Foreign material removing device and printing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11602944-B2
Application number	US-202117451438-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 19, 2021
Priority date	Oct 21, 2020
Publication date	Mar 14, 2023
Grant date	Mar 14, 2023

Abstract

A cleaning roller to be brought into contact with a medium includes a rotary shaft having a first end portion and a second end portion, and a sticky roller attached to the rotary shaft. A cleaning roller holder includes a first bearing portion configured to restrict a movement range of the first end portion and a second bearing portion configured to restrict a movement range of the second end portion. In a state where the first end portion is disposed at the first bearing portion and the second end portion is disposed at the second bearing portion, the cleaning roller holder positions the cleaning roller in a detachable manner. The center of gravity of the cleaning roller is shifted from the center of the cleaning roller in the longitudinal direction toward the first end portion, and is in a range where the sticky roller exists in the longitudinal direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A foreign material removing device comprising:
a cleaning roller to be brought into contact with a medium; and
a cleaning roller holder, wherein
the cleaning roller includes a rotary shaft including a first end portion and a second end portion disposed on an opposite side from the first end portion, and includes a sticky roller attached to the rotary shaft and having a front surface having stickiness,
the cleaning roller holder includes a first bearing portion configured to restrict a movement range of the disposed first end portion, and a second bearing portion configured to restrict a movement range of the disposed second end portion,
in a state where the first end portion is disposed at the first bearing portion and the second end portion is disposed at the second bearing portion, the cleaning roller holder positions the cleaning roller in a detachable manner, and
a center of gravity of the cleaning roller is shifted from a center of the cleaning roller in a longitudinal direction toward the first end portion, and is in a range where the sticky roller exists in the longitudinal direction.

2. The foreign material removing device according to claim 1 , wherein
the rotary shaft includes:
a first region having a first diameter; and
a second region having a second diameter smaller than the first diameter and disposed closer to the second end portion than the first region, and
a diameter of the sticky roller at a position that overlaps with the first region and a diameter of the sticky roller at a position that overlaps with the second region are equal to each other.

3. The foreign material removing device according to claim 1 , wherein
the cleaning roller includes a weight attached at a position of the rotary shaft closer to the first end portion than the sticky roller.

4. The foreign material removing device according to claim 1 , wherein
the first bearing portion includes a first restricting portion configured to restrict movement of the first end portion in a gravitational direction,
the second bearing portion includes a second restricting portion configured to restrict movement of the second end portion in the gravitational direction, and
in the gravitational direction, an upper end of the second restricting portion is disposed at a position higher than an upper end of the first restricting portion.

5. The foreign material removing device according to claim 4 , wherein
the cleaning roller holder includes a bottom configured to couple a lower portion of the first bearing portion and a lower portion of the second bearing portion, and
in a state where the first end portion is disposed at the first bearing portion, the second end portion is disposed at the second bearing portion, and the cleaning roller is mounted at the bottom, a space exists between the second end portion and the second restricting portion in the gravitational direction.

6. The foreign material removing device according to claim 5 , wherein
the bottom has an upper surface having a recess that overlaps with a center line of the rotary shaft, the recess being located in a portion, on a side of the second end portion relative to the center in the longitudinal direction, of a portion that overlaps with the cleaning roller in plan view.

7. The foreign material removing device according to claim 1 , wherein
the first bearing portion includes:
a third restricting portion configured to restrict movement toward one side in an intersecting direction that intersects a gravitational direction and the longitudinal direction of the cleaning roller; and
a fourth restricting portion configured to restrict movement toward another side in the intersecting direction,
the second bearing portion includes:
a fifth restricting portion configured to restrict movement toward the one side in the intersecting direction; and
a sixth restricting portion configured to restrict movement toward the other side in the intersecting direction,
a distance between the third restricting portion and the fourth restricting portion is larger than a diameter of the first end portion, and
a distance between the fifth restricting portion and the sixth restricting portion is larger than a diameter of the second end portion.

8. A printing apparatus comprising:
a transport unit configured to transport a recording medium in a transport direction;
a guiding portion configured to guide transport, by the transport unit, of the recording medium;
a printing head configured to perform printing on the recording medium; and
a foreign material removing device disposed upstream of the printing head in the transport direction, wherein
the guiding portion includes a first guide configured to guide a one-side edge portion of the recording medium in a width direction of a transport path of the recording medium, and a second guide configured to guide an other-side edge portion of the recording medium, the first guide being configured not to move in the width direction, the second guide being configured to move in the width direction,
the printing apparatus is configured to perform printing on a first recording medium and a second recording medium as the recording medium, the second recording medium having a width in the width direction wider than the first recording medium,
the first recording medium and the second recording medium are positioned with the first guide being a reference in the width direction,
the foreign material removing device includes a cleaning roller to be brought into contact with the recording medium, and includes a cleaning roller holder,
the cleaning roller includes a rotary shaft including a first end portion and a second end portion disposed on an opposite side from the first end portion, and includes a sticky roller attached to the rotary shaft and having a front surface having stickiness,
the cleaning roller holder includes a first bearing portion configured to restrict a movement range of the disposed first end portion, and a second bearing portion configured to restrict a movement range of the disposed second end portion,
in a state where the first end portion is disposed at the first bearing portion and the second end portion is disposed at the second bearing portion, the cleaning roller holder positions the cleaning roller in a detachable manner, and
a center of gravity of the cleaning roller exists at a position that overlaps with the first recording medium in the width direction.

9. The printing apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein
the rotary shaft includes:
a first region having a first diameter; and
a second region having a second diameter smaller than the first diameter and disposed closer to the second end portion than the first region, and
a diameter of the sticky roller at a position that overlaps with the first region and a diameter of the sticky roller at a position that overlaps with the second region are equal to each other.

10. The printing apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein
the cleaning roller includes a weight attached at a position of the rotary shaft closer to the first end portion than the sticky roller.

11. The printing apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein
the first bearing portion includes a first restricting portion configured to restrict movement of the first end portion in a gravitational direction,
the second bearing portion includes a second restricting portion configured to restrict movement of the second end portion in the gravitational direction, and
in the gravitational direction, an upper end of the second restricting portion is disposed at a position higher than an upper end of the first restricting portion.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Kanno Yusuke
• Nagata Norio
• Endo Hiroyuki

Classifications

• B41J2/01

  Ink jet · CPC title

• B41J29/17 Primary

  Cleaning arrangements · CPC title

• B41J11/0045

  Guides for printing material (curl smoothing B41J11/0005; platens B41J11/02, B41J11/06; guiding webs B41J15/046) · CPC title

• B41P2235/22

  Rollers · CPC title