Recording apparatus

Abstract: An ink jet printer comprises recording means for recording on a recording medium (6) by supplying ink to a recording position; first feeding means provided upstream of the recording position with respect to a feeding direction of the recording medium (6), for feeding the recording medium (6) to pass through the recording position; second feeding means provided downstream of the recording position with respect to the feeding direction of the recording medium, for feeding the recording medium (6) passed through the recording position to separate it from the recording position; and heating and guiding means provided between the first and second feeding means, for guiding the recording medium (6) passed through the recording position in such a manner that the recording medium (6) is convex toward the recording means and for generating heat to evaporate the ink on the recording medium (6).

Description: Field of the Invention This invention relates to a recording apparatus which can solve various problems arose due to the existence of heat, and more particularly, it relates to a recording apparatus according to the preamble of the present claim 1. Related Background Art Up to date, ink jet printers have been advantageous in the point that there was no need to use a specific fixing means for a recorded paper. However, recently, ink jet heads having rapid or prompt response features and microprocessors capable of performing high speed operation have been proposed, and high-density multi-orifice ink jet heads and longer ink jet heads have remarkably been developed in accordance with the progress of high accuracy and/or super precision working techniques. Consequently, the recording speed of the ink jet printer has rapidly been increased, and thus, some problems which were not regarded as much important up to date have been arisen. In the ink jet printing system, liquid or molten ink drops are jetted onto a recording paper i.e., recording medium. The fixing of the ink on the recording medium is effected by penetrating the ink into the recording medium or by vaporizing the solvent in the ink (by means of vaporizing process) to fix the ink pigment on the recording medium, thereby forming an image on the recording medium. More specifically, the ink attached onto the recording medium (normally, a plain paper) is fixed on the recording medium by penetrating the ink into the medium by capillarity and/or chemical bonding force, or by leaving the ink pigment or ink dyes on the recording medium by evaporating the solvent in the ink liquid. However, in these cases, the fixing speed depends upon not only the configuration and physical feature of the recording medium but also the surrounding atmosphere. Further, the time when the ink is naturally or unartificially fixed on the recording medium cannot be reduced beyond a certain limit due to the physical property. Therefore, in the recent high speed printing operation, there arose a problem that the recording medium was ejected before the fixing was completed. In such a case, the printer or an operator's finger is smudged with unfixed ink, or the back of the next recording paper is smudged with unfixed ink on the previous recording medium, or an image of high quality cannot be obtained due to flowage of unfixed ink on the recording medium. In order to prevent the worsening of the recording quality due to such imperfect fixing, for example, a special recording medium (such as coated paper and the like) having an absorbable coating layer thereon has been used to shorten or decrease the fixing time. In this case, however, an important merit that the plain paper can be used in the ink jet printing system is lost, and a new problem that the use of the special recording paper prevents a wide development of the ink jet printing system arises. On the other hand, a technique in which the fixing means includes a heating means for heating the recording medium so as to decrease the fixing time has also been proposed. For example, West German Patent Laid-Open No. 2,717,119 discloses a technique in which the thermal fixing is effected by heating a recorded recording sheet by means of a flat heater. With this technique, the fixing efficiency is improved; however, this proposed technique is still insufficient. That is to say, in this proposed technique, the heated surface (i.e., the back) of the recording sheet tends to be shrinked, thereby curling the recording sheet. Further, since the front surface of the recording sheet is supplied with ink liquid by means of the ink jet head, the front surface of the recording sheet tends to expand due to moisture of the ink, thus growing up the curl of the recording sheet. If the recording sheet is so curled, the efficiency of heat transmission to the recording sheet is considerably worsened; thus, in order to obtain the desired fixing, the calorific value or heating value of the heater must be increased. However, the increased calorific value not only increases consumption of energy, but also tends to dry the ink jet head, thus jamming orifices of the ink jet head. Nevertheless, there was room to improve the efficiency of the heating and/or to obtain a compact construction of the ink jet printer. Further, in the recording apparatuses such as ink jet printers and wire dot printers, a distance between a recording head and a recording sheet (referred to as "head gap" hereinafter) must be relatively severely controlled. If the head gap is not maintained properly, in case of the wire dot printer, since impact force cannot be maintained uniformly in the printing cycles, there arises a difference in density between the printed images, and in case of the ink jet printer, deflected ink dots are recorded on the recording sheet. Further, if the recording sheet is contacted with the printing head, the surface to be recorded (of the recording sheet) will be smudged. Therefore, normally, in the recording apparatus, as shown in Fig. 10, a recording sheet 103 wound around a platen 101 and being fed to a recording position by means of the platen and pinch rollers 102 is pressed against the platen 101 just ahead Of a recording head 104 by means of a sheet holding plate 105. More particularly, by pressing the recording sheet 103 against the platen 101 tangential thereto with uniform force by means of the sheet holding plate 105. The recording sheet 103 is maintained parallel to a face of the recording head 104, thus ensuring a proper head gap. Further, in a recent printer market, a tendency that the printer is modified from one for special use to one for general use (that is, a tendency that the printer is popularized) is seen lately; for example, a printer which can print or record characters on any recording sheet has been requested. In this regard, since the wire dot printer is an impact-type printer, it can easily record the characters or images even on a plain paper; however, in case of the ink jet printer, since the ink is used as a printing medium, there was a problem of the fixing of ink on the recording sheet. Thus, it has been considered that in the ink jet printer the plain paper could not be used since it was difficult to fix the ink on recording sheets other than a special sheet. However, recently, various methods and systems for fixing the ink on the recording sheet have been proposed. Among them, as a fixing apparatus having a relatively simple and compact construction, an evaporating fixing apparatus which includes a heater arranged inside a platen roller or arranged in a paper path other than that associated with rollers and wherein the fixing is effected by heating a recorded surface of the recording sheet by means of the heater to evaporate the moisture in the ink has been put to practical use. For example, in an apparatus shown in Fig. 11, a heater 106 is arranged inside a platen 101 and a recording sheet 103 fed by pinch rollers 102 is heated adequately before it reaches a recording head 104. Alternatively, in an apparatus shown in Fig. 12, a heater 108 is arranged behind a heating plate 107 which also acts as a flat platen. A recording sheet 103 fed by pinch rollers 102 is pressed against the platen roller 101 by a sheet holding plate 105 and then is fed to the heating plate 107, where the ink drops jetted onto the recording paper is vaporized to fix the ink dyes on the sheet. However, in the above-mentioned printers having a heater, it is, of course, necessary to provide a sheet holding plate. In these printers, since the heat is transmitted from the heated recording sheet to the sheet holding plate, the sheet holding plate is deflected, as shown in Fig. 13, due to the difference in thermal strain derived from uneven temperature distribution on the sheet holding plate. More particularly, in Fig. 13 showing a printer having a carriage 110 and a heater (not shown) incorporated into a platen 101, a recording sheet 103 introduced into the printer along a sheet guide 109 is heated by the heater in the platen 101. Further, the recording sheet 103 is pressed against the platen 101 by means of a sheet holding plate 105. In this connection, since an edge 105A of the sheet holding plate 105 is in contact with the heated recording sheet 103, the edge portion 105A of the sheet holding plate is locally heated; whereas the remaining portion of the sheet holding plate is not so heated as the edge portion, since the heat transmitted to said remaining portion is dispersed through a frame 111 by which the sheet holding plate 105 is supported. Consequently, corrugated deflection as shown in Fig. 13 is created on the edge portion 105A of the sheet holding plate. In such circumstances, the recording sheet 103 cannot uniformly be pressed against the platen 101 due to the deflection of the sheet holding plate, with the result of which the recording sheet floats partly above the platen, thereby causing disorder of the recorded image, oblique movement of the recording sheet and the like; further, in this case, if the recording sheet 103 contacts the recording head, the sheet will be smudged with ink. Of course, such condition is bad to look at and causes functional defects. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus which can solve various problems arose due to the existence of heat. Another object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus which achieves high fixing efficiency and can eliminate the smudge of the recording sheet and the jamming of the nozzles in the printing head. Further object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus in which the sheet holding plate is not deflected or distorted. These objects can be achieved by a recording apparatus and a printer, respectively, having technical features according to the present claims 1 or 4. The present invention consists in the provision of a press plate which is pressed against a friction roller or a heating member, respectively, and which is provided with a plurality of slots. These slots are formed at an edge portion of the press plate and extend substantially perpendicular to the axial direction of the friction roller so as to compensate strain created on the edge portion. These and other objects will be apparent from the explanation hereinbelow. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figs. 1 and 2 show two embodiments of the present invention, wherein, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a recording apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of a sheet holding plate of a recording apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention; Figs. 3 to 6 shows conventional recording apparatuses, wherein, Fig. 3 is an end view of a conventional recording apparatus; Fig. 4 is a sectional end view of another conventional recording apparatus; Fig. 5 is a sectional end view of a further conventional recording apparatus; and Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a further conventional recording apparatus. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will now be explained with reference to the illustrated embodiments. These, embodiments of the present invention can effectively solve the problem of the thermal deflection or distortion of the sheet holding plate as well as the various problems arose due to the existence of heat. Fig. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the recording apparatus includes a platen or friction roller 101 incorporating a heater (not shown) therein, a recording head 104 carried by a carriage 110 which can be shifted along a pair of guide shafts 112A and 112B by means of an appropriate driving means (not shown), an ink supplying conduit 113, a flexible cable 114 for applying an ink jetting signal to the recording head 104, and a restoring device 115 for preventing the jamming of nozzles in the recording head 104 to ensure correct ink jetting operation. A sheet holding plate 121 of the recording apparatus of this embodiment especially a portion of this plate 121 has an edge portion 121A which is pressed against the platen roller 101. The edge portion 105A has a plurality of parallel notches or slots 122. The depth of each slot 122 and the distance between the adjacent slots may be suitably selected. For example, the distance between the adjacent slots 122 may be reduced if a large amount of heat is transmitted to the edge portion 121A of the sheet holding plate 121 due to the higher temperature of the heater. Further, the depth of each slot 122 may be adjusted to obtain an optimum spring rate of the sheet holding plate 121. Preferably, the depth of the slot is smaller than a half of width (length of the plate measured in a direction that the slot extends) of the sheet holding plate. With such construction of the sheet holding plate 121, since the heat transmitted to the edge portion 121A is dispersed through the slots 122 and the slots can compensate or absorb thermal expansion in a longitudinal direction of the sheet holding plate 121, the edge portion 121A is not deflected even if the thermal strain is generated thereon, thus maintaining the good contact of the recording medium 103 against the platen 101. Fig. 2 shows a second embodiment of the present invention, wherein a sheet holding plate 121 has a recessed upper portion including an edge 121A which contacts with the platen roller (not shown) and a slotted or notched lower portion. In this embodiment, a central tongue 121B formed in the lower portion of the sheet holding plate 121 is suitably fixed, but the other tongues (side tongues) 121B can be moved laterally in an appropriate slots (not shown). It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the ink jet printer or wire dot printer. For example, the present invention can be widely adopted to a copying machine and other machines having a fixing means including a heat source and means for holding a heated sheet and the like, to effectively eliminate the thermal distortion of the sheet holding plate due to uneven temperature distribution thereon.

Claims: A recording apparatus comprising a recording means (5, 104) for recording on a recording medium (6, 103) at a recording position and a friction roller (9, 101) which is rotatable to feed said recording medium to said recording position, characterized by a sheet holding means having a plate portion (121) pressed against the friction roller on a circumferential surface of said friction roller, said plate portion (121) having a plurality of recesses or slots (122) at an edge portion (121A) pressed against the friction roller or at an opposite side to compensate strain created on said edge portion, said slots extending substantially perpendicular to the axial direction of said friction roller. A recording apparatus as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that said sheet holding means comprises a flat member made of metal or plastic material. A recording apparatus as set forth in claim 2, characterized in that said slots (122) formed in said plate portion (121) are positioned in said edge portion pressed against said friction roller, a depth of each of said slots being smaller than a total width of the sheet holding plate measured in a direction to which said slots extend. A printer comprising a carriage (4, 110) for mounting an ink jet recording means (5; 104) for recording on a recording sheet (6; 103) and means (9; 101) for providing a conveyance route for conveying the recording sheet through a recording area where said recording means is opposed to the recording sheet (6; 103) and records on the recording sheet, said means comprising a heating member (1; 11; 15; 16; 106) for contacting the recording sheet to heat the recording sheet, characterized by a press plate (121) disposed upstream of the recording area with respect to the conveying route for pressing the recording sheet (103) to said heating member, said press plate comprising a plurality of slots (122) spaced apart from each other in a direction perpendicular to a conveying direction of the recording sheet. A printer according to claim 4, characterized in that the depth of each slot (122) is adjusted such that an optimum spring rate at the press plate (121) which contacts said heating member (101 - 106) is obtainable. A printer according to claim 4, characterized in that said plurality of slots (between tongues 121B) are provided on said end of said press plate on the upstream portion of said press plate with respect to said conveying direction. A printer according to one of the claims 4 or 5, characterized in that said plurality of slots (122) of said press plate (121) are provided on a side end of said press plate on the downstream portion of said press plate with respect to said conveying direction. A printer according to claim 4, characterized in that the length of said plurality of slots (122) is smaller than half the width of said press plate (121) with respect to said conveying direction.

Inventors: INOUE HIROYUKI, MIYAKAWA AKIRA, INOUE, HIROYUKI, MIYAKAWA, AKIRA
Applicants: CANON KK, CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Application year: 1988
Main classification: B41J2
IPC codes: B41J11