Printing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016246244-A1
Application number	US-201615051496-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 23, 2016
Priority date	Feb 25, 2015
Publication date	Aug 25, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

In a printing apparatus, an end of a destaticization section in a definition direction is positioned further on an outer side than an end of a transport belt in the definition direction. In addition, the printing apparatus is provided with an operation mechanism section that changes a location of the destaticization section that comes into contact with a sheet of paper, which is electrostatically adsorbed to the transport belt, by operating the destaticization section.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A printing apparatus comprising:
a transport belt, to which a printing medium is electrostatically adsorbed, and which operates in a manner that transports the printing medium in a transport direction; a printing head that carries out printing on a printing surface of the printing medium, which is electrostatically adsorbed to the transport belt; and a destaticization section that is disposed further upstream in the transport direction than the printing head, and that removes an electric charge from the printing surface by coming into contact with the printing surface of a printing medium, which is electrostatically adsorbed to the transport belt, wherein, in a case in which a direction which runs along the printing surface of the printing medium that is transported on the transport belt, and of which a width direction of the printing medium is the main component, is set as a definition direction, an end of the destaticization section in the definition direction is positioned further on an outer side than an end of the transport belt in the definition direction, and wherein an operation mechanism section that changes a location in the definition direction of the destaticization section that comes into contact with a printing medium, which is electrostatically adsorbed to the transport belt, by operating the destaticization section, is provided.

2 . The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a cleaning section that performs cleaning of the destaticization section at a position that is further on an outer side in the definition direction than the transport belt.

3 . The printing apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the destaticization section has a ring shape, wherein the operation mechanism section includes an actuator, an operation driving roller that is connected to the actuator in a drivable manner, and an operation driven roller, wherein the destaticization section is wound around each of the corresponding rollers, and wherein the transport belt is disposed between each of the rollers in the definition direction.

4 . The printing apparatus according to claim 3 ,
wherein the transport belt is configured to have an endless form, and a printing medium, which is electrostatically adsorbed to an outer surface of the transport belt, is transported in the transport direction as a result of the transport belt being operated due to rotation of a transport driving roller, and wherein the printing apparatus further comprises a belt biasing member that biases a portion of the transport belt that faces the printing head toward a printing head side by coming into contact with an inner surface of the transport belt.

5 . The printing apparatus according to claim 4 ,
wherein the belt biasing member is configured by a conductive material, and is grounded.

6 . The printing apparatus according to claim 5 ,
wherein the transport belt has a configuration in which an outer side thereof is formed using a conductive layer, and an inner side thereof is formed using an insulating layer with greater electrical resistance than the conductive layer, and wherein an outer surface of the conductive layer is an outer surface of the transport belt, and an inner surface of the insulating layer is an inner surface of the transport belt.

7 . The printing apparatus according to claim 6 , further comprising a destaticization control section that controls the operation mechanism section on the basis of a length in the width direction of a printing medium, which is a printing target, when the location of the destaticization section that comes into contact with a printing medium, which is electrostatically adsorbed to the transport belt, is changed.

8 . The printing apparatus according to claim 7 ,
wherein the printing medium is supplied to a center in the width direction on the transport belt, and wherein, in a case in which a sum of half of the length in the width direction of a printing medium, which is a printing target, and half of the transport belt in the width direction, is set as an exchange movement amount, the destaticization control section controls the operation mechanism section on the basis of the exchange movement amount when the location of the destaticization section that comes into contact with a printing medium, which is electrostatically adsorbed to the transport belt, is changed.

9 . The printing apparatus according to claim 7 ,
wherein the printing medium is supplied to one end side in the width direction on the transport belt, and wherein, in a case in which the length in the width direction of a printing medium, which is a printing target, is set as an exchange movement amount, the destaticization control section controls the operation mechanism section on the basis of the exchange movement amount when the location of the destaticization section that comes into contact with a printing medium, which is electrostatically adsorbed to the transport belt, is changed.

10 . The printing apparatus according to claim 9 ,
wherein the destaticization control section changes the location of the destaticization section that comes into contact with a printing medium, which is electrostatically adsorbed to the transport belt, by controlling the operation mechanism section using the number of times of printing on the printing surface of a printing medium becoming equal to the number of times of moving as a trigger thereof.

11 . The printing apparatus according to claim 9 , further comprising a printing control section that carries out printing on a printing medium, which is electrostatically adsorbed to the transport belt, by operating the transport belt and controlling the printing head when a printing job is input,
wherein the destaticization control section changes the location of the destaticization section that comes into contact with a printing medium, which is electrostatically adsorbed to the transport belt, by controlling the operation mechanism section when printing on a printing medium based on the printing job is completed, or when printing on a printing medium based on the printing job is initiated.

12 . The printing apparatus according to claim 9 ,
wherein a plurality of printing modes, in which the resolution of an image that is formed on the printing surface of the printing medium differs, are prepared, and wherein the destaticization control section changes the location of the destaticization section that comes into contact with a printing medium, which is electrostatically adsorbed to the transport belt, by controlling the operation mechanism section using the printing mode changing as a trigger thereof.

13 . The printing apparatus according to claim 9 , further comprising an electric charge amount sensor that is positioned between the destaticization section and the printing head in the transport direction, and that detects an amount of an electric charge that the printing surface of a printing medium, which is electrostatically adsorbed to the transport belt, is charged with,
wherein the destaticization control section changes the location of the destaticization section that comes into contact with a printing medium, which is electrostatically adsorbed to the transport belt, by controlling the operation mechanism section when the amount of the electric charge that is detected by the electric charge amount sensor becomes greater than or equal to a movement electric charge amount up until before subsequent printing is initiated.

14 . The printing apparatus according to claim 9 , further comprising a reversal mechanism that, after printing on a fir

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Mori Kazunori
• Chiba Satoshi
• Koike Yoshikazu

Classifications

• G03G21/06 Primary

  Eliminating residual charges from a reusable imaging member · CPC title

• B41J11/0015 Primary

  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 title

• B41J11/007

  Conveyor belts or like feeding devices · CPC title

• B41J13/08

  {Conveyor} bands or like feeding devices · CPC title

• B65H2301/531

  Cleaning parts of handling machine · CPC title