Patent Publication Number: US-2010110156-A1

Title: Drying apparatus, recording apparatus and method for drying target

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present invention relates to a drying apparatus for fixing recording to a target by promoting the drying of liquid attached to the target on which the recording has been performed, a recording apparatus provided with the same, and a method for drying the target. 
     2. Related Art 
     According to the related art, an ink jet printer (hereinafter, referred to as a printer) is generally known as a recording apparatus that performs a recording operation by attaching liquid to a target. According to the printer, ink (liquid) supplied to a recording head is ejected from nozzles formed in the recording head so that printing (recording) is performed on a sheet serving as a target. 
     In relation to the printer, recently, as disclosed in patent document 1 (see JP-A-2003-54796), such a printer includes a drying apparatus to promote drying of ink attached to a sheet. In detail, the drying apparatus dries the ink by blowing hot wind toward the sheet with the ink attached thereto. 
     However, the printer disclosed in patent document 1 performs printing and drying processes on a rectangular sheet having an upstream end and a downstream end, which are wound around a shaft, in a transport direction. In this regard, when the printing and drying processes are performed on a cut sheet having a rectangular shape, an end of the cut sheet may become rolled up due to the hot wind blowing toward the cut sheet. Thus, the speed of the wind blowing toward the target may not be increased, and the drying speed of ink, which is proportional to the speed of the wind, may also not be increased. 
     SUMMARY 
     An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides a drying apparatus capable of drying liquid attached to a target at a higher speed while maintaining the flatness of the target, a recording apparatus, and a method for drying the target. 
     According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a drying apparatus including a transport unit that transports a target in a form of a cut sheet, on which a recording process has been performed through attachment of liquid, from an upstream side to a downstream side of a transport direction, and a drying unit that performs a drying process on the target transported by the transport unit by blowing wind toward a liquid attachment surface of the target, a rear surface of the target being supported by a support surface of a support member, the drying unit being provided with a blowing port which allows wind to blow toward an end portion of the target at the downstream side of the transport direction in a first direction from the upstream side to the downstream side of the transport direction, and allows wind to blow toward an end portion of the target at the upstream side of the transport direction in a second direction from the downstream side to the upstream side of the transport direction. 
     According to the above configuration, if the target in the form of the cut sheet, on which the recording process has been performed through attachment of liquid, is transported by the transport unit, the end of the target (that is, the front end in the transport direction) at the downstream side of the transport direction is exposed to the wind blowing in the first direction from the upstream side to the downstream side of the transport direction. In detail, when the target being transported approaches the drying unit, the front end of the target in the transport direction is exposed to the wind in the direction opposite to the direction in which the end of the target is rolled up, so that the target is pressed to the support surface. Then, when the target is transported to the downstream side beyond the drying unit, the end of the target (that is, the rear end in the transport direction) at the upstream side of the transport direction is exposed to the wind blowing in the second direction from the downstream side to the upstream side of the transport direction, which is opposite to the direction in which the end of the target is rolled up, so that the target is pressed to the support surface. That is, the drying unit can perform the drying process by blowing the wind such that the ends of the target at the downstream side and the upstream side of the transport direction are pressed to the support surface. Thus, the liquid can be dried at a higher speed by increasing the speed of the wind blowing toward the target while the flatness of the target is maintained. 
     According to the drying apparatus of the invention, the drying unit includes a wind direction change section that changes the direction of the wind, which blows from the blowing port to the target, by changing an angle of the blowing port with respect to the target. 
     According to the above configuration, the wind direction change section of the drying unit can change the direction of the wind blowing toward the target by changing the angle of the blowing port with respect to the target. That is, when the end of the target being transported at the downstream side of the transport direction approaches a position corresponding to the blowing port of the drying unit, the blowing port is directed to the downstream side, so that the target can be exposed to the wind blowing in the first direction. Then, when the target is transported and the end of the target at the upstream side of the transport direction passes through the position corresponding to the blowing port of the drying unit, the blowing port is directed to the upstream side, so that the target can be exposed to the wind blowing in the second direction. Consequently, the ends of the target at the downstream side and the upstream side of the transport direction can be prevented from becoming rolled up through this simple configuration, so that the drying process can be performed. 
     According to the drying apparatus of the invention, the drying unit includes a first blowing port through which wind blows in the first direction, a second blowing port through which wind blows in the second direction, and a blowing stop section that stops blowing from the first blowing port when the end portion of the target at the upstream side of the transport direction passes through a position corresponding to the first blowing port, and stops blowing from the second blowing port when the end portion of the target at the downstream side of the transport direction passes through a position corresponding to the second blowing port, the periphery of an opening of the first blowing port at the upstream side of the transport direction being located at the upstream side of the transport direction as compared with the periphery of an opening of the second blowing port at the upstream side of the transport direction, and the periphery of an opening of the second blowing port at the downstream side of the transport direction being located at the downstream side of the transport direction as compared with the periphery of an opening of the first blowing port at the downstream side of the transport direction. 
     According to the above configuration, the first blowing port and the second blowing port, which have blowing directions different from each other, are installed, and blowing from the first blowing port and the second blowing port are properly stopped, so that the speed of the wind blowing toward the target is increased in a simple manner and thus the liquid can be dried at a higher speed while the flatness of the target is maintained. 
     According to the drying apparatus of the invention, the drying unit includes a first blowing section provided with the first blowing port, and a second blowing section provided with the second blowing port, the first blowing section and the second blowing section being arranged in parallel to each other such that portions of the first and second blowing sections along the transport direction are adjacent to each other in a width direction of the target, which is perpendicular to the transport direction. 
     According to the above configuration, the blowing sections with the same standard, which have the blowing direction along the transport direction, are arranged in parallel to each other such that the blowing direction indicates the first direction and the second direction opposite to the first direction, so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced through the standardization of the blowing sections. 
     According to the drying apparatus of the invention, the first blowing section has a trapezoidal shape in which a width of an upstream end thereof is smaller than a width of a downstream end thereof in the width direction when viewed in a plan view, and the second blowing section has a trapezoidal shape in which a width of an upstream end thereof is larger than a width of a downstream end thereof in the width direction when viewed in a plan view. 
     According to the above configuration, the portions of the first blowing section and the second blowing section, which have a trapezoidal shape, are adjacent to each other in the width direction, so that the positions of the target corresponding to the boundary lines between the first blowing section and the second blowing section vary depending on the transportation of the target. Thus, it is possible to make uneven drying unnoticed which is caused by the difference between the drying states in the boundary lines between the first blowing section and the second blowing section. 
     A recording apparatus of the invention includes a recording unit that attaches liquid to a target transported by a transport unit to perform a recording process on the target, and the drying apparatus having the above configuration. 
     According to the above configuration, the target with liquid attached thereto is subject to a drying process by the drying apparatus at a higher speed while the flatness of the target is maintained. Thus, distortion of an image caused by modification of the target, or contamination of the recording apparatus due to non-dried liquid attached to the target can be prevented, so that recording can be performed on the target. 
     According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for drying a target, which includes a first drying process of blowing wind toward an end portion of the target in a form of a cut sheet at a downstream side of a transport direction of the target at a first timing in a first direction from an upstream side to the downstream side of the transport direction of the target, the target being transported with liquid attached thereto to perform a drying operation, and a second drying process of blowing wind toward an end portion of the target at the upstream side of the transport direction of the target at a second timing delayed from the first timing in a second direction from the downstream side to the upstream side of the transport direction to perform a drying operation. 
     According to the above configuration, in the first drying process, if the target with the liquid attached thereto is transported, the end (that is, the front end in the transport direction) of the target at the downstream side of the transport direction is exposed to the wind at the first timing, which blows in the first direction from the upstream side to the downstream side of the transport direction. In the second drying process, the end (that is, the rear end in the transport direction) of the target at the upstream side of the transport direction is exposed to the wind at the second timing delayed from the first timing, which blows in the second direction from the downstream side to the upstream side of the transport direction. Thus, similarly to the drying apparatus having the above configuration, the speed of the wind blowing toward the target is increased, so that the liquid can be dried at a higher speed while the flatness of the target is maintained. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like numbers reference like elements. 
         FIG. 1  is a front view schematically showing a printer according to a first embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is a plan view schematically showing a printer. 
         FIG. 3A  is a view schematically showing a configuration of a first shape of a hot wind unit. 
         FIG. 3B  is a view schematically showing a configuration of a second shape of a hot wind unit. 
         FIG. 3C  is a view schematically showing a configuration of a third shape of a hot wind unit. 
         FIG. 4  is a sectional view schematically showing a hot wind unit according to a second embodiment. 
         FIG. 5  is a plan view schematically showing a hot wind unit according to a third embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
     First Embodiment 
     Hereinafter, a recording apparatus embodied as an ink jet printer (hereinafter, referred to as a printer) according to a first embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to  FIGS. 1 to 3 . In the following description, front and rear directions, right and left directions, and up and down directions refer to directions indicated by arrows shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the printer  11  serving as the recording apparatus includes a preheat device  13  that heats a sheet  12  which is supplied from a sheet feeding tray (not shown) as a target in the form of a cut sheet, a printing unit  14  that performs printing on the sheet  12  heated by the preheat device  13 , and a drying device  15  that dries the sheet  12  so that printing is fixed. The sheet  12  dried by the drying device  15  is discharged to a sheet discharge tray (not shown). 
     The preheat device  13  includes a pair of upper and lower heat rollers  13   a  and  13   b , which are arranged in both sides of the sheet  12  which is not printed, to nip the sheet  12  and send the sheet  12  to the printing unit  14  one by one. Further, the heat rollers  13   a  and  13   b  are heated by a heater (not shown). That is, the sheet  12  is heated by heat from the heat rollers  13   a  and  13   b  when the sheet  12  is nipped by the heat rollers  13   a  and  13   b.    
     Next, the printing unit  14  will be described. 
     The printing unit  14  includes a platen  16  having a rectangular shape, and an upper surface  16   a  of the platen  16  serves as a transport path of the sheet  12 . Further, the platen  16  is formed with a plurality of rectangular through holes  17  (six through holes in the embodiment) which are formed through the upper surface  16   a  and the lower surface  16   b  of the platen  16  in a zigzag manner in the width direction (front and rear directions) of the sheet  12 , which are perpendicular to the transport direction (right and left directions) of the sheet  12 . 
     Further, recording heads  18  in the same quantity as the number of the through holes  17  are arranged on the upper surface of the platen  16  in a zigzag manner such that no gap is formed in the front and rear directions. The recording heads  18  correspond to the through holes  17  in the up and down directions. 
     Further, a plurality of nozzles (not shown) are formed on nozzle installation surfaces serving as the lower surfaces of the recording heads  18  to eject ink (liquid) toward the sheet  12  transported along the upper surface  16   a  of the platen  16  while forming a plurality of nozzle arrays along the front and rear directions. Further, various types (colors) of inks are supplied to the nozzle arrays in the recording heads  18  from an ink cartridge (not shown), and then are ejected toward the sheet  12  from the nozzles of each nozzle array, so that printing is performed as a recording process. 
     Further, a sheet end detection sensor  19  is provided at a downstream side (right side) of the transport direction beyond the recording heads  18  above the platen  16  to detect right and left ends of the sheet  12  having passed the printing unit  14  after being carried from the preheat device  13 . 
     Meanwhile, as shown in  FIG. 1 , caps  21  in the same quantity as the number of the through holes  17  are installed below the platen  16  in a zigzag manner in correspondence with the through holes  17  in the up and down directions. Each cap  21  is provided with a movable unit (not shown) that moves the cap  21  in the up and down directions. Thus, if the caps  21  move upward through the through holes  17  as the movable unit is driven, the caps  21  make contact with the nozzle arrays with respect to the nozzle installation surfaces of the recording heads  18 , to which the through holes  17  correspond, while surrounding the nozzle arrays. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , a plurality of platen heaters  22  (two heaters in the embodiment) are installed in the platen  16 . Each platen heater  22  generates heat by current applied from a heating unit (not shown) to heat the platen  16 . 
     Further, the platen heaters  22  have the same shapes and are point symmetrically formed about the center of the platen  16 . In detail, each platen heater  22  is formed with a meander shape with a point-symmetric arrangement by bending one member having a rectangular shape, which extends in the front and rear directions, many times such that the member is prevented from making contact with the through holes  17 . Further, each platen heater  22  includes a plurality of first heating units  22   a  (three heating units in the embodiment), which are disposed between both ends of the platen  16  in the right and left directions and the through holes  17 , and a plurality of second heating units  22   b  (four heating units in the embodiment), which are each formed by bending the first heating units  22   a  in the right and left directions and are disposed between the through holes  17  and between the through holes  17  and both ends of the platen  16  in the front and rear directions. 
     Then, the drying device  15  will be described. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the drying device  15  is provided with a transport unit  24  serving as a transport device to support and pull a front end of the sheet  12 , which is carried from the preheat unit  13 , in such a manner that the sheet  12  slidably moves along the upper surface  16   a  of the platen  16  in the printing unit  14 . 
     The transport unit  24  includes a rectangular support plate  25  having a width wider than that of the sheet  12 . A driving roller  26  extending in the front and rear directions is provided at a right side of the support plate  25  and is rotated by a driving motor (not shown). Further, a driven roller  27  extending in the front and rear directions is provided at a left side of the support plate  25  and is rotated together with the driving roller  26 . Further, a tension roller  28  extending in the front and rear directions is provided below the support plate  25  and is rotated together with the driving roller  26  and the driven roller  27 . 
     One endless belt  29  serving as a support member is wound around the driving roller  26 , the driven roller  27  and the tension roller  28  to surround the support plate  25 . When the belt  29  slidably moves on the support plate  25 , a support surface  29   a  of the belt  29  coincides with the upper surface  16   a  of the platen  16 . Further, the tension roller  28  is urged downward by a spring member (not shown) so that tension is applied to the belt  29 , thereby preventing the belt  29  from being loosened. 
     Further, the driving roller  26  is rotated clockwise by a driving motor (not shown) when viewed in a front view, so that the belt  29  is rotated (driven) clockwise along an outer side of the driving roller  26 , the tension roller  28  and the driven roller  27  when viewed in a front view. In such a case, an inner surface of the belt  29  slidably moves along an upper surface of the support plate  25  from the left side to the right side, so that the sheet  12  on the belt  29  is supported by the support surface  29   a  and is transported from the left side (upstream side) to the right side (downstream side). 
     The belt  29  is formed with a plurality of air holes  30  which extend through the support surface  29   a , which supports the sheet  12 , and a rear surface that makes sliding-contact with the support plate  25 . Further, the air holes  30  are regularly arranged such that a plurality of air hole arrays  31  disposed in the front and rear directions are spaced apart from each other in the right and left direction at predetermined intervals. 
     Further, the support plate  25  is formed with a plurality of absorption holes (not shown) which vertically extend through the support plate  25 , that is, which are formed in the thickness direction of the support plate  25 . An absorption unit  33  having a casing shape and a fan  32  therein is installed below the support plate  25  to cover openings of the absorption holes formed through a lower surface of the support plate  25 . Further, as the fan  32  is driven, the absorption holes are in a negative pressure state, so that absorption force is applied downward to the sheet  12  loaded on the belt  29  through the air holes  30  which communicate with the absorption holes. 
     Further, a hot wind unit  34  serving as a drying unit is installed above the transport unit  24  to promote drying of the sheet  12  transported to the transport unit  24  after being printed by the printing unit  14 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the hot wind unit  34  is formed at a lower surface thereof in opposition to the sheet  12  with a blowing port  35 , and includes a blowing unit  36  which is provided over the width direction of the sheet  12  and has a rectangular shape when viewed in a plan view. Further, a connection pipe  37  communicating with the blowing port  35  protrudes upward from the center portion of the blowing unit  36  in the front and rear directions. Further, as shown in  FIG. 1 , the connection pipe  37  is connected to a front end of a flexible duct  38  which is provided at a base part thereof with a blowing fan (not shown) and a heater (not shown). That is, the hot wind unit  34  blows the hot wind, which is supplied from the duct  38 , toward the surface of the sheet  12  with the ink attached thereto through the blowing port  35 , thereby drying the ink so that printed content can be fixed on the sheet  12 . 
     Further, the blowing unit  36  is supported by a bracket (not shown) through a shaft  39  extending through the blowing unit  36  in the front and rear directions, and is rotated together with the shaft  39 . In detail, the shaft  39  is provided at a front end thereof with a driven geared wheel  43  which is engaged with a driving geared wheel  42  installed at a driving shaft  41  of a rotary actuator motor  40 . 
     According to the above configuration, if a controller  44  controls the rotary actuator motor  40  to rotate in the forward direction according to a detection result of the sheet end detection sensor  19 , the blowing unit  36  is rotated counterclockwise when viewed in a front view, so that the blowing port  35  is directed rightward as shown in  FIG. 3A . That is, the blowing unit  36  is in a first state in which the blowing unit  36  blows wind in a right direction (first direction) from the upstream side (left side) to the downstream side (right side) of the transport direction of the sheet  12  as indicated by a white arrow. 
     Meanwhile, if the controller  44  controls the rotary actuator motor  40  to rotate in the reverse direction, the blowing unit  36  is rotated clockwise, the blowing unit  36  is in a second state in which the blowing unit  36  blows wind toward an ink attachment surface of the sheet  12  in the down direction (vertical direction) as shown in  FIG. 3B . 
     Further, if the rotary actuator motor  40  is rotated in the reverse direction, the blowing port  35  is directed leftward as shown in  FIG. 3C . In detail, the blowing unit  36  is in a third state in which the blowing unit  36  blows wind in a left direction (second direction) from the downstream side (right side) to the upstream side (left side) of the transport direction of the sheet  12 . 
     Further, if the rotary actuator motor  40  is rotated in the forward direction in the third state, the blowing unit  36  is switched from the second state to the first state. That is, according to the embodiment, the shaft  39 , the rotary actuator motor  40 , the driving shaft  41 , the driving geared wheel  42 , the driven geared wheel  43  and the controller  44  serve as a wind direction change section to change the angle of the blowing port  35  with respect to the sheet  12 . Further, the controller  44  controls the rotary actuator motor  40  to be shaken within a shaking angle at which the blowing unit  36  is switched from the first state to the third state via the second state. 
     Hereinafter, the operation of the printer  11  having the configuration as described above will be described while focusing on the drying operation of the drying device  15 , which is performed on the sheet  12  after the printing has been completed. 
     When the printing is performed, the heater that heats the heat rollers  13   a  and  13   b , the platen heater  22  and a heater that heats air in the duct  38  are heated through current applied thereto such that they reach the temperature suitable for the printing. At this time, the heat rollers  13   a  and  13   b  are rotated and simultaneously the driving roller  26  is rotated, so that the belt  29  is rotated. 
     If the sheet  12  is supplied from a sheet feeding tray (not shown), the sheet  12  is nipped by the heat rollers  13   a  and  13   b  being rotated and is sent to the printing unit  14 . At this time, the sheet  12  is preheated (preliminary heating) by heat from the heat rollers  13   a  and  13   b.    
     Further, the printing unit  14  performs the printing process by ejecting ink toward the sheet  12  slidably moving on the platen  16  after being carried from the preheat device  13 , and the sheet end detection sensor  19  detects the front end of the sheet  12 . Then, the controller  44  controls the rotary actuator motor  40  to rotate in the forward direction, so that the blowing unit  36  is shaken and comes into the first state. Further, the transport unit  24  absorbs the sheet  12  carried from the preheat device  13 , loads the sheet  12  on the belt  29 , and transports the sheet  12  rightward. 
     Thus, as shown in  FIG. 3   a , the front end of the sheet  12  in the transport direction, which is transported after being loaded on the belt  29 , that is, the end of the sheet  12  at the downstream side (right side) of the transport direction, is exposed to hot wind at a first timing, which blows in the right direction. That is, the sheet  12  is exposed to the hot wind blowing in the direction opposite to the direction in which the sheet  12  is rolled up, so that the sheet  12  is pressed to the support surface  29   a  of the belt  29  and is transported (first drying process). 
     Further, the controller  44  calculates a timing, at which the front end of the sheet  12  is carried from the transport unit  24 , based on the rotation speed of the belt  29  (rotation speed of the driving roller  26 ) to control the rotary actuator motor  40  to rotate in the reverse direction. Thus, the blowing unit  36  is in the second state as shown in  FIG. 3B . 
     Further, if the sheet  12  is transported and the sheet end detection sensor  19  detects the end of the sheet  12  at the upstream side (left side) of the transport direction, that is, the rear end (the rear end of the sheet  12  in the transport direction), the controller  44  controls the rotary actuator motor  40  to rotate in the reverse direction at the second timing, so that the blowing unit  36  comes into the third state as shown in  FIG. 3C . Thus, the rear end of the sheet  12  is exposed to hot wind, which blows in the left direction, at the second timing delayed from the first timing (second drying process). That is, the sheet  12  is exposed to the hot wind blowing in the direction opposite to the direction in which the sheet  12  is rolled up, so that the sheet  12  is pressed to the support surface  29   a  of the belt  29  and is discharged to a sheet discharge tray (not shown). 
     According to the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. 
     (1) if the sheet  12 , on which printing has been performed through attachment of ink, is transported by the transport unit  24 , the front end of the sheet  12  is exposed to wind blowing in the right direction. In detail, when the sheet  12  being transported approaches the hot wind unit  34 , the front end of the sheet  12  is exposed to wind blowing in the direction opposite to the direction in which the front end of the sheet  12  is rolled up, so that the sheet  12  is pressed to the belt  29 . Then, when the sheet  12  is transported rightward beyond the hot wind unit  34 , the rear end of the sheet  12  is exposed to wind blowing in the direction opposite to the direction in which the end of the sheet  12  is rolled up, that is, in the left direction, so that the sheet  12  is pressed to the belt  29 . That is, the hot wind unit  34  can perform the drying process by blowing the wind such that the front and rear ends of the sheet  12  are pressed to the belt  29 . Thus, the ink can be dried at a higher speed by increasing the speed of the wind blowing toward the sheet  12  while the flatness of the sheet  12  is maintained. 
     (2) in relation to the hot wind unit  34 , the controller  44  controls the rotary actuator motor  40  to rotate in the forward direction and the reverse direction to change the angle of the blowing port  35  with respect to the sheet  12 , so that the direction of the wind blowing toward the sheet  12  can be changed. That is, when the front end of the sheet  12  being transported approaches a position corresponding to the blowing port  35  of the hot wind unit  34 , the rotary actuator motor  40  is rotated in the forward direction, so the blowing port  35  is directed rightward, so that the sheet  12  can be exposed to the wind blowing in the first direction. Then, when the sheet  12  is transported and the rear end of the sheet  12  passes through the position corresponding to the blowing port  35  of the hot wind unit  34 , the blowing port  35  is directed leftward, so that the sheet  12  can be exposed to the wind blowing in the second direction. Thus, the front and rear ends of the sheet  12  can be prevented from being rolled up through this simple configuration, so that the drying process can be performed. 
     (3) the sheet  12  with the ink attached thereto is promptly subject to the drying process by the drying device  15  in a state in which the flatness of the sheet  12  is maintained. Thus, distortion of an image due to modification of the sheet  12  or contamination of the printer  11  due to non-dried ink attached to the sheet  12  can be prevented, so that recording can be performed on the sheet  12 . 
     Second Embodiment 
     Hereinafter, the second embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to  FIG. 4 . Since the second embodiment is identical to the first embodiment except that the hot wind unit is changed, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same elements and detailed description thereof will be omitted. 
     The hot wind unit  45  includes three blowing fans  46 ,  47  and  48  and three heaters (not shown), which are provided in partitioned blowing units  49 ,  50  and  51 , respectively. Right and left sidewalls of the blowing unit  49  include guide plates  52  and  53  which are installed in a width direction (front and rear directions) of the sheet  12  while extending toward the sheet  12  transported by a transport unit (not shown). Right and left sidewalls of the blowing unit  50  include guide plates  53  and  54  which are installed in the width direction (front and rear directions) of the sheet  12  while extending toward the sheet  12  transported by the transport unit (not shown). Right and left sidewalls of the blowing unit  51  include guide plates  54  and  55  which are installed in the width direction (front and rear directions) of the sheet  12  while extending toward the sheet  12  transported by the transport unit (not shown). 
     Further, front and rear sidewalls of each of the blowing units  49 ,  50  and  51  are vertically formed by a front plate (not shown) and a rear plate  59  which have a size identical to the size of each of the guide plates  52 ,  53 ,  54  and  55 . That is, the first blowing unit  49  installed at the left side of the hot wind unit  45  blows wind toward the sheet  12  from a blowing port  56  (first blowing port) surrounded by the first guide plate  52 , the second guide plate  53 , and the front plate and the rear plate  59 . Similarly to this, the second blowing unit  50  installed at the center portion of the hot wind unit  45  blows wind toward the sheet  12  from a blowing port  57  surrounded by the second guide plate  53 , the third guide plate  54 , and the front plate and the rear plate  59 . Further, the third blowing unit  51  installed at the right side of the hot wind unit  45  blows wind toward the sheet  12  from a blowing port  58  (second blowing port) surrounded by the third guide plate  54 , the fourth guide plate  55  and the front plate and the rear plate  59 . 
     In addition, the guide plates  52 ,  53 ,  54  and  55  are installed in such a manner that the adjacent guide plates  52  and  53  face each other, the adjacent guide plates  53  and  54  face each other, and the adjacent guide plates  54  and  55  face each other in the right and left directions, so that the right and left ends of an opening of the blowing port  56  are located at the upstream side as compared with the right and left ends of an opening of the blowing port  58 . Further, the first guide plate  52  installed at the leftmost side of the hot wind unit  45  is bent in such a manner that a lower portion of the first guide plate  52  is inclined rightward. Similarly to this, the fourth guide plate  55  installed at the rightmost side of the hot wind unit  45  is bent in such a manner that a lower portion of the fourth guide plate  55  is inclined leftward. 
     According to the above configuration, as the first blowing fan  46  is driven, the first blowing unit  49  blows wind from the blowing port  56  along the first guide plate  52  in the right direction (first direction) from the left side to the right side as indicated by a white arrow. Further, as the second blowing fan  47  is driven, the second blowing unit  50  blows wind toward the sheet  12  from the blowing port  57  along the second and third guide plates  53  and  54  in the down direction (vertical direction). Further, as the third blowing fan  48  is driven, the third blowing unit  51  blows wind from the blowing port  58  along the fourth guide plate  55  in the left direction (second direction) from the right side to the left side. 
     Hereinafter, the operation of the hot wind unit  45  having the configuration as described above will be described. First, the blowing fans  46 ,  47  and  48  are in an initial state and the operation thereof is stopped. If the sheet end detection sensor  19  detects the front end of the sheet  12  which is transported from the left side to the right side after printing has been completed, the controller  44  serving as a blowing stop section drives the first blowing fan  46 . Thus, the sheet  12  transported by the transport unit  24  is exposed to wind at the first timing, which blows in the right direction opposite to the direction in which the front end of the sheet  12  is rolled up, so that the sheet  12  passes through the hot wind unit  45  while being pressed to a belt (not shown) (first drying process). 
     Further, the controller  44  drives the second blowing fan  47  and the third blowing fan  48  at a timing, at which the front end of the sheet  12  has passed through the hot wind unit  45 , based on a transport speed at which the sheet  12  is transported. Thus, the sheet  12  is dried by the wind from the first to third blowing units  49  to  51  (see  FIG. 4 ). 
     Then, if the sheet  12  is further transported and the sheet end detection sensor  19  detects the rear end of the sheet  12 , the controller  44  stops driving the first blowing fan  46  and the second blowing fan  47 . Thus, the rear end of the sheet  12  is exposed to wind blowing from the third blowing unit  51  at the second timing in the left direction opposite to the direction in which the rear end of the sheet  12  is rolled up, so that the sheet  12  is pressed to the belt (not shown) and is discharged to a sheet discharge tray (second drying process). 
     According to the second embodiment, the following effects can be further obtained in addition to the above effects (1) to (3) according to the first embodiment. 
     (4) the blowing port  56  and the blowing port  58 , which have blowing directions different from each other, are installed, and the blowing from the blowing port  56  and the blowing port  58  is properly stopped, so that the speed of the wind blowing toward the sheet  12  is increased in a simple manner and thus the ink can be dried at a higher speed while the flatness of the sheet  12  is maintained. 
     Third Embodiment 
     Hereinafter, the third embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to  FIG. 5 . Since the third embodiment is identical to the previous embodiments except that the hot wind unit is changed, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same elements and detailed description thereof will be omitted. 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , the hot wind unit  60  includes a first drying unit  61  serving as a first blowing unit, a second drying unit  62  serving as a second blowing unit, and a plate  63  having a rectangular shape. The first and second drying units  61  and  62  have a trapezoidal shape when viewed in a plan view while being fixed to the plate  63 , and are arranged in parallel to each other such that portions of the first and second drying units  61  and  62  along the right and left directions are adjacent to each other in the front and rear directions. 
     In detail, the hot wind unit  60  includes at least one first drying unit  61  (three drying units in the embodiment) installed in the front and rear directions, in which widths of right and left ends in the front and rear directions are different from each other (this represents a trapezoidal shape when viewed in a plan view). Further, at least one second drying unit  62  (two drying units in the embodiment) is installed between the first drying units  61  while being located rightward beyond the first drying units  61 , so that the second drying units  62  are adjacent to the first drying units  61  which are adjacent to each other in the front and rear directions. 
     Further, blowing fans (not shown), which supply air to blowing passages installed in the first drying unit  61  and the second drying units  62  along the right and left directions, and heaters (not shown), which heat the air supplied through the blowing fans, are separately installed in the left end portion of the first drying unit  61  and the right end portion of the second drying units  62 . 
     In addition, the first drying unit  61  is provided with a blowing port  64  (first blowing port) which has a trapezoidal shape to blow hot wind in the blowing passage toward the sheet  12  being transported. Further, the second drying unit  62  is provided with a blowing port  65  (second blowing port) which blows hot wind in the blowing passage toward the sheet  12  being transported. 
     According to the above configuration, as the blowing fan of the first drying unit  61  is driven, blowing is performed in the first drying unit  61  in the right direction (first direction) from the left side, at which the width of the first drying unit  61  is small, to the right side at which the width of the first drying unit  61  is large. Thus, the sheet  12  is exposed to the hot wind blowing from the blowing port  64  in the right direction. 
     Similarly to this, as the blowing fan of the second drying unit  62  is driven, blowing is performed in the second drying unit  62  in the left direction (second direction) from the right side, at which the width of the second drying unit  62  is small, to the left side at which the width of the second drying unit  62  is large. Thus, the sheet  12  is exposed to the hot wind blowing from the blowing port  65  in the left direction. 
     According to the hot wind unit  60  of the embodiment, the first drying unit  61  and the second drying unit  62 , which have the same configuration, are installed such that the blowing directions of the first drying unit  61  and the second drying unit  62  are opposite to each other. Thus, the periphery of an opening of the blowing port  64  at the upstream side (left side) of the transport direction is located at the left side as compared with the periphery of a left opening of the blowing port  65 . Further, the periphery of an opening of the blowing port  65  at the downstream side (right side) of the transport direction is located at the right side as compared with a the periphery of a right opening of the blowing port  64 . 
     According to the above configuration, the controller  44  serving as a blowing stop section controls the blowing fans based on a detection result of the sheet end detection sensor  19  to control the blowing in the drying units  61  and  62 , so that the hot wind can blow toward the sheet  12  from the blowing ports  64  and  65  or not. 
     Hereinafter, the operation of the hot wind unit  60  having the configuration as described above will be described. 
     First, if the sheet end detection sensor  19  detects the front end of the sheet  12  on which printing has been performed by the printing unit  14 , the controller  44  starts blowing in the first drying unit  61  and the second drying unit  62 . Thus, the sheet  12  transported by a transport unit (not shown) is exposed to the wind from the first drying unit  61  at the first timing in the right direction opposite to the direction in which the front end of the sheet  12  is rolled up (first drying process). Consequently, the sheet  12  is pressed to a belt (not shown) and is transported. 
     Then, if the front end of the sheet  12  is transported to a position corresponding to the second drying unit  62 , the sheet  12  is exposed to wind in the left direction from the second drying unit  62  (blowing process). At this time, the sheet  12  is exposed to the wind blowing in the right direction from the first drying unit  61 , so that the flatness of the sheet  12  is maintained. 
     The controller  44  calculates the timing, at which the front end of the sheet  12  is located at the right end of the first drying unit  61 , based on the transport speed of the sheet  12  to stop the blowing in the second drying unit  62  (stop process at the downstream side). Thus, the front end of the sheet  12  is not subject to the wind blowing in the right direction opposite to the direction in which the front end of the sheet  12  is rolled up, and simultaneously the wind blowing in the left direction, in which the front end of the sheet  12  is rolled up, is stopped, so that the front end of the sheet  12  is loaded on the belt (not shown) and is transported. Then, the controller  44  starts the blowing in the second drying unit  62  at the timing at which the front end of the sheet  12  passes through the hot wind unit  60 . 
     As the sheet  12  is further transported, if the rear end of the sheet  12  is detected by the sheet end detection sensor  19 , the controller  44  stops the operation of the first drying unit  61  (stop process at the upstream side). When the rear end of the sheet  12  being transported passes through the first drying unit  61 , the effect of the wind in the right direction, which denotes the roll up direction, is stopped. 
     Further, the controller  44  starts the blowing in the first drying unit  61  at the timing, at which the rear end of the sheet  12  is located at the left end of the second drying unit  62 , based on the transport speed of the sheet  12 . That is, since the rear end of the sheet  12  is exposed to the wind from the second drying unit  62  in the left direction opposite to the roll up direction, although the rear end of the sheet  12  is exposed to the wind from the first drying unit  61  in the right direction serving as the roll up direction, the sheet  12  is transported while the flatness of the sheet  12  is maintained. 
     Then, although the rear end of the sheet  12  passes through the first drying unit  61  and is not subject to the hot wind in the right direction (second timing), the wind in the left direction from the second drying unit  62  continuously blows, so that the sheet  12  is pressed to the belt (not shown) and is discharged to a sheet discharge tray (not shown) (second drying process). 
     According to the third embodiment, the following effects can be further obtained in addition to the above effects (1) to (4) according to the previous embodiments. 
     (5) the drying units  61  and  62  with the same standard, which have the blowing direction along the transport direction, are arranged in parallel to each other such that the blowing direction indicates the left direction and the right direction opposite to the left direction, so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced through the standardization of the drying units  61  and  62 . 
     (6) the portions of the first drying units  61  and the second drying units  62 , which have a trapezoidal shape, are adjacent to each other in the front and rear directions, so that the positions of the sheet  12  corresponding to the boundary lines between the first drying units  61  and the second drying units  62  vary depending on the transportation of the sheet  12 . Thus, it is possible to make uneven drying unnoticed which is caused by the difference between the drying states in the boundary lines between the first drying units  61  and the second drying units  62 . 
     Further, the previous embodiments can be modified as follows. 
     Differently from the third embodiment, in relation to the blowing passage of the first drying unit  61 , the sectional area of the blowing passage at the upstream side (left side) of the transport direction of the sheet  12  may be smaller than the sectional area of the blowing passage at the downstream side (right side) of the transport direction. Further, in relation to the blowing passage of the second drying unit  62 , the sectional area thereof at the left side of the transport direction may be larger than the sectional area thereof at the right side of the transport direction. 
     Further, the force, by which the sheet  12  is pressed to the belt, is increased proportionally to the speed of wind blowing toward the sheet  12 . Further, the speed of the wind blowing from the blowing ports  64  and  65  after passing through the blowing passage is increased as the sectional area of the blowing passage is reduced. Thus, the sectional area of the blowing passage of the first drying unit  61  is small at the left side and is large at the right side, so that the speed of the wind passing through the blowing passage becomes faster at the left side and becomes slower at the right side. Meanwhile, the sectional area of the blowing passage of the second drying unit  62  is large at the left side and is small at the right side, so that the speed of the wind passing through the blowing passage becomes slower at the left side and becomes faster at the right side. Consequently, the front end of the sheet  12  transported to the hot wind unit  60  is pressed to the belt by the wind with a high speed in the right direction from the first drying unit  61  and is exposed to the wind with a low speed in the left direction from the second drying unit  62 , so that the front end of the sheet  12  can be effectively prevented from becoming rolled up. Similarly to this, although the rear end of the sheet  12  is exposed to the wind blowing from the first drying unit  61  in the right direction in which the rear end thereof is easily rolled up, the rear end of the sheet  12  is exposed to the wind with a high speed blowing from the second drying unit  62  in the left direction in which the rear end thereof is pressed to the belt, so that the rear end of the sheet  12  can be effectively prevented from becoming rolled up. 
     Differently from the third embodiment, the first drying unit  61  and the second drying unit  62  may have various shapes. For example, the first drying unit  61  and the second drying unit  62  may have a rectangular shape or a triangular shape when viewed in a plan view. In the second and third embodiments, shutters serving as blowing stop sections may be installed to close the blowing ports  56 ,  57 ,  58 ,  64  and  65 . Further, the controller  44  may open the shutters, which correspond to the blowing ports  56 ,  57 ,  58 ,  64  and  65 , at the driving timing of the blowing fan. 
     Differently from the second embodiment, an arrangement sequence of the first to third blowing units  49 ,  50  and  51  may be arbitrarily changed. Further, the second blowing unit  50  may be omitted. For example, the third blowing unit  51  may be installed at the upstream side (left side) of the transport direction and the first blowing unit  49  may be installed such that the first blowing unit  49  is adjacent to the third blowing unit  51  at the right side. Further, wind may blow from the blowing units  49  and  51  when the front end of the sheet  12  has passed through the blowing port  58  of the third blowing unit  51 , and the blowing of the first blowing units  49  may be stopped at the time point at which the rear end of the sheet  12  has passed through the third blowing unit  51 , so that the sheet  12  can be transported while being pressed to the belt. 
     Differently from the first embodiment, a blowing unit fixedly arranged with respect to the sheet  12  being transported may be employed as a wind direction change section, a base member may be installed at a blowing port of the blowing unit, and at least two wings may be installed in the front and rear directions to change the wind direction through sliding movement of the front ends of the wings. 
     Differently from the previous embodiments, a continuous forms paper having a surface, to which ink is attached through other printing schemes such as screen printings without using ink ejection through the recording head  18 , may be transported on the transport unit  24  and may be dried. 
     According to the previous embodiments, the liquid ejecting apparatus is embodied as the ink jet printer  11 . However, a liquid ejection apparatus for ejecting or exhausting liquid other than ink may be employed. The liquid ejecting apparatus is available for various liquid ejection apparatuses provided with a liquid ejection head that exhausts a small amount of liquid droplets. For example, the liquid droplets are in a liquid state, which are exhausted from the liquid ejection apparatus, and may include a grain shape with a long tail, teardrops with a long tail, and a thread shape with a long tail. Further, the liquid may include various materials which can be ejected from the liquid ejection apparatus. For example, the liquid may denote materials in a liquid phase, and may include liquid-phase materials having high or low viscosity, sol, gel water, and materials in a flowing state such as inorganic solvents, organic solvents, solutions, liquid phase resin and liquid phase materials (metal melt). Further, the liquid may include materials, which are obtained through dissolution, dispersion or mixing between particles of functional materials including solid materials (e.g., pigments or metal particles) and solvent, as well as liquid as one state of material. Further, the ink as described in the previous embodiments, liquid crystal or the like is a representative example of the liquid. The ink may include various liquid compositions such as normal water-based ink, solvent-based ink, gel ink and hot melt ink. For example, the liquid ejection apparatus may include a liquid ejection apparatus that ejects liquid including dispersed or dissolved electrode materials or color materials, which are used for manufacturing a liquid crystal display, an electroluminescence display, a surface emitting display, a color filter and the like, a liquid ejection apparatus that ejects bio-organic materials used for manufacturing a bio chip, a liquid ejection apparatus used as a precise pipette to eject liquid, a dyeing apparatus, a micro-dispenser and the like. In addition, it is possible to employ a liquid ejection apparatus that ejects lubricating oil to a precision apparatus such as a watch or a camera through a pin point, a liquid ejection apparatus that ejects transparent resin solution, such as UV curing resin, onto a substrate to form a micro hemispheric lens (optical lens) used for a light communication device and the like, and a liquid ejection apparatus that ejects etchant such as acid or alkali to etch a substrate. Further, the invention can be applied to at least one of the liquid ejection apparatuses. 
     The technical scope derived from the previous embodiments and the modifications is as follows. 
     According to the technical scope, there is provided a method for drying a target, the method including a process of blowing wind toward the transported target in the form of a cut sheet, on which a recording process has been performed, in the first direction from the upstream side to the downstream side of the transport direction of the target, and the second direction from the downstream side to the upstream side of the transport direction, the stop process at the upstream side of stopping the wind blowing in the first direction toward the end of the target at the upstream side of the transport direction, and the stop process at the downstream side of stopping the wind blowing in the second direction toward the end of the target at the downstream side of the transport direction. 
     According to the above configuration, in the stop process at the upstream side, if the target, on which the recording process has been performed, is transported, in relation to the drying process for the rear end of the target in the transport direction, the effect of the wind blowing in the first direction from the upstream side to the downstream side is stopped. Further, in the stop process at the downstream side, if the target, on which the drying process has been performed, is transported, in relation to the drying process for the front end of the target in the transport direction, the effect of the wind blowing in the second direction from the downstream side to the upstream side is stopped. That is, the wind in the direction (second direction), which is opposite to the roll up direction, remains in the rear end of the target in the transport direction, on which the recording process has been performed. Further, the wind in the direction (first direction), which is opposite to the roll up direction, remains in the front end of the target in the transport direction, on which the drying process has been performed. Thus, liquid attached to the target can be dried at a higher speed by increasing the speed of the wind blowing in the first direction and the second direction in a state in which the flatness of the target is maintained.