Ink jet recording device and method of conveying recording medium in the same

Abstract

An ink jet recording device includes a recording head, a conveying member, a platen, a supporting member, and a driving member. The recording head ejects ink droplets onto a recording medium. The conveying member conveys the recording medium in a conveying direction. The recording medium has a leading edge and a trailing edge in the conveying direction. The platen is disposed in confrontation with the recording head to support the recording medium while keeping a predetermined distance from the recording head. The supporting member is disposed in the platen to slide in the conveying direction while supporting the recording medium. The driving member drives the supporting member to start sliding in the conveying direction at a starting timing corresponding to a position of at least one of the leading edge and the trailing edge.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from reading the following description of the preferred embodiments taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an outline perspective view of a compound machine 1 in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the compound machine 1 in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a partial enlarged sectional view showing main configuration of a printer unit 2 of the compound machine 1 in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the printer unit 2 of the compound machine 1 in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a image recording unit 24 of the compound machine 1 in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of an ink jet recording head 39 of the compound machine 1 in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a partial enlarged sectional view showing internal configuration of the ink jet recording head 39 of the compound machine 1 in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part in FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 is a plan view of a platen 42 of the compound machine 1 in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a view of the platen 42 viewed from the direction of an arrow X in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a bottom view of the platen 42 of the compound machine 1 in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the platen 42 of the compound machine 1 in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention viewed from a bottom face;

FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of a main part in FIG. 9;

FIG. 14 is a view of the main part taken along a line XVI-XVI;

FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing configuration of a control unit 64 of the compound machine 1 in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 16 is a flow chart for illustrating an example of procedure of slide control processing executed by the control unit 64 in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 17 is a schematic view showing relationship between conveyance of a recording sheet 146 and movement of a movable support part 104 in the compound machine 1 in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 18 is a schematic view showing relationship between conveyance of the recording sheet 146 and movement of the movable support part 104 in the compound machine 1 in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 19 is a schematic view showing relationship between conveyance of the recording sheet 146 and movement of the movable support part 104 in the compound machine 1 in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 20 is a flow chart for illustrating an example of procedure of slide control processing executed by the control unit 64 in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 21 is a schematic view showing relationship between conveyance of the recording sheet 146 and movement of the movable support part 104 in the compound machine 1 in accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 22 is a schematic view showing relationship between conveyance of the recording sheet 146 and movement of the movable support part 104 in the compound machine 1 in accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention.

Claims

1. An ink jet recording device comprising: a recording head configured to eject ink droplets onto a recording medium;a conveying member configured to convey the recording medium in a conveying direction, the recording medium having a leading edge and a trailing edge in the conveying direction;a platen disposed in confrontation with the recording head to support the recording medium while keeping a predetermined distance from the recording head;a supporting member disposed in the platen to slide in the conveying direction while supporting the recording medium; anda driving member configured to drive the supporting member to start sliding in the conveying direction at a starting timing corresponding to a position of at least one of the leading edge and the trailing edge.

2. The ink jet recording device according to claim 1, wherein the supporting member has a leading end and a trailing end in the conveying direction, and the recording medium has a leading edge area around the leading edge and a trailing edge area around the trailing edge, wherein the driving member drives the supporting member to slide so that the leading end of the supporting member is positioned at an upstream of the leading edge of the recording medium in the conveying direction when a borderless recording is performed for the leading edge area, and so that the trailing end of the supporting member is positioned at downstream of the leading edge of the recording medium in the conveying direction when a borderless recording is performed for the trailing edge area.

3. The ink jet recording device according to claim 2, wherein the platen includes a first supporting part and a second supporting part, each being disposed in confrontation with the recording head, the second supporting part being disposed at a downstream of the first supporting part in the conveying direction and opposed to the first supporting part in the conveying direction, the platen being formed with a groove extending in a main scanning direction orthogonal to the conveying direction at a position between the first supporting part and the second supporting part, the groove having a printing region over which the recording head can eject ink droplets, the supporting member sliding in the groove.

4. The ink jet recording device according to claim 1, wherein the driving member drives the supporting member to start sliding after the leading edge of the recording medium starts sliding in a first predetermined region.

5. The ink jet recording device according to claim 1, wherein the driving member drives the supporting member to start sliding before the trailing edge of the recording medium starts sliding in a second predetermined region.

6. The ink jet recording device according to claim 1, wherein the driving member drives the supporting member to slide in synchronization with movement of the recording medium.

7. The ink jet recording device according to claim 3, wherein the first supporting part includes a plurality of first ribs disposed in confrontation with the recording head and arrayed in the main scanning direction, wherein the second supporting part includes a plurality of second ribs disposed in confrontation with the recording head and arrayed in the main scanning direction,wherein the supporting member includes a plurality of movable ribs disposed in confrontation with the recording head and arrayed in the main scanning direction, each of the movable ribs being disposed so as to slide in the conveying direction between a first position between the adjacent first ribs and a second position between the adjacent second ribs corresponding to the adjacent first ribs in the conveyance direction.

8. The ink jet recording device according to claim 3, wherein the groove has a groove width in the conveying direction, and the printing region has a printing width in the conveying direction, the groove width being larger than the printing width.

9. The ink jet recording device according to claim 1, wherein the supporting member has a chamfered corner at a position where the leading edge of the recording medium is abutable in the conveying direction.

10. The ink jet recording device according to claim 3, wherein the driving member drives the supporting member to move to a position for supporting the recording medium when the leading edge of the recording medium reaches a first position at an upstream of the printing region in the conveying direction.

11. The ink jet recording device according to claim 3, wherein the driving member drives the supporting member to move to a position for supporting the recording medium when the trailing edge of the recording medium reaches a second position at an upstream of the printing region in the conveying direction.

12. The ink jet recording device according to claim 3, wherein the conveying member comprises: a first conveying member disposed at an upstream of the printing region in the conveying direction to convey the recording medium in a conveying direction;a second conveying member disposed at a downstream of the printing region in the conveying direction to convey the recording medium in the conveying direction;wherein the driving member drives the supporting member to slide in a direction opposite to the conveying direction when the recording medium is conveyed by the second conveying member.

13. The ink jet recording device according to claim 12, wherein the driving member drives the supporting member to slide in the direction opposite to the conveying direction when the recording medium is conveyed by both the first conveying member and the second conveying member.

14. The ink jet recording device according to claim 12, wherein the second conveying member comprises: a driving roller; anda driven roller disposed in confrontation with the driving roller,wherein the driving roller and the driven roller convey the recording medium while holding the recording medium therebetween.

15. The ink jet recording device according to claim 1, wherein the supporting member has a length (R) in the conveying direction, and the length (R) meets with the following equation; R=H−(E1+E2) in which:H: a length of a maximum printing region of the recording head in the conveying direction;E1: p1+f;E2: p2+f;p1: a length by which the recording head overhangs the supporting member in the conveying direction when a borderless recording is performed for a leading edge area of the recording medium;p2: a length by which the recording head overhangs the supporting member in a direction opposite to the conveying direction when a borderless recording is performed for a trailing edge area of the recording medium; andf: a length by which an ejecting region of the recording head that actually ejects ink droplets overhangs the recording medium in the conveying direction when the borderless recording is performed for the leading edge area of the recording medium and in a direction opposite to the conveying direction when the borderless recording is performed for the trailing edge area of the recording medium.

16. The ink jet recording device according to claim 15, wherein E1 and E2 are each set to 1 mm to 13 mm.

17. The ink jet recording device according to claim 15, wherein the platen includes a first supporting part and a second supporting part, each being disposed in confrontation with the recording head, the second supporting part being disposed at a downstream of the first supporting part in the conveying direction and opposed to the first supporting part in the conveying direction, a groove extending in a main scanning direction orthogonal to the conveying direction being formed between the first supporting part and the second supporting part, the groove having a printing region over which the recording head can eject ink droplets, the groove having a groove width W in the conveying direction, wherein the groove length (W) meets the following inequation: W>R+E1+E2.

18. The ink jet recording device according to claim 17, wherein the driving member drives the supporting member to move to a position that overhangs the recording medium in the conveying direction by p1 for supporting the recording medium when the leading edge of the recording medium reaches a first position at an upstream of the printing region in the conveying direction.

19. The ink jet recording device according to claim 18, wherein the driving member drives the supporting member to stop when the leading edge reaches the length of the maximum printing region of the recording head in the conveying direction (H).

20. The ink jet recording device according to claim 19, wherein the driving member drives the supporting member to move to a position that overhangs the recording medium in the direction opposite to the conveying direction by p2 for supporting the recording medium when the trailing edge of the recording medium reaches a second position positioned at an upstream of the printing region in the conveying direction.

21. A method of conveying a recording medium in an ink jet recording device including: a recording head configured to eject ink droplets onto a recording medium; a conveying member configured to convey the recording medium in a conveying direction, the recording medium having a leading edge and a trailing edge in the conveying direction; a platen disposed in confrontation with the recording head to support the recording medium while keeping a predetermined distance from the recording head; a supporting member disposed in the platen to slide in the conveying direction while supporting the recording medium; wherein the platen has a printing region over which the recording head can eject ink droplets, the supporting member sliding in printing region, the method comprising: (a) conveying the recording medium; and(b) driving the supporting member to start sliding in the conveying direction after the leading edge of the recording medium starts sliding in the printing region.

22. The method according to claim 21, further comprising (c) driving the supporting member to stop when the leading edge reaches a length of a maximum printing region of the recording head in the conveying direction.

23. The method according to claim 22, further comprising (d) driving the supporting member to start sliding in the conveying direction before the trailing edge of the recording medium starts sliding in the printing region.

24. The method according to claim 21, further comprising, before step (b), (e) driving the supporting member to move to a position for supporting the recording medium when the leading edge of the recording medium reaches a first position at an upstream of the printing region in the conveying direction.

25. The method according to claim 21, further comprising, before step (d), (f) driving the supporting member to move to a position for supporting the recording medium when the trailing edge of the recording medium reaches a second position at an upstream of the printing region in the conveying direction.