Inkjet recording device and inkjet recording method

• US 20050046667A1
• Filed: 08/24/2004
• Published: 03/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Matsuzaki, Yoshiki, Kibayashi, Susumu, Satoh, Hiroaki, Kazama, Toshiyuki, Kato, Takeshi, Nishikawa, Satoru, Goto, Osamu, Tagawa, Kozo, Ando, Ryo, Mitamura, Yoshihiko, Udaka, Tsutomu
• Granted Patent: US 7,144,097 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 347/40
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/007 Conveyor belts or like feeding devices
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/543 with multiple inkjet print heads B41J2/17503, B41J2/2103 take precedence

Abstract

Provided is an inkjet recording device that has a conveying unit for conveying a recording medium, plural recording head groups each structured by plural unit heads disposed along the conveying direction, and an ink receiving unit for receiving ink discharged from the unit heads. The recording head groups, correspond respectively to plural individual recording regions which are sectioned off in the recording medium transverse direction which is orthogonal to the conveying direction, are disposed so as to be at respectively different positions at adjacent individual recording regions along the conveying direction. The ink receiving unit is disposed so as to face ink drop discharging surfaces of the unit heads. The conveying unit is plural conveying belts disposed at positions evading trajectories of the ink drops from the unit heads as seen in a direction of a line normal to the recording medium so as to be divided in the conveying direction.

Claims

1. An inkjet recording device comprising:

conveying units for conveying a recording medium in a predetermined conveying direction;

a plurality of recording head groups each structured by a plurality of unit heads which are provided along the conveying direction and whose ink discharging characteristics are different, the recording head groups corresponding respectively to a plurality of individual recording regions which are sectioned off in a recording medium transverse direction which is orthogonal to the conveying direction, the recording head groups at adjacent individual recording regions being disposed at respectively different positions along the conveying direction, and the recording head groups discharging ink drops from the unit heads onto the recording medium; and

an ink receiving unit, disposed so as to face ink drop discharging surfaces of the unit heads, for at least receiving ink discharged from the unit heads,

wherein the conveying unit is a plurality of conveying belts which are disposed at positions evading trajectories of the ink drops from the unit heads as seen in a direction of a line normal to the recording medium, and which are disposed so as to be divided in the conveying direction.

2. The inkjet recording device of claim 1, wherein the ink receiving unit fit tightly to the ink discharging surfaces of the unit heads and can cap ink discharge openings.

3. The inkjet recording device of claim 1, wherein the ink discharging characteristics are a color of the ink set for each unit head.

4. The inkjet recording device of claim 1, wherein the recording head groups are disposed at fixed periods along the recording medium transverse direction.

5. The inkjet recording device of claim 4, wherein

the individual recording regions are set at uniform intervals along the recording medium transverse direction, and

the inkjet recording device has recording head arrays disposed such that the unit heads are positioned at the individual recording regions at fixed periods along the recording medium transverse direction.

6. The inkjet recording device of claim 5, wherein the plurality of the recording head arrays are disposed so as to be offset in the recording medium transverse direction, by amounts corresponding to the individual recording regions.

7. The inkjet recording device of claim 1, wherein the conveying belts are disposed at fixed periods along the recording medium transverse direction.

8. The inkjet recording device of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of roller members around which the conveying belts are trained, wherein one of the roller members is a drive roller, and other roller members are slave rollers.

9. The inkjet recording device of claim 1, wherein the conveying belts are disposed so as to be segregated into a plurality of conveying belt groups along the conveying direction.

10. The inkjet recording device of claim 8, wherein the roller members are formed in configurations such that the conveying belts trained around the roller members spread out in the recording medium transverse direction toward a downstream side in the conveying direction.

11. The inkjet recording device of claim 8, further comprising swinging units for swinging the slave rollers in directions of extending the conveying belts.

12. The inkjet recording device of claim 8, further comprising moving units for moving the slave rollers in the recording medium transverse direction.

13. The inkjet recording device of claim 8, wherein a distance between nozzles of unit heads which are adjacent in the recording medium conveying direction at the recording head groups is substantially a natural number multiple of a circumference of the drive roller.

14. The inkjet recording device of claim 8, wherein a distance between nozzles of unit heads which are adjacent in the recording medium conveying direction at the recording head groups is substantially 1/10 or less than a circumference of the drive roller.

15. An inkjet recording method comprising:

recording images onto recording media by using the inkjet recording device of claim 1,

wherein, while a plurality of recording media are being continuously conveyed in a predetermined conveying direction by the conveying units, dummy jetting is carried out between the recording media from arbitrary unit heads.

16. An inkjet recording device comprising:

a plurality of conveying belts conveying a recording medium in a predetermined conveying direction;

a conveying belt driving system having a plurality of roller members around which the conveying belts are trained, and one of the plurality of roller members is a drive roller, and other roller members are slave rollers, and the drive roller is connected to a rotation drive source;

a plurality of recording head groups respectively structured by a plurality of unit heads which are disposed along the conveying direction and have different ink discharging characteristics, the recording head groups discharging ink drops from the unit heads with respect to the recording medium; and

an ink receiving unit, disposed so as to oppose ink drop discharging surfaces of the unit heads, for receiving ink discharged from the unit heads,

wherein the plurality of recording head groups are, at adjacent individual recording regions of a plurality of individual recording regions which are sectioned off in a recording medium transverse direction which is orthogonal to the conveying direction, disposed so as to be at respectively different positions along the conveying direction in correspondence with the respective individual recording regions, and

the conveying belts are disposed at positions which evade trajectories of ink drops from the unit heads when seen from a direction of a line normal to the recording medium, and are divided into sections in the conveying direction, and a plurality of the conveying belts are disposed at each section.

17. The inkjet recording device of claim 16, wherein a large diameter drive roller is disposed at an intermediate position between the slave rollers, one of the slave rollers being disposed at each of an upstream side and a downstream side as seen in the conveying direction of the recording medium.

18. The inkjet recording device of claim 16, further comprising conveying belt driving systems which independently drive the conveying belts of the respective sections.