JP2010036543A - Inkjet recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inkjet recording apparatus which can suppress increase in size of the apparatus and increase of the number of members and costs, can limit a power necessary for drying, and can sufficiently dry the ink ejected to a recording medium also in one-side printing responsively to speed-up of the recording apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: A storage part 31 in which sheets of papers P ejected with the ink can be sequentially carried upwards and stocked, a separating blower part 35, blower parts for drying 37a-37f and a paper discharge part 50 are prepared in a drying device 30 of the printer 1. The sheets of paper P are stocked so that the ink may not adhere each other at the storage part 31. After a drying necessary time Ta passes, the papers P can be sequentially discharged at printing spaces Ts from the lowest paper P. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to ink drying in an ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording by ejecting ink onto a recording medium such as paper in a recording apparatus such as a facsimile, a copying machine, and a printer.

  Recording apparatuses such as facsimiles, copiers, and printers are configured to record images on recording media such as paper, cloth, and OHP sheets. However, depending on the recording method, inkjet, wire dot, thermal It can be classified into formulas and the like. These recording methods can be further classified into a serial type in which recording is performed while the recording head scans the recording medium, and a line head type in which recording is performed by a recording head fixed to the apparatus main body.

  For example, in a line head type ink jet recording apparatus, each of the line heads having a recording area equal to or larger than the width of the recording medium while conveying the recording medium such as paper at high speed by a conveying means such as a conveying belt provided in the apparatus main body. An image is formed on the recording medium by ejecting ink from the ink ejection nozzle. This enables high-speed printing as compared with an ink jet recording apparatus that employs a serial ink jet head in which the recording head reciprocates in the width direction of the recording medium.

In such an ink jet printer, means for drying ink ejected to a recording medium by a recording unit has been proposed. For example, in Patent Document 1, a transport unit that feeds back a recording medium on which an image is recorded by a recording unit to the upstream side in the transport direction by a forward feed, and a recording medium that is provided downstream in the feed back direction and sent back by the transport unit A method of maintaining the high speed of image recording while ensuring the drying time of the recording medium by providing a plurality of holding units that hold the non-recording surface by suction and reversely feed the recording medium to the recording unit is disclosed. Yes.
JP 2006-213480 A

  As described above, in Patent Document 1, the drying time is secured by holding the recording medium with a plurality of holding units. However, in the method of Patent Document 1, since the drying time is secured by the reversing means, there is a possibility that the drying time cannot be secured sufficiently during single-sided printing. For this reason, there is a possibility that the problem that the discharge roller is contaminated with ink due to insufficient drying even during single-sided printing, which is now occurring at higher printer speeds, may not be sufficiently dealt with.

  For example, in a high-speed printer capable of printing 200 pages in 60 seconds, the printing time required for one page is about 0.3 seconds. In such a printer, if it takes 5 seconds or more for the ink to dry, it is necessary to provide at least 5 / about 0.3 = about 17 holding units in series, which may increase the size of the apparatus. In addition, the number of parts increases and the cost may increase. Furthermore, as the recording speed increases, it is necessary to increase the number of holding units in proportion thereto, which may further increase the size of the apparatus and increase the cost.

  On the other hand, in order to improve the drying capacity, it is conceivable to increase the heating amount and the blowing amount. By using high power consumption, the recording medium can be dried in a shorter time, for example, the recording medium is dried in real time immediately after recording. However, in such a case, the power consumption increases more and more as the printing speed increases.

  In view of the above circumstances, the present invention suppresses increase in the size of the apparatus, increase in the number of members and cost, suppresses power required for drying, and discharges to a recording medium even in single-sided printing in response to speeding up of the recording apparatus. It is an object of the present invention to provide an ink jet recording apparatus capable of sufficiently drying the used ink.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention dries a transport unit that transports a recording medium, a recording unit that ejects ink onto a recording medium transported by the transport unit, and an ink ejected onto the recording medium. In the ink jet recording apparatus including the drying unit, the drying unit sequentially receives the recording medium on which the ink has been ejected, and stores a storage unit in which the loaded recording medium can be stocked for a predetermined period of time. To prevent the stock recording media stocked in the storage portion from contacting each other and to blow the ink, and after the predetermined time has passed, the stock recording media are moved one by one from the bottom at predetermined intervals. And a discharge portion that can be sequentially discharged from the storage portion.

  Further, according to the present invention, the air blowing section has at least a separating air blowing section that sends an air flow generated by the air blowing generating means to the housing section from the upstream side in the recording medium loading direction and passes between the stock recording media. It is characterized by that.

  Further, according to the present invention, the accommodating portion is configured by a box-shaped member that can be sealed, and the exhaust portion that discharges the air flow sent from the blower portion and can be circulated to the blower portion is disposed in the accommodating portion. Is featured.

  Further, the present invention is characterized in that a heating means for heating the air flow sent from the blower is provided.

  According to the present invention, at the discharge portion, a conveying belt stretched between at least a driving roller and a driven roller, and a lowermost one of the stock recording media are sucked and brought into close contact with the conveying belt. And a suction means.

  Further, the present invention is characterized in that at least one is formed of a heating roller, and a roller pair having a nip through which the recording medium discharged from the storage portion is passed by the discharge portion is provided.

  According to the present invention, the predetermined time is a predetermined drying time necessary for drying the recording medium on which the ink has been ejected, and until the predetermined drying time elapses after the first recording medium is carried in. When the number of recording media that can be stocked in the storage unit during the period is a predetermined stock number, if the total number of recording media printed in the recording unit is less than the predetermined stock number, the first recording in the storage unit After waiting for the predetermined drying time to elapse after the medium is carried in, if the number of the stock recording media is equal to or greater than the predetermined number of stocks, after the stock recording media reaches the predetermined number of stocks, The sheets are sequentially discharged from the storage unit one by one at a predetermined interval.

  According to the first configuration of the present invention, the recording medium in which ink is ejected by the recording unit by the transport unit is sequentially carried into the drying unit, and the containing unit that can store the loaded recording medium for a predetermined period of time is provided. An air flow is sent into the unit so that the stock recording media stocked in the storage unit do not come into contact with each other, and a blower unit that can dry the ink, and after a predetermined time has passed, one stock recording medium from the storage unit from the bottom. And a discharge section that can sequentially discharge at predetermined intervals.

  As a result, a plurality of recording media can be stocked in the storage section until the ink is dried while avoiding ink adhesion to each other. In addition, instead of sequentially discharging the ink from the dried recording medium, the recording medium to be continuously printed can be carried into the storage unit. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress an increase in the size of the apparatus and the increase in the number of members and cost, and it is possible to sufficiently dry the ink ejected onto the recording medium even in single-sided printing in response to an increase in the speed of the recording apparatus.

  Further, according to the second configuration of the present invention, in the ink jet recording apparatus of the first configuration, the air blowing unit is configured to receive the air flow generated by the air blowing generating unit in the housing unit, and the air from the upstream side in the recording medium loading direction. By having at least a separation air blowing section that sends a flow and passes between stock recording media, the air flow is more efficiently passed between the stock recording media to prevent ink from adhering to each other. Drying efficiency can also be increased.

  Further, according to the third configuration of the present invention, in the ink jet recording apparatus having the first or second configuration, the housing portion is formed of a box-shaped member that can be sealed, and is fed into the housing portion from the blower portion. By providing an exhaust part that can circulate in the air blowing part while discharging the air stream, it is possible to effectively use the air stream to improve energy efficiency and increase drying efficiency.

  According to the fourth configuration of the present invention, in the ink jet recording apparatus having any one of the first to third configurations, the ink is dried by providing the heating means for heating the air flow sent from the blower. Efficiency can be increased.

  Further, according to the fifth configuration of the present invention, in the ink jet recording apparatus having any one of the first to fourth configurations, a conveyance belt stretched between at least a driving roller and a driven roller in the discharge unit; By providing a suction means for sucking the lowermost one of the stock recording media and bringing it into close contact with the conveyor belt, it is possible to easily discharge only the lowermost one of the stock recording media. Sequential discharge at a predetermined interval can be ensured.

  According to the sixth configuration of the present invention, in the ink jet recording apparatus having any one of the first to fifth configurations, at least one of the recording media includes a heating roller, and the recording medium discharged from the storage portion by the discharge portion. By providing a pair of rollers having a nip to be passed, generation of wrinkles or the like of the dried recording medium can be prevented.

  Further, according to the seventh configuration of the present invention, in the ink jet recording apparatus having any one of the first to sixth configurations, when the total number of prints of the recording medium in the recording unit is less than the predetermined stock number, the storage unit After the first recording medium is carried in and after waiting for a predetermined drying time to elapse, when the number of stock recording media exceeds a predetermined number of stocks, the stock recording medium is separated by a discharging unit after reaching the predetermined number of stocks. In this case, the sheets are discharged one by one from the container.

  Thereby, even when the total number of printed sheets is small, a sufficient drying time can be secured, and even when the total number of printed sheets is large, it is possible to efficiently dry sequentially. Further, it is possible to sequentially carry recording media to be printed after reaching a predetermined number of stocks one by one into the accommodating portion in place of the discharged stock recording media, and to dry efficiently. Therefore, more appropriate drying can be performed according to the total number of printed sheets.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front sectional view showing a schematic structure of an ink jet printer as an example of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a transport unit and a drying device used in the printer of this embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a front sectional view showing a schematic structure of the transport unit and the drying device.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a paper feed cassette 3 is disposed below the right side of the main body 2 of the printer 1. Sheets (recording media) P are stacked and stored in the sheet feeding cassette 3. A paper feeding device 4 is disposed above the downstream portion of the paper feeding cassette 3 in the paper conveyance direction. The sheet feeding device 4 feeds the sheet P toward the upper right of the sheet feeding cassette 3 in FIG.

  On the downstream side of the sheet feeding cassette 3 in the sheet conveyance direction, a sheet conveyance path 5, a registration roller 6, a recording unit 7, and a conveyance unit 10 are arranged. The paper P sent out from the paper feed cassette 3 reaches the registration roller 6 through the paper transport path 5 and is temporarily stopped. The registration roller 6 corrects the oblique feeding of the paper P and sends the paper P again, and the registration roller 6 feeds the leading edge of the paper P by a paper leading edge detection member (not shown) provided in the paper conveyance path 5 between the recording unit 7 and the registration roller 6. The recording unit 7 performs an ink ejection operation at a timing based on the detection. Note that a pair of transport rollers for transporting the paper P may be provided in the paper transport path 5 as necessary.

  The transport unit 10 includes an endless print transport belt 11 wound around a print drive roller 12, a print driven roller 13, and a print tension roller 14. The printing conveying belt 11 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 1 by the printing driving roller 12. An auxiliary driven roller 15 is disposed above the printing driven roller 13 and forms a nip pair with the printing driven roller 13. The printing drive roller 12 is driven by a transport motor 74 (see FIG. 10).

  The paper P sent out by the registration roller 6 is placed on the upper surface of the printing transport belt 11 and is transported from the right side to the left side in FIG. Note that a belt in which both ends thereof are overlapped and joined to each other to form an endless shape, a seamless belt (seamless), or the like is preferably used for the printing conveyance belt 11.

  A printing air suction fan (not shown) is provided inside the transport unit 10 at a location facing the recording unit 7. The transport unit 10 can suck air downward from the upper surface by the printing air suction fan. The printing conveyor belt 11 is provided with a number of air suction holes (not shown). As a result, the transport unit 10 attracts the paper P to the upper surface of the print transport belt 11 and transports the paper P while closely adhering it.

  On the other hand, the printer 1 receives image data signals such as characters, graphics, and patterns from an external computer (not shown) in the control unit 20 described later. The information of the image data is sent to the recording unit 7 disposed above the transport unit 10 so as to face the transport unit 10. The recording unit 7 is provided with a minute gap (for example, 1 mm) between the bottom surface of the recording head 8 where the tip of an ink discharge nozzle (not shown) is disposed and the sheet conveying surface which is the upper surface of the printing conveying belt 11. Are arranged.

  The recording unit 7 includes three recording heads 8 corresponding to the respective colors for a total of 12 colors (not shown). Each of the recording heads 8 extends in the sheet width direction perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction, and, as shown in FIG. 1, from the upstream side to the downstream side in the rotation direction along the rotation direction of the printing conveyance belt 11. They are arranged side by side. The recording heads 8 corresponding to the four colors are a black recording head 8K, a cyan recording head 8C, a magenta recording head 8M, and a yellow recording head 8Y in this order from the upstream side.

  Corresponding to the recording heads 8 of the respective colors, four ink tanks 26 (see FIG. 10) not shown here are provided below the transport unit 10, and the inks of the respective colors are supplied from the ink tanks 26. The recording head 8 is replenished by a tube (not shown). In the following description, the identification symbols “K”, “C”, “M”, and “Y” are omitted unless particularly limited.

  As the ink ejection method of the recording head 8, for example, a piezo method that pushes out ink using a piezo element (not shown), a thermal ink jet method that generates air bubbles by a heating element, and ejects ink by applying pressure. Various methods can be applied.

  Each recording head 8 of the recording unit 7 discharges ink from the recording head 8 toward the paper P placed on the surface of the printing conveyance belt 11 in accordance with the image data information received from the external computer. As the printing transport belt 11 rotates, ink of each color is sequentially ejected from each recording head 8 at a predetermined timing, whereby black, cyan, magenta, yellow are printed on the paper P on the surface of the printing transport belt 11. A color ink image in which the four colors of ink are superimposed is formed and printed.

  Moreover, a heating air blower etc. can also be provided above the recording head 8 of 4 colors as needed. In addition, a preheating heating device or the like can be provided on the downstream side of the paper feed cassette 3.

  A drying device (drying unit) 30 is disposed on the downstream side (left side in the drawing) of the transport unit 10 in the paper transport direction. The paper P that has passed through the recording unit 7 is discharged to the drying device 30, and the ink discharged onto the paper P is dried by the drying device 30. Details of the drying device 30 will be described later. After being dried by the drying device 30, the paper P is discharged to the discharge tray 65 through the conveyance path 61.

  On the other hand, a lifting device (not shown) for the transport unit 10 is provided below the transport unit 10. In order to prevent the ink discharge nozzles (not shown) of the recording heads 8 from being dried and clogged by the lifting device, a cap (not shown) is attached to the recording heads 8 or the printing transport belt 11 is used. The conveyance unit 10 is moved up and down in order to perform the generated jam processing.

  Then, using the work space formed by the lowering of the transport unit 10, the cap can be moved up and down by a vertical movement mechanism (not shown) and can be attached to and detached from the recording head 8. Further, after the cap is detached, it is moved horizontally by a horizontal movement mechanism (not shown) so that it can move between a position where it can be attached to and detached from the recording head 8 and a standby position.

  Regarding the prevention of drying and clogging of the recording head 8, the recording unit 8 starts printing from all the recording heads 8 after the recording unit 7 has been stopped for a long period of time, and the recording head 8 has an ink ejection amount of a predetermined value or less between printing operations. The ink having a high viscosity in the nozzle is ejected from the nozzle to prepare for the next printing operation. At this time, the cap is brought close to the recording head 8 with a minute distance, and the ink is ejected into the cap.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the drying device 30 includes a storage unit 31, a paper feeding unit 33 disposed in the storage unit 31, and a separation blower (blower, first blower). 35, a drying blower (blower, second blower) 37a, 37b, 37c, 37d, 37e and 37f, a blower fan (blower generating means) 41, an exhaust part 45 and a paper discharge part (discharge part) 50; It is equipped with.

  4 is a perspective view of a drying device used in the printer of the present embodiment, FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which the upper cover of the drying device of FIG. 4 is removed, and FIG. 6 is a perspective view of FIG. It is AA 'cross section perspective view. Portions common to FIGS. 1 to 3 are denoted by common reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. In FIG. 5, the solid line arrows indicate the air flow sent into the storage unit 31, and the broken line arrows indicate the air flow discharged from the storage unit 31.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the storage unit 31 is formed of a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box-shaped member, and the paper P on which ink is ejected is sequentially arranged upward from the bottom surface side of the storage unit 31 and can be stocked for a predetermined time. It is formed in such a size. The container 31 is hermetically sealed except for a connecting portion between the paper feed unit 33, a separation blower 35 described later, and drying blowers 37a to 37f. Further, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the accommodating portion 31 is provided with a cursor 38 for restricting movement of the paper P in the transport direction.

  The cursor 38 is arranged so as to be able to regulate the movement of the paper P that has been carried in according to the size of the paper P in the carrying-in direction. In FIG. 5, the movement of the A3 vertical paper (see FIG. 2) is regulated by being fitted into a predetermined positioning hole (not shown) provided on the bottom surface of the housing portion 31. By fitting into the hole 39, the movement of A4 vertical paper can be restricted.

  The paper feed unit 33 protrudes toward the transport unit 10 from a substantially central portion in the up and down direction at the upstream side (right side in FIG. 6) of the recording medium in the storage unit 31 toward the upper right side in the drawing ( 3), the paper P transported from the transport unit 10 is guided to the storage unit 31.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the separating air blowing unit 35 has a duct connected to the entire area in the width direction of the accommodating portion 31 below the paper feeding unit 33 so that air can be blown and connected to the air blowing fan 41. ing. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the connecting portion of the separation blower portion 35 with the accommodating portion 31 is formed from a plate-like member provided with a large number of small holes, and the air flow is dispersed to accommodate the inside of the accommodating portion 31. To be sent to. Thereby, the separation and drying efficiency of the paper P can be increased.

  Further, on the upstream side of the blowing fan 41 in the blowing direction, a hot air generating device (heating means) 43 connected to the blowing fan 41 by a pipe 44 (broken line portion) is arranged. The hot air generated by the hot air generator 43 is turned into an air flow by the blower fan 41, and the air flow is sent from the separating air blowing unit 35 to the housing unit 33 (solid arrow). Further, the hot air generator 43 can generate, for example, hot air of about 100 ° C.

  Moreover, the airflow sent from the air blower 35 for separation is sent substantially parallel (substantially horizontal) to the bottom surface of the housing 31 (see FIG. 9). When the paper P is sequentially carried into the storage unit 31, the air flow passes through the stock paper P ′ (see FIG. 9) stocked in the storage unit 31 and resists the gravity acting on the paper P. Thus, the air volume is set so that a gap is formed between the stock sheets P ′.

  As a result, a gap is formed between the stock papers P ′ due to the passage of the air flow. Before the ink dries, the ink of the paper P that has been previously carried on the back surface of the stock paper P ′ that has been transported next. Can be prevented from adhering. Further, by preventing such adhesion, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of problems such as deterioration in image quality. Furthermore, when the air flow from the separating air blowing unit 35 comes into contact with the ink, the ink discharged onto the paper P can be dried.

  The drying blowers 37 a to 37 f are connected to a pipe (not shown) branched from a pipe 42 (broken line portion) disposed between the blower fan 41 and the separation blower 35, and the air generated by the blower fan 41. The flow can be sent to the accommodating portion 31 from a direction different from that of the separating air blowing portion 35 (solid arrow).

  The drying air blower 37a is provided above the paper feed unit 33 and can send an air flow along the paper feed unit 33 from the upstream side in the transport direction to the stock paper P '(see FIG. 9). The drying air blowing part 37b is provided on the upper surface of the accommodating part 33, and can send an air flow from above the stock paper P '(see FIG. 9).

  Also, the drying air blowers 37c and 37d are provided in order on the one side wall in the width direction of the housing 31 from the upstream side in the transport direction, and the drying air blowers 37e and 37f are provided on the other side wall in the drying air blowers 37c and 37d. Thus, an air flow can be blown from the outside in the width direction to the stock paper P ′.

  Moreover, the connection part with the accommodating part 31 of the ventilation parts 37a-37f for drying is formed from the plate-shaped member provided with many small holes, and it seems that an air flow disperse | distributes and it sends in the accommodating part 31. It has become. Thereby, the drying efficiency of the stock paper P ′ can be increased. Note that separation between the stock sheets P ′ can also be promoted by the air flow from the drying sending sections 37 a to 37 f.

  Thus, by using the drying air blowers 37a to 37f in addition to the separation air blower 35, the paper P can be dried more quickly, and the drying efficiency can be increased. In addition, it arrange | positions so that the ventilation parts 37c-37f for drying can be moved to the width direction of the accommodating part 31, and it can also be used as a cursor for restricting the movement of the width direction of the paper P according to the paper P carried in. it can.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the exhaust part 45 is disposed at the downstream end of the accommodating part 31 in the carry-in direction. By the exhaust part 45, the air flow sent into the accommodating part 31 from the separation air blowing part 35 and the drying air blowing parts 37a to 37f can be discharged (broken line arrow), the air inside the accommodating part 31 is replaced, and the drying efficiency Can be improved.

  Further, the exhaust unit 45 is connected to the warm air generating unit 43 by a pipe 46 (shown by a broken line), and the exhausted air flow is circulated to the separation air blowing unit 35 and the drying air blowing units 37a to 37f for reuse. can do. Thereby, the energy efficiency can be improved by effectively using the air flow, and the drying efficiency can be increased.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the storage unit 31 is provided with a temperature / humidity sensor 71 for measuring the environmental temperature and humidity, and the detection result of the temperature / humidity sensor 71 is transmitted to the control unit 20 described later. It has come to be. Although the temperature / humidity detection sensor 71 is used here, the drying required time Ta, which will be described later, can be calculated from the temperature or humidity detection result using a temperature sensor or a humidity sensor.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the paper discharge unit 50 is disposed below the separating air blowing unit 35, and only the lowermost one of the stock papers P ′ in the storage unit 31 is a storage unit. 31 can be discharged. FIG. 7A is a perspective view of a paper discharge unit used in the drying apparatus of this embodiment, and FIG. 7B is a perspective view showing a state in which the discharge conveyance belt is removed in FIG. 7A. FIG. 8 is a front sectional view. Portions common to those in FIG. 1 are denoted by common reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  The paper discharge unit 50 includes a discharge drive belt 52, a discharge transfer roller 53, a discharge driven roller 54, and a discharge transfer belt 51 that is stretched over a discharge tension roller 55. A driving gear 59 is connected to the rotation shaft 52a of the discharge driving roller 52, and the driving gear 59 is connected to a motor (not shown). By being driven by such a motor, the discharge conveyor belt 51 is rotated clockwise in the figure (for example, FIG. 8).

  Further, a suction box (suction means) 57 that forms a substantially sealed space with the discharge transport belt 51 is provided between the discharge drive roller 52 and the discharge driven roller 54 with the discharge transport roller 53 interposed therebetween. Yes. The suction box 57 is connected to a discharge air suction fan (not shown), and the inside of the suction box 57 can be sucked by the discharge air suction fan.

  The discharge transport belt 51 is provided with a large number of air suction holes 51a (see FIG. 7). When the discharge air suction fan is operated, the sheet P is placed on the upper surface of the discharge transport belt 51. It can adsorb | suck to the suction area | region S (broken-line part of FIG. 8), and can discharge | emit it making it contact | adhere. Further, the discharge transport roller 53 is provided with a plurality of annular grooves 53 a in the circumferential direction, and the sheet P can be sufficiently adsorbed to the upper surface of the discharge transport belt 51 even at the stretched portion by the discharge transport roller 53. Can do.

  As a result, only the lowermost sheet of the stock paper P ′ can be more easily discharged, so that the paper P can be sequentially discharged more reliably at a predetermined interval. Further, by providing the annular groove 53a as described above, it is possible to avoid the sheet P from being detached from the discharge conveying belt 51 during the discharge. The sheet P discharged by the sheet discharge unit 50 is discharged to the discharge tray 65 by the discharge roller 63 provided in the conveyance path 61 as described above.

  Next, the drying operation of the drying device 30 will be described. FIG. 9 is a front sectional view showing a state around the drying device when the paper P is dried. Portions common to FIGS. 1 to 8 are denoted by common reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. As illustrated in FIG. 9, when the paper P is transported from the transport unit 10, the paper P is sequentially transported from below into the storage unit 31 through the paper feed unit 33.

  At this time, an air flow is sent substantially horizontally from the upstream side in the transport direction by the separation blower 35, so that the air flow passes between the stock papers P 'and the stock papers P' do not come into contact with each other. it can. While maintaining this non-contact state, the ink on the stock paper P ′ in the storage unit 31 is dried by contacting the air flow sent from the separation blower 35 and the drying blowers 37a to 37f for a predetermined time. . After drying, the paper P is sequentially discharged from the bottom by the paper discharge unit 50 one by one.

More details are as follows. It is assumed that the printing operation is performed at a predetermined printing speed Ts (sec / sheet) set by the recording unit 7 and the transport unit 10. Further, a predetermined time required for drying the paper P is defined as a required drying time (predetermined drying time) Ta (sec). At this time, the housing unit 31, the paper P in first sheet paper P ₁ is carried second and subsequent from are sequentially carried by the print interval Ts.

For this reason, it is necessary to carry Ta / Ts sheets of paper P into the storage unit 31 from when the paper P ₁ is transferred into the storage unit 31 until it is dried. That is, it is necessary to stock the paper _{P 1} to a total of the housing portion 31 is {(Ta / Ts) +1} sheet P is conveyed. The number of sheets P required for such drying is defined as a dry stock number (predetermined stock number) N (N is an integer).

First, consider a case where the total number of printed sheets J (J is an integer) set by the user or the like is equal to or larger than the dry stock number N (J ≧ N). In such a case, when the first to _Nth sheets P _{1 to} P _N are carried into the storage unit 31, the stock time of the sheet P ₁ has been dried after the necessary drying time Ta, so the sheet discharge unit 50 by discharging the sheet _{P 1} from the container 31. Thereafter, printing interval from the discharge of the sheet P ₁ paper (predetermined intervals) Ts P2, if sequentially discharge the sheet P3 · · ·, stock time of each sheet P is passed drying required time Ta during discharge ing.

On the other hand, if also the printing operation N + 1 th and subsequent sheets is continued, the paper P _{N + 1} of the N + 1 th in the printing interval Ts from the loading of the paper P _N is carried into the housing portion 31. Note that the paper P _{N + 1} is carried in after the paper P ₁ is discharged and before the paper P ₂ is discharged. Further, the N + 2 and N + 3 sheets P _{N + 2} and P _{N + 3} to be subsequently printed are carried in, replacing the discharge of the sheets P ₂ and P ₃ , respectively.

  Thereafter, up to the (N + m) th sheet (m is an integer), the discharge and carry-in operations are repeated in a state where N sheets of stock paper P ′ are always present in the storage unit 31. After the paper P carried into the storage unit 31 reaches the total number of prints J (that is, N + m = J), the N sheets P remaining in the storage unit 31 are sequentially printed at the printing interval Ts. Discharged.

Thus, if the total number of printed sheets J dry stock number N or more, when N sheets of the paper P is carried in the housing part 31, (the paper P ₁ carried into the first sheet) paper P lowermost Since the required drying time Ta has been reached after being carried into the storage unit 31, the paper discharge unit 50 sequentially discharges at a predetermined time interval (predetermined interval) Ts equal to the printing interval. Further, instead of discharging the paper P, the paper P is carried one by one at a predetermined time interval Ts until the total number of printed sheets J is reached.

Incidentally, when the total number of printed sheets J is equal to N (J = N), after loading the paper _{P 1} until the paper _{P N,} are sequentially discharged from the sheet _{P 1} in printing interval Ts. However, since the (N + 1) th and subsequent sheets P are not printed, the sheet P is not carried into the container 31 any more, and only the sheets P _{1 to} P _N are discharged.

On the other hand, when the total number of printed sheets J is less than dry stock number N is also carried into the printed paper P all accommodating portion 31 of the time sheet P ₁ which was first carried is stocked in the accommodation portion 31 The required drying time Ta is not reached. Therefore, the storage unit 31 waits until the necessary drying time Ta elapses after the sheet P ₁ is carried in, and after the necessary drying time Ta elapses, the sheet P ₁ is discharged. Then, subsequently to the discharge of the sheet P _1, all of the paper P is discharged by the printing interval Ts. At this time, as described above, the stock time of each of the second and subsequent sheets P has passed the necessary drying time Ta when discharged.

  The required drying time Ta may be affected by the type of ink, the type of paper P, and the like. Further, the required drying time Ta is shorter as it becomes easier to dry (high temperature and low humidity) and becomes longer as it becomes difficult to dry (low temperature and high humidity). Moreover, it is influenced by the heating of the hot air generator 43, the blowing capacity of the blower fan 41, the size of the device, and the like. Furthermore, if the required drying time Ta is increased, the number of dry stocks N is increased, which may increase the size of the apparatus. Therefore, for example, considering these viewpoints, it is necessary to appropriately set the relationship between the environmental condition and the necessary drying time Ta by a preliminary experiment or the like.

  Further, since the printing interval Ts is influenced by the printing capability of the recording unit 7 and the conveyance capability of the conveyance unit 10, for example, the printing interval Ts can be set in consideration of these, and the dry stock number N can be set. . The printing interval Ts is represented by 60 / X when, for example, a predetermined number X (X is an integer) is printed for 60 seconds. The calculation result is used by rounding up the decimal point, for example. it can. Further, the number N of dry stocks set in this way can be set to 20, for example.

  FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the first embodiment. Portions common to FIGS. 1 to 9 are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. The printer 1 includes a control unit 20. An RIP (printer controller) 22, an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) 23, and the like are connected to the control unit 20, and the RIP 22 is also connected to the FPGA 23. ing.

  An ink tank 26, an encoder 28, and recording heads 8K to 8Y are connected to the FPGA 23. An AD converter 72 and a motor control IC 73 are connected to the control unit 20, a temperature / humidity sensor 71 is connected to the AD converter 72, and a conveyance motor 74 is connected to the motor control IC 73. The control unit 20 and the FPGA 23 are connected to the main power supply 69.

  The control unit 20 is, for example, a CPU, and outputs control signals to various control circuits described later to control the recording operation of the recording unit 7, the transport operation of the transport unit 10, the drying operation of the drying device 30, and the like. The control unit 20 has a function of converting an image signal received via the RIP 22 into image data and transmitting the image signal to the FPGA 23 to execute image processing and processing, and a function of controlling the conveyance speed of the paper P. ing.

  Further, the control unit 20 can access a RAM (not shown), and the RAM stores parameters relating the environmental conditions and the required drying time Ta, parameters relating to the printing interval Ts, and the like. Further, the control unit 20 receives the detection result of the temperature sensor 71 provided in the drying device 30 via the AD converter 72, and calculates the required drying time Ta based on the parameters stored in the RAM or the like. It has a function of calculating the dry stock number N from the required drying time Ta and the printing interval Ts.

  The control unit 20 includes a timer and a counter 21, and has a function of measuring the stock time in the storage unit 31 of the drying device 30, the number of printed sheets, the number of sheets P conveyed and stocked in the storage unit 31, and the like. Have. Further, the control unit 20 has a function of determining whether or not the total number of printed sheets J is N or more, a function of sequentially discharging the paper P from the storage unit 31 at a predetermined timing and interval by the paper discharge unit 50, and carrying into the storage unit 31 A function of determining whether or not the number of sheets of paper P reached the total number of printed sheets J.

  For example, the RIP 22 transmits and receives data to and from a host device such as a personal computer (not shown). The control unit 20 converts the image signal received via the RIP 22 into image data by performing scaling processing or gradation processing by the FPGA 23 as necessary.

  The FPGA 23 is a circuit that includes an image processing unit 24 and a data processing unit 25, and based on a control signal from the control unit 20, the image data transmitted from the control unit 20 is subjected to scaling or gradation processing to generate ink. The data is transmitted to the tank 26, the encoder 28, and the recording heads 8K to 8Y. Further, it controls the ejection of ink from the recording heads 8K to 8Y. By such control and control of transport of the paper by the transport belt 11 driven by the transport motor 74, recording processing on the paper is performed.

  The ink tank 26 is equipped with a ROM 27 for storing information such as installation time and color. The ink color information stored in the ROM 27 is transmitted to the control unit 20 via the FPGA 23 and is used to determine the specifications such as ink color.

  The encoder 28 is connected to the printing drive roller 12 (not shown) and outputs a pulse train according to the rotational displacement amount of the rotation shaft of the printing drive roller 12. The control unit 20 calculates the rotation amount by counting the number of pulses transmitted from the encoder 28 via the FPGA 23, and grasps the paper feed amount (paper position). Based on the signal from the encoder 28, the control unit 20 outputs a correction signal to the motor control IC 73 so that the paper feed amount (paper position) by driving the printing drive roller 12 becomes uniform.

  The motor control IC 73 drives the carry motor 74 by an output signal from the control unit 20. The conveyance motor 74 is driven to rotate the printing drive roller 12 (see FIG. 1), and the printing conveyance belt 11 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 1 to convey the paper P to the drying device 30.

  Next, drying control using the printer of this embodiment will be described. 11 and 12 are flowcharts showing an example of drying control using the ink jet recording apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a flowchart when the total number of printed sheets is smaller than the number of dry stocks. FIG. 10 is a flowchart when the total number of printed sheets is equal to or greater than the number of dry stock sheets. Portions common to FIGS. 1 to 10 are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  The printing interval Ts is preset as described above. First, the paper size, the total number of printed sheets J, and the like are set by the user or the like, and when started, the control unit 20 receives a print command (step S1), and operates the hot air generator 43 and the blower fan 41 (step S2). . Further, the temperature and humidity are detected by the temperature and humidity detection sensor 71 (step S3).

  The control unit 20 determines whether the detected temperature / humidity (detection result) of the temperature / humidity detection sensor 71 is within a predetermined range (step S4). A required drying time Ta necessary for drying is calculated (step S5).

Further, the control unit 20 calculates the dry stock number N from the required drying time Ta and the printing interval Ts (step S6). Then, it is determined whether or not the total number of printed sheets J is smaller than the dry stock number N (step S7). If the total number of printed sheets J is determined dried stock number smaller than N and (J <N) starts the printing operation (step S8), and printed by the recording unit 7 the first sheet J of paper P ₁ of sequentially carried into the container 31 up sheet of paper _{P J} (step S9).

Next, it waits from being carried into the first sheet P ₁ is housing portion 31, to the drying time required Ta has elapsed (step S10). After such waiting, the sheet _{P 1} in the lowermost to the uppermost sheet _{P J,} sequentially discharged printing interval Ts (step S11). Thereafter, the operation of the hot air generator 43 and the blower fan 41 is stopped (step S12), and the process ends.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S7 that the total number of printed sheets J is equal to or greater than the dry stock number N (J ≧ N) ((1) in FIG. 11), the printing operation is started as shown in FIG. step S13), and the first sheet P _1, which is printed by the recording unit 7 sequentially carried into container 31 until the paper P _N of the N-th (the step S14), and the carrying sheet P in the housing portion 31 It is determined whether the number of sheets (required number of sheets to be dried) N is smaller than the total number of printed sheets J (whether the sheet P has reached the total number of printed sheets J) (step S15).

If it is determined that J does not reach N (N <J), the next sheet (N + mth sheet, corresponding to m = 1 here, where m is an integer) is printed by the recording unit 7 (step S16). Then, the lowermost sheet P ₁ (sheet P _m , corresponding to m = 1 in this case) is discharged from the storage unit 31 (step S17), and after the sheet P ₁ is discharged, the printed (N + m) th sheet P _{N + m} is carried into the storage unit 31 (step S18). Then, it is determined whether or not the total carry-in number (N + m) of the paper P carried into the storage unit 31 has reached the total print number J (step S19).

  When the total carry-in number (N + m) reaches J (N + m = J), N sheets of stock paper P ′ stocked in the storage unit 31 are transferred to the lowermost stock paper P ′ by the paper discharge unit 50. Are sequentially discharged at a printing interval Ts (step S20). Thereafter, the operation of the hot air generator 43 and the blower fan 41 is stopped (step S21), and the process is terminated.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S15 that J has reached N (J = N), according to step S20, N sheets of stock paper P ′ stocked in the storage unit 31 are transferred by the paper discharge unit 50. The paper is sequentially discharged at the printing interval Ts, and after executing step S21, the process is terminated. In this case, this corresponds to the case where the total number of printed sheets J and the dry stock number N are the same.

  If N + m does not reach J in step S19 (N + m <J), m is counted up as m + 1 (step S22), and then steps S16 to S19 are repeated until N + m = J, and N + m = J If it becomes, after executing steps S20 and S21, the process ends.

  As described above, the drying device 30 is provided with the storage unit 31, the separation blower unit 35, and the paper discharge unit 50, so that the plurality of papers P are stored in the storage unit 31 until the ink is dried while avoiding ink adhesion to each other. The stock can be discharged sequentially from the stock paper P ′ in which the ink is dried. In addition, instead of replacing the discharged paper P, the paper P to be continuously printed can be carried into the storage unit 31.

  Thereby, the increase in the size of the apparatus, the increase in the number of members and the cost can be suppressed, and the ink discharged onto the paper P can be sufficiently dried even in single-sided printing in response to the increase in the speed of the printer 1.

  Further, in the present embodiment, since at least the blower fan 41 and the separation blower 35 are provided, the air flow is more efficiently passed between the stock papers P ′ without causing the ink to pass through the paper carry-in direction. In addition, the ink drying efficiency can be increased. Here, in addition to the separating air blowing unit 35, drying air blowing units 37 a to 37 f for sending an air flow from a different direction from the separating air blowing unit 35 are provided, so that separation of the stock paper P ′ is promoted and ink is dried. Efficiency can be further increased. However, the blower fan 41 can also be provided integrally with each of the separation blower 35 and the drying blowers 37a to 37f. Moreover, it can also be set as the structure which does not use the ventilation parts 37a-37f for drying.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, while comprising the container part 31 which can be sealed, the exhaust part 45 which can discharge | emit the airflow sent from the ventilation part 35 for separation and the ventilation parts 37a-37f for drying is provided. The air flow discharged from the exhaust part 45 is circulated to the separation air blowing part 35 and the drying air blowing parts 37a to 37f, so that the air flow is effectively used to improve the energy efficiency and to improve the drying efficiency. Can be increased.

  In this embodiment, since the warm air generator 43 is provided, the ink drying efficiency can be increased. In the present embodiment, the paper discharge unit 50 is provided with the discharge conveyance belt 51 stretched around the discharge drive roller 52, the discharge driven roller 53, and the like, and the suction box 57. Therefore, the stock paper P ′ Therefore, it is possible to easily discharge only the lowermost sheet, so that the sheets P can be sequentially discharged more reliably at predetermined intervals.

Further, in the present embodiment, when the total print number J of the paper P in the recording unit 7 is less than the dry stock number N, the necessary drying time Ta elapses after the _first paper P1 is carried into the storage unit 31. When the total number of printed sheets J is equal to or greater than the dry stock number N, after the stock paper P ′ reaches the dry stock number N, the paper discharge unit 50 stores the stock paper P ′ one by one at the print interval Ts. It was decided to discharge sequentially from the section 31.

  As a result, even when the total number of printed sheets J is small, a sufficient drying time Ta can be secured, and when the total number of printed sheets J is large, efficient drying can be performed sequentially. Further, the paper P printed after reaching the dry stock number N can be sequentially carried into the storage unit 31 one by one in place of the discharged stock paper P ′, and can be efficiently dried. Therefore, more appropriate drying can be performed according to the total number of printed sheets J.

  In the present embodiment, the case where only the front surface of the paper P is printed (single-sided printing) has been described. However, the back surface can also be printed following the front surface (double-sided printing). In such a case, for example, a duplex printing conveyance path (not shown) that branches from the conveyance path 61 and communicates with the registration roller 6 is provided on the downstream side of the paper discharge unit 51, and on the downstream side of the duplex printing conveyance path. By providing a transport path switching plate (not shown), it is possible to switch between the transport path 61 and the transport path for double-sided printing for single-sided printing and double-sided printing. it can.

  FIG. 13 is a front sectional view showing a schematic structure of a printer according to the second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 13, the conveyance path 61 is provided with a fixing roller pair (roller pair) 67 instead of the discharge roller 63, and the paper P discharged from the drying device 30 is inserted into the fixing roller pair 67. The

  As the fixing roller pair 67, a fixing roller pair usually used in electrophotography can be applied. For example, a heat roller (heating roller) 67a having a halogen heater (not shown) inside, and a heat roller 67a below. And a press roller 67b that forms a nip by pressure contact.

  Then, when the paper P passes through the fixing device 67, the paper P is heated and pressurized, and the wrinkles of the paper P can be extended. The paper P that has passed through the fixing roller pair 67 is discharged to the discharge tray 65. Since the fixing roller pair 67 is provided in this manner, generation of wrinkles and the like of the dried paper P can be prevented and further drying can be performed sufficiently. Note that the surface temperature of the heat roller 67a due to the heating of the halogen heater can be set to a temperature at which the ink is not offset to the roller and the paper P can be prevented from wrinkling, for example, about 200 ° C. it can.

  In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the number of nozzles and the nozzle interval of the recording heads 8K to 8Y can be appropriately set according to the specifications of the apparatus. In the present embodiment, the ink jet printer 1 is used. However, the present invention can also be used as a drying device for an image forming apparatus other than the ink jet printer 1.

  Using the printer 1 of the first embodiment, the relationship between the detection result of the temperature / humidity sensor 71 and the required drying time Ta when performing color printing using predetermined ink and paper P was examined. As a result, when the temperature was 40 ° C. or higher and the humidity was 20 to 40% RH, that is, under conditions where the ink was easy to dry, the required drying time Ta could be 5 seconds. Further, when the temperature was 10 to 20 ° C. and the humidity was 60 to 80% RH, that is, under the condition that the ink was difficult to dry, the required drying time Ta could be 10 seconds.

  As described above, the required drying time Ta is set according to the condition that the ink is easy to dry and the condition that the ink is difficult to dry, and the relationship between the required drying time Ta and the temperature and humidity are appropriately changed between the conditions. By setting, the required drying time Ta is set based on the detection result of the temperature / humidity sensor 71, and the dry stock number N can be calculated from Ta and a preset printing interval Ts.

  The required drying time Ta is merely an example, and the required drying time Ta may be appropriately set according to the size of the housing 31, the heating temperature in the hot air generator 43, the amount of air blown by the blower fan 41, and the like. It can be longer or shorter than the above.

  The present invention relates to an inkjet including a transport unit that transports a recording medium, a recording unit that ejects ink onto the recording medium transported by the transport unit, and a drying unit that dries the ink ejected onto the recording medium. In the recording apparatus, a recording medium on which ink is ejected is sequentially carried into the drying unit, a storage unit capable of stocking the loaded recording medium for a predetermined period of time, and an air flow is sent to the storage unit. The stocked recording medium that has been stocked can be kept out of contact with each other, and the air blowing unit that can dry the ink, and after the predetermined time has passed, the stock recording medium can be sequentially discharged from the storage unit one by one from the bottom at predetermined intervals. And a proper discharge section.

  As a result, a plurality of recording media can be stocked in the container until the ink is dried while avoiding ink adhesion to each other. In addition, printing is continued instead of sequentially discharging the ink from the dried recording medium. Since the recording medium can be carried into the storage unit, the increase in the size of the apparatus, the increase in the number of members and the cost can be suppressed, and the ink discharged to the recording medium can be printed even in single-sided printing in response to the speeding up of the recording apparatus. Sufficient drying can be performed.

  In addition, the air blowing unit is configured to have at least a separating air blowing unit that sends the air flow generated by the air blowing generating unit to the housing unit and sends the air flow from the upstream side in the recording medium loading direction to pass between the stock recording media. As a result, it is possible to more efficiently pass the air flow between the stock recording media to avoid adhesion of ink to each other and to increase the drying efficiency of the ink.

  Further, the housing part is made of a box-shaped member that can be sealed, and the air flow is effectively used by discharging the air flow sent from the air blowing part to the housing part and providing an exhaust part that can be circulated in the air blowing part. Energy efficiency and drying efficiency can be increased. Ink drying efficiency can be improved by providing a heating means for heating the air flow sent from the blower.

  Further, by providing the discharge unit with a conveyance belt stretched between at least the driving roller and the driven roller, and a suction unit that sucks the lowermost one of the stock recording media and attaches it to the conveyance belt. Since it is possible to easily discharge only the lowermost sheet of the stock recording medium, it is possible to sequentially and reliably discharge at a predetermined interval. In addition, by providing a roller pair having at least one heating roller and having a nip through which the recording medium discharged from the storage portion is passed by the discharge portion, it is possible to prevent the dry recording medium from being wrinkled.

  Also, when the total number of recording media printed in the recording unit is less than the predetermined number of stocks, and after waiting for the predetermined drying time to elapse after the first recording medium is loaded into the storage unit, After the stock recording medium reaches the predetermined number of stocks, the discharge unit sequentially discharges the stock recording media one by one from the storage unit at a predetermined interval, so that more appropriate drying can be performed according to the total number of printed sheets.

FIG. 1 is a front sectional view showing a schematic structure of an ink jet printer which is an example of an ink jet recording apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. These are perspective views which show the conveyance unit and drying apparatus which are used for the printer of this embodiment. These are front sectional drawings which show schematic structure of a conveyance unit and a drying apparatus. These are the perspective views of the drying apparatus used for the printer of this embodiment. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which the upper cover of the drying device of FIG. 4 is removed. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional perspective view taken along the line AA ′ of FIG. 5. These are figures which show the paper discharge part used for the drying apparatus of this embodiment, Fig.7 (a) is a perspective view, FIG.7 (b) shows the conveyance belt for discharge in Fig.7 (a). It is a perspective view which shows the state removed. These are front sectional drawing of the paper discharge part used for the drying apparatus of this embodiment. These are front sectional views showing the state around the drying device when the paper P is dried. These are block diagrams which show the structure of the inkjet recording device of this embodiment. These are flowcharts when the total number of printed sheets is smaller than the required number of sheets for drying, showing an example of drying control using the inkjet recording apparatus of the present embodiment. These are flowcharts when the total number of printed sheets is equal to or greater than the required number of sheets to be dried, showing an example of drying control using the inkjet recording apparatus of the present embodiment. These are front sectional drawing which shows schematic structure of the printer which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 Printer (inkjet recording device)
2 Main body 7 Recording unit 8 Recording head 10 Conveying unit 20 Control unit 30 Drying device 31 Storage unit 35 Blower unit for separation (blower unit)
37a-37f Drying blower (blower)
42 Blower fan (Blower generating means)
43 Hot air generator (heating means)
45 Exhaust section 50 Paper discharge section (discharge section)
51 Discharge conveyor belt (conveyor belt)
52 Ejection drive roller (drive roller)
53 Ejection transport roller 54 Ejection driven roller (driven roller)
55 Tension roller for discharge 57 Suction box (suction means)
67 Fixing roller pair (roller pair)
67a Heat roller (heating roller)
67b Press roller 71 Temperature / humidity sensor P Paper P 'Stock paper

Claims (7)

In an inkjet recording apparatus comprising: a transport unit that transports a recording medium; a recording unit that ejects ink onto the recording medium transported by the transport unit; and a drying unit that dries the ink ejected onto the recording medium.
The drying means includes
A storage unit in which the recording medium on which the ink is discharged is sequentially carried in, and the loaded recording medium can be stocked for a predetermined time; and
An air flow is sent to the housing portion so that the stock recording media stocked in the housing portion do not come into contact with each other, and an air blowing portion capable of drying the ink;
An ink jet recording apparatus, comprising: a discharge unit capable of sequentially discharging the stock recording medium from the bottom at a predetermined interval one by one from the bottom after the predetermined time has elapsed.   The air blowing section includes at least a separation air blowing section that sends an air flow generated by the air blowing generating means to the housing section from the upstream side in the recording medium loading direction and passes between the stock recording media. Item 10. The ink jet recording apparatus according to Item 1.   The housing part is composed of a box-shaped member that can be sealed, and the housing part is provided with an exhaust part that discharges the air flow sent from the blower part and can circulate to the blower part. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink jet recording apparatus is an ink jet recording apparatus.   The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a heating unit that heats an air flow sent from the blower.   The discharge unit is provided with a conveyance belt stretched between at least a driving roller and a driven roller, and a suction unit that sucks the lowermost one of the stock recording media and attaches it to the conveyance belt. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink jet recording apparatus is provided.   The inkjet according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein at least one roller comprises a heating roller, and a roller pair having a nip through which the recording medium discharged from the storage portion passes by the discharge portion is provided. Recording device. The predetermined time is a predetermined drying time necessary for drying the recording medium on which the ink has been ejected,
When the number of recording media that can be stocked in the storage section after the first recording medium is carried in and before the predetermined drying time elapses is set as the predetermined stock number,
When the total number of prints of the recording medium in the recording unit is less than the predetermined stock number, after waiting for the predetermined drying time to elapse after the first recording medium is carried into the storage unit,
In the case of the predetermined stock number or more, after the stock recording medium reaches the predetermined stock number,
The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stock recording medium is sequentially discharged from the storage unit one by one at the predetermined interval by the discharge unit.

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