Conveying device
A conveying device which is disposed so as to face an image forming unit that performs image formation on a medium and which conveys the medium while sucking the medium, the conveying device including: a conveying surface having a suction region that sucks the medium, wherein the suction region includes a first suction region including a region that faces an entirety of the image forming unit along a conveying direction of the medium, and a second suction region located on an upstream side of the first suction region in a conveying direction, the second suction region sucking the medium with a stronger sucking force than the first suction region.
1 . A conveying device which is disposed so as to face an image forming unit that performs image formation on a medium and which conveys the medium in a conveying direction while applying a suction force to the medium, the conveying device comprising:
a conveying surface having a suction region configured to apply the suction force to the medium, wherein the suction region includes
a first suction region including a region that faces an entirety of the image forming unit along the conveying direction, and
a second suction region located upstream of the first suction region in the conveying direction, the second suction region being configured to apply a stronger suction force to the medium than the first suction region;
a conveyor belt including the conveying surface and configured to convey the medium and having a plurality of belt holes in the conveying surface;
a support member supporting the conveyor belt on a surface thereof opposite to the conveying surface of the conveyor belt; and
a suction fan configured to suction air through the plurality of belt holes so as to form the suction region in the conveying surface, wherein
the support member includes
a plurality of recesses arranged in each of the conveying direction and a width direction of the medium that is orthogonal to the conveying direction, the plurality of recesses being positioned to communicate with the belt holes,
a plurality of first suction holes connected to a first subset of the plurality of recesses, the plurality of first suction holes forming the first suction region by suctioning air from the first subset of the plurality of recesses, and
a plurality of second suction holes connected to a second subset of the plurality of recesses different from the first subset of the plurality of recesses, each second suction hole having a diameter larger than the diameter of each first suction hole, the plurality of second suction holes forming the second suction region by suctioning air from the second subset of the plurality of recesses.
2 . The conveying device according to claim 1 , wherein
the diameter of the plurality of first suction holes is smaller than the diameter of the belt holes, and
the diameter of the plurality of second suction holes is larger than the diameter of the belt holes.
3 . The conveying device according to claim 1 , wherein the second suction region is less than half a length of the first suction region in the conveying direction.
4 . The conveying device according to claim 1 , wherein the first suction region is always positioned to face the entirety of the image forming unit along the conveying direction during the movement of the conveying surface in the conveying direction.
5 . The conveying device according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second suction regions are stationary during movement of the conveying surface in the conveying direction.