JP2009034883A - Liquid ejection device and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid ejection device cooling temperature-increase portions such as a tube and a control substrate with a simple and easy constitution, also, while ejecting the liquid from a liquid ejection head, and to provide an image forming apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: The liquid ejection device 1 of the present invention including a carriage 7 equipped with the liquid ejection head 5 and moving in a main scanning direction, is configured to eject the liquid to a recording medium and record an image. The carriage 7 includes a gas inlet 27 opening in the main scanning direction, and a gas outlet 29 communicating with the gas inlet 27 so as to cool the temperature-increase portions in the device with the gas current flowing in through the gas inlet 27 with the movement of the carriage 7. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid discharge apparatus and a liquid discharge type image forming apparatus.

  In a liquid ejection device, when liquid is ejected continuously at a high speed with a liquid ejection head, the temperature of a tube or a control board for supplying liquid to the liquid ejection head rises. In order to prevent thermal destruction, it is necessary to cool the tube and control board.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228561 discloses a technique for cooling the control substrate by stopping liquid ejection when the temperature of the control substrate of the liquid ejection head exceeds a predetermined threshold.
Patent Document 2 discloses a technique in which a radiation plate is provided in a path through which a liquid flows and the liquid is cooled by the radiation plate.

JP 2004-17323 A JP 2000-238281 A

  However, in Patent Document 1, liquid discharge must be stopped to prevent thermal destruction of the control board while the control board is cooled. In Patent Document 2, the liquid is naturally cooled by heat radiation of the radiation plate. Therefore, a high cooling effect cannot be expected, and a coolant such as ice is separately required to enhance the cooling effect.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid ejection apparatus and an image forming apparatus that can cool a temperature rising portion such as a tube or a control substrate while ejecting liquid with a liquid ejection head.

  In order to solve the above problems, the invention described in claim 1 is a liquid ejection apparatus that includes a carriage having a liquid ejection head and moves in the main scanning direction, and ejects liquid onto a recording medium to record an image. The carriage has a gas inlet opening in the main scanning direction and a gas outlet communicating with the gas inlet, and the temperature inside the apparatus rises due to the airflow flowing from the gas inlet as the carriage moves. The part is cooled.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the temperature increasing portion is a liquid supply tube that supplies a liquid to the liquid discharge head, and the gas outlet is opened toward the liquid supply tube. It is characterized by.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the temperature increasing portion is a liquid storage portion that stores the liquid supplied to the liquid discharge head, and the liquid storage portion is a gas flow in the carriage. It is provided on the road.

  The invention described in claim 4 is the invention described in claim 1, further comprising a maintenance / recovery unit for maintaining / recovering the liquid ejection head, wherein the temperature riser is a maintenance / recovery unit, and the gas outlet Is characterized by opening toward the maintenance / recovery section.

  The invention described in claim 5 is the invention described in claim 4, further comprising a shutter that opens and closes the gas outlet, and the shutter opens when the carriage is outside the recording area, and the carriage is in the recording area. It is sometimes closed.

  The invention described in claim 6 is the invention described in claim 4 or 5, further comprising a shield, a drive unit that drives the shield, and a transport unit that transports the recording medium to the recording area, and maintains the shield. It is provided between the transfer section and the transport section, and when the carriage moves to a position facing the maintenance / recovery section, the shield is driven to block the liquid scattered by the airflow flowing into the maintenance section.

  The invention described in claim 7 is the invention described in claim 4 or 5, further comprising a shield, a drive unit that drives the shield, and a control device, and the shield is provided between the maintenance unit and the control device. And when the carriage moves to a position facing the maintenance / recovery unit, the shield is driven to block the scattered liquid by the airflow flowing into the maintenance unit.

  In the invention described in claim 8, in the invention described in claim 2, the carriage includes a shield and a drive unit that drives the shield, the shield is provided between the liquid discharge head and the tube, and the liquid discharge An air flow is prevented from flowing between the head and the conveyance path of the recording medium, and the shield is driven and stored in the carriage when the ink discharge head is maintained / recovered.

  The invention described in claim 9 is characterized in that, in the invention described in any one of claims 1 to 8, a fin that rotates and blows airflow is provided, and the fin is provided in the vicinity of the gas outlet. And

  A tenth aspect of the present invention is an image forming apparatus provided with the liquid ejection apparatus according to any one of the first to ninth aspects.

  According to the present invention, by moving the carriage, the airflow flowing in from the gas inlet by the head wind cools the temperature rising portion in the apparatus, so that the temperature rising portion in the apparatus is cooled while discharging the liquid. Can be realized with a simple configuration.

  The first embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1A is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the liquid ejection apparatus according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view showing an outline of a duct provided inside the carriage. FIG. 2C is a longitudinal sectional view of the carriage according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a transverse sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the ink (liquid) ejection device according to the present embodiment.

  An ink (liquid) discharge apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is provided in a copying machine (image forming apparatus) 3, and as shown in FIGS. 1A and 2, an ink discharge head 5 ( 1C), a drive unit 9 that drives the carriage 7, an ink tube (tube) 11, a control board (control device) 13, and a maintenance / recovery unit for the ink ejection head 5. 15, an ink cartridge 17, an empty ejection receiver 19 of an ink ejection head, and a conveyance unit 33 for paper (recording medium) 61.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the carriage 7 includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped casing 23, an ink discharge head 5, a sub tank 25 that stores ink supplied from the ink cartridge 17, a gas inlet 27, and a gas outlet. 29, a duct 31 that communicates the gas inlet 27 and the gas outlet 29, and fins 32.

  The carriage 7 and the ink cartridge 17 in the initial position are provided at a position sandwiching the paper transport unit 33, and the sub tank 25 and the ink cartridge 17 mounted on the carriage 7 are connected by the ink tube 11. In the main scanning direction of the carriage 7, a maintenance / recovery unit 15 is provided on one side across the transport unit 33, and an idle ejection receiver 19 is provided on the other side, and the maintenance operation and idle ejection of the ink ejection head 5 are performed as necessary. .

  A substantially rectangular gas inlet 27 is provided on one side surface 35 of the carriage 7 in the main scanning direction, and a substantially rectangular gas outlet 29 is provided on a side surface 37 facing the ink tube 11. Inside the carriage 7, a duct 31 that communicates the gas inlet 27 and the gas outlet 29 is provided in a substantially L shape. The control board 13 is provided on the ink tube 11 side.

  The duct 31 is provided with fins 32 in the vicinity of the gas outlet 29 so that the airflow generated in the duct 31 can be efficiently sent to the ink tube 11 facing the gas outlet 29.

  The drive unit 9 (see FIG. 13) is for moving the carriage 7 in the main scanning direction by the main scanning motor.

  The conveyance unit 33 includes a conveyance belt that conveys the paper 61, a driving roller, and a driven roller. The conveyance belt is wound around the driving roller and the driven roller. The driving roller is rotated by the driving force of the motor, and the conveying belt and the driven roller are rotated by the rotation of the driving roller.

  The ink discharge head 5 is of a thermal type that obtains a discharge pressure due to liquid film boiling by driving a heating element, and is used as a means for preventing the drying of unused nozzles, as needed, during the recording, idle discharge unrelated to recording. To the idle discharge receptacle 19.

  It has been found that when the ink ejection head 5 ejects ink for the recording operation, unnecessary bubble silence and ink wetting on the head face surface occur in the head, thereby deteriorating the recorded image. Therefore, the maintenance operation with suction is performed in the maintenance / recovery unit 15 as necessary.

  That is, when an ink ejection failure occurs, the ink ejection port is sealed by the capping means provided in the opening 51 (see FIG. 5) of the maintenance / recovery unit 15, and the suction means is passed from the ink ejection port through the tube. Bubbles and the like are sucked together with the ink, and the ink and dust adhering to the discharge port surface are removed by the cleaning means, and the ink discharge failure is solved. Further, the sucked ink is discharged to a waste liquid tank 53 (see FIG. 5) provided below the maintenance / recovery unit 15 and absorbed and held by an ink absorber inside the waste liquid tank.

  Here, a schematic configuration and operation of the copying machine 3 provided with the ink ejection apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The copying machine 3 reads an image of a document by an ink ejection apparatus 1 that records on a paper (recording medium) 61 by an ink ejection method, a paper feeding unit 55 that supplies the paper 61, a paper discharge unit 57 that discharges the paper, and the like. And an image reading unit 59.

  In the paper feeding unit 55, the paper 61 in the paper cassette is conveyed by the paper feeding roller 63, and a plurality of papers 61 are frictionally separated at the nip position of the rubber separation pad 65, and only the uppermost paper 61 is supplied. (Inlet roller / registration roller) 67 is conveyed to the ink discharge device 1, then recorded by the ink discharge device 1, reversed by the paper discharge portion 57, and discharged to the stack portion 71 in the cylinder.

  Below, the effect of 1st Embodiment is demonstrated. The sheet 61 conveyed to the ink ejection apparatus 1 is recorded with an image by the ink ejection head 5 while being conveyed by the conveyance unit 33 of the ink ejection apparatus 1. During the recording operation, the carriage 7 is moved about the width of the sheet 61 in the main scanning direction by the drive unit 9. When the carriage 7 moves, an airflow flows from the gas inlet 27 of the carriage 7, flows through the duct 31, and rotates the fins 32. The airflow rectified by the rotation of the fin 32 flows out from the gas outlet 29 and flows into the ink tube 11, and cools the ink tube 11 heated by the heat generation of the control board 13.

  According to the present embodiment, by moving the carriage 7 in the main scanning direction, the airflow that flows in from the gas inlet 27 due to the head wind flows out of the gas outlet 29 and cools the ink tube 11. It is possible to cool the ink tube 11 while performing the above with a simple configuration. Accordingly, the basic performance of the ink tube 11 can be maintained by keeping the ink tube 11 below the standard temperature, and ink density unevenness due to an increase in the ink temperature can be prevented, and the disturbance of the recorded image can be prevented.

  Since the airflow flowing in from the gas inlet 27 flows out of the gas outlet 29 through the duct 31, the airflow can be efficiently sent to the ink tube 11 to cool the ink tube 11.

  The airflow generated in the duct 31 can be rectified by the rotation of the fins 32 and sent directly to the ink tube 11 to reliably cool the ink tube 11.

  Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the following description, parts having the same operational effects as those of the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the parts thereof are described. Detailed description will be omitted, and the following description will mainly focus on differences from the first embodiment described above.

  A second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4B, the carriage 7 includes a plurality of sub tanks (liquid storage units) 25 that store ink and a control substrate 13.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, the gas inlet 27 and the gas outlet 29 are provided on the lower portion 73 of the side surface 35 of the carriage 7 in the main scanning direction and the upper surface 75 of the carriage 7, respectively. Is provided in the flow path of the airflow generated in the carriage. As shown in FIG. 4B, the control board 13 is provided at right angles to each sub tank 25.

  According to the second embodiment, since the carriage 7 moves in the main scanning direction, the airflow that flows in from the gas inlet 27 flows along the respective subtanks 25 and flows out of the gas outlet 29, so that heat is generated. The sub tank 25 heated by the control board 13 can be cooled. Accordingly, the basic performance of the subtank can be maintained by keeping the subtank below the standard temperature, and the unevenness of the recorded image can be prevented by preventing the ink density unevenness due to the increase of the ink temperature.

  The third embodiment of the present invention will be described below. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the carriage 7 includes a shutter 77 that opens and closes the gas outlet 29 and a drive unit 79 that opens and closes the shutter 77. The gas outlet 29 is provided on the lower surface 81 of the carriage 7, and the shutter 77 is provided between the gas outlet 29 and the fins 32.

  The drive unit 79 includes a solenoid 83, a power source 85, a control unit 87, and a spring (spring) 89, as shown in FIG. Energization of the solenoid 83 is controlled by the control unit 87, and current is supplied from the power source 85. One end 91 of the spring 89 is attached to one end 93 of the shutter 77, and the other end 95 of the spring is attached to one side 97 parallel to the main scanning direction of the carriage 7, and when the shutter 77 is closed, the spring 89 is closed. Has become a natural length.

  Here, a series of operations by the drive unit 79 will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. When the carriage 7 moves out of the recording area (a position off the conveyance path of the paper 61) (S1), the controller 87 energizes the solenoid 83 from the power supply 85 (S2), and the suction force generated in the solenoid 83 is the spring force. While the shutter 77 resists the elastic force and is opened by being pulled by the solenoid 83 (see FIG. 6B), when the carriage 7 moves to the recording area (position facing the conveyance path of the paper 61) (S3), the control unit. 87 cuts off energization to the solenoid 83 (S4), and the shutter 77 is closed by the elastic force of the spring 89 (see FIG. 6A).

  According to the present embodiment, by moving the carriage 7 in the main scanning direction, the airflow that flows in from the gas inlet 27 flows out of the gas outlet 29 and flows into the maintenance / recovery unit 15 of the ink discharge head 5. Therefore, the ink adhering to the inside of the maintenance / recovery unit 15 can be cooled and removed. That is, the ink adhering to the inside of the maintenance / recovery unit 15 can be poured into the waste liquid tank 53.

  Since the airflow flowing in from the gas inlet 27 flows out of the gas outlet 29 through the duct 31, the airflow is efficiently sent to the inside of the maintenance / recovery unit 15 of the ink ejection head 5 and the ink attached to the maintenance / recovery unit 15. Can be cooled and removed.

  The airflow generated in the duct 31 is rectified by the rotation of the fins 32 and sent directly to the inside of the maintenance / recovery unit 15 of the ink ejection head 5 to reliably cool the ink adhering to the inside of the maintenance / recovery unit 15. Can be removed.

  When the ink discharge head 5 performs the ink discharge operation (recording operation), the shutter 77 is closed, so that the air flow does not flow out from the gas outlet 29 and does not affect the ink discharge operation. Is outside the recording area, by opening the shutter 77, the ink attached to the maintenance / recovery unit 15 by the airflow flowing out from the gas outlet 29 can be cooled and removed.

  The fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described below. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the ink ejection apparatus 1 includes a shield 99 that blocks scattered ink and a drive unit 100 that moves the shield 99 up and down. The shield 99 is provided between the maintenance / recovery unit 15 and the conveyance unit 33 for the paper 61.

  The drive unit 100 includes a solenoid 83, a power supply 85, a control unit 87, a spring (spring) 89, and a support member 103. Energization of the solenoid 83 is controlled by the control unit 87, and current is supplied from the power source 85. One end 91 of the spring 89 is attached to one end 101 of the shield 99, and the other end 95 of the spring 89 is attached to the support member 103 of the shield. The shield 99 is a position that prevents the ink scattered from the maintenance / recovery unit 15 from adhering to the conveyance path of the paper 61 due to the airflow flowing out from the gas outlet 29 (the gravity acting on the shield 99 and the elastic force of the spring 89). Is held at the balance position 105). Two sensors 107 for detecting the carriage 7 are provided on the shield 99 so as to face each other in the main scanning direction.

  Here, a series of operations by the drive unit 100 will be described with reference to flowcharts shown in FIGS. When the carriage 7 approaches the shield 99 (S11), the sensor 107 detects the carriage, and the controller 87 energizes the solenoid 83 from the power supply 85 (S12). The energizing force generated in the solenoid 83 by energization resists the elastic force of the spring 89 and the shield 99 is pulled down to the solenoid 83 while the carriage 7 is separated from the shield 99 (S13). The energization is cut (S14), and the shield 99 is raised to the balance position 105 by the elastic force of the spring 89.

  According to the present embodiment, the carriage 7 moves to a position facing the opening 51 of the maintenance / recovery unit 15, and the ink attached to the maintenance / recovery unit 15 is scattered by the airflow flowing out from the gas outlet 29. However, since the shield 99 blocks the scattered ink, the ink does not adhere to the paper 61 or the conveyance path of the paper 61 and the recorded image is not disturbed. On the other hand, when the carriage 7 approaches the shield 99, the drive unit 100 lowers the shield 99. Therefore, the movement of the carriage 7 is not hindered.

  The fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described below. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the ink ejection apparatus 1 includes a shield 99 that blocks scattered ink, a drive unit 100 that moves the shield 99 up and down, and a control board 13. The shield 99 is provided between the maintenance / recovery unit 15 and the control board 13.

  The shield 99 is a position that prevents ink scattered from the maintenance / recovery unit 15 from adhering to the control board 13 due to the airflow flowing out from the gas outlet 29 (the balance between the gravity acting on the shield 99 and the elastic force of the spring). Is held by a spring 89 at a position 105). The shield 99 is moved up and down by the drive unit 100 as in the fourth embodiment.

  According to the present embodiment, when the carriage 7 moves to a position facing the maintenance / recovery unit 15, the ink splashed from the maintenance / recovery unit 15 by the airflow flowing out from the gas outlet 29 can be blocked by the shield 99. Therefore, ink does not adhere to the control board 13 and malfunction of the control board 13 can be prevented. On the other hand, when the carriage 7 approaches the shield 99, the drive unit 100 lowers the shield 99, so that the movement of the carriage 8 is not hindered.

  The sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described below. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, the carriage 7 includes a shield 109 that blocks airflow and a drive unit 100 that moves the shield 109 up and down. The shield 109 is provided between the ink discharge head 5 and the ink tube 11 at a right angle to the main scanning direction of the carriage. The shield 109 prevents the airflow that has flowed out of the gas outlet 29 and bounced off against the ink tube 11 from flowing between the ink discharge head 5 and the conveyance path of the paper 61 (gravity and spring 89 acting on the shield 109). Is held by a spring 89 at a position 105) in balance with the elastic force. The drive unit 100 includes a solenoid 83, a power source 85, a control unit 87, and a spring 89. Energization of the solenoid 83 is controlled by the control unit 87, and current is supplied from the power source 85. One end 91 of the spring 89 is attached to one end 101 of the shield 109, and the other end 95 of the spring 89 is attached to the lower surface 81 of the carriage. The shield 109 prevents ink scattered from the maintenance / recovery unit 15 from adhering to the transport path 33 of the paper 61 due to the airflow flowing out from the gas outlet 29 (gravity acting on the shield 109 and elasticity of the spring 89). It is held at a position 105) in balance with the force.

  Here, a series of operations by the drive unit 100 will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. When the ink discharge head 5 starts the maintenance operation (S21), the control unit 87 energizes the solenoid 83 from the power supply 85 (S22), and the suction force generated in the solenoid 83 resists the gravity acting on the shield 109, and the shield 109 Is lifted by the solenoid 83, while the carriage 7 finishes the maintenance operation (S23), the control unit 87 cuts off the energization to the solenoid 83 (S24), and the shield 109 acts on the gravity and spring acting on the shield 109. The position is lowered to the position 105 where the elastic force is balanced.

  According to the present embodiment, during the ink ejection operation of the ink ejection head 5, the airflow that flows out from the gas outlet 29 and bounces off the ink tube 11 is blocked by the shield 109, and the airflow to the ink ejection operation is blocked. While the interference can be prevented, the shield 109 is raised by the drive unit 100 during the maintenance operation of the ink ejection head 5, so that the shield 109 does not hinder the maintenance operation of the ink ejection head 5.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

  In the fifth embodiment, the shield 99 is provided between the maintenance / recovery unit 15 and the control board 13, but instead, the shield 99 is provided with the maintenance / recovery unit 15 and the carriage as shown in FIG. 7 drive units 9 may be provided.

  In the sixth embodiment, the shield 109 is provided at right angles to the main scanning direction of the carriage 7, but instead, it may be provided parallel to the main scanning direction of the carriage 7, as shown in FIG. .

  In the sixth embodiment, one shield 109 is provided on one side end side of the gas outlet 29. Instead, as shown in FIG. 15 (a), the other side of the gas outlet 29 is provided. One may be provided on the end side.

  In the sixth embodiment, one shield 109 is provided. Instead, as shown in FIG. 15B, two gas shields 109 are provided at right angles to the main scanning direction of the carriage 7, and the carriage One of them may be provided in parallel with the main scanning direction.

  The ink ejection device 1 may be provided with any two or three of the shutter 77 of the third embodiment, the shield 99 of the fourth embodiment, and the shield 99 of the fifth embodiment.

  In the second embodiment, one gas inlet 27 is provided on one side surface 35 of the carriage 7 in the main scanning direction, but instead, openings are provided on both side surfaces of the carriage 7 in the main scanning direction. A driving unit 79 that opens and closes each opening may be provided, and the driving unit 79 may be controlled so as to open only the opening that receives the head wind according to the moving direction of the carriage 7.

  In the first embodiment, the duct 31 is provided inside the carriage 7. Alternatively, the duct 31 may be provided outside the carriage 7.

  In the above-described embodiment, the ink (liquid) discharge device 1 is provided in the image forming apparatus 51. Instead, for example, a liquid crystal (liquid) discharge device may be provided in the liquid crystal panel manufacturing apparatus. Even in this case, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

FIG. 2A is a perspective view of an ink discharge apparatus according to the first embodiment. (B) is a perspective view showing a duct provided inside the carriage. (C) is a side view of the gas outlet side of the carriage. It is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the ink ejection apparatus according to the first embodiment. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment. (A) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the schematic structure of the carriage which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. (B) is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a carriage according to the second embodiment. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows schematic structure of the carriage and maintenance / recovery part which concern on 3rd Embodiment. (A), (b) and (c) are the longitudinal cross-sectional views which show the structure of the drive part of the shutter which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a control flowchart of the drive part of the shutter which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. (A) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows schematic structure of the ink discharge apparatus which concerns on 4th Embodiment. (B) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the structure of the drive part of the shield which concerns on 4th Embodiment. It is a control flowchart of the drive part of the shield which concerns on 4th Embodiment. (A) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the schematic structure of the ink discharge apparatus which concerns on 5th Embodiment. (B) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the structure of the drive part of the shield which concerns on 5th Embodiment. (A) is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an ink ejection apparatus according to a sixth embodiment. (B) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the structure of the drive part of the shield which concerns on 6th Embodiment. It is a control flowchart of the drive part of the shield which concerns on 6th Embodiment. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows schematic structure of the ink discharge apparatus which concerns on the modification of 5th Embodiment. (A) is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an ink ejection apparatus according to a modification of the sixth embodiment. (B) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the structure of the drive part of the shield which concerns on the modification of 6th Embodiment. (A) And (b) is a cross-sectional view which shows schematic structure of the ink discharge apparatus which concerns on the modification of 6th Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

1 Ink (liquid) discharge device 3 Copy machine (image forming device)
5 Ink (liquid) discharge head 7 Carriage 11 Ink tube (tube)
13 Ink discharge head control board (control equipment)
15 Ink discharge head maintenance / recovery section 25 Sub tank (liquid storage section)
27 Gas inlet 29 Gas outlet 31 Duct 32 Fin 33 Conveying section 77 Shutter 79 Driving section 99 Shield 100 Driving section 109 Shield

Claims (10)

  In a liquid ejection apparatus that includes a carriage having a liquid ejection head and moves in the main scanning direction and ejects liquid onto a recording medium to record an image, the carriage has a gas inlet opening in the main scanning direction; A liquid ejecting apparatus having a gas outlet communicating with the gas inlet and cooling a temperature rising portion in the apparatus with an airflow flowing from the gas inlet as the carriage moves.     The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the temperature raising portion is a liquid supply tube that supplies liquid to the liquid ejection head, and the gas outlet is opened toward the liquid supply tube.     The liquid ejection device according to claim 1, wherein the temperature increase unit is a liquid storage unit that stores liquid to be supplied to the liquid discharge head, and the liquid storage unit is provided in a gas flow path in the carriage. .   2. A maintenance / recovery unit for maintaining / recovering the liquid ejection head, wherein the temperature riser is a maintenance / recovery unit, and the gas outlet is opened toward the maintenance / recovery unit. The liquid discharge apparatus according to 1.   The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a shutter that opens and closes the gas outlet, wherein the shutter opens when the carriage is outside the recording area and closes when the carriage is in the recording area.   A shield, a drive unit that drives the shield, and a conveyance unit that conveys the recording medium to the recording area. The shield is provided between the maintenance unit and the conveyance unit so that the carriage faces the maintenance / recovery unit. 6. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein when the liquid is moved, the shield is driven to block the scattered liquid by the airflow flowing into the maintaining portion.   A shield, a drive unit that drives the shield, and a control device are provided. The shield is provided between the maintenance unit and the control device, and the shield is driven when the carriage moves to a position facing the maintenance / recovery unit. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the liquid scattered by the airflow flowing into the maintaining unit is blocked.   The carriage includes a shield and a drive unit that drives the shield, and the shield is provided between the liquid discharge head and the tube to prevent airflow from flowing between the liquid discharge head and the conveyance path of the recording medium. 3. The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the shield is driven and stored in the carriage when the ink discharge head is maintained / recovered.   The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a fin that rotates and blows air current, and the fin is provided near the gas outlet.   An image forming apparatus comprising the liquid ejection device according to claim 1.

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