Conveying device and printing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10569570-B2
Application number	US-201715460591-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 16, 2017
Priority date	Mar 18, 2016
Publication date	Feb 25, 2020
Grant date	Feb 25, 2020

Abstract

A conveying device includes a blower, a conveyor, and an upstream blower. The blower blows air to a sheet material. The conveyor includes a sandwiching unit to sandwich the sheet material, and conveys the sheet material to a blowing region of the blower. The upstream blower blows air toward a downstream side in a conveyance direction of the sheet material, from an upstream side of the blowing region in the conveyance direction of the sheet material to the blowing region.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A conveying device, comprising:
a blower configured to blow air to a part of a sheet material; and
a conveyor, including two end pressing belts to sandwich the sheet material, configured to convey the sheet material to a blowing region of the blower; and
an upstream blower configured to blow air to the part of the sheet material at a same time as the blower blowing the air to the part of the sheet material, the air from the upstream blower blowing toward a downstream side of the blowing region in a conveyance direction of the sheet material from an upstream side of the blowing region in the conveyance direction of the sheet material.

2. The conveying device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the upstream blower is configured to blow the air to decrease momentum of an air flow flowing from a sandwiching start position of the sheet material toward the upstream side in the conveyance direction of the sheet material.

3. The conveying device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the upstream blower blows the air to generate an air flow flowing from an upstream side to a downstream side of a sandwiching start position in the conveyance direction of the sheet material.

4. The conveying device according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a blowing chamber including
a wall member surrounding the blowing region; and
a sheet inlet configured to receive the sheet material from the upstream side in the conveyance direction of the sheet material,
wherein the upstream blower is disposed outside the blowing chamber and is further configured to blow the air toward the sheet inlet.

5. The conveying device according to claim 4 , further comprising;
a heat generator disposed in the blowing chamber.

6. The conveying device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the conveyor includes a surface movable member that is configured to hold the sheet material placed in the blowing region and convey the sheet material with movement of a surface of the movable member.

7. The conveying device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a controller configured to adjust an air volume of at least one blower of the blower and the upstream blower.

8. The conveying device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an air flow guide disposed at the upstream blower.

9. A printing apparatus, comprising:
a liquid discharger configured to discharge liquid to the sheet material; and
the conveying device according to claim 1 , wherein
the sheet material processed by the conveying device includes the liquid discharged by the liquid discharger adhering to the sheet material.

10. A printing apparatus, comprising:
a liquid discharger configured to discharge liquid;
a pre-processing device disposed on an upstream side of the liquid discharger in the conveyance direction of the sheet material and configured to apply a treatment liquid to the sheet material before the liquid discharger discharges the liquid onto the sheet material; and
the conveying device according to claim 1 .

11. The conveying device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a downstream blower configured to blow air toward the upstream side of the blowing region in the conveyance direction of the sheet material, from the downstream side of the blowing region in the conveyance direction of the sheet material.

12. The conveying device according to claim 11 ,
wherein the downstream blower blows the air to decrease momentum of an air flow flowing from a sandwiching end position toward a downstream side of the sandwiching end position in the conveyance direction of the sheet material.

13. the conveying device according to claim 11 ,
wherein the downstream blower blows the air to generate an air flow flowing from the downstream side to an upstream side of a sandwiching end position in the conveyance direction of the sheet material.

14. The conveying device according to claim 12 , further comprising:
a blowing chamber including
a wall member surrounding the blowing region; and
a sheet outlet configured to eject the sheet material to a downstream side of the blowing chamber in the conveyance direction of the sheet material,

wherein the downstream blower is disposed outside the blowing chamber and configured to blow the air toward the sheet outlet.

15. A conveying device, comprising:
a blower configured to blow air to a sheet material;
a wall member surrounding the blower and including a sheet inlet configured to receive the sheet material;
a conveyance belt partially extending to an inside and outside of the wall member; and
an upstream blower disposed outside the wall member and upstream from the sheet inlet of the wall member in a direction of conveyance of the sheet material, wherein the upstream blower is configured to blow air to the sheet inlet of the wall member.

16. A printing apparatus, comprising:
a liquid discharger configured to discharge liquid to the sheet material; and
the conveying device according to claim 15 , wherein the sheet material processed by the conveying device includes the liquid discharged by the liquid discharger adhering to the sheet material.

17. A printing apparatus, comprising:
a blower configured to blow air to a sheet material;
a conveyor including a conveyance belt to convey the sheet material and a suction system to suck the sheet material to attract the sheet material onto the conveyance belt;
a wall member opposed to the conveyance belt and surrounding the blower;
a sheet inlet between the wall member and the conveyance belt and configured to receive the sheet material; and
an upstream blower disposed outside the wall member and upstream from the sheet inlet of the wall member in a direction of conveyance of the sheet material, wherein the upstream blower is configured to blow air to the sheet material to guide the sheet material to the sheet inlet.

18. The conveying device according to claim 17 , wherein
the conveyance belt extends to an upstream side of the wall member from the wall member in the opposite direction of conveyance of the sheet material and is opposed to the upstream blower.

19. The conveying device according to claim 17 , wherein
the upstream blower is configured to blow the air to the sheet material obliquely from an upstream side to a downstream side in the direction of conveyance of the sheet material.

20. A printing apparatus, comprising:
a liquid discharger configured to discharge liquid to the sheet material; and
the conveying device according to claim 17 , wherein the sheet material processed by the conveying device includes the liquid discharged by the liquid discharger adhering to the sheet material.

Assignees

• Asada Kohki
• Ogawa Masato
• Sugiyama Natsuki
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Asada Kohki
• Ogawa Masato
• Sugiyama Natsuki

Classifications

• B41J11/007

  Conveyor belts or like feeding devices · CPC title

• B41M5/0011

  Pre-treatment or treatment during printing of the recording material, e.g. heating, irradiating (after-treatment of prints B41M7/00; printers for treating or overcoating copy materials before, during or after printing B41J11/0015) · CPC title

• B41J11/0085

  Using suction for maintaining printing material flat (on rotatable drums B41J13/226) · CPC title

• F26B3/283

  in combination with convection · CPC title

• F26B13/101

  Supporting materials without tension, e.g. on or between foraminous belts · CPC title