Recording apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9682582-B2
Application number	US-201615053466-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 25, 2016
Priority date	Mar 27, 2015
Publication date	Jun 20, 2017
Grant date	Jun 20, 2017

Abstract

A recording apparatus includes a recording section which performs recording by discharging ink on paper, a transport belt which is able to transport the paper by rotating, a charging roller which charges the transport belt, a cleaning unit which moves the charging roller between a contact position that is a position at which the charging roller is brought into contact with the transport belt and a separation position which is a position that is separated from the transport belt more than the contact position, and a dirt estimation section which estimates dirt on the transport belt, in which the cleaning unit moves the charging roller from the contact position to the separation position in a case where the dirt estimation section estimates that the transport belt is dirty.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A recording apparatus comprising:
a recording section which performs recording by discharging liquid on a recording medium;
a transport belt which is able to transport the recording medium by rotating;
a charging roller which charges the transport belt;
a charging roller moving section which moves the charging roller between a charging roller contact position that is a position at which the charging roller is brought into contact with the transport belt and a charging roller separation position which is a position that is separated from the transport belt more than the charging roller contact position;
a cleaning member which removes dirt from a belt surface of the transport belt by coming into contact with the belt surface;
a cleaning member moving section which moves the cleaning member between a cleaning member contact position at which the cleaning member is brought into contact with the belt surface of the transport belt and a cleaning member separation position at which the cleaning member is separated from the belt surface of the transport belt, and
a dirt estimation section which estimates dirt on the transport belt,
wherein the charging roller moving section moves the charging roller from the charging roller contact position to the charging roller separation position in a case where the dirt estimation section estimates that the transport belt is dirty, and
wherein the charging roller is configured to move from the charging roller contact position to the charging roller separation position according to movement of the cleaning member from the cleaning member separation position to the cleaning member contact position.

2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the dirt estimation section estimates that the transport belt is dirty when detecting a jam state in which transport of the recording medium by the transport belt is delayed.

3. The recording apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the transport belt is stretched between a driving roller and a driven roller, and
the recording apparatus further comprises a belt moving section which moves the transport belt to a second position that is further separated from the recording section than a first position at which the recording section performs recording by swinging the transport belt about a roller shaft of the driving roller in a case where the dirt estimation section estimates that the transport belt is dirty.

4. The recording apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a cap which is able to cover at least a portion of the recording section from which the liquid is discharged, using a closed space,
wherein the charging roller is positioned at the charging roller contact position at which the charging roller comes into contact with the transport belt in a case where the liquid is discharged toward the cap from the recording section.

5. The recording apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the cleaning member moving section moves the cleaning member from the cleaning member separation position to the cleaning member contact position in a case where the dirt estimation section estimates that the transport belt is dirty.

6. The recording apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a bearing member, on one end side of which a bearing section is formed that receives a shaft of the charging roller and on the other end side of which a lever section is formed, and which is axially supported so as to freely rotate between the bearing section and the lever section; and
a cleaning unit which has the cleaning member,
wherein the charging roller is moved from the charging roller contact position to the charging roller separation position by a portion of the cleaning unit which abuts with the lever section pressing the lever section with the cleaning member moving from the cleaning member separation position to the cleaning member contact position.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Nakata Masanori
• Segawa Yuichi
• Chiba Satoshi

Classifications

• B41J11/006

  Means for preventing paper jams or for facilitating their removal · CPC title

• B41J29/17 Primary

  Cleaning arrangements · CPC title

• B41J13/025

  Special roller holding or lifting means, e.g. for temporarily raising one roller of a pair of nipping rollers for inserting printing material · CPC title

• B41J11/0085

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

• B41J11/007

  Conveyor belts or like feeding devices · CPC title