Recording apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9950546-B2
Application number	US-201514634224-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 27, 2015
Priority date	Mar 12, 2014
Publication date	Apr 24, 2018
Grant date	Apr 24, 2018

Abstract

A printer includes a recording head performing recording on a medium and includes a base stand that has a mounting surface capable of mounting the medium. A pump that absorbs or suctions the medium mounted on the mounting surface of the base stand, in which a pressure or a suction force is applied from a part of the medium to an entirety thereof.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A recording apparatus having a recording section that performs recording on a medium, the recording apparatus comprising:
a mounting section that has a mounting surface capable of mounting the medium, the mounting surface including a plurality of suction holes,
a decompression chamber located underneath the mounting section, wherein the decompression chamber communicates with the plurality of suction holes,
an exhaust tube that is connected to a first corner of the mounting surface in the decompression chamber, wherein the exhaust tube sucks air through the plurality of suction holes,
a recording head that performs recording when a state of suction is performed without moving medium,
wherein a ratio per unit area of the plurality of suction holes is gradually decreased as a distance from the first corner to other corners.

2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein when directions orthogonal to each other in a direction along the mounting surface of the mounting section are a first direction and second direction,
the end portion includes end portions of both the first direction and the second direction in the mounting surface of the mounting section.

3. The recording apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the recording section starts recording from a portion of the medium in the medium mounted on the end portion of the mounting section.

4. The recording apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the holes of the plurality of suction holes are opened to the mounting surface and negative pressure chambers that communicate with the plurality of suction holes, and
wherein a suction section sucks the medium mounted on the mounting surface through the suction holes and suctions the medium to the mounting surface by generating a negative pressure in the negative pressure chambers by sucking air inside the negative pressure chambers beginning from the end portion of the mounting section.

5. The recording apparatus according to claim 4 ,
wherein in the negative pressure chamber, a cross-sectional area of a flow path of air which is sucked by the suction section gradually widens as a distance from the end portion of the mounting section is increased.

6. The recording apparatus according to claim 4 ,
wherein the plurality of suction holes are arranged radially from the end portion with respect to the mounting surface of the mounting section.

7. The recording apparatus according to claim 4 ,
wherein opening areas of the plurality of suction holes are gradually narrowed as the distance from the end portion of the mounting section is increased.

8. The recording apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the decompression chamber comprises a single negative pressure generator.

9. The recording apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a suction section that includes the decompression chamber, which is a negative pressure chamber, wherein the negative pressure chamber comprises a tilted bottom surface having a downward gradient from an end position.

10. The recording apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein changes in the ratio per unit area of the plurality of suction holes depend on number of the plurality of suction holes.

11. The recording apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein air is sucked, in order, from a suction hole closest to the exhaust tube to a suction hole farthest from the exhaust tube.

12. The recording apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein when the air is sucked, a negative pressure is generated in a first suction hole closest to the exhaust tube before a negative pressure is generated in a second suction hole further away from the exhaust tube than the first suction hole.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Sakai Hiroaki
• Honobe Yuichi

Classifications

• B41J11/0085 Primary

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

• B41J3/28

  for printing downwardly on flat surfaces, e.g. of books, drawings, boxes {, envelopes, e.g. flat-bed ink-jet printers} · CPC title

• B41J11/0005

  Curl smoothing, i.e. smoothing down corrugated printing material, e.g. by pressing means acting on wrinkled printing material · CPC title

• B41J11/0045

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