INKJET RECORDING APPARATUS

• US 20200130350A1
• Filed: 10/25/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Inc.
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Inc.
• Inventors: HARA, Takahiro
• Granted Patent: US 11,254,121 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/0015 for treating before, during or after printing or for uniform coating or laminating the copy material before or after printing selective coating B41J2/2114
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/002 Curing or drying the ink on the copy materials, e.g. by heating or irradiating
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/0022 using convection means, e.g. by using a fan for blowing or sucking air
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/00222 Controlling the convection means
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/00224 comprising movable shutters, e.g. for redirection of an air flow
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/0057 where an intermediate transfer member receives the ink before transferring it on the printing material
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/01 Ink jet
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/012 with intermediate transfer member
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/16591 for line print heads above an endless belt

Abstract

An inkjet recording apparatus includes an ink jetter that jets ink and a transfer unit that has a ring-shaped intermediate transfer body. The transfer unit transfers, to a recording medium, a primary image formed on an outer circumferential surface of the intermediate transfer body with the ink that is jetted to land on the outer circumferential surface by the ink jetter. The transfer unit includes a heater that heats air in an internal space of the intermediate transfer body enclosed by an inner circumferential surface of the intermediate transfer body, and an air mover that flows the air in the internal space.

Claims

1. An inkjet recording apparatus comprising:

an ink jetter that jets ink; and

a transfer unit that includes a ring-shaped intermediate transfer body and transfers, to a recording medium, a primary image formed on an outer circumferential surface of the intermediate transfer body with the ink that is jetted to land on the outer circumferential surface by the ink jetter, the transfer unit further including

a heater that heats air in an internal space of the intermediate transfer body enclosed by an inner circumferential surface of the intermediate transfer body, and

an air mover that flows the air in the internal space.

2. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the air mover circulates the air in the internal space along the inner circumferential surface.

3. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 2, comprising an intermediate transfer body driver that causes the outer circumferential surface of the intermediate transfer body to circle, wherein the air mover circulates the air in the internal space in a direction counter to a direction in which the intermediate transfer body circles.

4. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 2, comprising:

an intermediate transfer body driver that causes the outer circumferential surface of the intermediate transfer body to circle; and

a hardware processor that controls operation of the air mover, wherein

the hardware processor causes the air mover to circulate the air in the internal space at a flow speed based on a circling speed at which the intermediate transfer body circles.

5. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the hardware processor causes the air mover to circulate the air in the internal space at the flow speed that yields a relative speed between the intermediate transfer body and the air in the internal space equal to or higher than a predetermined reference relative speed.

6. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 2, comprising a hardware processor that controls operation of the air mover, wherein the hardware processor causes the air mover to circulate the air in the internal space at a flow speed based on a ratio of a part covered by the ink of an image forming area on which the primary image is formed on the outer circumferential surface to the image forming area.

7. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 2, comprising a hardware processor that controls a temperature of the heater based on a ratio of a part covered by the ink of an image forming area on which the primary image is formed on the outer circumferential surface to the image forming area.

8. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the air mover is provided in the internal space,

the ink jetter is provided at a position where an ink jetting surface from which the ink is jetted faces the outer circumferential surface of the intermediate transfer body, and

the air mover is provided in a region that does not overlap the ink jetting surface as seen in a direction perpendicular to a portion of the outer circumferential surface facing the ink jetting surface.

9. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a blocker that blocks heat radiation from the heater to the intermediate transfer body.

10. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, comprising separators that are provided along a plane contacting one lateral end of the intermediate transfer body and a plane contacting the other lateral end of the intermediate transfer body, respectively, and separate the internal space from an external space.

11. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 10, wherein each of the separators is provided with a first heat insulator on a surface contacting the external space.

12. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transfer unit includes an anchor that (i) anchors the transfer unit to a predetermined basement and (ii) is provided with a second heat insulator on a surface contacting the basement.

13. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink jetter jets the ink having a characteristic of changing phases thereof between gel and sol and heated to a temperature at which the ink becomes sol.