodiment is a recording head, a so-called line head, that is provided on a nozzle surface 81 so that nozzles 82 that eject ink cover the entire width of the medium P. The ejection unit 8 constitutes an ejection unit 8 that can record across the entire width of the medium P without movement in the X-axis direction, which is the width direction of the medium P.

[0022] The maintenance unit 50 includes a cap 51, a waste liquid pipe 52, a maintenance pump 53, and a waste liquid tank 54. The cap 51 is provided so as to be movable between a standby position and a capping position. The standby position is the position where the cap 51 is on standby, and is a position on the +Y direction side of the discharge unit 8 (see FIG. 3). The capping position is the position where the nozzle surface 81 of the discharge unit 8 in the raised position shown in FIG. 2 is capped.

[0023] The cap 51 is connected to a waste liquid tank 54 by a waste liquid pipe 52. The waste liquid tank 54 is capable of storing ink collected as waste liquid from the ejection unit 8. A maintenance pump 53 is provided midway along the waste liquid pipe 52 so as to be able to suck the inside of the cap 51. When the maintenance pump 53 is driven, ink discharged as waste liquid from the nozzles 82 of the ejection unit 8 into the cap 51 is collected in the waste liquid tank 54.

[0024] The medium transport device 9 includes a cassette 10A at the lowest position of the device main body 2A. The cassette 10A stores the medium P. The cassette 10A is provided so that it can be removed in the −X direction.

[0025] The medium transport device 9 includes a feeding unit 35 located on the +Y direction side of the center of the device main body 2A. The feeding unit 35 is provided so as to be openable and closable relative to the device main body 2A by rotating around a rotation fulcrum (not shown).

[0026] The feeding unit 35 has an openable cover 6. The openable cover 6 is configured to be swingable around a swing shaft 6a, and can be opened in the directions indicated by arrows e and f in Fig. 1. The openable cover 6v indicated by the two-dot chain line in Fig. 1 shows the openable cover 6 in the middle of opening or closing.

[0027] As shown in Fig. 2, the feeding unit 35 has a manual feed tray 41 inside the opening / closing cover 6. The manual feed tray 41 rotates around a swing shaft 41a and opens and closes together with the opening / closing cover 6. The manual feed tray 41 shown in Fig. 2 is in a stored position, and opens clockwise from the state in Fig. 2, allowing the medium P to be manually fed in a state facing diagonally upward.

[0028] The medium P set on the manual tray 41 is transported by the feed roller 15 and the separation roller 16 along the feed path S3 toward the registration roller pair 17 located downstream in the transport direction.

[0029] The -X side of the recording device 1 where the operation unit 5 is located is the front side of the device, and the +Y side where the opening / closing cover 6 is provided is the right side of the device. The feeding, transport, and discharge of the medium P in the recording device 1 are performed in the left-right direction of the device, which is the Y axis direction. Next, with reference to Figure 2, the transport path along which the medium P is transported and the members and mechanisms of the medium transport device 9 that make up the transport path will be described.

[0030] The medium conveying device 9 has feeding paths including a feeding path S1 from the cassette 10A, a feeding path S2 from the cassettes 10B and 10C (see FIG. 1), and a feeding path S3 from the manual feed tray 41. The feeding paths form part of the conveying path along which the medium P is conveyed.

[0031] The medium conveying device 9 is capable of face-up ejection (see face-up ejection trajectory T1), in which the medium P is ejected with the recording surface most recently recorded on by the ejection unit 8 facing up, that is, the surface on the +Z direction side. The medium conveying device 9 is capable of face-down ejection (see face-down ejection trajectory T2), in which the medium P is ejected with the recording surface most recently recorded on by the ejection unit 8 facing down, that is, the surface on the -Z direction side.

[0032] The medium transport device 9 includes a medium transport path including a recording transport path R1, a switchback path R2, a reversing path R3, a face-down discharge path R4, and a face-up discharge path R5. The medium transport path constitutes a part of the transport path along which the medium P is transported.

[0033] The medium transport device 9 includes a flap 33. The flap 33 is a path switching member that switches the transport path along which the medium P is transported. Driven by a drive source such as an electromagnetic solenoid (not shown), the flap 33 is displaced between a state shown by a solid line in FIG. 2 and a state shown by a flap 33v shown by a two-dot chain line, thereby switching the transport path along which the medium P is transported.

[0034] When the flap 33 is in the state shown by the solid line in Fig. 2, the medium P is guided to the face-down discharge path R4 and discharged face-down as shown by the face-down discharge trajectory T2. When the flap 33 is in the state of the flap 33v in Fig. 2, the medium P is guided to the face-up discharge path R5 and discharged face-up as shown by the face-up discharge trajectory T1.

[0035] The medium transport device 9 has a discharge section 34 located on the -Y side of the center of the device main body 2A. The discharge section 34 has a face-down discharge tray 4 located on the +Z side of the center of the device main body 2A. The face-down discharge tray 4 is a tray that receives the medium P that is discharged face-down.

[0036] The discharge section 34 includes a face-up discharge tray 7 at a position on the −Y direction side from the center of the device main body 2A. The face-up discharge tray 7 is a tray that receives the medium P that is discharged face-up.

[0037] The face-up discharge tray 7 can be in a stored state shown in Fig. 2 and an open state (not shown). The open state is a state in which the face-up discharge tray 7 is rotated counterclockwise around the rotation shaft 7a from the stored state, and the face-up discharge tray 7 can receive the medium P on its placement surface that is open in the -Y direction.

[0038] The control unit 90 may be provided in the recording device 1 or in the medium conveying device 9. The control unit 90 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), which is not shown. The control unit 90 includes a storage unit including a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read Only Memory). Various programs for controlling the recording device 1, including the medium conveying device 9, are stored in the storage unit.

[0039] The control unit 90 may include one or more processors that execute various processes according to a program, one or more dedicated hardware circuits such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a combination thereof. The application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) executes at least some of the various processes.

[0040] The processor includes a CPU and memory such as RAM and ROM. The memory stores program code or instructions configured to cause the CPU to perform processes. Memory, i.e., computer-readable media, includes anything that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer.

[0041] The control unit 90 is electrically connected to each component, such as the scanner unit 3, the discharge unit 8 of the device main body 2A, and the medium conveying device 9, and controls the operation of these components in an integrated manner. Note that the control unit 90 is conceptually shown in Figure 2, and is actually configured by a circuit board provided at a predetermined position within the device main body 2A. Below, the feed path to the pair of registration rollers 17 that configures the medium conveying device 9 will be described with further reference to Figure 2.

[0042] The medium conveying device 9 includes a cassette 10A that is detachably mounted on the device main body 2A and a hopper 11. The hopper 11 swings about an axis 11a, causing the medium P stored in the cassette 10A to approach or separate from a feed roller 12 that is driven to rotate by a motor (not shown).

[0043] The medium P fed from the cassette 10A by the feed roller 12 passes through the nip position of the separation roller pair 13, thereby preventing overlapping when conveyed. The medium P receives a feeding force from the conveyance roller pair 14 and reaches the registration roller pair 17.

[0044] Similarly, the expansion units 2B and 2C (see FIG. 1) located below the device main body 2A also include a feed roller 12 and a separation roller pair 13 that constitute the medium transport device 9. The medium P sent out from each cassette 10B, 10C receives a transport force from a transport roller pair 14 and reaches a registration roller pair 17.

[0045] The medium transport path downstream of the registration roller pair 17 that constitutes the medium transport device 9 will be described below with reference to Figure 3. Note that in Figure 3, the medium transport path downstream of the registration roller pair 17 will be described on the assumption that the medium P is discharged face-down via the face-down discharge path R4. First, the rollers provided on each medium transport path will be described.

[0046] The medium transport device 9 includes a pair of registration rollers 17 and pairs of transport rollers 20-29.

[0047] One roller of each pair of transport rollers 20-28 is designated by the symbol F, and the other roller is designated by the symbol G. Roller F is a drive roller driven by a motor (not shown). Rollers F are, for example, multiple rubber rollers provided at appropriate intervals in the X-axis direction, which is the width direction of medium P.

[0048] Roller G is a driven roller that is biased toward roller F by a biasing member such as a spring (not shown) and thereby rotates in contact with medium P. Roller G is provided as a pair with roller F with an appropriate gap in the X-axis direction. Roller G is, for example, a jagged roller with multiple teeth on its outer periphery.

[0049] Roller G prevents ink from leaving or transferring onto the already recorded surface by making point contact with the recording surface of medium P. In addition to constituting each transport roller pair, roller G is also provided at an appropriate position on the medium transport path, particularly on the side that comes into contact with the already recorded surface.

[0050] The pair of conveying rollers 29 includes a drive roller 29a that is driven to rotate, and a driven roller 29b that is urged toward the drive roller 29a so as to be rotatable in response to the drive roller 29a. The driven roller 29b is a resin roller with a smooth outer circumferential surface.

[0051] The pair of registration rollers 17 includes a drive roller 17a that is driven to rotate, and a driven roller 17b that is urged toward the drive roller 17a by a spring or other urging member (not shown) so that it can rotate following the drive roller 17a. The drive roller 17a is a roller with minute irregularities on its outer periphery. The driven roller 17b is a resin roller with a smooth outer periphery.

[0052] A plurality of drive rollers 17a are provided on rotation shaft 17c at appropriate intervals in the X-axis direction, which is the axial direction of rotation shaft 17c. Similarly, a plurality of driven rollers 17b are provided on rotation shaft 17d at appropriate intervals in the X-axis direction, which is the axial direction of rotation shaft 17d.

[0053] Between the rollers described above, the medium P is guided by upper and lower guide members. To avoid cluttering the illustrations, the guide members are not labeled in Figures 2 and 3, but the thick lines connecting the rollers indicate the guide members. In Figure 4 and subsequent figures, the guide members are omitted as appropriate.

[0054] The recording transport path R1 passes vertically below the nozzle surface 81 of the discharge unit 8 and extends upstream and downstream of the discharge unit 8. In the recording transport path R1, the medium P receives a feed force from a pair of registration rollers 17 and a belt transport unit 18 described below.

[0055] The switchback path R2 is a transport path that connects to the recording transport path R1. The switchback path R2 is a path that transports the medium P in the -Y direction after passing vertically below the discharge unit 8, and then switches back and transports the medium P in the +Y direction, which is the opposite direction to the feeding direction.

[0056] The switchback path R2 is located on the inside of a curve with respect to a face-down discharge path R4, which will be described later. In the switchback path R2, the medium P receives a feeding force from the transport roller pair 26.

[0057] The reverse path R3 is a transport path that connects to the switchback path R2. The reverse path R3 reverses the medium P transported in the +Y direction from the switchback path R2 by detouring vertically above the discharge unit 8.

[0058] As a result, the reversing path R3 merges the medium P with the recording transport path R1 at a position on the recording transport path R1 upstream of the discharge unit 8, which in this embodiment is a position upstream of the registration roller pair 17. In the reversing path R3, the medium P receives a feeding force from the transport roller pairs 27, 28, and 29.

[0059] The face-down discharge path R4 is a transport path that connects to the recording transport path R1. The face-down discharge path R4 reverses and discharges the medium P that has passed vertically below the discharge unit 8 by curving the medium P so that the surface facing the discharge unit 8 faces inward. In the face-down discharge path R4, the medium P receives a feeding force from transport roller pairs 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, and 25.

[0060] The medium transport device 9 includes a first flap 31 and a second flap 32 at the connection points of the transport paths as path switching members that switch the transport paths. The first flap 31 is capable of swinging around a swing fulcrum 31a by receiving a driving force from a driving source such as an electromagnetic solenoid (not shown).

[0061] The second flap 32 is provided so as to be engageable with the first flap 31 via an engagement portion (not shown). The second flap 32 swings around a swing fulcrum 32a in response to the swing of the first flap 31. The first flap 31 and the second flap 32 set the next transport path along which the medium P is transported.

[0062] Next, the configuration of the belt conveying unit 18 included in the medium conveying device 9 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. The belt conveying unit 18 includes pulleys 18a and 18b and an electrostatic attraction belt 18c. The electrostatic attraction belt 18c is an endless conveying belt that is wound around the upstream pulley 18a and the downstream pulley 18b.

[0063] The pulleys 18a and 18b rotatably support the electrostatic attraction belt 18c. The outer peripheral surface of the electrostatic attraction belt 18c located between the pulleys 18a and 18b is aligned with the XY plane.

[0064] Pulley 18a is driven to rotate in the direction indicated by the black arrow in Fig. 4 by a drive motor (not shown) controlled by control unit 90. When pulley 18a is driven to rotate, electrostatic attraction belt 18c rotates in the direction indicated by the black arrow in Fig. 4, and medium P attracted to electrostatic attraction belt 18c is transported in the -Y direction. The Y-axis direction is the transport direction when medium P is transported by electrostatic attraction belt 18c of belt transport unit 18.

[0065] The belt conveying unit 18 includes support plates 45 and 46 on the inner peripheral surface side of the electrostatic attraction belt 18c. The support plate 45 is provided so as to be able to come into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the upper portion of the electrostatic attraction belt 18c located between the pulleys 18a and 18b, which faces the nozzle surface 81 of the ejection unit 8.

[0066] The support plate 46 is provided so as to be able to come into contact with the inner circumferential surface of the lower portion of the electrostatic attraction belt 18c located between the pulleys 18a and 18b, which does not face the discharge unit 8. The electrostatic attraction belt 18c is provided in a state in which its inward bending is restricted by the support plates 45, 46. A predetermined tension is applied to the electrostatic attraction belt 18c by a tensioner (not shown).

[0067] The belt conveyance unit 18 is provided with a charging roller 44 at a position facing the pulley 18a with the electrostatic attraction belt 18c sandwiched therebetween. The charging roller 44 is in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the electrostatic attraction belt 18c and is rotated in response to the operation of the electrostatic attraction belt 18c. The charging roller 44 supplies an electric charge to the electrostatic attraction belt 18c, thereby charging the electrostatic attraction belt 18c.

[0068] Belt conveyance unit 18 includes driven roller 19a located vertically above pulley 18a with electrostatic attraction belt 18c sandwiched therebetween, and driven roller 19b located vertically above pulley 18b with electrostatic attraction belt 18c sandwiched therebetween.

[0069] A plurality of driven rollers 19a are provided at appropriate intervals on a rotation shaft whose axis direction is the X-axis direction. Similarly, a plurality of driven rollers 19b are provided at appropriate intervals on a rotation shaft whose axis direction is the X-axis direction. Medium P transported by electrostatic adsorption belt 18c is pressed against electrostatic adsorption belt 18c by driven rollers 19a and 19b.

[0070] The belt conveying unit 18 is provided with a discharging brush 43 located upstream of the discharge unit 8 and downstream of the driven roller 19a so as to be able to contact the medium P conveyed by the electrostatic attraction belt 18c. The discharging brush 43 of this embodiment has a dimension in the X-axis direction that allows it to be in contact with the electrostatic attraction belt 18c over the entire dimension in the X-axis direction (see FIG. 5). The discharging brush 43 comes into contact with the top surface of the medium P, which is the surface on the +Z direction side, thereby removing charge from the top surface of the medium P.

[0071] When the electrostatic attraction belt 18c is in operation, an electric charge is generated on the outer peripheral surface of the electrostatic attraction belt 18c by the charging roller 44. As a result, a charge of the opposite polarity to the charge on the electrostatic attraction belt 18c is generated on the contact surface of the medium P placed on the electrostatic attraction belt 18c that comes into contact with the electrostatic attraction belt 18c. Furthermore, as a result, a charge of the opposite polarity to the charge generated on the contact surface of the medium P is generated on the surface opposite to the contact surface of the medium P, i.e., the upper surface.

[0072] The charge generated on the upper surface of the medium P is removed by the charge removal brush 43, so that only the charge remains on the side of the medium P that is in contact with the electrostatic attraction belt 18c. As a result, the medium P is attracted to the electrostatic attraction belt 18c by the attraction force due to static electricity, or the so-called electrostatic attraction force.

[0073] The belt conveying unit 18 includes a cleaning member 47 at a position facing the support plate 46 across the electrostatic attraction belt 18c. The cleaning member 47 cleans the outer peripheral surface of the electrostatic attraction belt 18c.

[0074] The cleaning member 47 is, for example, a thin plate-like member that extends across the dimension of the electrostatic attraction belt 18c in the X-axis direction. The cleaning member 47 is provided at a position where its end contacts the outer circumferential surface of the electrostatic attraction belt 18c.

[0075] The cleaning member 47 collects dust particles such as paper powder adhering to the electrostatic adsorption belt 18c or ink adhering to the electrostatic adsorption belt 18c by contacting the outer peripheral surface of the electrostatic adsorption belt 18c with its end. The cleaning member 47 may also have the function of removing the charge on the electrostatic adsorption belt 18c by contacting the electrostatic adsorption belt 18c. Paper powder is an example of medium powder that is generated from the medium P when the medium P is paper such as recording paper.

[0076] The belt conveying unit 18 may include a pressing roller 68 (see FIG. 14) at a position between the discharging brush 43 and the discharge unit 8 in the Y-axis direction, which is the conveying direction of the medium P. The pressing roller 68 is disposed on the +Z direction side of the electrostatic adsorption belt 18c so as to be able to press the conveyed medium P against the electrostatic adsorption belt 18c.

[0077] The medium conveying device 9 includes a suction unit 60 that can suck air from inside the device body 2A. The suction unit 60 includes a suction port 61, a suction duct 62, a suction fan 63, an exhaust pipe 64, and a dust collection box 65.

[0078] The suction unit 60 sucks air through a suction port 61 provided on the inner circumferential surface side of the electrostatic attraction belt 18c. The suction port 61 opens toward the inner circumferential surface of the upper part of the electrostatic attraction belt 18c located between the pulleys 18a and 18b, which faces the nozzle surface 81 of the discharge unit 8.

[0079] The suction port 61 includes suction ports 61a and 61b. The suction port 61a is provided upstream of the support plate 45 and the discharge portion 8. The suction port 61b is provided downstream of the support plate 45 and the discharge portion 8.

[0080] Suction duct 62 connects suction port 61 and suction fan 63. Suction duct 62 includes suction ducts 62a and 62b. Suction duct 62a connects suction port 61a and suction fan 63. Suction duct 62b connects suction port 61b and suction fan 63.

[0081] The suction fan 63 is provided on the inner peripheral surface side of the electrostatic adsorption belt 18c. An exhaust pipe 64 for discharging the sucked air is connected to the suction fan 63. The air sucked by the suction unit 60 is discharged to the outside of the device main body 2A via the exhaust pipe 64. The suction fan 63 may be an axial flow type propeller fan, a centrifugal type sirocco fan, a line flow fan (registered trademark), or the like.

[0082] A dust collection box 65 is provided midway through the exhaust pipe 64. The dust collection box 65 is provided with a filter capable of collecting mist-like ink, paper dust, and other dust particles. The filter may be provided in the dust collection box 65 so as to be replaceable.

[0083] Alternatively, the dust collection box 65 may be provided so as to be detachable from the apparatus main body 2A. In this case, the dust collection box 65 may be provided so as to be connectable to the air outlet of the exhaust pipe 64, and the air sucked by the suction unit 60 may be discharged to the outside of the apparatus main body 2A via the dust collection box 65.

[0084] Air is sucked in through the openings of the suction ports 61a and 61b by driving the suction fan 63. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the electrostatic attraction belt 18c is provided with communication holes 18h that connect the inner circumferential surface side of the electrostatic attraction belt 18c with the outer circumferential surface side of the electrostatic attraction belt 18c.

[0085] This allows the suction unit 60 to suck air from the outer peripheral surface of the electrostatic attraction belt 18c through the communication holes 18h and the suction port 61. Dust such as mist-like ink and paper powder present on the outer peripheral surface of the electrostatic attraction belt 18c that is sucked in together with the air is collected in a dust collection box 65. The air from which the dust has been removed is discharged to the outside of the device main body 2A through an exhaust pipe 64.

[0086] As a result, the suction unit 60 can suck in mist-like ink, paper powder, and other dust particles present on the outer peripheral surface of the electrostatic adsorption belt 18c together with air while preventing the dust particles from diffusing into the apparatus main body 2A.

[0087] The electrostatic attraction belt 18c has an opening region RS in which a plurality of communication holes 18h are arranged. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 5, an opening region RSa is provided as the opening region RS. The plurality of communication holes 18h that constitute the opening region RSa are arranged around the circumferential surface of the electrostatic attraction belt 18c.

[0088] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the communication hole 18h is circular, but it does not have to be circular as long as it can communicate between the inner circumferential surface side of the electrostatic attraction belt 18c and the outer circumferential surface side of the electrostatic attraction belt 18c.

[0089] For example, the communication holes 18h may be elongated holes such as ellipses, or may be polygonal such as triangles, squares, rectangles, diamonds, hexagons, etc. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 5, rows of the communication holes 18h arranged at predetermined intervals in the Y-axis direction are arranged at intervals in the X-axis direction.

[0090] The plurality of communication holes 18h form an opening region RS in which the plurality of communication holes 18h are arranged in the electrostatic attraction belt 18c. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 5, the opening region RSa is formed on the circumferential surface of the electrostatic attraction belt 18c across the X-axis direction, which is the width direction of the electrostatic attraction belt 18c.

[0091] An area for supporting the medium P, i.e., a transport area RC for transporting the medium P, is provided at the center of the electrostatic attraction belt 18c in the X-axis direction. The dimension of the transport area RC in the X-axis direction is the same as the width dimension of the medium P in the X-axis direction, which is indicated by the two-dot chain line in Fig. 5. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 5, the transport area RC is included within the area of ​​the opening area RSa.

[0092] 5, the communication holes 18h constituting adjacent rows in the X-axis direction are arranged at half the predetermined interval in the Y-axis direction, but they may be positioned at the same position in the Y-axis direction. Alternatively, the intervals between the communication holes 18h constituting rows extending in the Y-axis direction may be different between rows aligned in the X-axis direction.

[0093] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the conveying region RC and the regions of the opening region RSa adjacent to the conveying region RC on both sides in the X-axis direction have the same opening rate of the communicating holes 18h on the peripheral surface of the electrostatic adsorption belt 18c, but they may be different.

[0094] For example, the aperture ratio of the communication holes 18h in the transport region RC may be smaller than the aperture ratio of the communication holes 18h in regions of the electrostatic attraction belt 18c adjacent to the transport region RC on both sides in the X-axis direction.

[0095] 6, the transfer region RC is not provided with any communication holes 18h. On the other hand, opening regions RSb are provided as the opening regions RS in regions of the electrostatic attraction belt 18c adjacent to the transfer region RC on both sides in the X-axis direction. The aperture ratio of the communication holes 18h in the opening region RSb is set to be the same as the aperture ratio of the communication holes 18h in the opening region RSa shown in FIG.

[0096] The opening region RSb is provided in the X-axis direction from a position adjacent to the outer side of the transport region RC to both ends of the electrostatic attraction belt 18c. Therefore, the opening region RSb in this embodiment is formed by a plurality of rows of communication holes 18h extending in the Y-axis direction, three rows of communication holes 18h in this embodiment.

[0097] According to the embodiment shown in Fig. 6, the aperture ratio of the communication holes 18h on the circumferential surface of the electrostatic attraction belt 18c is smaller than in the embodiment shown in Fig. 5, so that the reduction in electrostatic attraction force caused by providing the communication holes 18h in the electrostatic attraction belt 18c can be reduced. Furthermore, in the embodiment shown in Fig. 6, the communication holes 18h are not provided in the transport region RC, so that the reduction in electrostatic attraction force can be reduced.

[0098] Medium powder generated when cutting the medium P to a predetermined size tends to adhere to the edges of the medium P. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 6, opening regions RSb are provided in regions of the electrostatic adsorption belt 18c that are adjacent to the transport region RC on both sides in the X-axis direction. This allows the suction unit 60 to easily suck medium powder adhering to the medium P on the transport region RC, particularly medium powder adhering to both ends in the X-axis direction of the medium P, through the communication holes 18h in the opening regions RSb.

[0099] 6 and 7, the suction unit 60 may have a suction port 61 that opens from upstream to downstream of the discharge unit 8 in the Y-axis direction, extending to positions outside the opening region RSb on both sides in the X-axis direction. In this case, the suction port 61 may have a function of restricting inward bending of the electrostatic attraction belt 18c.

[0100] Alternatively, the aperture ratio of the communication holes 18h in the transport region RC may be greater than the aperture ratio of the communication holes 18h in regions of the electrostatic attraction belt 18c adjacent to the transport region RC on both sides in the X-axis direction.

[0101] 8, for example, the electrostatic attraction belt 18c has no communication holes 18h in regions adjacent to the transport region RC on both sides in the X-axis direction. On the other hand, the transport region RC has a plurality of opening regions RSc as the opening regions RS, which are arranged on either side of the region without the communication holes 18h in the X-axis direction.

[0102] 8, each opening region RSc is provided at a position corresponding to a driven roller 19a in the X-axis direction. In other words, the driven rollers 19a are provided at positions overlapping with the opening regions RSc in the X-axis direction. The driven rollers 19a are an example of upstream rollers provided upstream of the suction port 61 in the transport direction in which the medium P is transported.

[0103] 8, the dimension of the opening region RSc in the X-axis direction is set to be larger than the dimension of the driven roller 19a in the X-axis direction. The opening ratio of the communication holes 18h in the opening region RSc is set to be the same as the opening ratio in the opening region RSa shown in FIG.

[0104] According to the embodiment shown in Fig. 8, the aperture ratio of the communicating holes 18h on the circumferential surface of the electrostatic attraction belt 18c is smaller than that in the embodiment shown in Fig. 5, so that the reduction in electrostatic attraction force caused by providing the communicating holes 18h in the electrostatic attraction belt 18c can be reduced. Furthermore, in the embodiment shown in Fig. 8, the aperture ratio of the communicating holes 18h in the transport region RC is smaller than that in the embodiment shown in Fig. 5, so that the reduction in electrostatic attraction force can be reduced.

[0105] During the transport operation of the medium P, the driven roller 19a is likely to become coated with medium powder due to contact with the medium P, particularly the end of the medium P. When the driven roller 19a with medium powder attached thereto comes into contact, a large amount of medium powder tends to adhere to the position of the leading edge of the transported medium P that corresponds to the driven roller 19a.

[0106] 8, the driven roller 19a is provided at a position that overlaps with the opening region RSc in the X-axis direction, which allows the suction unit 60 to efficiently suck medium powder adhering to the medium P through the communication holes 18h and the suction ports 61 in the opening region RSc.

[0107] 9 to 11, the control of the suction unit 60 performed by the control unit 90 when the medium P is transported will be described in the embodiment (see FIG. 4) in which the suction unit 60 has suction ports 61a and 61b. The control unit 90 transports the medium P by controlling the belt transport unit 18 while driving the suction fan 63.

[0108] Therefore, as shown by the white arrow in Figure 9, when the leading edge of the medium P passes through the driven roller 19a, the suction section 60 sucks in the air on the outer surface side of the electrostatic adsorption belt 18c through the communication hole 18h and the suction ports 61a and 61b.

[0109] Therefore, when the leading edge of the medium P being conveyed downstream passes vertically above the opening of the suction port 61a, the medium powder adhering to the leading edge of the medium P is sucked in and collected together with air by the suction unit 60. In other words, when the leading edge of the medium P is in a position overlapping with the suction port 61a, the control unit 90 causes the suction unit 60 to suck in air.

[0110] 10, when the leading edge of medium P passes vertically above the edge of the opening of suction port 61a in the -Y direction, control unit 90 stops driving suction fan 63. Because medium P is adsorbed to electrostatic adsorption belt 18c by electrostatic force, stopping suction by suction unit 60 does not affect the transportability of medium P.

[0111] The suction fan 63 is not driven from the time when the leading edge of the medium P passes vertically above the edge of the opening of the suction port 61a in the -Y direction until the rear edge of the transported medium P reaches vertically above the edge of the opening of the suction port 61b in the +Y direction. In other words, when the discharge unit 8 faces the medium P, the control unit 90 stops driving the suction fan 63, thereby causing the suction unit 60 to stop suction.

[0112] As the medium P is transported further downstream, and the rear end of the transported medium P passes vertically above the +Y-direction end of the opening of the suction port 61b, as shown in FIG. 11, the control unit 90 drives the suction fan 63 again.

[0113] 11, when the rear end of the medium P passes vertically above the opening of the suction port 61b, the medium powder adhering to the rear end of the medium P is sucked in and collected together with air by the suction unit 60. In other words, when the rear end of the medium P is in a position overlapping with the suction port 61b, the suction unit 60 is caused to suck in air.

[0114] In an embodiment in which the suction unit 60 has one suction port 61 (see FIG. 7), the control unit 90 stops driving the suction fan 63 while the medium P passes vertically below the nozzle surface 81 of the discharge unit 8. When the rear end of the medium P being transported passes vertically below the nozzle surface 81 of the discharge unit 8, the control unit 90 drives the suction fan 63 again.

[0115] According to the drive control of the suction unit 60 by the control unit 90 described above, the suction unit 60 sucks in air even when the nozzle surface 81 of the discharge unit 8 is not facing the medium P. This is expected to allow the suction unit 60 to suck in medium powder such as paper powder and dust particles such as mist of ink floating inside the device main body 2A along with the air.

[0116] The times when the nozzle surface 81 of the ejection unit 8 does not face the medium P include, for example, when the recording device 1 including the medium transport device 9 is powered on and the medium P is not being transported. The times when the nozzle surface 81 of the ejection unit 8 does not face the medium P also include, for example, when the medium P is being transported but the nozzle surface 81 of the ejection unit 8 does not face the medium P.

[0117] On the other hand, even when the nozzle surface 81 of the discharge unit 8 is not facing the medium P, the suction of air by the suction unit 60 may worsen the degree of suspension of dust such as medium powder. In this case, the control unit 90 may control the suction unit 60 as follows. For example, the control unit 90 controls the belt conveyance unit 18 to convey the medium P while stopping the driving of the suction fan 63.

[0118] In an embodiment in which the suction unit 60 has suction ports 61a and 61b, while the leading edge of the medium P is positioned vertically above the opening of suction port 61a, the control unit 90 drives the suction fan 63. During the period from when the leading edge of the medium P passes vertically above the opening of suction port 61a until the rear end of the medium P reaches vertically above the opening of suction port 61b, the control unit 90 stops driving the suction fan 63.

[0119] While the rear end of the medium P is positioned vertically above the opening of the suction port 61b, the control unit 90 drives the suction fan 63. When the rear end of the medium P passes vertically above the opening of the suction port 61b, the control unit 90 stops driving the suction fan 63.

[0120] In an embodiment in which the suction unit 60 has one suction port 61, the control unit 90 drives the suction fan 63 when the leading edge of the medium P reaches a point vertically above the opening of the suction port 61. The control unit 90 stops driving the suction fan 63 from the time the leading edge of the medium P reaches a point vertically below the nozzle surface 81 of the discharge unit 8 until the rear end of the medium P passes a point vertically below the nozzle surface 81.

[0121] The control unit 90 drives the suction fan 63 while the rear end of the medium P passes vertically below the nozzle surface 81 and is positioned vertically above the opening of the suction port 61. When the rear end of the medium P passes vertically above the opening of the suction port 61, the control unit 90 stops driving the suction fan 63.

[0122] As described above, the medium conveying device 9 and the recording device 1 according to the embodiment can provide the following effects.

[0123] The medium conveying device 9 is equipped with an endless electrostatic adsorption belt 18c that conveys the medium P. The medium conveying device 9 is equipped with pulleys 18a and 18b that rotatably support the electrostatic adsorption belt 18c. The medium conveying device 9 is equipped with a suction unit 60 that sucks air through a suction port 61 provided on the inner circumferential surface side of the electrostatic adsorption belt 18c. The electrostatic adsorption belt 18c is provided with a communication hole 18h that connects the inner circumferential surface side of the electrostatic adsorption belt 18c with the outer circumferential surface side of the electrostatic adsorption belt 18c.

[0124] This allows the suction unit 60 to suck air on the outer peripheral surface side of the electrostatic attraction belt 18c through the communication holes 18h and the suction port 61. As a result, the suction unit 60 can collect dust such as medium powder present on the outer peripheral surface side of the electrostatic attraction belt 18c together with the air while preventing it from floating inside the device main body 2A.

[0125] The suction unit 60 has a suction fan 63 on the inner circumferential surface side of the electrostatic adsorption belt 18c. This allows the medium transport device 9 and the recording device 1 to be made smaller.

[0126] The electrostatic attraction belt 18c has an opening region RSb in which communication holes 18h are provided, and a transport region RC that supports the medium P. In the X-axis direction, the opening region RSb is adjacent to both sides of the transport region RC. This allows the suction unit 60 to efficiently suck medium powder adhering to both ends in the width direction of the transported medium P via the communication holes 18h in the opening region RSb.

[0127] The medium transport device 9 further includes an upstream roller that is provided upstream of the suction port 61 in the transport direction of the medium P and transports the medium P. The electrostatic adsorption belt 18c has, in the transport region RC that supports the medium P, a region where no communication holes 18h are provided and an open region RSc where the communication holes 18h are provided. In the X-axis direction, the upstream roller is provided at a position that overlaps with the open region RSc.

[0128] This allows the suction unit 60 to efficiently suck medium powder adhering to the leading edge of the medium P in the transport direction through the communication holes 18h in the opening region RSc.

[0129] Suction ports 61a, 61b are provided at positions upstream and downstream in the transport direction of the medium P from the ejection unit 8, which ejects ink onto the medium P transported by the electrostatic adsorption belt 18c. This allows the suction unit 60 to suck in dust present on the outer peripheral surface side of the electrostatic adsorption belt 18c while suppressing the movement of air near the ejection unit 8.

[0130] The medium transport device 9 further includes a control unit 90 that controls the suction unit 60. When the ejection unit 8, which ejects ink onto the medium P transported by the electrostatic adsorption belt 18c, faces the medium P, the control unit 90 causes the suction unit 60 to stop suction.

[0131] According to this, when the discharge unit 8 faces the medium P, the movement of air near the discharge unit 8 due to the suction of the suction unit 60 can be suppressed.

[0132] The medium conveying device 9 further includes a control unit 90 that controls the suction unit 60. When the leading or trailing end of the medium P in the conveying direction of the medium P is in a position overlapping with the suction port 61, the control unit 90 causes the suction unit 60 to perform suction.

[0133] This allows the suction section 60 to efficiently suck the medium powder adhering to both ends of the medium P in the transport direction.

[0134] The recording device 1 includes an endless electrostatic attraction belt 18c that transports a medium P. The recording device 1 includes pulleys 18a and 18b that rotatably support the electrostatic attraction belt 18c. The recording device 1 includes a suction unit 60 that sucks air through a suction port 61 provided on the inner circumferential surface of the electrostatic attraction belt 18c. The recording device 1 includes a discharge unit 8 that discharges ink onto the medium P transported by the electrostatic attraction belt 18c. The electrostatic attraction belt 18c includes a communication hole 18h that connects the inner circumferential surface side of the electrostatic attraction belt 18c with the outer circumferential surface side of the electrostatic attraction belt 18c.

[0135] This allows the suction unit 60 to suck air on the outer peripheral surface side of the electrostatic attraction belt 18c through the communication holes 18h and the suction port 61. As a result, the suction unit 60 can collect dust particles such as medium powder present on the outer peripheral surface side of the electrostatic attraction belt 18c together with the air while preventing the dust particles from floating inside the device main body 2A. This prevents floating paper powder from adhering to the ejection unit 8 and preventing ink from being ejected normally from the ejection unit 8.

[0136] The medium conveying device 9 and recording device 1 according to the above-described embodiment of the present disclosure are basically configured as described above, but it is of course possible to modify or omit parts of the configuration without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. The above-described embodiment and other embodiments described below can be combined with each other within the scope of technical compatibility. Other embodiments will be described below.

[0137] In the above embodiment in which the suction unit 60 has suction ports 61a and 61b, when the leading edge of the medium P passes vertically above the end of the opening of the suction port 61a in the -Y direction, the control unit 90 does not need to stop driving the suction fan 63. For example, when the leading edge of the medium P that has passed vertically above the opening of the suction port 61a reaches a point vertically below the nozzle surface 81 of the discharge unit 8, the control unit 90 may stop driving the suction fan 63.

[0138] In the above embodiment in which the suction unit 60 has suction ports 61a and 61b, once the rear end of the medium P reaches a point vertically above the end of the opening of the suction port 61b in the +Y direction, the control unit 90 does not need to again drive the suction fan 63. For example, once the rear end of the medium P passes vertically below the nozzle surface 81 of the discharge unit 8, the control unit 90 may again drive the suction fan 63.

[0139] In the above embodiment in which the suction unit 60 has the suction ports 61a and 61b, the suction unit 60 does not necessarily have to have the suction port 61b and the suction duct 62b. In this case, the control unit 90 may drive the suction fan 63 when the rear end of the medium P is positioned vertically above the opening of the suction port 61a. As a result, medium powder adhering to the rear end of the medium P is sucked into the suction unit 60 via the communication hole 18h and the suction port 61a.

[0140] In the above embodiment, the control unit 90 may drive the suction fan 63 to cause the suction unit 60 to suck air when the nozzle surface 81 of the discharge unit 8 is capped by the cap 51. The medium conveying device 9 according to this embodiment can achieve the following effects.

[0141] The medium transport device 9 further includes a control unit 90 that controls the suction unit 60. When the discharge unit 8 that discharges ink onto the medium P transported by the electrostatic adsorption belt 18c is capped, the control unit 90 causes the suction unit 60 to perform suction. This allows the suction unit 60 to suck in mist-like ink and dust such as medium powder present on the outer peripheral surface side of the electrostatic adsorption belt 18c together with air while preventing the discharge unit 8 from adhering to the discharge unit 8.

[0142] In the above embodiment, the suction unit 60 may have a valve 66 that can be switched between an open state in which air can be sucked through the suction port 61 and a closed state in which air cannot be sucked through the suction port 61. The valve 66 may be a solenoid valve, or an on-off valve that opens and closes in conjunction with a lever that is displaced upon contact with the medium P being transported.

[0143] 12, this embodiment has valves 66 in the middle of the suction duct 62. The valves 66 include a valve 66a provided in the middle of the suction duct 62a and a valve 66b provided in the middle of the suction duct 62b.

[0144] 12, when the leading end of the medium P is positioned vertically above the opening of the suction port 61a, the control unit 90 may drive the suction fan 63 with the valve 66a in the open state and the valve 66b in the closed state. Alternatively, when the trailing end of the medium P is positioned vertically above the opening of the suction port 61b, the control unit 90 may drive the suction fan 63 with the valve 66a in the closed state and the valve 66b in the open state. The medium conveyance device 9 according to this embodiment has the following advantages.

[0145] The suction unit 60 has valves 66a and 66b corresponding to the suction ports 61a and 61b, respectively. This allows the suction unit 60 to efficiently suck medium powder adhering to either end of the medium P in the conveyance direction while suppressing the movement of air within the device main body 2A.

[0146] In the above embodiment, the suction unit 60 may have a plurality of suction fans 63. For example, as shown in FIG. 13 , in this embodiment, the suction fan 63 includes suction fans 63a and 63b. The suction fan 63a is connected to the suction port 61a via a suction duct 62a. The suction fan 63b is connected to the suction port 61b via a suction duct 62b. An exhaust pipe 64 is connected to each of the suction fans 63a and 63b via a dust collection box 65 to discharge the sucked air to the outside of the apparatus main body 2A.

[0147] For example, as shown in FIG. 13 , assume that the rear end of the medium P is positioned vertically above the opening of the suction port 61b. In this case, the control unit 90 may drive the suction fan 63b to cause the suction unit 60 to suck medium powder adhering to the rear end of the medium P via the communication hole 18h and the suction port 61b. Alternatively, when the front end of the medium P is positioned vertically above the opening of the suction port 61a, the control unit 90 may drive the suction fan 63a. This causes the suction unit 60 to suck medium powder adhering to the front end of the medium P via the communication hole 18h and the suction port 61a. The medium conveyance device 9 according to this embodiment has the following advantages.

[0148] The suction unit 60 has suction fans 63a and 63b corresponding to the suction ports 61a and 61b, respectively. This allows the suction unit 60 to efficiently suck medium powder adhering to either end of the medium P in the transport direction while suppressing the movement of air within the device main body 2A.

[0149] In the above embodiment, the suction unit 60 may have a suction port 61 that sucks in dust and the like adhering to members of the medium conveying device 9 together with air. For example, as shown in Fig. 14, the suction port 61 may include suction ports 61c and 61d. The suction ports 61c and 61d open toward the inner circumferential surface of the electrostatic adsorption belt 18c.

[0150] Suction port 61c opens toward the end of cleaning member 47, sandwiching electrostatic attraction belt 18c therebetween. Suction port 61d opens toward discharging brush 43 or driven roller 19a, sandwiching electrostatic attraction belt 18c therebetween. In this case, suction ports 61c and 61d may be connected to suction duct 62a, which is provided with a switching valve 67, so that suction can be performed from any of suction ports 61a, 61c, and 61d.

[0151] For example, when suctioning dust such as paper powder adhering to the cleaning member 47, the control unit 90 controls the switching valve 67 to connect the suction port 61c to the suction fan 63. In this state, the control unit 90 drives the suction fan 63, so that air is sucked in through the opening of the suction port 61c.

[0152] As a result, dust such as medium powder collected by the cleaning member 47 is sucked in together with the air through the communication hole 18h and the suction port 61c. Dust such as medium powder adhering to the cleaning member 47 is sucked in together with the air and collected in the dust collection box 65. The air from which the dust has been removed is exhausted to the outside of the device main body 2A through the exhaust pipe 64. The medium conveying device 9 according to this embodiment has the following advantages.

[0153] The medium conveying device 9 further includes a cleaning member 47 that cleans the electrostatic adsorption belt 18c, and the suction unit 60 has a suction port 61c that opens toward the cleaning member 47. This allows the suction unit 60 to suck in dust such as medium powder adhering to the cleaning member 47 together with air while preventing it from diffusing into the device main body 2A.

[0154] When dust such as medium powder adhering to the static elimination brush 43 or driven roller 19a is to be sucked in, the control unit 90 controls the switching valve 67 to connect the suction port 61d to the suction fan 63. In this state, the control unit 90 drives the suction fan 63, so that dust such as medium powder adhering to the static elimination brush 43 or driven roller 19a is sucked in together with the air.

[0155] In the above embodiment, the opening region RSb does not have to be formed by a row of communication holes 18h extending in the Y-axis direction. For example, as shown in Fig. 15, the opening region RSb may be formed by a single row of communication holes 18h extending in the Y-axis direction at a position on the electrostatic attraction belt 18c adjacent to both sides of the transport region RC in the X-axis direction.

[0156] In the above embodiment, the opening region RSc does not have to be provided at a position corresponding to the driven roller 19a in the X-axis direction. In this case, the opening region RSc may be provided at a position corresponding to a roller that is provided upstream of the suction port 61 in the transport direction of the medium P and to which medium powder of the medium P may adhere as the medium P is transported.

[0157] For example, the opening region RSc may be provided in a position in the X-axis direction corresponding to either the drive roller 17a or the driven roller 17b of the pair of registration rollers 17. Alternatively, the opening region RSc may be provided in a position in the X-axis direction corresponding to the feed roller 12.

[0158] Alternatively, the opening region RSc may be provided at a position in the X-axis direction corresponding to one of the rollers constituting the separation roller pair 13 and the transport roller pair 14. Alternatively, the opening region RSc may be provided at a position in the X-axis direction corresponding to one of the feed roller 15 and the separation roller 16. In these cases, each of the rollers described above is an example of an upstream roller provided upstream of the suction port 61 in the transport direction of the medium P.

[0159] In the above embodiment, the medium conveying device 9 may be capable of conveying media P with different widths. For example, as shown in Fig. 15, the medium P with the largest width among the media P that the medium conveying device 9 can convey is referred to as medium Pw, and the medium P with a width smaller than medium P is referred to as medium Pn.

[0160] In this case, the electrostatic attraction belt 18c has opening regions RSb in an area outside both sides of the transport region RC that supports the medium Pw in the X-axis direction. Furthermore, the electrostatic attraction belt 18c may have opening regions RSd at positions in the transport region RC that are outside both sides of the area that supports the medium Pn in the X-axis direction. The opening region RSd may be formed by a single row of communicating holes 18h extending in the Y-axis direction, or may be formed by multiple rows of communicating holes 18h extending in the Y-axis direction.

[0161] In the above embodiment, the opening region RSb does not have to be provided in a region of the electrostatic attraction belt 18c adjacent to both sides of the transport region RC in the X-axis direction. The opening region RSb may be provided in a region of the electrostatic attraction belt 18c toward both ends, including the regions on both sides of the transport region RC in the X-axis direction. In this case, the row of communication holes 18h that constitutes the most central row of communication holes 18h in the X-axis direction of the opening region RSb may be positioned so as to overlap both ends of the medium P in the X-axis direction.

[0162] In the above embodiment, the suction unit 60 may have a pressure adjustment valve (not shown) that opens when the internal pressure of the suction duct 62 and the suction fan 63 drops below a predetermined pressure by driving the suction fan 63. The pressure adjustment valve may be provided in an intake pipe one end of which is connected to either the suction duct 62 or the suction fan 63. When the pressure adjustment valve opens, air flows from outside the device main body 2A into the suction duct 62 and the suction fan 63 through an intake port at the other end of the intake pipe, thereby adjusting the internal pressure of the suction duct 62 and the suction fan 63 to a predetermined pressure.

[0163] In the above embodiment in which the electrostatic attraction belt 18c has the opening region RSb, the electrostatic attraction belt 18c may further have an opening region RSc. Alternatively, the electrostatic attraction belt 18c in this embodiment may have an opening region RSd in addition to the opening regions RSb and RSc.

[0164] In the above embodiment, the static elimination brush 43 does not have to be in contact with the electrostatic attraction belt 18c over the entire dimension of the electrostatic attraction belt 18c in the X-axis direction. For example, the static elimination brush 43 may have the same dimension in the X-axis direction as the dimension in the X-axis direction of the medium P so that it can be in contact with the medium P over the entire dimension in the X-axis direction of the medium P transported by the electrostatic attraction belt 18c. Alternatively, the static elimination brush 43 may be provided so as to be in contact with a portion of the outer circumferential surface of the electrostatic attraction belt 18c that does not have the communication holes 18h.

[0165] In the above embodiment, the cleaning member 47 does not have to be in contact with the electrostatic attraction belt 18c over the entire dimension of the electrostatic attraction belt 18c in the X-axis direction. For example, the end of the cleaning member 47 may have the same dimension in the X-axis direction as the dimension of the transport region RC so that it can be in contact with the electrostatic attraction belt 18c over the entire dimension of the transport region RC in the X-axis direction. Alternatively, the end of the cleaning member 47 may have an uneven shape that can be in contact with a portion of the outer circumferential surface of the electrostatic attraction belt 18c where no communication holes 18h are provided. [Explanation of symbols]

[0166] 1...recording device, 2A...device main body, 2B...expansion unit, 2C...expansion unit, 3...scanner section, 4...face-down discharge tray, 5...operation section, 6, 6v...opening / closing cover, 6a...oscillating shaft, 7...face-up discharge tray, 7a...rotating shaft, 8...discharge section, 9...medium conveying device, 10A, 10B, 10C...cassette, 11...hopper, 11a...shaft, 12...feed roller, 13...separation roller pair, 14...conveyance roller pair, 15...feed roller, 16...separation roller, 17 ...Registration roller pair, 17a...drive roller, 17b...driven roller, 17c, 17d...rotating shaft, 18...belt conveying section, 18a, 18b...pulley, 18c...electrostatic adsorption belt, 18h...communication hole, 19a, 19b...driven roller, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29...conveyance roller pair, 29a...drive roller, 29b...driven roller, 31...first flap, 31a...oscillation fulcrum, 32...second flap, 32a...oscillation fulcrum, 33, 34 3v...flap, 34...discharge section, 35...feed section, 41...manual feed tray, 41a...oscillating shaft, 43...discharge brush, 44...charging roller, 45, 46...support plate, 47...cleaning member, 50...maintenance section, 51...cap, 52...waste pipe, 53...maintenance pump, 54...waste tank, 60...suction section, 61, 61a, 61b, 61c, 61d...suction port, 62, 62a, 62b...suction duct, 63, 63a, 63b...suction fan, 64...exhaust pipe, 65...dust collection box box, 66, 66a, 66b...valve, 67...switching valve, 68...pressing roller, 81...nozzle surface, 82...nozzle, 90...control unit, P, Pw, Pn...medium, R1...recording transport path, R2...switchback path, R3...reversal path, R4...face-down discharge path, R5...face-up discharge path, RC...transport area, RS, RSa, RSb, RSc, RSd...opening area, S1, S2, S3...feed path, T1...face-up discharge trajectory, T2...face-down discharge trajectory.

Claims

1. an endless electrostatic attraction belt for transporting a medium; a pulley that rotatably supports the electrostatic attraction belt; a suction unit that sucks air through a suction port provided on the inner circumferential surface side of the electrostatic attraction belt; Equipped with the electrostatic attraction belt is provided with a communication hole that communicates the inner circumferential surface side of the electrostatic attraction belt with the outer circumferential surface side of the electrostatic attraction belt; A medium transport device characterized by:

2. The medium transport device according to claim 1 , the suction unit has a suction fan on the inner circumferential surface side of the electrostatic attraction belt, A medium transport device characterized by:

3. The medium transport device according to claim 1 , the electrostatic attraction belt has an opening area in which the communication holes are provided and a transport area that supports the medium; the opening regions are adjacent to both outside of the transport region in a width direction that intersects with a transport direction in which the electrostatic attraction belt transports the medium; A medium transport device characterized by:

4. The medium transport device according to claim 1 , an upstream roller that is provided upstream of the suction port in the medium transport direction and transports the medium; the electrostatic attraction belt has, in a transport area that supports the medium, an area where the communication holes are not provided and an open area where the communication holes are provided; the upstream roller is disposed at a position overlapping the opening area in a width direction that intersects with a transport direction in which the electrostatic adsorption belt transports the medium; A medium transport device characterized by:

5. The medium transport device according to claim 1 , the suction ports are provided at positions upstream and downstream in a transport direction of the medium from a discharge unit that discharges liquid onto the medium being transported on the electrostatic adsorption belt; A medium transport device characterized by:

6. The medium transport device according to claim 5 , The suction unit has suction fans corresponding to the respective suction ports. A medium transport device characterized by:

7. The medium transport device according to claim 5 , The suction unit has a valve corresponding to each of the suction ports. A medium transport device characterized by:

8. The medium transport device according to claim 1 , Further, a control unit for controlling the suction unit is provided. When a discharge unit that discharges liquid onto the medium being transported by the electrostatic adsorption belt is capped, the control unit causes the suction unit to suck the liquid. A medium transport device characterized by:

9. The medium transport device according to claim 1 , a cleaning member for cleaning the electrostatic attraction belt; The suction unit has the suction port that opens toward the cleaning member. A medium transport device characterized by:

10. The medium transport device according to claim 1 , Further, a control unit for controlling the suction unit is provided. when a discharge unit that discharges liquid onto the medium being transported on the electrostatic adsorption belt faces the medium, the control unit causes the suction unit to stop suction. A medium transport device characterized by:

11. The medium transport device according to claim 1 , Further, a control unit for controlling the suction unit is provided. When the leading edge or the trailing edge of the medium in the transport direction of the medium is positioned so as to overlap with the suction port, the control unit causes the suction unit to perform suction. A medium transport device characterized by:

12. an endless electrostatic attraction belt for transporting a medium; a pulley that rotatably supports the electrostatic attraction belt; a suction unit that sucks air through a suction port provided on the inner circumferential surface side of the electrostatic attraction belt; a discharge unit that discharges a liquid onto the medium being transported by the electrostatic adsorption belt; Equipped with the electrostatic attraction belt is provided with a communication hole that communicates the inner circumferential surface side of the electrostatic attraction belt with the outer circumferential surface side of the electrostatic attraction belt; A recording device characterized by:

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