JP2021094778A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

To warm a medium before and after printing, while suppressing power consumption.SOLUTION: A printer 100 comprises: a platen 40 that supports a medium 5; a print head 24 that ejects ink toward the platen 40; a medium moving mechanism 50 that moves the medium 5 supported by the platen 40 in a first direction X from an upstream side toward a downstream side; an upstream-side apron 42 arranged at an upstream side of the platen 40; a downstream-side apron 44 arranged at a downstream side of the platen 40; a downstream-side heater 72 provided in the downstream-side apron 44; an upstream-side duct 82 arranged below the upstream-side apron 42 and extended in a second direction Y; a downstream-side duct 84 arranged below the downstream-side apron 44 and extended in the second direction Y; joint ducts 86 connected to the upstream-side duct 82 and to the downstream-side duct 84; and a fan 88 that feeds air in the downstream-side duct 84 to the upstream-side duct 82.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

The present invention relates to a printer.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a printer including a platen on which a medium is supported and a print head that ejects ink toward the platen. The platen is composed of a front part, a central part and a rear part, and the media moves on the platen in the order of the front part, the central part and the rear part. Printing on the media takes place in the center of the platen. A preheater and an afterheater are provided on the front and rear parts of the platen, respectively.

At the front of the platen, the preheater heats the portion of the media before printing, so that printing is performed on the portion of the media that has been warmed before printing. Then, since the printed media portion is heated by the afterheater at the rear part of the platen, it is possible to accelerate the drying of the print. As described above, in the above printer, the media can be heated before and after printing by the preheater and the afterheater.

Japanese Patent No. 4889059

By the way, when a preheater and an afterheater are used to heat the media before and after printing as in the printer disclosed in Patent Document 1, the power consumption becomes large. The power consumption of the printer is preferably small.

The present invention has been made in view of this point, and an object of the present invention is to provide a printer capable of warming a medium before and after printing while suppressing power consumption.

The printer according to the present invention includes a platen, a print head, a medium moving mechanism, an upstream apron, a downstream apron, a downstream heater, an upstream duct, a downstream duct, a joint duct, and a fan. , Is equipped. The platen supports the medium. The printhead ejects ink toward the platen. The medium moving mechanism moves the medium supported by the platen in the first direction from upstream to downstream. The upstream apron is arranged on the upstream side of the platen. The downstream apron is arranged on the downstream side of the platen. The downstream heater is provided on the downstream apron. The upstream duct is arranged below the upstream apron and extends in a second direction that intersects the first direction in a plan view. The downstream duct is arranged below the downstream apron and extends in the second direction. The joint duct is connected to the upstream duct and the downstream duct. The fan sends the air in the downstream duct to the upstream duct.

According to the printer, the downstream apron is heated by generating heat from the downstream heater. Therefore, the portion of the medium printed on the platen can be warmed by the downstream apron. Further, according to the above printer, when the fan is driven while heat is generated from the downstream heater, warm air around the downstream heater is sent to the upstream duct through the downstream duct and the joint duct. Is done. Therefore, warm air enters the upstream duct, and the warm air warms the upstream apron. Therefore, the portion of the medium before printing can be warmed by the upstream apron. Further, according to the printer, since the upstream apron is heated by using the air heated by the downstream heater, the power consumption can be suppressed. Therefore, the medium can be warmed before and after printing while suppressing power consumption.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a printer capable of warming a medium before and after printing while suppressing power consumption.

It is a front view of the printer which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the printer in line II-II of FIG. It is a figure which showed typically the structure of the lower surface of a carriage. It is a top view which shows the platen, the upstream apron and the downstream apron schematically. It is a top view which schematically showed the positional relationship between a suction mechanism and a duct mechanism. It is a top sectional view schematically showing the duct mechanism. It is a block diagram of a printer. It is a top sectional view schematically showing the duct mechanism which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a top sectional view schematically showing the duct mechanism which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a top sectional view schematically showing the duct mechanism which concerns on 4th Embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the printer according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the embodiments described here are, of course, not intended to particularly limit the present invention. In addition, members and parts that perform the same action are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations will be omitted or simplified as appropriate.

<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a front view of the printer 100 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the printer 100 taken along line II-II of FIG. In the following description, the reference numerals F, Rr, L, R, U, and D in the drawings mean front, rear, left, right, top, and bottom when the printer 100 is viewed from the front. Here, the front side of the printer 100 means the downstream side when the medium 5 (see FIG. 1) described later is conveyed. In addition, the arrows in the drawing indicate the air flow.

Reference numeral Y in the drawings indicates the main scanning direction. In the present embodiment, the main scanning direction Y is the left-right direction. The main scanning direction Y is the moving direction of the print head 24 (see FIG. 2) described later. The main scanning direction Y is an example of the second direction. Reference numeral X in the drawing indicates a sub-scanning direction. In the present embodiment, the sub-scanning direction X is the front-back direction, which is a direction that intersects (specifically, orthogonally) the main scanning direction Y in a plan view. The sub-scanning direction X is the moving direction of the medium 5. In the present embodiment, the medium 5 is assumed to move from the back to the front in the sub-scanning direction X. Therefore, the rear side is called the upstream side, and the front side is called the downstream side. Here, the sub-scanning direction X is an example of the first direction. However, the above-mentioned direction is merely a direction determined for convenience of explanation, and does not limit the installation mode of the printer 100 at all, and does not limit the present invention at all.

The printer 100 is a so-called inkjet printer. However, the method of the printer 100 is not limited to the inkjet method, and may be, for example, a dot impact type printer, a laser printer, or a thermal printer.

As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 100 prints on the medium 5. The medium 5 is, for example, a roll-shaped recording paper, which is a so-called roll paper. The medium 5 has a property of heating when heat is applied, and when heat is applied, drying of the ink ejected to the medium 5 is promoted. The type of the medium 5 is not particularly limited. For example, the medium 5 may be a resin sheet or film such as polyvinyl chloride or polyester, a plate material, a cloth such as a woven cloth or a non-woven fabric, or other medium, in addition to papers such as plain paper and printing paper for inkjet. Good.

The printer 100 according to the present embodiment is a so-called large-sized printer that is longer in the main scanning direction Y than a home printer. For example, the printer 100 is a commercial printer.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the printer 100 includes a printer main body 10, a guide rail 20, a carriage 22, a print head 24, a head moving mechanism 30, a platen 40, and an upstream side. The apron 42, the downstream apron 44, the medium moving mechanism 50, the suction mechanism 60, the platen heater 70, the downstream heater 72, the duct mechanism 80, and the control device 110 are provided.

As shown in FIG. 1, the printer main body 10 has a casing extending in the main scanning direction Y. The printer main body 10 is provided with legs 11. The legs 11 support the printer body 10 and extend downward from the printer body 10. In FIG. 2, the legs 11 are not shown. In this embodiment, the printer main body 10 is provided with an operation panel 13. The operation panel 13 is used by the user to perform operations related to printing. Here, the operation panel 13 is provided on the front surface on the right side of the printer main body 10, but the installation position of the operation panel 13 is not particularly limited. The operation panel 13 has, for example, a display unit 14 for displaying information related to printing such as resolution and ink density, the status of the printer 100 being printed, and an input key 15 for inputting information related to printing. ..

The guide rail 20 is fixed to the printer main body 10 and extends in the main scanning direction Y. The carriage 22 is slidably engaged with the guide rail 20. The carriage 22 can move along the guide rail 20 in the main scanning direction Y.

As shown in FIG. 2, the print head 24 ejects ink toward the platen 40. Specifically, the printhead 24 ejects ink toward the medium 5 supported by the platen 40. The print head 24 is provided on the carriage 22. The print head 24, together with the carriage 22, is configured to be movable along the guide rail 20 in the main scanning direction Y.

FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing the lower surface of the carriage 22. As shown in FIG. 3, the print head 24 has a nozzle surface 26 on which a plurality of nozzles 25 for ejecting ink are formed. The nozzle surface 26 constitutes the lower surface of the print head 24 and faces the platen 40 (see FIG. 2). In one print head 24, the plurality of nozzles 25 are arranged side by side in the sub-scanning direction X.

The number of print heads 24 is not particularly limited. In this embodiment, the number of printheads 24 is four. The four print heads 24 are arranged side by side in the main scanning direction Y. The color of the ink ejected from the print head 24 is not particularly limited, and among, for example, process color inks such as cyan ink, magenta ink, yellow ink, and black ink, and special color inks such as clear ink and white ink. Ink of any color is ejected.

As shown in FIG. 1, the head moving mechanism 30 is a mechanism that moves the print head 24 (see FIG. 2) together with the carriage 22 in the main scanning direction Y. The configuration of the head moving mechanism 30 is not particularly limited. In the present embodiment, the head moving mechanism 30 has left and right pulleys 31a and 31b, a belt 32, and a scan motor 33. The left pulley 31a is provided at the left end of the guide rail 20. The right pulley 31b is provided at the right end of the guide rail 20. The belt 32 is an endless belt and is wound around the left and right pulleys 31a and 31b. A carriage 22 is attached and fixed to the belt 32. Here, the scan motor 33 is connected to the right pulley 31b. By driving the scan motor 33, the right pulley 31b rotates and the belt 32 travels. As a result, the carriage 22 and the print head 24 move along the guide rail 20 in the main scanning direction Y.

Next, the platen 40, the upstream apron 42 and the downstream apron 44 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the platen 40 supports the medium 5. Printing on the medium 5 is performed on the platen 40. The platen 40 is located below the guide rail 20, carriage 22, and printhead 24. FIG. 4 is a plan view schematically showing the platen 40, the upstream apron 42, and the downstream apron 44. As shown in FIG. 4, the platen 40 extends in the main scanning direction Y and the sub-scanning direction X. The platen 40 is longer in the main scanning direction Y than in the sub scanning direction X. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the surface of the platen 40 (in other words, the upper surface) has a flat surface. The medium 5 is placed on the flat surface, and ink is ejected from the print head 24 onto the portion of the medium 5 placed on the flat surface.

The upstream apron 42 supports the medium 5. The upstream apron 42 is arranged on the upstream side (here, rearward) of the platen 40. Here, the upstream apron 42 is continuous with the platen 40. The upstream apron 42 guides the medium 5 to the platen 40. The portion of the medium 5 supported by the upstream apron 42 is moved to the platen 40 by the medium moving mechanism 50. The upstream apron 42 is formed, for example, in a circular arc shape in cross section. The upstream apron 42 is curved so as to move downward as the distance from the platen 40 increases.

The downstream apron 44 supports the medium 5. The downstream apron 44 is arranged on the downstream side (here, forward) of the platen 40. The downstream apron 44 is continuous with the platen 40. Here, the downstream apron 44 guides, for example, a portion of the medium 5 supported by the platen 40 to a winding device (not shown) that winds the medium 5. The portion of the medium 5 supported by the platen 40 is moved to the downstream apron 44 by the medium moving mechanism 50. After that, the portion of the medium 5 supported by the downstream apron 44 is wound by the medium moving mechanism 50 by the winding device. The downstream apron 44 is formed, for example, in an arc shape in a cross section. The downstream apron 44 is curved so as to move downward as the distance from the platen 40 increases.

The medium moving mechanism 50 is a mechanism for moving the medium 5 supported by the platen 40 from the upstream (here, back) to the downstream (here, front) in the sub-scanning direction X. Here, the medium moving mechanism 50 moves the portion of the medium 5 supported by the upstream apron 42 to the platen 40, and moves the portion of the medium 5 supported by the platen 40 to the downstream apron 44. The medium moving mechanism 50 moves the portion of the medium 5 supported by the downstream apron 44 toward the winding device.

The configuration of the medium moving mechanism 50 is not particularly limited. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the medium moving mechanism 50 includes a grit roller 51, a pinch roller 52, and a feed motor 53. The grit roller 51 is provided on the platen 40. Here, as shown in FIG. 2, a part of the grit roller 51 is exposed upward from the platen 40, and the other part of the grit roller 51 is embedded in the platen 40. In FIG. 4, the grit roller 51 is not shown. The pinch roller 52 presses the medium 5 from above. The pinch roller 52 is located above the platen 40 and above the grit roller 51. The pinch roller 52 is provided at a position facing the grit roller 51. The pinch roller 52 is configured to be movable up and down. The installation positions and numbers of the grit roller 51 and the pinch roller 52 are not particularly limited. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the grit roller 51 and the pinch roller 52 are arranged at the left end portion and the right end portion of the platen 40, respectively.

In this embodiment, the feed motor 53 is connected to the grit roller 51. The feed motor 53 is driven with the medium 5 sandwiched between the grit roller 51 and the pinch roller 52. When the feed motor 53 is driven and the grit roller 51 is rotated, the medium 5 moves in the sub-scanning direction X.

Next, the adsorption mechanism 60 will be described. The adsorption mechanism 60 is a mechanism for adsorbing a portion of the medium 5 supported by the platen 40 to the platen 40. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of suction holes 41 are formed in the platen 40. The suction holes 41 penetrate the platen 40 vertically, and the plurality of suction holes 41 are formed over the entire surface of the platen 40. As shown in FIG. 2, the suction mechanism 60 is arranged below the platen 40, and sucks the air on the platen 40 through the suction holes 41 (see FIG. 4) to suck the medium 5 onto the platen 40. ..

The configuration of the adsorption mechanism 60 is not particularly limited. In the present embodiment, the suction mechanism 60 has a suction main body 61 and a suction fan 63. The suction main body 61 has a box shape having a suction space 61a inside. The suction body 61 is provided on the lower surface of the platen 40. For example, the suction main body 61 is open upward, and the opening portion is closed by the platen 40. The suction space 61a of the suction body 61 is a space surrounded by the suction body 61 and the platen 40. In the present embodiment, the suction space 61a of the suction body 61 is located below the plurality of suction holes 41 (see FIG. 4) formed in the platen 40. The suction main body 61 is arranged over the entire platen 40 in a plan view.

In the present embodiment, the suction main body 61 has a bottom plate 62a and a side plate 62b. The bottom plate 62a is arranged below the platen 40 so as to be separated from the platen 40. The bottom plate 62a faces the platen 40. The bottom plate 62a has, for example, a rectangular shape and has the same size as the platen 40 in a plan view. The side plate 62b extends from the end of the bottom plate 62a toward the platen 40. The upper end of the side plate 62b is connected to the platen 40. Here, the portion constituting the right side of the side plate 62b is connected to the right end portion of the platen 40, and the portion constituting the left side portion of the side plate 62b is connected to the left end portion of the platen 40. In a plan view, the side plate 62b surrounds the suction space 61a. In a plan view, a plurality of suction holes 41 formed in the platen 40 are located in the side plate 62b. In the present embodiment, no gap is formed between the side plate 62b and the bottom plate 62a and between the side plate 62b and the platen 40.

The suction fan 63 is connected to the suction space 61a of the suction body 61, and sucks the air in the suction space 61a. Here, "connection" to the adsorption space 61a means a state of communicating with the adsorption space 61a. In the present embodiment, the suction fan 63 is arranged below the suction body 61 and is attached to the bottom plate 62a. As shown in FIG. 4, the suction fan 63 has a fan suction port 64 and a fan discharge port 65. The fan suction port 64 opens toward the suction space 61a (here, upward). The air in the suction space 61a is sucked into the suction fan 63 through the fan suction port 64. The fan discharge port 65 opens toward a side other than the suction space 61a (for example, laterally or downwardly). The air sucked into the suction fan 63 from the fan suction port 64 is discharged to the outside from the fan discharge port 65.

In the present embodiment, the suction fan 63 is driven (in other words, blades (not shown) rotate), so that the air in the suction space 61a of the suction body 61 is sucked into the suction fan 63. At this time, the air on the platen 40 is drawn into the suction space 61a through the suction holes 41 formed in the platen 40. As a result, the medium 5 on the platen 40 is adsorbed on the platen 40.

In this embodiment, the platen 40 is heated by the platen heater 70 shown in FIG. The platen heater 70 can heat a portion of the medium 5 placed on the platen 40 by heating the platen 40. As a result, the ink ejected to the warmed portion of the medium 5 and immediately after being ejected from the print head 24 is accelerated to dry. As shown in FIG. 2, the platen heater 70 is provided on the platen 40 and is arranged in the suction space 61a. Specifically, the platen heater 70 is the lower surface of the platen 40 and is located in the suction main body 61. The number of platen heaters 70 may be one or a plurality. When the number of platen heaters 70 is plural, the plurality of platen heaters 70 are arranged side by side in, for example, the main scanning direction Y.

The downstream apron 44 is heated by the downstream heater 72. The downstream heater 72 can heat the portion of the medium 5 placed on the downstream apron 44 by heating the downstream apron 44. This promotes the drying of the ink ejected to the warmed portion of the medium 5. The downstream heater 72 is arranged on the downstream side (here, forward) of the sub-scanning direction X with respect to the platen heater 70. The downstream heater 72 is provided on the downstream apron 44. Here, the downstream heater 72 is arranged on the lower surface of the downstream apron 44, and is arranged on the downstream side of the suction mechanism 60. The number of downstream heaters 72 may be one or a plurality. In this embodiment, there are two downstream heaters 72. When the number of downstream heaters 72 is plural, the plurality of downstream heaters 72 are arranged side by side in, for example, the main scanning direction Y.

The types of the platen heater 70 and the downstream heater 72 are not particularly limited. The platen heater 70 and the downstream heater 72 may be of the same type or different types. In the present embodiment, the platen heater 70 and the downstream heater 72 are composed of, for example, a nichrome wire. However, the types of the platen heater 70 and the downstream heater 72 are not limited to the nichrome wire, and may be, for example, a rubber heater, a silicon rubber heater, a carbon heater, a polyimide heater, or the like.

Thus, in this embodiment, the platen 40 and the downstream apron 44 are heated by the heaters 70, 72. On the other hand, the upstream apron 42 is not provided with a heater, and the upstream apron 42 cannot be directly heated by the heater. However, it is preferable that the portion of the medium 5 placed on the upstream apron 42 is also warmed. The portion of the medium 5 placed on the upstream apron 42 is a portion before the ink is ejected from the print head 24 and before printing is performed. If the medium 5 cannot be heated in the upstream apron 42, the portion of the medium 5 that cannot be heated in the upstream apron 42 will be suddenly heated by the platen heater 70 on the platen 40. As a result, the portion of the medium 5 supported by the platen 40 is likely to be distorted. When the ink is ejected to the distorted medium 5, the print quality may be deteriorated.

Therefore, the printer 100 is preferably configured to heat the upstream apron 42 in order to suppress distortion of the medium 5 during printing. Here, it is conceivable to provide a heater on the upstream apron 42, but it is preferable that the power consumption of the printer 100 is small.

Therefore, the inventor of the present application has examined a configuration for heating the upstream apron 42 while suppressing the power consumption of the printer 100. As a result, the inventor of the present application has found that the upstream apron 42 is heated by utilizing the heat of the downstream heater 72 provided on the downstream apron 44. When the downstream heater 72 is generating heat, the downstream apron 44 is warmed, but in addition to the downstream apron 44, the air around the downstream heater 72 is also warmed. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the upstream apron 42 is heated by using the warmed air around the downstream heater 72.

The printer 100 according to the present embodiment includes a duct mechanism 80 in order to realize that the upstream apron 42 is heated by using the air warmed by the downstream heater 72. The duct mechanism 80 is a mechanism that sends the warmed air around the downstream heater 72 to the upstream apron 42. In the present embodiment, the duct mechanism 80 is a mechanism for circulating the air warmed by the downstream heater 72. That is, the duct mechanism 80 sends the air below the downstream apron 44 (in other words, the air warmed by the downstream heater 72) below the upstream apron 42, and sends the air below the upstream apron 42 downstream. It is a mechanism to send to the lower side of the side apron 44. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the duct mechanism 80 is arranged below the platen 40, the upstream apron 42, and the downstream apron 44 in a space excluding the suction mechanism 60.

The configuration of the duct mechanism 80 is not particularly limited. FIG. 5 is a plan view schematically showing the positional relationship between the suction mechanism 60 and the duct mechanism 80. FIG. 6 is a plan sectional view schematically showing the duct mechanism 80. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the duct mechanism 80 includes an upstream duct 82, a downstream duct 84, a joint duct 86, and a fan 88. The upstream duct 82 has a space inside. As shown in FIG. 2, the upstream duct 82 allows warm air to pass through the downstream heater 72 below the upstream apron 42. In this way, the upstream apron 42 is warmed by the warm air passing through the upstream duct 82.

The upstream duct 82 is arranged below the upstream apron 42. In the present embodiment, the upstream duct 82 is arranged on the upstream side (here, rearward) of the sub-scanning direction X with respect to the platen 40, and as shown in FIG. 5, the upstream side of the sub-scanning direction X with respect to the suction mechanism 60. Is located in. The upstream duct 82 extends in the main scanning direction Y. Although detailed illustration is omitted, one end (here, the left end) of the upstream duct 82 in the main scanning direction Y is located below the left end of the upstream apron 42. The other end (here, the right end) of the upstream duct 82 in the main scanning direction Y is located below the right end of the upstream apron 42. The upstream duct 82 extends from the left end to the right end of the upstream apron 42 in a plan view.

Here, as shown in FIG. 2, the upstream duct 82 is partially formed by the upstream apron 42. The portion of the upstream duct 82 other than the portion formed by the upstream apron 42 may be formed by a dedicated member of the upstream duct 82. However, the portion of the upstream duct 82 other than that formed by the upstream apron 42 may be formed by other constituent members such as the side plate 62b of the suction mechanism 60.

The downstream duct 84 allows warm air to pass through the downstream heater 72 below the downstream apron 44. The downstream duct 84 is arranged below the downstream apron 44. In the present embodiment, the downstream duct 84 is arranged on the downstream side (here, forward) of the sub-scanning direction X with respect to the platen 40 and the suction mechanism 60. As shown in FIG. 5, in a plan view, the downstream duct 84 faces the upstream duct 82 with the platen 40 (see FIG. 2) and the suction mechanism 60 interposed therebetween. The downstream duct 84 extends in the main scanning direction Y. Although detailed illustration is omitted, one end (here, the left end) of the downstream duct 84 in the main scanning direction Y is located below the left end of the downstream apron 44. The other end (here, the right end) of the downstream duct 84 in the main scanning direction Y is located below the right end of the downstream apron 44. The downstream duct 84 extends from the left end to the right end of the downstream apron 44 in a plan view.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, a part of the downstream duct 84 is formed by the downstream apron 44. A downstream heater 72 provided on the downstream apron 44 is arranged in the downstream duct 84. The portion of the downstream duct 84 other than the portion formed by the downstream apron 44 may be formed by a dedicated member of the downstream duct 84. However, the portion of the downstream duct 84 other than that formed by the downstream apron 44 may be formed by other constituent members such as the side plate 62b of the suction mechanism 60.

As shown in FIG. 6, the joint duct 86 is connected to the upstream duct 82 and the downstream duct 84. The "connection" here means a state in which the inside of the joint duct 86, the inside of the upstream duct 82, and the inside of the downstream duct 84 communicate with each other. As shown in FIG. 2, the joint duct 86 is arranged below the platen 40. Further, the joint duct 86 is arranged at a position where it does not interfere with the suction mechanism 60.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the joint duct 86 has a first joint duct 86a and a second joint duct 86b, and two of the first joint duct 86a and the second joint duct 86b. It is composed of members. The first joint duct 86a is connected to one end of the upstream duct 82 in the main scanning direction Y (here, the left end) and one end of the downstream duct 84 in the main scanning direction Y. Here, the first joint duct 86 has a space inside, and communicates with the inside of the upstream duct 82 and the inside of the downstream duct 84.

The first joint duct 86a extends in the sub-scanning direction X. The first joint duct 86a is arranged below the left end of the platen 40. As shown in FIG. 5, the first joint duct 86a is located below the suction main body 61 of the suction mechanism 60 and to the left of the suction fan 63 of the suction mechanism 60. Although not shown, the first joint duct 86a is arranged below the upper end of the upstream duct 82 and below the upper end of the downstream duct 84.

As shown in FIG. 6, the second joint duct 86b is formed at the other end of the upstream duct 82 in the main scanning direction Y (here, the right end) and the other end of the downstream duct 84 in the main scanning direction Y. It is connected. Here, the second joint duct 86b has a space inside, and communicates with the inside of the upstream duct 82 and the inside of the downstream duct 84. The second joint duct 86b extends in the sub-scanning direction X and is arranged below the right end of the platen 40. As shown in FIG. 5, the second joint duct 86b is arranged below the suction main body 61 and on the right side of the suction fan 63.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the second joint duct 86b is arranged below the upper end portion of the upstream duct 82 and the upstream end of the downstream duct 84. Here, the second joint duct 86b is arranged at the same height as the first joint duct 86a. As shown in FIG. 6, the second joint duct 86b faces the first joint duct 86a with the suction fan 63 interposed therebetween. In the present embodiment, the shape and size of the second joint duct 86b are the same as those of the first joint duct 86a.

The fan 88 sends the air in the downstream duct 84 to the upstream duct 82. In this embodiment, the fan 88 is arranged in the joint duct 86. Specifically, the fan 88 is arranged inside the first joint duct 86a of the joint duct 86. Therefore, the fan 88 draws the air in the downstream duct 84 into the first joint duct 86a and sends it out toward the upstream duct 82. Here, the fan 88 creates an air flow in the upstream duct 82, the downstream duct 84, and the joint duct 86. As shown by the arrow in FIG. 6, the fan 88 circulates air in the order of the downstream duct 84, the first joint duct 86a, the upstream duct 82, and the second joint duct 86b.

The duct mechanism 80 has been described above. Next, the control device 110 will be described. FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the printer 100. The control device 110 is a device that controls printing on the medium 5. The configuration of the control device 110 is not particularly limited. The control device 110 is, for example, a microcomputer. The hardware configuration of the microcomputer is not particularly limited. For example, the control device 110 includes an I / F, a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and a storage device. As shown in FIG. 1, the control device 110 is provided inside the printer main body 10. However, the control device 110 may not be provided inside the printer main body 10. For example, the control device 110 may be a computer installed outside the printer main body 10. In this case, the control device 110 is communicably connected to the printer 100 via wire or wireless.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the control device 110 is communicably connected to the display unit 14 and the input key 15 of the operation panel 13. The control device 110 is communicably connected to the print head 24, and controls the timing and amount of ink ejected from the nozzle 25 (see FIG. 3) in the print head 24. The control device 110 is communicably connected to the head moving mechanism 30 (specifically, the scan motor 33) and the medium moving mechanism 50 (specifically, the feed motor 53). The control device 110 controls the movement of the print head 24 in the main scanning direction Y by controlling the head movement mechanism 30. Further, the control device 110 controls the movement of the medium 5 supported by the platen 40 in the sub-scanning direction X by controlling the medium moving mechanism 50.

In the present embodiment, the control device 110 is communicably connected to the suction fan 63 of the suction mechanism 60. The control device 110 controls the drive of the suction fan 63 (specifically, the rotation of the blades) to suck the medium 5 supported by the platen 40 onto the platen 40. Further, the control device 110 is communicably connected to the platen heater 70 and the downstream heater 72. The control device 110 controls the heating of the platen 40 and the portion of the medium 5 supported by the platen 40 by controlling the amount of heat generated by the platen heater 70 and the like. Further, the control device 110 controls the heating of the downstream side apron 44 and the portion of the medium 5 supported by the downstream side apron 44 by controlling the calorific value of the downstream side heater 72 and the like. Further, the control device 110 is communicably connected to the fan 88 of the duct mechanism 80. The control device 110 controls the drive of the fan 88 to control the amount and timing of the air sent from the downstream duct 84 to the upstream duct 82.

The configuration of the printer 100 according to the present embodiment has been described above. Here, during printing, heat is generated from the platen heater 70 and the downstream heater 72, as shown in FIG. The platen 40 is heated by the heat generated from the platen heater 70. As a result, the portion of the medium 5 supported by the platen 40 is warmed, and the drying of the ink ejected to the portion is promoted. Further, the downstream apron 44 is heated by the heat generated from the downstream heater 72. As a result, the portion of the medium 5 that is sent from the platen 40 and has been printed and is supported by the downstream apron 44 is warmed, and the printing of that portion is promoted to dry. ..

Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, heat is generated from the downstream heater 72 and the fan 88 of the duct mechanism 80 is driven during printing. By generating heat from the downstream heater 72, the air around the downstream heater 72 and the air in the downstream duct 84 is warmed. Since the fan 88 is driven in such a state, the warm air in the downstream duct 84 is sent to the upstream duct 82 through the first joint duct 86a as shown by the arrow in FIG. After that, warm air passes through the upstream duct 82, and the warm air warms the upstream apron 42. As a result, the portion of the medium 5 supported by the upstream apron 42 is warmed. In the present embodiment, the fan 88 creates an air flow in the upstream duct 82, the downstream duct 84, and the joint duct 86. Therefore, the air in the upstream duct 82 is sent to the downstream duct 84 through the second joint duct 86b by the fan 88. In this way, the air circulates in the order of the downstream duct 84, the first joint duct 86a, the upstream duct 82, and the second joint duct 86b.

As described above, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the platen 40 supports the medium 5. The print head 24 ejects ink toward the platen 40. The medium moving mechanism 50 moves the medium 5 supported by the platen 40 in the sub-scanning direction X from upstream to downstream. The upstream apron 42 is arranged on the upstream side of the platen 40, and the downstream apron 44 is arranged on the downstream side of the platen 40. The downstream heater 72 is provided on the downstream apron 44. As shown in FIG. 6, the printer 100 according to the present embodiment includes an upstream duct 82, a downstream duct 84, a joint duct 86, and a fan 88. The upstream duct 82 is arranged below the upstream apron 42 (see FIG. 2) and extends in the main scanning direction Y. The downstream duct 84 is arranged below the downstream apron 44 (see FIG. 2) and extends in the main scanning direction Y. The joint duct 86 is connected to the upstream duct 82 and the downstream duct 84. The fan 88 sends the air in the downstream duct 84 to the upstream duct 82 as shown by the arrow in FIG.

As a result, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, heat is generated from the downstream heater 72 to heat the downstream apron 44. Therefore, the portion of the medium 5 printed on the platen 40 can be warmed by the downstream apron 44. Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the fan 88 is driven in a state where heat is generated from the downstream side heater 72, so that warm air around the downstream side heater 72 is released to the downstream side duct 84. And through the joint duct 86, it is sent to the upstream duct 82. Therefore, warm air enters the upstream duct 82, and the warm air warms the upstream apron 42. Therefore, the medium 5 warmed by the upstream apron 42 moves to the platen 40, and printing is performed on the medium 5 warmed by the upstream apron 42, so that distortion of the medium 5 during printing is suppressed. Can be done. Further, in the present embodiment, since the upstream apron 42 is heated by using the air warmed by the downstream heater 72, the power consumption can be suppressed. Therefore, the medium 5 can be heated before and after printing while suppressing the power consumption of the printer 100.

In the present embodiment, the joint duct 86 is a first joint duct connected to one end of the upstream duct 82 in the main scanning direction Y (here, the left end) and one end of the downstream duct 84 in the main scanning direction Y. It has 86a and a second joint duct 86b connected to the other end of the upstream duct 82 in the main scanning direction Y (here, the right end) and the other end of the downstream duct 84 in the main scanning direction Y. .. As a result, the air warmed by the downstream heater 72 in the downstream duct 84 can be circulated in the downstream duct 84, the first joint duct 86a, the upstream duct 82 and the second joint duct 86b. Therefore, it is possible to easily warm the air in the downstream duct 84, the first joint duct 86a, the upstream duct 82, and the second joint duct 86b.

In this embodiment, the fan 88 is arranged in the joint duct 86. Specifically, the fan 88 is arranged in the first joint duct 86a of the joint duct 86. As a result, the warm air in the downstream duct 84 can be directly drawn into the joint duct 86 and sent to the upstream duct 82. Therefore, warm air can be easily sent to the upstream duct 82.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of suction holes 41 are formed in the platen 40. As shown in FIG. 2, the printer 100 includes a suction main body 61 and a suction fan 63. The suction main body 61 has a suction space 61a below the platen 40 and arranged between the upstream duct 82 and the downstream duct 84. The suction fan 63 is connected to the suction space 61a and sucks the air in the suction space 61a. The joint duct 86 is arranged below the suction body 61. As a result, the suction fan 63 is driven to suck the air in the suction space 61a. By sucking the air in the suction space 61a, the air on the platen 40 is sucked into the suction space 61a through the suction holes 41. Therefore, the medium 5 supported by the platen 40 can be adsorbed on the platen 40. Further, in the present embodiment, the joint duct 86 is arranged below the suction main body 61. Therefore, the joint duct 86 can be arranged while realizing that the medium 5 is adsorbed on the platen 40. Further, since the space below the suction main body 61 is a dead space, the dead space can be effectively utilized.

In the present embodiment, the platen heater 70 is provided on the platen 40 and is arranged in the suction space 61a. As a result, the medium 5 can be heated before and after printing, and the medium 5 can be heated immediately after printing. Therefore, it is possible to further accelerate the drying of the print on the medium 5.

In the present embodiment, the fan 88 of the duct mechanism 80 is arranged in the first joint duct 86a, but the position of the fan 88 is not particularly limited. The fan 88 may be arranged, for example, in the second joint duct 86b, in the upstream duct 82, or in the downstream duct 84.

In the present embodiment, in the duct mechanism 80, air circulates in the order of the downstream duct 84, the first joint duct 86a, the upstream duct 82, and the second joint duct 86b. However, the air may circulate in the opposite direction to the present embodiment, that is, in the order of the downstream duct 84, the second joint duct 86b, the upstream duct 82, and the first joint duct 86a. In this case, when the fan 88 is arranged in the first joint duct 86a, it is preferable that the fan 88 is arranged so as to send air from the upstream duct 82 toward the downstream duct 84. Even in this case, since air is sent from the downstream duct 84 toward the upstream duct 82 in the second joint duct 86b, the fan 88 transfers the air in the downstream duct 84 to the upstream duct 82. It can be said that it is configured to send.

In the present embodiment, the joint duct 86 is composed of two ducts, a first joint duct 86a and a second joint duct 86b. However, the joint duct 86 may be composed of one duct or may be composed of three or more ducts.

<Second Embodiment>
Next, the printer 100A according to the second embodiment will be described. FIG. 8 is a plan sectional view schematically showing the duct mechanism 80 of the printer 100A according to the second embodiment, and is a view corresponding to FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, the printer 100A according to the second embodiment includes a duct mechanism 80A. The duct mechanism 80A has an upstream duct 82A. In the present embodiment, the printer 100A has the same configuration as the printer 100 according to the first embodiment, except that the upstream duct 82A has a different configuration from the upstream duct 82 (see FIG. 6) of the first embodiment. ing. Therefore, in the following, the configuration of the upstream duct 82A will be described, and the description of other configurations will be omitted as appropriate.

The upstream duct 82A is arranged below the upstream apron 42 (see FIG. 2), and warm air passes through the downstream heater 72. The upstream duct 82A has a first upstream duct 181, a second upstream duct 182, and an upstream connecting duct 183.

As shown in FIG. 8, the first upstream duct 181 extends in the main scanning direction Y. The first upstream duct 181 is connected to the first joint duct 86a and extends from the first joint duct 86a toward the second joint duct 86b. Specifically, the left end of the first upstream duct 181 is connected to the rear end of the first joint duct 86a. The first upstream duct 181 communicates with the first joint duct 86a in which the fan 88 is arranged. The first upstream duct 181 is not directly connected to the second joint duct 86b.

The second upstream duct 182 extends in the main scanning direction Y like the first upstream duct 181. The second upstream duct 182 is connected to the second joint duct 86b and extends from the second joint duct 86b toward the first joint duct 86a. Specifically, the right end of the second upstream duct 182 is connected to the rear end of the second joint duct 86b. The second upstream duct 182 communicates with the second joint duct 86b. The second upstream duct 182 is not directly connected to the first joint duct 86a.

The second upstream duct 182 is arranged side by side in the sub-scanning direction X so as to be separated from the first upstream duct 181. In the present embodiment, the second upstream duct 182 is arranged on the upstream side (here, rearward) of the first upstream duct 181. However, the position of the second upstream duct 182 with respect to the first upstream duct 181 is not particularly limited. The second upstream duct 182 may be arranged downstream of, for example, the first upstream duct 181 or may be arranged above or below the first upstream duct 181.

The upstream side connecting duct 183 is arranged between the first upstream side duct 181 and the second upstream side duct 182, and is connected to the first upstream side duct 181 and the second upstream side duct 182. The upstream side connecting duct 183 communicates with the first upstream side duct 181 and the second upstream side duct 182, and functions as a duct for sending air between the first upstream side duct 181 and the second upstream side duct 182. .. The number of upstream connection ducts 183 is not particularly limited and may be plural. In the present embodiment, the first upstream duct 181 and the second upstream duct 182 are connected to seven upstream connecting ducts 183. In the following, the seven upstream connection ducts 183 are designated by 183a to 183 g in order from the first joint duct 86a side (here, the left side) to the second joint duct 86b side (here, the right side). Will be described as appropriate.

In the present embodiment, the upstream connection ducts 183a to 183g are arranged side by side in the main scanning direction Y at predetermined intervals. The upstream connection ducts 183a to 183g may be arranged at equal intervals, or may be partially or wholly arranged at different intervals. The upstream side connecting duct 183a arranged on the most first joint duct 86a side is connected to the left end portion of the first upstream side duct 181 and the left end portion of the second upstream duct 182. The upstream side connecting duct 183g arranged most on the second joint duct 86b side is connected to the right end portion of the first upstream side duct 181.

The volume of each of the plurality of upstream connection ducts 183 increases from the first joint duct 86a side toward the second joint duct 86b side. In other words, the diameter of each of the plurality of upstream connection ducts 183 becomes longer from the first joint duct 86a side toward the second joint duct 86b side. Here, the volume of the upstream connecting duct 183a is smaller than the volume of each of the upstream connecting ducts 183b to 183g. Of the upstream connecting ducts 183a to 183g, the upstream connecting duct 183a has the smallest volume and the upstream connecting duct 183g has the largest volume. In the present embodiment, for example, the upstream side connecting duct 183a is an example of the first upstream side connecting duct, and the upstream side connecting duct 183b is an example of the second upstream side connecting duct.

In the duct mechanism 80A according to the present embodiment, the warm air in the downstream duct 84 heated by the downstream heater 72 passes through the first joint duct 86a and the first upstream duct 181 as shown by the arrow in FIG. It is sent into the first upstream duct 181 from the end on the first joint duct 86a side (here, the left end). Therefore, warm air flows from the left end portion to the right end portion of the first upstream duct 181. At this time, since the first upstream duct 181 is long in the main scanning direction Y, the temperature of the air may tend to gradually decrease toward the right end.

Here, the first upstream duct 181 and the second upstream duct 182 are connected to a plurality of upstream connecting ducts 183, and a part of the air in the first upstream duct 181 is a plurality of upstream ducts. It is sent into the second upstream duct 182 through the connecting duct 183. At this time, the amount of air sent to the second upstream duct 182 is changed according to the volume of the upstream connecting ducts 183a to 183g. For example, the amount of air sent from the upstream connecting duct 183a, which has the smallest volume, to the second upstream duct 182 is relatively small. At this time, more air is sent to the portion of the first upstream duct 181 located closer to the second joint duct 86b than the upstream connecting duct 183a. Therefore, it is possible to make it difficult for the temperature of the air sent to the portion of the first upstream duct 181 located closer to the second joint duct 86b than the upstream connecting duct 183a to be lowered. Since the relatively warm air at the left end of the first upstream duct 181 is sent from the upstream connection duct 183a to the left end of the second upstream duct 182, the second is even with a small amount of air. The left end of the upstream duct 182 can be warmed.

On the other hand, the amount of air sent from the upstream connecting duct 183 g, which has the largest volume, to the second upstream duct 182 is relatively large. Here, air, which is considered to have a temperature slightly lower than that of the left end of the first upstream duct 181, is sent from the upstream connection duct 183 g to the right end of the second upstream duct 182. There is a lot of air. Further, air is sent to the right end of the second upstream duct 182 from the left end of the second upstream duct 182. As described above, since a relatively large amount of air is sent to the right end portion of the second upstream duct 182, the temperature of the air flowing through the right end portion is unlikely to decrease.

From the above, in the present embodiment, the duct mechanism 80A has a structure in which the temperature of the air in the upstream duct 82A is unlikely to be lowered, so that the variation in the temperature of the air in the upstream duct 82A can be reduced. .. Therefore, the upstream apron 42 can be uniformly heated. Therefore, the portion of the medium 5 supported by the upstream apron 42 can be uniformly heated.

<Third Embodiment>
Next, the printer 100B according to the third embodiment will be described. FIG. 9 is a plan sectional view schematically showing the duct mechanism 80B of the printer 100B according to the third embodiment, and is a view corresponding to FIG. As shown in FIG. 9, the printer 100B according to the third embodiment includes a duct mechanism 80B. The duct mechanism 80B has an upstream duct 82B. In the present embodiment, the printer 100B has the same configuration as the printer 100 according to the first embodiment, except that the upstream duct 82B has a different configuration from the upstream duct 82 (see FIG. 6) of the first embodiment. ing. Therefore, in the following, the configuration of the upstream duct 82B will be described, and the description of other configurations will be omitted as appropriate.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the left end portion of the upstream duct 82B is connected to the first joint duct 86a, and the right end portion of the upstream duct 82B is connected to the second joint duct 86b. The shape of the upstream duct 82B is tapered, and the diameter of the upstream duct 82B increases from the first joint duct 86a side toward the second joint duct 86b side. In other words, in the upstream duct 82B, the cross-sectional area increases from the first joint duct 86a toward the second joint duct 86b. The cross-sectional area in the present embodiment refers to the area of the cut surface when cut in the radial direction.

In other words, for example, the upstream duct 82B includes a first portion 282a and a second portion 282b located closer to the second joint duct 86b than the first portion 282a. The first portion 282a and the second portion 282b both form a part of the upstream duct 82B. Here, the diameter of the first portion 282a is shorter than the diameter of the second portion 282b, and the cross-sectional area of the first portion 282a is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the second portion 282b.

In the duct mechanism 80B according to the present embodiment, the warm air in the downstream duct 84 warmed by the downstream heater 72 passes through the first joint duct 86a to the end portion of the upstream duct 82B on the first joint duct 86a side ( Here, it is sent into the upstream duct 82B from the left end). Therefore, the warm air flows from the left end portion to the right end portion of the upstream duct 82B. At this time, since the upstream duct 82B is long in the main scanning direction Y, the temperature of the air may tend to gradually decrease toward the right end. However, since the shape of the upstream duct 82B is tapered, the amount of air flowing per unit time can be increased from the left end to the right end of the upstream duct 82B. Therefore, it is possible to make it difficult for the temperature of the air flowing to the right end of the upstream duct 82B to be lowered.

Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the upstream duct 82B is provided with the heat insulating material 285. The heat insulating material 285 extends in the main scanning direction Y along the upstream duct 82B. The heat insulating material 285 extends from the first joint duct 86a toward the second joint duct 86b. The heat insulating material 285 covers at least a part of the upstream duct 82B. In this embodiment, the heat insulating material 285 covers the rear portion of the upstream duct 82B. However, the heat insulating material 285 may cover the front part of the upstream duct 82B, or may cover the upper part or the lower part of the upstream duct 82B. The specific type of the heat insulating material 285 is not particularly limited. For example, the insulation 285 is formed by styrofoam.

In the present embodiment, the cross-sectional area of the heat insulating material 285 gradually decreases from the first joint duct 86a side toward the second joint duct 86b side. In other words, for example, the heat insulating material 285 includes a first heat insulating portion 285a and a second heat insulating portion 285b located closer to the second joint duct 86b than the first heat insulating portion 285a. The first heat insulating portion 285a and the second heat insulating portion 285b both form a part of the heat insulating material 285. Here, the cross-sectional area of the first heat insulating portion 285a is larger than the cross-sectional area of the second heat insulating portion 285b.

By providing the heat insulating material 285 in the upstream duct 82B in this way, the temperature of the air flowing through the portion of the upstream duct 82B provided with the heat insulating material 285 is unlikely to decrease. Therefore, the variation in the temperature of the air in the upstream duct 82B can be reduced.

In the present embodiment, the air flowing through the portion of the upstream duct 82B provided with the portion having a large cross-sectional area of the heat insulating material 285 flows through the portion of the upstream duct 82B provided with the portion having a small cross-sectional area of the heat insulating material 285. The temperature is less likely to be lower than that of air. In other words, the temperature of the air flowing through the portion of the upstream duct 82B provided with the first heat insulating portion 285a is less likely to be lower than that of the air flowing through the portion of the upstream duct 82B provided with the second heat insulating portion 285b. Therefore, by providing the portion of the heat insulating material 285 having a large cross-sectional area on the portion of the upstream duct 82B on the side of the first joint duct 86a, the air having a small temperature drop can be supplied to the second joint duct 86b of the upstream duct 82B. Can be sent to the side. Therefore, the variation in the temperature of the air in the upstream duct 82B can be further reduced.

<Fourth Embodiment>
Next, the printer 100C according to the fourth embodiment will be described. FIG. 10 is a plan sectional view schematically showing the duct mechanism 80C of the printer 100C according to the fourth embodiment, and is a view corresponding to FIG. As shown in FIG. 10, the printer 100C according to the fourth embodiment includes a duct mechanism 80C. In the present embodiment, the printer 100C has the same configuration as the printer 100 according to the first embodiment, except that the duct mechanism 80C has a different configuration from the duct mechanism 80 of the first embodiment (see FIG. 6). .. Therefore, in the following, the configuration of the duct mechanism 80C will be described, and the description of other configurations will be omitted as appropriate.

As shown in FIG. 10, the duct mechanism 80C has an upstream duct 82C, a downstream duct 84C, and a joint duct 86C. In the duct mechanism 80C, a dedicated fan for the duct mechanism 80C (for example, a fan 88 as in the first embodiment (see FIG. 6)) is not provided, and the suction fan 63 of the suction mechanism 60 is used.

The upstream duct 82C is arranged below the upstream apron 42 (see FIG. 2) and extends in the main scanning direction Y, similarly to the upstream duct 82 (see FIG. 6) according to the first embodiment. .. One end (here, the left end) of the upstream duct 82C is connected to the joint duct 86C. A duct discharge port 380 is formed at the other end (here, the right end) of the upstream duct 82C. The air flowing through the upstream duct 82C is discharged to the outside through the duct discharge port 380. As described above, unlike the duct mechanism 80 (see FIG. 6) according to the first embodiment, the duct mechanism 80C according to the present embodiment does not circulate air.

The downstream duct 84C is arranged below the downstream apron 44 (see FIG. 2) and extends in the main scanning direction Y, similarly to the downstream duct 84 (see FIG. 6) according to the first embodiment. .. Here, one end of the downstream duct 84C is connected to the joint duct 86C. A duct suction port 381 is formed at the other end of the downstream duct 84C. The fan discharge port 65 of the suction fan 63 of the suction mechanism 60 is connected to the duct suction port 381.

In the present embodiment, one end of the fan duct 366 is connected to the duct suction port 381. The other end of the fan duct 366 is connected to the fan discharge port 65 of the suction fan 63. Therefore, the duct suction port 381 is indirectly connected to the fan discharge port 65 via the fan duct 366.

The joint duct 86C is not composed of a plurality of ducts as in the joint duct 86 (see FIG. 6) according to the first embodiment, but is composed of one duct. The rear end of the joint duct 86C is connected to the left end of the upstream duct 82C. The front end of the joint duct 86C is connected to the left end of the downstream duct 84C. The joint duct 86C has a space inside, and communicates with the inside of the upstream duct 82 and the inside of the downstream duct 84. The joint duct 86C extends in the sub-scanning direction X. The joint duct 86C is arranged below the left end of the platen 40 (see FIG. 4). The joint duct 86C is located below the suction main body 61 (see FIG. 2) of the suction mechanism 60 and to the left of the suction fan 63 of the suction mechanism 60. Although not shown, the joint duct 86C is arranged below the upper end of the upstream duct 82C and below the upper end of the downstream duct 84C.

In the present embodiment, the suction fan 63 of the suction mechanism 60 is driven to suck the portion of the medium 5 supported by the platen 40 to the platen 40. At this time, the air in the suction space 61a is sucked into the suction fan 63 through the fan suction port 64. The air sucked into the suction fan 63 from the fan suction port 64 is discharged to the outside of the suction fan 63 from the fan discharge port 65. Here, since the fan discharge port 65 is connected to the duct suction port 381 of the downstream duct 84C via the fan duct 366, the air discharged from the fan discharge port 65 is as shown by the arrow in FIG. It is discharged into the downstream duct 84C through the duct suction port 381.

The air sent into the downstream duct 84C through the duct suction port 381 flows from the right end to the left end of the downstream duct 84C. At this time, the air sent from the duct suction port 381 is mixed with the air warmed by the downstream heater 72 to become warmed air. After that, the warmed air in the left end of the downstream duct 84 is sent to the left end of the upstream duct 82C through the joint duct 86C. Air flows from the left end to the right end in the upstream duct 82C, and is discharged to the outside of the duct mechanism 80C from the duct discharge port 380 of the upstream duct 82C.

Even in this embodiment, since the air flowing through the upstream duct 82C is the air warmed by the downstream heater 72, the upstream apron 42 can be warmed. Therefore, the portion of the medium 5 supported by the upstream apron 42 and before printing can be warmed.

Further, in the present embodiment, in the suction mechanism 60, the air warmed by the downstream heater 72 is introduced into the upstream duct 82C by using the suction fan 63 used to suck the medium 5 on the platen 40. I'm sending it. Therefore, since it is not necessary to use a dedicated fan for the duct mechanism 80C, the number of parts can be reduced.

24 Printhead 40 Platen 41 Suction hole 42 Upstream apron 44 Downstream apron 50 Medium movement mechanism 60 Suction mechanism 61 Suction body 61a Suction space 63 Suction fan 70 Platen heater 72 Downstream heater 80, 80A, 80B, 80C Duct mechanism 82, 82A, 82B, 82C Upstream duct 84, 84C Downstream duct 86, 86C Joint duct 86a First joint duct 86b Second joint duct 88 Fan 100, 100A, 100B, 100C Printer

Claims (14)

Platens that support the medium and
A print head that ejects ink toward the platen,
A medium moving mechanism that moves the medium supported by the platen in the first direction from upstream to downstream,
An upstream apron located on the upstream side of the platen,
A downstream apron arranged on the downstream side of the platen,
The downstream heater provided on the downstream apron and
An upstream duct located below the upstream apron and extending in a second direction intersecting the first direction in a plan view,
A downstream duct located below the downstream apron and extending in the second direction,
A joint duct connected to the upstream duct and the downstream duct,
A fan that sends the air in the downstream duct to the upstream duct,
A printer equipped with. The joint duct is
A first joint duct connected to one end of the upstream duct in the second direction and one end of the downstream duct in the second direction.
A second joint duct connected to the other end of the upstream duct in the second direction and the other end of the downstream duct in the second direction.
The printer according to claim 1. The fan is arranged in the first joint duct and
The upstream duct
A first upstream duct that is connected to the first joint duct and extends from the first joint duct toward the second joint duct side.
A second upstream duct that is connected to the second joint duct and extends from the second joint duct toward the first joint duct side.
An upstream connection duct connected to the first upstream duct and the second upstream duct,
The printer according to claim 2. The upstream connection duct is
The first upstream connection duct and
A second upstream connection duct arranged on the second joint duct side of the first upstream connection duct, and a second upstream connection duct.
Have,
The printer according to claim 3, wherein the volume of the first upstream connection duct is smaller than the volume of the second upstream connection duct. A plurality of the upstream connection ducts are provided side by side in the second direction.
The printer according to claim 3, wherein the volume of each upstream connection duct increases from the first joint duct side toward the second joint duct side. The printer according to claim 2, wherein the upstream duct is provided with a heat insulating material extending along the upstream duct. The heat insulating material is
The first heat insulation part and
A second heat insulating portion located closer to the second joint duct than the first heat insulating portion,
Including
The printer according to claim 6, wherein the cross-sectional area of the first heat insulating portion is larger than the cross-sectional area of the second heat insulating portion. The printer according to claim 6 or 7, wherein in the heat insulating material, the cross-sectional area decreases from the first joint duct side toward the second joint duct side. The upstream duct
The first part and
A second part located closer to the second joint duct than the first part,
Including
The printer according to claim 2, wherein the cross-sectional area of the first portion is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the second portion. The printer according to claim 2, wherein in the upstream duct, the cross-sectional area increases from the first joint duct side toward the second joint duct side. The printer according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the fan is arranged in the joint duct. A plurality of suction holes are formed in the platen, and the platen has a plurality of suction holes.
A suction body having a suction space below the platen and arranged between the upstream duct and the downstream duct.
A suction fan connected to the suction space and sucking air in the suction space,
With
The printer according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the joint duct is arranged below the suction body. The printer according to claim 12, further comprising a platen heater provided on the platen and arranged in the adsorption space. The joint duct is connected to one end of the upstream duct and one end of the downstream duct.
A duct discharge port is formed at the other end of the upstream duct.
A duct suction port is formed at the other end of the downstream duct.
The suction fan is formed with a fan discharge port for discharging air.
The printer connected to claim 12 or 13, wherein the fan is the suction fan whose fan discharge port is connected to the duct suction port of the downstream duct.

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