JP5918986B2 - Inkjet device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an inkjet apparatus.

  Patent Document 1 describes an ink jet recording apparatus that controls the scattering direction of ink mist generated by ink ejection to prevent ink mist from accumulating which causes contamination and malfunction in the apparatus. Has been.

JP 11-138781 A (published May 25, 1999)

  The ink mist may cause a problem that the recording medium drawn by ink landing may be contaminated.

  However, the ink jet recording apparatus described in Patent Document 1 does not describe a technique that contributes to solving this problem.

  Further, the ink jet recording apparatus has a problem that it is necessary to dry the recording medium after the ink has landed more efficiently.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to prevent contamination by ink mist and to dry the recording medium after ink has landed more efficiently.

An ink jet apparatus according to the present invention includes an upper head that discharges ink to a recording medium disposed below, a carriage that houses the head and moves with the head, and houses the carriage. A housing, a drive unit that relatively moves the positions of the recording medium and the head, and the head or the recording medium after the ink has landed as viewed from the head side. A gas introduction section for sending gas from the recording medium side after movement to the head side; and an exhaust section for sucking and discharging gas to the recording medium side before ink is landed from the head side. The gas introduction part has a plurality of openings provided along the moving direction of the head above the carriage in the casing, and includes an inner wall of the casing and the carrier. The first gas flow path that guides the outside air introduced from the opening to the lower end of the carriage on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the recording medium is located at any position in the moving region of the head. A second gas flow path through which the outside air guided by the first gas flow path passes is formed between the head and the mounting table, and the exhaust part is more than the carriage. A suction port disposed upstream in the transport direction of the recording medium; and a fan that sucks outside air from the suction port through the second gas flow path and discharges the outside air to the outside of the housing. Then, by extending the top of the carriage to the vicinity of the plurality of openings, the carriage can be located at any position in the moving region, and each of the plurality of openings and the exhaust portion Direct connection to the inlet It is characterized by being configured to intersect the plane containing the.

  According to the above configuration, the gas flows from the recording medium side on which the ink has landed to the recording medium side before the ink has landed, with the head interposed therebetween. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the ink mist generated in the head from contaminating the recording medium after the ink has landed.

  Further, since the gas hits the recording medium after the ink has landed, the gas contributes to the drying of the recording medium.

  Therefore, the recording medium after the ink has landed can be prevented from being contaminated by ink mist and dried more efficiently.

  In the ink jet apparatus according to the present invention, it is more preferable that the exhaust section includes a fan for discharging gas.

  Increasing the gas exhaust efficiency can further improve the ink mist discharge efficiency.

  In the ink jet apparatus according to the present invention, the moving direction when the head is moved in the scanning direction that is perpendicular to the moving direction of the recording medium and parallel to the surface direction of the recording medium is defined. More preferably, the exhaust mechanism further includes a guide mechanism, and the exhaust unit sucks gas from a position between the guide mechanism and a portion of the recording medium conveyance path facing the guide mechanism.

  By providing the exhaust part at a location closer to the head, it is possible to prevent the ink mist from diffusing into the apparatus. Therefore, contamination in the apparatus due to ink mist can be suppressed.

  In the ink jet apparatus according to the present invention, it is more preferable that the ink jet apparatus includes a casing that houses the head, and the gas introduction unit takes in air from outside the casing.

  By taking in air outside the apparatus where the concentration of the ink component is lower, it is possible to further improve the effect of preventing ink mist on the recording medium on which the ink has landed.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the recording medium after the ink has landed from being contaminated by the ink mist and to dry the recording medium more efficiently.

1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a schematic structure of an inkjet apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.

[Configuration of Inkjet Device]
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a schematic structure of the ink jet apparatus 1.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the inkjet apparatus 1 includes a housing 2, a base 3, a carriage 4, a guide mechanism 5, a platen 6, a drive roller (drive unit) 7, an intake fan 8, and an exhaust duct. 9, an exhaust fan 10, a feeding roller 12, and a driven roller 13.

  The housing 2 is an exterior member that forms the outer shape of the inkjet device 1, and is disposed on the base 3. Various components such as a carriage 4, a guide mechanism 5, an exhaust duct 8, and an exhaust fan 9 are accommodated in the housing 2. In addition, the housing | casing in this invention should just store a head.

  The carriage 4 is a housing member that houses the head 41 and electronic components (not shown) so as to be able to scan. The carriage 4 is driven by a driving motor (not shown) or a driving mechanism that transmits a driving force of the driving motor so that the head 41 is reciprocated in the scanning direction with respect to the medium (recording medium) 21.

  The head 41 is an ink ejection member that ejects ink onto the medium 21. The head 41 is provided on the bottom surface of the carriage 4 and is disposed so that the ink ejection surface faces the platen 6.

  The guide mechanism 5 is a mechanism that regulates the moving direction of the carriage 4 and is arranged so as to scan the carriage 4 in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the medium 21 and parallel to the surface direction of the medium 21. Yes. The carriage 4 (head 41) moves along the guide mechanism 5 when scanning the medium 21.

  The platen 6 is a table on which the media 21 is placed. The platen 6 includes a pre-platen 6a, a main platen 6b, and an after-platen 6c. In this embodiment, the medium 21 is transported, but when viewed from the carriage 4, a pre-platen 6 a is disposed upstream in the transport direction, an after-platen 6 c is disposed downstream, and a main platen 6 b is disposed below the carriage 4 in the gravity direction. In addition, a mechanism for defining the printing position of the medium 21 and holding the medium 21 by suction or pressing so as to maintain a distance (head gap) between the medium 21 and the head 41 at a predetermined distance. Have. For this reason, the platen 6 is formed in a rectangular shape so as to face the carriage 4 moving in the scanning direction. The distance between the upper end surface of the platen 6 and the bottom surface of the carriage 4 is set to a predetermined distance that can secure the head gap.

  The smaller the head gap is, the better the ink drop landing elasticity on the medium 21 is. Therefore, the generation of minute ink drops (ink mist) that scatter without landing is reduced. However, when the medium 21 is paper or cloth, since the surface has irregularities, the head gap must have a certain size (distance) in order to ensure landing uniformity. For this reason, ink mist is likely to occur.

  The driving roller 7 (driving unit) is a roller that drives (conveys) the media 21 so that the positions of the media 21 and the head 41 are relatively moved. The drive roller 7 is disposed between the pre-platen 3a and the main platen 3b, and is rotationally driven by a drive motor (not shown) so as to move the media 21 in the transport direction T. When the driving roller 7 is driven, the medium 21 wound around the feeding roller 12 moves. The drive unit provided in the ink jet apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to the configuration for driving the recording medium, and may be any apparatus that moves the relative position between the recording medium and the head. For example, the position of the recording medium may be fixed and the head or the like may be moved, or both may be driven.

  The feeding roller 12 is a roller for winding the medium 21, and the wound medium 21 moves when the driving roller 7 is driven.

  The driven roller 13 is for assisting the conveyance of the medium 21 by the driving roller 7. By driving the driving roller 7, the driven roller 13 is driven and rotated, and the medium 21 moves. The driven roller 13 faces the driving roller 7 through the medium 21 and rotates following the driving roller 7.

  The intake fan 8 is a fan for taking outside air into the housing 2. The intake fan 8 is attached to the upper end surface of the housing 2 almost above the carriage 4 so as to be aligned with the opening 2 a provided in the housing 2. In addition, a plurality (for example, three locations) are arranged above the housing 2 along the scanning direction of the carriage 4.

  As for the housing | casing 2, the side wall part by the side of discharge | emission of the media 21 has an inclined surface. The carriage 4 has a side surface shape having an inclined surface so as to ensure a predetermined distance from the inclined surface. Thus, a gas flow path 31 extending from the intake fan 8 to the lower end of the carriage 4 is formed between the inclined surface of the housing 2 and the side surface of the carriage 4 facing the inclined surface.

  In the ink jet apparatus 1, a gas introduction part 32 is formed by the intake fan 8 and the gas flow path 31. The gas introduction part 32 is configured to send gas (air) from the medium 21 side after the ink has landed to the head 41 side as viewed from the head 41 side to the head 41 side after being moved by the drive roller 7. . In other words, in the present embodiment, since the medium 21 is transported, air is sent from the downstream side in the transport direction toward the head 41.

  The exhaust duct 9 is a duct that forms a discharge path for discharging gas including ink mist generated by the ink discharged from the head 41 to the outside of the housing 2. The exhaust duct 9 has a suction port 9a and a discharge port 9b formed larger than the suction port 9a. The suction port 9a is disposed between the guide mechanism 5 on the head 41 side and the medium 21 (a portion facing the guide mechanism 5 in the transport path of the medium 21). On the other hand, the exhaust port 9b is disposed so as to be connected to an exhaust fan 10 described later. The suction port 9 a is formed so as to open to at least the entire movable range of the head 41 so as to increase the suction amount of ink mist generated by ink ejection from the head 41.

  The exhaust duct 9 is formed so that the width in the height direction is the same as that of the suction port 9a at the introduction portion of the predetermined section from the suction port 9a to the exhaust port 9b side. Further, the exhaust duct 9 is formed so that the width in the height direction is gradually increased until it becomes substantially the same as the outer diameter of the exhaust fan 10 at an intermediate portion of a predetermined section from the introduction portion to the exhaust port 9b side. ing. Further, the exhaust duct 9 is formed so that the width in the height direction is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the exhaust fan 10 at the end of a predetermined section from the intermediate portion to the exhaust fan 10. Since the exhaust duct 9 has the introduction part with a small width in the height direction as described above, the gas flow velocity is increased in this introduction part. Thereby, since the attraction | suction force of ink mist increases, ink mist can be discharged | emitted efficiently.

  The exhaust fan 10 is a fan for discharging the gas containing the ink mist collected by the exhaust duct 9 to the outside. The exhaust fan 10 is attached to an opening 2b provided in the side wall 2c on the side wall 2c opposite to the side wall having the inclined surface in the housing 2.

  In the inkjet apparatus 1, an exhaust portion 11 is formed by the exhaust duct 9 and the exhaust fan 10. The exhaust unit 11 is configured to suck and discharge gas from the head 41 side to the medium 21 side before ink is landed. In other words, air is discharged toward the upstream side in the transport direction of the medium 21 with respect to the head 41. In the present embodiment, air is discharged out of the housing 2, but the present invention is not limited to such a form. Once the gas is discharged to the side of the recording medium before the ink has landed when viewed from the head, it may be purified by a filter or the like and circulated in the ink jet apparatus 1.

[Discharge of ink mist in ink jet device]
Next, discharge of ink mist in the inkjet apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described.

  At the time of printing, ink droplets ejected from the head 41 land on the medium 21, but some minute ink droplets that did not land on the medium 21 become ink mist.

  At the time of printing, the intake fan 8 and the exhaust fan 9 are rotating. In this state, outside air taken into the housing 2 from the intake fan 8 flows in the direction of arrow A in the gas flow path 31, and flows in the direction of arrow B through the space between the carriage 4 and the platen 6.

  At this time, the ink mist generated between the head 41 and the platen 6 is carried to the exhaust duct 9 side by the air flowing in the arrow B direction without floating. The ink mist that has reached the vicinity of the suction port 9 a of the exhaust duct 9 is sucked into the exhaust duct 9 in the direction of the arrow C by the suction force generated by the exhaust fan 10, and further discharged to the outside of the housing 2 by the exhaust fan 10. The

[Effects of inkjet device]
As described above, the ink jet apparatus 1 includes the gas introduction part 32 and the exhaust part 11, thereby causing gas flows in the arrow A direction, the arrow B direction, and the arrow C direction in the housing 2. As a result, the ink mist generated in the head 41 is caused by the gas flowing from the side of the medium 21 where the ink has landed to the side of the medium 21 (in the directions of arrows B and C) before the ink landed across the head 41. Will be discharged to the outside.

  Therefore, contamination of the media 21 after the ink has landed can be prevented. Moreover, since the gas hits the medium 21 after the ink has landed, drying of the ink droplets that have landed on the medium 21 can be promoted.

  Therefore, the media 21 after the ink has landed can be prevented from being contaminated by ink mist and dried more efficiently.

  Further, since the exhaust unit 11 includes the exhaust fan 10, the exhaust efficiency is increased, so that the ink mist discharge efficiency can be further improved.

  In addition, since the exhaust duct 9 in the exhaust unit 11 sucks gas from the suction port 9a located closer to the head 41 between the guide mechanism 5 and the medium 21, more ink mist can be sucked. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the ink mist from diffusing into the ink jet apparatus 1.

  Furthermore, since the gas introduction part 32 has the intake fan 8, the outside air having a lower ink component concentration is taken in, so that contamination of the ink mist on the media 21 after ink landing can be more effectively prevented.

  A part of the ink mist may adhere to an unprinted portion of the medium 21 in the process of being discharged. However, when this unprinted portion is printed, the ink mist adhering to the landed ink droplets becomes inconspicuous, so it can be said that there is practically no deterioration in the print image quality due to the ink mist adhering.

[Additional Notes]
The ink jet apparatus 1 includes a head 41 disposed above for discharging ink to a medium 21 disposed below , a carriage 4 that houses the head 41 and moves with the head 41, and a housing that houses the carriage 4. 2, the drive roller 7 that relatively moves the position of the medium 21 and the head, and the head 41 side from the medium 21 side after the ink has landed and moved by the drive roller 7 when viewed from the head 41 side. to a gas introduction portion 32 for sending the gas, an exhaust unit 11 for the ink from the head 41 side is discharged by sucking the gas medium 21 side before the landing, comprising a gas introduction portion 32, the carriage in the housing 2 4 has a plurality of openings 2 a provided along the moving direction of the head 41. Between the inner wall of the housing 2 and the carriage 4, the openings 2 a are provided. Is formed in any position in the moving region of the head 41, and the head 41 and the medium 21 are connected to the lower end of the carriage 4 on the downstream side in the transport direction of the medium 21. In the meantime, another gas flow path through which the outside air guided by the gas flow path 31 passes is formed, and the exhaust unit 11 is connected to the suction port 9a disposed upstream of the carriage 4 in the transport direction of the medium 21. And a fan 10 that sucks outside air that has passed through another gas flow path from the suction port 9a and discharges the outside air to the outside of the housing 2, and extends the top of the carriage 4 to the vicinity of the plurality of openings 2a. By doing so, the carriage 4 is configured to intersect with a plane including a straight line connecting each of the plurality of openings 2a and the suction port 9a of the exhaust part 11 at any position in the moving region. That.

  According to the above configuration, the gas flows from the side of the medium 21 on which the ink has landed to the side of the medium 21 before the ink has landed, with the head 41 interposed therebetween. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the ink mist generated in the head 41 from contaminating the media 21 after the ink has landed.

  Further, since the gas hits the media 21 after the ink has landed, the gas contributes to the drying of the media 21.

  Therefore, the media 21 after the ink has landed can be prevented from being contaminated by ink mist and dried more efficiently.

  In the inkjet apparatus 1, the exhaust unit 11 includes an exhaust fan 10 that exhausts gas.

  Increasing the gas exhaust efficiency can further improve the ink mist discharge efficiency.

  The inkjet apparatus 1 further includes a guide mechanism 5 that defines a moving direction when the head 41 is moved in a scanning direction that is perpendicular to the moving direction of the medium 21 and parallel to the surface direction of the medium 21, The exhaust unit 11 sucks gas from a position between the guide mechanism 5 and a portion facing the guide mechanism 5 in the conveyance path of the medium 21.

  By providing the exhaust unit 11 at a location closer to the head 41, it is possible to prevent the ink mist from diffusing inside the apparatus. Therefore, contamination in the apparatus due to ink mist can be suppressed.

  The inkjet apparatus 1 includes a housing 2 that houses a head 41, and the gas introduction unit 32 takes in air from outside the housing 2 and sends it.

  By taking in air outside the apparatus having a lower concentration of the ink component, it is possible to further improve the effect of preventing ink mist on the media 21 on which the ink has landed.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope shown in the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in different embodiments. Is also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  The present invention prevents contamination by ink mist and more efficiently dries the recording medium after landing on the ink, and is preferably used for printing that requires high-quality print image quality and early drying. Can do.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inkjet apparatus 2 Housing | casing 2a Opening part 2b Opening part 2c Side wall part 4 Carriage 5 Guide mechanism 6 Platen 6a Pre-platen 6b Main platen 6c After-platen 7 Driving roller (driving part)
8 Intake fan 9 Exhaust duct 10 Exhaust fan (fan)
11 Exhaust unit 12 Feeding roller 13 Driven roller 21 Media (recording medium)
31 Gas flow path 32 Gas introduction part 41 Head

Claims (3)

A head disposed above to eject ink onto a recording medium disposed below ;
A carriage that houses the head and moves with the head;
A housing for housing the carriage;
A drive unit that relatively moves the positions of the recording medium and the head;
A gas introduction unit that sends gas from the recording medium side to the head side after the ink has landed and the head or the recording medium is moved by the driving unit as viewed from the head side;
An exhaust unit that sucks and discharges gas to the recording medium side before ink is landed from the head side,
The gas introduction part has a plurality of openings provided along the moving direction of the head above the carriage in the housing,
Between the inner wall of the housing and the carriage, a first gas flow path that guides the outside air introduced from the opening to the lower end of the carriage on the downstream side in the transport direction of the recording medium is the head. Is formed for any position in the moving area of
Between the head and the recording medium, a second gas flow path is formed through which the outside air guided by the first gas flow path passes.
The exhaust unit sucks outside air that has passed through the second gas flow path from the suction port disposed upstream of the carriage in the conveyance direction of the recording medium, and the housing. And a fan that discharges outside
By extending the top of the carriage to the vicinity of the plurality of openings, the carriage can be located at any position in the moving region, and each of the openings and the suction port of the exhaust unit. An ink jet apparatus configured to intersect with a plane including a straight line connecting the two . A guide mechanism for defining a moving direction when moving the head in a scanning direction that is perpendicular to the moving direction of the recording medium and parallel to the surface direction of the recording medium;
2. The ink jet apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the exhaust unit sucks gas from a position between the guide mechanism and a portion of the recording medium conveyance path facing the guide mechanism. . A housing for storing the head;
The gas introduction portion, an ink jet apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the sending takes in air from the outside of the housing.

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