JPH04246575A - inkjet recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a recording apparatus that forms an image on a recording material according to an image signal or an original image.

0002

[Prior Art] Recording devices such as printers, copying machines, and facsimile machines, which are used in combination with computers, word processors, etc., or used independently, feed and convey sheet-like recording materials such as paper and thin resin plates. , and is configured to record images on the recording material based on image information. The recording apparatus can be classified into inkjet type, wire dot type, thermal type, laser beam type, etc. depending on the recording method.

Among these, the inkjet type (inkjet recording device) performs recording by ejecting ink from a recording means (recording head) onto a recording material, and is capable of recording high-definition images at high speed. Advantages include the ability to record on plain paper without requiring any special processing, the non-impact method that produces less noise, and the ease of recording color images using multi-colored ink. have. Among these, a line-type apparatus that uses a line-type recording means in which a large number of ejection ports are arranged in the width direction of the paper can achieve even higher recording speeds. In particular, inkjet recording means (recording heads) that eject ink using thermal energy use electrothermal transducers, electrodes, etc. that are formed on a substrate through semiconductor manufacturing processes such as etching, vapor deposition, and sputtering. By forming the liquid path walls, the top plate, etc., it is possible to easily manufacture a device having a high-density liquid path arrangement (discharge port arrangement).

0004

Problems to be Solved by the Invention As the sheet-like recording material, in addition to the paper and thin resin plates (eg, OHP), long-fiber processed paper (Japanese paper, etc.) may be used. In other words, there are various requirements for recording materials, and in addition to the usual recording materials such as paper and transparent films used for OHP, in recent years, long fiber processed paper or woven cloth has been used as recording materials. This has become a requirement. Therefore, for example, when recording on a recording material containing long fibers as described above with an inkjet recording apparatus, the gap between the recording means (recording head) and the recording material is usually 0.5 to 1. Since it is only about 0 mm, it is normal because it is due to fine fluff-like fibers (hereinafter referred to as fluff), dust, paper powder, etc. that adhere to the surface of the recording material or on the fibers of the recording material. In some cases, it was not possible to make accurate records. In other words, since the fluff adheres to the vicinity of the ejection opening of the recording means, ink ejection is obstructed (usually referred to as non-ejection), resulting in line-shaped defects on the image, or the fluff adheres to the recording surface immediately after recording. The quality of the image may deteriorate significantly, such as when the image becomes distorted due to rubbing.

The present invention has been made in view of these problems to be solved, and an object of the present invention is to eliminate fuzz on the surface of long-fiber processed paper, woven fabric, or other recording materials with a simple structure. It is an object of the present invention to provide a recording apparatus that can prevent dust generation and adhesion of dust, and can prevent ejection failure of a recording means and deterioration of the quality of recorded images.

[0006]

Means for Solving the Problems The present invention provides a recording apparatus having a recording means for forming an image on a recording material and a conveyance means for conveying the recording material through the recording means. The above object is achieved by providing a surface leveling means for adjusting the surface condition of the recording material. As the surface leveling means, for example, an adhesive roller, a porous roller, a roller that presses the recording material, or a heated roller that presses the recording material is used. Further, the surface leveling means can also serve as a conveyance roller for conveying the recording material.

[0007]

[Operation] According to the recording apparatus having the above configuration, the fuzz generated on the recording material is smoothed out before recording by the recording means, and the dust and fluff adhering to the recording material are removed. can be prevented from adhering to the recording means and causing deterioration in image quality.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of an embodiment of a recording apparatus according to the present invention. 3 is a driven roller consisting of a pair of rollers for conveying the pulled-out recording material 2; 4 is a cutter for cutting the recording material 2 to a predetermined length; and 5 is a driven roller for conveying the recording material 2. The conveying roller 6, which is made up of a pair of rollers, is a sub-scanning roller made up of a pair of rollers for accurately positioning the recording material 2 with respect to the recording means and conveying (paper feeding) the recording material. Through each of the above mechanisms,
Supplied (pulled out) from the roll-shaped recording material 2
A conveyance path for the recording material is configured.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 7 denotes a cassette in which recording materials (cut sheets) 8 cut into predetermined dimensions are loaded (stocked), and 9 guides and conveys the recording materials 8 that are sent out one by one from the cassette 7. The conveyance path of the recording material 8 conveyed from the cassette 7 is a conveyance guide section for conveying the recording material 8 from the roll just before the conveyance roller 5.
It joins the transport route of

In FIG. 1, recording means (recording head) 1
0 is attached to the carriage 11, and the carriage 1
1 is guided and supported so as to be movable along main scanning rails 12 and 13 in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper (width direction of recording materials 2 and 8). A platen 14 is disposed facing the recording means 10 with the recording materials 2 and 8 interposed therebetween. This platen 14
is for keeping the recording surface flat and preventing contact between the recording material 2 or 8 and the recording means 10 by preventing the recording material 2 or 8 from floating during recording. For example, It is equipped with a suction suction means such as an air suction means or an electrostatic suction plate. In the following description, when any one or both of the recording material 2 and the recording material 8 is referred to, it will simply be referred to as the recording material 32.

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view showing the recording means of the recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1 and its vicinity. In Figure 2,
Recording means (recording head) 1 mounted on carriage 11
0 is composed of four recording means (recording heads) 10C, 10M, 10Y, and 10B each using different ink. In the case of color recording, these recording means 10
For example, cyan, magenta, yellow, and black are used as ink colors of C, 10M, 10Y, and 10B. In addition, in the following explanation, the recording means 10C
, 10M, 10Y, and 10B, they will simply be referred to as recording means 10 or recording head 10.

The recording means 10 includes an electrothermal transducer that generates thermal energy used to eject ink. Further, the recording means 10 ejects ink from the ejection opening based on changes in the state of the ink, including the formation of bubbles due to film boiling that occurs in the ink due to thermal energy generated by the electrothermal converter.

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view schematically showing the structure of the ink ejecting section of the recording means (recording head) 10. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 3, a predetermined gap (
For example, a plurality of discharge ports 16 are formed at a predetermined pitch on the discharge port surfaces 15 facing each other with an interval of about 0.5 to 1.0 mm, and the common liquid chamber 17 and each discharge port 16 are communicated with each other. An electrothermal converter (such as a heating resistor) 19 for generating energy for ejecting ink is disposed along the wall surface of each liquid path 18. In the inkjet recording apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, each recording means (recording head) 10 is arranged in a positional relationship such that the ejection ports 16 are lined up in a direction intersecting the main scanning direction (moving direction) of the carriage 11. Carriage 1
It is installed in 1. In this way, the corresponding electrothermal converter 19 is driven (energized) based on the image signal or ejection signal.
A recording means (recording head) 10 is configured in which the ink in the liquid path 18 is brought to film boiling, and the ink is discharged from the discharge ports 16 by the pressure generated at that time.

In FIG. 2, an ink tank or ink cartridge 20 for supplying ink to the recording means 10 is mounted on a carriage 21 that moves in the main scanning direction in synchronization with the carriage 11. This ink cartridge 20 has four ink cartridges corresponding to four recording means 10.
ink cartridges 20C, 20M, 20Y, 20
These ink cartridges contain ink of each color: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. The ink in these ink cartridges 20C, 20M, 20Y, 20B is pumped into tubes 22C, 22M, 22Y, 2 by a pump (not shown).
Through 2B, each recording means 10C, 10M, 10Y, 1
Supplied to 0B. In the following description, when referring to any one or all of the ink cartridges 20C, 20M, 20Y, 20B and the tubes 22C, 22M, 22Y, 22B, the term simply refers to an ink cartridge (or ink tank). 20 and tube 2
This will be shown in 2.

In FIG. 2, the carriage 11 of the recording means 10 is driven back and forth by a motor 23 via a drive pulley 24, a driven pulley 25, and a belt 26. Further, the carriage 21 of the ink cartridge 20 is reciprocated by a motor 27 via a drive pulley 28, a driven pulley 29, and a belt 30 in synchronization with the carriage 11 of the recording means. Furthermore, the conveyance roller 5 and the sub-scanning roller 6 are driven by a motor 31. A sheet-shaped recording material 32 such as long-fiber processed paper, woven fabric, paper, or a thin resin plate is conveyed in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 2 by a conveyance roller 5 and a sub-scanning roller 6.

In FIG. 2, the conveying roller 5 is composed of a driving roller 33 and a cleaning roller 34, which sandwich a recording material 32 therebetween. The driving roller 33 is arranged on the back side of the recording material 32, and the cleaning roller 34 is arranged on the recording surface side (front side) of the recording material 32. FIG. 4 is a partial vertical sectional view showing the structure of the cleaning roller 34, and in the same figure,
The cleaning roller 34 is formed of a core metal 35 and a roller portion 36 having known adhesive properties. Fuzz and dirt on the recording material 32 adhere to the roller section 36 side due to the adhesive force of the roller section 36, and are cleaned from the recording material 32. In particular, when the recording material 32 is long fiber processed paper or woven fabric, fluff and dust are likely to be generated, but the adhesive roller section 36 removes and cleans the fluff and dust on the recording material 32. It is suitable for

Next, a series of recording sequences will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. In FIG. 1, a recording material 32 conveyed from a roll-shaped recording material 2 or a stacked sheet 8 in a cassette 7 is detected by a recording material detection sensor (not shown) disposed immediately before a conveyance roller 5. supply is detected. When the feeding of the recording material 32 is detected, each roller in the conveyance path, the conveyance roller 5 and the sub-scanning roller 6 move a predetermined amount from that point on, that is, the recording material 3
The roller 2 is driven until the tip of the roller 2 reaches the sub-scanning roller 6. In this case, the recording material 32 is cleaned of fluff, dust, etc. adhering to its surface by a cleaning roller 34 at a position immediately before recording as shown in FIG.

When the leading edge of the recording material 32 reaches the sub-scanning roller 6, the driving of each roller on the conveyance path is temporarily stopped, and
The conveyance of the recording material 32 is stopped. While the recording material 32 is stopped, the carriage 11 of the recording means 10 and the carriage 21 of the ink cartridge 20 are driven in the main scanning direction (direction of arrow B in FIG. 2) by the respective motors 23 and 27, and By driving the recording means 10 based on the image signal, the width shown by C in FIG.
1 line of height) is recorded. After one line of recording is completed, the carriage 11 of the recording means and the carriage 21 of the ink cartridge are returned to a predetermined position on the opposite side (left side in FIG. 2), and the recording material 3
2 is accurately conveyed by the motor 31 by a feed amount (pitch) corresponding to the recording width C. After the above-described sequence of recording operation and conveyance operation is repeated for a predetermined cycle depending on the length of the recording material 32, the recording material 32 is discharged out of the machine.

The roller portion 36 of the cleaning roller 34 (
As for the material in FIG. 4), a material is selected that has adhesiveness to remove fluff and dust as described above, and has appropriate elasticity to ensure an appropriate contact area with the recording material 32. . According to the embodiment described above, one roller 34 of the conveying roller 5 on the upstream side in the conveying direction of the recording means 10 is formed of a material having adhesiveness and elasticity, and the structure is simple, such as long-fiber processed paper, woven fabric, etc. By leveling and cleaning the surface of the sheet-shaped recording material 32 such as paper, thin resin plate, etc., it is possible to effectively prevent the generation of fluff and dust in the recording section, and to prevent fluff and dust from forming on the recording means. It has become possible to prevent ejection failure and deterioration in the quality of recorded images caused by the adhesion of particles.

FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view showing a recording means and its surrounding structure according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
FIG. 3 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view showing the structure of a cleaning roller of a pair of transport rollers inside. The cleaning roller 34A of the transport roller pair 5 in FIG. 5 has a large number of openings (holes) 37, as shown in FIG.
It is composed of a hollow core metal 38 and a porous roller part 39 fixed to the circumferential surface of the core metal 38. This roller portion 39 is made of a porous material such as sponge. In FIG. 5, as shown in FIG. 6, the supply pipe 4 is connected to the cleaning roller 34A from the tank 40
Clear ink is supplied through 1. This clear ink is a liquid for cleaning the surface of the recording material 32,
As the clear ink, for example, a colorless and transparent liquid having characteristics similar to those of ink used for recording and containing no dye or the like is used.

[0021] The clear ink is applied to the cleaning roller 3.
It is supplied into the core metal 38 of 4A, and further permeates into the porous (sponge etc.) roller part 39 through the many openings 37 of the core metal 38 to wet the roller part 39. In this way, at a position in front of the recording means 10, the wet cleaning roller 34A absorbs and cleans the fluff and dust on the surface of the recording material 32. Note that the cleaning roller 3
The connecting portion between 4A and the supply pipe 41 is sealed with a known oil seal or the like, and has a structure that allows clear ink to be supplied through the rotating portion without leakage.

The second embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6 differs from the previous embodiment in the above points, but has substantially the same structure in other parts, and corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. , and their detailed explanation will be omitted. A series of recording sequences of this second embodiment are shown in FIGS.
This is similar to the case of the embodiment described above with reference to FIG. Therefore, in this embodiment, as in the case of the above-mentioned embodiment, a simple structure is employed in which one roller 34A of the conveyance roller 5 on the upstream side in the conveyance direction of the recording means 10 is wetted with clear ink. By leveling and cleaning the surface of the sheet-like recording material 32 such as fiber-treated paper, woven cloth, paper, thin resin plate, etc., it is possible to effectively prevent the generation of fluff and dust in the recording section, and to prevent recording. It is now possible to prevent ejection failure and deterioration in the quality of recorded images caused by fuzz, dust, etc. adhering to the means.

Each of the above-mentioned embodiments exhibits remarkable effects particularly when long-fiber processed paper or woven fabric is used as the recording material 32. Not only woven fabrics, but also conventionally used paper and resin thin plates (OHP, etc.) can be cleaned and removed from the surface of fluff, dust, paper powder, etc.
A similar effect can be achieved.

FIG. 7 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view showing the structure of a pressure roller 45 used in a third embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the cleaning roller 34 of the embodiment of FIGS.
The pressure roller 45 shown in FIG. 7 is used instead of the pressure roller 45 of FIG. 7, and the other configurations of this embodiment are substantially the same as those of the embodiment described above with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 7, the pressure roller 45 is constructed by fixing a heat-resistant rubber roller 43 to the circumferential surface of a hollow core metal 42 and providing a heating element 44 inside the core metal 42 (hollow part). . As the heating element 44, for example, an electrothermal converter such as a halogen heater is used. In this embodiment, a pressing roller 45 having the configuration shown in FIG. 7 is used instead of the cleaning roller 34 in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 4. By heating and pressing the surface of the recording material 32, the surface of the recording material 32 is You can remove and clean the surface of lint and dirt.

The third embodiment described with reference to FIG. 7 differs from the embodiments of FIGS. 1 to 4 in the above points, but has substantially the same structure in other parts, and the corresponding parts are They are indicated by the same reference numerals, and detailed explanation thereof will be omitted. Further, a series of recording sequences in this third embodiment are also similar to those in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 4. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the long fiber processed paper By leveling and cleaning the surface of the sheet-like recording material 32 such as woven cloth, paper, thin resin plate, etc., it is possible to effectively prevent the generation of fluff and dust in the recording section, and to prevent fluff from forming on the recording means. This makes it possible to prevent ejection failure and deterioration in the quality of recorded images caused by the adhesion of dirt and dust.

FIG. 8 is a partial perspective view showing the recording means and its surrounding structure in a fourth embodiment of the recording apparatus according to the present invention. In this embodiment, the cleaning roller 46 having the same structure as the cleaning roller 34A having the roller portion 39 made of porous material shown in FIG.
It is mounted so that it can rotate freely around the vertical axis at the top. As shown in the figure, this cleaning roller 46 is mounted on the front side of each recording means 10 in the main scanning direction (recording direction indicated by arrow B). That is, the cleaning roller 46 of this embodiment is attached in a direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction of the carriage 11. Furthermore, an ink cartridge 47 for supplying clear ink to the cleaning roller 46 is mounted on the carriage 21 of the ink cartridge 20, and the clear ink is supplied into the cleaning roller 46 through a supply pipe 48. That is, the cleaning roller 3 in FIG.
As in the case of 4A, supply clear ink into the core metal,
The clear ink is infiltrated into a porous (sponge-like) roller part through a large number of openings in the core bar, and the roller part is wetted.

Further, the joint between the cleaning roller 46 and the supply pipe 48 is sealed with a known oil seal or the like, as in the case of the cleaning roller 34A described above, so that the clear ink is supplied without leakage through the rotating part. It is structured so that you can get it. Although the cleaning roller 46 can be installed in place of the cleaning roller 34A in FIG. 5, in the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 8, it is installed together with the cleaning roller 34A. Although this embodiment differs from the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 in the points explained above, other parts have substantially the same configuration, and corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals. , their detailed explanation will be omitted.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, as in the case of the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the wet cleaning roller 34A is used to In addition to cleaning and removing fluff and dirt from the surface of the recording material 32, the cleaning roller 46 also removes and prevents the generation of fluff and dirt from the recording material 32 in the carriage 11 at a position immediately before recording. This makes it possible to more reliably prevent the generation of fluff and dust.

In the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the cleaning roller 46 is similar to the adhesive cleaning roller 34 shown in FIG. 4 or the pressing roller 45 having a heating element shown in FIG. A roller structure may also be used, and similar effects can be achieved with such a configuration. The third embodiment shown in FIG. 7 and the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. Not only fiber-processed paper and woven fabrics, but also conventionally used paper and thin resin plates (OHP, etc.) can be cleaned and removed in the same way, such as fluff, dust, and paper powder, generated on the surface. It is possible to achieve the effect.

Furthermore, in each of the above embodiments, the present invention has been explained by taking as an example a case where the present invention is applied to an inkjet recording device, but the present invention can also be applied to a thermal recording device, a wire dot recording device, a laser beam recording device, etc. The present invention can be similarly applied to recording apparatuses using other recording methods, and similar effects can be achieved. Furthermore, in each of the above embodiments, the two carriages 11 and 2 that move along the recording material 32
1, and a serial type recording device in which a recording means 11 and an ink cartridge (ink tank) 20 are mounted on these carriages has been described as an example. However, the present invention uses a single carriage. A serial type recording device in which a recording means and/or an ink cartridge are mounted on the carriage, a line type recording device in which a line recording means having a length corresponding to the entire or part of the width direction recording area of a recording material is used, etc. , regardless of the type of scanning method, can be applied in the same way and can achieve similar effects.

The recording means (recording head) in the above embodiments may be a replaceable cartridge type recording means in which the recording head and ink tank are integrated, or a cartridge type recording means in which the recording head and ink tank are separate, for example. ,
Various structures of recording means can be used, such as those of coupling via couplers and tubes. Furthermore, in the above embodiments, the case of a color recording apparatus equipped with a plurality of recording means for recording in different colors was exemplified.
or a recording device for gradation recording that uses multiple recording means with the same color but different densities, etc.
It can be applied in the same way regardless of the number of recording means, and the same effects can be achieved.

The present invention can be applied to inkjet recording devices that use a recording means (recording head) that uses an electromechanical transducer such as a piezo element. This provides excellent effects in an inkjet recording apparatus that ejects ink. This is because, according to such a system, higher recording density and higher definition can be achieved.

For its typical configuration and principle, see, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4,740.
Preferably, this is done using the basic principles disclosed in the '796 specification. This method can be applied to both the so-called on-demand type and continuous type, but
In particular, in the case of the on-demand type, the electrothermal transducer placed corresponding to the sheet holding the liquid (ink) or the liquid path is required to respond to the recorded information and rapidly exceed nucleate boiling. By applying at least one drive signal that causes a temperature increase, the electrothermal transducer generates thermal energy that causes film boiling on the heat-active surface of the recording means (recording head), resulting in a pair of It is effective because it can form bubbles in the liquid (ink).

The growth and contraction of the bubble causes liquid (ink) to be ejected through the ejection opening to form at least one drop. It is more preferable to use this drive signal in a pulse form, since the growth and contraction of bubbles can be carried out immediately and appropriately, so that ejection of liquid (ink) with particularly excellent responsiveness can be achieved. This pulse-shaped drive signal is described in US Pat.
Those described in Japanese Patent No. 463359 and Japanese Patent No. 4345262 are suitable. Incidentally, US Pat.
If the conditions described in No. 24 are adopted, even more excellent recording can be achieved.

In addition to the configuration of the recording head, which is a combination of ejection ports, liquid paths, and electrothermal converters (straight liquid flow path or right-angled liquid flow path) as disclosed in the above-mentioned specifications, U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,333 and U.S. Pat. No. 4 disclose a configuration in which a heat acting part is arranged in a bending region.
A configuration using the specification of No. 459600 is also included in the present invention. In addition, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 123670 of 1982 discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as a discharge part for a plurality of electrothermal converters, and a hole that absorbs pressure waves of thermal energy is disclosed. The present invention is also effective as a configuration based on Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 138461 of 1981, which discloses a configuration in which a discharge portion corresponds to a discharge portion. That is, regardless of the form of the recording head, according to the present invention, recording can be performed reliably and efficiently.

Furthermore, the present invention can be effectively applied to a full-line type recording head having a length corresponding to the maximum width of a recording medium that can be recorded by a recording apparatus. Such a recording head may have a configuration in which the length is satisfied by a combination of a plurality of recording heads, or a configuration as a single recording head formed integrally. In addition, even with the serial type shown in the example above, the recording head is fixed to the device body, or by being attached to the device body, electrical connection to the device body and ink supply from the device body is possible. The present invention is also effective when using a replaceable chip type recording head or a cartridge type recording head in which an ink tank is integrally provided in the recording head itself.

Further, it is preferable to add recovery means for the recording head, preliminary auxiliary means, etc., which are provided as a configuration of the recording apparatus, to the present invention because the effects of the present invention can be further stabilized. Specifically, these are:
Capping means, cleaning means, pressure or suction means, preheating means using an electrothermal transducer or another heating element, or a combination thereof, and ejection other than recording for the recording head. It is also effective to perform a preliminary ejection mode to perform stable printing.

Regarding the type or number of recording heads to be mounted, for example, in addition to one type that corresponds to a single color of ink, there are also types and numbers of recording heads that can be installed to correspond to a plurality of inks of different recording colors and densities. A plurality of them may be provided. That is, for example, the recording mode of the recording device is not only a recording mode for mainstream colors such as black, but also a recording mode for only mainstream colors such as black.
The recording head may be configured integrally or in combination, but the present invention is also extremely effective for devices equipped with at least one of multiple colors of different colors or full color by mixing colors.

In addition, in the embodiments of the present invention described above, ink is assumed to be a liquid, but ink that solidifies at room temperature or below, softens or liquefies at room temperature, or ink jet In this method, the temperature of the ink itself is generally adjusted within the range of 30°C to 70°C to keep the viscosity of the ink within the stable ejection range. Any liquid may be used. In addition, the temperature rise caused by thermal energy can be actively prevented by using it as energy to change the state of the ink from a solid state to a liquid state, or ink that solidifies when left unused is used to prevent ink evaporation. In any case, the ink is liquefied by applying thermal energy according to the recording signal, and the liquid ink is ejected, or the ink already begins to solidify by the time it reaches the recording medium. The present invention is also applicable when using ink that is liquefied only by thermal energy.

[0040] The ink used in such a case is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1986-
56847 or Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 60-71260, a form in which the porous sheet is held as a liquid or solid in the recesses or through holes and faces the electrothermal converter. You can also use it as In the present invention, the most effective method for each of the above-mentioned inks is to implement the above-mentioned film boiling method.

In addition, the inkjet recording device according to the present invention can be used as an image output terminal for information processing equipment such as a computer, a copying device combined with a reader, etc., and a facsimile device having a transmitting/receiving function. It may also take the form of

[0042]

As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, in a recording apparatus having a recording means for forming an image on a recording material and a conveying means for transporting the recording material through the recording means, the recording means Since the structure is such that a surface leveling means is provided for adjusting the surface condition of the recording material on the upstream side in the conveyance direction, the surface of the recording material in the form of a sheet such as long fiber processed paper, woven cloth, paper, or thin resin plate can be smoothed. A recording device is provided that can prevent the occurrence of fluff and dust adhesion, and can prevent ejection failure and deterioration in the quality of recorded images caused by fluff, dust, etc. adhering to an ink ejection section. Further, as the surface leveling means, for example, an adhesive roller, a porous roller, a roller that presses the recording material, or a heated roller that presses the recording material is used, and the roller is used for conveying the recording material. Since the recording device is configured to be used also as the conveyance roller, a recording device that can achieve the above effects with a simple configuration is provided.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of an embodiment of a recording apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view showing the recording means in FIG. 1 and the configuration of its vicinity.

3 is a schematic partially enlarged perspective view showing the configuration of an ink ejection section of the recording means in FIG. 2; FIG.

4 is a partial vertical sectional view showing the structure of the cleaning roller in FIG. 2. FIG.

FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view showing a recording means of a recording apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention and the configuration of its vicinity.

6 is a partial vertical sectional view showing the structure of the cleaning roller in FIG. 5. FIG.

FIG. 7 is a partial vertical sectional view showing the structure of a pressure roller for leveling a recording material of a recording apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a partial perspective view showing a recording means of a recording apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention and the configuration of its vicinity.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Recording device main body 2 Recording material (roll shape) 4
Cutter 5 Conveyance roller 6 Sub-scanning roller 8 Recording material (cut sheet) 10
Recording means (recording head) 11 Carriage 14 Platen 16 Discharge port (recording means) 19 Electrothermal converter 20 Ink cartridge (ink tank)
21 Carriage 23 Carriage motor 27 Carriage motor 31 Conveyance motor 32 Recording material (paper, resin thin plate, long fiber processed paper, woven cloth, etc.) 33 Drive roller (conveyance roller) 34
Cleaning roller (adhesive) 34A Cleaning roller (porous) 40 Clear ink tank 44 Heating element 45 Press roller

Claims (9)

[Claims] Claim 1: In a recording apparatus having a recording means for forming an image on a recording material and a conveyance means for conveying the recording material through the recording means, the surface condition of the recording material is prepared on the upstream side in the conveyance direction of the recording means. A recording device characterized in that it is provided with a surface leveling means for smoothing the surface. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the surface leveling means also serves as a conveyance roller for conveying the recording material. 3. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the surface leveling means is an adhesive roller. 4. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the surface leveling means is a porous roller. 5. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the surface leveling means is a roller that presses the recording material. 6. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the surface leveling means is a heated roller that presses the recording material. 7. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording material is a woven fabric. 8. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording means is an inkjet recording means equipped with an electrothermal converter for generating thermal energy for ejecting ink. 9. The recording apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the recording means utilizes film boiling that occurs in the ink due to the thermal energy to discharge the ink from the discharge port.