Antibacterial agent application device

Abstract

To provide an antibacterial agent application device capable of suppressing an operation failure caused by foams generated in a roller group that moves an antibacterial agent.SOLUTION: An antibacterial agent application device 2 comprises: a liquid feeding unit 130 that includes a tray 120A, 120B for storing liquid containing an antibacterial agent W and a scooping roller 131, 133B for scooping the liquid from the tray 120A, 120B; an application roller 110A, 110B that receives the liquid fed from the liquid feeding unit 130, and conveys the liquid while nipping a sheet S to apply the liquid on the sheet S; and a control unit 101 that controls operation of the scooping roller 131, 133B and the application roller 110A, 110B. The control unit 101 is configured to be able to change presence of execution and / or a content of prior preparation operation for adjusting a content of the liquid of the application roller 110A, 110B.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an antibacterial agent application device and an image forming system. [Background technology]

[0002] In an image forming apparatus that forms an image by electrophotography, an image is generally formed on a sheet of paper using finely powdered toner, and the toner image is fixed by a heat and pressure treatment.

[0003] The heat treatment during fixing evaporates moisture from the paper, but the paper absorbs moisture as it is exposed to the environment, and the moisture contained in the paper gradually recovers. However, the recovery of moisture is not uniform, and progresses at different rates depending on the part of the paper. For example, if multiple sheets of paper are left bundled together, moisture absorption will progress quickly in the periphery of the paper, but will be slow or not progress at all in the center of the paper.

[0004] This causes the paper to stretch at different rates depending on the moisture content, resulting in wavy paper and sometimes curling.

[0005] To address the above-mentioned problems, the inventors of the present application have proposed a humidifying device that uses a porous coating roller to transport paper and supplies water from the coating roller to humidify the paper (see, for example, Patent Document 1). By arranging such a humidifying device after the fixing unit of an image forming device, it is possible to supply moisture evenly to the entire surface of the paper immediately after image formation, preventing deformation of the paper (such as curling or waviness). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-76894 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] Recently, there has been a demand for antibacterial treatment of printed materials (for example, magazines, booklets, catalogs, flyers, calendars, etc.) so that such printed materials can always be used in a clean state.

[0008] In response to this demand, the inventors of the present application are considering using the above-mentioned humidifying device as an antibacterial agent applicator (hereinafter referred to as the "antibacterial agent applicator"). Generally, the antibacterial agent applied to such printed matter needs to be applied uniformly to the entire surface and both sides of the paper, so the above-mentioned humidifying device is also compatible with antibacterial agent application processing. In other words, by applying a liquid containing an antibacterial agent to the above-mentioned humidifying device, it becomes possible to apply antibacterial processing to the paper simultaneously with the humidifying processing.

[0009] However, in the course of developing such an antibacterial agent application device, the inventors of the present application encountered a problem specific to antibacterial agents.

[0010] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating the problem of bubbles that occur in the group of rollers that move the antibacterial agent in such an antibacterial agent application device. In Figure 1, S represents the paper to be coated, 110A and 110B represent application rollers, 120A represents a tray that stores liquid W containing the antibacterial agent, and 130 (131, 132, 133A, 134A) represents a liquid supply unit made up of a group of rollers that draws the liquid from tray 120A and supplies it to application roller 110A.

[0011] Antibacterial agents generally contain alcohols or surfactants that reduce the surface tension of the liquid. Therefore, in such antibacterial agent application devices, bubbles are generated due to air being mixed into the liquid at the contact points between the rollers of the liquid supply unit and the contact points between the liquid supply roller and the application roller. This bubble generation is particularly likely to occur at the rollers made of porous materials, and can be likened to the bubbles that form when you apply detergent to a sponge and squeeze it.

[0012] According to the findings of the inventors of the present application, it has been found that, when the application function has not been used for a long time, for example, the bubbles grow large and leak and spread outside the machine when the liquid supply unit is driven as a preparatory operation to impregnate the application roller with liquid before printing (i.e., before the antibacterial agent application operation is performed) (see the thick arrow in Figure 1). When the bubbles leak and spread outside the machine, they get on surrounding electrical components, causing them to catch fire or causing malfunctions such as uneven application of liquid to the paper being conveyed to be applied.

[0013] The reason for this is thought to be that during the preparatory operation, the liquid remains at the rollers of the liquid supply unit and the application roller, creating a situation in which bubbles generated in the liquid supply unit tend to connect with each other and grow. In other words, the bubbles generated in the liquid supply unit are applied to the paper sequentially along with the liquid during the antibacterial agent application process on the paper, and do not remain in the same position, so they do not grow large.

[0014] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an antibacterial agent application device and an image forming system that can suppress malfunctions caused by bubbles that occur in the group of rollers that move the antibacterial agent. [Means for solving the problem]

[0015] The present disclosure mainly solves the above-mentioned problems by: a tray for storing a liquid containing an antibacterial agent; a liquid supply unit including a pumping roller that pumps the liquid from the tray; an application roller that receives the liquid from the liquid supply unit and applies the liquid to the paper by nipping and transporting the paper; a control unit that controls the operations of the scooping roller and the application roller; Equipped with the control unit is configured to be able to change whether or not to perform a preparatory operation for adjusting the amount of the liquid impregnated into the application roller and / or the operation content of the preparatory operation. This is an antibacterial agent application device.

[0016] In other respects, an image forming device that prints on the paper; an antibacterial agent application device disposed downstream of a fixing device of the image forming apparatus, which simultaneously applies the antibacterial agent to the printed paper and humidifies the paper; The image forming system includes: [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to the antibacterial agent application device of the present disclosure, it is possible to suppress malfunctions caused by bubbles that are generated in the group of rollers that move the antibacterial agent. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] A diagram explaining the problem of bubbles occurring in the group of rollers that move the antibacterial agent in the antibacterial agent application device. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a main part of a control system of an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an antibacterial agent application device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a liquid circulation path according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 10 is a flow chart (first control mode) showing a change control mode of the operation content of the preparatory operation in the antibacterial agent application device by the control unit according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 10 is a flow chart (second control mode) showing a change control mode of the operation content of the preparatory operation in the antibacterial agent application device by the control unit according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8]10 is a flow chart (third control mode) showing a change control mode of the operation content of the preparatory operation in the antibacterial agent application device by the control unit according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] 10 is a flow chart (fourth control mode) showing a change control mode of the operation content of the preparatory operation in the antibacterial agent application device by the control unit according to one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this specification and drawings, components having substantially the same functions are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

[0020] In the following embodiment, an antibacterial agent is applied to paper to impart antibacterial properties to the paper. However, the object to be applied to paper by the image forming apparatus according to the present disclosure may be an antiviral agent instead of or in addition to the antibacterial agent. In general, antibacterial agents and antiviral agents share components, and an antibacterial agent application device can also be an antiviral agent application device. Therefore, the term "antibacterial agent application device" below can also be read as "antiviral agent application device."

[0021] [Overall configuration of image formation system] Hereinafter, the configuration of an image forming system according to one embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as "image forming system 100") will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0022] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the image forming system 100. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the main parts of the control system of the image forming system 100.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming system 100 is configured by connecting an image forming apparatus 1 and an antibacterial agent application apparatus 2 from the upstream side along the conveyance direction of the paper S.

[0024] Image forming apparatus 1 is an intermediate transfer type image forming apparatus that utilizes electrophotographic process technology. That is, image forming apparatus 1 primarily transfers toner images of each color (Yellow, M, C, and K) formed on photosensitive drum 413 onto intermediate transfer belt 421, and then superimposes the four color toner images on intermediate transfer belt 421, and then secondarily transfers the images onto paper S sent from paper feed trays 51a to 51c, thereby forming an image.

[0025] In addition, the image forming apparatus 1 employs a tandem system in which photosensitive drums 413 corresponding to the four colors YMCK are arranged in series in the running direction of the intermediate transfer belt 421, and each color toner image is transferred sequentially to the intermediate transfer belt 421 in a single step.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus 1 includes an image reading unit 10, an operation display unit 20, an image processing unit 30, an image forming unit 40, a paper conveying unit 50, a fixing unit 60, and a control unit 101.

[0027] The control unit 101 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 102, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 103, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 104, etc. The CPU 102 reads a program corresponding to the processing content from the ROM 103, loads it into the RAM 104, and works with the loaded program to centrally control the operations of each block of the image forming apparatus 1 and the antibacterial agent application device 2. At this time, various data stored in the storage unit 72 is referenced. The storage unit 72 is configured, for example, with a non-volatile semiconductor memory (so-called flash memory) or a hard disk drive.

[0028] The control unit 101 transmits and receives various data to and from an external device (for example, a personal computer) connected to a communication network such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or a WAN (Wide Area Network) via the communication unit 71. The control unit 101 receives, for example, image data (input image data) transmitted from an external device, and forms an image on a sheet S based on this image data. The communication unit 71 is configured, for example, by a communication control card such as a LAN card.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 2, the image reading unit 10 includes an automatic document feeder 11 called an ADF (Auto Document Feeder), an original image scanning device 12 (scanner), and the like.

[0030] The automatic document feeder 11 transports the documents D placed on the document tray using a transport mechanism and sends them to the document image scanning device 12. The automatic document feeder 11 makes it possible to continuously read the images (including both sides) of multiple documents D placed on the document tray all at once.

[0031] The document image scanning device 12 optically scans a document transported onto the contact glass from the automatic document feeder 11 or a document placed on the contact glass, and forms an image of the light reflected from the document on the light receiving surface of a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) sensor 12a to read the document image. The image reading unit 10 generates input image data based on the reading result by the document image scanning device 12. This input image data is subjected to predetermined image processing in the image processing unit 30.

[0032] 3, the operation display unit 20 is configured, for example, by a liquid crystal display (LCD) with a touch panel, and functions as a display unit 21 and an operation unit 22. The display unit 21 displays various operation screens, image states, operation statuses of various functions, etc., in accordance with a display control signal input from the control unit 101. The operation unit 22 has various operation keys such as a numeric keypad and a start key, and accepts various input operations by the user and outputs operation signals to the control unit 101.

[0033] The image processing unit 30 includes a circuit for performing digital image processing on input image data according to initial settings or user settings. For example, under the control of the control unit 101, the image processing unit 30 performs gradation correction based on gradation correction data (gradation correction table). In addition to gradation correction, the image processing unit 30 also performs various correction processes such as color correction and shading correction, as well as compression, on the input image data. The image forming unit 40 is controlled based on the image data that has undergone these processes.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming unit 40 includes toner image forming units 41Y, 41M, 41C, and 41K for forming images using color toners of Y, M, C, and K components based on input image data, an intermediate transfer unit 42, and the like.

[0035] Toner image forming units 41Y, 41M, 41C, and 41K for the Y, M, C, and K components have the same configuration. For ease of illustration and explanation, common components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and when distinguishing between them, the reference numerals are suffixed with Y, M, C, or K. In FIG. 1, only the components of toner image forming unit 41Y for the Y component are denoted by reference numerals, and the components of the other toner image forming units 41M, 41C, and 41K are not denoted by reference numerals.

[0036] The toner image forming unit 41 includes an exposure device 411, a developing device 412, a photosensitive drum 413, a charging device 414, a drum cleaning device 415, and the like.

[0037] Photosensitive drum 413 is made of an organic photosensitive body in which a photosensitive layer made of a resin containing an organic photoconductor is formed on the outer peripheral surface of a drum-shaped metal substrate, for example.

[0038] The control unit 101 controls the drive current supplied to a drive motor (not shown) that rotates the photosensitive drum 413, thereby rotating the photosensitive drum 413 at a constant peripheral speed.

[0039] The charging device 414 is, for example, a charger, and generates a corona discharge to uniformly charge the surface of the photoconductive photosensitive drum 413 to a negative polarity.

[0040] The exposure device 411 is configured with, for example, a semiconductor laser, and irradiates the photosensitive drum 413 with laser light corresponding to an image of each color component. As a result, an electrostatic latent image of each color component is formed in the image area on the surface of the photosensitive drum 413 irradiated with the laser light due to the potential difference with the background area.

[0041] The developing device 412 is a two-component reverse type developing device, and visualizes the electrostatic latent image by depositing the developer of each color component onto the surface of the photosensitive drum 413, thereby forming a toner image.

[0042] To the developing device 412, for example, a DC developing bias having the same polarity as the charging polarity of the charging device 414, or a developing bias in which an AC voltage is superimposed with a DC voltage having the same polarity as the charging polarity of the charging device 414, is applied. As a result, reversal development is performed in which toner adheres to the electrostatic latent image formed by the exposure device 411.

[0043] The drum cleaning device 415 is in contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 413 and has a flat drum cleaning blade made of an elastic material, and removes toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 413 without being transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 421.

[0044] The intermediate transfer unit 42 includes an intermediate transfer belt 421, a primary transfer roller 422, a plurality of support rollers 423, a secondary transfer roller 424, a belt cleaning device 426, and the like.

[0045] The intermediate transfer belt 421 is an endless belt that is stretched around a plurality of support rollers 423 in a loop shape. At least one of the support rollers 423 is a drive roller, and the others are driven rollers. For example, it is preferable that roller 423A, which is disposed downstream of primary transfer roller 422 for the K component in the belt running direction, be the drive roller. This makes it easier to maintain a constant running speed of the belt in the primary transfer section. As drive roller 423A rotates, intermediate transfer belt 421 runs at a constant speed in the direction of arrow A.

[0046] The intermediate transfer belt 421 is a conductive and elastic belt having a high resistance layer on its surface. The intermediate transfer belt 421 is driven to rotate by a control signal from the control unit 101.

[0047] Primary transfer rollers 422 are disposed opposite photosensitive drums 413 of each color component on the inner peripheral side of intermediate transfer belt 421. Primary transfer rollers 422 are pressed against photosensitive drums 413 with intermediate transfer belt 421 sandwiched therebetween, thereby forming a primary transfer nip for transferring a toner image from photosensitive drum 413 to intermediate transfer belt 421.

[0048] Secondary transfer roller 424 is disposed on the outer circumferential surface side of intermediate transfer belt 421, facing backup roller 423B, which is disposed downstream of drive roller 423A in the belt running direction. By sandwiching intermediate transfer belt 421 between secondary transfer roller 424 and backup roller 423B, a secondary transfer nip for transferring a toner image from intermediate transfer belt 421 to paper S is formed.

[0049] When intermediate transfer belt 421 passes through the primary transfer nip, the toner images on photosensitive drum 413 are sequentially superimposed and primarily transferred onto intermediate transfer belt 421. Specifically, a primary transfer bias is applied to primary transfer roller 422, and a charge of the opposite polarity to the toner is applied to the back side of intermediate transfer belt 421, that is, the side that contacts primary transfer roller 422, so that the toner images are electrostatically transferred onto intermediate transfer belt 421.

[0050] Thereafter, when the paper S passes through the secondary transfer nip, the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 421 is secondarily transferred onto the paper S. Specifically, a secondary transfer bias is applied to the secondary transfer roller 424, and a charge of the opposite polarity to the toner is applied to the back side of the paper S, that is, the side that abuts the secondary transfer roller 424, so that the toner image is electrostatically transferred onto the paper S. The paper S with the transferred toner image is transported towards the fixing unit 60.

[0051] The belt cleaning device 426 removes the residual toner remaining on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 421 after the secondary transfer.

[0052] The fixing section 60 includes an upper fixing section 60A having a fixing surface side member arranged on the fixing surface of the paper S, i.e., the surface on which the toner image is formed, a lower fixing section 60B having a back surface side support member arranged on the back surface of the paper S, i.e., the surface opposite the fixing surface, and a heating source, etc. When the back surface side support member is pressed against the fixing surface side member, a fixing nip is formed that clamps and transports the paper S.

[0053] The fixing unit 60 fixes the toner image onto the paper S by applying heat and pressure to the paper S, which has been transported after the toner image has been secondarily transferred, at a fixing nip. The fixing unit 60 is disposed inside the fixing device F.

[0054] The paper transport unit 50 includes a paper feed unit 51, a paper discharge unit 52, and a transport path unit 53. The three paper feed trays 51a to 51c that make up the paper feed unit 51 store paper S (standard paper, special paper) identified based on basis weight, size, etc., by pre-set type. The transport path unit 53 has multiple transport roller pairs including a registration roller pair 53a. The registration roller pair 53a corrects the skew and deviation of the paper S.

[0055] The sheets S stored in the paper feed trays 51a to 51c are fed one by one from the top and transported to the image forming unit 40 by the transport path unit 53. In the image forming unit 40, the toner images on the intermediate transfer belt 421 are secondarily transferred all at once onto one side of the sheets S, and a fixing process is performed in the fixing unit 60. The sheets S on which the images have been formed are transported to the antibacterial agent coating device 2 by the paper discharge unit 52 equipped with the paper discharge roller 52a.

[0056] [Configuration of antibacterial agent application device] Here, a detailed configuration of the antibacterial agent application device 2 according to this embodiment will be described. The antibacterial agent application device 2 according to this embodiment is configured to be able to apply an antibacterial agent to both sides of printed paper S while the paper S is being transported by a transport unit (here, post-processing side transport section 55).

[0057] The antibacterial agent is stored in the antibacterial agent application device 2 (tank 151) as a liquid diluted with water or the like (described later). Hereinafter, application of such a liquid is referred to as "process of applying an antibacterial agent."

[0058] In the image forming system 100 according to this embodiment, the antibacterial agent application device 2 is disposed immediately downstream of the fixing unit 60. This means that the process of applying the antibacterial agent to the sheet S is carried out while the sheet S is heated in the fixing unit 60 (for example, at about 50°C). As a result, immediately after the process of applying the antibacterial agent to the sheet S, most of the liquid components, such as water and alcohol, that were applied to the sheet S evaporate over time, leaving only the powdered antibacterial agent on the sheet S. In other words, this allows only the powdered antibacterial agent to remain uniformly and stably on the surface of the sheet S, without leaving any liquid components, such as water or alcohol, remaining.

[0059] The liquid applied to the sheet S by the antibacterial agent application device 2 also functions as a humidifying liquid, preventing deformation (curling and waviness) of the sheet S. In other words, the antibacterial agent application device 2 also functions as a humidifying device that supplies moisture uniformly to the entire surface of the sheet S.

[0060] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the antibacterial agent application device 2. As shown in FIG.

[0061] The antibacterial agent application device 2 includes an upper application roller 110A, a lower application roller 110B, an upper tray 120A, a lower tray 120B, a liquid supply section 130, a roller position change section 140 (see Figure 3), a liquid circulation path 150 (see Figure 5), and a tank 151 (see Figure 5).

[0062] The paper S delivered from the image forming device 1 is transported into the antibacterial agent application device 2 through the entrance 2A, passes between the upper application roller 110A and the lower application roller 110B, and is transported out of the antibacterial agent application device 2.

[0063] A post-processing side conveying section 55 is provided within the antibacterial agent application device 2, which forms a conveying path continuous with the paper conveying section 50 of the image forming device 1, and the paper S is conveyed within the antibacterial agent application device 2 by the post-processing side conveying section 55.

[0064] The upper application roller 110A is positioned above the sheet S, and applies antibacterial agent W supplied from the upper tray 120A to the upper surface of the sheet S. The lower application roller 110B is positioned below the sheet S, and applies antibacterial agent W to the lower surface of the sheet S by sandwiching the sheet S between the upper application roller 110A and the upper application roller 110A from above and below, using the antibacterial agent W supplied from the lower tray 120B.

[0065] The upper and lower coating rollers 110A and 110B are formed of a porous material that receives water from their surfaces and imparts moisture to humidify the paper S. The upper and lower coating rollers 110A and 110B are configured to apply the antibacterial agent W that is impregnated into the surfaces of the upper and lower coating rollers 110A and 110B to the paper S during the process of conveying the paper S sandwiched between the upper and lower coating rollers 110A and 110B.

[0066] The upper tray 120A is a water vessel that stores antibacterial agent W, and is arranged above the paper S and behind the upper application roller 110A (here, the conveying direction DR of the paper S is referred to as the "forward direction", and the same applies below). The lower tray 120B is a water vessel that stores antibacterial agent W, and is arranged below the paper S. The amount of liquid stored in each of the upper tray 120A and lower tray 120B is maintained at an appropriate amount by antibacterial agent W transferred from a tank 151 by a liquid circulation path 150 (see FIG. 5).

[0067] The liquid supply section 130 is a roller mechanism that supplies antibacterial agent W from the upper tray 120A and the lower tray 120B to the upper application roller 110A and the lower application roller 110B, and has a pumping roller 131, an intermediate roller 132, an upper supply roller 133A, a lower supply roller 133B, a first draining roller 134A, and a second draining roller 134B.

[0068] The scooping roller 131, the intermediate roller 132, the upper supply roller 133A, and the lower supply roller 133B are formed of, for example, a porous material that can receive water from their surfaces, similar to the upper application roller 110A and the lower application roller 110B. The first draining roller 134A and the second draining roller 134B are formed of, for example, a metal material.

[0069] The pumping roller 131 is disposed with a portion thereof immersed in the upper tray 120A, and pumps up the antibacterial agent W from the upper tray 120A. The middle roller 132 is disposed above the pumping roller 131. By coming into contact with the pumping roller 131, the middle roller 132 relays the antibacterial agent W pumped up from the upper tray 120A and supplies it to the upper supply roller 133A.

[0070] The upper supply roller 133A is disposed in front of the intermediate roller 132 in the conveying direction of the paper S and above the upper application roller 110A. By contacting the intermediate roller 132, the upper supply roller 133A relays the antibacterial agent W from the intermediate roller 132 and supplies it to the upper application roller 110A.

[0071] In the antibacterial agent application device 2 according to this embodiment, the upper application roller 110A is a drive roller, and the upper application roller 110A rotates in a clockwise direction in FIG. 4 using the driving force of a drive motor or the like. The power of the upper application roller 110A is transmitted in this order to the upper supply roller 133A, the intermediate roller 132, and the scooping roller 131. In other words, when the upper application roller 110A rotates, the upper supply roller 133A rotates in a counterclockwise direction in FIG. 4, driven by the upper application roller 110A. This causes the intermediate roller 132 to rotate in the clockwise direction in FIG. 4, and the scooping roller 131, driven by the intermediate roller 132, to rotate in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 4, thereby scooping up the antibacterial agent W from the upper tray 120A.

[0072] The antibacterial agent W pumped up from the upper tray 120A is supplied to the pumping roller 131, the intermediate roller 132, the upper supply roller 133A, and the upper application roller 110A in this order (see the solid arrow R1 in FIG. 4).

[0073] The first draining roller 134A comes into contact with the upper supply roller 133A and removes a portion of the antibacterial agent W held on the surface of the upper supply roller 133A.

[0074] The lower supply roller 133B is disposed between the lower application roller 110B and the lower tray 120B. The lower supply roller 133B is disposed in a state where it is partially immersed in the lower tray 120B, and functions as a pumping roller that pumps up the antibacterial agent W from the lower tray 120B. The lower supply roller 133B supplies the pumped up antibacterial agent W to the lower application roller 110B.

[0075] In the antibacterial agent application device 2 according to this embodiment, the lower application roller 110B is a drive roller, and the lower application roller 110B rotates in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 4 using the driving force of a drive motor or the like. The power of the lower application roller 110B is then transmitted to the lower supply roller 133B. In other words, the lower supply roller 133B rotates in the clockwise direction in FIG. 4 following the lower application roller 110B, and draws up the antibacterial agent W from the lower tray 120B (see solid arrow R2 in FIG. 4).

[0076] The second draining roller 134B comes into contact with the lower supply roller 133B and removes a portion of the antibacterial agent W held on the surface of the lower supply roller 133B.

[0077] The antibacterial agent application device 2 also has a roller position change unit 140 (see FIG. 3) for changing the contact state between the upper application roller 110A and the lower application roller 110B. The roller position change unit 140 changes the contact / non-contact state between the upper application roller 110A and the lower application roller 110B, thereby changing whether or not to apply the antibacterial agent W to the paper S.

[0078] The roller position change unit 140, for example, enables the rollers (upper application roller 110A, scooping roller 131, middle roller 132, upper supply roller 133A, first draining roller 134A) of the roller group shown in Figure 4 that are above the paper S to move up and down as a unit, and enables the rollers (lower supply roller 133B, lower application roller 110B, second draining roller 134B) that are below the paper S to move up and down as a unit.

[0079] Then, the roller position change unit 140 moves the rollers (upper application roller 110A, pick-up roller 131, middle roller 132, upper supply roller 133A, first draining roller 134A) that are above the paper S in the group of rollers shown in Figure 4 upward, and moves the rollers (lower supply roller 133B, lower application roller 110B, second draining roller 134B) that are below the paper S downward, thereby bringing the upper application roller 110A and the lower application roller 110B into a non-contact state.

[0080] In addition, the roller position change unit 140 moves the rollers (upper application roller 110A, pick-up roller 131, middle roller 132, upper supply roller 133A, first draining roller 134A) that are above the paper S in the group of rollers shown in Figure 4 downward, and moves the rollers (lower supply roller 133B, lower application roller 110B, second draining roller 134B) that are below the paper S upward, so that the upper application roller 110A and the lower application roller 110B are pressed together.

[0081] 4, the roller position changing unit 140 is made up of an upper guide member that supports the rollers located above the paper S (upper application roller 110A, scooping roller 131, intermediate roller 132, upper supply roller 133A, first draining roller 134A), a lower guide member that supports the rollers located below the paper S (lower supply roller 133B, lower application roller 110B, second draining roller 134B), and actuators and solenoids that drive these. Movement control of the roller position changing unit 140 is performed, for example, under the control of the control unit 101.

[0082] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the liquid circulation path 150. In Fig. 5, the upper side of the paper surface corresponds to the vertically upward direction, and the lower side of the paper surface corresponds to the vertically downward direction.

[0083] The liquid circulation path 150 is a flow path for the antibacterial agent W that sucks up the antibacterial agent W from a tank 151 that stores the antibacterial agent W and circulates it to the upper tray 120A and the lower tray 120B, and has a pump 152, a delivery path 153, a first return path 154, and a second return path 155.

[0084] The pump 152 sucks up the antibacterial agent W stored in the tank 151 and sends it out to the delivery path 153. One end of the delivery path 153 is connected to the pump 152 and the other end is connected to the top of the upper tray 120A, and the delivery path 153 guides the antibacterial agent W delivered from the pump 152 into the upper tray 120A. The first return path 154 has one end connected to the bottom of the upper tray 120A and the other end connected to the top of the lower tray 120B, and guides the antibacterial agent W stored in the upper tray 120A into the lower tray 120B. The second return path 155 has one end connected to the bottom of the lower tray 120B and the other end connected to the top of the tank 151, and guides the antibacterial agent W stored in the lower tray 120B into the tank 151.

[0085] The amount (level) of antibacterial agent W stored in the upper tray 120A and the lower tray 120B is controlled by the rotation speed of the pump 152. That is, the amount of antibacterial agent W pumped out by driving the pump 152 is stored in the upper tray 120A and the lower tray 120B. The movement of the antibacterial agent W from the upper tray 120A to the lower tray 120B, and the movement of the antibacterial agent W from the lower tray 120B to the tank 151 is due to the weight of the antibacterial agent W. The operation of the pump 152 is controlled by, for example, the control unit 101 of the image forming apparatus 1.

[0086] The liquid circulation path 150 is provided with a concentration sensor 160 that detects the concentration of the antibacterial agent W in the liquid stored in the tank 151. The concentration sensor 160 sends information on the detected concentration of the antibacterial agent W to the control unit 101. As the concentration sensor 160, for example, a catadioptric concentration sensor that detects a change in the refractive index of light depending on the concentration of the antibacterial agent W is used.

[0087] The concentration of the antibacterial agent W in the liquid stored in the tank 151 changes due to evaporation of water, etc., as the antibacterial agent application device 2 is used for a long period of time. If an abnormality occurs in the concentration of the antibacterial agent W in the liquid stored in the tank 151, the control unit 101 notifies the user, etc. of the abnormality (for example, by displaying it on the display unit 21), and prompts the user, etc. to perform maintenance or replacement of the liquid stored in the tank 151.

[0088] The antibacterial agent application device 2 of this embodiment is configured to store a liquid in a tank 151, which contains grapefruit seed extract as the main component of the antibacterial agent W and is diluted with water to a concentration in the range of 1% to 0.01%.

[0089] Grapefruit seed extract is useful in that it has strong antibacterial (and antiviral) properties without the risk of chemical attack, and can exert sufficient antibacterial and antiviral effects even at low liquid concentrations. Furthermore, by using water as a diluting solution, it also has excellent humidifying properties for paper S. The antibacterial agent W may contain surfactants and alcohol components as secondary ingredients.

[0090] The operation of the antibacterial agent application device 2 when applying the antibacterial agent W to the paper S is as follows.

[0091] First, when a print command is input, the control unit 101 operates the roller position changing unit 140 of the antibacterial agent applying device 2 to bring the upper applying roller 110A and the lower applying roller 110B into a pressure contact state.

[0092] Next, the control unit 101 operates the pump 152 to cause a predetermined amount of antibacterial agent W to be stored in the upper tray 120A and the lower tray 120B.

[0093] Next, the control unit 101 drives the upper application roller 110A and the lower application roller 110B to draw up the antibacterial agent W from the upper tray 120A and the lower tray 120B, and supplies the antibacterial agent W to the upper application roller 110A and the lower application roller 110B.

[0094] Next, the control unit 101 causes the post-treatment side conveying unit 55 to convey the paper S sandwiched between the upper application roller 110A and the lower application roller 110B, and applies the antibacterial agent W impregnated into the surfaces of the upper application roller 110A and the lower application roller 110B to the paper S.

[0095] Through this operation, the antibacterial agent W is applied to the paper S.

[0096] However, in the antibacterial agent application device 2 of this embodiment, when performing such an antibacterial agent W application process, in order to adjust the amount of liquid impregnated into the upper application roller 110A and the lower application roller 110B, if necessary, the liquid supply unit 130, the upper application roller 110A, the lower application roller 110B, etc. are configured to perform preparatory operations.

[0097] [Preparation for antibacterial agent application device] Here, the preparatory operation of the antibacterial agent application device 2 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0098] As described above, in the antibacterial agent application device 2, if the application function is not used for a long time, the upper application roller 110A and the lower application roller 110B (hereinafter also referred to as "application rollers 110A, 110B") dry out, and the application rollers 110A, 110B are unable to apply a sufficient amount of antibacterial agent W to the paper S. Therefore, in such a case, before printing is performed (i.e., before the antibacterial agent application operation is performed), it is necessary to operate the liquid supply unit 130 for a certain period of time as a preparatory operation to supply antibacterial agent W from the liquid supply unit 130 to the application rollers 110A, 110B and impregnate the application rollers 110A, 110B with an appropriate amount of antibacterial agent W.

[0099] A typical preparatory operation in such an antibacterial agent application device 2 is to operate pump 152 to store a predetermined amount of antibacterial agent W in upper tray 120A and lower tray 120B (hereinafter also referred to as "trays 120A, 120B"), and then rotate the roller group of liquid supply section 130 (pumping roller 131, intermediate roller 132, upper supply roller 133A, and lower supply roller 133B) to supply antibacterial agent W from trays 120A, 120B to application rollers 110A, 110B.

[0100] In this case, each roller of the liquid supply unit 130 rotates in conjunction with the rotational movement of the application rollers 110A and 110B, so the antibacterial agent application device 2 rotates each roller of the liquid supply unit 130 by rotating the application rollers 110A and 110B, thereby creating a flow of antibacterial agent W from the trays 120A and 120B to the application rollers 110A and 110B.

[0101] However, in the antibacterial agent application device 2 according to this embodiment, from the viewpoint of suppressing malfunctions caused by bubbles generated in the liquid supply unit 130, whether or not to perform the preparatory operation and / or the operation content of the preparatory operation are changed based on predetermined conditions. In particular, the rotation speed and rotation operation duration of the application rollers 110A, 110B and the roller group in the liquid supply unit 130, as well as the concentration of the antibacterial agent W in the liquid stored in the tank 151 are factors that mainly affect the amount of bubbles generated. Therefore, in the antibacterial agent application device 2 according to this embodiment, the operation content of the preparatory operation is changed taking these factors into consideration.

[0102] The operation of the antibacterial agent application device 2 is performed under the control of the control unit 101 of the image forming apparatus 1, for example.

[0103] 6 to 9 are flow charts that schematically show how the control unit 101 controls change of the operation content of the preparatory operation in the antibacterial agent application device 2. In the operation flows of Fig. 6 to 9, the control unit 101 determines the operation content of the preparatory operation based on different determination targets.

[0104] In the operation flows of Figures 6 to 9, the process of determining whether or not to perform the antibacterial agent W application process when a print command is received in step S100 and the process of implementing the print job in step S120 are common, and only the process of determining the operation content of the preparatory operation in step S110 is different.

[0105] Hereinafter, the control modes shown in FIGS. 6 to 9 will be referred to as first to fourth control modes, respectively, and will be described.

[0106] <First control mode (Fig. 6)> In the first control mode, the control unit 101 determines whether to perform the preparatory operation based on the elapsed time since the end of the previous application job (i.e., the previous print job) as a process for determining the operation content of the preparatory operation (step S110).

[0107] The amount of antibacterial agent W impregnated in the application rollers 110A and 110B (i.e., the dry state) depends on the time elapsed since the previous application job. If the time elapsed since the previous application job is short, the application rollers 110A and 110B are not dry, and therefore no preparation operation is required.

[0108] Therefore, in this control mode, the control unit 101 performs a preparatory operation if the elapsed time since the end of the previous application job is equal to or greater than the threshold time Th, and does not perform the preparatory operation if the elapsed time since the previous application job is less than the threshold time Th. Note that the duration of the operation when a preparatory operation is performed is set appropriately taking into account the amount of liquid that needs to be applied to the paper S, and is set to, for example, about 5 minutes. Similarly, the threshold time Th is set appropriately taking into account the amount of liquid that needs to be applied to the paper S, and is set to, for example, about 5 hours.

[0109] This control mode makes it possible to omit unnecessary preparatory operations.

[0110] <Second control mode (Fig. 7)> In the second control mode, the control unit 101 determines the operation content of the pre-preparation operation (step S110) based on the elapsed time from the end of the previous application job (i.e., the previous print job) to determine the operation time of the pre-preparation operation (i.e., the operation time of the rotational operation of the application rollers 110A, 110B and the roller group of the liquid supply unit 130).

[0111] As described above, the amount of antibacterial agent W impregnated into the application rollers 110A and 110B (i.e., the dry state) depends on the time elapsed since the previous application job. From this perspective, in order to ensure that the amount of antibacterial agent W impregnated into the application rollers 110A and 110B reaches an appropriate amount through the preparatory operation, it is preferable to determine the operation time of the preparatory operation in accordance with the time elapsed since the end of the previous application job.

[0112] Therefore, in this control mode, the control unit 101 increases the operation execution time of the preparatory operation as the elapsed time since the end of the previous coating job increases. For example, the control unit 101 sets the operation execution time of the preparatory operation to 5 minutes when the elapsed time since the end of the previous coating job is 24 hours or more, sets the operation execution time of the preparatory operation to 4 minutes when the elapsed time since the end of the previous coating job is 12 to 24 hours, sets the operation execution time of the preparatory operation to 3 minutes when the elapsed time since the end of the previous coating job is 6 to 12 hours, sets the operation execution time of the preparatory operation to 2 minutes when the elapsed time since the end of the previous coating job is 3 to 6 hours, and does not perform the preparatory operation when the elapsed time since the end of the previous coating job is 3 hours or less.

[0113] This control mode makes it possible to supply an appropriate amount of antibacterial agent W from the liquid supply unit 130 to the application rollers 110A, 110B, while preventing unnecessary rotation of the roller group of the liquid supply unit 130. In other words, in this mode, by keeping the time spent on the advance preparation operation to a necessary minimum, it is possible to prevent bubbles generated in the liquid supply unit 130 from growing to the point where they cause malfunctions in the antibacterial agent application device 2.

[0114] <Third control mode (Fig. 8)> In the third control mode, the control unit 101, as a process for determining the operation content of the pre-preparatory operation (step S110), changes the rotation speed of the rotation operation of the roller group of the liquid supply unit 130 performed in the pre-preparatory operation based on the concentration of the antibacterial agent W in the liquid stored in the tank 151. Note that the concentration of the antibacterial agent W in the liquid stored in the tank 151 changes over long-term use due to evaporation of water in the liquid, etc. Furthermore, the liquid stored in the tank 151 itself may differ for each user of the antibacterial agent application device 2.

[0115] The higher the concentration of antibacterial agent W in the liquid stored in tank 151, the higher the concentration of the alcohol component and surfactant that cause foam generation (i.e., cause a decrease in surface tension), and the faster the foam generation rate (i.e., the rate at which the bubbles grow) in liquid supply unit 130 will increase. In this regard, based on the principles of foam generation, the foam generation rate in liquid supply unit 130 normally varies depending on the rotational speed of the roller group of liquid supply unit 130 (i.e., the rotational speed of application rollers 110A, 110B), and it is possible to reduce the foam generation rate by reducing the rotational speed of the roller group of liquid supply unit 130.

[0116] Therefore, in this control mode, the control unit 101 detects the concentration of the antibacterial agent W in the liquid stored in the tank 151 using the concentration sensor 160, and the higher the concentration of the antibacterial agent W in the liquid, the slower the rotational speed of the rotational operation of the application rollers 110A, 110B performed in the advance preparation operation (i.e., the rotational speed of the rotational operation of the roller group of the liquid supply unit 130). Furthermore, when the control unit 101 operates the application rollers 110A, 110B, it operates the pump 152, and when the control unit 101 stops operating the application rollers 110A, 110B, it also stops operating the pump 152.

[0117] Specifically, when the concentration of the antibacterial agent W is 1% to 10%, the control unit 101 sets the rotation speed of the rotational movement of the application rollers 110A and 110B to 100 mm / s; when the concentration of the antibacterial agent W is 0.1% to 1%, the control unit 101 sets the rotation speed of the rotational movement of the application rollers 110A and 110B to 300 mm / s; when the concentration of the antibacterial agent W is 0.01% to 0.1%, the control unit 101 sets the rotation speed of the rotational movement of the application rollers 110A and 110B to 500 mm / s; when the concentration of the antibacterial agent W is 0.01% to 0.001%, the control unit 101 sets the rotation speed of the rotational movement of the application rollers 110A and 110B to 800 mm / s; and when the concentration of the antibacterial agent W is 0% to 0.001%, the control unit 101 sets the rotation speed of the rotational movement of the application rollers 110A and 110B to 1000 mm / s.

[0118] In addition, here, if the concentration of antibacterial agent W is 10% or more, the bubbles generated in the liquid supply unit 130 will grow large and there is a high possibility that they will cause malfunction of the antibacterial agent application device 2, so the roller group of the liquid supply unit 130 is not allowed to rotate (i.e., antibacterial agent W is not supplied to the application rollers 110A and 110B).

[0119] That is, with this control mode, even when the concentration of antibacterial agent W in the liquid is high, it is possible to suppress the generation rate of bubbles generated in the liquid supply unit 130 (i.e., the growth rate of bubbles) to a certain level. Bubbles generated in the liquid supply unit 130 also disappear at a certain rate, so by suppressing the rate of bubble generation, it is possible to provide a margin for the limit time required for bubbles generated in the liquid supply unit 130 to grow large enough to cause malfunction of the antibacterial agent application device 2. In this way, the advance preparation operation suppresses a situation in which bubbles generated in the liquid supply unit 130 grow to the point where they cause malfunction of the antibacterial agent application device 2.

[0120] In this control mode, the control unit 101 preferably changes the duration of the rotation of the application rollers 110A and 110B depending on the rotation speed of the application rollers 110A and 110B. When the rotation speed of the rollers of the liquid supply unit 130 is slowed during the pre-preparatory operation, setting the duration of the rotation too short may prevent the application rollers 110A and 110B from properly recovering the amount of antibacterial agent W impregnated (i.e., the dry state). Therefore, for example, when the rotation speed of the rollers of the liquid supply unit 130 during the pre-preparatory operation is slower than a predetermined value, the control unit 101 preferably sets the duration of the pre-preparatory operation to be longer than when the rotation speed of the rollers of the liquid supply unit 130 is faster than the predetermined value.

[0121] Furthermore, for example, when determining the concentration of antibacterial agent W in the liquid stored in tank 151, control unit 101 may refer to concentration information of antibacterial agent W set by the user via operation unit 22 instead of the sensor signal of concentration sensor 160.

[0122] <Fourth control mode (FIG. 9)> In the fourth control mode, the control unit 101 determines whether or not to execute the preparatory action based on setting information set by the user as a process of determining the operation content of the preparatory action (step S110).

[0123] In other words, if the user himself is familiar with the manner in which bubbles are generated in the liquid supply unit 130, as in this control mode, the user himself may be able to switch whether or not to perform the preparatory operation in the antibacterial agent application device 2 via the operation unit 22.

[0124] As shown in the first to fourth control modes (Figures 6 to 9) described above, the control unit 101 appropriately changes the operation content of the preparatory operation based on specified device status information, thereby making it possible to impregnate the application rollers 110A and 110B with an appropriate amount of antibacterial agent W before performing the application job while suppressing the problem of bubbles occurring in the liquid supply unit 130.

[0125] 6 to 9, the determination processes performed by the control unit 101 when changing the operation content of the preparatory action are described independently from different viewpoints. However, these viewpoints are all useful as factors to be determined when changing the operation content of the preparatory action. Therefore, the control unit 101 may perform two or more types of determination processes out of the determination processes (step S110) for the preparatory action shown in FIGS. 6 to 9, and perform the preparatory action determined based on these determination processes.

[0126] [effect] As described above, the antibacterial agent application device 2 according to this embodiment has the following features: Trays 120A and 120B for storing a liquid containing an antibacterial agent W; a liquid supply unit 130 including pumping rollers 131 and 133B that pump liquid from trays 120A and 120B; application rollers 110A and 110B that receive the liquid from a liquid supply unit 130 and apply the liquid to the paper sheet S by nipping and transporting the paper sheet S; A control unit 101 that controls the operations of the scooping rollers 131 and 133B and the application rollers 110A and 110B; Equipped with The control unit 101 is configured to be able to change whether or not to perform a preparatory operation for adjusting the amount of liquid impregnated into the application rollers 110A and 110B and / or the operation content of the preparatory operation.

[0127] Therefore, according to the antibacterial agent application device 2 of this embodiment, it is possible to change whether or not to perform a pre-preparation operation to adjust the amount of liquid impregnated into the application rollers 110A and 110B and / or the operation content of the pre-preparation operation, taking into consideration the elapsed time since the end of the previous application job (i.e., the previous print job), the concentration of the antibacterial agent W in the liquid stored in the tank 151, or setting information set by the user.

[0128] This makes it possible to suppress malfunctions caused by bubbles generated in the group of rollers (i.e., the group of rollers of the liquid supply unit 130) that move the antibacterial agent W. In other words, this makes it possible to put the antibacterial agent application device 2 using the application rollers 110A, 110B into practical use.

[0129] This also makes it possible to construct an image forming system 100 that can apply an antibacterial agent to paper S inline with the image forming process in the image forming apparatus 1. In other words, this makes it possible to simultaneously perform humidification processing on both sides of paper S and coating processing on both sides of paper S with an antibacterial agent using the antibacterial agent application device 2.

[0130] Although specific examples of the present invention have been described above in detail, these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and alterations of the specific examples exemplified above. [Industrial Applicability]

[0131] According to the antibacterial agent application device of the present disclosure, it is possible to suppress malfunctions caused by bubbles that are generated in the group of rollers that move the antibacterial agent. [Explanation of symbols]

[0132] 1. Image forming device 2. Antibacterial agent application device 10 Image reading unit 20 Operation display section 30 Image processing section 40 Image forming unit 41 Toner image forming unit 42 Intermediate transfer unit 50 Paper transport section 51 Paper feed tray 52 Paper output section 53 Conveying path section 55 Post-processing side transport section 60 Fixing unit 71 Communications Department 72 Memory section 100 Image forming system 101 Control section 110A Upper application roller 110B Lower application roller 120A Upper Tray 120B Lower Tray 130 Liquid supply section 131 Pumping roller 132 Intermediate Roller 133A Upper supply roller 133B Lower supply roller 134A First draining roller 134B Second draining roller 140 Roller position change part 150 Liquid circulation path 151 Tank 152 Pump 153 Sending Route 154 First Return Route 155 Second Return Route 160 Concentration Sensor S paper W Antibacterial Agent

Claims

1. a tray for storing a liquid containing an antibacterial agent; a liquid supply unit including a pumping roller that pumps the liquid from the tray; an application roller that receives the liquid from the liquid supply unit and applies the liquid to the paper by nipping and transporting the paper; a control unit that controls the operations of the scooping roller and the application roller; Equipped with the control unit is configured to be able to change whether or not to perform a preparatory operation for adjusting the amount of liquid impregnated into the application roller and / or change the operation content of the preparatory operation, the advance preparation operation includes a rotation operation of the scooping roller and the application roller, the control unit determines the rotation speed of the scooping roller and / or the application roller based on the concentration of the antibacterial agent in the liquid during the advance preparation operation. Antibacterial agent application device.

2. the control unit drives a pump that supplies the liquid from a tank that mainly stores the liquid to the tray when rotating the scooping roller and the application roller as the advance preparation operation. The antibacterial agent application device according to claim 1 .

3. the control unit determines the rotation speed of the scooping roller and / or the application roller based on a sensor signal obtained from a concentration sensor that detects the concentration of the antibacterial agent in the liquid during the advance preparation operation. The antibacterial agent application device according to claim 1 .

4. the control unit determines an implementation time of the preparatory operation in accordance with the determined rotation speed of the scooping roller and / or the applying roller during the preparatory operation. The antibacterial agent application device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. the control unit, during the preparatory operation, changes whether or not to perform the preparatory operation based on the elapsed time from the end of the immediately preceding application job. The antibacterial agent application device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The control unit determines an implementation time of the preparatory operation based on an elapsed time from the end of the immediately preceding application job during the preparatory operation. The antibacterial agent application device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The control unit is configured to be able to manually change the content of the advance preparation operation. The antibacterial agent application device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. An antibacterial agent application device is disposed downstream of a fixing device of an image forming apparatus that performs printing on paper, and that simultaneously applies an antibacterial agent to the printed paper and humidifies the paper, a tray for storing a liquid containing an antibacterial agent; a liquid supply unit including a pumping roller that pumps the liquid from the tray; an application roller that receives the liquid from the liquid supply unit and applies the liquid to the paper by nipping and transporting the paper; a control unit that controls the operations of the scooping roller and the application roller; Equipped with the control unit is configured to be able to change whether or not to perform a preparatory operation for adjusting the amount of liquid impregnated into the application roller and / or the operation content of the preparatory operation. Antibacterial agent application device.

Images