Printing device, printing system, and printing method

Abstract

A printing device comprising a conveying member that is capable of conveying a medium positioned on a surface in a conveying direction, an ink head that is capable of causing ink to adhere to the medium, a peeling member that is positioned downstream of the conveying member in the conveying direction and is capable of causing the medium M to peel away from the conveying member, a conveyance drive unit that is capable of driving the conveying member, and a peeling drive unit that is capable of being controlled independently of the conveyance drive unit and is capable of driving the peeling member.

Description

Printing device, printing system, and printing method

[0001] The present invention relates to a printing device, a printing system, and a printing method.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses the application of an inkjet printing device to a textile printing system. The printing device includes a conveyor belt, which is a conveying member for conveying a print medium such as a fabric, and an inkjet head for ejecting ink from above onto the print medium on the conveyor belt. In the printing device, the print medium is conveyed as the conveyor belt moves around. In the textile printing system, after printing in the printing device, the print medium is introduced into a dryer via rollers in a drying section, where the ink is dried. The rollers in the drying section peel the print medium, which is in close contact with the conveyor belt of the printing device, from the conveyor belt and introduce it into the dryer.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-226081

[0004] According to one aspect of the present invention, a printing device includes a transport member capable of transporting a print medium positioned on a surface in a transport direction, an inking unit capable of depositing ink on the print medium, a peeling member located downstream of the transport member in the transport direction and capable of peeling the print medium from the transport member, a transport drive unit capable of driving the transport member, and a peeling drive unit that can be controlled independently of the transport drive unit and is capable of driving the peeling member. This printing device can prevent the print medium from being sent downstream while tension is applied due to peeling from the transport member, and can adjust the position of the peel start point of the print medium relative to the transport member.

[0005] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printing system including the printing device described above and a drying device into which the print medium peeled from the transport member by the peeling member in the printing device is introduced and which is capable of drying the introduced print medium. This printing system according to another aspect of the present invention can prevent the print medium from being sent downstream while under tension due to peeling from the transport member, and can adjust the position of the peel start point of the print medium relative to the transport member.

[0006] A printing method according to another aspect of the present invention includes a transport step of transporting a print medium in a transport direction by a transport member, an ink deposition step of depositing ink on the print medium, and a peeling step of peeling the print medium from the transport member by a peeling member located downstream of the transport member in the transport direction, independently of the transport of the print medium by the transport member. This printing method according to another aspect of the present invention, and the printing device according to the one aspect of the present invention, can prevent the print medium from being sent downstream while under tension associated with peeling from the transport member, and can adjust the position of the peel start point of the print medium relative to the transport member.

[0007] Fig. 1 is a side view schematically showing the configuration of a printing system to which a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. Fig. 2 is a side view schematically showing the configuration of the printing apparatus. Fig. 3 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between a conveying member and a peeling member in the printing apparatus. Fig. 4 is a timing chart explaining the operation of the printing apparatus. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the processing flow of a printing method.

[0008] In the conventional textile printing system described above, when the print medium is peeled from the conveyor belt by the rollers in the drying section, the print medium may be sent to the dryer downstream in the conveyance direction while under tension due to peeling from the conveyor belt. In this case, if the print medium is fabric, it may dry in a stretched state, which may cause distortion of the image formed on the print medium and reduce print quality. Furthermore, when the print medium is peeled from the conveyor belt by the rollers in the drying section, it is difficult to adjust the position of the print medium's peel start point relative to the conveyor belt. If the position of the print medium's peel start point shifts toward the inkjet head in the upward-facing area of ​​the conveyor belt, the portion of the print medium targeted for ink ejection by the inkjet head may be peeled from the conveyor belt. On the other hand, if the position of the print medium's peel start point relative to the conveyor belt reaches the downward-facing area of ​​the conveyor belt, it may become impossible to peel the print medium from the conveyor belt, resulting in poor peeling of the print medium from the conveyor belt.

[0009] Therefore, there is a need for a printing device, printing system, and printing method that can prevent the printing medium from being sent downstream while under tension due to peeling from the transport member, and that can adjust the position of the starting point of peeling of the printing medium relative to the transport member.

[0010] A printing device, a printing system, and a printing method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that directional relationships will be described below using XY Cartesian coordinates that are orthogonal to each other on a horizontal plane. The vertical direction perpendicular to the X and Y directions is defined as the Z direction.

[0011] The printing system 100 shown in Fig. 1 includes a printing device 1 and a drying device 10. The printing device 1 is a device equipped with an ink unit capable of applying ink to a medium M, which is a wide and long printing medium. The printing device 1 prints an image by applying ink to the medium M using the ink unit. The drying device 10 is located downstream of the printing device 1. The drying device 10 is a device capable of drying the medium M on which an image has been printed by the printing device 1.

[0012] Examples of the printing device 1 include a screen printing device and an inkjet device. When the printing device 1 is a screen printing device, the inking unit includes a screen plate having a plurality of openings and a squeegee. In this case, the inking unit moves ink along the screen plate in accordance with the movement of the squeegee, thereby causing the ink to adhere to the medium M through the openings in the screen plate. On the other hand, when the printing device 1 is an inkjet device, the inking unit ejects ink onto the medium M, thereby causing the ink to adhere to the medium M. The following describes in detail the case where the printing device 1 is an inkjet device.

[0013] The inkjet printing device 1 is suitable for digital textile printing, which prints images such as letters and patterns on a medium M, which is a fabric member such as a woven or knitted fabric. The medium M is a long fabric member that extends between the printing device 1 and the drying device 10. The fabric member includes multiple types of fabric with different stretchability. Of course, the printing device 1 can also be used to print various images on printing media such as paper sheets and resin sheets.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 2 in addition to FIG. 1, the printing device 1 includes a transport unit 3, a printing unit 4, a peeling member 5, a peeling drive unit 50, a detection unit 6, and a control unit 7.

[0015] The transport unit 3 is a unit for transporting the medium M in the Y direction. The transport unit 3 has a transport member 31, a first transport roller 32, a second transport roller 33, and a transport driver .

[0016] The transport member 31 is a member capable of transporting media M positioned on its surface. In this embodiment, the transport member 31 is an endless belt that has a width in the X direction and extends in the Y direction. The transport member 31, which is an endless belt, is capable of circular movement. By circularly moving along the Y direction, the transport member 31 is capable of transporting media M in contact with the surface of the transport member 31 in a transport direction H1 from one side of the Y direction to the other. An adhesive layer made of an adhesive that adheres the media M is formed on the surface of the transport member 31 in order to hold the media M in contact with the surface of the transport member 31.

[0017] The first transport roller 32 is a cylindrical roller extending in the X direction, and is a roller around which the transport member 31 is wrapped at the most downstream position of the transport member 31 in the transport direction H1 of the media M. The first transport roller 32 is rotated in response to the orbital movement of the transport member 31. The second transport roller 33 is a cylindrical roller extending in the X direction, and is a roller around which the transport member 31 is wrapped at the most upstream position of the transport member 31 in the transport direction H1 of the media M. The transport member 31 is stretched between the first transport roller 32 and the second transport roller 33 so that the portion of its surface between the first transport roller 32 and the second transport roller 33 extends in the X and Y directions and is horizontal.

[0018] The transport drive unit 34 is a drive motor that generates a driving force to rotate the second transport roller 33. The transport drive unit 34 is capable of driving the transport member 31 by driving the second transport roller 33 to rotate. In other words, the transport member 31 moves in a circular motion in response to the rotation of the second transport roller 33 driven by the transport drive unit 34, thereby transporting the media M in the transport direction H1 along the Y direction.

[0019] The printing unit 4 is a unit for printing an image on the medium M in contact with the surface of the transport member 31. The printing unit 4 is a unit in which an inkjet head 42 having an ink head 421, a pretreatment liquid head 422, and a posttreatment liquid head 423 is mounted on a carriage 41. The printing unit 4 is disposed above the transport member 31 in the Z direction. The printing device 1 is a so-called serial printer that performs printing processing on the medium M using a serial printing method. In the serial printing method printing device 1, an ejection operation in which various liquids are ejected from the inkjet head 42 while the carriage 41 is moved back and forth in the X direction, which is orthogonal on the horizontal plane to the Y direction, which is the transport direction H1 of the medium M, and an operation in which the transport member 31 transports the medium M are repeatedly performed.

[0020] The carriage 41 is fixed to a timing belt 212 that is assembled to a flat carriage guide 21 that has a guide rail 211 extending in the X direction. The timing belt 212 is an endless belt that is assembled to be able to move in circles in the X direction relative to the carriage guide 21. As the timing belt 212 moves in circles in the X direction, the carriage 41 can move back and forth in the X direction along the carriage guide 21 while being guided by the guide rail 211.

[0021] The ink head 421, pre-treatment liquid head 422, and post-treatment liquid head 423 included in the inkjet head 42 mounted on the carriage 41 can each move in the X and Y directions relative to the medium M as the medium M is transported in the Y direction by the transport member 31 and the carriage 41 moves back and forth in the X direction. In this case, the X direction indicating the direction in which the carriage 41 moves is the main scanning direction, and the Y direction indicating the transport direction H1 of the medium M is the sub-scanning direction.

[0022] The carriage 41 is equipped with multiple ink heads 421. Each of the multiple ink heads 421 is an ink unit capable of ejecting ink containing a colorant to deposit the ink onto the medium M on the transport member 31. Each of the multiple ink heads 421 includes a number of nozzles that eject ink droplets using an ejection method such as a piezoelectric method using a piezoelectric element or a thermal method using a heating element, an ink flow path that guides ink to the nozzles, and a wiring board for controlling the ink ejection operation. The multiple ink heads 421 are mounted on the carriage 41 so as to be aligned in two rows in the X direction. Two ink heads 421 that eject ink of the same color are mounted on the carriage 41 so as to be offset from each other in the X and Y directions. In another embodiment, a configuration in which only one ink head 421 is mounted on the carriage 41 is possible.

[0023] The pretreatment liquid head 422 is mounted on the carriage 41 so as to be positioned upstream of the ink head 421 in the transport direction H1 of the medium M by the transport member 31. The pretreatment liquid head 422 is a pretreatment liquid unit that can eject a pretreatment liquid to deposit the pretreatment liquid onto the medium M on the transport member 31 before the ink. The pretreatment liquid head 422 includes a number of nozzles that eject the pretreatment liquid using an ejection method such as a piezoelectric method using a piezoelectric element or a thermal method using a heating element, a pretreatment liquid flow path that guides the pretreatment liquid to the nozzles, and a wiring board for controlling the ejection operation of the pretreatment liquid. The pretreatment liquid is a treatment liquid that comes into contact with the ink when it is not dried on the medium M, and is a non-coloring treatment liquid that does not develop color even when it is attached to the medium M. Note that the pretreatment liquid unit that deposits the pretreatment liquid onto the medium M on the transport member 31 is not limited to a head structure such as the pretreatment liquid head 422, and may have a spray-type structure that sprays the pretreatment liquid.

[0024] The posttreatment liquid head 423 is mounted on the carriage 41 so as to be positioned downstream of the ink head 421 in the transport direction H1 of the medium M by the transport member 31. The posttreatment liquid head 423 is a posttreatment liquid unit that can eject posttreatment liquid to apply the posttreatment liquid to the medium M on the transport member 31 after the ink. The posttreatment liquid head 423 includes a number of nozzles that eject the posttreatment liquid using an ejection method such as a piezo method using a piezo element or a thermal method using a heating element, a posttreatment liquid flow path that guides the posttreatment liquid to the nozzles, and a wiring board for controlling the ejection operation of the posttreatment liquid. The posttreatment liquid is a treatment liquid that comes into contact with the ink when it is not dried on the medium M and is a non-color-forming treatment liquid that does not develop color even when it adheres to the medium M. The posttreatment liquid has the function of increasing the fixability of the ink on the medium M. A treatment liquid containing silicone oil or the like can be used as such a posttreatment liquid. The post-processing liquid unit that applies the post-processing liquid to the media M on the transport member 31 is not limited to a head structure such as the post-processing liquid head 423, and may have a spray-type structure that sprays the post-processing liquid.

[0025] In the printing unit 4, a liquid ejection operation is performed on the medium M in contact with the surface of the transport member 31. The liquid ejection operation ejects pretreatment liquid from the pretreatment liquid head 422, ejects ink from the ink head 421, and, if necessary, ejects posttreatment liquid from the posttreatment liquid head 423. This prints an image on the medium M. That is, after the pretreatment liquid ejected from the pretreatment liquid head 422 adheres to the medium M on the transport member 31, the ink ejected from the ink head 421 adheres to the medium M, and then, if necessary, the posttreatment liquid ejected from the posttreatment liquid head 423 adheres to the medium M.

[0026] The pretreatment liquid ejected from the pretreatment liquid head 422 is a treatment liquid containing an aqueous solvent whose main component is water and a positively charged cationic resin. The ink ejected from the ink head 421 is a pigment ink containing a pigment as a colorant. The pigment ink is an ink containing an aqueous medium whose main component is water, a pigment, and a binder resin. The pigment may be an anionic pigment. The anionic pigment electrically reacts and aggregates with the cationic resin contained in the pretreatment liquid ejected from the pretreatment liquid head 422 on the medium M, thereby preventing the binder resin contained in the pigment ink from penetrating into the medium M. This prevents the binder resin from penetrating into gaps between fibers and bonding the fibers together when the medium M is a fabric material. This improves the texture, such as the feel of the fabric material.

[0027] The peeling member 5 is a member located downstream of the conveying member 31 in the conveying direction H1. Specifically, the peeling member 5 is installed above and spaced downstream of a downstream end portion 311 located at the downstream end of the conveying member 31 in the conveying direction H1. The downstream end portion 311 is a portion of the conveying member 31 that is wrapped around the first conveying roller 32. The peeling member 5 is installed so that a portion of the peeling member 5 overlaps with the downstream end portion 311 when viewed in both the Y and Z directions. The peeling member 5 is also located above an extension of the media M on the conveying member 31 in the conveying direction H1. The peeling member 5 can peel the media M from the conveying member 31 when in contact with the surface of the conveying member 31. In this embodiment, the peeling member 5 is a cylindrical roller extending in the X direction. The roller peeling member 5 is rotatable about an axis extending in the X direction.

[0028] A predetermined region MM in the transport direction H1 of the media M extending between the printing device 1 and the drying device 10 is wrapped around the outer peripheral surface 5A of the peeling member 5 from above in the Z direction. The media M, which is in contact with the surface of the transport member 31 and has the predetermined region MM wrapped around the peeling member 5, is peeled upward from the transport member 31, with the peeling start point MPP as the boundary with respect to the contact portion M1 that contacts the surface of the transport member 31. By rotating with the predetermined region MM of the media M attached to the outer peripheral surface 5A from above, the peeling member 5 can peel from the transport member 31 the portion of the media M that is in contact with the surface of the transport member 31 that is upstream of the predetermined region MM in the transport direction H1. The rotation direction of the peeling member 5 when peeling the media M from the transport member 31 coincides with the rotation direction of the first transport roller 32 when the transport member 31 orbits to transport the media M in the transport direction H1.

[0029] When the media M is wrapped around the outer peripheral surface 5A of the peeling member 5, friction occurs between the outer peripheral surface 5A and a wrapped portion M21 of the media M that is wrapped around the outer peripheral surface 5A. The peeling member 5 rotates to peel the media M from the conveying member 31 based on the friction between the wrapped portion M21 and the outer peripheral surface 5A, and sends the media M downstream toward the drying device 10. In this case, in the peeled portion M2 of the media M peeled from the conveying member 31 by the peeling member 5, tension associated with peeling from the conveying member 31 is applied to the region between the downstream end portion 311 of the conveying member 31 and the outer peripheral surface 5A of the peeling member 5, but no tension is applied to the region downstream of the peeling member 5. This prevents the media M from being sent downstream while still under tension associated with peeling from the conveying member 31. This prevents the media M introduced into the drying device 10, located downstream of the peeling member 5, from being dried in a stretched state, thereby preventing deformation of the image formed on the media M and a decrease in print quality.

[0030] Furthermore, the media M peeled from the conveying member 31 by the peeling member 5 is bent downward in the Z direction between the peeling member 5 and the drying device 10 and introduced into the drying device 10. This more reliably prevents the media M introduced into the drying device 10 from being dried in a stretched state.

[0031] 2, the peeling member 5 has a base 51 and a surface layer 52 that is provided on the base 51 and forms the outer peripheral surface 5A. The surface layer 52 is made of a rubber material. Because the surface layer 52 that forms the outer peripheral surface 5A of the peeling member 5 is made of a rubber material, the frictional force between the outer peripheral surface 5A and the portion M21 of the media M that is wrapped around the outer peripheral surface 5A can be increased. This allows the peeling member 5 to more reliably peel the media M from the conveying member 31 based on the frictional force.

[0032] The rubber material forming the surface layer 52 of the peeling member 5 may be a foamed rubber material. The surface layer 52 made of a foamed rubber material has a plurality of pores. In this case, even if ink on the medium M is transferred to the outer peripheral surface 5A of the peeling member 5 when the medium M is wrapped around the outer peripheral surface 5A, the transferred ink can be captured in the pores of the surface layer 52. This prevents the outer peripheral surface 5A of the peeling member 5 from becoming slippery due to the transfer of ink to the outer peripheral surface 5A.

[0033] Furthermore, a member having an abrasive surface may be used for the surface layer 52 of the peeling member 5. This allows the abrasive grains to easily catch on the media M and not slip, making it possible to peel off the media M more reliably. Sandpaper of #40 to #240 can be used as the abrasive surface, with #100 to #150 being more preferable. An example of a member having an abrasive surface is adhesive abrasive paper, and the abrasive grains can be silicon carbide abrasive grains.

[0034] If the position of the peel start point MPP of the media M relative to the transport member 31 while in contact with the surface of the transport member 31 shifts toward the printing unit 4 in the upward-facing area of ​​the transport member 31, there is a risk that the portion of the media M to be printed by the printing unit 4 will be peeled off from the transport member 31. On the other hand, if the position of the peel start point MPP of the media M relative to the transport member 31 reaches the downward-facing area of ​​the transport member 31, it will be impossible to peel the media M from the transport member 31, and there is a risk that poor peeling of the media M from the transport member 31 will occur. For this reason, it is necessary to adjust the position of the peel start point MPP of the media M relative to the transport member 31.

[0035] 3 , the position of the peeling start point MPP of the media M relative to the transport member 31 changes in accordance with the rotation of the transport member 31 and also in accordance with the rotation of the peeling member 5. As described above, when the peeling member 5 is installed so that a portion of the peeling member 5 overlaps with the downstream end portion 311 of the transport member 31 when viewed in both the Y and Z directions, the position of the peeling start point MPP of the media M changes within the range of the downstream end portion 311 of the transport member 31 wrapped around the first transport roller 32. The position of the peeling start point MPP of the media M changes within the range of the downstream end portion 311 toward the downstream side in the rotation direction of the first transport roller 32 in accordance with the rotation of the transport member 31, and changes toward the upstream side in the rotation direction of the first transport roller 32 in accordance with the rotation of the peeling member 5.

[0036] In view of the above circumstances, it is possible to adjust the position of the peeling start point MPP of the media M relative to the transport member 31 by controlling the circular movement of the transport member 31 and the rotation of the peeling member 5. In this case, if the peeling member 5 is rotated in synchronization with the circular movement of the transport member 31, it is difficult to accurately adjust the position of the peeling start point MPP of the media M.

[0037] Therefore, the printing device 1 according to this embodiment is provided with a peeling drive unit 50 that can be controlled independently of the transport drive unit 34, which moves the transport member 31 in an orbit, and that can drive the peeling member 5. The peeling drive unit 50 is a drive motor that can generate a driving force to rotate the peeling member 5. The peeling drive unit 50 can rotate the peeling member 5 independently of the orbital movement of the transport member 31 driven by the transport drive unit 34. This makes it possible to accurately adjust the position of the peel start point MPP of the media M relative to the transport member 31.

[0038] When the position of the peeling start point MPP of the media M relative to the conveying member 31 changes, the peeling angle α of the media M changes, and the wrap angle β of the wrapped portion M21 of the media M wrapped around the peeling member 5 also changes. The peeling angle α indicates the angle formed between the peeled portion M2 of the media M that is peeled from the conveying member 31 and located in the region between the conveying member 31 and the peeling member 5, and the contact portion M1 of the media M that is in contact with the surface of the conveying member 31. The wrap angle β is expressed as the central angle of the arc of the wrapped portion M21 that follows the outer peripheral surface 5A of the peeling member 5. When the position of the peeling start point MPP of the media M changes downstream in the rotation direction of the first conveying roller 32 as the conveying member 31 moves orbitally, the peeling angle α decreases and the wrap angle β increases. On the other hand, when the position of the peeling start point MPP of the media M changes upstream in the rotation direction of the first conveying roller 32 as the peeling member 5 rotates, the peeling angle α increases and the wrap angle β decreases.

[0039] In the printing device 1 according to this embodiment, a detection unit 6 is disposed below the peeling member 5. The detection unit 6 is a sensor capable of detecting a peeled portion M2 of the medium M that has been peeled from the transport member 31 and is located in the region between the transport member 31 and the peeling member 5. The peeled portion M2 of the medium M that is the target of detection by the detection unit 6 is a portion of the medium M that has been peeled from the transport member 31 and is located in the region between a portion of the transport member 31 that corresponds to the downstream end, in the transport direction H1, of the carriage 41 on which the inkjet head 42 is mounted, and the outer peripheral surface 5A of the peeling member 5. In this embodiment, the peeled portion M2 of the medium M that is the target of detection by the detection unit 6 is a portion of the medium M that has been peeled from the transport member 31 and is located in the region between a downstream end portion 311 of the transport member 31 that is wrapped around the first transport roller 32, and the outer peripheral surface 5A of the peeling member 5. The detection unit 6 is, for example, a photoelectric sensor with an adjustable detection range 61. The detection unit 6, which is made up of a photoelectric sensor, emits detection light from a light-emitting unit and receives the light reflected by the peeled portion M2 of the media M with a light-receiving unit, thereby being able to detect the peeled portion M2. The detection unit 6 is capable of adjusting a detection range 61 on the optical path through which the detection light passes.

[0040] The detection unit 6 has a detection range 61, which is a predetermined range on the optical path perpendicular to a plane VP extending in the X direction and including the center 32S of the first conveyance roller 32 and the center 5S of the peeling member 5, within the area between the downstream end portion 311 of the conveying member 31 and the outer peripheral surface 5A of the peeling member 5. The detection unit 6 is turned ON when the peeled portion M2 of the media M is located within the detection range 61, and is turned OFF when the peeled portion M2 of the media M is located outside the detection range 61. The detection results of the detection unit 6 are referenced by the control unit 7, which will be described later.

[0041] The control unit 7 is a personal computer having a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a storage area such as a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or flash memory for storing processing programs, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) used as a working area for the CPU. The control unit 7 executes each step of the printing method using the printing device 1 by the CPU executing the processing programs stored in the HDD or flash memory. The processing of each step of the printing method executed by the control unit 7 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3, 4, and 5.

[0042] The control unit 7 performs each process of the printing process including the pretreatment liquid application process S1, the ink application process S2, and the posttreatment liquid application process S3, the transport process S4, and the peeling process S5.

[0043] In the pretreatment liquid application step S1, the control unit 7 performs a pretreatment liquid application process in which the pretreatment liquid is applied to the medium M in contact with the surface of the transport member 31 by ejecting pretreatment liquid from the pretreatment liquid head 422. In the ink application step S2, the control unit 7 performs an ink application process in which the ink is applied to the medium M in contact with the surface of the transport member 31 by ejecting ink from the ink head 421. In the posttreatment liquid application step S3, the control unit 7 performs a posttreatment liquid application process in which the posttreatment liquid is applied to the medium M in contact with the surface of the transport member 31 by ejecting posttreatment liquid from the posttreatment liquid head 423. Note that the control unit 7 is not limited to performing the pretreatment liquid application process, the ink application process, and the posttreatment liquid application process. For example, the pretreatment liquid head 422 may perform the pretreatment liquid application process, the ink head 421 may perform the ink application process, and the posttreatment liquid head 423 may perform the posttreatment liquid application process.

[0044] In the transport step S4, the control unit 7 performs a transport drive process that drives the transport drive unit 34 in response to each of the pretreatment liquid application process, the ink application process, and the posttreatment liquid application process. The control unit 7 moves the transport member 31 in a circular motion in response to the driving of the transport drive unit 34 in the transport drive process, thereby transporting the media M in contact with the surface of the transport member 31 in the transport direction H1. Note that the control unit 7 is not limited to performing the transport drive process. For example, the transport drive process may be performed by the transport drive unit 34.

[0045] In the peeling step S5, the control unit 7 performs a peeling drive process that drives the peeling drive unit 50. The control unit 7 rotates the peeling member 5 in response to the driving of the peeling drive unit 50 in the peeling drive process, thereby peeling the media M that is in contact with the surface of the transport member 31 from the transport member 31. Specifically, the control unit 7 rotates the peeling member 5 in response to the driving of the peeling drive unit 50, independently of the orbital movement of the transport member 31 driven by the transport drive unit 34. This makes it possible to more accurately adjust the position of the peel start point MPP of the media M relative to the transport member 31, compared to when the peeling member 5 is rotated in synchronization with the orbital movement of the transport member 31.

[0046] The pretreatment liquid application process in the pretreatment liquid application process S1, the ink application process in the ink application process S2, the posttreatment liquid application process in the posttreatment liquid application process S3, the transport drive process in the transport process S4, and the peeling drive process in the peeling process S5, all of which are performed by the control unit 7, will be described in more detail with reference to Figures 3 and 4. In the following description, the ink head 421, the pretreatment liquid head 422, and the posttreatment liquid head 423 will be collectively referred to as the "inkjet head 42," the ink, the pretreatment liquid, and the posttreatment liquid will be collectively referred to as the "liquid," and the ink application process, the pretreatment liquid application process, and the posttreatment liquid application process will be collectively referred to as the "liquid application process."

[0047] The control unit 7 repeatedly performs a liquid deposition process in which the carriage 41, on which the inkjet head 42 is mounted, ejects liquid from the inkjet head 42 while moving the carriage 41, on which the inkjet head 42 is mounted, in the X direction at a predetermined head scanning period HSC, and a transport drive process in which the transport drive unit 34 is driven in response to the liquid deposition process. When the control unit 7 is in the "ON" state in which liquid is ejected from the inkjet head 42 in the liquid deposition process, the control unit 7 switches the transport drive process to an "OFF" state in which driving of the transport drive unit 34 is stopped, and when the control unit 7 is in the "OFF" state in which ejection of liquid from the inkjet head 42 is stopped in the liquid deposition process, the control unit 7 switches the transport drive process to an "ON" state in which driving of the transport drive unit 34. In other words, the control unit 7 switches between driving and stopping the drive of the transport drive unit 34 in the transport drive process in response to switching between ejecting and stopping ejection of liquid by the inkjet head 42 in the liquid deposition process. By repeatedly performing the liquid deposition process and the transport drive process by the control unit 7, an image is printed on the medium M in contact with the surface of the transport member 31.

[0048] In the transport drive process, the control unit 7 drives the transport drive unit 34 so that the speed of the circular movement of the transport member 31 in response to the drive of the transport drive unit 34 becomes a predetermined transport movement speed VB, and the movement distance of the circular movement of the transport member 31 in response to the drive of the transport drive unit 34 becomes a predetermined transport movement distance DB. As a result, the media M in contact with the surface of the transport member 31 is transported in the transport direction H1 by a transport length equivalent to the transport movement distance DB of the transport member 31 at a transport speed equivalent to the transport movement speed VB of the transport member 31 with each transport drive process by the control unit 7.

[0049] When a predetermined region MM of the medium M is wrapped around the outer peripheral surface 5A of the peeling member 5 from above downstream in the conveying direction H1 relative to the conveying member 31, the position of the peeling start point MPP of the medium M relative to the conveying member 31 changes downstream in the rotation direction of the first conveying roller 32 in accordance with the orbital movement of the conveying member 31, within the range of a downstream end portion 311 of the conveying member 31 wrapped around the first conveying roller 32. When the position of the peeling start point MPP of the medium M changes downstream in the rotation direction of the first conveying roller 32, the peeling angle α of the medium M decreases, and the winding angle β of the wound portion M21 of the medium M wrapped around the peeling member 5 increases.

[0050] The detection unit 6 is turned ON when the peel angle α between the contact portion M1 and the peeled portion M2 of the media M is less than 90 degrees and the peeled portion M2 is located within the detection range 61. In this case, the position of the peel start point MPP of the media M moves downstream in the rotation direction of the first conveyance roller 32 as the conveyance member 31 rotates, and the detection unit 6 is turned ON when the peel angle α decreases to less than 90 degrees. In other words, the first sensor switching timing TS1, which indicates the timing when the detection unit 6 switches from the OFF state to the ON state, coincides with the timing when the peel angle α of the media M becomes less than 90 degrees. When the peel angle α of the media M is less than 90 degrees, the wrap angle β of the wrapped portion M21 of the media M with respect to the peeling member 5 is large enough that the frictional force between the outer circumferential surface 5A of the peeling member 5 and the wrapped portion M21 is large enough to peel the media M from the conveyance member 31.

[0051] The control unit 7 performs a peeling drive process for driving the peeling drive unit 50 in response to detection by the detection unit 6 for each transport drive process. If the detection unit 6 is in the ON state during the peeling drive process, the control unit 7 switches the peeling drive unit 50 to the "ON" state, which drives the peeling drive unit 50. At this time, the control unit 7 drives the peeling drive unit 50 so that the peeling member 5 rotates at a predetermined peripheral speed VR in response to the drive of the peeling drive unit 50 and the movement distance along the rotational direction of the outer circumferential surface 5A of the peeling member 5 in response to the drive of the peeling drive unit 50 is a predetermined rotational movement distance DR. As a result, the media M in contact with the surface of the transport member 31 is peeled at a peeling speed equivalent to the peripheral speed VR of the peeling member 5 by a peeling length equivalent to the rotational movement distance DR of the peeling member 5.

[0052] The position of the peeling start point MPP of the medium M relative to the transport member 31 changes upstream in the rotation direction of the first transport roller 32 in response to the rotation of the peeling member 5, within the range of the downstream end portion 311 of the transport member 31 wrapped around the first transport roller 32. When the position of the peeling start point MPP of the medium M changes upstream in the rotation direction of the first transport roller 32, the peeling angle α of the medium M increases, and the winding angle β of the wound portion M21 of the medium M wrapped around the peeling member 5 decreases.

[0053] As the peeling member 5 rotates, the position of the peeling start point MPP of the media M moves upstream in the direction of rotation of the first conveyor roller 32, and when the peeling angle α increases to 90 degrees or greater, the peeled portion M2 of the media M moves outside the detection range 61, and the detection unit 6 enters the OFF state. In other words, the second sensor switching timing TS2, which indicates the timing at which the detection unit 6 switches from the ON state to the OFF state, coincides with the timing at which the peeling angle α of the media M changes from less than 90 degrees to 90 degrees or greater. During the peeling drive process, if the detection unit 6 is in the OFF state, the control unit 7 switches the peeling drive unit 50 to the "OFF" state, which stops the drive of the peeling drive unit 50.

[0054] As described above, the control unit 7 drives the stripping drive unit 50 in response to detection by the detection unit 6, thereby rotating the stripping member 5 independently of the orbital movement of the conveying member 31 driven by the conveying drive unit 34. This makes it possible to prevent the media M from being sent downstream while under tension due to peeling from the conveying member 31 when the media M is peeled from the conveying member 31 in response to the rotation of the stripping member 5, and to accurately adjust the position of the stripping start point MPP of the media M relative to the conveying member 31. This prevents the media M introduced into the drying device 10 located downstream of the stripping member 5 from being dried in a stretched state, prevents the portions of the media M to which the inkjet head 42 applies liquid from being peeled from the conveying member 31, and prevents poor stripping of the media M from the conveying member 31.

[0055] Furthermore, in the peel drive process, the control unit 7 switches the drive of the peel drive unit 50 from the stopped state to the driven state after a predetermined first delay time DT1 has elapsed relative to the first sensor switching timing TS1 at which the detection unit 6 switches from the OFF state to the ON state. That is, the control unit 7 switches the drive of the peel drive unit 50 from the stopped state to the driven state at the first drive switching timing TM1 after the first delay time DT1 has elapsed relative to the first sensor switching timing TS1. Also, in the peel drive process, the control unit 7 switches the drive of the peel drive unit 50 from the driven state to the stopped state after a predetermined second delay time DT2 has elapsed relative to the second sensor switching timing TS2 at which the detection unit 6 switches from the ON state to the OFF state. That is, the control unit 7 switches the drive of the peel drive unit 50 from the driven state to the stopped state at the second drive switching timing TM2 after the second delay time DT2 has elapsed relative to the second sensor switching timing TS2. By setting the first and second drive switching timings TM1 and TM2 to timings after the first and second delay times DT1 and DT2 have elapsed with respect to the first and second sensor switching timings TS1 and TS2, respectively, it is possible to prevent chattering, in which the detection unit 6 rapidly switches between the ON state and the OFF state, from occurring. This makes it possible to prevent the peeling drive unit 50 from abnormally repeating the driving state and the stopped state due to chattering of the detection unit 6.

[0056] Furthermore, in the peeling drive process, the control unit 7 drives the peeling drive unit 50 so that the rotational movement distance DR of the peeling member 5 falls within a predetermined tolerance range based on the transport movement distance DB of the transport member 31. For example, the lower limit of the tolerance range is set to the same value as the transport movement distance DB, and the upper limit of the tolerance range is set to a value twice the transport movement distance DB. That is, when the detection unit 6 is in the ON state, the control unit 7 drives the peeling drive unit 50 so that the rotational movement distance DR of the peeling member 5 is equal to or greater than the transport movement distance DB and equal to or less than twice the transport movement distance DB (DB≦DR≦2DB). By driving the peeling drive unit 50 so that the rotational movement distance DR of the peeling member 5 is equal to or greater than the transport movement distance DB, it is possible to prevent the position of the peel start point MPP of the media M relative to the transport member 31 from being too far downstream in the rotation direction of the first transport roller 32 when the media M is peeled from the transport member 31 in response to the rotation of the peeling member 5 driven by the peeling drive unit 50. This prevents the printed surfaces of the contact portion M1 and the peeled portion M2 of the media M from coming into contact with each other between the downstream end portion 311 of the transport member 31 and the outer peripheral surface 5A of the peeling member 5. Meanwhile, by driving the peeling drive unit 50 so that the rotational movement distance DR of the peeling member 5 is no more than twice the transport movement distance DB, it is possible to prevent the position of the peeling start point MPP of the media M relative to the transport member 31 from being too far upstream in the rotation direction of the first transport roller 32 when the media M is peeled from the transport member 31 in response to the rotation of the peeling member 5 driven by the peeling drive unit 50. This prevents the portion of the media M to which liquid is to be adhered by the inkjet head 42 from being peeled from the transport member 31.

[0057] Furthermore, in the peeling drive process, the control unit 7 drives the peeling drive unit 50 so that the peripheral speed VR of rotation of the peeling member 5 in response to the drive of the peeling drive unit 50 is equal to or less than the transport movement speed VB of the orbital movement of the transport member 31 in response to the drive of the transport drive unit 34 (VR≦VB). This prevents the position of the peeling start point MPP of the media M relative to the transport member 31 from being too far upstream in the rotation direction of the first transport roller 32 when the media M is peeled from the transport member 31 in response to the rotation of the peeling member 5 driven by the peeling drive unit 50. This more reliably prevents the portion of the media M to which liquid is to be applied by the inkjet head 42 from being peeled from the transport member 31.

[0058] Furthermore, during the peeling drive process, the control unit 7 outputs error information if the detection unit 6 remains ON even after a time equivalent to the head scanning period HSC has elapsed since the control unit 7 started driving the peeling drive unit 50 in response to the first sensor switching timing TS1, at which the detection unit 6 switches from OFF to ON. If the detection unit 6 remains ON even though the peeling member 5 is rotating in response to the drive of the peeling drive unit 50, it may become impossible to peel the media M from the transport member 31, potentially resulting in a peeling failure of the media M from the transport member 31. Therefore, the control unit 7 outputs error information. In response to the output of the error information, the control unit 7 may display the error information on a display or other display unit, or may stop the printing device 1. This allows the operator of the printing device 1 to take measures to correct the peeling failure of the media M from the transport member 31.

[0059] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Printing device 3 Transport unit 31 Transport member 34 Transport drive section 4 Printing unit 42 Inkjet head 421 Ink head (ink unit) 5 Peeling member 50 Peeling drive section 51 Base 52 Surface layer 6 Detection section 61 Detection range 7 Control section 10 Drying device 100 Printing system M Media (printing medium)

Claims

1. a conveying member capable of conveying a print medium positioned on a surface thereof in a conveying direction; an inking unit capable of depositing ink onto the print medium; a peeling member located downstream of the conveying member in the conveying direction and capable of peeling the print medium from the conveying member; a conveyance driving unit capable of driving the conveyance member; a peeling drive unit that can be controlled independently of the transport drive unit and that can drive the peeling member, The printing device, wherein the peeling drive unit drives the peeling member when a peel start point of the print medium from the surface of the transport member is located at a downstream end of the transport member.

2. 2. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein the peeling member is rotatably arranged with a predetermined area of ​​the printing medium in the transport direction attached thereto, and is capable of peeling off a portion of the printing medium upstream of the predetermined area in the transport direction from the transport member in response to the rotation.

3. A conveying member capable of conveying a print medium located on a surface thereof in a conveying direction; an inking unit capable of depositing ink onto the print medium; a peeling member located downstream of the conveying member in the conveying direction and capable of peeling the print medium from the conveying member; a conveyance driving unit capable of driving the conveyance member; a peeling drive unit that can be controlled independently of the transport drive unit and that can drive the peeling member, The peeling drive unit drives the peeling member to cause the print medium peeled from the transport member to be sent out in a state where the print medium is curved downward downstream of the peeling member.

4. A conveying member capable of conveying a print medium located on a surface thereof in a conveying direction; an inking unit capable of depositing ink onto the print medium; a peeling member located downstream of the conveying member in the conveying direction and capable of peeling the print medium from the conveying member; a conveyance driving unit capable of driving the conveyance member; a peeling drive unit that can be controlled independently of the transport drive unit and that can drive the peeling member; a detection unit capable of detecting a peeled portion of the printing medium that has been peeled off from the conveying member and is located in a region between the downstream end portion of the conveying member and the peeling member; A printing device comprising: a control unit that performs an ink deposition process in which the ink unit deposits the ink on the printing medium; a transport drive process that drives the transport drive unit in accordance with the ink deposition process; and a peel drive process that drives the peel drive unit in accordance with detection by the detection unit.

5. the detection unit is turned on when the peeled portion is located within a detection range set in an area between the downstream end portion of the conveying member and the peeling member, and is turned off when the peeled portion is located outside the detection range, The printing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the control unit drives the peeling drive unit when the control unit is in the ON state, and stops driving the peeling drive unit when the control unit is in the OFF state, in the peeling drive process.

6. A conveying member capable of conveying a print medium located on a surface thereof in a conveying direction; an inking unit capable of depositing ink onto the print medium; a peeling member located downstream of the conveying member in the conveying direction and capable of peeling the print medium from the conveying member; a conveyance driving unit capable of driving the conveyance member; a peeling drive unit that can be controlled independently of the transport drive unit and that can drive the peeling member; a detection unit capable of detecting a peeled portion of the printing medium that has been peeled off from the transport member and is located in a region between the transport member and the peeling member; a control unit that performs an ink deposition process in which the ink unit deposits the ink on the print medium, a transport drive process in which the transport drive unit is driven in response to the ink deposition process, and a peel drive process in which the peel drive unit is driven in response to detection by the detection unit, the detection unit is turned on when the peeled portion of the print medium is located within a detection range set in an area between the conveying member and the peeling member, with the angle formed between the contact portion of the print medium that contacts the surface of the conveying member and the peeling portion being less than 90 degrees, and is turned off when the peeled portion is located outside the detection range; In the printing apparatus, the control unit drives the peeling drive unit when in the ON state, and stops driving the peeling drive unit when in the OFF state, in the peeling drive process.

7. A conveying member capable of conveying a print medium located on a surface thereof in a conveying direction; an inking unit capable of depositing ink onto the print medium; a peeling member located downstream of the conveying member in the conveying direction and capable of peeling the print medium from the conveying member; a conveyance driving unit capable of driving the conveyance member; a peeling drive unit that can be controlled independently of the transport drive unit and that can drive the peeling member; a detection unit capable of detecting a peeled portion of the printing medium that has been peeled off from the transport member and is located in a region between the transport member and the peeling member; a control unit that performs an ink deposition process in which the ink unit deposits the ink on the print medium, a transport drive process in which the transport drive unit is driven in response to the ink deposition process, and a peel drive process in which the peel drive unit is driven in response to detection by the detection unit, the detection unit is turned on when the peeled portion is located within a detection range set in an area between the conveying member and the peeling member, and is turned off when the peeled portion is located outside the detection range, The control unit, in the peeling driving process, When the power supply is in the ON state, the peeling drive unit is driven, and when the power supply is in the OFF state, the drive of the peeling drive unit is stopped; a printing apparatus in which the peeling drive unit is switched between being driven and being stopped after a predetermined delay time has elapsed from the timing at which the detection unit switches between the ON state and the OFF state;

8. A conveying member capable of conveying a print medium located on a surface thereof in a conveying direction; an inking unit capable of depositing ink onto the print medium; a peeling member located downstream of the conveying member in the conveying direction and capable of peeling the print medium from the conveying member; a conveyance driving unit capable of driving the conveyance member; a peeling drive unit that can be controlled independently of the transport drive unit and that can drive the peeling member; a detection unit capable of detecting a peeled portion of the printing medium that has been peeled off from the transport member and is located in a region between the transport member and the peeling member; a control unit that performs an ink deposition process in which the ink unit deposits the ink on the print medium, a transport drive process in which the transport drive unit is driven in response to the ink deposition process, and a peel drive process in which the peel drive unit is driven in response to detection by the detection unit, the detection unit is turned on when the peeled portion is located within a detection range set in an area between the conveying member and the peeling member, and is turned off when the peeled portion is located outside the detection range, The control unit, in the peeling driving process, When the power supply is in the ON state, the peeling drive unit is driven, and when the power supply is in the OFF state, the drive of the peeling drive unit is stopped; A printing device that drives the peeling drive unit so that the rotational movement distance of the outer surface of the peeling member in response to the drive of the peeling drive unit falls within a predetermined tolerance range based on the transport movement distance of the transport member in response to the drive of the transport drive unit in the transport drive process.

9. A conveying member capable of conveying a print medium located on a surface thereof in a conveying direction; an inking unit capable of depositing ink onto the print medium; a peeling member located downstream of the conveying member in the conveying direction and capable of peeling the print medium from the conveying member; a conveyance driving unit capable of driving the conveyance member; a peeling drive unit that can be controlled independently of the transport drive unit and that can drive the peeling member; a detection unit capable of detecting a peeled portion of the printing medium that has been peeled off from the transport member and is located in a region between the transport member and the peeling member; a control unit that performs an ink deposition process in which the ink unit deposits the ink on the print medium, a transport drive process in which the transport drive unit is driven in response to the ink deposition process, and a peel drive process in which the peel drive unit is driven in response to detection by the detection unit, the detection unit is turned on when the peeled portion is located within a detection range set in an area between the conveying member and the peeling member, and is turned off when the peeled portion is located outside the detection range, The control unit, in the peeling driving process, When the power supply is in the ON state, the peeling drive unit is driven, and when the power supply is in the OFF state, the drive of the peeling drive unit is stopped; A printing device that drives the peeling drive unit so that the peripheral speed of rotation of the peeling member in response to the drive of the peeling drive unit is equal to or less than the transport movement speed of the transport member in response to the drive of the transport drive unit in the transport drive process.

10. 10. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein the peeling member has a base and a surface layer made of a rubber material provided on the base.

11. A printing device described in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the peeling member has a base and a surface layer formed on the base and consisting of a member having an abrasive surface containing abrasive grains.

12. 10. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein the printing medium is a cloth member made of a cloth material.

13. A printing device according to any one of claims 1 to 9; a drying device capable of drying the print medium peeled off from the transport member by the peeling member in the printing device.

14. A printing system as described in Claim 13, wherein in the printing device, the peeling drive unit drives the peeling member so that the printing medium peeled from the conveying member is sent out in a downwardly curved state downstream of the peeling member.

15. a conveying step of conveying the print medium located on the surface of the conveying member in a conveying direction; an ink deposition step of depositing ink on the print medium; a peeling step of peeling the print medium from the transport member by a peeling member located downstream of the transport member in the transport direction, independently of the transport of the print medium by the transport member; In the peeling process, the printing medium is peeled off from the transport member by the peeling member when the starting point of peeling of the printing medium from the surface of the transport member is located at the downstream end of the transport member.