WO2017061264A1

WO2017061264A1 - Inkjet recording device

Info

Publication number: WO2017061264A1
Application number: PCT/JP2016/077624
Authority: WO
Inventors: 松井　康祐
Original assignee: コニカミノルタ株式会社
Priority date: 2015-10-05
Filing date: 2016-09-20
Publication date: 2017-04-13
Also published as: JPWO2017061264A1; JP6737282B2

Abstract

Provided is an inkjet recording device that can suppress reduction in the image quality of a recorded image resulting from ink mist that is moved by a humidified air flow. The inkjet recording device is provided with: a recording means in which ink-discharge parts each having an ink-discharge surface are disposed at positions that are different from each other in a predetermined direction; a movement means which causes a placement surface, on which a recording medium is placed, and the recording means to move in the predetermined direction relative to each other; a humidified air supplying means which has multiple air-supplying parts; and a humidified air discharge means which has multiple air-discharge parts that suck in humidified air supplied from the respective multiple air-supplying parts. Each of the multiple air-supplying parts and each of the multiple air-discharge parts are alternately disposed in the predetermined direction. The multiple air-supplying parts each supply humidified air from one side, in the predetermined direction, of the ink-discharge parts that are different from each other, into a gap between the placement surface and the ink-discharge surfaces of the ink-discharge parts. The multiple air-discharge parts each suck in the humidified air having passed through the gap between the placement surface and the one or adjacent multiple ink-discharge parts.

Description

Inkjet recording device

The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus.

Conventionally, there is an ink jet recording apparatus that records an image by ejecting ink from a nozzle of an ink ejection unit to a recording medium while relatively moving an ink ejection unit provided with a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink and the recording medium. In such an ink jet recording apparatus, a plurality of ink discharge portions are provided at different positions in the relative movement direction, and inks of different colors are discharged from the plurality of ink discharge portions to a recording medium at appropriate timing. Some record color images.

In the ink jet recording apparatus, since ink comes into contact with air at the nozzle opening, the ink solvent in the vicinity of the nozzle opening is vaporized. In order to suppress such adverse effects on the ink due to the vaporization of the solvent, humidified air is supplied to the gap between the ink ejection surface of the ink ejection unit and the recording medium to suppress the vaporization of the solvent at the nozzle opening. There is technology. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses that a plurality of ink ejecting units are arranged in the transport direction of the plurality of ink ejecting units from the upstream side in the transport direction with respect to the gap between the ink ejecting surfaces of the plurality of ink ejecting units arranged at different positions in the recording medium transporting direction. A technique is disclosed in which humidified air is supplied and the humidified air is sucked from the downstream side in the transport direction of the plurality of ink ejection units.

JP 2006-44021 A

However, in the conventional ink jet recording apparatus, the ink mist generated along with the ink discharge from the nozzle and drifting in the gap between the ink discharge surface and the recording medium is spread over the plurality of ink discharge portions by the flow of humidified air. And the recording medium are moved. As a result, the ink mist adheres to the opening of the nozzle of the ink discharge section that discharges ink of a color different from that of the ink mist and flows into the nozzle. In particular, the ink provided on the downstream side in the flow direction of the humidified air The ink mist of a larger number of colors flows into the nozzles as the discharge unit. As described above, when the ink mist moves a long distance across the gaps related to the plurality of ink discharge portions, the ink mist that has flowed into the nozzles causes a mixture of many colors of ink, resulting in a deterioration in the image quality of the recorded image. There are challenges.

An object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus capable of suppressing deterioration in image quality of a recorded image caused by ink mist moving due to the flow of humidified air.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention of the ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1 comprises:
Recording means having a plurality of ink discharge portions for discharging ink to a recording medium from openings provided on the ink discharge surface, each of the plurality of ink discharge portions being provided at different positions in a predetermined direction; ,
A moving unit that has a mounting surface on which the recording medium is mounted, and moves the mounting surface, the recording medium mounted on the mounting surface, and the recording unit in the predetermined direction;
Humidified air supply means having a plurality of air supply units for sending humidified air;
Humidified air discharging means having a plurality of exhaust parts for sucking the humidified air sent from each of the plurality of air supply parts;
With
Each of the plurality of air supply units and each of the plurality of exhaust units are alternately arranged in the predetermined direction,
Each of the plurality of air supply units sends the humid air from one side of the different ink discharge units in the predetermined direction to the gap between the ink discharge surface of the ink discharge unit and the placement surface. ,
Each of the plurality of exhaust units sucks the humidified air that has passed through the gaps related to one or a plurality of adjacent ink discharge units.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet recording apparatus according to the first aspect,
One of the plurality of air supply units is disposed on the one side with respect to the plurality of ink discharge units in the predetermined direction,
One exhaust portion of the plurality of exhaust portions is arranged on the other side of the plurality of ink discharge portions in the predetermined direction.

The invention according to claim 3 is the ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 2,
One of the air supply unit and the exhaust unit is provided between each of the adjacent ink discharge units.

The invention according to claim 4 is the ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
Each of the plurality of air supply units is configured to move the mounting surface relative to the recording unit in the relative movement from the upstream side of the ink discharge unit to the gap associated with the recording unit that is relatively moving. It is characterized by delivering humid air.

The invention according to claim 5 is the ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 4,
A recording control unit that causes the recording unit to perform a recording operation of ejecting ink onto a recording medium that moves in the moving direction with respect to the recording unit by the relative movement in the predetermined direction;
Each of the plurality of air supply units is characterized in that the humidified air is sent out to the gap associated with the recording means performing the recording operation.

The invention according to claim 6 is the ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The humidified air supply means has a supply air blowing section for flowing the humidified air,
Each of the plurality of air supply units includes an air supply pipe provided with an air supply port through which the humidified air passes, and the humidified air that has flowed into the air supply pipe by the air supply air blowing unit is supplied to the air supply port. It is characterized by being sent from.

The invention according to claim 7 is the inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 6,
The humidified air supply means includes a plurality of the air supply / air supply units provided corresponding to the plurality of air supply units, respectively.

The invention according to claim 8 is the ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 6 or 7,
Each of the plurality of air supply pipes is provided with a plurality of the air supply ports,
The plurality of air supply ports are provided such that an opening area is larger toward a downstream air supply port with respect to a flow direction of the humidified air flowing into the air supply pipe by the air supply air blowing section in the air supply pipe. It is a feature.

The invention according to claim 9 is the ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 8,
The humidified air discharging means has a negative pressure generating means,
Each of the plurality of exhaust parts has an exhaust pipe provided with an intake port through which the humidified air is passed, and the inside of the exhaust pipe is made negative pressure by the negative pressure generating means, thereby Suction is performed from the intake port into the exhaust pipe.

The invention according to claim 10 is the ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 9,
The humidified air discharging means includes a plurality of the negative pressure generating means provided corresponding to the plurality of exhaust parts, respectively.

The invention according to claim 11 is the ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 9 or 10,
The negative pressure generating means has an exhaust fan for exhausting air inside the exhaust pipe.

The invention according to claim 12 is the ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 9 to 11,
Each of the plurality of exhaust pipes is provided with a plurality of the intake ports,
The plurality of intake ports are provided such that an opening area increases toward an upstream side in a flow direction of the humidified air by the negative pressure in the exhaust pipe.

The invention according to claim 13 is the ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 9 to 12,
The total opening area of the intake port in each of the plurality of exhaust pipes is larger than the total opening area of the intake port in each of the plurality of supply pipes.

The invention according to claim 14 is the ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13,
It is characterized by comprising humidified air generating means for generating the humidified air and supplying it to the humidified air supply means.

The invention according to claim 15 is the ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 14,
The humidified air discharging means includes an ink mist collecting unit that collects ink mist contained in the humidified air sucked by the plurality of exhaust units.

The invention according to claim 16 is the inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 15,
Humidity detection means for detecting humidity in at least one place in the range through which the humidified air that is sent to the gap by each of the plurality of air supply units and sucked by each of the plurality of exhaust units passes,
The humidified air supply means is arranged so that the humidified air is delivered from each of the plurality of air supply units at a delivery amount per predetermined time determined so as to gradually increase as the representative value of the detected humidity decreases. An air supply control means for controlling;
It is characterized by having.

The invention according to claim 17 is the ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 16,
The humidified air supply means has a storage unit for storing the humidified air sent by the plurality of air supply units,
The ink jet recording apparatus
Temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the humidified air stored in the storage unit;
Air conditioning means for adjusting the temperature of the humidified air stored in the storage unit;
When the detected temperature is outside the predetermined temperature range of the gap where ink is properly ejected from the opening, the temperature of the humidified air is within the predetermined temperature range. Air conditioning control means for adjusting the temperature of the humidified air by the air conditioning means;
It is characterized by having.

According to the present invention, there is an effect that it is possible to suppress the deterioration of the image quality of the recorded image due to the ink mist moving due to the flow of the humidified air.

1 is a schematic plan view illustrating a schematic configuration of an ink jet recording apparatus. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of a head unit. It is a block diagram which shows the main function structures of an inkjet recording device. It is a model side view of an air supply duct. It is a schematic side view of an exhaust duct. It is a schematic cross section of a head unit, an air supply duct, and an exhaust duct. It is a flowchart which shows the control procedure of an image recording process. 1 is a schematic plan view illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of an ink jet recording apparatus.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing a schematic configuration of an ink jet recording apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the ink jet recording apparatus 1 includes a conveyance belt 10 (moving means) and head units 20a to 20h (ink ejection units) (hereinafter, any one of the head units 20a to 20h). Head unit group HU (recording unit), humidified air supply unit 30 (humidified air supply unit), humidified air discharge unit 40 (humidified air discharge unit), and humidifier unit 61 (humidified air unit). Air generating means) and an air conditioning unit 64 (air conditioning means).

The transport belt 10 is a ring-shaped member whose inner side is supported by two transport rollers 11 that rotate about a rotation shaft extending in the X direction in FIG. The conveyance belt 10 is moved by the conveyance roller 11 being rotated by a motor (not shown) while the recording medium is placed on the conveyance surface (mounting surface), and the recording medium is moved by the conveyance belt 10. It is conveyed in the direction (conveying direction; Y direction in FIG. 1) (predetermined direction). Here, the recording medium is pulled out from the roll around which the recording medium is wound and supplied onto the conveying belt 10, and after the image is recorded, the recording medium is wound up by another roll. Note that the recording medium may be a sheet cut to a certain size. As the recording medium, various media capable of fixing the ink landed on the surface, such as paper, fabric, or sheet-like resin, can be used.

The head unit group HU records an image by ejecting ink from the nozzles of the head unit 20 on the recording medium conveyed by the conveying belt 10 based on the image data. In the head unit group HU of the present embodiment, eight head units 20a to 20h that respectively eject inks of eight different colors are arranged at different positions in the Y direction.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the head unit 20.
The head unit 20 includes a plurality of (6 in the present embodiment) arranged in a direction in which the nozzles 23 of the plurality of recording elements intersect the transport direction of the recording medium (in this embodiment, a direction orthogonal to the transport direction, that is, the X direction). Recording heads 22). In FIG. 2, the position of the opening of the nozzle 23 of the recording head 22 is schematically shown in a plan view of the head unit 20 as viewed from the side facing the conveyance surface of the conveyance belt 10.
The six recording heads 22 are arranged in a staggered pattern so that the arrangement ranges in the X direction partially overlap each other. The arrangement range in the X direction of the nozzles 23 included in the head unit 20 covers the X direction range (recording range) of an area in which an image can be formed in the recording medium conveyed by the conveying belt 10. The unit 20 is used with its position fixed with respect to the transport roller 11 during image recording. That is, the inkjet recording apparatus 1 is an inkjet recording apparatus that performs single-pass image recording using a line head.
Note that the recording head 22 may include two or more rows of nozzles 23. For example, two rows of nozzles 23 arranged in the X direction are provided, and these two rows of nozzles 23 are arranged in a state of being shifted from each other by one half of the arrangement interval of the nozzles 23 in the X direction. Also good. Further, the number of the recording heads 22 included in the head unit 20 may be 5 or less, or 7 or more.

Further, the head unit 20 includes a recording head drive unit 21 (FIG. 3) that drives the recording head 22. The recording head driving unit 21 supplies a driving circuit that supplies a voltage signal having a driving waveform corresponding to the pixel value of the image data to each recording head 22, and supplies a control signal including image data to the driving circuit at an appropriate timing. Drive control circuit.

Each of the recording elements provided in the recording head 22 includes a pressure chamber for storing ink, a piezoelectric element provided on a wall surface of the pressure chamber, and an ink ejection surface 22a (see FIG. And a nozzle 23 having an opening provided in 5). The drive circuit of the recording head drive unit 21 outputs a voltage signal having a drive waveform for deforming the piezoelectric element according to the pixel value of the image data, and the recording element applies the voltage signal to the piezoelectric element. It is configured. When a voltage signal having a drive waveform is applied to the piezoelectric element, the pressure chamber is deformed in accordance with the voltage signal and the pressure in the pressure chamber changes, and an ink discharge operation for discharging ink from the nozzles 23 communicating with the pressure chamber is performed. Done. As a result, an amount of ink corresponding to the pixel value of the image data is ejected from the nozzle 23.

The humidified air supply unit 30 includes a storage unit 31 that stores humidified air containing water vapor, a common air supply pipe 32 that communicates with the storage unit 31, eight air supply blowers 33 (supply air blowing units), and flexibility. Eight air supply ducts 35 (air supply portions, air supply pipes) each communicating with the common air supply pipe 32 via the eight connection pipes 34 provided. The humidified air supply unit 30 causes the humidified air stored in the storage unit 31 to flow into the supply duct 35 through the common supply pipe 32 and the connection pipe 34 by the blowing operation of the supply blower 33, and the humidified air Is supplied from an air supply port 35a (FIGS. 4 and 5) provided in the air supply duct 35, and a gap between the ink discharge surface 22a of the recording head 22 and the conveyance surface of the conveyance belt 10 in the head unit 20 (hereinafter referred to as a gap). Into part G (denoted as FIG. 5).

The humidified air discharge unit 40 is shared by two ink mist collecting units 41, a common exhaust pipe 42, eight exhaust blowers 43 (negative pressure generating means), and eight flexible connection pipes 44, respectively. Eight exhaust ducts 45 (exhaust part, exhaust pipe) communicating with the exhaust pipe 42 are provided. The humidified air discharge part 40 exhausts the humidified air supplied from the air supply duct 35 and passing through the gap part G from the intake port 45a (FIGS. 4 and 5) provided in the exhaust duct 45 by the exhaust operation of the exhaust blower 43. The air is sucked into the duct 45 and exhausted through the connection pipe 44 and the common exhaust pipe 42. Further, the humidified air discharge unit 40 collects the ink mist contained in the humidified air to be exhausted by the ink mist collecting unit 41.
Detailed configurations and operations of the humidified air supply unit 30 and the humidified air discharge unit 40 will be described later.

The humidification part 61 humidifies the air in the said humidification container by heating water and generating water vapor | steam in a predetermined humidification container, and produces | generates humidified air of the preset humidity. The humidifying unit 61 sends humidified air in the humidifying container to the storage unit 31 communicating with the humidifying unit 61. The humidifying unit 61 generates and sends out the humidified air based on a control signal from the CPU 51 (FIG. 3).

The air conditioning unit 64 communicates with the storage unit 31 and adjusts the temperature of the humidified air in the storage unit 31 to a preset temperature by transferring heat in the heat exchanger. The air conditioning unit 64 performs a temperature adjustment operation based on a control signal from the CPU 51.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the main functional configuration of the inkjet recording apparatus 1.
The inkjet recording apparatus 1 includes a control unit 50, the above-described head unit 20, humidified air supply unit 30, humidified air discharge unit 40, humidified unit 61 and air conditioning unit 64, humidity detection unit 62, and temperature detection unit 63 (temperature). Detection means), a conveyance drive unit 65, an input / output interface 66, a bus 67, and the like. The control unit 50 includes a CPU 51 (Central Processing Unit) (recording control unit, air supply control unit, air conditioning control unit), a RAM 52 (Random Access Memory), a ROM 53 (Read Only Memory), and a storage unit 54.

The CPU 51 reads various control programs and setting data stored in the ROM 53, stores them in the RAM 52, and executes the programs to perform various arithmetic processes. The CPU 51 controls the overall operation of the inkjet recording apparatus 1. For example, the CPU 51 operates each unit of the inkjet recording apparatus 1 based on the image data stored in the storage unit 54 to record an image on a recording medium. The CPU 51 operates the humidified air supply unit 30, the humidified air discharge unit 40, the humidifying unit 61, and the air conditioning unit 64 to send out the humidified air from the air supply duct 35 of the humidified air supply unit 30 and the humidified air discharge unit 40. Thus, the humid air is sucked into the exhaust duct 45. Further, the CPU 51 operates the air conditioning unit 64 based on the temperature detection result by the temperature detection unit 63 and the set temperature stored in the RAM 52 to adjust the temperature of the humidified air in the storage unit 31 to the set temperature.

The RAM 52 provides a working memory space for the CPU 51 and stores temporary data. The RAM 52 may include a nonvolatile memory.

The ROM 53 stores various control programs executed by the CPU 51, setting data, and the like. The setting data includes table data indicating a correspondence relationship between the detected humidity value of the gap portion G and the setting value of the rotation speed of the fan of the supply blower 33. Instead of the ROM 53, a rewritable nonvolatile memory such as an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read フラッシュ Only Memory) or a flash memory may be used.

The storage unit 54 stores a print job (image recording command) input from the external apparatus 2 via the input / output interface 66 and image data related to the print job. As the storage unit 54, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) is used, and a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) or the like may be used in combination.

The recording head drive unit 21 causes the recording head 22 to discharge ink based on the control signal and image data supplied from the CPU 51. Specifically, when a control signal including image data is supplied from the CPU 51, the drive control circuit of the recording head driving unit 21 applies a plurality of piezoelectric elements corresponding to the pixel values of the image data to the piezoelectric elements of the recording elements of the recording head 22 by the driving circuit. The voltage signal of any one of the drive waveforms of the pattern is output. In response to this voltage signal, the recording head 22 ejects an amount of ink corresponding to the pixel value of the image data from the nozzle 23 of the recording element, or when the pixel value of the image data corresponds to non-ejection of ink. Or a non-ejection operation that does not eject ink, which is performed after the end of the image recording operation and before the start of the next image recording operation.

The humidity detector 62 is composed of hygrometers provided on the surfaces of the eight head units 20 facing the conveyor belt 10, and detects the humidity in the gap G. The humidity detector 62 detects the humidity in accordance with a control signal from the CPU 51 and outputs the detection result to the CPU 51.

The temperature detection unit 63 detects the temperature in the storage unit 31 in accordance with a control signal from the CPU 51, and outputs the detection result to the CPU 51.

The transport drive unit 65 supplies a drive signal to the motor of the transport roller 11 based on a control signal supplied from the CPU 51 to move the transport belt 10 at a predetermined speed and timing.

The input / output interface 66 mediates data transmission / reception between the external device 2 and the control unit 50. The input / output interface 66 is configured by, for example, one of various serial interfaces, various parallel interfaces, or a combination thereof.

The bus 67 is a path for transmitting and receiving signals between the control unit 50 and other components.

The external device 2 is a personal computer, for example, and supplies a print job, image data, and the like to the control unit 50 via the input / output interface 66.

Next, the detailed configuration and operation of the humidified air supply unit 30 and the humidified air discharge unit 40 will be described.

First, the configuration of the humidified air supply unit 30 will be described with reference to FIG.
The storage unit 31 is a container that communicates with the humidification unit 61, the air conditioning unit 64, and the common air supply pipe 32, and stores the humid air generated in the humidification unit 61 and sent to the storage unit 31.
The common air supply pipe 32 is a metal pipe that communicates with the storage section 31 and the eight connection pipes 34 and is sealed at other portions. Humidified air in the reservoir 31 is introduced into the common supply pipe 32.
The connection pipe 34 is a flexible pipe that allows the common supply pipe 32 and the supply duct 35 to communicate with each other, and is made of a flexible resin such as a fluorine resin or an epoxy resin.
The air supply blower 33 is provided at each of the connection portions of the eight connection pipes 34 and the common air supply pipe 32, and the humidified air in the common air supply pipe 32 is sent to the air supply duct 35 via the connection pipe 34 by a rotating fan. . The rotation speed of the fan of the supply blower 33, that is, the amount of humidified air sent by the supply blower 33 (volume of humidified air sent per predetermined time) is controlled by the CPU 51.
Each of the eight air supply ducts 35 corresponds to each of the eight head units 20, and along the head unit 20 on the upstream side (−Y direction side) with respect to the corresponding head unit 20 in the recording medium conveyance direction. It is a metal rectangular parallelepiped tube arranged to extend (that is, in the X direction). In the air supply duct 35, the humidified air sent by the air supply blower 33 flows in the −X direction.

FIG. 4A is a schematic side view of the air supply duct 35. FIG. 4A shows a side surface of the air supply duct 35 that faces the head unit 20.
As shown in FIG. 4A, a plurality of air supply ports 35 a through which the humidified air passes are arranged in the X direction on the side surface of the air supply duct 35 facing the head unit 20. Further, the plurality of air supply ports 35a are opened toward the downstream side in the flow direction (−X direction) of the humidified air sent by the air supply blower 33 in the air supply duct 35 (that is, as the distance from the connection pipe 34 increases). It is provided to increase the area. In the air supply duct 35, the humidified air is sent into the air supply duct 35 by the air supply blower 33, whereby the humidified air is sent to the outside from the air supply port 35a.

FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the head unit 20, the air supply duct 35, and the exhaust duct 45 at the position of the AA line in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, the air supply port 35 a of the air supply duct 35 is provided at a position where the humidified air sent to the outside from the air supply port 35 a is sent into the gap portion G. In the present embodiment, the air supply port 35 a is provided at a position facing the gap portion G.

Next, the configuration of the humidified air discharge unit 40 will be described.
The eight exhaust ducts 45 shown in FIG. 1 correspond to the eight head units 20 respectively, and are head units on the downstream side (+ Y direction side) with respect to the corresponding head unit 20 in the conveyance direction of the recording medium P. 20 is a metal rectangular parallelepiped tube arranged so as to extend along the line 20 (that is, in the X direction). The exhaust duct 45 communicates with the connection pipe 44 through an exhaust port provided at an end portion on the connection pipe 44 side.
The eight exhaust ducts 45 of the humidified air discharge unit 40 and the eight supply ducts 35 of the humidified air supply unit 30 described above are provided in a positional relationship in which the supply ducts 35 and the exhaust duct 45 are alternately arranged in the Y direction. .

FIG. 4B is a schematic side view of the exhaust duct 45. FIG. 4B shows a side surface of the exhaust duct 45 facing the head unit 20.
As shown in FIG. 4B, a plurality of air inlets 45a through which humidified air passes are arranged in the X direction on the side surface of the exhaust duct 45 facing the head unit 20. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the plurality of air inlets 45 a are provided at positions facing the gap portion G. Further, the plurality of intake ports 45a are provided such that the opening area becomes larger toward the upstream side in the flow direction (+ X direction) of the humidified air in the exhaust duct 45 (that is, as the distance from the connection pipe 44 increases). . Further, the total opening area of the plurality of intake ports 45 a in one exhaust duct 45 is larger than the total opening area of the plurality of intake ports 35 a in one supply duct 35.

The connection pipe 44 is a flexible pipe that allows the exhaust duct 45 and the common exhaust pipe 42 to communicate with each other, and is made of a flexible resin such as a fluororesin or an epoxy resin.
The exhaust blower 43 is provided at each connection portion between the eight connection pipes 44 and the common exhaust pipe 42, and the air in the exhaust duct 45 is transferred to the common exhaust pipe 42 via the connection pipe 44 by a rotating fan (exhaust fan). Exhaust. By performing such an exhaust operation of the exhaust blower 43, humidified air around the intake port 45a is sucked into the exhaust duct 45 from the intake port 45a, and the sucked humidified air is sent to the common exhaust pipe 42. Is done. Each exhaust blower 43 operates based on a control signal from the CPU 51.
The common exhaust pipe 42 is a metal pipe that communicates with the two ink mist collecting portions 41 and the eight connection pipes 44 and has other portions sealed. Humidified air sucked into the exhaust duct 45 by the exhaust operation of the exhaust blower 43 is introduced into the common exhaust pipe 42.

The ink mist collecting unit 41 collects ink mist contained in the humidified air sent from the common exhaust pipe 42. The configuration of the ink mist collecting unit 41 is not particularly limited. For example, the ink mist contained in the humidified air introduced into the rotating container is attached to the container side wall by centrifugal force and separated, and the separated ink is separated. It can be set as the structure which flows down along a side wall and collects. The ink mist collecting unit 41 may be configured to collect the ink mist with a filter that captures and aggregates the ink mist contained in the humidified air.

Next, the humidified air supply operation by the humidified air supply unit 30 and the humidified air discharge operation by the humidified air discharge unit 40 will be described.

In the inkjet recording apparatus 1, when recording an image on the recording medium P, first, humidified air having a set temperature and humidity is generated and stored in the storage unit 31 by the humidifying unit 61 and the air conditioning unit 64. Here, the temperature of the humidified air is adjusted so as to be within the temperature range of the gap portion G so that ink is properly ejected from the nozzles 23.
Further, the transport roller 11 rotates and the movement operation of the transport belt 10 is started.

And the humidity of the gap part G is detected by the humidity detection part 62, and the humidification air in the storage part 31 is sent to each supply duct 35 of the humidification air supply part 30 with the sending amount according to the detection result of the said humidity. Here, the delivery amount of humidified air per predetermined time is set so as to gradually increase as the detected humidity decreases. Further, the humidity data used for setting the delivery amount of the humidified air may be a representative value (for example, an average value or a median value) of detected humidity values in the eight humidity detectors 62, or any one of the humidity detectors 62. The detected humidity value may be used. The position where the humidity is detected by the humidity detector 62 is not limited to the gap part G, but the humidity in the range through which the humidified air sent from each air supply duct 35 and sucked by each exhaust duct 45 passes is detected. An aspect may be sufficient.
As a result, as shown in FIG. 5, an amount of humidified air corresponding to the humidity in the gap portion G is sent from the air supply port 35 a of the air supply duct 35 to the gap portion G. The humidified air sent to the gap part G is drawn into the gap part G as the transport belt 10 moves in the + Y direction and moves through the gap part G in the + Y direction and passes through the gap part G.

Also, in accordance with the supply of the humidified air, the humidified air discharge unit 40 starts discharging the humidified air. That is, when the exhaust operation by the exhaust blower 43 of the humidified air discharge part 40 is started and the inside of the exhaust duct 45 becomes negative pressure, the humidified air that has passed through the gap part G as shown in FIG. The air is sucked into the exhaust duct 45 from the intake port 45a.

As a result, a flow of humid air that is supplied from the air supply duct 35 of the humidified air supply unit 30 and passes through the gap portion G and is sucked into the exhaust duct 45 of the humidified air discharge unit 40 is generated. In the ink jet recording apparatus 1, such a flow of humidified air is generated by the air supply duct 35 and the exhaust duct 45 provided corresponding to each of the eight head units 20.

Thereafter, the conveyance of the recording medium P by the conveyance belt 10 is started, and an appropriate timing according to the conveyance speed and position of the recording medium P from the nozzles 23 provided in the recording heads 22 of the head units 20 according to the image data. Thus, an image is recorded on the recording medium P by ejecting ink. Here, as the ink is ejected from the nozzle 23, an ink mist composed of fine mist-like ink is generated and drifts in the gap G. In the inkjet recording apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, most of the ink mist is generated. Is sucked into the exhaust duct 45 together with the humidified air. The ink mist sucked into the exhaust duct 45 is collected by the ink mist collecting unit 41.

When the image is formed on the recording medium P, the recording medium P is discharged to a predetermined paper discharge unit, and the humidified air supply unit 30 stops the humidified air supply operation and the humidified air discharge unit 40 stops the humidified air discharge operation. At the same time, the movement of the conveyor belt 10 is stopped.

Subsequently, a control procedure by the CPU 51 of the image recording process executed by the inkjet recording apparatus 1 will be described.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the control procedure of the image recording process.
This image recording process is executed when a print job and image data are input from the external apparatus 2 to the control unit 50 via the input / output interface 66, for example.

When the image recording process is started, the CPU 51 operates the humidifying unit 61, the temperature detecting unit 63, and the air conditioning unit 64 to generate humidified air and adjust the temperature of the humidified air (step S1). That is, the CPU 51 operates the humidifying unit 61 to generate humidified air having a predetermined humidity, and sends the humidified air to the storing unit 31 by the humidifying unit 61 and stores it in the storing unit 31. In addition, the temperature of the humidified air in the storage unit 31 is detected by the temperature detection unit 63, the air conditioning unit 64 is operated based on the detection result of the temperature, and the temperature of the humidified air in the storage unit 31 is set in advance. Let the temperature adjust.

The CPU 51 causes the humidity detector 62 to detect the humidity of the gap G and sets the amount of humidified air sent based on the humidity detection result (step S2). Here, the CPU 51 refers to the table data stored in the ROM 53, acquires a set value related to the rotation speed of the fan of the air supply blower 33 corresponding to the humidity detection result, and stores it in the RAM 52, thereby storing the humidified air. Set the sending amount. The humidity detection result can be, for example, an average value of the detection results obtained by the eight humidity detection units 62. Note that the amount of humidified air sent may be set for each air supply blower 33 corresponding to each head unit 20 based on the humidity detection results by each of the eight humidity detectors 62.

CPU 51 starts the movement operation of the conveyor belt 10 (step S3). That is, the CPU 51 supplies a control signal to a motor that drives the transport roller 11 to rotate the transport roller 11 at a predetermined speed and move the transport belt 10.

CPU51 starts supply of humidified air by humidified air supply part 30, and exhaust of humidified air by humidified air discharge part 40 (Step S4). That is, the CPU 51 rotates the fans of the respective air supply blowers 33 at the rotational speed set in step S2 to cause the humidified air stored in the storage portions 31 to flow into the respective air supply ducts 35, so that each air supply duct 35 is supplied. From the air supply port 35a to the gap portion G. Further, each exhaust blower 43 is rotated at a predetermined rotational speed so that humid air is sucked into the exhaust duct 45 from the intake port 45a of each exhaust duct 45.

The CPU 51 operates a recording medium supply unit (not shown) to place the recording medium P on the placing surface of the conveying belt 10 and starts conveying the recording medium P by the conveying belt 10 (step S5).

The CPU 51 causes the head unit group HU to discharge ink and record an image on the recording medium P (step S6). That is, the CPU 51 supplies the image data and the control signal to the recording head driving unit 21, and outputs the voltage signal of the driving waveform to the recording head 22 by the recording head driving unit 21 at an appropriate timing according to the movement of the conveyance belt 10. As a result, ink is ejected from the nozzles 23 of the head units 20 onto the recording medium P conveyed by the conveying belt 10 to record an image on the recording medium P. Further, the CPU 41 transports the recording medium P on which an image is recorded by the transport belt 10 and discharges the recording medium P to a predetermined paper discharge unit.

When the image designated by the print job is recorded on the designated number of recording media P, the CPU 51 ends the conveyance of the recording media P by the conveyance belt 10 (step S7).

The CPU 51 stops the operation of the air supply blower 33 and the exhaust blower 43, and stops the supply of the humidified air by the humidified air supply unit 30 and the exhaust of the humidified air by the humidified air discharge unit 40 (step S8). Further, the CPU 51 stops the rotation of the conveyance roller 11 and stops the movement operation of the conveyance belt 10 (step S9).
When the process of step S9 ends, the CPU 51 ends the image recording process.

As described above, the inkjet recording apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of head units 20 that discharge ink to the recording medium P from the openings provided on the ink discharge surface 22a, and the plurality of head units. Each of 20 has a head unit group HU provided at different positions in the Y direction and a mounting surface on which the recording medium P is mounted, and is mounted on the mounting surface and the mounting surface. The moving means for moving the recording medium P and the head unit group HU relative to each other in the Y direction, the humidified air supply unit 30 having a plurality of air supply ducts 35 for sending out the humidified air, and the plurality of air supply ducts 35 are sent out. A humidified air discharge section 40 having a plurality of exhaust ducts 45 for sucking the humidified air respectively, and each of the plurality of air supply ducts 35 and each of the plurality of exhaust ducts 45 is in the Y direction. Each of the plurality of air supply ducts 35 is provided between the ink discharge surface 22a and the placement surface of the head unit 20 from one side of the different head units 20 in the Y direction. Humidified air is sent to the gap part G, and each of the plurality of exhaust ducts 45 sucks the humidified air that has passed through the gap part G related to one or a plurality of adjacent head units 20. According to such a configuration, the supply of humidified air suppresses the decrease in the humidity of the gap portion G and prevents the ink from being thickened due to the evaporation of the ink solvent in the nozzle 23. Generation | occurrence | production of discharge failure and clogging of the nozzle 23 can be suppressed. Further, according to the above configuration, the humidified air supplied from the air supply duct 35 is exhausted after passing through the gap portion G related to some of the head units 20 among the plurality of head units 20 included in the head unit group HU. It is sucked into the duct 45. Thereby, the range in which the ink mist drifting in the gap part G moves by the flow of humidified air can be limited to the arrangement range of some head units 20. That is, since the number of head units 20 to which ink mist can adhere can be reduced, ink mist generated from a head unit 20 different from the head unit 20 flows into the nozzles 23 of the head unit 20. Generation of color mixing and deterioration of the image quality of the recorded image due to the color mixing can be suppressed. In addition, since the movement range of the ink mist due to the flow of the humidified air can be narrowed, it is possible to suppress deterioration in the image quality of the recorded image due to the ink mist adhering to the recording medium. Further, by restricting the range in which the humidified air flows to the gap portion G related to a part of the head units 20, the flow direction of the humidified air in the gap portion G and the disturbance of the flow velocity are suppressed. Thereby, since the ink ejected from the nozzle 23 can be landed at a desired position, an image can be recorded with an appropriate image quality while supplying the humidified air to the gap portion.

In addition, one of the plurality of air supply ducts 35 is disposed on one side of the plurality of head units 20 in the Y direction, and one of the plurality of exhaust ducts 45 is arranged in the Y direction. Is arranged on the other side of the plurality of head units 20. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of problems caused by ink mist that moves due to the flow of the humidified air while supplying the humidified air to the gap portions G of all the head units 20.

Further, one air supply duct 35 and one exhaust duct 45 are provided between the adjacent head units 20. According to such a configuration, the humid air supplied from the upstream side of the head unit 20 by the air supply duct 35 is sucked into the exhaust duct 45 on the downstream side of the head unit 20. As a result, the range in which the ink mist moves due to the flow of the humidified air can be limited to the arrangement range of one head unit 20, so that the nozzle 23 of the head unit 20 is ejected from a head unit 20 different from the head unit 20. It is possible to more reliably prevent the occurrence of a problem that the ink mist of the ink to be introduced flows. In addition, the flow direction of humidified air and the disturbance of the flow velocity in the gap portion G can be more effectively suppressed.

In addition, each of the plurality of air supply ducts 35 moves from the upstream side of the head unit 20 to the head unit group HU that is moving relative to the moving direction (+ Y direction) of the mounting surface with respect to the head unit group HU in the relative movement described above. Humidified air is sent to the gap part G. According to such a configuration, since the humidified air is drawn into the gap part G as the transport belt 10 moves in the + Y direction, the humidified air can be efficiently supplied to the gap part G.

Further, the ink jet recording apparatus 1 performs a recording operation of recording an image by ejecting ink onto the recording medium P that moves in the + Y direction with respect to the head unit group HU by relative movement in the Y direction. CPU 51 (recording control means) is provided, and each of the plurality of air supply ducts 35 sends humid air to the gap portion G of the head unit group HU performing the recording operation. According to such a configuration, the ink mist generated in the gap portion G as the ink is ejected from the head unit 20 in the recording operation is moved by the flow of the humidified air, so that the gap portions G of the multiple head units 20 are moved. The air can be sucked into the exhaust duct 45 before moving. As a result, it is possible to effectively suppress the occurrence of defects due to ink mist that moves due to the flow of humidified air.

Further, the humidified air supply unit 30 has an air supply blower 33 for flowing the humidified air, and each of the plurality of air supply ducts 35 is provided with an air supply port 35 a for allowing the humidified air to pass therethrough. The humidified air that has flowed into the air supply duct 35 is sent out from the air supply port 35a. With such a configuration, the humidified air generated by the humidifying unit 61 can be efficiently sent to the gap part G.

Further, the humidified air supply unit 30 includes a plurality of air supply blowers 33 provided corresponding to the plurality of air supply ducts 35, respectively. Thereby, humid air can be efficiently flowed into each air supply duct 35.

Each of the plurality of air supply ducts 35 is provided with a plurality of air supply ports 35 a, and the plurality of air supply ports 35 a are provided in the air supply duct 35 of humidified air that flows into the air supply duct 35 by the air supply blower 33. With respect to the flow direction, the air supply port 35a on the downstream side has a larger opening area. With such a configuration, the amount of humidified air sent from each of the plurality of air supply ports 35a to the gap portion G can be made uniform.

The humidified air discharge unit 40 includes an exhaust blower 43. Each of the plurality of exhaust ducts 45 is provided with an intake port 45a through which the humidified air passes, and the exhaust blower 43 creates a negative pressure in the exhaust duct 45. As a result, the humidified air is sucked into the exhaust duct 45 from the intake port 45a. With such a configuration, the humid air that has passed through the gap portion G can be efficiently sucked into the exhaust duct 45.

The humidified air discharge unit 40 has a plurality of exhaust blowers 43 provided corresponding to the plurality of exhaust ducts 45, respectively. Thereby, humid air can be efficiently sucked into each exhaust duct 45.

The exhaust blower 43 has an exhaust fan that exhausts the air inside the exhaust duct 45. According to this, it is possible to suck the humid air by generating a negative pressure in the exhaust duct 45 with a simple configuration.

Each of the plurality of exhaust ducts 45 is provided with a plurality of intake ports 45a, and the plurality of intake ports 45a have a larger opening area toward the upstream side in the flow direction of the humidified air due to negative pressure in the exhaust duct 45. Provided. With such a configuration, the amount of humidified air sucked into the gap portion G from each of the plurality of intake ports 45a can be made uniform.

Further, the total opening area of the air inlet 45a in each of the plurality of exhaust ducts 45 is larger than the total opening area of the air inlet 35a in each of the plurality of air supply ducts 35. Thereby, an appropriate amount of humidified air can be sucked into each exhaust duct 45.

Also, the inkjet recording apparatus 1 includes a humidifying unit 61 that generates humidified air and supplies the humidified air to the humidified air supply unit 30. Thereby, humidified air can be generated and sent to the gap part G in the inkjet recording apparatus 1.

Also, the humidified air discharge unit 40 includes an ink mist collecting unit 41 that collects ink mist contained in the humidified air sucked by the plurality of exhaust ducts 45. Thereby, the ink mist produced in the gap part G can be collected.

Further, the inkjet recording apparatus 1 detects the humidity in at least one place in the range through which the humid air sent to the gap portion G by each of the plurality of air supply ducts 35 and sucked by each of the plurality of exhaust ducts 45 passes. The detection unit 62 is provided, and the CPU 51 sends out the humid air from each of the plurality of air supply ducts 35 at a delivery amount per predetermined time determined so as to gradually increase as the detected representative value of humidity decreases. The humidified air supply unit 30 is controlled (air supply control means). By adjusting the supply amount of humidified air in this way, the humidity in the vicinity of the nozzle 23 can be set to a humidity within a range in which proper ink discharge from the nozzle 23 is possible. Can be suppressed.

In addition, the humidified air supply unit includes a storage unit 31 that stores humid air sent from the plurality of air supply ducts 35, and the inkjet recording apparatus 1 detects the temperature of the humidified air stored in the storage unit 31. A temperature detection unit 63 and an air conditioning unit 64 that adjusts the temperature of the humidified air stored in the storage unit 31, and the CPU 51 discharges ink appropriately from the opening of the nozzle 23 according to the detected temperature. When the temperature is outside the predetermined temperature range of the gap portion G, the temperature of the humidified air is adjusted by the air conditioning unit 64 so that the temperature of the humidified air is within the predetermined temperature range (air conditioning control means). Thereby, the temperature of the humidified air supplied to the gap part G is adjusted, and the temperature in the vicinity of the nozzle 23 can be set to a temperature within a range where proper ink discharge from the nozzle 23 is possible. It is possible to suppress degradation of the image quality of the recorded image.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications, and various modifications can be made.
For example, in the above embodiment, the example in which the air supply duct 35 and the exhaust duct 45 are provided corresponding to each head unit 20 has been described, but instead, for each of the plurality of head units 20 adjacent in the Y direction. Alternatively, the air supply duct 35 and the exhaust duct 45 may be provided. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, an air supply duct 35 is provided on the −Y direction side of two head units 20 (head unit 20a, head unit 20b, etc.) adjacent in the Y direction, and an exhaust duct 45 is provided on the + Y direction side. The humidified air that is supplied from the air supply duct 35 and passes through the gap portion G of the two head units 20 may be sucked by the exhaust duct 45.

Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated using the example which provides the air supply port 35a of the air supply duct 35 in the position (height) facing the gap part G, the air supply port 35a is from the said air supply port 35a. The humidified air sent to the outside of the air supply duct 35 may be provided so as to be sent to the gap part G, and may be provided at a position higher than the gap part G. Similarly, the intake port 45a of the exhaust duct 45 may be provided at a position where humid air is sucked by the negative pressure generated in the exhaust duct 45, and may be provided at a position higher than the gap portion G. good.
Further, the air supply port 35 a may be provided in one connection in one air supply duct 35. Further, the air inlet 45 a may be provided in a single connection in one exhaust duct 45.

Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated using the example which supplies humidified air to the gap part G from the air supply opening 35a provided in the air supply duct 35 as an air supply part, the aspect of an air supply part is here. Not limited. For example, a configuration may be adopted in which a plurality of tubes each provided with a supply nozzle for injecting humid air is provided for each head unit 20 and the humid air is supplied from the supply nozzle of each tube to the gap portion G.

Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated using the example which enlarges the sending amount of the humidified air to the air supply duct 35 by the air supply blower 33, so that the humidity of the gap part G is small, the sending amount of humidified air in this way is demonstrated. If the humidity of the gap G cannot be adjusted to an appropriate value even after adjusting the air pressure, the rotational speed of the fan of the exhaust blower 43 is further reduced to reduce the amount of humid air sucked into the exhaust duct 45. Also good.

In the above embodiment, the exhaust blower 43 has been described as an example of the negative pressure generating means. However, instead of this, the exhaust duct 45, the connection pipe 44, and a pump that exhausts the air in the common exhaust pipe 42 are used. The negative pressure generating means may be used.

Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated using the example in which humidified air was produced | generated by the humidification part 61 which the inkjet recording device 1 has, it replaced with this and produced | generated in the humidifier provided outside the inkjet recording device 1. A mode in which the humidified air is supplied to the inkjet recording apparatus 1 may be adopted.

Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated using the example which supplies the humidification air with respect to the gap part G by the humidification air supply part 30 in the state which the conveyance belt 10 is moving relatively with respect to the head unit 20, the said conveyance Humidified air may be supplied to the gap portion G in a state where the belt 10 and the head unit 20 are not relatively moved.

In the above embodiment, the example in which the recording medium P is conveyed by the conveyance belt 10 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the recording medium P is held on the outer peripheral surface of the rotating conveyance drum. It may be transported.

In the above embodiment, the inkjet recording apparatus 1 that forms an image by the head unit 20 (line head) in which the nozzles 23 are arranged over the image forming range in the X direction on the recording medium P has been described as an example. However, the present invention may be applied to an ink jet recording apparatus that records an image while scanning the head unit. In this case, when the head unit is scanned with respect to the recording medium, the air supply duct 35 is provided on the upstream side in the moving direction of the recording medium relative to the head unit by the scanning, and the exhaust duct 45 is provided on the downstream side to provide the humidified air. It is sufficient to supply and discharge.

Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes the scope of the invention described in the claims and equivalents thereof. .

The present invention can be used for an ink jet recording apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inkjet recording apparatus 2 External apparatus 10 Conveying belt 11 Conveying

roller

20, 20a-20h Head unit 21 Recording head drive part 22 Recording head 22a Ink discharge surface 23 Nozzle 30 Humidified air supply part 31 Storage part 32 Common supply pipe 33 Supply air blower 34 Connection pipe 35 Air supply duct 35a Air supply port 40 Humidified air discharge part 41 Ink mist collection part 42 Common exhaust pipe 43 Exhaust blower 44 Connection pipe 45 Exhaust duct 45a Inlet 50 Control part 51 CPU
52 RAM
53 ROM
54 Storage Unit 61 Humidification Unit 62 Humidity Detection Unit 63 Temperature Detection Unit 64 Air Conditioning Unit 65 Transport Drive Unit 66 Input / Output Interface 67 Bus HU Head Unit Group P Recording Medium

Claims

Recording means having a plurality of ink discharge portions for discharging ink to a recording medium from openings provided on the ink discharge surface, each of the plurality of ink discharge portions being provided at different positions in a predetermined direction; ,
A moving unit that has a mounting surface on which the recording medium is mounted, and moves the mounting surface, the recording medium mounted on the mounting surface, and the recording unit in the predetermined direction;
Humidified air supply means having a plurality of air supply units for sending humidified air;
Humidified air discharging means having a plurality of exhaust parts for sucking the humidified air sent from each of the plurality of air supply parts;
With
Each of the plurality of air supply units and each of the plurality of exhaust units are alternately arranged in the predetermined direction,
Each of the plurality of air supply units sends the humid air from one side of the different ink discharge units in the predetermined direction to the gap between the ink discharge surface of the ink discharge unit and the placement surface. ,
Each of the plurality of exhaust units sucks the humidified air that has passed through the gaps related to one or a plurality of adjacent ink discharge units.
One of the plurality of air supply units is disposed on the one side with respect to the plurality of ink discharge units in the predetermined direction,
The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of exhaust units is disposed on the other side of the plurality of ink discharge units in the predetermined direction.
The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein one of the air supply unit and the exhaust unit is provided between each of the adjacent ink discharge units.
Each of the plurality of air supply units is configured to move the mounting surface relative to the recording unit in the relative movement from the upstream side of the ink discharge unit to the gap associated with the recording unit that is relatively moving. The inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein humidified air is sent out.
A recording control unit that causes the recording unit to perform a recording operation of ejecting ink onto a recording medium that moves in the moving direction with respect to the recording unit by the relative movement in the predetermined direction;
The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein each of the plurality of air supply units sends the humidified air to the gap associated with the recording unit performing the recording operation.
The humidified air supply means has a supply air blowing section for flowing the humidified air,
Each of the plurality of air supply units includes an air supply pipe provided with an air supply port through which the humidified air passes, and the humidified air that has flowed into the air supply pipe by the air supply air blowing unit is supplied to the air supply port. The inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the inkjet recording apparatus is sent from a printer.
The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the humidified air supply means includes a plurality of the air supply / air blowing units provided corresponding to the plurality of air supply units.
Each of the plurality of air supply pipes is provided with a plurality of the air supply ports,
The plurality of air supply ports are provided such that an opening area is larger toward a downstream air supply port with respect to a flow direction of the humidified air flowing into the air supply pipe by the air supply air blowing section in the air supply pipe. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that
The humidified air discharging means has a negative pressure generating means,
Each of the plurality of exhaust parts has an exhaust pipe provided with an intake port through which the humidified air is passed, and the inside of the exhaust pipe is made negative pressure by the negative pressure generating means, thereby The inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the suction pipe is sucked into the exhaust pipe.
10. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the humidified air discharging means includes a plurality of the negative pressure generating means provided corresponding to the plurality of exhaust parts, respectively.
11. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the negative pressure generating means has an exhaust fan for exhausting air inside the exhaust pipe.
Each of the plurality of exhaust pipes is provided with a plurality of the intake ports,
The plurality of intake ports are provided such that an opening area thereof becomes larger toward an upstream side in a flow direction of the humidified air due to the negative pressure in the exhaust pipe. The ink jet recording apparatus described.
13. The total opening area of the intake port in each of the plurality of exhaust pipes is larger than the total opening area of the supply port in each of the plurality of supply pipes. The inkjet recording apparatus according to Item.
14. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising humidified air generating means that generates the humidified air and supplies the humidified air to the humidified air supply means.
15. The humidified air discharge unit includes an ink mist collecting unit that collects ink mist contained in the humidified air sucked by the plurality of exhaust units. Inkjet recording apparatus.
Humidity detection means for detecting humidity in at least one place in the range through which the humidified air that is sent to the gap by each of the plurality of air supply units and sucked by each of the plurality of exhaust units passes,
The humidified air supply means is arranged so that the humidified air is delivered from each of the plurality of air supply units at a delivery amount per predetermined time determined so as to gradually increase as the representative value of the detected humidity decreases. An air supply control means for controlling;
The inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 15, further comprising:
The humidified air supply means has a storage unit for storing the humidified air sent by the plurality of air supply units,
The ink jet recording apparatus
Temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the humidified air stored in the storage unit;
Air conditioning means for adjusting the temperature of the humidified air stored in the storage unit;
When the detected temperature is outside the predetermined temperature range of the gap where ink is properly ejected from the opening, the temperature of the humidified air is within the predetermined temperature range. Air conditioning control means for adjusting the temperature of the humidified air by the air conditioning means;
The inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 16, further comprising: