Conveying device and printing device

Abstract

To provide a conveying device and a printing device capable of detecting the presence or absence of deterioration of an adhesive layer while suppressing the acceleration of the deterioration of the adhesive layer by reducing the sliding friction between an abutting part and a conveyor belt caused when detecting the presence or absence of the deterioration of the adhesive layer.SOLUTION: A conveying device comprises a conveyor belt 21, an abutting part 71, a movement mechanism 72, and a displacement detection part 73. The conveyor belt 21 has an adhesive layer 25 which can stick a medium thereon and can convey the medium stuck on the adhesive layer 25. The abutting part 71 can come in contact with a surface 25A of the adhesive layer 25. A direction in which the abutting part 71 moves away from the adhesive layer 25 is defined as a first direction DR1, and the opposite direction is defined as a second direction. The movement mechanism 72 can move a position of the abutting part 71 to the surface 25A in the first direction DR1 and the second direction. The displacement detection part 73 detects a displacement amount ΔL of the conveyor belt 21 in the first direction DR1 when the movement mechanism 72 moves the abutting part 71 in the first direction DR1 in a state where the abutting part is in contact with the surface 25A.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a conveying device and a printing device that include a conveying belt for conveying a medium. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an inkjet printing device (printing device) that prints on a sheet (an example of a medium) as an example of this type of printing device. This printing device includes a sheet conveying device (an example of a conveying device) that conveys the sheet using a conveying belt with an adhesive layer made of adhesive rubber, and a printing unit (an example of a printing unit) that prints an image on the conveyed sheet.

[0003] The sheet conveying device described in Patent Document 1 includes a detection unit that detects the adhesive strength of the adhesive layer and an adjustment unit that adjusts the adhesive strength of the adhesive layer based on the detection result of the detection unit. The detection unit includes a J-shaped leaf spring and a pressing member that applies a constant load to the leaf spring and presses it against the adhesive layer. The adhesive strength of the adhesive layer is calculated by detecting the amount of deformation of the leaf spring when the leaf spring is pulled against the adhesive layer in the conveyance direction.

[0004] The leaf spring is pulled in the conveying direction by the adhesive force of the adhesive layer, deformed in the same direction, and then returns to its original shape by its own elastic restoring force. The periodic repetitive movement of the leaf spring is detected by a strain gauge, and a stress calculation circuit calculates changes in stress acting on the leaf spring and strain gauge, which change depending on the adhesive force of the adhesive layer. The adhesive force calculation circuit calculates either the period or amplitude of the stress output waveform, and further calculates the adhesive force of the adhesive layer by referring to a table related to adhesive force stored in memory. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-150434 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, the adhesive strength of an adhesive layer is angularly dependent, depending on the angle between the surface of the adhesive layer and the peeling direction. The conveying device described in Patent Document 1 is configured to drag a leaf spring along the surface of the adhesive layer of the conveying belt, which may not accurately reflect the adhesive strength when a medium such as a sheet is attached to the adhesive layer. Furthermore, because the leaf spring is configured to drag along the surface of the adhesive layer of the conveying belt, the adhesive layer experiences a large sliding resistance from the leaf spring. Therefore, continued detection in this manner accelerates the deterioration of the adhesive layer. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A conveying device that solves the above problem includes a conveying belt having an adhesive layer to which a medium can be attached and capable of conveying the medium attached to the adhesive layer, a contact portion that can contact the surface of the adhesive layer, a moving mechanism that can move the position of the contact portion relative to the surface in the first direction and the second direction, where the direction in which the contact portion moves away from the adhesive layer is defined as a first direction and the direction opposite to the first direction and in which the contact portion moves toward the adhesive layer is defined as a second direction, and a displacement detection unit that detects the amount of displacement of the conveying belt in the first direction when the moving mechanism moves the contact portion in the first direction while in contact with the surface.

[0008] A printing device that solves the above problem includes a conveyor belt having an adhesive layer to which a medium can be attached and capable of transporting the medium attached to the adhesive layer, a printing unit that prints on the medium transported by the conveyor belt, a contact unit that can contact the surface of the adhesive layer, a moving mechanism that can move the position of the contact unit relative to the surface in the first direction and the second direction, where the direction in which the contact unit moves away from the adhesive layer is defined as a first direction and the direction opposite to the first direction and in which the contact unit moves toward the adhesive layer is defined as a second direction, and a displacement detection unit that detects the amount of displacement of the conveyor belt in the first direction when the moving mechanism moves the contact unit in the first direction while in contact with the surface. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view showing a printing apparatus including a transport device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic side cross-sectional view showing the printing device. [Figure 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway front view showing a pressure mechanism. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing an adhesive strength measuring mechanism. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing a state in which the adhesive force measuring mechanism is measuring adhesive force. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the electrical configuration of the printing apparatus. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating threshold data. [Figure 9] 10 is a graph illustrating a process for determining deterioration of an adhesive layer. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart showing an adhesive layer deterioration determination process. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view showing an adhesive strength measuring mechanism in a second embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an image captured by a camera of the adhesive strength measuring mechanism. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view showing an adhesive force measuring mechanism in a modified example. [Figure 14] 14 is a schematic plan view showing an adhesive force measuring mechanism in a modified example different from that in FIG. 13. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] (First embodiment) A first embodiment of the printing device 11 will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the printing device 11 is placed on a horizontal plane, with the direction of gravity indicated by the Z axis, and directions along the horizontal plane indicated by the X and Y axes. The X, Y, and Z axes are perpendicular to one another. In the following description, the direction along the X axis will also be referred to as the width direction X, the direction along the Y axis as the transport direction Y, and the direction along the Z axis as the vertical direction Z. The X axis is a virtual axis parallel to the width direction X of the transport belt 21 described below, and the Y axis is a virtual axis parallel to the transport direction Y of the medium M on the transport belt 21. The direction in which the transport belt 21 rotates will also be referred to as the rotation direction CD.

[0011] <Configuration of Printer 11> 1, the printing device 11 includes a conveying device 20 and a printing unit 30. The conveying device 20 includes a conveying belt 21 that conveys a medium M. The conveying belt 21 supports and conveys the medium M, which may be fabric, paper, or the like, on its outer circumferential surface 24.

[0012] The printing device 11 has a housing 12 with a column-beam structure. The printing device 11 includes an operation unit 13. The operation unit 13 is configured, for example, by an operation panel having a display unit 14. The printing device 11 also includes a notification unit 17 for notifying information. The display unit 14 may also function as the notification unit 17. In this case, the notification unit 17 notifies by displaying the information. The display unit 14 is realized, for example, by a touch panel display device or the like. The operation unit 13 allows the user to give instructions to the printing device 11 by operating the screen of the display unit 14. The operation unit 13 may also be realized by operation buttons or the like. In this case, the printing device 11 may include the display unit 14 separately from the operation unit 13.

[0013] The printing device 11 also includes an ink supply source 15 that supplies ink used by the printing unit 30 when printing on the medium M. Each ink supply source 15 contains one of a plurality of colors of ink. The ink colors include, for example, cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. The printing unit 30 prints an image or the like on the medium M by, for example, ejecting the ink supplied from the ink supply source 15 toward the medium M. The ink supply source 15 may be an ink cartridge or an ink tank.

[0014] 2, the printing device 11 includes a conveying device 20. The conveying device 20 is supported by a housing 12. The printing device 11 also includes the printing unit 30 described above, and a control unit 100 that controls the conveying device 20 and the printing unit 30. The printing unit 30 prints on the medium M conveyed by the conveyor belt 21. The printing unit 30, the control unit 100, etc. are covered by a cover 16.

[0015] The housing 12 has a column-and-beam structure including a bottom frame 12a, column frames 12b, and an upper frame 12c. The cover 16 is an exterior member that covers each part of the printing device 11. The printing unit 30 includes a discharge unit 31 that discharges a liquid such as ink. The printing unit 30 performs a printing operation of printing an image or the like on the medium M by discharging the liquid such as ink from the discharge unit 31 toward the medium M supported by the conveyor belt 21.

[0016] The conveying device 20 includes a conveying unit 22 having a rotatable conveying belt 21. The conveying device 20 also includes a cleaning section 60 that cleans the conveying belt 21, a drying section 67 that dries the cleaned conveying belt 21, and a first heating section 35 that heats the conveying belt 21.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 2, the transport unit 22 is provided on top of the housing 12 and includes a drive roller 23A, a driven roller 23B, and a transport belt 21. The transport unit 22 can transport the medium M in the +Y direction as the transport belt 21 moves due to the rotation of the drive roller 23A. The drive roller 23A and the driven roller 23B both have rotation axes aligned with the X direction. The printing device 11 includes a feeding unit 18 that feeds the medium M attached to the transport belt 21. The printing device 11 is used in combination with a winding device (not shown) that winds up the medium M while peeling it off from the transport belt 21 after printing.

[0018] The conveyor belt 21 is an elastic, endless belt. The conveyor belt 21 is wound around the outer periphery of a driving roller 23A and a driven roller 23B. The conveyor unit 22 rotates the endless conveyor belt 21 along a predetermined circular path by driving the driving roller 23A to rotate.

[0019] The conveyor belt 21 has an adhesive layer 25 to which the medium M can be attached. The conveyor belt 21 is configured to be able to convey the medium M attached to the adhesive layer 25. Specifically, the conveyor belt 21 includes an endless belt substrate 21B and an adhesive layer 25 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the belt substrate 21B. The medium M is attached to a surface 25A of the adhesive layer 25. The conveyor belt 21 can convey the medium M attached to the adhesive layer 25 in the conveyance direction Y. The adhesive layer 25 has adhesive properties that allow it to temporarily adhere to other members and to be peeled from the adhered state. Here, the adhesive layer 25 can be of a heat-sensitive type or a pressure-sensitive type. The heat-sensitive adhesive layer 25 has a property that its adhesive strength increases with increasing temperature. The pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 25 has a property that its adhesive strength increases with increasing pressure. The adhesive layer 25 in this example is of a heat-sensitive type. Therefore, the conveyor device 20 is provided with a first heating unit 35 that heats the adhesive layer 25. In the case of a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 25, the first heating unit 35 may be omitted. The pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 25 also has the property that its adhesive strength increases as the temperature increases. However, when the degree of change ΔF in adhesive strength relative to a temperature change ΔT is defined as ΔF / ΔT, ΔF / ΔT of the heat-sensitive adhesive layer 25 is greater than ΔF / ΔT of the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 25.

[0020] The outer peripheral surface 24 of the conveyor belt 21 is divided into multiple portions based on its position and shape. Specifically, the outer peripheral surface 24 is divided into an upper surface portion 24a, a downstream curved surface portion 24b, a lower surface portion 24c, and an upstream curved surface portion 24d. The upper surface portion 24a is located in the +Z direction from the center of the drive roller 23A and has a flat surface along the XY plane. The upper surface portion 24a is the portion of the conveyor belt 21 that faces the printing unit 30 in the rotation direction CD. The upper surface portion 24a is the portion of the conveyor belt 21 that supports the medium M. The curved surface portion 24b is the portion of the conveyor belt 21 that has a curved surface where the conveyor belt 21 is wrapped around the drive roller 23A. The medium M attached to the adhesive layer 25 is peeled off midway along the curved surface portion 24b. Furthermore, the lower surface portion 24c is located in the -Z direction from the center of the drive roller 23A and has a flat surface along the XY plane. Furthermore, the curved surface portion 24d is a portion having a curved surface where the conveyor belt 21 is wound around the driven roller 23B. Therefore, at least the surface of the upper surface portion 24a and the surface of the curved surface portion 24b function as support surfaces of the conveyor belt 21 that support the medium M. Note that in addition to the surface of the upper surface portion 24a and the surface of the curved surface portion 24b, the surface of the curved surface portion 24d may also function as a support surface of the conveyor belt 21 that supports the medium M.

[0021] The transport device 20 has a transport motor 26 that is a drive source for the drive roller 23A. The control unit 100 drives the transport motor 26, thereby controlling the driving and stopping of the transport belt 21 and the transport speed while it is being driven.

[0022] The conveying device 20 has a contact portion 71 that can contact the surface 25A of the conveying belt 21. Here, the direction in which the contact portion 71 moves away from the adhesive layer 25 is defined as a first direction DR1, and the direction opposite to the first direction DR1 and in which the contact portion 71 moves toward the adhesive layer 25 is defined as a second direction DR2. The first direction DR1 and the second direction DR2 intersect with the surface of the upper surface portion 24a. The moving mechanism 42 is configured to be able to move the position of the contact portion relative to the surface 25A in the first direction DR1 and the second direction DR2.

[0023] 2, the conveying device 20 has a contact portion 71 that can contact the surface 25A of the adhesive layer 25. In this example, the contact portion 71 uses a pressure roller 41 that presses the medium M against the adhesive layer 25 to attach the medium M to the adhesive layer 25.

[0024] The conveying device 20 includes a pressure mechanism 40 that presses the medium M against the adhesive layer 25. The pressure mechanism 40 includes a pressure roller 41 that presses the medium M against the adhesive layer 25. The pressure roller 41 presses the medium M, which is transported from upstream of the transport unit 22, against the surface 25A of the transport belt 21 to adhere the medium M to the surface 25A. In other words, the pressure roller 41 presses the portion of the medium M that is supported by the surface 25A. The pressure roller 41 is movable in a first direction DR1 and a second direction DR2 that intersect with the surface 25A to enable the pressing. The pressure mechanism 40 includes a movement mechanism 42 that moves the pressure roller 41 in the first direction DR1 and the second direction DR2. The movement mechanism 42 includes a movement unit 44 that is a drive source that moves the pressure roller 41. The movement unit 44 may be, for example, a cylinder.

[0025] By driving the moving unit 44, the pressure roller 41 can move in a first direction DR1 and a second direction DR2 between a retracted position (not shown) away from the surface 25A and a contact position where it presses the medium M. By the moving unit 44, the pressure roller 41 moves (descends) from the retracted position in the second direction DR2, and the pressure roller 41 comes into contact with the medium M and presses the medium M against the surface 25A of the conveyor belt 21.

[0026] The pressure roller 41 is also provided so as to be movable in the transport direction Y. The pressure mechanism 40 includes a rail portion 46 that guides the pressure roller 41 so as to be movable in the +Y direction and the −Y direction in the transport direction Y. The movement portion 44 moves the rail portion 46, which supports the pressure roller 41 so as to be guidable in the transport direction Y, in the first direction DR1 and the second direction DR2, thereby moving the pressure roller 41 in the first direction DR1 and the second direction DR2. The pressure mechanism 40 causes the pressure roller 41 to move back and forth in the +Y direction and the −Y direction within a predetermined range in the Y-axis direction while pressing the medium M against the surface 25A of the adhesive layer 25, thereby bonding the medium M to the surface 25A of the adhesive layer 25. The transport device 20 also includes a second heating portion 56 that heats the pressure roller 41.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 2, the printing unit 30 is provided above the conveying device 20. The printing unit 30 is configured to be able to print on the medium M conveyed in the +Y direction. The printing unit 30 may be a serial printing type or a line printing type. If the printing unit 30 is a serial printing type, it includes a discharge unit 31 and a carriage 32 that supports the discharge unit 31. The carriage 32 is provided so as to be able to move back and forth along the X direction. The discharge unit 31 is disposed in the +Z direction relative to the medium M and prints on the medium M by discharging a liquid such as ink onto the printing surface of the medium M. The discharge unit 31 is controlled by the control unit 100. After printing, the medium M is peeled off from the curved surface 24b of the conveying belt 21 by the force of a winding device (not shown) that winds the medium M into a roll.

[0028] As the ejection unit 31 prints on the medium M, liquid such as ink may adhere to the surface 25A of the conveyor belt 21. For example, if the medium M is a fabric, liquid such as ink that has bled through may adhere to the surface 25A. Furthermore, when the medium M is peeled from the surface 25A, fabric debris may remain on the surface 25A. Liquid such as ink adhering to the surface 25A may cause the medium M to become dirty, and debris remaining on the surface 25A may reduce the adhesive strength of the medium M to the surface 25A. A cleaning unit 60 is provided to remove liquid adhering to the surface 25A and debris caused by the medium substrate.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 2, the cleaning unit 60 cleans the conveyor belt 21 at the lower surface portion 24c. More specifically, the cleaning unit 60 applies cleaning liquid Q to the surface 25A of the adhesive layer 25 to clean the adhesive layer 25. The cleaning unit 60 includes a storage tank 61, a brush 62, and a squeegee 63 (blade). The storage tank 61 stores the cleaning liquid Q. The brush 62 comes into contact with the surface 25A and performs a cleaning operation of brushing the surface 25A with the cleaning liquid Q. The squeegee 63 comes into contact with the surface 25A to remove the cleaning liquid Q adhering to the surface 25A.

[0030] The conveying device 20 is equipped with a lifting mechanism 65 that raises and lowers the cleaning unit 60. The cleaning unit 60 is configured to be able to rise and lower in the Z-axis direction relative to the conveyor belt 21 by the lifting mechanism 65. The lifting mechanism 65 is equipped with, for example, one or more (more than one in the example of FIG. 3 ) cylinders 66 as a drive source. The piston rods of the cylinders 66 are fixed to a frame 64 of the cleaning unit 60. The lifting mechanism 65 places the cleaning unit 60 in a retracted position where the brush 62 and the squeegee 63 are spaced downward from the surface 25A when not in use, and in a cleaning position where the brush 62 and the squeegee 63 contact the surface 25A when in use.

[0031] The direction in which the squeegee 63 moves away from the adhesive layer 25 is defined as a first direction DS1, and the direction opposite to the first direction DS1 and in which the squeegee 63 moves toward the adhesive layer 25 is defined as a second direction DS2. The lifting mechanism 65 is configured to be able to move the position of the squeegee 63 relative to the surface 25A in the first direction DS1 and the second direction DS2. The brush 62 and the squeegee 63 are provided across the width direction X of the conveyor belt 21.

[0032] The drying unit 67 dries the conveyor belt 21 after cleaning. The drying unit 67 dries the surface 25A by, for example, blowing hot air. The drying unit 67 may simply blow air toward the surface 25A. The first heating unit 35 heats the adhesive layer 25. Specifically, the heating unit 35 heats the adhesive layer 25 at a predetermined position within a range that is upstream in the rotation direction CD of an attachment start point where attachment of the medium M to the adhesive layer 25 begins and downstream in the rotation direction CD of a cleaning point where cleaning is performed by the cleaning unit 60. The drying unit 67 and the first heating unit 35 are controlled by the control unit 100. Note that even if the surface 25A of the conveyor belt 21 is cleaned by the cleaning unit 60, the adhesive layer 25 of the conveyor belt 21 gradually deteriorates with use, resulting in a decrease in adhesive strength.

[0033] The control unit 100 includes a computer 110 (see FIG. 7). The computer 110 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and memory (not shown). The CPU is an arithmetic processing device. The memory is a storage device that secures an area for storing programs for the CPU or a working area, and includes memory elements and storage such as RAM (Random Access Memory) and EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory). The CPU controls the operation of each part of the printing device 11 in accordance with the program stored in the memory.

[0034] <Configuration of pressure mechanism 40> Next, the detailed configuration of the pressure mechanism 40 will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 3 , the pressure mechanism 40 includes a pressure roller 41 and a pair of moving mechanisms 42 that rotatably support the pressure roller 41 while allowing it to move in a first direction DR1 and a second direction DR2. The pressure mechanism 40 includes a frame 43 that is fixed to a housing 12 that supports the conveying unit 22. The pair of moving mechanisms 42 are attached to the frame 43. The pair of moving mechanisms 42 are driven in conjunction with each other to move the pressure roller 41 in the first direction DR1 and the second direction DR2 while maintaining the pressure roller 41 horizontally. Each of the pair of moving mechanisms 42 includes a moving unit 44. The moving unit 44 is formed, for example, by an air cylinder. The moving unit 44 supports a first guide unit 45 that rotatably supports shafts 41A on both sides of the pressure roller 41 in the width direction X, allowing it to move up and down. In other words, the pair of moving units 44 synchronously move the shafts 41A up and down, allowing the pressure roller 41 to move up and down while maintaining a horizontal position.

[0035] The first guide portion 45 has a rail portion 46 that guides the shaft portion 41A so that it can move in the conveyance direction Y. The shaft portion 41A of the pressure roller 41 is supported in a rotatable manner while being fitted into a groove portion of the rail portion 46.

[0036] Additionally, a slider 47 is provided on the frame 43 in a position below the shaft 41A of the pressure roller 41, and is movable in the conveyance direction Y via a linear guide 48. The slider 47 is configured to be able to move back and forth in the +Y direction and the -Y direction within a predetermined range in the conveyance direction Y. The slider 47 has a second guide portion 49 on its upper portion that guides the shaft 41A of the pressure roller 41 so that it can move up and down. The second guide portion 49 has a U-shaped guide groove, and the shaft 41A can move up and down relative to the second guide portion 49 by following the guide groove.

[0037] A motor 50, which is a drive source for the slider 47, is fixed to the frame 43. The power of the motor 50 is transmitted to the slider 47 via a power transmission mechanism 51, and the transmitted power moves the slider 47 in the conveyance direction Y via a belt-type movement mechanism (not shown). The rotational force transmitted from the motor 50 via the power transmission mechanism 51 is transmitted from one movement mechanism 42 to the other movement mechanism 42 via a transmission shaft 52. The slider 47 constituting the other movement mechanism 42 moves in the conveyance direction Y via a belt-type movement mechanism (not shown) using the rotational force transmitted via the transmission shaft 52 as power. Therefore, the pressure roller 41 can move back and forth in the conveyance direction Y while maintaining an orientation in which its axial direction is parallel to the width direction X. When the motor 50 is driven forward and backward by the control unit 100, the slider 47 moves back and forth in the conveyance direction Y, and the pressure roller 41 moves back and forth in the conveyance direction Y.

[0038] 4, a spring 53 is attached between the first guide unit 45 and the frame 43. Therefore, the first guide unit 45, which is movable in the first direction DR1 and the second direction DR2 by the drive of the moving unit 44, is biased in the first direction DR1 (e.g., upward) by the biasing force of the spring 53. For example, when the power to the printing device 11 is cut off, the moving unit 44 no longer has the force to move the first guide unit 45 in the second direction DR2, and the first guide unit 45 moves in the second direction DR2 due to the biasing force of the spring 53. In other words, when the power is cut off, the pressure roller 41 returns to the retracted position where it does not press against the medium M.

[0039] The shaft portion 41A is rotatably fitted into a recess of the rail portion 46 of the first guide portion 45 via a first bearing 54, and is supported so as to be movable in the conveying direction Y by being guided by the rail portion 46. The shaft portion 41A is also rotatably inserted into a U-shaped recess of the second guide portion 49 via a second bearing 55, and is supported so as to be movable in the conveying direction Y by being guided in the first direction DR1 and the second direction DR2.

[0040] <Configuration of adhesive strength measurement mechanism> Next, an adhesive strength measuring mechanism 70 for measuring the adhesive strength of the adhesive layer 25 using the contact portion 71 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0041] As shown in Fig. 5, the adhesive strength measuring mechanism 70 includes a contact portion 71, a moving mechanism 72, and a displacement detecting unit 73. The contact portion 71 is configured to be able to contact the surface 25A of the adhesive layer 25. The moving mechanism 72 is a mechanism that moves the position of the contact portion 71 relative to the surface 25A in a first direction DR1 and a second direction DR2. The moving mechanism 72 can move the contact portion 71 between a contact position shown in Fig. 5 where the contact portion 71 contacts the surface 25A, and a retracted position (not shown) where the contact portion 71 has moved from the contact position in the first direction DR1 and is spaced a predetermined distance from the surface 25A.

[0042] The displacement detection unit 73 detects the amount of displacement of the conveyor belt 21 in the first direction DR1 when the movement mechanism 72 moves the contact portion 71 in the first direction DR1 while the contact portion 71 is in contact with the front surface 25A. The displacement detection unit 73 detects the amount of displacement ΔL of the conveyor belt 21 in the first direction DR1 in a non-contact manner. As shown in FIG. 5, the displacement detection unit 73 is disposed on the opposite side of the conveyor belt 21 from the contact portion 71 (the lower side in FIG. 5). The displacement detection unit 73 is located a predetermined distance below the rear surface of the conveyor belt 21. The displacement detection unit 73 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 is, for example, a distance sensor 81. The distance sensor 81 measures the distance to the rear surface of the conveyor belt 21.

[0043] In this embodiment, the pressure roller 41 is used as the contact portion 71. The moving mechanism 42, which is a mechanism for moving the pressure roller 41 in a direction intersecting the surface 25A (for example, the vertical direction Z), is used as the moving mechanism 72 constituting the adhesive force measuring mechanism 70. Hereinafter, the operation of the adhesive force measuring mechanism 70 will be described using an example in which the pressure roller 41 is used as the contact portion 71 and the moving mechanism 72 is used as the moving mechanism 42 constituting the pressure mechanism 40.

[0044] 5, the movement mechanism 42 moves (lowers) the pressure roller 41 in the second direction DR2 from a retracted position (not shown) away from the surface 25A, thereby bringing the contact portion 71 into contact with the adhesive layer 25 of the conveyor belt 21. The contact portion 71 is adhered to the surface 25A with an adhesive force corresponding to the adhesive force of the adhesive layer 25. At this time, the force with which the pressure roller 41 presses against the surface 25A is due to the weight of the pressure roller 41 itself.

[0045] Next, as shown in Fig. 6, the movement mechanism 42 is driven to move (raise) the pressure roller 41 in the first direction DR1. The conveyor belt 21 is adhered to the outer peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 by the adhesive force of the adhesive layer 25. Therefore, when the pressure roller 41 moves in the first direction DR1, the portion of the conveyor belt 21 that is in contact with the pressure roller 41 is lifted by the adhesive force of the adhesive layer 25. Then, when the conveyor belt 21 is lifted to a certain height position, the conveyor belt 21 is peeled off from the pressure roller 41.

[0046] Here, the height position of the pressure roller 41 when the conveyor belt 21 peels off from the pressure roller 41 increases as the adhesive strength of the adhesive layer 25 increases. That is, when the adhesive strength of the surface 25A of the adhesive layer 25 is a first adhesive strength, the conveyor belt 21 is lifted to a higher position than when the adhesive strength is a second adhesive strength that is weaker than the first adhesive strength.

[0047] The displacement detection unit 73 measures a first distance L0 to the rear surface of the conveyor belt 21, for example, before the pressure roller 41 shown in FIG. 5 lifts the conveyor belt 21 and before it is displaced. At this time, the conveyor belt 21 is supported by a support base 19 (see FIG. 2) located on the opposite side of the pressure roller 41 and the conveyor belt 21, so the conveyor belt 21 does not bend from its horizontal state in the second direction DR2. The support base 19 is formed with a through-hole (not shown) and a transparent window made of a light-transmitting material embedded in the through-hole in a part of the range where the pressure roller 41 moves in the conveyance direction Y. A distance sensor 81, which is an example of the displacement detection unit 73, measures the distance to the rear surface of the conveyor belt 21 through the window.

[0048] Here, the transparent window portion is attached to the support base 19 so that its upper surface is positioned at approximately the same height as the upper surface of the support base 19. Therefore, the medium M is supported without any step at the window portion relative to the upper surface of the support base 19. In addition, the window portion is made of a transparent material that has high light transmittance for the light (e.g., laser light) used by the distance sensor 81 for length measurement.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 6, when the pressure roller 41 moves in the first direction DR1 from the contact position shown in FIG. 5 and lifts the conveyor belt 21 by the adhesive force of the adhesive layer 25, the distance sensor 81 measures a second distance L1, which is the distance to the rear surface of the conveyor belt 21. Information on the distances L0 and L1, which are the measurement results of the distance sensor 81, is sent to the control unit 100. The control unit 100 detects the difference between the first distance L0 and the second distance L1 as a displacement amount ΔL. The displacement amount ΔL is calculated by the formula ΔL = L1 - L0. Alternatively, the distance sensor 81 may acquire the displacement amount ΔL corresponding to the difference between the first distance L0 and the second distance L1 and send information on the displacement amount ΔL to the control unit 100.

[0050] <Electrical configuration of the printing device 11> Next, the electrical configuration of the printing device 11 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in Fig. 7, the control unit 100 is electrically connected to the components of the printing unit 30, the feeding unit 18, and the transport device 20. The transport device 20 includes, as components controlled by the control unit 100, the transport unit 22, the pressurizing mechanism 40, the cleaning unit 60, and the heating unit 75 shown in Fig. 7. The controlled objects electrically connected to the control unit 100 are as follows.

[0051] The control unit 100 controls the ejection unit 31 and the feed motor (not shown) that are the drive source for the feed unit 18 that constitute the printing unit 30. If the printing unit 30 is a serial printing system, the control unit 100 also controls the carriage motor (not shown) that is the drive source for the carriage 32.

[0052] The control unit 100 also controls the transport motor 26, which is the drive source for the transport unit 22, the drive source for the moving mechanism 42 that constitutes the pressurizing mechanism 40, the drive source for the cleaning unit 60, and the first heating unit 35 and second heating unit 56 that constitute the heating unit 75. The drive source for the moving mechanism 42 includes a moving unit 44 (cylinder) and a motor 50 (see FIG. 3 for both). The drive source for the cleaning unit 60 includes a motor (not shown), which is the drive source for rotating the cylinder 66 and brush 62 that constitute the lifting mechanism 65.

[0053] The heating section 75 heats the adhesive layer 25 in a pressure region of the surface 25A of the adhesive layer 25 where the pressure roller 41 applies pressure, or in a position upstream of the pressure region in the rotation direction CD of the conveyor belt 21. The heating section 75 in this example heats the adhesive layer 25 in both the pressure region of the surface 25A of the adhesive layer 25 and a position upstream of the pressure region in the rotation direction CD of the conveyor belt 21. Therefore, the heating section 75 includes a first heating section 35 and a second heating section 56. The first heating section 35 heats the surface 25A of the conveyor belt 21 at a heating position located upstream of the pressure region of the pressure roller 41 (see FIG. 2) in the rotation direction CD. The second heating section 56 heats the pressure roller 41. The pressure roller 41 heated by the second heating section 56 heats the pressure region of the surface 25A of the adhesive layer 25.

[0054] When the control unit 100 determines that the heat-sensitive adhesive layer 25 has deteriorated, it increases the heating temperature of at least one of the first heating unit 35 and the second heating unit 56. This makes it possible to impart the necessary adhesive force to the adhesive layer 25 in the pressure region of the pressure roller 41, even when the heat-sensitive adhesive layer 25 has deteriorated.

[0055] The control unit 100 is also electrically connected to the operation unit 13 and the notification unit 17. The notification unit 17 is configured, for example, with at least one of the display unit 14 and a sound generator (not shown). The display unit 14 may be used as the notification unit 17. The display unit 14 has a notification function of notifying information by displaying it.

[0056] By inputting an operation signal from the operation unit 13 operated by the user, the control unit 100 accepts printing condition information required for printing, etc. input by the user, instruction information given by the user to the printing device 11, etc. The control unit 100 also causes the notification unit 17 to notify the user, etc. of information on the adhesive layer deterioration determination result. If the notification unit 17 is the display unit 14, it causes the display unit 14 to display information such as a message including the adhesive layer deterioration determination result. If the notification unit 17 is a sound generator, the control unit 100 causes the sound generator to notify the information such as a message including the adhesive layer deterioration determination result by voice guidance. The control unit 100 also causes the display unit 14 to display information related to printing, such as a menu screen and printing progress status.

[0057] The control unit 100 includes a computer 110. The computer 110 includes a determination unit 111 and a storage unit 112. The control unit 100 determines whether the adhesive layer 25 has deteriorated to the extent that the required adhesive strength cannot be obtained based on the displacement amount ΔL detected by the displacement detection unit 73. The control unit 100 includes a determination unit 111 for making this determination. When the determination unit 111 determines that the adhesive layer 25 has deteriorated, the control unit 100 causes the notification unit 17 to notify the user of information that the adhesive layer 25 has deteriorated. If the notification unit 17 is, for example, the display unit 14, the control unit 100 causes the display unit 14 to display information such as a message that the adhesive layer 25 has deteriorated. If the notification unit 17 is a sound generator such as a speaker, the control unit 100 causes the sound generator to generate sound information such as an announcement that the adhesive layer 25 has deteriorated. The sound generator may also generate an alarm such as a buzzer or chime to indicate that the adhesive layer 25 has deteriorated.

[0058] As shown in Fig. 7, the memory unit 112 stores a program PR. The program PR includes at least the program shown in the flowchart of Fig. 10. The computer 110 in the control unit 100 executes the program PR to perform the adhesive layer deterioration determination process shown in Fig. 10. The memory unit 112 stores threshold data SD required for the adhesive layer deterioration determination process.

[0059] Here, the displacement ΔL when the conveyor belt 21 peels off from the pressure roller 41, that is, the maximum displacement ΔLmax, is approximately proportional to the adhesive force of the surface 25A of the adhesive layer 25. Then, by detecting the maximum displacement ΔLmax, the degree of deterioration (deterioration level) of the adhesive layer 25 can be evaluated.

[0060] Furthermore, the control unit 100 can determine whether the adhesive strength of the surface 25A of the adhesive layer 25 has deteriorated to a level below a threshold by referring to the threshold data SD (see FIG. 8). For example, a threshold SH of the displacement amount ΔL corresponding to the adhesive strength threshold is obtained in advance by a preliminary experiment or a simulation calculation. By comparing the displacement amount ΔL measured by the distance sensor 81 with the threshold SH, it is possible to determine whether the adhesive layer 25 has deteriorated to a level below the threshold.

[0061] <About threshold data SD> Next, the threshold data SD will be described with reference to FIG. 8. The threshold data SD shown in FIG. 8 is the threshold data SD when the medium M is fabric. As shown in FIG. 8, the threshold data SD has a threshold SH set for each fabric type. For example, the threshold data SD has a threshold SH1 set for the first fabric, a threshold SH2 set for the second fabric, ..., and a threshold SHn set for the nth fabric. When the control unit 100 acquires information on the fabric type included in the printing condition information received from the operation unit 13, it refers to the threshold data SD and selects a threshold SH corresponding to the fabric type at that time.

[0062] The threshold value SH may be a displacement amount ΔL that is determined in advance before shipping the printing device 11. Alternatively, the threshold value SH may be the displacement amount ΔL immediately before the user replaces the adhesive layer 25. In the latter case, the user operates the operation unit 13 to instruct the printing device 11 to execute an adhesive layer deterioration determination process immediately before replacing the adhesive layer 25. Upon receiving this instruction, the control unit 100 executes the adhesive layer deterioration determination process, and stores the obtained displacement amount ΔL in a predetermined storage area of ​​the storage unit 112, and uses this stored displacement amount ΔL as the threshold value SH.

[0063] <About the adhesive layer deterioration detection process> FIG. 9 is a graph illustrating the adhesive layer deterioration determination process. In the graph shown in FIG. 9, the horizontal axis represents the elapsed time t when the pressure roller 41 is moved in the first direction DR1 at a constant speed, and the vertical axis represents the displacement ΔL. The line DP in the graph represents the displacement ΔL when the conveyor belt 21 peels off from the pressure roller 41. Immediately after replacing the adhesive layer 25, the displacement ΔL until the conveyor belt 21 peels off is a large initial displacement ΔL0, as indicated by the two-dot chain line A in the graph of FIG. 9. Thereafter, the adhesive strength of the adhesive layer 25 gradually decreases as printing is repeated. As indicated by the solid line B in the graph of FIG. 9, the displacement ΔL until the conveyor belt 21 peels off still exceeds the threshold SH. Furthermore, as the adhesive strength of the adhesive layer 25 decreases, the displacement ΔL when the conveyor belt 21 peels off falls below the threshold SH, as indicated by the two-dot chain line C in the graph of FIG. 9. When the displacement ΔL falls below the threshold SH in this manner, the determination unit 111 determines that the adhesive layer 25 has deteriorated.

[0064] Here, there are two methods for determining the adhesive layer 25 as follows. (a) A method in which the pressure roller 41 is moved, the displacement ΔL until the conveyor belt 21 peels off is measured, and a judgment is made as to whether or not the displacement ΔL is below a threshold value SH. (b) A method in which the pressure roller 41 is moved until the displacement ΔL reaches a threshold value SH, and whether or not peeling occurs is determined.

[0065] In the first method (a), the control unit 100 determines that the adhesive layer 25 has deteriorated if the maximum displacement ΔL when the conveyor belt 21 peels off is below the threshold SH. In the second method (b), the control unit 100 determines that the adhesive layer 25 has deteriorated if the lifted conveyor belt 21 peels off from the pressure roller 41 when the pressure roller 41 is moved to a height position where the displacement ΔL becomes the threshold SH.

[0066] <Operation of the embodiment> Next, the operation of the transport device 20 and the printing device 11 of this embodiment will be described. The user operates the operation unit 13 to instruct execution of the adhesive layer deterioration determination process. This determination process may be performed before the medium M is placed on the conveyor belt 21, or may be performed after printing is completed with the medium M removed from the conveyor belt 21. The adhesive layer deterioration determination process is a process for determining whether the adhesive strength of the adhesive layer 25 during printing is appropriate, i.e., whether the adhesive layer 25 has deteriorated. Therefore, the adhesive layer deterioration determination process is basically performed under heating conditions similar to those used during printing. However, the adhesive layer deterioration determination process may also be performed at room temperature. When performed at room temperature, reference data showing the correlation between temperature and adhesive strength for each material of the adhesive layer 25 is obtained in advance through a preliminary experiment or simulation and stored in the memory unit 112. The measured displacement ΔL may then be converted to a displacement ΔL at the heating temperature during printing by referring to the reference data, and the converted displacement ΔL may be used to determine deterioration of the adhesive layer 25.

[0067] When an instruction signal instructing execution of an adhesive layer deterioration determination process is input from the operation unit 13, the control unit 100 executes the adhesive layer deterioration determination process shown in Fig. 10. Note that before the start of the adhesive layer deterioration determination process, which is performed in a state where the medium M is not present, the pressure roller 41 is in a retracted position away from the adhesive layer 25 in the first direction DR1.

[0068] First, in step S11, the control unit 100 lowers the contact unit 71 until it contacts the adhesive layer 25. That is, the control unit 100 controls the movement mechanism 42 to move the pressure roller 41 in the second direction DR2 from the retracted position to the contact position where the pressure roller 41 contacts the surface 25A of the adhesive layer 25. As a result, as shown in Fig. 5, the pressure roller 41 in contact with the surface 25A is pressed against the surface 25A of the conveyor belt 21 using its own weight as a load.

[0069] In step S12, the control unit 100 raises the pressure roller 41. That is, the control unit 100 controls the movement mechanism 42 to move the pressure roller 41 from the contact position in the first direction DR1. As shown in Fig. 6, the movement of the pressure roller 41 in the first direction DR1 lifts the conveyor belt 21 that is bonded to the pressure roller 41. As a result, the lifted portion of the conveyor belt 21 is displaced in the first direction DR1.

[0070] In step S13, the control unit 100 measures the displacement amount ΔL of the conveyor belt 21. That is, the control unit 100 controls the displacement detection unit 73 to measure the displacement amount ΔL of the conveyor belt 21. When the displacement detection unit 73 is the distance sensor 81, the distance sensor 81 measures a second distance L1 to the rear surface of the conveyor belt 21 lifted by the pressure roller 41. The control unit 100 obtains the displacement amount ΔL (= L1 - L0) by subtracting the first distance L0 to the rear surface of the conveyor belt 21 before it was lifted from the second distance L1 measured by the distance sensor 81.

[0071] In step S14, the control unit 100 evaluates the degree of deterioration of the adhesive layer. In this example, when the medium M is fabric, the control unit 100 references the threshold data SD read from the memory unit 112 based on the fabric type selected by the user at that time, and acquires the threshold value SH corresponding to that fabric type. The control unit 100 then evaluates the degree of deterioration of the adhesive layer 25 using the threshold value SH by a first method (a) or a second method (b). Because the distance sensor 81 can continuously measure the displacement amount ΔL of the conveyor belt 21, either the first method (a) or the second method (b) can be adopted.

[0072] That is, in the first method (a), the displacement detection unit 73 measures the displacement amount ΔL when the conveyor belt 21 peels off from the pressure roller 41, which is rising at a constant speed, and determines whether this displacement amount ΔL is below the threshold value SH. If the displacement amount ΔL is not below the threshold value SH, the control unit 100 determines that the adhesive layer 25 is not deteriorated. On the other hand, if the displacement amount ΔL is below the threshold value SH, the control unit 100 determines that the adhesive layer 25 is deteriorated.

[0073] In the second method (b), the control unit 100 moves the pressure roller 41 in the first direction DR1 until the displacement ΔL reaches the threshold SH, and determines whether the conveyor belt 21 has peeled off. If the conveyor belt 21 has not peeled off, the control unit 100 determines that the adhesive layer 25 has not deteriorated. On the other hand, if the conveyor belt 21 has peeled off, the control unit 100 determines that the adhesive layer 25 has deteriorated.

[0074] In step S15, the control unit 100 determines whether the adhesive layer 25 has deteriorated. If the evaluation result shows that the displacement amount ΔL when the conveyor belt 21 peels off from the pressure roller 41 is equal to or greater than the threshold value SH, the control unit 100 determines that the adhesive layer 25 has not deteriorated. On the other hand, if the evaluation result shows that the displacement amount ΔL when the conveyor belt 21 peels off from the pressure roller 41 is less than the threshold value SH, the control unit 100 determines that the adhesive layer 25 has not deteriorated.

[0075] In step S16, the control unit 100 issues a notification that the adhesive layer 25 has deteriorated. The control unit 100 causes the notification unit 17 to issue a notification that the adhesive layer 25 has deteriorated. If the notification unit 17 is the display unit 14, the control unit 100 causes the display unit 14 to display a message such as "Please replace the adhesive layer." If the notification unit 17 is a sound generator, the control unit 100 causes the sound generator to issue an announcement such as "Please replace the adhesive layer."

[0076] In step S17, the control unit 100 performs a process to increase the adhesive strength of the adhesive layer 25. In this example, the adhesive layer 25 is heat-sensitive. The control unit 100 adjusts the temperature of the adhesive layer 25 heated by the heating unit 75 based on the result of determining whether the adhesive layer 25 has deteriorated. The control unit 100 increases the heating temperature of the heating unit 75 to increase the adhesive strength of the adhesive layer 25. Therefore, even if the adhesive layer 25 has deteriorated, the medium M can be attached to the surface 25A of the adhesive layer 25 with the necessary adhesive strength. In this case, the control unit 100 may increase the heating temperature of the first heating unit 35 to increase the temperature of the adhesive layer 25, or may increase the heating temperature of the second heating unit 56 to increase the temperature of the pressure roller 41, thereby increasing the temperature of the adhesive layer 25 in the pressure region of the pressure roller 41. Note that the heating temperatures of both the first heating unit 35 and the second heating unit 56 may be increased simultaneously. Adjusting the temperature of the adhesive layer 25 may also be performed when the adhesive layer 25 is pressure-sensitive.

[0077] On the other hand, if the adhesive layer 25 is pressure-sensitive, the control unit 100 adjusts the position of the pressure roller 41 relative to the adhesive layer 25 using the movement mechanism 42 depending on the determination result of whether the adhesive layer 25 has deteriorated. This adjusts the pressure of the pressure roller 41 on the adhesive layer 25. If the control unit 100 determines that the adhesive layer 25 has deteriorated, the control unit 100 adjusts the position of the pressure roller 41 relative to the adhesive layer 25 in the second direction DR2 using the movement mechanism 42. As a result, the pressure with which the pressure roller 41 presses the adhesive layer 25 increases, and the adhesive strength of the adhesive layer 25 increases by the increased pressure. Note that the adjustment of the pressure of the pressure roller 41 on the adhesive layer 25 may also be performed when the adhesive layer 25 is heat-sensitive. Even if the adhesive layer 25 is heat-sensitive, adjusting the pressure of the pressure roller 41 on the adhesive layer 25 adjusts the degree of adhesion of the medium M to the adhesive layer 25, which can ultimately achieve an effect similar to increasing the adhesive strength of the adhesive layer 25.

[0078] In this way, when it is determined that the adhesive layer 25 has deteriorated, the material properties of the adhesive constituting the heat-sensitive adhesive layer 25 or the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 25 are utilized to increase the temperature or pressure applied to the adhesive layer 25 above the set heating temperature that is set according to the type of medium M (for example, fabric). Thus, high-quality printing can be continued until the adhesive layer 25 is replaced.

[0079] In this way, when the user sees the information that the adhesive layer 25 has deteriorated and a message urging the user to replace the adhesive layer 25, the user stops the operation of the printing device 11 and replaces the adhesive layer 25 that has been used up until then with a new adhesive layer 25. For example, the user replaces the adhesive layer 25 by removing the adhesive layer 25 from the conveyor belt 21 and applying new adhesive to the surface of the belt base material 21B.

[0080] <Effects of the embodiment> According to the embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. (1) The conveying device 20 includes a conveying belt 21, a contact portion 71, a moving mechanism 72, and a displacement detection portion 73. The conveying belt 21 has an adhesive layer 25 to which a medium M can be attached, and is capable of conveying the medium M attached to the adhesive layer 25. The contact portion 71 can contact a surface 25A of the adhesive layer 25. A first direction DR1 is a direction in which the contact portion 71 moves away from the adhesive layer 25, and a second direction DR2 is a direction opposite to the first direction DR1 and in which the contact portion 71 moves toward the adhesive layer 25. The moving mechanism 72 can move the position of the contact portion 71 relative to the surface 25A in the first direction DR1 and the second direction DR2. The displacement detection portion 73 detects a displacement ΔL of the conveying belt 21 in the first direction DR1 when the moving mechanism 72 moves the contact portion 71 in the first direction DR1 while in contact with the surface 25A.

[0081] According to this configuration, when the abutting portion 71 is brought into contact with the adhesive layer 25 of the conveyor belt 21, it adheres to the surface 25A of the adhesive layer 25. When the abutting portion 71 is moved in a first direction DR1 away from the conveyor belt 21, the abutting portion 71 is peeled off from the surface 25A of the adhesive layer 25. The displacement detection unit 73 detects the amount of displacement ΔL of the conveyor belt 21 in the first direction DR1 during this process, thereby detecting the adhesive force of the adhesive layer 25. Therefore, compared to detecting the adhesive force while sliding in a direction along the surface 25A of the adhesive layer 25 (conveyance direction Y / width direction X), wear on the adhesive layer 25 is reduced, and accelerated deterioration (decrease in adhesive force) of the adhesive layer 25 can be suppressed. Therefore, when detecting the deterioration of the adhesive layer 25, the sliding friction between the abutting portion 71 and the conveyor belt 21 is suppressed, thereby making it possible to detect the deterioration of the adhesive layer 25 while suppressing accelerated deterioration of the adhesive layer 25.

[0082] (2) The displacement detection unit 73 detects the displacement ΔL of the conveyor belt 21 in the first direction DR1 in a non-contact manner. According to this configuration, the displacement detection unit 73 can detect the displacement ΔL of the conveyor belt 21 in a non-contact manner, which can suppress deterioration of the adhesive layer 25 compared to a contact type.

[0083] (3) The contact portion 71 is the pressure roller 41 that presses the medium M against the adhesive layer 25. According to this configuration, the pressure roller 41 is used as the contact portion 71, so that the displacement amount ΔL of the conveyor belt 21 in the first direction DR1 can be detected with a simple configuration.

[0084] (4) The transport device 20 includes a control unit 100 that determines whether the adhesive layer 25 has deteriorated based on the displacement amount ΔL detected by the displacement detection unit 73, and a notification unit 17 that notifies the user of the deterioration. When the control unit 100 determines that the adhesive layer 25 has deteriorated, the control unit 100 causes the notification unit 17 to notify the user of the deterioration of the adhesive layer 25. This configuration allows the user to objectively perceive the deterioration of the adhesive layer 25.

[0085] (5) The adhesive layer 25 is formed of an adhesive whose adhesive strength increases with increasing temperature. The conveying device 20 has a heating unit 75 that heats the adhesive layer 25 in a pressure region on the surface 25A of the adhesive layer 25 where the pressure roller 41 applies pressure, or in a position upstream of the pressure region in the rotation direction CD of the conveying belt 21. The control unit 100 adjusts the temperature of the adhesive layer 25 heated by the heating unit 75 depending on the determination result of whether the adhesive layer 25 has deteriorated. With this configuration, the adhesive strength of the deteriorated adhesive layer 25 can be temporarily increased by increasing the temperature of the adhesive layer 25.

[0086] (6) The adhesive layer 25 is formed of an adhesive whose adhesive strength increases with increasing pressure. The control unit 100 adjusts the pressure of the pressure roller 41 on the adhesive layer 25 by adjusting the position of the pressure roller 41 with respect to the adhesive layer 25 using the movement mechanism 72, depending on the determination result of whether the adhesive layer 25 has deteriorated. With this configuration, by increasing the pressure on the adhesive layer 25, the adhesive strength of the deteriorated adhesive layer 25 can be temporarily increased.

[0087] (7) The printing device 11 includes a conveyor belt 21, a printing unit 30, a contact unit 71, a movement mechanism 72, and a displacement detection unit 73. The printing unit 30 has an adhesive layer 25 to which a medium M can be attached, and the conveyor belt 21 is capable of conveying the medium M attached to the adhesive layer 25, and performs printing on the medium M conveyed by the conveyor belt 21. The contact unit 71 can contact a surface 25A of the adhesive layer 25. The movement mechanism 72 can move the position of the contact unit 71 relative to the surface 25A in a first direction DR1 and a second direction DR2. The displacement detection unit 73 detects a displacement amount ΔL of the conveyor belt 21 in the first direction DR1 when the movement mechanism 72 moves the contact unit 71 in the first direction DR1 while it is in contact with the surface 25A. According to this configuration, when detecting whether or not the adhesive layer 25 has deteriorated in the printing device 11, the sliding friction between the contact portion 71 and the conveying belt 21 is reduced, thereby preventing the adhesive layer 25 from deteriorating quickly, and the presence or absence of deterioration of the adhesive layer 25 can be detected.

[0088] (Second embodiment) Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 11 and 12. The basic configuration of the printing device 11 is the same as that of the first embodiment. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the transport device 20 uses a camera 82 as the displacement detection unit 73.

[0089] 11, the movement mechanism 42 is similar to that of the first embodiment and includes a pair of movement units 44. The pair of movement units 44 move the position of the contact unit 71 relative to the surface 25A in the first direction DR1 and the second direction DR2. The contact unit 71 is the pressure roller 41, similar to that of the first embodiment.

[0090] As shown in FIG. 11 , the displacement detection unit 73 may be, for example, a camera 82. The camera 82 captures an image of the side edge of the conveyor belt 21 from the width direction X along the axial direction of the pressure roller 41. The camera 82 acquires an image ID (see FIG. 12 ) of the conveyor belt 21 viewed from the side. Specifically, the imaging height of the camera 82 is set to the height position of the rear surface of the conveyor belt 21. The camera 82 captures an image of a range in which the portion of the conveyor belt 21 lifted by the pressure roller 41 is positioned at the center of the width of the imaging area and the entire portion of the conveyor belt 21 displaced in the first direction DR1 fits within the imaging area. The camera 82 may be positioned at the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 11 . That is, the camera 82 may be positioned upstream of the conveyor belt 21 in the conveying direction Y. The camera 82 may capture an image of the conveyor belt 21 from upstream to downstream in the conveying direction Y. The camera 82 is set so that the imaging height is the same height as the surface 25A of the conveyor belt 21.

[0091] FIG. 12 shows an image ID captured by the camera 82. As shown in FIG. 12, the image ID includes the portion where the pressure roller 41 lifts the conveyor belt 21 by the adhesive force of the adhesive layer 25. The components depicted in the image ID are distinguished from the actual components by adding an "I" to the end of their reference numerals. The image ID includes the pressure roller 41I used as the contact portion 71I, the moving mechanisms 42I, 72I, the moving portion 44I, the shaft portion 41AI, the first bearing 54I, the conveyor belt 21I, the adhesive layer 25I, and the surface 25AI. In this image ID, the back surface of the conveyor belt 21I is captured horizontally and linearly. In other words, the image ID is an image captured by the camera 82 horizontally toward the conveyor belt 21 from a position at the same height as the upper surface 24a of the conveyor belt 21.

[0092] There are two methods for capturing images. The first method is to detect the maximum displacement amount ΔLmax. The camera 82 captures multiple images in succession or captures a video. In this case, the control unit 100 performs image analysis on the multiple image IDs and determines the one with the largest displacement amount ΔL as the maximum displacement amount ΔLmax. If the maximum displacement amount ΔLmax is equal to or greater than the threshold SH, the determination unit 111 determines that the adhesive layer 25 has not deteriorated, and if it is less than the threshold SH, the determination unit 111 determines that the adhesive layer 25 has deteriorated.

[0093] In the second method, the contact portion 71 is moved in the first direction DR1 to a height position where the displacement ΔL reaches the threshold value SH, and the camera 82 captures an image ID when the contact portion 71 reaches the height position of the threshold value SH. The control unit 100 analyzes the image ID and determines that the adhesive layer 25 is not deteriorated if the conveyor belt 21I is lifted up by the contact portion 71I and in an adhered state. On the other hand, the control unit 100 determines that the adhesive layer 25 is deteriorated if the image analysis results in the conveyor belt 21I being peeled off from the contact portion 71I and in an unadhered state in the image ID.

[0094] In this embodiment, in which the camera 82 is used as the displacement detection unit 73, the control unit 100 also executes the adhesive layer deterioration determination process shown in Fig. 10. The processes of steps S11, S12, and S14 to S17 other than step S13 in Fig. 10 are basically the same as those of the first embodiment. In step S13, the control unit 100 performs image analysis on the image ID captured by the camera 82 to measure the displacement amount ΔL, which is different from the first embodiment.

[0095] According to the second embodiment, in addition to the effects (1) to (7) of the first embodiment, the following effects are further obtained. (8) A camera 82 is used as the displacement detection unit 73. The image ID captured by the camera 82 is analyzed to obtain the displacement amount ΔL. Therefore, the displacement amount ΔL can be measured without contact.

[0096] The above embodiment can also be modified into the following modified examples. Furthermore, a further modified example can be formed by appropriately combining the above embodiment and the modified examples shown below, or by appropriately combining the modified examples shown below.

[0097] The role of the pressure roller 41 is to press down on the medium M to prevent lifting or wrinkling. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 13 , the pressure roller 41 is preferably provided over an area RA in the width direction X that is the same as or wider than the area MA where the medium M is attached. In the example shown in FIG. 13 , the area MA where the medium M is attached is narrower than the area RA where the pressure roller 41 contacts the conveyor belt 21. In other words, the area MA of the adhesive layer 25 where the medium M is attached is located inside the area RA of the adhesive layer 25 where the pressure roller 41 contacts. Therefore, on the conveyor belt 21, there is an area OA outside the area MA where the medium M is attached in the width direction X, where the pressure roller 41 contacts but where the medium M is not attached. When the pressure roller 41 is used as the contact portion 71 of the adhesive strength measuring mechanism 70, the displacement ΔL may be measured by contacting the pressure roller 41 with the adhesive layer 25 in the area OA outside the medium M. In this case, even when the medium M is attached to the conveyor belt 21, it is possible to determine whether or not the adhesive strength of the adhesive layer 25 has deteriorated.

[0098] As shown in FIG. 14 , the contact portion 71 of the adhesive strength measuring mechanism 70 may be a separate component from the pressure roller 41. The contact portion 71 may be provided in the area MA where the medium M is attached. This configuration allows for appropriate determination of the presence or absence of deterioration of the adhesive layer 25 in the area MA where the medium M is attached. The degree of deterioration of the adhesive layer 25 may differ between the area MA where the medium M is attached and the area OA where the medium M is not attached. The area MA is subject to repeated attachment and removal of the medium M, and is prone to adhesion of liquids such as ink and, if the medium M is made of fabric, debris such as fluff generated from the medium M. These liquids and debris can accelerate deterioration of the adhesive layer 25. The contact portion 71, separate from the pressure roller 41, may be permanently attached to the conveying device 20, or may be detachable and attached to the conveying device 20 when measuring the displacement ΔL.

[0099] The contact portion 71 may be a pressure roller 41 dedicated to determination. For example, if the medium M is a fabric, the outer peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 dedicated to determination is provided with a textured pattern that resembles the weave of the fabric. When measuring the displacement amount ΔL, the pressure roller 41 for printing is replaced with a pressure roller 41 dedicated to determination. Compared to using the pressure roller 41 for printing for determination, the adhesive strength to the fabric can be more appropriately evaluated from the displacement amount ΔL. Note that multiple pressure rollers 41 dedicated to determination with different textured patterns for different types of fabric are prepared. A method of measuring the displacement amount ΔL by selecting and replacing one pressure roller 41 dedicated to determination with a textured pattern that corresponds to the type of fabric may be adopted.

[0100] The contact portion 71 may be a squeegee 63. In the example shown in FIG. 2, a lifting mechanism 65 that lifts and lowers the cleaning unit 60 is used as the moving mechanism 72. In this case, the downward direction in which the squeegee 63, which is the contact portion 71, moves away from the adhesive layer 25 is the first direction DS1, and the upward direction in which the squeegee 63 moves toward the adhesive layer 25 is the second direction DS2, which is opposite to the first direction DS1. The lifting mechanism 65 can move the position of the squeegee 63 relative to the surface 25A in the first direction DS1 and the second direction DS2. The displacement amount ΔL may be measured with the conveyor belt 21 stopped or while the conveyor belt 21 is driven. Furthermore, the deterioration of the adhesive layer 25 may be determined in a wet state in which the surface 25A of the adhesive layer 25 is wet with a cleaning solution while cleaning is being performed, or in a dry state in which the surface 25A of the adhesive layer 25 is not wet with a cleaning solution. Furthermore, a moving mechanism that can raise and lower the squeegee 63 independently of the reservoir 61 and the brush 62 may be provided separately.

[0101] In the above-described embodiments and modifications, the presence or absence of deterioration of the adhesive layer 25 is determined by comparing the displacement ΔL with one threshold SH. However, the degree of deterioration of the adhesive layer 25 may be determined in multiple stages. For example, multiple thresholds SH may be set according to the degree of deterioration. The control unit 100 determines the degree of deterioration according to which threshold SH the displacement ΔL falls below.

[0102] The distance sensor 81, which is an example of the displacement detection unit 73, may be an ultrasonic type. The displacement detection unit 73 may be a contact sensor. If the contact sensor is configured to come into contact with the rear surface of the conveyor belt 21, there is no need to worry about the deterioration of the adhesive layer 25 being accelerated due to measurement of the displacement amount ΔL.

[0103] The heating section 75 may be only the first heating section 35 that heats the surface 25A of the conveyor belt 21 at a position upstream in the rotation direction CD from the pressure region of the pressure roller 41. Alternatively, the heating section 75 may be only the second heating section 56 that heats the pressure roller 41.

[0104] The pressure of the pressure roller on the adhesive layer may be adjusted by adjusting the positions of the conveyor belt 21 and the adhesive layer 25 relative to the pressure roller 41 using a conveyor belt moving mechanism (not shown). The conveyor belt moving mechanism moves the conveyor belt 21 together with the drive roller 23A and the driven roller 23B in the vertical direction Z, and includes, for example, an elevator mechanism for moving the drive roller 23A and the driven roller 23B in the vertical direction Z. The elevator mechanism includes, for example, a ball screw and a motor for driving the ball screw. The configuration of the elevator mechanism is not particularly limited as long as it can move the conveyor belt 21 in the vertical direction Z. When the control unit 100 determines that the adhesive layer 25 has deteriorated, the control unit 100 may adjust the positions of the conveyor belt 21 and the adhesive layer 25 relative to the pressure roller 41 in the first direction DR1 using a conveyor belt moving mechanism (not shown). As a result, the pressure with which the adhesive layer 25 is pressed against the pressure roller 41 increases, and the adhesive strength of the adhesive layer 25 increases by the amount of this increased pressure.

[0105] The printing device 11 is not limited to a textile printing device that prints on a medium M such as fabric, but may be an inkjet printer that prints on a medium M such as cut sheets or roll paper. The printing device 11 may also be a multifunction device equipped with a belt-type conveying device 20.

[0106] The printing device 11 is not limited to a serial printer or a line printer, but may be a lateral printer in which the discharge unit 31 is movable in two directions, the width direction X and the transport direction Y. The conveying device 20 may be provided in a printing device 11 of a dot impact type or a thermal transfer type.

[0107] The technical concepts grasped from the above-described embodiment and modified examples will be described below together with their effects. (A) The conveying device includes a conveying belt having an adhesive layer to which a medium can be attached and capable of conveying the medium attached to the adhesive layer, a contact portion capable of contacting the surface of the adhesive layer, a moving mechanism capable of moving the position of the contact portion relative to the surface in the first direction and the second direction, where the direction in which the contact portion moves away from the adhesive layer is defined as a first direction and the direction opposite to the first direction and in which the contact portion moves toward the adhesive layer is defined as a second direction, and a displacement detection unit that detects the amount of displacement of the conveying belt in the first direction when the moving mechanism moves the contact portion in the first direction while in contact with the surface.

[0108] According to this configuration, when the contact portion is brought into contact with the adhesive layer of the conveyor belt, it adheres to the surface of the adhesive layer. When the contact portion is moved in a first direction away from the conveyor belt, the contact portion is peeled off from the surface of the adhesive layer. The displacement detection unit detects the amount of displacement of the conveyor belt in the first direction during this process, thereby detecting the adhesive force of the adhesive layer. Therefore, compared to detecting adhesive force while sliding in a direction along the surface of the adhesive layer (conveyance direction / width direction), there is less wear with the adhesive layer, and accelerated deterioration of the adhesive layer (decrease in adhesive force) can be suppressed. Therefore, when detecting whether the adhesive layer has deteriorated, the sliding friction between the contact portion and the conveyor belt can be suppressed, thereby detecting whether the adhesive layer has deteriorated while suppressing accelerated deterioration of the adhesive layer.

[0109] (B) In the above-mentioned conveying device, the displacement detection unit may detect the amount of displacement of the conveying belt in the first direction in a non-contact manner. According to this configuration, the displacement detection unit can detect the displacement amount of the conveyor belt in a non-contact manner, and therefore deterioration of the adhesive layer can be suppressed compared to a contact type.

[0110] (C) In the above-described conveying device, the contact portion may be a pressure roller that presses the medium against the adhesive layer. According to this configuration, since the pressure roller is used as the contact portion, the displacement amount of the conveyor belt in the first direction can be detected with a simple configuration.

[0111] (D) The above-mentioned conveying device may be provided with a control unit that determines whether the adhesive layer has deteriorated based on the amount of displacement detected by the displacement detection unit, and an alarm unit that notifies the information, and when the control unit determines that the adhesive layer has deteriorated, the control unit may cause the alarm unit to notify the information that the adhesive layer has deteriorated.

[0112] This configuration allows the user to objectively perceive the deterioration of the adhesive layer. (E) The conveying device may have a heating unit that heats the adhesive layer in a pressure region on the surface of the adhesive layer where the pressure roller applies pressure or in a position upstream of the pressure region in the rotation direction of the conveying belt, and the control unit may adjust the temperature of the adhesive layer heated by the heating unit depending on the determination result of whether the adhesive layer has deteriorated.

[0113] According to this configuration, by increasing the temperature of the adhesive layer, the adhesive strength of the deteriorated adhesive layer can be temporarily increased. (F) In the above-mentioned conveying device, the control unit may adjust the pressure of the pressure roller against the adhesive layer by adjusting the position of the pressure roller against the adhesive layer using the movement mechanism, depending on the determination result of whether the adhesive layer has deteriorated.

[0114] According to this configuration, by increasing the pressure on the adhesive layer, the adhesive strength of the deteriorated adhesive layer can be temporarily increased. (G) A printing device includes a conveyor belt having an adhesive layer to which a medium can be attached and capable of transporting the medium attached to the adhesive layer, a printing unit that prints on the medium transported by the conveyor belt, a contact unit that can contact the surface of the adhesive layer, a moving mechanism that can move the position of the contact unit relative to the surface in the first direction and the second direction, where the direction in which the contact unit moves away from the adhesive layer is defined as a first direction and the direction opposite to the first direction and in which the contact unit moves toward the adhesive layer is defined as a second direction, and a displacement detection unit that detects the amount of displacement of the conveyor belt in the first direction when the moving mechanism moves the contact unit in the first direction while in contact with the surface.

[0115] According to this configuration, when detecting whether or not the adhesive layer has deteriorated in a printing device, the sliding friction between the contact portion and the conveying belt can be reduced, thereby preventing the adhesive layer from deteriorating quickly, and detecting whether or not the adhesive layer has deteriorated. [Explanation of symbols]

[0116] 11...printing device, 12...casing, 13...operation unit, 14...display unit, 15...liquid supply source, 16...cover, 17...notification unit, 18...feed unit, 19...support stand, 20...conveying device, 21...conveying belt, 21B...belt base material, 22...conveying unit, 23A...driving roller, 23B...follower roller, 24...outer surface, 24a...upper surface portion, 24b...curved surface portion, 24c...lower surface portion, 24d...curved surface portion, 5...adhesive layer, 25A...surface, 26...transport motor, 30...printing unit, 31...discharge unit, 35...first heating unit, 40...pressure mechanism, 41...pressure roller, 41A...shaft unit, 42...movement mechanism, 43...frame, 44...movement unit, 45...first guide unit, 46...rail unit, 47...slider, 48...linear guide, 49...second guide unit, 50...motor, 51...power transmission mechanism, 52...transmission shaft, 5 3...spring, 54...first bearing, 55...second bearing, 56...second heating unit, 60...cleaning unit, 61...storage tank, 62...brush, 63...squeegee, 64...frame, 65...lifting mechanism, 66...cylinder, 67...drying unit, 70...adhesion measuring mechanism, 71...contact unit, 72...moving mechanism, 73...displacement detection unit, 75...heating unit, 81...distance sensor, 82...camera, 100...control unit, 110...computer computer, 111...determination unit, 112...memory unit, M...medium, Q...cleaning liquid, PR...program, SD...threshold data, DR1...first direction, DR2...second direction, DS1...first direction, DS2...second direction, L0...first distance, L1...second distance, ΔL, ΔL0...displacement amount, SH...threshold, MA...area, RA...area, OA...area, X...width direction, Y...transport direction, Z...vertical direction, CD...circular direction.

Claims

1. a conveyor belt having an adhesive layer to which a medium can be attached and capable of conveying the medium attached to the adhesive layer; a contact portion that can contact the surface of the adhesive layer; a moving mechanism that can move the position of the contact portion relative to the surface in the first direction and the second direction, where a direction in which the contact portion moves away from the adhesive layer is defined as a first direction and a direction opposite to the first direction and in which the contact portion moves toward the adhesive layer is defined as a second direction; a displacement detection unit that detects a displacement amount of the conveyor belt in the first direction when the contact portion is moved in the first direction by the movement mechanism while being in contact with the surface; A conveying device comprising:

2. The conveying device according to claim 1 , wherein the displacement detection unit detects the amount of displacement of the conveying belt in the first direction in a non-contact manner.

3. 3. The conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the contact portion is a pressure roller that presses the medium against the adhesive layer.

4. a control unit that determines whether the adhesive layer has deteriorated based on the amount of displacement detected by the displacement detection unit; a notification unit for notifying information; Equipped with The conveying device according to claim 3 , wherein the control unit, when determining that the adhesive layer has deteriorated, causes the notification unit to notify the fact that the adhesive layer has deteriorated.

5. a heating section that heats the adhesive layer in a pressure region on the surface of the adhesive layer where the pressure roller presses the adhesive layer or in a position upstream of the pressure region in the rotation direction of the conveyor belt; The conveying device according to claim 4 , wherein the control unit adjusts the temperature of the adhesive layer heated by the heating unit in accordance with a result of determination as to whether the adhesive layer has deteriorated.

6. The conveying device described in claim 4 or claim 5, characterized in that the control unit adjusts the pressure of the pressure roller against the adhesive layer by adjusting the position of the pressure roller against the adhesive layer using the moving mechanism depending on the determination result of whether the adhesive layer has deteriorated.

7. a conveyor belt having an adhesive layer to which a medium can be attached and capable of conveying the medium attached to the adhesive layer; a printing unit that prints on the medium transported by the transport belt; a contact portion that can contact the surface of the adhesive layer; a moving mechanism that can move the position of the contact portion relative to the surface in the first direction and the second direction, where a direction in which the contact portion moves away from the adhesive layer is defined as a first direction and a direction opposite to the first direction and in which the contact portion moves toward the adhesive layer is defined as a second direction; a displacement detection unit that detects a displacement amount of the conveyor belt in the first direction when the contact portion is moved in the first direction by the movement mechanism while being in contact with the surface; A printing device comprising:

Images