Recording device and transport device

Abstract

To remove static electricity from a recording medium efficiently.SOLUTION: A recording device includes: transport means which transports a recording medium in a first direction to a recording area where records are made by recording means; support means which supports the recording medium transported by the transport means and has a contact surface which contacts with the recording medium when the support means supports the recording medium; and static electricity removing means which removes static electricity from the recording medium at a static electricity removing part and in which the static electricity removing part is provided at a position which does not face the contact surface in the support means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a recording device and a transport device that are provided with a static eliminator that eliminates static electricity from a medium. [Background technology]

[0002] Some recording devices are known to be provided with a static elimination means for eliminating static electricity from a recording medium being conveyed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a recording device as shown in Fig. 14. This recording device drives a paper feed means that contacts the recording medium to supply the recording medium to a conveyance means, which then conveys the recording medium. The disclosed configuration includes a static elimination means positioned opposite the conveyance means, and the static elimination means and the recording medium come into elastic contact with each other to eliminate static electricity from the recording medium. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-168979 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the configuration of Patent Document 1 removes static electricity from the recording medium according to the combined charge amount of both the recording medium and the conveying means. The charge amount of the conveying means increases as the recording medium is conveyed. Therefore, if static electricity is removed based on the combined charge amount of the recording medium and the conveying means, the amount of charge on the recording medium after passing through the static removal means may actually increase. This has led to the problem of inefficient static elimination.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and has as its object to provide a recording apparatus that can efficiently remove static electricity from a recording medium. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, a recording apparatus according to the present invention includes a transport means for transporting a recording medium in a first direction to a recording area where recording is performed by a recording means, a support means for supporting the recording medium transported by the transport means, the support means having an abutment surface that abuts against the recording medium when supporting the recording medium, a static elimination means for eliminating static from the recording medium in a static elimination unit, and a biasing means for biasing the recording medium toward a support member, wherein the static elimination unit is located at a position not facing the abutment surface of the support means, and is located upstream of the recording area and downstream of the biasing means in the first direction. and when the recording medium is supported by the support means, the recording medium comes into contact with the surface on which the recording is to be performed by the recording means. It is characterized by: [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a recording apparatus that can efficiently remove static electricity from a recording medium. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a front view of the recording apparatus when it is in a standby state. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a control configuration diagram of the recording apparatus. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the recording device in a recording state. [Figure 4] 10(a) to 10(c) are diagrams showing the transport path of the recording medium fed from the first cassette. [Figure 5] 10(a) to 10(c) are diagrams showing the transport path of the recording medium fed from the second cassette. [Figure 6] 10(a) to 10(d) are diagrams showing the transport path when a recording operation is performed on the back side of a recording medium. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the recording apparatus in a maintenance state. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the correspondence between conveying rollers and motors. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the arrangement of a contact surface and a static eliminator. [Figure 10] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a static elimination mechanism of a recording medium in a comparative example. [Figure 11] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a static elimination mechanism for a recording medium when a static eliminator is disposed at a position facing the contact surface. [Figure 12] 10 is a diagram showing the arrangement of a contact surface and a static eliminator in a second embodiment. FIG. [Figure 13] 10 is a diagram showing the arrangement of a contact surface and a static eliminator in a third embodiment. FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a feeding device in a conventional recording apparatus. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the internal configuration of an inkjet recording apparatus 1 (hereinafter referred to as recording apparatus 1) used in this embodiment. In Fig. 1, the x direction indicates the horizontal direction, the y direction (direction perpendicular to the paper surface) indicates the direction in which ejection ports are arranged in a recording head 8 (recording means) described later, and the z direction indicates the vertical direction.

[0010] In this specification, the term "recording medium" is used as a general term for media onto which liquid is ejected and made of non-metallic materials such as paper, cloth, plastic film, wood, leather, etc.

[0011] The recording device 1 is a multifunction peripheral equipped with a printing unit 2 and a scanner unit 3, and various processes related to recording and reading operations can be performed by the printing unit 2 and the scanner unit 3 individually or in conjunction with each other. The scanner unit 3 is equipped with an ADF (automatic document feeder) and an FBS (flatbed scanner), and can read documents automatically fed by the ADF and read (scan) documents placed on the platen of the FBS by the user. Note that although this embodiment is a multifunction peripheral equipped with both the printing unit 2 and the scanner unit 3, a configuration without the scanner unit 3 is also possible. FIG. 1 shows the recording device 1 in a standby state in which neither a recording operation nor a reading operation is being performed.

[0012] In the printing unit 2, a first cassette 5A and a second cassette 5B (first supply source) capable of holding recording media (cut sheets) S are removably installed at the bottom vertically below the housing. The first cassette 5A holds relatively small recording media S up to A4 size, while the second cassette 5B holds relatively large recording media S up to A3 size. A cassette feeding unit (first feeding section) is provided near each cassette for separating and feeding the recording media S held in the cassette one by one. In the following description, the cassette feeding unit for feeding recording media S from the first cassette 5A will be referred to as the first feeding unit 6A, and the cassette feeding unit for feeding recording media S from the second cassette 5B will be referred to as the second feeding unit 6B.

[0013] A manual feed tray (second supply source) 129 is provided on the side of the housing of the printing unit 2, and is used by the user when supplying a relatively small number of recording media S. The manual feed tray 129 can accommodate not only standard-sized recording media S such as those in the cassettes described above, but also recording media S of irregular sizes. By placing the recording medium S in a predetermined position on the manual feed tray 129, a manual feed unit 6C (second feed section) operates, and the recording medium S can be fed to a transport path described below. The printing unit 2 selectively operates one of the feeding units, which are the first feed unit 6A, the second feed unit 6B, and the manual feed unit 6C, which are feeding means. This allows the recording media S to be supplied one sheet at a time to the recording area (supplied area) P between the recording head 8 and the platen 9.

[0014] The transport roller 7, first intermediate roller 71, discharge roller 12, pinch roller 7a, spur 7b, guide member 18, inner guide 19, and flapper 11 constitute a transport mechanism (transport means) for transporting the recording medium S in a predetermined direction. The transport rollers 7 are disposed upstream and downstream of the recording head 8 (platen 9) and are drive rollers driven by a transport motor. The pinch roller 7a is a driven roller that rotates together with the transport roller 7 while nipping the recording medium S. The discharge roller 12 is disposed downstream of the transport roller 7 and is a drive roller driven by the discharge motor. The spur 7b, together with the transport roller 7 and discharge roller 12 disposed downstream of the recording head 8 (platen 9), pinches and transports the recording medium S.

[0015] The recording device 1 is provided with a plurality of motors for driving the drive rollers, and each of the drive rollers is connected to one of the plurality of motors. The correspondence between the motors and the drive rollers will be explained in detail later.

[0016] The guide member 18 is provided on the transport path of the recording medium S and guides the recording medium S in a predetermined direction. The inner guide 19 is a member extending in the y direction and has curved sides, along which the recording medium S is guided. The flapper 11 is a member for switching the direction in which the recording medium S is transported depending on whether a single-sided recording operation, in which recording is performed on one side of the recording medium S, or a double-sided recording operation is performed. The discharge tray 13 is a tray for stacking and holding the recording medium S discharged by the discharge roller 12 after the recording operation is completed.

[0017] The print head 8 of this embodiment is a full-line color inkjet print head, and has a plurality of nozzles arranged along the y direction in FIG. 1, each of which ejects ink in accordance with print data, corresponding to the maximum width of the applicable print medium S. When the print head 8 is in the standby position, the nozzle surface 8a of the print head 8 faces vertically downward as shown in FIG. 1 and is capped by a cap unit 10. When performing a printing operation, a print controller 202 (described later) changes the orientation of the print head 8 so that the nozzle surface 8a faces a platen 9. The platen 9 is formed of a flat plate extending in the y direction and supports the surface (back surface (second surface)) of the print medium S opposite to the front surface (first surface) on which the print head 8 performs the printing operation. The movement of the print head 8 from the standby position to the printing position will be described in detail later.

[0018] The ink tank unit 14 stores each of the four colors of ink to be supplied to the recording head 8. The ink supply unit 15 is provided in the middle of the flow path connecting the ink tank unit 14 and the recording head 8, and adjusts the pressure and flow rate of the ink inside the recording head 8 to an appropriate range. In this embodiment, a circulation type ink supply system is used, and the ink supply unit 15 adjusts the pressure of the ink supplied to the recording head 8 and the flow rate of the ink collected from the recording head 8 to an appropriate range.

[0019] The maintenance unit 16 includes a cap unit 10 and a wiping unit 17, and operates these at a predetermined timing to perform maintenance operations on the recording head 8. The maintenance operations will be described in detail later.

[0020] 2 is a block diagram showing the control configuration of the recording apparatus 1. The control configuration mainly comprises a print engine unit 200 that controls the print section 2 overall, a scanner engine unit 300 that controls the scanner section 3, and a controller unit (control means) 100 that controls the entire recording apparatus 1 overall. A print controller 202 controls various mechanisms of the print engine unit 200 in accordance with instructions from a main controller 101 of the controller unit 100. Various mechanisms of the scanner engine unit 300 are controlled by the main controller 101 of the controller unit 100. The control configuration will be described in detail below.

[0021] In the controller unit 100, a main controller 101, which is configured by a CPU and the like, controls the entire recording device 1 in accordance with programs and various parameters stored in a ROM 107, using a RAM 106 as a work area. For example, when a print job is input from a host device 400 via a host I / F 102 or a wireless I / F 103, an image processing unit 108 performs predetermined image processing on the received image data in accordance with instructions from the main controller 101. The main controller 101 then transmits the processed image data to the print engine unit 200 via a print engine I / F 105.

[0022] The recording device 1 may acquire image data from the host device 400 via wireless or wired communication, or may acquire image data from an external storage device (such as a USB memory) connected to the recording device 1. There are no limitations on the communication method used for wireless or wired communication. For example, Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) (registered trademark) and Bluetooth (registered trademark) can be used as communication methods for wireless communication. Furthermore, USB (Universal Serial Bus) or the like can be used as a communication method for wired communication. Furthermore, for example, when a read command is input from the host device 400, the main controller 101 transmits the command to the scanner unit 3 via the scanner engine I / F 109.

[0023] The operation panel 104 is a section through which the user inputs and outputs data to and from the recording device 1. The user can use the operation panel 104 to instruct operations such as copying and scanning, set the print mode, and view information about the recording device 1.

[0024] In the print engine unit 200, a print controller 202 configured by a CPU controls various mechanisms of the print unit 2 using RAM 204 as a work area in accordance with programs and various parameters stored in ROM 203. When various commands and image data are received via a controller I / F 201, the print controller 202 temporarily stores them in RAM 204. To enable the print head 8 to perform a printing operation (ink ejection operation), the print controller 202 causes an image processing controller 205 to convert the stored image data into print data. Once the print data is generated, the print controller 202 causes the print head 8 to perform a printing operation based on the print data via a head I / F 206. At this time, the print controller 202 appropriately drives the first and second feed units 6A and 6B, the manual feed unit 6C, the conveyance roller 7, the discharge roller 12, and the flapper 11 shown in FIG. 1 via a conveyance control unit 207 to feed and convey the printing medium S.

[0025] The transport control unit 207 is connected to a detection unit 212 that detects the transport state of the recording medium S and a drive unit 211 that drives a plurality of drive rollers, and controls the feeding and transport of the recording medium S using the drive unit 211 based on the detection results obtained from the detection unit 212. The detection unit 212 has a detection member 20 that detects the presence or absence of the recording medium S and an encoder 21 that detects the amount of rotation of the drive roller.

[0026] While the conveyance control unit 207 conveys the recording medium S, the recording head 8 performs a recording operation in accordance with instructions from the print controller 202 .

[0027] The head carriage control unit 208 changes the orientation and position of the recording head 8 depending on the operating state, such as the maintenance state or recording state, of the recording device 1. The ink supply control unit 209 controls the ink supply unit 15 so that the pressure of the ink supplied to the recording head 8 falls within an appropriate range. The maintenance control unit 210 controls the operation of the cap unit 10 and the wiping unit 17 in the maintenance unit 16 when performing maintenance operations on the recording head 8.

[0028] In the scanner engine unit 300, the main controller 101 controls the hardware resources of the scanner controller 302 in accordance with the programs and various parameters stored in the ROM 107, using the RAM 106 as a work area. This controls various mechanisms of the scanner unit 3. For example, the main controller 101 controls the hardware resources in the scanner controller 302 via the controller I / F 301, so that a document placed on the ADF by a user is transported via the transport control unit 304 and read by the sensor 305. The scanner controller 302 then stores the read image data in the RAM 303. The print controller 202 converts the image data acquired as described above into print data, thereby enabling the print head 8 to perform a print operation based on the image data read by the scanner controller 302.

[0029] 3 shows the recording apparatus 1 in a recording state. Compared to the standby state shown in FIG. 1, the cap unit 10 is spaced apart from the ejection port surface 8a of the recording head 8, and the ejection port surface 8a faces the platen 9. In this embodiment, the support surface of the platen 9 that supports the recording medium S is inclined at approximately 45 degrees relative to the horizontal, and the ejection port surface 8a of the recording head 8 in the recording position is also inclined at approximately 45 degrees relative to the horizontal so that the distance from the platen 9 is maintained constant.

[0030] When the print head 8 is moved from the standby position shown in FIG. 1 to the printing position shown in FIG. 3, the print controller 202 uses the maintenance control unit 210 to lower the cap unit 10 to the retracted position shown in FIG. 3. This causes the cap unit 10 to move away from the ejection port surface 8a of the print head 8. Thereafter, the print controller 202 uses the head carriage control unit 208 to rotate the print head 8 45 degrees while adjusting the vertical height thereof, so that the ejection port surface 8a faces the platen 9. In this state, the printing operation is performed. When the printing operation is completed and the print head 8 is moved from the printing position to the standby position, the print controller 202 performs the above steps in reverse.

[0031] Next, we will explain the transport path of the recording medium S in the printing unit 2. When a recording command is input, the print controller 202 first uses the maintenance control unit 210 and the head carriage control unit 208 to move the recording head 8 to the recording position shown in Fig. 3. Then, the print controller 202 uses the transport control unit 207 to drive one of the first feeding unit 6A, the second feeding unit 6B, and the manual feeding unit 6C in accordance with the recording command, and feeds the recording medium S.

[0032] 4(a) to 4(c) are diagrams showing the conveyance path when A4-sized recording media S stored in the first cassette 5A are fed. The topmost recording medium S in the first cassette 5A is separated from the second and subsequent recording media S by the first feeding unit 6A. Then, while being nipped between the conveyance roller 7 and the pinch roller 7a, the recording medium S is conveyed toward the recording area (supplied position) P between the platen 9 and the recording head 8. FIG. 4(a) shows the conveyance state of the recording medium S just before the leading edge thereof reaches the recording area P. The traveling direction of the recording medium S is changed from the horizontal direction (x direction) to a direction tilted at approximately 45 degrees relative to the horizontal direction while being fed by the first feeding unit 6A and reaching the recording area P.

[0033] In the recording area P, ink is ejected toward the recording medium S from multiple ejection ports provided in the recording head 8. When the recording medium S reaches the recording area, one side (back side (second side)) that does not face the recording head is supported by a platen 9, and the distance between the ejection port surface 8a and the recording medium S is maintained constant. After the ink is applied, the recording medium S is guided by the transport roller 7 and spur 7b, passes to the left of a flapper 11 whose leading edge is tilted to the right, and is transported vertically upward in the recording device 1 along a guide member 18. Figure 4(b) shows the state in which the leading edge of the recording medium S passes through the recording area P and is transported vertically upward. The traveling direction of the recording medium S is changed vertically upward by the transport roller 7 and spur 7b from the position in the recording area P, which is tilted approximately 45 degrees from the horizontal.

[0034] The recording medium S is transported vertically upward, and then discharged onto the discharge tray 13 by the discharge rollers 12 and spurs 7b. Figure 4(c) shows the state in which the leading edge of the recording medium S passes through the discharge rollers 12 and is discharged onto the discharge tray 13. The discharged recording medium S is held on the discharge tray 13 with the side on which the image has been recorded by the recording head 8 facing downward.

[0035] 5(a) to 5(c) are diagrams showing the conveyance path when A3-sized recording media S stored in the second cassette (first supply source) 5B are fed. The topmost recording medium S in the second cassette 5B is separated from the second and subsequent recording media S by the second feeding unit 6B, and is conveyed toward the recording region P between the platen 9 and the recording head 8 while being nipped between the conveyance roller 7 and the pinch roller 7a.

[0036] 5(a) shows the conveying state of the recording medium S just before the leading edge thereof reaches the recording area P. A plurality of conveying rollers 7, pinch rollers 7a, and an inner guide 19 are arranged on the conveying path until the recording medium S fed by the second feeding unit 6B reaches the recording area P, so that the recording medium S is conveyed to the platen 9 while being curved in an S-shape.

[0037] The subsequent transport path is the same as that for the A4-sized recording medium S shown in Figures 4(b) and (c). Figure 5(b) shows the state in which the leading edge of the recording medium S passes through the recording area P and is transported vertically upward. Figure 5(c) shows the state in which the leading edge of the recording medium S passes through the discharge rollers 12 and is discharged onto the discharge tray 13.

[0038] 6(a) to 6(d) show the transport path when performing a recording operation (double-sided recording) on the back side (second side) of an A4-sized recording medium S. When performing double-sided recording, the first side (front side) is recorded, and then the recording operation is performed on the second side (back side). The transport process when recording on the first side is the same as in FIGS. 4(a) to 4(c), so a description thereof will be omitted here. The transport process from FIG. 4(c) onwards will be described below.

[0039] When the recording operation on the first side by the recording head 8 is completed and the trailing edge of the recording medium S passes the flapper 11, the print controller 202 reverses the rotation of the conveyance roller 7 to convey the recording medium S into the recording device 1. At this time, the flapper 11 is controlled by an actuator (not shown) so that its leading edge tilts to the left, so that the leading edge of the recording medium S (the trailing edge in the recording operation on the first side) passes the right side of the flapper 11 and is conveyed vertically downward. Figure 6(a) shows the state in which the leading edge of the recording medium S (the trailing edge in the recording operation on the first side) passes the right side of the flapper 11.

[0040] The recording medium S is then transported along the curved outer surface of the inner guide 19 and is transported again to the recording area P between the recording head 8 and the platen 9. At this time, the second surface of the recording medium S faces the ejection port surface 8a of the recording head 8. Figure 6(b) shows the transport state of the recording medium S just before the leading edge of the recording medium S reaches the recording area P for the recording operation on the second surface.

[0041] The subsequent transport path is the same as when recording on the first side shown in Figures 4(b) and (c). Figure 6(c) shows the state in which the leading edge of the recording medium S passes through the recording area P and is transported vertically upward. At this time, the flapper 11 is controlled by an actuator (not shown) so that the leading edge moves to a position tilted to the right. Figure 6(d) shows the state in which the leading edge of the recording medium S passes through the discharge rollers 12 and is discharged onto the discharge tray 13.

[0042] As shown in FIGS. 6 to 12, in addition to the transport paths described above, the recording apparatus 1 of this embodiment is provided with a transport path C2 connected to a manual feed unit (second feed section) 6C that feeds recording media placed on a manual feed tray 129. The manual feed unit 6C feeds a relatively small amount of recording media S placed on a manual feed tray (second supply source) 129 protruding from one side (the right side in the figure) of the recording apparatus 1 to an internal transport path. The transport path C2 for the recording media S fed by the manual feed unit 6C merges at a junction Pa with an S-shaped transport path C1 for feeding recording media S accommodated in a second cassette 5B. The feed unit 6C feeds the recording media S to a transport roller 7 located downstream of the junction Pa. The recording media S are then transported by the transport roller 7 and pinch roller 7a to the recording area P via the same transport path as the transport path C1 for the recording media S fed from the second cassette.

[0043] Next, we will explain the maintenance operation for the recording head 8. As explained in Figure 1, the maintenance unit 16 of this embodiment includes a cap unit 10 and a wiping unit 17, and performs maintenance operations by operating these at predetermined timings.

[0044] Fig. 7 is a diagram showing the recording device 1 in a maintenance state. When moving the recording head 8 from the standby position shown in Fig. 1 to the maintenance position shown in Fig. 7, the print controller 202 moves the recording head 8 upward in the vertical direction and moves the cap unit 10 downward in the vertical direction. Then, the print controller 202 moves the wiping unit 17 from the retracted position to the right in Fig. 7. Thereafter, the print controller 202 moves the recording head 8 downward in the vertical direction to a maintenance position where maintenance can be performed.

[0045] 3 to the maintenance position shown in FIG. 7, the print controller 202 moves the print head 8 vertically upward while rotating it 45 degrees. Then, the print controller 202 moves the wiping unit 17 from the retracted position to the right. Thereafter, the print controller 202 moves the print head 8 vertically downward to the maintenance position where maintenance can be performed by the maintenance unit 16.

[0046] 8 is a diagram showing the correspondence between multiple motors and drive rollers in the recording device 1. The first feed motor 22 rotates a second feed roller 42 (described later) provided in the first feed unit 6A for feeding the recording medium S from the first cassette 5A. The second feed motor 23 rotates a second feed roller 42 provided in the second feed unit 6B for feeding the recording medium S from the second cassette 5B. The third feed motor 136 drives a second manual feed roller 132 provided in the manual feed unit 6C for feeding the recording medium S from the manual feed tray 81.

[0047] The first conveying motor 24 drives the first intermediate rollers 71A that first convey the recording medium S fed by the first feeding unit 6A. The second conveying motor 25 drives the second intermediate rollers 71B that first convey the recording medium S fed by the second feeding unit 6B.

[0048] The main transport motor 26 drives main transport rollers 70, which are arranged upstream of the platen 9 and mainly transport the recording medium S during recording. The main transport motor 26 also drives two transport rollers 7, which are arranged downstream of the platen 9 and transport the recording medium S transported by the main transport rollers 70 further downstream.

[0049] The third transport motor 27 drives two transport rollers 7 that transport the recording medium S, which has been recorded on its first side, downward. The third transport motor 27 also drives two transport rollers 7 that are arranged along the inner guide 19. These two transport rollers 7 transport the recording medium S that has been fed from the second cassette 5B and transported by the second intermediate rollers 71B, or the recording medium S, which has been recorded on its first side and has been turned over, toward the recording head 8.

[0050] The fourth transport motor 28 drives two transport rollers 7 that transport the recording medium S upward or downward after the recording operation has been performed. The discharge motor 29 drives discharge rollers 12 that discharge the recording medium S after recording onto the discharge tray 13. In this way, each of the three feed motors 22, 23, 139, the five transport motors 24 to 28, and the discharge motor 29 is associated with one or more drive rollers.

[0051] Meanwhile, detection members 20 are arranged at eight locations along the transport path to detect the presence or absence of the recording medium S. Each detection member 20 is composed of a sensor and a mirror arranged on either side of the transport path, with the sensor having a light-emitting section and a light-receiving section arranged on one side of the transport path, and the mirror arranged on the other side of the transport path in a position opposite the sensor. The presence or absence of the recording medium S, i.e., the passage of the leading or trailing end, is determined depending on whether the light emitted from the sensor's light-emitting section is reflected by the mirror and detected by the light-receiving section.

[0052] The transport control unit 207 individually drives the first, second, and third feed motors 22, 23, and 136, the transport motors 24 to 28, and the discharge motor 29 based on the detection results of each of the multiple detection members 20 and the output value of the encoder that detects the rotation amount of each drive roller, thereby controlling the transport of the entire device.

[0053] (First embodiment) As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the recording medium S is transported from the first cassette 5A or the second cassette 5B to the recording area P. When the recording medium S is transported, operations such as rubbing between the recording medium S and components forming the transport path and separation between the recording medium S and the drive roller occur. At this time, the rubbing and separation operations cause the recording medium S to be positively or negatively charged.

[0054] When the charged recording medium S is transported to the recording area P, a Coulomb force is generated due to the potential difference between the recording medium S and the recording head 8. This Coulomb force can cause dust on the surface of the recording medium S to adhere to the discharge port surface 8a of the recording head 8. If this dust blocks the discharge ports formed on the discharge port surface 8a of the recording head 8, a non-discharge state occurs in which ink droplets are not discharged, which may hinder image formation.

[0055] 9 is a schematic diagram of the arrangement of the support member 4 and the static elimination unit 90 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As described above, in order to prevent dust from adhering to the ejection port surface 8a of the recording head 8, static elimination of the recording medium S is performed by the static elimination unit 90, which is a static elimination means. The static elimination unit 90 is arranged on either or both of the transport path from the first feeding unit 6A to the recording area P shown in FIG. 1 or the transport path from the second feeding unit 6B to the recording area P.

[0056] In FIG. 9, the recording medium S is transported in the transport direction A. When the recording medium S is transported from the first feeding unit 6A or the second feeding unit 6B to the recording area P, the back surface of the recording medium S is supported by a support member 4, which serves as a support means. The support member 4 is provided on the transport path of the recording medium S as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, extending in the transport direction A, and supports the recording medium S. The surface of the support member 4 has an uneven shape and includes a non-contact surface 41 that does not come into contact with the recording medium S, and a plurality of contact surfaces 43 that are provided in the width direction B of the recording medium S and come into contact with the recording medium S. To reduce the sliding resistance between the contact surface 43 and the recording medium S, it is desirable that the width (length) of the contact surface 43 in the width direction B is approximately 1 mm. Furthermore, the contact surface 43 has a structure with a depth in the transport direction A. The non-contact surface 41 is a general term for the portions of the uneven surface of the support member 4 where the support member 4 and the recording medium S do not come into contact.

[0057] The static elimination unit 90 is composed of a conductive part 91 and a static elimination part 92. The conductive part 91 is connected to a recording medium transport part or a ground part (not shown) in the recording apparatus 1, and is electrically conductive. The static elimination part 92 is composed of a bristle brush made of, for example, conductive stainless steel fibers.

[0058] The static elimination unit 90 is disposed at a position facing the non-contact surface 41 of the support member 4, but not facing the contact surface 43. When the back surface of the recording medium S is in contact with the contact surface 43 of the support member 4, the static elimination unit 90 faces the front surface of the recording medium S. When the back surface of the recording medium S is supported by the support member 4, it is desirable that the static elimination unit 92 be configured to contact the front surface of the recording medium S or to be spaced apart by an amount of 1 mm or less.

[0059] Fig. 10(a) is a schematic diagram of a comparative example of a static elimination mechanism when the static elimination unit 90 is installed at a position facing the contact surface 43 of the support member 4. Fig. 10(b) is a schematic diagram of the amount of charge on the recording medium S after the recording medium S has passed through the static elimination unit 90 in the configuration of Fig. 10(a).

[0060] The support member 4 comes into contact with the recording medium S every time the recording device 1 performs a recording operation. This contact causes charges to accumulate on the support member 4, so the amount of charge on the support member 4 becomes greater than the amount of charge on the recording medium S. If the static elimination unit 90 is also disposed at a position facing the contact surface 43 of the support member 4, the total amount of charge on the contact surface 43 and the amount of charge on the recording medium S is eliminated by the static elimination unit.

[0061] At this time, the charge on the contact surface 43 is removed by the charge removal unit 90 in excess of the charge on the recording medium S alone. At this time, the excess charge removed remains on the surface of the recording medium S, as shown in FIG. 10(b). As described above, the charge on the support member 4 is relatively greater than the charge on the recording medium S. Therefore, the amount of charge remaining on the recording medium S after charge removal by the charge removal unit 90 may be greater than the amount of charge before the recording medium S passed through the charge removal unit 90. In other words, the amount of charge on the recording medium S after passing through the charge removal unit 90 may be greater than the amount of charge before passing through the charge removal unit 90.

[0062] 11(a) is a schematic diagram of the mechanism by which the static elimination unit 90 in this embodiment eliminates static electricity from the recording medium S. The static elimination unit 90 is disposed at a position facing the non-contact surface 41 of the support member 4, but not facing the contact surface 43. In this case, the region 411 in which the static elimination unit 90 eliminates static electricity from the recording medium S does not include the portion facing the contact surface 43. Therefore, the static elimination unit 90 eliminates static electricity in the region 411 where the recording medium S faces the non-contact surface 41, according to the amount of charge on the recording medium S.

[0063] 11(b) is a schematic diagram of the charge amount of the recording medium S after the recording medium S has passed through the charge eliminating unit 90 in this embodiment. By arranging the charge eliminating unit 90 as shown in FIG. 11(a), the charge eliminating unit 90 can eliminate charge in the region 411 according to only the charge amount of the recording medium S. This allows the recording medium S to be eliminated more efficiently than when the charge eliminating unit 90 is arranged as shown in FIG.

[0064] As a result, the recording medium S after passing through the static elimination unit 90 is more appropriately neutralized than in the case of Fig. 10(b). Therefore, even when the recording medium S is transported to the recording area P, there is almost no potential difference between the recording medium S and the recording head 8, and therefore almost no Coulomb force is generated. This makes it possible to prevent dust on the surface of the recording medium S from adhering to the discharge port surface 8a of the recording head 8. In addition, the frequency of maintenance operations to remove dust adhering to the discharge port surface 8a of the recording head 8 can be reduced, making it possible to provide a highly productive recording device.

[0065] As described above, by arranging the static eliminator 92 at a position that does not face the contact surface 43 that comes into contact with the recording medium S, the static eliminator unit 90 can efficiently eliminate static electricity from the recording medium S.

[0066] (Second embodiment) The second embodiment will be described below, but a description of the same configuration as the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0067] In the second embodiment, a plurality of static eliminating units 90 are arranged. Fig. 12 is a schematic diagram of the arrangement of static eliminating units 90a, 90b, and 90c and the contact surface 43. The recording medium S may be charged over the entire width direction B. Therefore, in this embodiment, the static eliminating units 90a, 90b, and 90c are arranged side by side in the width direction B. In this case, the static eliminating units 90a, 90b, and 90c are each arranged at a position facing the non-contact surface 41 of the support member 4, but not facing the contact surface 43.

[0068] Since the static eliminating unit 90 is not disposed at a position facing the contact surface 43, the static eliminating units 90a, 90b, and 90c eliminate static electricity in accordance with the amount of charge in the opposing regions 411a, 411b, and 411c of the recording medium S. Note that, although the static eliminating units 90a, 90b, and 90c have the same width in the width direction B in FIG. 12, the interval (distance) between adjacent contact surfaces 43 may be different. Therefore, static eliminating units 90a, 90b, and 90c of different widths may be disposed across the width direction B in accordance with the interval between the contact surfaces 43. Furthermore, the number of static eliminating units 90 disposed is not limited to three, and two, four, or more may be provided.

[0069] (Third embodiment) The third embodiment will be described below, but explanations of configurations similar to those of the first and second embodiments will be omitted. Fig. 13 is a schematic diagram of the arrangement of the static elimination unit 90 and the support member 4 when one static elimination unit 90 is arranged across the entire area of the recording medium. The static elimination unit 90 is configured such that a single conductive portion 91d has multiple static elimination portions 921d, 922d, and 923d in the width direction B. The static elimination portions 921d, 922d, and 923d are each arranged at a position facing the non-contact surface 41 of the support member 4, but not facing the contact surface 43.

[0070] At this time, the static elimination sections 921d, 922d, and 923d eliminate static electricity in accordance with the amount of charge in the opposing regions 411d, 411e, and 411f of the recording medium S. Therefore, the static elimination unit 90 can efficiently eliminate static electricity from the recording medium S without being affected by the amount of charge on the contact surface 43. As described above, a plurality of static elimination units 90, each having a plurality of static elimination sections for a single conductive section, may be provided in the width direction B of the recording medium S. In this case, each of the static elimination sections provided in the plurality of static elimination units 90 provided in the width direction B can efficiently eliminate static electricity from the recording medium S.

[0071] In any of the embodiments, a biasing means may be provided that biases the recording medium S toward the support member 4. For example, the biasing means is a pair of conveying rollers, the conveying roller 7 and the pinch roller 7a, shown in FIG. 1. By arranging the biasing means upstream of the support member 4 in the conveying direction of the recording medium S, the recording medium S can be reliably brought into contact with the contact surface 43. This makes it possible to always specify the same distance between the recording medium S and the static eliminator 92 of the static eliminator unit 90.

[0072] Furthermore, when a biasing means is provided as described above, the recording medium S is charged by friction between the biasing means and the recording medium S. For this reason, it is desirable to arrange the static elimination unit 90 downstream of the biasing means in the transport direction of the recording medium S. By not providing a biasing means downstream of the static elimination unit 90 in the transport direction of the recording medium S, the recording medium S is transported to the recording area P while remaining in a neutralized state.

[0073] The present invention can also be applied to recording apparatuses that use recording methods other than inkjet recording, such as electrophotographic recording apparatuses and thermal transfer recording apparatuses, to feed and transport recording media in various recording apparatuses. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 8 recording head 4 Support member 7 Conveyor roller 9. Static neutralization unit 41 Non-contact surface 43 Contact surface

Claims

1. a conveying means for conveying the recording medium in a first direction to a recording area where recording is performed by the recording means; a support means for supporting the recording medium transported by the transport means, the support means having a contact surface that comes into contact with the recording medium when supporting the recording medium; a static elimination unit for eliminating static electricity from the recording medium in a static elimination unit; a biasing means for biasing the recording medium toward the supporting means, a static eliminator that is provided at a position that does not face the contact surface of the support means, that is upstream of the recording area in the first direction, and that is downstream of the biasing means, and that contacts a surface on which recording is performed by the recording means when the recording medium is supported by the support means.

2. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support means has a non-contact surface that does not come into contact with the recording medium when supporting the recording medium.

3. 3. The recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the static eliminator is provided at a position facing the non-contact surface.

4. 4. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the static eliminator is shaped like a tuft of hair.

5. 5. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support means has a plurality of the contact surfaces.

6. 6. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the charge eliminating means are provided in a second direction intersecting the first direction.

7. 7. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the charge removing means has a conductive portion.

8. 8. The recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the static eliminator has the conductive portion for each static eliminator.

9. 9. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a feeding means for feeding the recording medium to the conveying means.

10. 10. The recording apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the charge eliminating means is provided at a position downstream of the feeding means in the first direction.

11. 11. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording means moves to a recording position when recording on the recording medium.

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