Printing apparatus and printing method
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsShoichi Zensai, Yusuke Nakaya, Yohei Kusano
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A printing apparatus includes a dryer unit including an intake port, a heater unit to heat outside air taken in through the intake port, an air blower unit to perform an air blowing operation, a return port to allow an inflow of part of the heated outside air blown to the print sheet, and a temperature detector unit to detect a temperature inside the dryer unit. In the air blowing operation, the returned part of the heated outside air and the outside air flow into the air blower unit. A controller unit controls the air blowing operation or the output of the heater unit.
Claims19
A printing apparatus comprising:
- an image formation unit configured to form an image on a print sheet;
- a dryer unit provided on a subsequent stage side of the image formation unit and configured to dry the print sheet on which the image is formed by the image formation unit;
- and
- a controller unit configured to control an operation of the dryer unit,
- wherein the dryer unit includes:
- (1) an intake port configured to take in outside air;
- (2) a heater unit configured to heat the outside air taken in through the intake port;
- (3) an air blower unit configured to perform an air blowing operation of blowing heated outside air in a certain direction, the heated outside air being the outside air heated by the heater unit;
- (4) a return port configured to allow an inflow of part of the heated outside air blown to the print sheet;
- and
- (5) a temperature detector unit provided inside the dryer unit and configured to detect a temperature inside the dryer unit,
- wherein in a case where the air blower unit performs the air blowing operation, the part of the heated outside air flowing in through the return port and the outside air flowing in through the intake port flow into the air blower unit,
- wherein in a case where the temperature detected by the temperature detector unit is equal to or higher than a first temperature, the controller unit controls the air blowing operation to increase a volume of the outside air flowing into the air blower unit,
- wherein in a case where the temperature is lower than the first temperature and is equal to or higher than a second temperature lower than the first temperature, the controller unit performs control to decrease an output of the heater unit,
- wherein in a case where the temperature is lower than the second temperature, the controller unit performs control to increase the output of the heater unit, and
- wherein the first temperature is a temperature of a measurement target with which a temperature of the air blower unit reaches an upper limit of its heat-resistant temperature.
A printing method for a printing apparatus, the printing apparatus including (1) an image formation unit configured to form an image on a print sheet and (2) a dryer unit provided on a subsequent stage side of the image formation unit and configured to dry the print sheet on which the image is formed by the image formation unit, the method comprising:
- a step of controlling an operation of the dryer unit, wherein the dryer unit includes (1) an intake port configured to take in outside air, (2) a heater unit configured to heat the outside air taken in through the intake port, (3) an air blower unit configured to perform an air blowing operation of blowing heated outside air in a certain direction, the heated outside air being the outside air heated by the heater unit, (4) a return port configured to allow an inflow of part of the heated outside air blown to the print sheet, and (5) a temperature detector unit provided inside the dryer unit and configured to detect a temperature inside the dryer unit,
- wherein in a case where the air blower unit performs the air blowing operation, the part of the heated outside air flowing in through the return port and the outside air flowing in through the intake port flow into the air blower unit,
- wherein the controlling includes:
- (1) a step of, in a case where the temperature detected by the temperature detector unit is equal to or higher than a first temperature, controlling the air blowing operation to increase a volume of the outside air flowing into the air blower unit,
- (2) a step of, in a case where the temperature is lower than the first temperature and is equal to or higher than a second temperature lower than the first temperature, performing control to decrease an output of the heater unit, and
- (3) a step of, in a case where the temperature is lower than the second temperature, performing control to increase the output of the heater unit, and
- wherein the first temperature is a temperature of a measurement target with which a temperature of the air blower unit reaches an upper limit of its heat-resistant temperature.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.