Drying device and image forming system

Abstract

To suppress local accumulation of heat in a conveying device provided on the downstream side of a heater in the conveying direction.SOLUTION: The drying device includes the first transport device 40 that transports the sheet S transported from the ink jet recording device and moves the sheet S in the width direction X intersecting the transport direction Y, the second transport device 50 that transports the sheet S transported from the first transport device 40 by adsorbing the sheet S to the endless transport belt 51, the heater that faces the transport belt 51, and the third transport device 60 that transports the sheet S transported from the second transport device 50.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 16

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a drying device and an image forming system. [Background technology]

[0002] When forming an image using an inkjet method, it is necessary to quickly dry the ink ejected onto the sheet to prevent image distortion, deformation or sticking of the sheet, etc. As a means for drying the ink, a drying device that heats the conveyed sheet with an infrared heater is known (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-54503 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-46522 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] As a means for conveying a sheet, a conveying device is known that conveys a sheet by adsorbing it to an endless conveying belt facing a heater (for example, Patent Document 2). Meanwhile, a further conveying device is provided downstream of the heater in the conveying direction for reversing the sheet, conveying the sheet to a post-processing device, etc. The conveying device downstream of the heater in the conveying direction includes, for example, conveying rollers that clamp and convey the sheet, and a guide member that guides the conveyance of the sheet.

[0005] Heat is transferred from the sheet being conveyed to the conveying rollers and guide members. Regardless of the size of the sheet, it passes through the center of the width direction (the direction intersecting the conveying direction) of the conveying path. In addition, because the guide members are arranged to surround the sheet, heat tends to build up in the space formed by the guide members. This causes heat to accumulate locally in the center of the width direction of the conveying rollers and guide members. Localized heat accumulation can cause deterioration of the conveying rollers and guide members.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In consideration of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to suppress localized heat accumulation in a conveying device provided downstream of a heater in the conveying direction. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, the drying device of the present invention includes a first conveying device that conveys a sheet conveyed from an inkjet recording device and moves the sheet in a width direction that intersects with the conveying direction, a second conveying device that adsorbs the sheet conveyed from the first conveying device onto an endless conveying belt and conveys it, a heater facing the conveying belt, and a third conveying device that conveys the sheet conveyed from the second conveying device.

[0008] The first conveying device may alternately move the plurality of sheets to one side and the other side in the width direction.

[0009] The drying device may be equipped with a sensor that detects the sheet, and the first conveying device may move the sheet so that one end of the sheet in the width direction passes through a detectable area of ​​the sensor in the width direction.

[0010] The first conveying device may include a conveying roller that sandwiches and conveys the sheet, and a moving device that moves the conveying roller in the width direction.

[0011] An image forming system according to the present invention includes any one of the drying devices described above and the inkjet recording device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress localized accumulation of heat in the transport device provided downstream of the heater in the transport direction. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [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] 1 is a front view schematically showing the internal configuration of a drying device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a location where a transport path branches according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a side view showing a transport roller according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a first conveying device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a first conveying device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a development view of a conventional second conveying device and a conventional third conveying device. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a development view showing a first conveying device, a second conveying device, and a third conveying device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a development view showing the operation of a first transfer device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is a development view showing the operation of a first transfer device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 4 is a development view showing the operation of a first transfer device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 4 is a development view showing the operation of a first transfer device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] FIG. 4 is a development view showing the operation of a first transfer device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 4 is a development view showing the operation of a first transfer device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] FIG. 4 is a development view showing the operation of a first transfer device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16] FIG. 4 is a development view showing the operation of a first transfer device according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] An image forming system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0015] 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.

[0016] The image forming system 100 includes a paper feeder 110, an inkjet recording apparatus 1, a drying apparatus 120, and a post-processing apparatus 130. 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. The post-processing apparatus 130 performs post-processing such as stacking, stapling, folding, and punching holes on the sheets S transported from the drying apparatus 120.

[0017] The sheet feeding device 110 includes a sheet feeding cassette 4, a sheet feeding roller 5, a conveying path 10A, a sheet aligning device 6, and an evacuation tray 9. The sheet feeding cassette 4 stores stacked sheets S. The sheet feeding roller 5 sends the sheets S one by one from the sheet feeding cassette 4 to the conveying path 10A. Two sheet aligning devices 6, each having the same basic configuration, are arranged one above the other. The sheet aligning devices 6 have the function of correcting the inclination of the sheet S with respect to the conveying direction Y and the function of correcting the positional deviation of the sheet S in the width direction X that intersects with the conveying direction Y. The conveying path 10A leads to the sheet aligning device 6 on the lower side. The conveying path 10B branches off from the conveying path 10A and leads to the sheet aligning device 6 on the upper side. The conveying path 10C branches off from the conveying path 10B and leads to the evacuation tray 9. Conveying rollers 17 for conveying the sheet S are provided in the conveying paths 10A, 10B, and 10C.

[0018] 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.

[0019] 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.

[0020] The inkjet recording apparatus 1 includes a conveying device 7 that adsorbs a sheet S and conveys it in a predetermined conveying direction Y. Four head units 11 that eject ink to form an image are provided above the conveying device 7. The inkjet recording apparatus 1 includes a conveying path 10D that conveys the sheet S along the gap between the conveying device 7 and the head units 11. Conveying paths 10A and 10B merge into conveying path 10D.

[0021] The conveying device 7 includes an endless conveying belt 21 and a suction unit 24. The conveying belt 21 has a number of air holes (not shown) and is wound around a driving 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 conveying belt 21. The suction unit 24 sucks air through the air holes of the conveying belt 21 and the suction unit 24, thereby adsorbing the sheet S to the conveying belt 21. The drive roller 25 is driven counterclockwise by a drive unit (not shown) including a motor and a reduction gear, causing the conveying belt 21 to rotate counterclockwise, and the sheet S adsorbed to the conveying belt 21 is conveyed in the Y direction.

[0022] 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 13 that performs maintenance on the inkjet heads 12 is provided to the right of each head unit 11.

[0023] The control unit 2 (see FIG. 1) 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 controls each unit of the image forming system 100 by reading and executing a control program stored in the storage unit. The control unit 2 may also be realized by an integrated circuit without using software.

[0024] 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.

[0025] [Drying equipment] Fig. 2 is a front view schematically showing the internal configuration of drying device 120. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the location where transport paths 10E and 10F branch off. Fig. 4 is a side view showing transport roller 17.

[0026] The drying device 120 has a rectangular parallelepiped main body housing 39. The main body housing 39 is provided with a first conveying device 40, a second conveying device 50, a third conveying device 60, and a heater 80. The first conveying device 40 conveys the sheet S conveyed from the inkjet recording device 1 and moves the sheet S in a width direction X (front-rear direction) intersecting with the conveying direction Y. The second conveying device 50 conveys the sheet S conveyed from the first conveying device 40 by adsorbing it onto an endless conveying belt 51. The heater 80 dries the ink on the sheet S conveyed by the second conveying device 50. The third conveying device 60 conveys the sheet S conveyed from the second conveying device 50. The first conveying device 40 will be described later.

[0027] [Second conveying device] The second conveying device 50 includes an endless conveying belt 51 and a suction unit 54. The conveying belt 51 has a number of air holes (not shown) and is wound around a driving roller 55 and a driven roller 52. The upper surface of the suction unit 54 has a number of air holes (not shown) and is in contact with the inner surface of the conveying belt 51. The suction unit 54 sucks air through the air holes of the conveying belt 51 and the suction unit 54, thereby adsorbing the sheet S to the conveying belt 51. The pressure roller 56 is disposed above the driving roller 55 and sandwiches the conveying belt 51 between itself and the driving roller 55. The driving roller 55 is driven counterclockwise by a driving unit (not shown) including a motor and a reduction gear, causing the conveying belt 51 to rotate counterclockwise, and the sheet S adsorbed to the conveying belt 51 is conveyed in the Y direction.

[0028] [Heater] The heater 80 faces the conveyor belt 51. A plurality of heaters 80 (four in this embodiment) are arranged along the conveyance direction Y. The heater 80 has a main body housing 81 with an opening in a portion corresponding to the bottom of a rectangular parallelepiped. The main body housing 81 is provided with an infrared heater 82 and a reflector 83. The infrared heater 82 is formed in a rod shape with its longitudinal direction being the width direction X (front-rear direction) that intersects with the conveyance direction Y. A plurality of infrared heaters 82 (six in this embodiment) are arranged along the conveyance direction Y. The infrared heater 82 is, for example, a carbon heater (not shown) in which a heating element made of carbon fiber is enclosed in a glass tube. The heating element emits infrared rays.

[0029] A reflector 83 is provided above each infrared heater 82. The reflector 83 is formed, for example, in the shape of an upwardly convex parabola in cross section perpendicular to the width direction X. The reflector 83 reflects infrared rays emitted from the infrared heaters 82 downward.

[0030] [Transport path] The drying device 120 includes a conveying path 10E that conveys the sheet S along the gap between the second conveying device 50 and the heater 80. The conveying path 10E is connected to a conveying path 10D of the inkjet recording device 1 and a conveying path 10U of the post-processing device 130.

[0031] Conveying path 10F branches downward from conveying path 10E. Conveying path 10F branches into conveying path 10G and conveying path 10J. Conveying path 10G and conveying path 10J are curved in an arc. Conveying path 10H branches to the right from conveying path 10G, and conveying path 10K branches to the right from conveying path 10J. Conveying paths 10H and 10K merge into conveying path 10M. Conveying path 10L branches downward from conveying path 10M, passes below conveying paths 10J, 10G, and 10F, and merges with conveying path 10E. Retracting path 10Q branches upward from conveying path 10E between the start point of conveying path 10F and the end point of conveying path 10L.

[0032] Conveying paths 10E to 10M and retracting path 10Q are provided with conveying rollers 17 (see FIG. 4) that convey the sheet S. Conveying roller 17 has a drive shaft 17A and a driven shaft 17B. A drive roller body 17C is attached to drive shaft 17A, and a driven roller body 17D is attached to driven shaft 17B. Drive shaft 17A is driven by a motor (not shown).

[0033] 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.

[0034] 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.

[0035] 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.

[0036] 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.

[0037] 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.

[0038] At the branch point between the conveying path 10E and the evacuation path 10Q, an opening / closing member 8H is provided, which swings about an axis to open either the conveying path 10E or the evacuation path 10Q and close the other. When the opening / closing member 8H opens the conveying path 10E, the sheet S is guided into the conveying path 10E, and when the opening / closing member 8H opens the evacuation path 10Q, the sheet S is guided into the evacuation path 10Q.

[0039] 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.

[0040] [Third conveying device] The conveying paths 10E, 10F, 10L and the retreat path 10Q (see FIG. 3) are formed by guide members 62 that face both sides of the sheet S being conveyed. A plurality of conveying rollers 17 are provided in the conveying paths 10E, 10F, 10L and 10Q at intervals in the conveying direction Y. The conveying paths 10A to 10D, 10G to 10K, 10M to 10P and the retreat path 10Q are similarly configured. Of these, the guide members 62 that form the conveying path 10F and the conveying rollers 17 provided in the conveying path 10F are an example of a third conveying device 60.

[0041] [sensor] Sensors 30 for detecting sheets S are provided at various locations on the conveying paths 10A to 10P and the retreat path 10Q. For example, in the examples shown in FIGS. 2 and 8, the sensors 30 are provided between the first conveying device 40 and the second conveying device 50. The sensors 30 are used to detect jamming of sheets S and to control the timing at which sheets S pass. Furthermore, the sensors 30 are provided near the center of the conveying paths 10A to 10P and the retreat path 10Q in the width direction X so that sheets S of any size can be detected.

[0042] An optical sensor, for example, is used as the sensor 30. The sensor 30 outputs a signal of different levels to the control unit 35 depending on whether the light beam emitted by the sensor 30 is blocked by the sheet S or not. The control unit 35 detects the passage of the sheet S based on the change in the signal level. Furthermore, the control unit 35 determines that a jam of the sheet S has occurred when the time that the sheet S blocks the light beam exceeds a predetermined value. The sensor 30 detects the sheet S within an area (referred to as a detectable area) corresponding to the width of the light beam in the width direction X.

[0043] [Control Unit] The control unit 35 (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 controls each part of the drying device 120 by reading and executing a control program stored in the storage unit. The control unit 35 may be realized by an integrated circuit without using software.

[0044] 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 device 7 at a predetermined timing, the conveying device 7 adsorbs 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.

[0045] 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 transported to the post-processing device 130. 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 130 via the transport path 10L.

[0046] On the other hand, in the case of a double-sided printing image formation job, the sheet S is inverted using the conveying path 10G and the conveying path 10J alternately, 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 is conveyed to the post-processing device 130.

[0047] FIG. 7 is an exploded view of a conventional second conveying device 50 and a third conveying device 60. Conventionally, a sheet S conveyed from an inkjet recording apparatus 1 to a drying device 120 is positioned at the center of the conveying belt 51 in the width direction X. The infrared rays generated by the heater 80 are absorbed by the water contained in the ink on the sheet S, evaporating the water. Excess heat is retained by the sheet S and the conveying belt 51. The heat retained by the conveying belt 51 contributes to drying the ink via the sheet S, so there is no problem. Meanwhile, the heat retained by the sheet S is transferred to the center of the third conveying device 60 in the width direction X. Therefore, heat accumulates locally in the center of the width direction X of the guide member 62 and the conveying roller 17 that constitute the third conveying device 60, causing deterioration. Therefore, in this embodiment, a first conveying device 40, as described below, is provided.

[0048] [First conveying device] Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the first conveying device 40. Fig. 6 is a plan view showing the first conveying device 40. Fig. 8 is a development view showing the first conveying device 40, the second conveying device 50, and the third conveying device 60. Note that Fig. 5 shows a cross section II of Fig. 6. In Fig. 6, the frame 43F and the spring 43S are omitted.

[0049] The first conveying device 40 is provided upstream of the second conveying device 50 in the conveying direction Y. The first conveying device 40 includes a conveying roller 41 and a moving device 45. The conveying roller 41 conveys the sheet S along the conveying direction Y. The moving device 45 moves the conveying roller 41, which holds the sheet S, in the width direction X, thereby moving the sheet S in the width direction X.

[0050] The transport roller 41 includes a drive shaft 42A and a driven shaft 43A disposed above the drive shaft 42A. A drive roller body 42R is attached to the drive shaft 42A, and a driven roller body 43R is attached to the driven shaft 43A. The drive shaft 42A is supported by a frame 45F and is driven by a motor 42M via a gear train 42G.

[0051] The driven shaft 43A is supported by a frame 43F. The frame 43F is supported by a frame 45F (not shown), is vertically movable, and is biased downward by a spring 43S. With this configuration, the driven roller body 43R is pressed against the driving roller body 42R and rotates in accordance with the rotation of the driving roller body 42R.

[0052] The movement device 45 includes a frame 45F, a rack-and-pinion mechanism 45RP, and a motor 45M. Sliding portions 45S that protrude forward and backward are provided at both the front and rear ends of the frame 45F. The sliding portions 45S are inserted into guide holes (not shown) provided in the main body housing 39 and are slidable in the front-to-rear direction relative to the main body housing 39. A rack 45R, whose longitudinal direction is the front-to-rear direction, is attached to the left side of the frame 45F. A pinion 45P that meshes with the rack 45R and a motor 45M that drives the pinion 45P are attached to the main body housing 39. Driving the pinion 45P moves the frame 45F in the front-to-rear direction.

[0053] 9 to 16 are development views showing the operation of the first conveying device 40. Before an image forming job is executed, as shown in FIG. 8, the conveying roller 41 is positioned at the center in the width direction X. When the image forming job is started and the sheet S is conveyed from the inkjet recording apparatus 1 to the drying device 120, the control unit 35 causes the conveying roller 41 positioned at the center in the width direction X to clamp the sheet S (see FIG. 9), temporarily stops the conveying roller 41 from conveying in the Y direction, and activates the moving device 45 to move the conveying roller 41 a predetermined distance to one side in the width direction X (rearward in FIG. 10). The distance at this time is set in advance so that one end of the sheet S in the width direction X (the leading end in FIG. 10) passes through the detectable area of ​​the sensor 30 in the width direction X.

[0054] Next, the control unit 35 causes the transport roller 41 to resume transport of the sheet S in the Y direction (see FIG. 11). Thereafter, the sheet S passes the position of the sensor 30, and is detected. When the passage of the right edge of the sheet S is detected (see FIG. 12), the control unit 35 returns the transport roller 41 to the center in the width direction X, causes the transport roller 41 to clamp the succeeding sheet S, temporarily stops transport in the Y direction by the transport roller 41, and operates the moving device 45 to move the transport roller 41 a predetermined distance to the other side in the width direction X (forward in FIG. 13).

[0055] Next, the control unit 35 causes the transport rollers 41 to resume transport of the sheet S in the Y direction (see FIG. 14). Thereafter, the sheet S passes the position of the sensor 30, whereby the sheet S is detected. When the passage of the right edge of the sheet S is detected (see FIG. 15), the control unit 35 returns the transport rollers 41 to the center in the width direction X, causes the transport rollers 41 to clamp the succeeding sheet S, temporarily suspends transport in the Y direction by the transport rollers 41, and activates the moving device 45 to move the transport rollers 41 a predetermined amount to one side in the width direction X.

[0056] By repeating the above operations, it is possible to transport a plurality of sheets S arranged alternately on one side and the other side in the width direction X, as shown in Fig. 16. Since heat is transferred from the sheets S to the third transport device 60 alternately on one side and the other side in the width direction X, it is possible to suppress localized heat accumulation in the components constituting the third transport device 60.

[0057] The drying device 120 according to the present embodiment described above includes a first conveying device 40 that conveys the sheet S conveyed from the inkjet recording device 1 and moves the sheet S in the width direction X intersecting the conveying direction Y, a second conveying device 50 that adsorbs the sheet S conveyed from the first conveying device 40 onto an endless conveying belt 51 and conveys the sheet S, a heater 80 that faces the conveying belt 51, and a third conveying device 60 that conveys the sheet S conveyed from the second conveying device 50. With this configuration, because the first conveying device 40 moves the sheet S in the width direction X, it is possible to suppress localized heat accumulation in the components of the third conveying device 60 that are provided downstream of the heater 80 in the conveying direction Y. As a result, deterioration of the components of the third conveying device 60 is suppressed.

[0058] Furthermore, in the drying device 120 according to this embodiment, the first conveying device 40 moves the multiple sheets S alternately between one side and the other side in the width direction X. With this configuration, the heat transferred from the sheets S to the third conveying device 60 can be evenly dispersed between one side and the other side in the width direction X.

[0059] Furthermore, the drying device 120 according to this embodiment includes a sensor 30 that detects the sheet S, and the first conveying device 40 moves the sheet S so that one end of the sheet S in the width direction X passes through a detectable area of ​​the sensor 30 in the width direction X. This configuration makes it possible to achieve conveyance control without increasing the detection likelihood of the sensor 30.

[0060] Furthermore, in the drying device 120 according to this embodiment, the first conveying device 40 includes conveying rollers 41 that sandwich and convey the sheet S, and a moving device 45 that moves the conveying rollers 41 in the width direction X. With this configuration, the sheet S can be moved in the width direction X with a simple configuration.

[0061] Furthermore, the image forming system 100 according to this embodiment includes the drying device 120 and the inkjet recording device 1. With this configuration, the time during which the image forming system 100 is stopped for maintenance of the third conveying device 60 can be reduced.

[0062] The above embodiment may be modified as follows.

[0063] In the above embodiment, an example has been shown in which the moving device 45 moves the transport roller 41 by the rack and pinion mechanism 45RP, but the moving device 45 may also move the transport roller 41 by a ball screw, a timing belt, or the like.

[0064] In the above embodiment, after the transport rollers 41 pinch the sheet S transported from the inkjet recording apparatus 1, the transport rollers 41 temporarily stop transporting the sheet S in the Y direction and move the sheet S in the width direction X. However, the transport rollers 41 may be moved in the width direction X without stopping transporting the sheet S in the Y direction. In this case, the sheet S moves parallel to the transport direction Y at an angle.

[0065] In the above embodiment, an example has been shown in which the first conveying device 40 moves the conveying rollers 41 that hold the sheet S in the width direction X, but the first conveying device 40 may be provided with a device that moves the sheet S separate from the conveying rollers 41. For example, a roller that moves the sheet S in the width direction X may be provided upstream of the conveying rollers 41 in the conveying direction Y. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 1. Inkjet recording device 30 sensors 40 First conveying device 41 Transport roller 45 Mobile Device 50 Second conveying device 51 Conveyor belt 60 Third conveying device 80 Heater 100 Image forming system 120 Drying equipment S seat X Width direction Y conveying direction

Claims

1. a first conveying device that conveys a sheet conveyed from an inkjet recording device and moves the sheet in a width direction intersecting with a conveying direction; a second conveying device that adsorbs the sheet conveyed from the first conveying device onto an endless conveying belt and conveys the sheet; a heater facing the conveyor belt; a third conveying device that conveys the sheet conveyed from the second conveying device.

2. The drying device according to claim 1 , wherein the first conveying device moves the plurality of sheets alternately to one side and the other side in the width direction.

3. a sensor for detecting the sheet; The drying device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the first conveying device moves the sheet so that one end of the sheet in the width direction passes through a detectable area of ​​the sensor in the width direction.

4. The first conveying device is a conveying roller that sandwiches and conveys the sheet; The drying device according to claim 1 , further comprising: a moving device that moves the transport roller in the width direction.

5. The drying device according to claim 1; An image forming system comprising the inkjet recording apparatus.

Images