Conveying apparatus and printing apparatus

{
  "publication_number": "US12115773B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Conveying apparatus and printing apparatus",
  "abstract": "A conveying unit conveys a medium by moving a glue belt. The conveying unit includes a vapor application unit and a cleaning unit. The vapor application unit applies heated vapor to a front surface of the glue belt separated from the medium. The cleaning unit cleans the front surface to which the vapor is applied by the vapor application unit.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A conveying apparatus comprising: a plurality of rollers; a conveying belt being coated with an adhesive on a surface and wound around the plurality of rollers, the conveying belt being configured such that a medium is attached to the surface; a vapor application unit configured to apply heated vapor to a front surface of the conveying belt separated from the medium; and a cleaning unit configured to clean the front surface to which the vapor is applied by the vapor application unit.",
    "2. The conveying apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a cooling unit configured to cool at least a portion of a target region, the target region being from a first region to which the vapor is applied to a second region cleaned by the cleaning unit on the front surface.",
    "3. The conveying apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the cooling unit cools the second region.",
    "4. The conveying apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a control unit configured to control an operation of the vapor application unit, wherein the control unit controls the operation of the vapor application unit based on a state of the front surface.",
    "5. The conveying apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a control unit configured to control an operation of the vapor application unit, wherein the control unit controls the operation of the vapor application unit based on a moving speed of the conveying belt.",
    "6. The conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the medium is a recording medium on which an image is recorded, the conveying apparatus includes a control unit configured to control an operation of the vapor application unit, and the control unit controls the operation of the vapor application unit based on a duty of the image.",
    "7. The conveying apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising: an airflow generation unit configured to generate an airflow toward a back surface opposite to the front surface of the conveying belt, wherein the control unit adjusts an amount of airflow generated by the airflow generation unit based on an amount of vapor generated from the vapor application unit.",
    "8. The conveying apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising: a heating unit configured to heat an arrival region at which the airflow arrives on the back surface, wherein the control unit controls a heating temperature of the heating unit based on the amount of airflow generated.",
    "9. The conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning unit includes: a scraping member configured to scrape off a foreign matter adhered to the front surface while coming into contact with the front surface and a collection unit configured to collect the foreign matter scraped off by the scraping member and the scraping member includes a guide portion configured to guide the foreign matter to the collection unit.",
    "10. The conveying apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the cleaning unit includes an air blowing unit configured to blow air toward the collection unit and air is blown to at least a portion of the scraping member between the air blowing unit and the collection unit.",
    "11. The conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning unit comprises an air nozzle configured to direct air toward a cleaning brush.",
    "12. A printing apparatus comprising: a conveying apparatus that includes a plurality of rollers, and a conveying belt being coated with an adhesive on a surface and wound around the plurality of rollers, the conveying belt being configured such that a medium is attached to the surface; and a recording unit configured to perform recording on the moving medium, wherein the conveying apparatus includes: a vapor application unit configured to apply heated vapor to a front surface of the conveying belt separated from the medium and a cleaning unit configured to clean the front surface to which the vapor is applied by the vapor application unit.",
    "13. The printing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the cleaning unit comprises an air nozzle configured to direct air toward a cleaning brush."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "The present application is based on, and claims priority from JP Application Serial Number 2022-029424, filed Feb. 28, 2022, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.\n\nThe present disclosure relates to a conveying apparatus and a printing apparatus.\n\nA recording medium conveying apparatus disclosed in JP-A-2021-134071 includes a conveying belt that conveys a recording medium, a cleaning solution application unit that applies a cleaning solution to the conveying belt after the recording medium is peeled off, a removal member that removes the cleaning solution from the conveying belt, and a pressure changing mechanism that changes a pressure for causing the removal member to come into contact with the belt. The cleaning solution application unit is configured of a sprinkling pipe, a pump, and the like.\n\nAn example of a method for improving the performance of removing foreign matter on a front surface of a conveying belt in a configuration that applies a cleaning solution to the front surface of the conveying belt that is moving, as in the cleaning solution application unit disclosed in JP-A-2021-134071, includes a method of increasing the pressure of a cleaning solution.\n\nHowever, when the pressure of the cleaning solution is increased, there is concern that the high-pressure cleaning solution will collide with the conveying belt, and the cleaning solution will be scattered around a recording medium conveying apparatus.",
  "cpc": [
    "B41F 35/001",
    "B41J 2/01",
    "B41J 29/17",
    "B65G 45/12",
    "B65G 45/22",
    "B65G 45/24",
    "B65H 2301/531"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "B41F 35/00"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Seiko Epson Corp"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Shuhei NISHIZAWA",
    "Koji Sato",
    "Yoshihisa Horikawa"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2023-02-27",
  "publication_date": "2024-10-15",
  "grant_date": "2024-10-15",
  "priority_date": "2022-02-28",
  "application_number": "US-202318174763-A",
  "family_id": "85384635",
  "cited_by_count": 0,
  "citations": [
    "US20150309413A1",
    "JP2021134071A",
    "US20220410560A1"
  ]
}