Ink jet recording device

Abstract

To provide an ink jet recording device.SOLUTION: An ink jet recording device comprises: a plurality of heads 2a or the like for discharging an ink onto a recording medium P; and a holding member 1 which holds the heads 2a or the like in a main scanning direction L, and in which a slit-like suction port 3a or the like is formed on a downstream side of each head 2a in a sub-scanning direction W. The holding member 1 comprises a recovery path 4 which communicates with each suction port 3a and recovers ink mists M sucked from the suction port 3a or the like.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an inkjet recording apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Inkjet recording devices are known in the art that eject ink to record an image on a recording medium. Inkjet recording devices eject ink from a plurality of ink nozzles and record an image on a recording medium such as paper that moves relatively therebetween. In such a device, suction is performed from a suction port provided downstream of the nozzle in the direction in which the recording medium is transported. Then, the ink mist generated immediately after the ink is ejected is sucked in through a suction port, thereby preventing problems caused by the ink mist (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-13155 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, some conventional inkjet recording devices have multiple nozzles arranged for each image region, and in such devices, the distance from a suction port provided downstream in the direction in which the recording medium is transported to the upstream nozzles is different from the distance from the same suction port to the nozzles in the downstream row. For this reason, further improvements are desired in order to uniformly collect the ink mist generated from each nozzle.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide an inkjet recording apparatus capable of uniformly collecting ink mist generated by ink ejected from a plurality of nozzles. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] That is, the above-mentioned object of the present invention is achieved by the following configuration. (1) An inkjet recording device includes a head that ejects ink onto a recording medium, a holding member that holds the head in a main scanning direction and has a slit-shaped suction port formed on the downstream side of the head in a sub-scanning direction, and a recovery path that communicates with the suction port of the holding member and recovers the ink mist sucked through the suction port.

[0007] (2) The inkjet recording apparatus according to (1), wherein the heads are multiple and are arranged in a staggered pattern along the main scanning direction.

[0008] (3) The inkjet recording apparatus according to (2), wherein the suction port is a plurality of ports, each of which is formed on the holding member on the side of the recording medium.

[0009] (4) The inkjet recording apparatus according to (1), wherein the recovery path has a ventilation path along the main scanning direction and a plurality of conductive paths connected to the suction port at predetermined intervals along the ventilation path.

[0010] (5) The ink jet recording apparatus according to (4), wherein a pressure adjustment chamber for adjusting a suction pressure is formed in the conductive path.

[0011] (6) The inkjet recording device described in (4), wherein the conductive path includes a branch conductive path connected to each of the adjacent suction ports, and a collective conductive path that collects a plurality of the branch conductive paths and connects them to the recovery path.

[0012] (7) The inkjet recording device described in (4), wherein the recovery path has a pressure reduction section whose cross-sectional area perpendicular to the ventilation path is set to a predetermined cross-sectional area, and a pressure recovery section connected to the pressure reduction section whose cross-sectional area is set to be smaller than that of the pressure reduction section.

[0013] (8) The inkjet recording apparatus according to (4), wherein the recovery path has at least one of a compression fan provided upstream of the ventilation path and a suction fan provided downstream of the ventilation path.

[0014] (9) The inkjet recording device described in (7), wherein the pressure reduction section has an upstream pressure reduction section located upstream of the ventilation path, and a downstream pressure reduction section arranged downstream of the upstream pressure reduction section and having a smaller cross-sectional area than the upstream pressure reduction section.

[0015] (10) The inkjet recording device described in (7), wherein the pressure recovery section has an upstream pressure recovery section located upstream of the ventilation path, and a downstream pressure recovery section arranged downstream of the upstream pressure recovery section and having a cross-sectional area set larger than that of the upstream pressure recovery section.

[0016] (11) The inkjet recording apparatus according to (7), wherein the conductive path is connected to the recovery path at the pressure reduction section or at a position where the pressure reduction section switches to the pressure recovery section.

[0017] (12) The inkjet recording apparatus according to (7), wherein the cross-sectional area of ​​the downstream conductive path located downstream is set to be larger than the cross-sectional area of ​​the upstream conductive path located upstream.

[0018] (13) The ink jet recording apparatus according to (8), wherein the recovery path is connected to a gas-liquid separation section via a valve on the downstream side.

[0019] (14) The inkjet recording apparatus according to (1), wherein the cross-sectional area of ​​the recovery path increases as it approaches the compression fan or the suction fan.

[0020] (15) The inkjet recording apparatus according to (8), wherein the cross-sectional area of ​​the conductive path closer to at least one of the compression fan and the suction fan is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the conductive path farther away.

[0021] (16) The inkjet recording device according to (1), wherein the cross-sectional area of ​​the downstream suction port located downstream is set to be larger than the cross-sectional area of ​​the upstream suction port located upstream.

[0022] (17) The inkjet recording apparatus according to (8), wherein the cross-sectional area of ​​the suction port closer to at least one of the compression fan and the suction fan is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the suction port farther away. Effect of the Invention

[0023] According to the present invention, there is provided an inkjet recording apparatus capable of uniformly collecting ink mist generated by ink ejected from a plurality of nozzles. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view showing an overall configuration of a holding member of an inkjet recording apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from above. [Diagram 2] 2 is a front view showing the overall configuration of a holding member of the inkjet recording device, as viewed from the downstream side to the upstream side in the flow direction of the recording medium. FIG. [Diagram 3] 4 is a bottom view showing the overall configuration of the holding member as viewed from below. FIG. [Figure 4] 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 2, illustrating the internal configuration of the holding member. [Diagram 5] 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. 2, illustrating a difference in ventilation cross-sectional area of ​​the holding member. [Figure 6] 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 2, illustrating the internal configuration of a holding member of the recording apparatus. [Figure 7] 6 is a cross-sectional view of an inkjet recording apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention, taken along a line VI-VI in FIG. [Figure 8] 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of part VIII in FIG. 4 illustrating the internal configuration of the holding member and explaining the difference in cross-sectional area of ​​the recovery path. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0025] Hereinafter, each embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a holding member 1 provided in an inkjet recording apparatus according to the first embodiment. In this embodiment, for ease of understanding, the direction perpendicular to the transport direction F in which the recording medium P is discharged and along the longitudinal direction of the holding member 1 is defined as the main scanning direction L. The holding member 1 defines the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the same direction as the transport direction F as the sub-scanning direction W.

[0026] 1, an inkjet recording device serving as an image forming device includes a transport unit that transports a recording medium P such as paper, and a holding member 1 that is fixed above the transport unit. The inkjet device also includes a plurality of heads 2a, 2b, ... 2h that are provided on the holding member 1 and eject ink toward the recording medium P.

[0027] The holding member 1 has a flat plate-shaped holding portion 1a that holds each of the heads 2a, and a protruding support portion 1b that is integrally formed on the upper surface side of the holding portion 1a at the center in the sub-scanning direction W along the main scanning direction L (see FIG. 6). The support portion 1b supports and fixes the holding portion 1a when the holding member 1 is attached to an inkjet recording apparatus. Furthermore, the holding portion 1a of the holding member 1 holds the heads 2a etc. in each through hole that passes through the holding member 1 in the vertical direction. As shown in Fig. 1, in the holding portion 1a of the first embodiment, the heads 2a are distributed in two rows on both sides of the support portion 1b and arranged in a staggered pattern along the main scanning direction L. As shown in Fig. 2, the heads 2a, 2b, ... 2h arranged in a staggered pattern overlap partially in the sub-scanning direction. Furthermore, a plurality of ink nozzles 2k, 2k (see Fig. 3) are provided on the underside of each head 2a, etc., facing the upper surface of the transport unit. Each ink nozzle 2k, 2k, etc. ejects a desired ink toward the recording medium P transported by the transport unit. The ejected ink adheres to the recording medium P to form an image. A portion of the ejected ink generates ink mist M.

[0028] In the inkjet recording device of embodiment 1 shown in Figure 3, the holding member 1 is formed with suction ports 3a, 3b, ... 3h, one each for each head 2a, etc., on the downstream side of the sub-scanning direction W of each head 2a. The suction ports 3a and the like in the first embodiment are each formed in a slit shape on the recording medium P side of the holding member 1. The dimension of each suction port 3a in the main scanning direction L is formed to be equal to the dimension of the corresponding head 2a in the main scanning direction L. The suction ports 3a, etc. are formed so as to be parallel to the longitudinal direction of the corresponding heads 2a. In the lower surface of the holding member 1 facing the recording medium P, the suction ports 3a, etc. are formed so as to be at the same distance from the corresponding heads 2a, etc. constituting the pair.

[0029] In this way, the heads 2a and suction ports 3a of each set in the first embodiment are arranged in a staggered manner with some overlapping along the main scanning direction L. Therefore, ink can be ejected from each head 2a and deposited on the recording medium P without any gaps. In addition, the ink mist M generated by the ejected ink is immediately sucked by the corresponding suction ports 3a in the vicinity of the downstream side of each head 2a, etc. As a result, the ink mist M is efficiently collected into the collection path 4 in the holding member 1.

[0030] As shown in Fig. 1, the holding member 1 of the first embodiment is integrally provided with a recovery path 4 that communicates with each of the suction ports 3a, 3b, ... 3h. The recovery path 4 has a ventilation path 5 that is formed penetrating between the suction ports 3a, 3b to 3g, 3h, etc., that are arranged in two rows along the main scanning direction L. The ventilation path 5 of the first embodiment is formed within the support portion 1b of the holding member 1 (see Fig. 6). Furthermore, the recovery path 4 has a plurality of conductive paths 6 connected to each of the suction ports 3a, etc. The respective conductive paths 6 are connected along the ventilation path 5 in the main scanning direction L at predetermined intervals. As a result, the recovery path 4 is connected to the plurality of suction ports 3a, etc. via each of the conductive paths 6 and the ventilation path 5. Then, the ink mist M sucked from each of the suction ports 3a is collected into the recovery path 4 via each of the conductive paths 6 and the ventilation path 5.

[0031] 1, the conductive path 6 between the suction ports 3a and 3c in the first embodiment has branch conductive paths 7, 7 connected to the adjacent suction ports 3a and 3c, respectively. The conductive path 6 between the suction ports 3a and 3c also has a collective conductive path 8 that collects the branch conductive paths 7, 7 and connects them to the recovery path 4. Furthermore, the conductive path 6 between the suction ports 3e and 3g has branch conductive paths 7, 7 connected to the adjacent suction ports 3e and 3g, respectively. The conductive path 6 between the suction ports 3e and 3g also has a collective conductive path 8 that collects the branch conductive paths 7, 7 and connects them to the recovery path 4.

[0032] As a result, the multiple branch conductive paths 7, 7 are collected by the collective conductive path 8 and connected to the recovery path 4. This makes it easy to set the number and spacing of the conductive paths 6 connected to the recovery path 4. For example, even if there are a large number of suction ports 3a, etc., the conductive paths 6 can be connected at desired intervals in the main scanning direction L of the recovery path 4. The conductive path 6 between either the suction ports 3e and 3g or the suction ports 3f and 3h may be composed of a plurality of branch conductive paths 7, 7 and a collective conductive path 8.

[0033] Moreover, the recovery path 4 of Embodiment 1 includes a compression fan 10 provided upstream in the ventilation direction of the ventilation path 5 and a suction fan 11 provided downstream. The recovery path 4 formed in the holding member 1 of Embodiment 1 configured as described above rotates and drives the compression fan 10 or the suction fan 11. As a result, the recovery path 4 can collect and recover the ink mist M sucked from each suction port 3a, etc. into the ventilation path 5 through the conduction path 6 including the branch conduction paths 7, 7 and the collective conduction path 8.

[0034] Furthermore, the recovery path 4 of Embodiment 1 is connected to a gas-liquid separation unit 9b via a valve 9a on the downstream side. The valve 9a of Embodiment 1 is arranged adjacent to the upstream side of the suction fan 11. When the valve 9a is in an open state, ventilation of the ventilation path 5 is allowed in the direction of the suction fan 11. Also, when the valve 9a is closed, ventilation in the direction of the suction fan 11 is blocked. The ventilation in the blocked ventilation path 5 has the ink mist M separated from the air by the gas-liquid separation unit 9b. Then, air is purged from each suction port 3g, 3h, etc. As a result, residual ink, etc. in the recovery path 4 can be removed and maintenance can be easily performed.

[0035] Also, as shown in FIG. 4, the cross-sectional area of the recovery path 4 is set to be larger the closer it is to the compression fan 10 and the suction fan 11 (d10>d11, d12<d13). Thereby, the ventilation resistance at the portion where the flow velocity in the ventilation path 5 is high can be reduced, and furthermore, the recovery efficiency of the ink mist M can be improved.

[0036] In Embodiment 1, the cross-sectional area of the recovery path 4 near the compression fan 10 and the suction fan 11 is set to be large. However, the present invention is not particularly limited to this. For example, as long as the cross-sectional area of the recovery path 4 is formed large in the vicinity of either the compression fan 10 or the suction fan 11.

[0037] 8, the recovery path 4 formed in the holding member 1 of the first embodiment has an upstream pressure reduction section 14 and a downstream pressure reduction section 16. The upstream pressure reduction section 14 and the downstream pressure reduction section 16 have cross sections perpendicular to the ventilation direction (the directions of the arrows T1, T2, and T3 in the figure) of the ventilation path 5 set to predetermined cross-sectional areas d1, d3, etc. In addition, the recovery path 4 has an upstream pressure recovery section 15 and a downstream pressure recovery section 17 which are connected to the upstream pressure reduction section 14 or the downstream pressure reduction section 16 and have cross-sectional areas set smaller than those of the upstream pressure reduction section 14 and the downstream pressure reduction section 16, respectively. This makes it possible to adjust the pressure (P) and flow rate (V) required for suction. Therefore, it is not necessary to change the flow rate in the ventilation direction (arrows T1 to T3) by controlling the compression fan 10 and the suction fan 11. Therefore, the ventilation path 5 of the recovery path 4 can be made linear along the main scanning direction L.

[0038] The ventilation path 5 formed in the retaining member 1 of embodiment 1 has an upstream pressure reduction section 14 located on the upstream side, and a downstream pressure reduction section 16 having a cross-sectional area d2 set smaller than the cross-sectional area d1 of the upstream pressure reduction section 14. The downstream pressure reduction section 16 is located downstream of the upstream pressure recovery section 15, sandwiching the upstream pressure reduction section 14. As a result, the upstream pressure reduction section 14, the upstream pressure recovery section 15, the downstream pressure reduction section 16, and the downstream pressure recovery section 17 are alternately connected along the main scanning direction L from the upstream side to the downstream side.

[0039] Therefore, the upstream pressure reduction section 14 and the downstream pressure reduction section 16 can have different cross-sectional areas d1 to generate a desired suction amount. In the first embodiment, the upstream pressure reduction section 14, the upstream pressure recovery section 15, the downstream pressure reduction section 16, and the downstream pressure recovery section 17 are alternately connected along the main scanning direction L from the upstream side to the downstream side. Therefore, the ventilation path 5 can be formed with a certain or greater distance between the conductive path 6 connected to the upstream pressure reduction section 14 in the main scanning direction L and the collective conductive path 8 connected to the downstream pressure reduction section 16.

[0040] Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the upstream pressure recovery portion 15 and the downstream pressure recovery portion 17 have an upstream pressure recovery portion 15 located upstream of the ventilation path 5 and a downstream pressure recovery portion 17. The downstream pressure recovery portion 17 is set such that the cross-sectional area d4 is larger than the cross-sectional area d2 of the upstream pressure recovery portion 15 (d2 < d4). And the downstream pressure recovery portion 17 is arranged downstream of the upstream pressure recovery portion 15. Thereby, even if the wind speed decreases on the downstream side, the ventilation path 5 can perform a desired pressure recovery and maintain the suction amount of the ink mist M.

[0041] Furthermore, the conduction path 6 communicating with the upstream suction port 3b (see FIG. 4) is connected to the recovery path 4 at the upstream pressure reduction portion 14. Also, the conduction path 6 communicating with the upstream suction port 3b may be connected to the recovery path 4 at a position where it switches from the upstream pressure reduction portion 14 to the upstream pressure recovery portion 15. Also, the conduction path 6 communicating with the downstream suction port 3c connects the collective conduction path 8 to the downstream pressure reduction portion 16 of the recovery path 4. Also, the conduction path 6 communicating with the downstream suction port 3c may be connected to the recovery path 4 at a position where it switches from the downstream pressure reduction portion 16 to the downstream pressure recovery portion 17. Thereby, the ink mist M in the conduction path 6 is efficiently sucked toward the pressure reduction region R1 where the pressure drops in the upstream pressure reduction portion 14 of the recovery path 4. Also, the ink mist M in the collective conduction path 8 is efficiently sucked toward the pressure reduction region R2 where the pressure drops in the downstream pressure reduction portion 16 of the recovery path 4.

[0042] And in Embodiment 1, as shown in FIG. 8, the cross-sectional area d6 of the collective conduction path 8, which is the downstream conduction path arranged downstream, is set larger than the cross-sectional area d5 of the upstream conduction path 6. Thereby, the suction amount of the ink mist M can be adjusted to perform suction according to each suction port 3a, etc.

[0043] Furthermore, in the conduction path 6 of Embodiment 1, a pressure adjustment chamber 6a for adjusting the suction pressure is formed (see FIG. 6). The pressure adjustment chamber 6a has an internal space with a relatively large volume as compared with other portions of the conduction path 6. And the pressure adjustment chamber 6a communicates with the ventilation path 5 via the conduction path 6. Therefore, the pressure adjustment chamber 6a can mitigate rapid pressure fluctuations in the ventilation path 5.

[0044] Also, as shown in FIG. 5, the cross-sectional area of the conduction path 6 is set such that the conduction path 6 closer to the compression fan 10 is smaller than the conduction path 6 farther away (d14 < d15 < d16). Furthermore, in Embodiment 1, the conduction path 6 closer to the suction fan 11 is set to be smaller than the conduction path 6 farther away (d17 > d18 > d19). Thereby, the difference in the suction speed within each conduction path 6 can be reduced, and the suction force of the ink mist M by each suction port 3a or the like can be stabilized. Note that it is sufficient that at least one of the conduction paths 6 closer to either the compression fan 10 or the suction fan 11 is set to be smaller than the conduction path 6 farther away.

[0045] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5, the suction ports 3a or the like may be set such that the cross-sectional area of the downstream suction port disposed on the downstream side is larger than the cross-sectional area of the upstream suction port disposed on the upstream side (s1 < s2 < s3 < s4). Note that the suction ports 3b or the like may also be set such that the cross-sectional area of the downstream suction port disposed on the downstream side is larger than the cross-sectional area of the upstream suction port disposed on the upstream side (s5 < s6). Thereby, even if the pressure fluctuation becomes large on the downstream side of the ventilation path 5, the flow rate can be adjusted to be equal to that on the upstream side, and the difference in the suction efficiency of the ink mist M between the upstream side and the downstream side can be reduced.

[0046] And, as shown in FIG. 5, the cross-sectional area of the suction ports 3a or the like may be set such that the cross-sectional area of the suction port 3a closer to the compression fan 10 is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the suction port 3b farther away. Furthermore, the cross-sectional area of ​​the suction port 3h closer to the suction fan 11 may be set smaller than that of the suction port 3g farther from the suction fan 11 than the suction port 3h. This makes it possible to reduce the difference in suction force of the ink mist M occurring between the suction port close to the compression fan 10 and the suction fan 11 and the suction port far from it.

[0047] FIG. 7 shows the configuration of an inkjet recording apparatus according to the second embodiment. In addition, parts that are the same as or equivalent to those in the first embodiment will be described with the same reference numerals. The holding member 21 of the second embodiment has a holding portion 1c and a protruding support portion 1d that is integrally formed along the main scanning direction L at the center in the sub-scanning direction W on the upper surface side of the holding portion 1c. Among these, in the flat plate-shaped holding portion 1a that holds each of the heads 2h, etc., a ventilation path 25 is formed along the main scanning direction L at the center position in the sub-scanning direction W. The ventilation path 25 in the second embodiment is formed so as to be located between the heads 2g and 2h, etc., that are arranged in two rows.

[0048] Therefore, in addition to the effects of the inkjet recording device of the first embodiment, a ventilation path 25 is formed in the holding portion 1c of the holding member 21. Therefore, in the holding member 21 of the second embodiment, the length of each of the conductive paths 6 from each of the suction ports 3g, 3h, etc. to the ventilation path 25 is shorter than that of the holding member 1 of the first embodiment. Therefore, the suction efficiency can be further improved. The other configurations and effects are similar to those of the inkjet recording apparatus of the first embodiment, so a description thereof will be omitted.

[0049] As described above, in the inkjet recording apparatus of the embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1, the holding member 1 is provided with a plurality of heads 2a etc. that eject ink onto a recording medium P. The holding member 1 holds the heads 2a etc. in the main scanning direction. The holding member 1 forms a slit-shaped suction port 3a on the downstream side of each head 2a etc. in the sub-scanning direction. The holding member 1 also includes a recovery path 4 that communicates with the suction port 3a and recovers the ink mist M sucked through the suction port 3a. In the inkjet recording device of the embodiment thus configured, suction ports 3a etc. are formed in the holding member 1 on which the multiple heads 2a etc. are arranged. The suction ports 3a are formed on the upstream or downstream side of the recovery path 4, downstream of each head 2a in the sub-scanning direction. Therefore, the distances from the heads 2a etc. to the corresponding suction ports 3a etc. are approximately the same, so that the ink mist M produced by the ink ejected from each head 2a is collected evenly.

[0050] Furthermore, even if a plurality of heads 2a etc. are arranged in a staggered manner as shown in FIG. 3, the distance between the suction ports 3a etc. formed corresponding to the respective heads 2a can all be set narrow. Therefore, the ink mist generated by the ink ejected from each head 2a etc. can be uniformly and efficiently collected.

[0051] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3, the suction ports 3a etc. are formed integrally as slits in the lower surface facing the recording medium P of the holding member 1 on which the head 2a etc. are held. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 3, each suction port 3a can be formed close to the downstream side of each head 2a, improving suction efficiency. Also, there is no need to add separate parts for the multiple suction ports 3a.

[0052] As shown in FIG. 1, the recovery path 4 communicates with each suction port 3a via each conductive path 6 that is connected to each of the suction ports 3a in the main scanning direction L at predetermined intervals. Therefore, the ink mist M can be equally collected from each suction port 3a. Furthermore, in the first embodiment, ventilation paths 5 are formed between the suction ports 3a arranged in two rows. The ventilation paths 5 connect the conductive paths 6 distributed to the left and right at equal intervals in the main scanning direction L and at approximately the same distance on the left and right in the sub-scanning direction W. Therefore, compared to the conventional nozzles and suction ports located upstream and downstream in the sub-scanning direction W, which are at different distances, it is possible to perform suction almost uniformly.

[0053] 6, a pressure adjustment chamber 6a formed in a part of the conductive path 6 relieves abrupt pressure fluctuations in the ventilation path 5. The pressure adjustment chamber 6a can be formed integrally inside the holding member 1. Therefore, in the inkjet recording apparatus of the first embodiment, there is no need to provide a separate pressure buffer or the like for releasing pressure.

[0054] 1, the branch conductive paths 7, 7 are collected by a collecting conductive path 8 and connected to the recovery path 4. This makes it easy to set the number and spacing of the conductive paths 6 connected to the recovery path 4.

[0055] 8, the recovery path 4 of the first embodiment has a ventilation path 5 formed inside the holding member 1, in which cross-sectional areas d to d4 are different for each of the upstream pressure reduction section 14, the downstream pressure reduction section 16, etc. Therefore, the flow rate in the ventilation direction (arrows T1 to T3) does not need to be changed. This allows the recovery path of the first embodiment to adjust the pressure (P) and flow velocity (V) required for suction.

[0056] 1, the recovery path 4 of the first embodiment has a compression fan 10 and a suction fan 11. Therefore, the ink mist M can be suctioned into the ventilation path 5 in a stable manner.

[0057] As shown in FIG. 8, the upstream pressure reduction section 14 and the downstream pressure reduction section 16 formed in the ventilation path 5 of the first embodiment can generate a desired suction amount by making the cross-sectional area d1 different. The upstream pressure reduction section 14, the upstream pressure recovery section 15, the downstream pressure reduction section 16, and the downstream pressure recovery section 17 are alternately connected in the main scanning direction L from the upstream side to the downstream side. Therefore, it is possible to provide a certain or larger interval in the main scanning direction L between the conductive path 6 connected to the upstream pressure reduction section 14 and the collective conductive path 8 connected to the downstream pressure reduction section 16.

[0058] Furthermore, the conduction path 6 and the collective conduction path 8 of Embodiment 1 are allocated and connected to the left and right of the ventilation path 5. Therefore, even if the suction pressure increases due to the inflow of the ink mist M in one decompression region R1 in the upstream decompression section 14, the suction pressure in another decompression region R2 in the downstream decompression section 16 is less affected. Therefore, the suction forces of the respective suction ports 3a to 3h can be made uniform and stabilized.

[0059] Also, as shown in FIG. 8, the downstream recompression section 17 arranged on the downstream side of the upstream recompression section 15 has a larger cross-sectional area d4 (d2 < d4) compared to the cross-sectional area d2 of the upstream recompression section 15. For this reason, even if the wind speed on the downstream side decreases in the course of the ventilation path 5, the desired recompression can be performed and the suction force can be maintained.

[0060] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 8, the conduction path 6 is connected to the recovery path 4 at the upstream decompression section 14 or at the position where it switches from the upstream decompression section 14 to the upstream recompression section 15. Also, the collective conduction path 8 is connected to the recovery path 4 at the downstream decompression section 16 or at the position where it switches from the downstream decompression section 16 to the downstream recompression section 17. For this reason, the ink mist M in the conduction path 6 and the collective conduction path 8 is efficiently sucked toward the decompression regions R1 and R2 where the pressure decreases respectively.

[0061] And in Embodiment 1, as shown in FIG. 8, the cross-sectional area d6 of the collective conduction path 8 arranged on the downstream side is set larger than the cross-sectional area d5 of the conduction path 6 on the upstream side. For this reason, the suction amount of the ink mist M can be adjusted.

[0062] Also, when the valve 9a is closed on the downstream side of the recovery path 4 of Embodiment 1, the ventilation toward the suction fan 11 is blocked, and the air blown from the compression fan 10 is purged from the ventilation path 5 through the respective conduction paths 6 from the respective suction ports 3g, 3h, etc. Thereby, the residual ink etc. in the recovery path 4 are removed and maintenance can be easily performed.

[0063] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, in Embodiment 1, the cross-sectional area of the recovery path 4 near the compression fan 10 and the suction fan 11 is larger the closer it is to the compression fan 10 and the suction fan 11 (d10>d11, d12<d13). Thereby, the ventilation resistance in the ventilation path 5 can be reduced, and furthermore, the recovery efficiency of the ink mist M can be improved.

[0064] Also, as shown in FIG. 5, the cross-sectional area of the conduction path 6 is smaller for the conduction path 6 closer to at least one of the compression fan 10 or the suction fan 11 compared to the conduction path 6 farther away (d14<d15<d16, d17>d18>d19). Thereby, the difference in the suction speed in each conduction path 6 can be reduced, and the suction force of the ink mist M by each suction port 3a or the like can be stabilized.

[0065] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5, the cross-sectional area of the downstream suction port arranged on the downstream side is set to be larger than that on the upstream side (s1<s2<s3<s4). Therefore, the difference in the suction efficiency of the ink mist M due to the difference in the wind speed between the upstream side and the downstream side can be reduced. Thus, similar suction efficiency can be obtained on the upstream side and the downstream side.

[0066] And, as shown in FIG. 5, the cross-sectional area of the suction port 3a or the like is set such that the cross-sectional area of the suction port 3a closer to the compression fan 10 is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the suction port 3b farther away (s1<d5). Also, the cross-sectional area of the suction port 3h closer to the suction fan 11 is set to be smaller than the cross-sectional area of the suction port 3g farther from the suction fan 11 compared to the suction port 3h (s4<s6). Therefore, the difference in the suction force of the ink mist M generated between the suction port close to the compression fan 10 and the suction fan 11 and the suction port far away can be reduced.

[0067] In this way, the inkjet recording device of embodiment 1.2 can efficiently collect the ink mist M. Therefore, it is possible to achieve practically beneficial effects such as suppressing the occurrence of problems caused by the ink mist M and improving the quality of the image recorded on the recording medium P.

[0068] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are merely illustrative and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention. The present invention can take various other embodiments, and various modifications such as omissions and substitutions can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention described in this specification, etc., and are included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and their equivalents.

[0069] For example, in the embodiment, the multiple heads 2a etc. are arranged in a staggered manner along the main scanning direction L. However, this is not particularly limited, and the arrangement of the heads 2a etc. may be linear or the like, and the shapes, quantities, materials, and combinations of the holding members 1, 21 and the heads 2a etc. may be configured in any manner. [Explanation of symbols]

[0070] 1 Retaining member 2a~2h Head 3a~3h Suction port 4. Recovery route P Recording medium L Main scanning direction W Sub-scanning direction

Claims

1. A head that ejects ink onto a recording medium; a holding member that holds the head in a main scanning direction and has a slit-shaped suction port formed on the downstream side of the head in a sub-scanning direction; an ink jet recording apparatus comprising: a recovery path that is in communication with the suction port and that recovers the ink mist sucked through the suction port;

2. 2. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the head is a plurality of heads arranged in a staggered manner in the main scanning direction.

3. 3. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the suction port is a plurality of ports, each of which is formed on the holding member on a side of the recording medium.

4. 2. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recovery path has a ventilation path along a main scanning direction, and has a plurality of conductive paths connected to the suction port at predetermined intervals along the ventilation path.

5. 5. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a pressure adjustment chamber for adjusting a suction pressure is formed in the conductive path.

6. 5. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the conductive path includes a branch conductive path connected to each of the suction ports arranged adjacent to each other, and a collective conductive path that collects a plurality of the branch conductive paths and connects them to the recovery path.

7. The inkjet recording device according to claim 4, characterized in that the recovery path has a pressure reduction section whose cross-sectional area perpendicular to the ventilation path is set to a predetermined cross-sectional area, and a pressure recovery section connected to the pressure reduction section and whose cross-sectional area is set to be smaller than that of the pressure reduction section.

8. 5. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the recovery path has at least one of a compression fan provided on the upstream side of the ventilation path and a suction fan provided on the downstream side of the ventilation path.

9. 8. The inkjet recording device according to claim 7, characterized in that the pressure reduction section has an upstream pressure reduction section located upstream of the ventilation path, and a downstream pressure reduction section arranged downstream of the upstream pressure reduction section and having a smaller cross-sectional area than the upstream pressure reduction section.

10. The inkjet recording device according to claim 7, characterized in that the pressure recovery section has an upstream pressure recovery section located upstream of the ventilation path, and a downstream pressure recovery section arranged downstream of the upstream pressure recovery section, the cross-sectional area of ​​which is set larger than that of the upstream pressure recovery section.

11. 8. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the conductive path is connected to the recovery path at the pressure reducing section or at a position where the pressure reducing section switches to the pressure recovering section.

12. 8. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the cross-sectional area of ​​the downstream conductive path arranged on the downstream side is set to be larger than the cross-sectional area of ​​the upstream conductive path arranged on the upstream side.

13. 9. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the recovery path is connected to a gas-liquid separation section via a valve on a downstream side.

14. 2. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cross-sectional area of ​​the recovery path increases as the recovery path approaches the compression fan or the suction fan.

15. 9. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the cross-sectional area of ​​the conductive path closer to at least one of the compression fan and the suction fan is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the conductive path farther from the compression fan and the suction fan.

16. 2. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cross-sectional area of ​​the downstream suction port arranged downstream is set to be larger than the cross-sectional area of ​​the upstream suction port arranged upstream.

17. 9. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the cross-sectional area of ​​the suction port closer to at least one of the compression fan and the suction fan is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the suction port farther from the compression fan and the suction fan.

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