Image forming apparatus

Abstract

To suppress the diffusion of hot air blown inside a device body within the device body.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus includes: a drying belt unit 60; a hot air blowing unit 8 that blows heated air to a sheet conveyed by the drying belt unit 60; a decoupling belt unit 2; a cold air blowing unit 3 that blows air to the sheet conveyed by the decoupling belt unit 2; and a circulating air unit 5. The circulating air unit 5 includes: a suction section which is arranged between the hot air blowing unit 8 and the cold air blowing unit 3 in the sheet conveyance direction, and suctions a portion of the air blown from the hot air blowing unit 8 and a portion of the air blown from the cold air blowing unit 3; a duct section through which the air suctioned by the suction section flows; and a spray section which sprays the air that has flowed through the duct section to the sheet conveyed between the drying belt unit 60 and the decoupling belt unit 2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a sheet with ink. [Background technology]

[0002] In an image forming apparatus that forms an image with ink, there are processes for drying a sheet and for blowing air onto the sheet. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a drying device that conveys a sheet by a belt and dries the sheet by blowing hot air onto the sheet (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-202870 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in a drying device that blows hot air onto a sheet on which an image is formed by ejecting ink as in Patent Document 1, there is a possibility that heat from the hot air blown from the drying device will move to the surroundings and diffuse within the image forming apparatus. In this case, for example, if the sheet on which ink is printed is dried by the hot air that has diffused to the surroundings before entering the drying process, there is a risk that the solvent in the ink will excessively permeate into the sheet, causing waviness (cockling) in the sheet.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of preventing warm air blown out from inside the apparatus body from diffusing within the apparatus body. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The image forming apparatus of the present invention is characterized in that it comprises an image forming section that ejects ink to form an image on a sheet, a first transport section that transports the sheet on which an image has been formed by the image forming section, a first air blowing unit that has a heating means and blows air heated by the heating means onto the sheet transported by the first transport section, a second transport section that is arranged adjacent to the first transport section in the sheet transport direction and transports the sheet on which an image has been formed by the image forming section, a second air blowing unit that blows air onto the sheet transported by the second transport section, and a third air blowing unit that is arranged between the first air blowing unit and the second air blowing unit in the sheet transport direction and has an intake section that sucks in a portion of the air blown from the first air blowing unit and a portion of the air blown from the second air blowing unit, a duct section through which the air sucked in by the intake section flows, and a blowing section that blows the air that has flowed through the duct section onto the sheet transported between the first transport section and the second transport section.

[0007] The image forming apparatus of the present invention is characterized in that it comprises a first transport section having an image forming section that ejects ink to form an image on a sheet, a transport belt that transports the sheet on which the image has been formed in the image forming section, and a heating means that heats the transport belt, a second transport section that is arranged adjacent to the first transport section in terms of the sheet transport direction and transports the sheet on which the image has been formed in the image forming section, an air blowing unit that blows air onto the sheet transported by the second transport section, and an air blowing unit that is arranged adjacent to the first transport section side of the air blowing unit in terms of the sheet transport direction and sucks in a portion of the air blown from the air blowing unit, a duct section through which the air sucked in by the suction section flows, and a blowing section that blows the air that has flowed through the duct section onto the sheet transported between the first transport section and the second transport section.

[0008] Furthermore, the image forming apparatus of the present invention is characterized in that it comprises an image forming section that ejects ink to form an image on a sheet, a first transport section that transports the sheet on which an image has been formed by the image forming section, a hot air blowing unit having a heating means and blowing air heated by the heating means onto the sheet transported by the first transport section, a second transport section arranged adjacent to the first transport section in the sheet transport direction and having a transport belt that transports the sheet on which an image has been formed in the image forming section and a cooling means for cooling the transport belt, and an air blowing unit arranged adjacent to the second transport section side of the hot air blowing unit in the sheet transport direction and having an intake section that sucks in a portion of the air blown from the hot air blowing unit, a duct section through which the air sucked in by the suction section flows, and a blowing section that blows the air that has flowed through the duct section onto the sheet transported between the first transport section and the second transport section.

[0009] Furthermore, the image forming apparatus of the present invention is characterized in that it comprises an image forming section that ejects ink to form an image on a sheet, a transport section that transports the sheet on which an image has been formed by the image forming section, an air blowing unit that blows air onto the sheet transported by the transport section, and an air blowing unit that is arranged between the image forming section and the air blowing unit in the sheet transport direction and has an intake section that sucks in a portion of the air blown from the image forming section and a portion of the air blown from the air blowing unit, a duct section through which the air sucked in by the suction section flows, and a blowing section that blows the air that has flowed through the duct section onto the sheet transported by the transport section. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the warm air blown out inside the device body from diffusing within the device body. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of an inkjet recording system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2]1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a drying module, a print module, and a fixing module according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the hot air blowing unit according to the first embodiment, as viewed from the side. [Figure 4] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a cold air blowing unit according to a first embodiment, as viewed from the side. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the air circulation unit according to the first embodiment, as viewed from the side. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a lower part of an air duct of the air circulation unit according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] 1A and 1B are schematic cross-sectional views showing a hot air blowing unit and a cold air blowing unit according to a reference example, in which (a) shows a case where hot air flows into the cold air blowing unit, and (b) shows a case where cold air flows into the hot air blowing unit. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a schematic front view showing a cool air blowing unit, a circulating air blowing unit, and a hot air blowing unit according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a drying module and a cooling module according to a second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a hot air blowing unit and a cooling section according to a second embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a drying belt unit and a cooling section according to a third embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a hot air blowing unit and a cooling belt unit according to a fourth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] <First embodiment> A first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 9. In this embodiment, a case where an inkjet recording system 100 is applied as an example of an image forming apparatus will be described. First, a schematic configuration of the inkjet recording system 100 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1.

[0013] [Inkjet recording system] The inkjet recording system 100 of this embodiment uses an inkjet recording method in which ink is ejected to form an image on a sheet, and is a so-called sheet-fed inkjet recording device that forms an ink image on a sheet using two liquids, namely, a reaction liquid and ink. The sheet may be any recording material that can receive ink, such as paper such as plain paper or thick paper, plastic film such as an overhead projector sheet, specially shaped sheets such as envelopes or index paper, and cloth.

[0014] 1, the inkjet recording system 100 of this embodiment includes a feeding module 1000, a printing module 2000, and a drying module 3000. The inkjet recording system 100 further includes a fixing module 4000, a cooling module 5000, an inverting module 6000, and a stacking module 7000. The sheet S supplied from the feeding module 1000 is subjected to various processes while being transported along a transport path in each module, and is finally discharged to the stacking module 7000.

[0015] Each of the modules from the feeding module 1000 to the stacking module 7000 may have a separate housing, and these housings may be connected to configure the inkjet recording system 100. Alternatively, the feeding module 1000, the print module 2000, the drying module 3000, the fixing module 4000, the cooling module 5000, the reversing module 6000, and the stacking module 7000 may be arranged in a single housing.

[0016] The feeding module 1000 has storage chambers 1500a, 1500b, and 1500c for storing sheets S, and the storage chambers 1500a to 1500c are provided so as to be able to be pulled out to the front side of the apparatus in order to store the sheets S. The sheets S are fed one by one in each of the storage chambers 1500a to 1500c by a separation belt and a transport roller, and are transported to the print module 2000. The number of storage chambers 1500a to 1500c is not limited to three, and one, two, or four or more may be provided.

[0017] The print module 2000 as an image forming section has a pre-imaging registration correction section (not shown), a print belt unit 2010, and a recording section 2020. The sheet S conveyed from the feeding module 1000 has its inclination and position corrected by the pre-imaging registration correction section and is conveyed to the print belt unit 2010. The recording section 2020 is disposed at a position facing the print belt unit 2010 with respect to the conveying path. The recording section 2020 is an inkjet recording section that forms an image by discharging ink onto the conveyed sheet S from above with a recording head. A plurality of recording heads that discharge ink are arranged along the conveying direction. In this embodiment, in addition to the four colors of Y (yellow), M (magenta), C (cyan), and Bk (black), a total of five line-type recording heads corresponding to the reaction liquid are provided. The sheet S is attracted and conveyed by the print belt unit 2010, so that a clearance between the sheet S and the recording head is ensured.

[0018] The number of ink colors and recording heads are not limited to the above five. The inkjet method may be a method using a heating element, a method using a piezoelectric element, a method using an electrostatic element, a method using a MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) element, or the like. Each color of ink is supplied to the recording head from an ink tank (not shown) via an ink tube. The ink contains a resin component of "0.1% by mass to 20.0% by mass" based on the total mass of the ink, water, a water-soluble organic solvent, a coloring material, wax, additives, and the like.

[0019] When the sheet S on which an image is formed by the recording unit 2020 is transported by the print belt unit 2010, it is detected by an in-line scanner (not shown) arranged downstream of the recording unit 2020 in the transport direction of the sheet S. Here, the misalignment and color density of the image formed on the sheet S are detected, and the image formed on the sheet S, its density, etc. are corrected based on the misalignment and color density of the image.

[0020] The drying module 3000 is an example of a drying device, and dries the sheet S on which an image is formed by ejecting ink by blowing hot air onto the sheet S. As shown in FIG. 2, the drying module 3000 has a decoupling section 40, a drying belt unit 60, and a hot air blowing unit 8. The drying module 3000 reduces the liquid content of the ink and reaction liquid applied to the sheet S in order to improve the fixation of the ink to the sheet S by the subsequent fixing module 4000. The sheet S on which the image is formed is transported to the decoupling section 40 arranged in the drying module 3000. In the decoupling section 40, a frictional force is generated between the sheet S and the belt by the wind pressure of the wind blown from above, and the sheet S is transported by the belt. In this way, the sheet S placed on the belt is transported by the frictional force, thereby preventing the sheet S from shifting when the sheet S is transported between the print belt unit 2010 and the decoupling section 40. The sheet S transported from the decoupling section 40 is adsorbed and transported by the drying belt unit 60, and the ink and reaction liquid applied to the sheet S are dried by blowing hot air onto the sheet S from the hot air blowing unit 8 arranged above the belt.

[0021] In this way, the ink and reaction liquid applied to the sheet S are heated by the drying module 3000 to promote evaporation of the moisture, thereby preventing so-called cockling, in which ink splatters on the sheet S and leaves a border-like line around the periphery. As a heater for heating the air, for example, an electric heating wire or an infrared heater is preferable from the standpoint of safety and energy efficiency. In addition, the drying method may be configured by combining a method of applying hot air, a method of irradiating the surface of the sheet S with electromagnetic waves (ultraviolet rays, infrared rays, etc.), and a conductive heat transfer method by contact with a heating element.

[0022] 1, a fixing module 4000 serving as a fixing system includes a fixing belt unit 4100. The fixing belt unit 4100 fixes ink onto the sheet S by passing the sheet S conveyed from the drying module 3000 between a heated upper belt unit and a lower belt unit.

[0023] The cooling module 5000 has a plurality of cooling sections 5001, which cool the high-temperature sheet S transported from the fixing module 4000. The cooling section 5001, for example, takes in outside air into a cooling box with a fan to increase the pressure inside the cooling box, and cools the sheet S by blowing air from the cooling box through a nozzle due to the pressure against the sheet S. The cooling sections 5001 are disposed on both sides of the transport path of the sheet S, and cool both sides of the sheet S.

[0024] The cooling module 5000 is provided with a transport path switching unit 5002. The transport path switching unit 5002 switches the transport path of the sheet S depending on whether the sheet S is transported to the reversing module 6000 or to a double-sided transport path for double-sided printing in which images are formed on both sides of the sheet S.

[0025] The inversion module 6000 has an inversion section 6400. The inversion section 6400 inverts the sheet S being conveyed, and changes the orientation of the sheet S when it is discharged to the stacking module 7000. The stacking module 7000 has a top tray 7200 and a stacking section 7500, and stacks the sheet S conveyed from the inversion module 6000.

[0026] During double-sided printing, the sheet S is transported to a transport path below the cooling module 5000 by the transport path switching unit 5002. Thereafter, the sheet S passes through a double-sided transport path including the fixing module 4000, the drying module 3000, the print module 2000, and the feeding module 1000, and is returned to the print module 2000. The double-sided transport section of the fixing module 4000 is provided with an inversion unit 4200 that inverts the sheet S. The sheet S returned to the print module 2000 has an image formed with ink on the other side on which the image is not formed, and is then discharged from the drying module 3000 through the inversion module 6000 to the stacking module 7000.

[0027] [Drying module] Next, the drying module 3000 will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 2 to Fig. 9. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the print module 2000, the drying module 3000, and the fixing module 4000 are connected. In each drawing, the front side of the inkjet recording system 100 is represented as the front direction F, the rear side as the rear direction B, the right side as viewed from the front as viewed from the rear direction R, the left side as viewed from the left direction L, the upper side as the upward direction U, and the lower side as the downward direction D.

[0028] 2, the drying module 3000 has a decoupling section 40, a drying belt unit 60, and a hot air blowing unit 8. These are collectively referred to as the drying function section 300. The drying function section 300 is disposed at the upper part of the drying module 3000, and has a linear sheet transport path 1 for receiving the sheet S discharged from the print module 2000, drying the sheet S, and then delivering the sheet S to the fixing module 4000. With respect to the sheet transport direction (left direction L in FIG. 2) in this sheet transport path 1, the upstream section and downstream section of the drying function section 300 have different functions.

[0029] The decoupling section 40 is disposed upstream of the drying function section 300. The decoupling section 40 has a decoupling belt unit 2 and a cold air blowing unit 3. The cold air blowing unit 3 is disposed vertically above the decoupling belt unit 2, which transports the sheet S in a substantially horizontal direction. That is, the decoupling belt unit 2 is an example of a second transport section, and is disposed adjacent to the drying belt unit 60 in the sheet transport direction, and transports the sheet S on which an image has been formed by the print module 2000. The cold air blowing unit 3 is an example of a second blowing unit, and blows air onto the sheet S transported by the decoupling belt unit 2.

[0030] A plurality of cold air blowing units 3 are arranged adjacent to each other along the sheet conveying direction. The decoupling belt unit 2 has a rotating endless belt 2a. The cold air blowing unit 3 blows cold air (air) from above the decoupling belt unit 2, thereby pressing the sheet S against the belt 2a and conveying it. The decoupling belt unit 2 is provided with a plurality of holes for allowing the air blown from the cold air blowing unit 3 to escape from the blowing surface to the side opposite the belt. In the following, air that is not heated by a heater or the like, such as the outside air of the apparatus body, is also referred to as "cold air".

[0031] When the leading edge of the sheet S reaches the decoupling belt unit 2 of the drying module 3000, the trailing edge of the sheet S is still on the print belt unit 2010 of the print module 2000. The print belt unit 2010 has an endless print belt 4 that sucks and transports the sheet S. An image is formed on the sheet S on the print belt 4, and the sheet S is sucked and transported on the print belt 4. In order not to disturb this image forming process, the force pressing the sheet S against the belt 2a is weaker than the suction force of the print belt 4, and the belt 2a is driven at a speed slightly faster than that of the print belt 4. In other words, while the trailing edge of the sheet S is on the print belt 4, the sheet S is always allowed to slide against the belt 2a.

[0032] On the other hand, the moment the trailing end of the sheet S leaves the area of ​​the print belt 4, the transportation of the sheet S becomes dependent on the belt 2a. At this time, it is necessary to control the air blowing force of the cold air blowing unit 3 so that the sheet S does not slip due to the resistance to transportation. Therefore, the speed of the air blown from the cold air blowing unit 3 to the sheet S transported on the belt 2a is controlled to a predetermined pressure using a pressure sensor (not shown) provided inside the cold air blowing unit 3 and an intake fan (not shown) provided in the intake section. The cold air blowing unit 3 has a blowing surface provided with a large number of blowing holes for passing air so that a uniform pressing force can be applied to the sheet S.

[0033] [Drying section] Next, the drying section 6 will be described with reference to Figs. 2 and 3. The drying section 6 is disposed downstream of the drying function section 300. The drying section 6 has a drying belt unit 60 and a hot air blowing unit 8. The hot air blowing units 8 are disposed vertically above the drying belt unit 60, and a plurality of them are disposed adjacent to each other along the sheet conveying direction. The drying belt unit 60 is an example of a first conveying section, and conveys the sheet S on which an image has been formed by the print module 2000.

[0034] [Hot air blowing unit] Next, the hot air blowing unit 8 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. The arrows in FIG. 3 indicate the flow of air. The hot air blowing unit 8 includes a blower fan 13, a blower duct 14, a heater 15, a temperature sensor 16, and an intake duct 17. In this embodiment, the blower fan 13 is an axial fan. However, the blower fan 13 is not limited to an axial fan, and may be another blower source such as a sirocco fan. The heater 15 is a sheathed heater. However, the heater 15 is not limited to a sheathed heater, and may be another heat source such as a Kanthal heater. The intake duct 17 is connected to the intake side of the blower fan 13. The hot air blowing unit 8 is an example of a first blower unit, and blows air heated by the heater 15 to the sheet S transported by the drying belt unit 60. The hot air blowing unit 8 is also an example of a drying unit, and dries the sheet S on which an image is formed.

[0035] Air supply duct 14 has heater 15 and temperature sensor 16 therein, and the exhaust side of blower fan 13 is connected to an end of air supply duct 14. That is, blower fan 13 is provided at the upstream end of air supply duct 14. Heater 15 is disposed on the downstream side of the air supply path of blower fan 13. Heater 15 is an example of a heating means, and is provided downstream of blower fan 13 in air supply duct 14 to heat the air blown through air supply duct 14.

[0036] The surface facing the sheet S further downstream of the heater 15 is the blowing surface 12, on which a plurality of blowing nozzles 10 are formed. The temperature sensor 16 is attached to the upper surface of the blower duct 14 facing the blowing nozzles 10. A control unit (not shown) controls the current for generating heat in the heater 15 according to the temperature of the temperature sensor 16. Here, the wind speed of the airflow at the outlet of the blowing nozzle 10 is about 30 to 40 m / s, and the temperature of the hot air is 70 to 90°C. The blowing surface 12 is spaced 10 to 12 mm from the sheet S.

[0037] [Drying belt unit] Next, the drying belt unit 60 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. The drying belt unit 60 has a drying belt 7, which is a rotating endless conveying belt, a plurality of tension rollers 9 around which the drying belt 7 is tensioned, and a belt heater 9a for heating the drying belt 7, and conveys a sheet while heating it with the drying belt 7. The belt heater 9a is a halogen heater disposed inside one of the tension rollers 9, and heats the drying belt 7 through the tension roller 9. In this embodiment, of the pair of tension rollers 9 that tension the surface facing the hot air blowing unit 8, the belt heater 9a is disposed inside the tension roller 9 on the upstream side in the sheet conveying direction.

[0038] Furthermore, the drying belt unit 60 has a suction box (not shown) arranged on the inner periphery side of the drying belt 7, and a suction fan (not shown) connected to the suction box. The drying belt 7 has a plurality of suction holes through which air is sucked by the suction fan. The suction box has a suction port formed on the surface facing the drying belt 7. Then, by sucking air through the suction box by the suction fan, the air is sucked through the plurality of suction holes in the drying belt 7, and the sheet S is adsorbed to the surface of the drying belt 7.

[0039] In the drying section 6, the sheet S is sucked by the drying belt unit 60 to adhere the sheet S onto the drying belt 7, while the hot air blowing unit 8 blows hot air from above in the vertical direction to dry the sheet S, and the sheet is transported while suppressing waviness called cockling. In order to quickly dry the sheet S, the surface temperature of the drying belt 7 is adjusted to a predetermined temperature by controlling the belt heater 9a arranged inside the tension roller 9 based on the temperature detected by a temperature sensor (not shown) provided inside the drying belt unit 60. In this way, the sheet S transported by the drying belt 7 is heated.

[0040] Meanwhile, the temperature of the hot air in the hot air blowing unit 8 is controlled to a predetermined temperature by a temperature sensor 16 and a heater 15 provided inside the unit. Also, the speed of the air coming out of the blowing nozzle 10 of the hot air blowing unit 8 is controlled to a predetermined pressure by a pressure sensor (not shown) and a suction fan provided inside the unit. The hot air blowing unit 8 dries the ink on the sheet S with this configuration.

[0041] In order to fix the sheet S on the drying belt 7, the suction pressure on the upper surface of the drying belt 7 is adjusted to a predetermined pressure by controlling the suction fan based on the pressure detected by a pressure sensor (not shown) provided inside the suction box. As a result, the hot air blowing unit 8 blows hot air to press the sheet S onto the drying belt 7. The distance from the suction end position of the print belt 4 to the suction start position of the drying belt 7 is set to be longer than the maximum sheet length.

[0042] [Cold air blowing unit] Next, the configuration of the cold air blowing unit 3 in this embodiment will be described in detail. As shown in Fig. 2, the cold air blowing unit 3 is disposed upstream of the hot air blowing unit 8 in the sheet transport direction, and is disposed above and facing the decoupling belt unit 2 downstream of the print belt unit 2010 in the sheet transport direction. As shown in Fig. 4, the cold air blowing unit 3 has a blower fan 23, a blower duct 24, an intake duct 27, and a cold air blowing nozzle 20.

[0043] In the print module 2000, an image is formed by performing a recording process (printing) from the recording unit 2020 (see FIG. 1) downward onto the sheet S. At that time, most of the ink discharged from the recording unit 2020 moves onto the sheet S, but a phenomenon occurs in which some of the ink becomes a mist (hereinafter referred to as ink mist) and floats around the print module 2000. When this ink mist reaches the drying module 3000 by the air current, it may gradually accumulate in the heater 15 mounted on the drying module 3000. In that case, there is a risk of the heater performance deteriorating, so it is desirable to replace the heater 15 according to the amount of accumulated ink mist.

[0044] In addition, when the heat generated in the drying module 3000 is transferred to the recording unit 2020, a problem of condensation may occur in the recording unit 2020. When water droplets due to condensation adhere to the recording unit 2020, the ink being discharged and the water droplets may fall together onto the sheet S, causing image defects. This condensation occurs due to a temperature difference between the surface of the recording unit 2020 and the air around the recording unit 2020. Since the temperature of the ink inside the recording unit 2020 is kept at approximately room temperature, the surface temperature of the recording unit 2020 is also kept low following the temperature of the ink. On the other hand, when the high-temperature air of the drying module 3000 moves to the print module 2000, the temperature of the air inside the print module 2000 rises. In that case, the surface temperature of the recording unit 2020 becomes relatively lower than the temperature of the air in the print module 2000, and condensation occurs near the surface of the recording unit 2020 when the temperature exceeds the dew point of the air.

[0045] Therefore, in this embodiment, the intake and exhaust configuration of the cold air blowing unit 3 is as follows. This will be explained in detail with reference to Fig. 4. In the cold air blowing unit 3, air is sucked in from outside the device body as described above. Air sucked in from the intake holes in the exterior surface 21 by the blower fan 23 is blown by the cold air blowing nozzle 20 onto the passing sheet S. The blown air is collected by the exhaust fan 28 and exhausted outside the main device.

[0046] Next, the airflow path of the air blown onto the sheet S until it is discharged outside the apparatus body will be described with reference to FIG. 4. In the air blowing duct 24, a gap is provided between adjacent cold air blowing nozzles 20. At least a part of the airflow blown onto the sheet S by the cold air blowing nozzles 20 passes through the gap and moves upward of the cold air blowing nozzles 20 (K in FIG. 4). FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the air blowing duct 34 of the circulating air blowing unit 5, and a gap similar to the gap 31 of the air blowing duct 34 is also provided in the air blowing duct 24 of the cold air blowing unit 3. The air that moves upward from the cold air blowing nozzle 20 is sucked by the exhaust fan 28 and moves toward the inner side of the main body, and heads toward the vent 29 arranged upstream of the airflow path of the exhaust fan 28. In addition, a part of the air that does not move upward from the cold air blowing nozzle 20 (M in FIG. 4) also moves toward the inner side of the main body in the conveying path due to the pressure difference created by the exhaust fan 28, and also heads toward the vent 29. Therefore, even if the ink mist generated in the print module 2000 moves to the cold air blowing unit 3 downstream in the transport direction, it moves toward the back side of the device body along the airflow toward the ventilation opening 29. This makes it possible to prevent the ink mist from moving toward the hot air blowing unit 8. Note that, in this embodiment, a case has been described in which the air blowing duct 24 has gaps between the adjacent cold air blowing nozzles 20, but this is not limiting and such gaps may not be present. In this case, the airflow blown onto the sheet S by the cold air blowing nozzles 20 does not rise along the air blowing duct 24 but moves toward the back side of the device through the transport path toward the ventilation opening 29.

[0047] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the air volume of the exhaust fan 28 is set to be larger than the air volume of the blower fan 23. This allows the air blown onto the sheet S by the blower fan 23 to be collected by the exhaust fan 28, making it possible to reliably form an air flow toward the ventilation opening 29.

[0048] In this embodiment, an axial flow fan is used as the blower fan 23, but other blower sources such as a sirocco fan may be used. The intake duct 27 is disposed on the intake side of the blower fan 23, and the exhaust side end of the intake duct 27 is connected to the intake side of the blower fan 23. The intake side end of the intake duct 27 is connected to an intake hole 301a of an exterior 301, which is the rear panel of the device body, so that intake can be performed through the intake hole 301a. As a result, when the blower fan 23 is operated, fresh air outside the device body is sucked into the blower fan 23. That is, the cool air blowing unit 3 has an intake duct 27 that sucks in air from the outside of the device body of the inkjet recording system 100, and blows the air sucked from the intake duct 27 onto the sheet S transported by the decoupling belt unit 2.

[0049] Further, the air supply duct 24 is connected to the exhaust side of the blower fan 23, and the end of the air supply duct 24 on the intake side is connected to the blower fan 23. Meanwhile, at the end of the exhaust side of the air supply duct 24, a cold air blowing nozzle 20 is provided on the surface facing the sheet S. The airflow generated by the blower fan 23 is blown through the cold air blowing nozzle 20 onto the sheet S being conveyed. A decoupling belt unit 2 is provided below the cold air blowing nozzle 20 in a facing direction D. The sheet S is pressed against the decoupling belt unit 2 by the wind pressure of the airflow blown out from the cold air blowing nozzle 20.

[0050] As described above, the cold air blowing unit 3 draws in air from outside the device body. Unlike the hot air blowing unit 8, the cold air blowing unit 3 can blow air at the same temperature as the outside air temperature (lower than the hot air blowing unit 8) to the sheet S. Although it depends on the outside air temperature, the wind speed of the airflow blown from the cold air blowing unit 3 is 30 to 40 m / s, and the temperature of the airflow is 20 to 40°C.

[0051] [Circulating air blower unit] Next, the configuration of the circulating air blowing unit 5 in this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 5 and 6. The circulating air blowing unit 5 is an example of a third air blowing unit, and is disposed between the hot air blowing unit 8 and the cold air blowing unit 3 in the sheet conveying direction. That is, the circulating air blowing unit 5 is disposed adjacent to and upstream of the hot air blowing unit 8 in the sheet conveying direction. The circulating air blowing unit 5 in this embodiment has a blower fan 33, a blower duct 34, an intake duct 37, and a blowing nozzle 30. In this embodiment, an axial fan is used as the blower fan 33, but other blower sources such as a sirocco fan may also be used.

[0052] The intake duct 37 is connected to the intake side of the blower fan 33. The intake side end of the blower duct 34 is connected to the exhaust side of the blower fan 33. On the other hand, at the exhaust side end of the blower duct 34, a plurality of blowing nozzles 30 are provided on the surface facing the sheet S. In this embodiment, the blower duct 34 is formed in a generally horizontal U-shape as a whole when viewed from the sheet conveying direction, with the upper part being connected to the blower fan 33 on the intake side, and the lower part being formed with the blowing nozzle 30 on the exhaust side. The airflow generated by the blower fan 33 is blown through the blowing nozzle 30 onto the sheet S being conveyed.

[0053] 5 and 6, in the air circulation unit 5 of this embodiment, gaps 31 are provided between the blowing nozzles 30. The wall portion that separates the gaps 31 essentially forms a part of the air intake duct 37. At least a part of the airflow blown onto the sheet S by the blowing nozzles 30 passes through the gaps 31 and moves substantially upward in the vertical direction, flows through the air intake duct 37, and is sucked in by the blowing fan 33.

[0054] The intake duct 37 is an example of a suction section, and sucks in a part of the air blown from the hot air blowing unit 8 and a part of the air blown from the cold air blowing unit 3 through the gap 31. The air blowing duct 34 is an example of a duct section, and the air sucked in by the intake duct 37 flows through it. The air sucked in by the intake duct 37 is stirred by passing through the air blowing duct 34, and the temperature becomes almost uniform. The blowing nozzle 30 is an example of a blowing section, and blows the air that has flowed through the air blowing duct 34 onto the sheet S transported between the drying belt unit 60 and the decoupling belt unit 2. The circulating air blowing unit 5 is disposed vertically above the drying belt unit 60 and the decoupling belt unit 2, and the intake duct 37 sucks in air vertically upward, and the blowing nozzle 30 blows air vertically downward.

[0055] Unlike the hot air blowing unit 8, the circulating air blowing unit 5 does not have a heater disposed in its air passage. By not disposing a heater, the air blown out from the circulating air blowing unit 5 does not become as hot as that from the hot air blowing unit 8. In this embodiment, the airflow blown out from the circulating air blowing unit 5 has a wind speed of 30 to 40 m / s and a temperature of 40 to 60°C.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 5, the airflow configuration of the circulating air blowing unit 5 is a self-circulating type configuration in which at least a part of the air blown toward the transport path by the blowing fan 33 is sucked in through the intake duct 37 and blown again from the blowing fan 33 to the transport path. Furthermore, a filter is provided in the circulating air blowing unit 5, and the mist in the airflow collected by the intake duct 37 can be collected. Therefore, the circulating air blowing unit 5 can more reliably block the ink mist generated in the print module 2000 from heading toward the hot air blowing unit 8. Note that the circulating air blowing unit 5 does not have a heat source such as a heater installed in its air path. Therefore, the air blown from the blowing fan 33 of the circulating air blowing unit 5 is not hot air like the hot air blowing unit 8, nor is it external air (cold air) like the cold air blowing unit 3. Therefore, the temperature of the air (cold air) from the cold air blowing unit 3 and the air (hot air) from the hot air blowing unit 8 is not changed drastically, and it is possible to minimize the change in the temperature of the air from the cold air blowing unit 3 and the hot air blowing unit 8.

[0057] [Problem to be solved by the present embodiment] Here, the problem that this embodiment is trying to solve will be described using a reference example shown in FIG. 7(a)(b). It is known that when the hot air coming out of the hot air blowing unit 8 flows into the conveying path 50 upstream in the sheet conveying direction, the waviness (cockling) of the sheet S worsens. The mechanism behind this will be described. Assume that the sheet S on which ink is printed is exposed to hot air before the drying process in the hot air blowing unit 8 is performed. In this case, the viscosity of the liquid components in the ink printed on the sheet S is reduced, so that the liquid components in the ink are more likely to permeate into the sheet S (when it warms up, it becomes smooth and soaks in). Therefore, there is a risk that the liquid components in the ink will permeate excessively into the sheet S before the drying process in the hot air blowing unit 8 is performed. When the liquid components in the ink permeate the sheet S, the paper fibers in the sheet S expand at the portions of the sheet S where the liquid components have permeated. On the other hand, the paper fibers of the sheet S do not expand at the portions where ink is not printed. Therefore, expanded and non-expanded portions of the paper fibers are mixed within the sheet S, and cockling may occur in the sheet S due to the difference in the amount of expansion.

[0058] To solve this problem, it is necessary to suppress the penetration of the liquid components by applying cold air using the cold air blowing unit 3 of this embodiment. In this embodiment, the cold air blowing unit 3 is configured to suck in air from outside the device body, thereby blowing air (cold air) at the same temperature as room temperature. However, as shown in FIG. 7(a), if the cold air blowing unit 3 is located immediately upstream of the hot air blowing unit 8, there is a possibility that an airflow f1 will be generated in which part of the hot air blown from the hot air blowing unit 8 flows upstream in the sheet conveying direction through the conveying path. This may cause the temperature of the cold air from the cold air blowing unit 3 to rise, which may have an adverse effect on cockling.

[0059] On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 7(b), when the air blown out from the cold air blowing unit 3 becomes an airflow f2 and flows downstream in the sheet conveying direction and enters the area of ​​the hot air blowing unit 8, the temperature of the hot air blown out from the hot air blowing unit 8 may decrease. This may result in the thermal energy required for drying not being obtained, which may cause insufficient drying of the sheet S. Alternatively, the temperature of the heater 15 is increased to ensure the thermal energy required for drying, which may increase the power consumption of the hot air blowing unit 8.

[0060] [Operation of this embodiment] 8, in this embodiment, the circulating air blowing unit 5 is disposed between the hot air blowing unit 8 and the cold air blowing unit 3. This makes it possible to prevent direct contact between the air (cold air) blown from the cold air blowing unit 3 located upstream of the circulating air blowing unit 5 and the air (hot air) blown from the hot air blowing unit 8. This makes it possible to prevent the air blown from the hot air blowing unit 8 from entering the area of ​​the cold air blowing unit 3, and conversely, to prevent the air blown from the cold air blowing unit 3 from entering the area of ​​the hot air blowing unit 8.

[0061] The airflow configuration of the circulating air blowing unit 5 is a self-circulating type in which at least a part of the air blown toward the transport path 50 by the blower fan 33 is sucked in through the intake duct 37 and then blown again from the blower fan 33 to the transport path 50. No heat source such as a heater is installed in the air path. Therefore, the air blown out from the blower fan 33 of the circulating air blowing unit 5 is not hot air like that of the hot air blowing unit 8, nor is it external air (cold air) like that of the cold air blowing unit 3.

[0062] Therefore, the temperature of the air blown out from the circulating air blowing unit 5 does not change significantly from the temperatures of the air (cold air) from the cold air blowing unit 3 and the air (hot air) from the hot air blowing unit 8. As a result, even if part of the air blown out from the circulating air blowing unit 5 flows to the surroundings, the change in the air temperature in the adjacently arranged cold air blowing unit 3 and hot air blowing unit 8 can be kept small compared to the case shown in FIG.

[0063] In addition, in this embodiment, the circulating air blowing unit 5 is disposed between the hot air blowing unit 8 and the cold air blowing unit 3, and the circulating air blowing unit 5 is also disposed between the cold air blowing unit 3 and the recording unit 2020. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the air (cold air) blown from the cold air blowing unit 3 located upstream of the circulating air blowing unit 5 from directly contacting the air (hot air) blown from the hot air blowing unit 8. In addition, by providing a plurality of circulating air blowing units 5 between the hot air blowing unit 8 and the recording unit 2020, it is possible to prevent the ink mist of the recording unit 2020 from moving to the hot air blowing unit 8. Here, the cold air blowing unit 3 is an example of an air blowing unit, and the circulating air blowing unit 5 is an example of an air blowing unit. In addition, in this embodiment, a case where the circulating air blowing unit 5 is disposed between the cold air blowing unit 3 and the recording unit 2020 is described, but this is not limited to this. The circulating air blowing unit 5 does not have to be disposed between the cold air blowing unit 3 and the recording unit 2020.

[0064] As described above, according to the inkjet recording system 100 of this embodiment, the circulating air blowing unit 5 is disposed between the hot air blowing unit 8 and the cold air blowing unit 3. The circulating air blowing unit 5 blows the air flowing through the air blowing duct 34 onto the sheet S transported between the drying belt unit 60 and the decoupling belt unit 2. The circulating air blowing unit 5 then sucks in at least a part of the blown air through the air intake duct 37 and circulates it to be blown onto the sheet S again. This makes it possible to prevent the air blown out from the hot air blowing unit 8 from entering the area of ​​the cold air blowing unit 3, or conversely, the air blown out from the cold air blowing unit 3 from entering the area of ​​the hot air blowing unit 8. This makes it possible to prevent the hot air blown out from the inside of the main body of the inkjet recording system 100 from diffusing within the main body of the device while drying the sheet S with hot air, thereby making it possible to prevent the occurrence of cockling or the like.

[0065] In this embodiment, the configuration of the image forming system for sheet-fed printing has been described as shown in Fig. 1. However, the image forming system is not limited to sheet-fed presses, and can also be applied to continuous feed presses.

[0066] <Second embodiment> Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 9 and Fig. 10. This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that a circulating air blowing unit 5 is disposed downstream in the sheet conveying direction of the hot air blowing unit 8. However, other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, so the same reference numerals are used and detailed description is omitted.

[0067] An overall view of the apparatus of this embodiment is shown in Fig. 9. In this embodiment, a cooling module 5000 is connected downstream in the sheet conveying direction of the drying module 3000. This is intended for the inkjet recording system 100 that does not require the fixing module 4000 by limiting the surface properties of the sheets S that the inkjet recording system 100 can handle (for example, only uncoated sheets can be handled).

[0068] The cooling module 5000 has a conveying roller 5003 that conveys the sheet S. The conveying roller 5003 is rotated by a driving source such as a motor (not shown). The conveying roller 5003 is an example of a second conveying section, and is disposed adjacent to the drying belt unit 60 in the sheet conveying direction, and conveys the sheet S on which an image has been formed by the print module 2000.

[0069] In this embodiment, it is assumed that the cooling module 5000 is disposed immediately after the drying module 3000. That is, in this embodiment, the cooling section 5001 of the cooling module 5000 is an example of a second blowing unit, and is a cooling unit that is disposed adjacent to the hot air blowing unit 8 downstream in the sheet conveying direction and cools the sheet S conveyed from the hot air blowing unit 8. In this case, the hot air of the drying module 3000 may diffuse to the cooling module 5000 side through the conveying path, or the cold air of the cooling module 5000 may diffuse to the drying module 3000 side. As a result, there is a risk of a decrease in the drying function of the drying module 3000 or a decrease in the cooling function of the cooling module 5000.

[0070] 10, in this embodiment, the circulating air blowing unit 5 is disposed between the hot air blowing unit 8 in the drying module 3000 and the cooling section 5001 of the cooling module 5000. The circulating air blowing unit 5 is fixed to the drying module 3000 in a state in which it protrudes from the housing of the drying module 3000 toward the cooling module 5000. The cooling module 5000 and the drying module 3000 are connected in a state in which the circulating air blowing unit 5 protruding from the drying module 3000 is inserted into a mounting hole formed in the housing of the cooling module 5000 and enters the inside of the cooling module 5000.

[0071] As described above, according to the inkjet recording system 100 of this embodiment, the circulating air blowing unit 5 is disposed between the hot air blowing unit 8 and the cooling section 5001. This makes it possible to prevent the cold air from the cooling section 5001 from affecting the sheet drying function of the hot air blowing unit 8, or the hot air from the drying module 3000 from affecting the sheet cooling function of the cooling section 5001. This makes it possible to prevent the hot air blown out inside the device body of the inkjet recording system 100 from diffusing inside the device body while drying the sheet S with hot air, thereby making it possible to prevent the occurrence of cockling and a decrease in the drying and cooling functions.

[0072] <Third embodiment> Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 11. This embodiment differs from the second embodiment in that the sheet S is dried by a drying belt unit 60 instead of a hot air blowing unit 8. However, other configurations are the same as those of the second embodiment, so the same reference numerals are used and detailed description is omitted.

[0073] The configuration of this embodiment is shown in Fig. 11. In this embodiment, a drying belt unit 60 equipped with a heater is provided to dry the sheet S, instead of the hot air blowing unit 8. In this embodiment, the sheet S is dried by using only the drying belt unit 60 equipped with a belt heater 9a (see Fig. 2) instead of the hot air blowing unit 8. The temperature of the drying belt 7 is 70 to 100°C.

[0074] That is, in this embodiment, the drying belt 7 is an example of a conveying belt, and conveys a sheet on which an image is formed by the print module 2000. The belt heater 9a is an example of a heating means, and heats the drying belt 7. The cooling section 5001 is an example of an air blowing unit, and blows air onto the sheet S conveyed by the conveying rollers 5003. The circulating air blowing unit 5 is disposed adjacent to the drying belt unit 60 side (conveying section side) of the cooling section 5001 in the sheet conveying direction. The intake duct 37 of the circulating air blowing unit 5 sucks in a part of the air blown from the cooling section 5001.

[0075] In this embodiment, the circulating air blowing unit 5 is disposed between the cooling section 5001 and the drying belt unit 60. In this manner, the influence of the cold air from the cooling section 5001 on the drying performance of the drying belt unit 60 can be minimized.

[0076] In this embodiment, the direction of the air blown from the circulating air blowing unit 5 is inclined toward the cooling module 5000. That is, the circulating air blowing unit 5 is disposed in an inclined position toward the cooling section 5001 side (air blowing unit side) with respect to the sheet conveying direction, the intake duct 37 sucks in air from the cooling section 5001 side, and the blowing nozzle 30 blows air toward the cooling section 5001 side. With this configuration, the influence of the cold air on the cooling section 5001 side on the drying belt unit 60 is further reduced. Note that the direction of the air blown from the circulating air blowing unit 5 is not limited to being inclined toward the cooling module 5000 side, and may be directed vertically downward as in the second embodiment.

[0077] <Fourth embodiment> Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 12. This embodiment differs from the second embodiment in that the cooling of the sheet S is performed by a cooling belt unit 500 instead of a cooling section 5001. However, other configurations are the same as those of the second embodiment, so the same reference numerals are used and detailed description is omitted.

[0078] FIG. 12 shows the configuration of this embodiment. In this embodiment, the cooling of the sheet S is performed not by the cooling section 5001 but by a cooling belt unit 500 that lowers the temperature of the sheet S by contacting the cooling belt 501. The cooling belt unit 500 is an example of a second conveying section, and is disposed adjacent to and downstream of the drying belt unit 60 in the sheet conveying direction, and includes a cooling belt 501 and a heat sink 502. The cooling belt 501 is an example of a conveying belt, and conveys the sheet S on which an image is formed by the print module 2000. The heat sink 502 is an example of a cooling means, and cools the sheet S by contacting the inner circumferential surface of the cooling belt 501 and dissipating heat from the cooling belt 501. The heat sink 502 has a large number of fins (not shown), and is air-cooled by a fan (not shown) blowing air toward the multiple fins.

[0079] In this embodiment, the circulating air blowing unit 5 is disposed between the cooling belt unit 500 and the hot air blowing unit 8. The circulating air blowing unit 5 is disposed adjacent to the hot air blowing unit 8 on the cooling belt unit 500 side in the sheet conveying direction. In this manner, the effect of the hot air of the hot air blowing unit 8 on the cooling function of the cooling belt unit 500 can be kept small.

[0080] In this embodiment, the direction of the air coming out of the circulating air blowing unit 5 is inclined toward the hot air blowing unit. That is, the circulating air blowing unit 5 is disposed in an inclined position toward the hot air blowing unit 8 with respect to the sheet conveying direction, the intake duct 37 sucks in air from the hot air blowing unit 8 side, and the blowing nozzle 30 blows air toward the hot air blowing unit 8 side. This configuration reduces the effect of the hot air blowing unit 8 on the cooling belt unit 500. The direction of the air coming out of the circulating air blowing unit 5 is not limited to being inclined toward the hot air blowing unit 8 side, and may be directed vertically downward as in the second embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0081] 2...decoupling belt unit (second conveying section), 3...cold air blowing unit (second blowing unit, air blowing unit), 5...circulating air blowing unit (third blowing unit, blowing unit), 7...drying belt (conveying belt), 8...hot air blowing unit (first blowing unit, drying unit), 9a...belt heater (heating means), 15...heater (heating means), 27...air intake duct, 30...blowing nozzle (blowing section), 34...air blowing duct (duct section) ), 37... intake duct (suction section), 60... drying belt unit (first conveying section), 100... inkjet recording system (image forming apparatus), 500... cooling belt unit (second conveying section), 501... cooling belt (conveying belt), 502... heat sink (cooling means), 2000... print module (image forming section), 5001... cooling section (second blowing unit, cooling unit, air blowing unit), 5003... conveying roller (second conveying section)

Claims

1. an image forming unit that ejects ink to form an image on a sheet; a first conveying section that conveys a sheet on which an image has been formed by the image forming section; a first blowing unit having a heating means and configured to blow air heated by the heating means onto the sheet being conveyed by the first conveying section; a second conveying section disposed adjacent to the first conveying section in a sheet conveying direction and configured to convey a sheet on which an image has been formed by the image forming section; a second blowing unit that blows air onto the sheet transported by the second transport section; a third blowing unit disposed between the first blowing unit and the second blowing unit in the sheet conveying direction, the third blowing unit having: a suction section that sucks in a part of the air blown from the first blowing unit and a part of the air blown from the second blowing unit; a duct section through which the air sucked in by the suction section flows; and a blowing section that blows the air that has flowed through the duct section onto a sheet conveyed between the first conveying section and the second conveying section.

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:

2. The third blowing unit is disposed vertically above the first transport section and the second transport section, and the suction section sucks air vertically upward, and the blowing section blows air vertically downward.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,

3. the first blowing unit is a drying unit that dries a sheet on which an image is formed, the third blowing unit is disposed adjacent to the upstream of the drying unit in the sheet transport direction; 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,

4. the first blowing unit is a drying unit that dries a sheet on which an image is formed, the second blowing unit is a cooling unit that is disposed adjacent to the drying unit downstream in the sheet transport direction and cools the sheet transported from the drying unit; 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,

5. the second blowing unit has an intake duct that draws in air from the outside of the image forming apparatus, and blows the air drawn through the intake duct onto the sheet being transported by the second transport section.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,

6. an image forming unit that ejects ink to form an image on a sheet; a first conveying section including a conveying belt for conveying a sheet on which an image is formed by the image forming section, and a heating means for heating the conveying belt; a second conveying section disposed adjacent to the first conveying section in a sheet conveying direction and configured to convey a sheet on which an image has been formed by the image forming section; an air blowing unit that blows air onto the sheet transported by the second transport unit; a blowing unit disposed adjacent to the first conveying section side of the air blowing unit in the sheet conveying direction, the blowing unit having a suction section that sucks in a portion of the air blown from the air blowing unit, a duct section through which the air sucked in by the suction section flows, and a blowing section that blows the air that has flowed through the duct section onto the sheet being conveyed between the first conveying section and the second conveying section, 1. An image forming apparatus comprising:

7. the air blowing unit is disposed in an inclined position toward the air blowing unit with respect to the sheet conveying direction, the suction section sucks air from the air blowing unit side, and the blowing section blows air toward the air blowing unit side.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6,

8. an image forming unit that ejects ink to form an image on a sheet; a first conveying section that conveys a sheet on which an image has been formed by the image forming section; a hot air blowing unit having a heating means and blowing air heated by the heating means onto the sheet conveyed by the first conveying unit; a second conveying section disposed adjacent to the first conveying section in a sheet conveying direction, the second conveying section including a conveying belt for conveying a sheet on which an image has been formed by the image forming section, and a cooling means for cooling the conveying belt; and a blowing unit disposed adjacent to the second conveying section side of the hot air blowing unit in the sheet conveying direction, the blowing unit having a suction section that sucks in a portion of the air blown from the hot air blowing unit, a duct section through which the air sucked in by the suction section flows, and a blowing section that blows the air that has flowed through the duct section onto the sheet being conveyed between the first conveying section and the second conveying section.

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:

9. The air blowing unit is disposed in an inclined position toward the hot air blowing unit with respect to the sheet conveying direction, the suction section sucks air from the hot air blowing unit side, and the blowing section blows air toward the hot air blowing unit side.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8,

10. an image forming unit that ejects ink to form an image on a sheet; a conveying section that conveys a sheet on which an image has been formed by the image forming section; an air blowing unit that blows air onto the sheet conveyed by the conveying unit; a blowing unit disposed between the image forming unit and the air blowing unit in a sheet conveying direction, the blowing unit having an intake section that draws in a part of the air blown from the image forming unit and a part of the air blown from the air blowing unit, a duct section through which the air drawn in by the intake section flows, and a blowing section that blows the air that has flowed through the duct section onto the sheet being conveyed by the conveying unit, 1. An image forming apparatus comprising:

Images