Printing apparatus and ink mist collection method

Abstract

To suppress transmission of vibration from a suction source for generating suction force for collecting mist to a discharge head while collecting the mist near the discharge head which is a generation source of ink mist.SOLUTION: Since the recovery nozzle 4 is provided side by side with the ejection head 121, the mist can be recovered near the ejection head 121 which is a generation source of the ink mist. At this time, the nozzle exhaust portion 43 and the exhaust connector 51 (exhaust duct 5) are separated from each other. Therefore, transmission of vibration from the exhaust connector 51 to the nozzle exhaust portion 43 is suppressed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for collecting ink mist that is generated when ink is ejected onto a printing medium to print an image. [Background technology]

[0002] Ink mist is generated in printing devices that print images on print media by ejecting ink from an ejection head. This ink mist can contaminate the print media and the printing device. Therefore, Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose a mechanism for collecting the ink mist. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-165900 A [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-147433 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, it is effective to collect ink mist near the ejection head, which is the source of the mist. However, suction sources such as suction fans that generate suction force to collect the mist are also sources of vibration. Therefore, the vibrations generated by the suction source are transmitted to the ejection head, which can affect the ejection of ink from the ejection head.

[0005] This invention has been developed in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to make it possible to collect mist near the ejection head, which is the source of the ink mist, while suppressing the transmission of vibrations from the suction source that generates the suction force to collect the mist to the ejection head. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The printing device of the present invention has a print medium transport unit that transports the print medium in a transport direction, an ejection head that ejects ink onto the print medium, a nozzle intake unit with an intake opening facing the print medium, and a nozzle exhaust unit with an exhaust opening that communicates with the intake opening, and is equipped with a recovery nozzle that is aligned with the ejection head in the transport direction, a suction source that generates suction force, and a duct intake unit with a duct opening that faces the exhaust opening of the recovery nozzle, and a suction duct that supplies the suction force generated by the suction source to the duct opening, and the exhaust opening of the nozzle exhaust unit and the duct opening of the duct intake unit are opposed to each other, so that the suction force supplied to the duct opening generates an airflow that flows from the intake opening through the exhaust opening into the duct opening, and mist is sucked in from the intake opening by the airflow, and the nozzle exhaust unit and duct intake unit are separated from each other.

[0007] The ink mist recovery method according to the present invention comprises the steps of transporting a printing medium in a transport direction using a printing medium transport unit, ejecting ink from an ejection head onto the printing medium, and recovering the ink using suction force supplied from a suction source via a suction duct using a recovery nozzle, wherein the recovery nozzle has a nozzle intake section with an intake opening facing the printing medium and a nozzle exhaust section with an exhaust opening communicating with the intake opening, and is aligned with the ejection head in the transport direction, the suction duct has a duct intake section with a duct opening facing the exhaust opening of the recovery nozzle, and supplies the suction force generated by the suction source to the duct opening, and the exhaust opening of the nozzle exhaust section and the duct opening of the duct intake section are opposed to each other, so that the suction force supplied to the duct opening generates an airflow that flows from the intake opening through the exhaust opening into the duct opening, and the mist is sucked in from the intake opening by the airflow, and the nozzle exhaust section and duct intake section are separated from each other.

[0008] The present invention (printing apparatus and ink mist recovery method) configured as described above includes a recovery nozzle for recovering ink mist. The recovery nozzle has a nozzle intake section with an intake opening and a nozzle exhaust section with an exhaust opening communicating with the intake opening. Furthermore, a suction source and a suction duct are also provided. The suction duct has a duct intake section with a duct opening facing the exhaust opening of the recovery nozzle. The suction force generated by the suction source is supplied to the duct opening by the suction duct. As described above, the exhaust opening of the nozzle exhaust section and the duct opening of the duct intake section face each other. Therefore, the suction force supplied to the duct opening generates an airflow that flows from the intake opening through the exhaust opening into the duct opening. This airflow sucks the mist from the intake opening of the recovery nozzle. In other words, the recovery nozzle recovers the ink mist using the suction force supplied from the suction source via the suction duct. By arranging the recovery nozzle alongside the ejection head, the mist can be recovered near the ejection head, which is the source of the ink mist. At this time, the nozzle exhaust section and the duct intake section are spaced apart, which prevents vibrations from being transmitted from the duct intake section to the nozzle exhaust section. As a result, it is possible to collect the ink mist near the ejection head, which is the source of the mist, while preventing vibrations from being transmitted from the suction source that generates the suction force required to collect the mist to the ejection head.

[0009] The printing device may also be configured to further include a cushioning material disposed between the nozzle exhaust section and the duct intake section and in contact with the nozzle exhaust section and the duct intake section, the cushioning material having a communication opening that faces the exhaust opening and the duct opening, thereby connecting the exhaust opening and the duct opening to each other. With this configuration, the communication opening in the cushioning material allows suction force to be accurately transmitted from the duct opening to the exhaust opening, while the cushioning material can suppress the transmission of vibrations from the duct intake section to the nozzle exhaust section.

[0010] Various specific examples of the buffer material are conceivable, for example, the buffer material may be sponge or rubber.

[0011] The printing device may also be configured so that the recovery nozzle is fixed to the ejection head. In this configuration, the positional relationship of the recovery nozzle with respect to the ejection head is maintained, and the ink mist can be recovered by the recovery nozzle near the ejection head.

[0012] The printing device may also be configured to include a head drive unit that moves the ejection head between a printing position and a non-printing position that is further away from the print medium than the printing position, and the ejection head performs image printing by ejecting ink onto the print medium when positioned at the printing position, but does not perform image printing when positioned at the non-printing position, the recovery nozzle moves along with the ejection head, the nozzle exhaust unit is positioned at a proximity position when the ejection head is positioned at the printing position, and at a remote position that is further away from the duct intake unit than the proximity position when the ejection head is positioned at the non-printing position, and the suction source generates suction force during the period when image printing is being performed. In other words, the ejection head can be positioned at the printing position during printing, but at a non-printing position that is further away from the print medium than the printing position during non-printing. However, with this configuration, because the recovery nozzle moves along with the ejection head, the nozzle exhaust unit is further away from the duct intake unit during non-printing than during printing. Therefore, for example, when connecting the exhaust opening of the nozzle exhaust section and the duct opening of the duct intake section, it is necessary to take measures such as configuring these with flexible and long piping, which may result in a loss of suction force (pressure loss).In contrast, according to the present invention, such measures are not necessary.

[0013] The printing device may also be configured so that the recovery nozzle and the suction source are located on opposite sides of the print medium. In this configuration, the opposite side of the print medium from the recovery nozzle can be effectively used for locating the suction source, while the suction source can be located close to the recovery nozzle.

[0014] The printing device may also be configured so that the exhaust opening and the duct opening face each other at positions offset from the print medium in the width direction of the print medium, which is perpendicular to the transport direction. In this configuration, the outside of the print medium in the width direction is effectively utilized to position the exhaust opening and the duct opening opposite each other, allowing suction force to be transmitted accurately from the duct opening to the exhaust opening.

[0015] The printing device may also be configured so that the suction duct is fixed to the print medium transport unit, which can suppress transmission of vibrations from the suction duct to the ejection head.

[0016] The printing device may also be configured to have a filter mounting section that detachably holds a filter between the suction duct and the suction source, and the filter mounted on the filter mounting section removes mist from the airflow from the duct opening toward the suction source. With this configuration, contamination of the suction source with collected ink mist can be suppressed.

[0017] The printing device may also be configured to further include a housing that houses the print medium transport unit, the ejection head, the collection nozzle, the suction source, and the suction duct, and the housing has an access opening located opposite the filter attachment unit, allowing the operator to easily replace the filter.

[0018] The printing device may also be configured so that the recovery nozzle has a nozzle body arranged above the printing medium, the nozzle body having a first side wall and a second side wall arranged on either side of the intake opening in the transport direction, each side wall standing above the intake opening, a partition wall standing above the intake opening is arranged inside the nozzle body between the first and second side walls in the transport direction, the intake opening is located between the partition wall and the first side wall in the transport direction, the exhaust opening is arranged on one side of the intake opening in the width direction of the printing medium which is perpendicular to the transport direction, the airflow flowing in from the intake opening rises between the first side wall and the partition wall to the upper end of the partition and then descends between the second side wall and the partition wall to reach the exhaust opening, the recovery nozzle has an airflow restricting portion protruding from the upper end of the partition wall towards the second side wall, and the airflow restricting portion is arranged in the width direction from a position on one side of the end on the other side of the upper end of the partition wall. With this configuration, variations in suction force at the intake openings can be reduced in the width direction, making it possible to suck in ink mist uniformly.

[0019] The printing device may also be configured so that the suction source is a fan, which can generate a large suction force.

[0020] The printing device may also be configured so that there is a gap between the nozzle exhaust section and the duct intake section. This gap is filled only with gas (air) (i.e., there is no material filling the gap). This makes it possible to suppress the transmission of vibrations from the duct intake section to the nozzle exhaust section. [Effects of the Invention]

[0021] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to collect mist near the ejection head, which is the source of the ink mist, while suppressing the transmission of vibrations from the suction source that generates the suction force to collect the mist to the ejection head. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a front view schematically showing a printing apparatus according to the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a mist collection unit included in the printing apparatus of FIG. 1. [Figure 3A] FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing the external configuration of a recovery nozzle. [Figure 3B] FIG. 2 is a front view schematically showing the external configuration of the recovery nozzle. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically showing the internal configuration of the recovery nozzle. [Figure 5A] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the internal configuration of the recovery nozzle. [Figure 5B] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the internal configuration of the recovery nozzle. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the recovery nozzle. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a perspective view schematically showing an exhaust connector of the exhaust duct. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a side view schematically showing the mist removal unit and the suction unit. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view that schematically illustrates, with emphasis, the operation performed by raising and lowering the ejection head and the recovery nozzle. [Figure 10A] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a housing. [Figure 10B] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a housing. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically illustrating the external configuration of the cushioning material. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional view that schematically illustrates, with emphasis, the operation performed by raising and lowering the ejection head and the recovery nozzle in a configuration that includes a buffer material. [Figure 13A] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a modified example of the internal configuration of the recovery nozzle. [Figure 13B] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a modified example of the internal configuration of the recovery nozzle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] FIG. 1 is a front view showing a schematic diagram of a printing device according to the present invention. In FIG. 1 and the following figures, the horizontal X direction, the horizontal Y direction perpendicular to the X direction, and the vertical Z direction are indicated as appropriate. Furthermore, one side X1 and the other side X2 of the X direction are indicated as appropriate. Here, the one side X1 and the other side X2 face in opposite directions.

[0024] The printing device 1 includes a housing 11, a color printing unit 12 arranged within the housing 11, a white printing unit 13 arranged above the color printing unit 12 within the housing 11, and a transport unit 2 that transports the printing medium M using a plurality of rollers arranged within the housing 11. In other words, the housing 11 accommodates the color printing unit 12, the white printing unit 13, and the transport unit 2.

[0025] The color printing unit 12 has a plurality of (four) ejection heads 121 arranged above the printing medium M transported by the transport unit 2 in the direction of travel of the printing medium M (the direction from the other side X2 to the one side X1). Each of the ejection heads 121 has a nozzle facing from above toward the surface M1 of the printing medium M passing below it, and ejects different color inks from the nozzles using an inkjet method. Here, color ink refers to ink other than white, and includes inks such as cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. In this way, each of the ejection heads 121 of the color printing unit 12 prints a color image on the surface M1 of the printing medium M by ejecting color inks from above onto the surface M1 of the printing medium M passing below it.

[0026] The white printing unit 13 also has a single ejection head 131 arranged above the printing medium M transported by the transport unit 2. The ejection head 131 has nozzles facing from above toward the surface M1 of the printing medium M passing below it, and ejects white ink from the nozzles using an inkjet method. In this way, the ejection head 131 of the white printing unit 13 prints a white image on the surface M1 of the printing medium M by ejecting white ink from above onto the surface M1 of the printing medium M passing below it.

[0027] An inlet 111 opens in the side wall of the housing 11 on the other side X2, and the printing medium M is carried into the housing 11 through the inlet 111. In contrast, the transport unit 2 has an inlet section 21. The inlet section 21 has a plurality of rollers 211 arranged in the X direction below the color printing unit 12, and transports the printing medium M carried in through the inlet 111 from the other side X2 to the one side X1 while supporting the printing medium M with the plurality of rollers 211.

[0028] The transport unit 2 also has an upward transport unit 22 provided on one side X1 of the carry-in unit 21. The upward transport unit 22 has a plurality of rollers 221 arranged in the Z direction on one side X1 of the color printing unit 12. The upward transport unit 22 changes the traveling direction of the printing medium M from one side X1 to the upward side by bending the printing medium M transported by the carry-in unit 21 upward using the roller 221 located at the bottom of the plurality of rollers 221, and then transports the printing medium M upward while being supported by the plurality of rollers 221. In this way, the printing medium M is transported from the lower side of the color printing unit 12 to the upper side by the upward transport unit 22.

[0029] Furthermore, the conveying unit 2 has an upper conveying unit 23 provided above the color printing unit 12. The upper conveying unit 23 has a plurality of rollers 231 arranged in the X direction above the color printing unit 12. The upper conveying unit 23 changes the traveling direction of the printing medium M from the upper side to the other side X2 by using a roller 231 located at the end of one side X1 of the plurality of rollers 231 to bend the printing medium M conveyed from the upward conveying unit 22 to the other side X2, and then conveys the printing medium M to the other side X2 while being supported by the plurality of rollers 231.

[0030] The conveying unit 2 also has a downward conveying unit 24 provided on the other side X2 of the upper conveying unit 23. The downward conveying unit 24 has a plurality of rollers 241 arranged in the Z direction on the other side X2 of the color printing unit 12. The downward conveying unit 24 changes the traveling direction of the print medium M from the other side X2 to the downward side by bending the print medium M conveyed from the upper conveying unit 23 downward using the roller 241 located at the upper end of the plurality of rollers 241, and then conveys the print medium M downward while being supported by the rollers 241. Of the plurality of rollers 241 included in the downward conveying unit 24, the uppermost roller 241 is located above the respective ejection heads 121 of the color printing unit 12, and the lowermost roller 241 is located below the respective ejection heads 121 of the color printing unit 12. In other words, the downward conveying unit 24 conveys the print medium M from the upper side to the lower side of the color printing unit 12.

[0031] The transport unit 2 further includes a color transport unit 25 located below the upper transport unit 23 and on one side X1 of the downward transport unit 24. The color transport unit 25 includes a plurality of rollers 251 arranged in the X direction and in contact with the back surface M2 of the printing medium M, and the printing medium M transported from the downward transport unit 24 is supported below the color printing unit 12 by the plurality of rollers 251. In this manner, the plurality of rollers 251 of the color transport unit 25 contact the back surface M2 of the printing medium M transported from the downward transport unit 24 from below, thereby supporting the printing medium M from below, and transporting the printing medium M from the other side X2 to the one side X1. Each ejection head 121 of the color printing unit 12 ejects color ink from above onto the front surface M1 of the printing medium M transported along the front surface M1 by the color transport unit 25.

[0032] At this time, the front surface M1 of the printing medium M transported by the color transport unit 25 faces upward, and the back surface M2 of the printing medium M faces downward. More specifically, the printing medium M is transported through the transport entrance 111 with its front surface M1 facing upward, and is transported by the transport unit 21 from the other side X2 to the one side X1. After passing through the transport unit 21, the printing medium M is turned upside down by the upward transport unit 22 and the upper transport unit 23, and then transported by the upper transport unit 23 from the one side X1 to the other side X2. Therefore, the front surface M1 of the printing medium M transported by the upper transport unit 23 faces downward. After passing through the upper transport unit 23, the printing medium M is turned upside down by the downward transport unit 24 and the color transport unit 25, and then transported by the color transport unit 25 from the other side X2 to the one side X1. Therefore, the front surface M1 of the printing medium M transported by the color transport unit 25 faces upward.

[0033] The transport unit 2 also has rollers 261 and 262 that come into contact with the printing medium M upstream of the color transport unit 25 in the traveling direction of the printing medium M. The roller 261 is a drive roller that drives the printing medium M.

[0034] Furthermore, the transport unit 2 has a reversing transport unit 27 that turns upside down twice the printing medium M transported from the color transport unit 25 to one side X1. This reversing transport unit 27 has multiple rollers 271, 272 that are arranged in the Z direction on one side X1 of the color transport unit 25 and come into contact with the back surface M2 of the printing medium M. Of the multiple rollers 271, 272, the uppermost roller 271 is a drive roller that drives the printing medium M. This roller 271 bends the printing medium M transported from the color transport unit 25 downward, thereby changing the traveling direction of the printing medium M from one side X1 to the bottom. In addition, the lowermost roller 272 bends the printing medium M transported from the roller 271 to the other side X2, thereby changing the traveling direction of the printing medium M from the bottom to the other side X2. In this way, the rollers 271, 272 contacting the back surface M2 of the printing medium M turn the printing medium M upside down, so that the back surface M2 of the printing medium M faces upward and the front surface M1 of the printing medium M faces downward.

[0035] The reverse conveying section 27 also has a plurality of rollers 273 that are arranged in the X direction below the color conveying section 25 and on the other side X2 of the rollers 272 and that come into contact with the back surface M2 of the printing medium M. These rollers 273 convey the printing medium M conveyed from the rollers 272 from one side X1 to the other side X2. In this way, the printing medium M with the back surface M2 facing upward is conveyed from one side X1 to the other side X2 by the plurality of rollers 273 that come into contact with the back surface M2 of the printing medium M.

[0036] Furthermore, the reverse conveying section 27 has a plurality of rollers 273 and a plurality of rollers 274, 276, and 277 that are arranged in the Z direction on the other side X2 of the downward conveying section 24 and that come into contact with the back surface M2 of the printing medium M. Of the plurality of rollers 274 to 277, the bottom roller 274 bends the printing medium M conveyed from the plurality of rollers 273 upward, thereby changing the traveling direction of the printing medium M from the other side X2 to the top, and the top roller 277 bends the printing medium M conveyed from roller 274 via roller 276 toward one side X1, thereby changing the traveling direction of the printing medium M from the top to one side X1. In this way, the rollers 274 to 277 that come into contact with the back surface M2 of the printing medium M turn the printing medium M upside down, so that the front surface M1 of the printing medium M faces upward and the back surface M2 of the printing medium M faces downward.

[0037] The reverse conveying section 27 also has a roller 278 that is disposed above the upper conveying section 23 and on one side X1 of the roller 277 and that comes into contact with the back surface M2 of the printing medium M. The roller 278 conveys the printing medium M conveyed from the roller 277 from the other side X2 toward the one side X1. In this way, the roller 278 that comes into contact with the back surface M2 of the printing medium M conveys the printing medium M with the front surface M1 facing upward from the other side X2 toward the one side X1.

[0038] In this way, the reverse conveying unit 27 conveys the printing medium M conveyed from the color conveying unit 25 downward by the rollers 271 and 272, and then changes the traveling direction of the printing medium M to the other side X2 by the roller 272 and conveys the printing medium M upside down, thereby inverting the front surface M1 and back surface M2 of the printing medium M. Next, the reverse conveying unit 27 conveys the printing medium M from the one side X1 to the other side X2 by the multiple rollers 273, and then conveys the printing medium M upward by the rollers 274 to 277. Furthermore, the reverse conveying unit 27 changes the traveling direction of the printing medium M to the one side X1 by the roller 277, thereby again inverting the front surface M1 and back surface M2 of the printing medium M upside down, and conveys the printing medium M from the other side X2 to the one side X1 by the roller 278.

[0039] In this way, the reverse conveying unit 27 turns the front surface M1 and back surface M2 of the printing medium M upside down twice using only the rollers 271-278, which come into contact with the back surface M2 of the printing medium M and rotate while wrapping the back surface M2 around it. In other words, the reverse conveying unit 27 can turn the front surface M1 and back surface M2 of the printing medium M upside down twice without providing any support members such as rollers or air turn bars on the front surface M1 side of the printing medium M.

[0040] The conveying unit 2 also has a white conveying unit 28 that is provided above the upper conveying unit 23 and on one side X1 of the rollers 278 of the reverse conveying unit 27. This white conveying unit 28 has rollers 281, and the printing medium M conveyed from the rollers 278 of the reverse conveying unit 27 is supported below the white printing unit 13 by the rollers 281. In this way, the rollers 281 of the white conveying unit 28 contact from below the back surface M2 of the printing medium M conveyed from the rollers 278 of the reverse conveying unit 27, thereby supporting the printing medium M from below and conveying the printing medium M from the other side X2 to the one side X1. The ejection head 131 of the white printing unit 13 then ejects white ink from above onto the front surface M1 of the printing medium M that is conveyed along the front surface M1 by the white conveying unit 28.

[0041] Furthermore, the transport unit 2 has an output unit 29 that is provided above the upper transport unit 23 and on one side X1 of the white transport unit 28. The output unit 29 has a plurality of rollers 291, 292, 293 that are arranged in the X direction and that come into contact with the back surface M2 of the printing medium M. The roller 291 is a drive roller that drives the printing medium M, and the rollers 292 and 293 rotate as the printing medium M is transported. Meanwhile, an output opening 112 opens in the side wall on the one side X1 of the housing 11, and the plurality of rollers 291 to 293 of the output unit 29 transport the printing medium M from the other side X2 toward the one side X1 while contacting the back surface M2 of the printing medium M from below, thereby transporting the printing medium M from the other side X2 toward the one side X1.

[0042] In the printing device 1 described above, the transport unit 2 transports the printing medium M along the path shown in FIG. 1 using multiple rollers. The color printing unit 12 ejects color inks onto the printing medium M transported by the transport unit 2 to print a color image (color image printing), and the white printing unit 13 ejects white ink onto the printing medium M to print a white image (white image printing). In this printing device 1, some of the color inks ejected from each ejection head 121 of the color printing unit 12 scatter as ink mist. Also, some of the white ink ejected from the ejection head 131 of the white printing unit 13 scatters as ink mist. Therefore, the printing device 1 is provided with a mist collection unit 3 (FIG. 2) for collecting the ink mist. Note that the following description will focus on the mist collection unit 3 for the color printing unit 12, but a similar mist collection unit 3 can also be provided for the white printing unit 13.

[0043] FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a mist collection unit included in the printing apparatus of FIG. 1. In FIG. 2, the rollers included in the transport unit 2 are collectively referred to as rollers 201. FIG. 2 also illustrates one of a pair of support plates 202 included in the transport unit 2. That is, the transport unit 2 has a pair of support plates 202 arranged with a gap in the Y direction. The roller 201 is arranged parallel to the Y direction between the pair of support plates 202 and is rotatably supported by the pair of support plates 202. The print medium M is transported in the transport direction Dm by the transport unit 2.

[0044] The mist collection unit 3 has a collection nozzle 4 that is arranged above the print medium M supported by the transport unit 2. In particular, the mist collection unit 3 is provided with a plurality of collection nozzles 4 corresponding to the plurality of ejection heads 121, respectively, and each of the plurality of collection nozzles 4 is arranged downstream in the transport direction Dm of the corresponding ejection head 121. A base frame 14 is arranged between the collection nozzle 4 and the ejection head 121 that corresponds to the collection nozzle 4, and the collection nozzle 4 is fixed to the corresponding ejection head 121 by the base frame 14.

[0045] FIG. 3A is a perspective view schematically illustrating the exterior configuration of the collection nozzle, and FIG. 3B is a front view schematically illustrating the exterior configuration of the collection nozzle. FIG. 3A illustrates one side Y1 and the other side Y2 in the Y direction, and the downstream side Dmd and the upstream side Dmu in the conveying direction Dm. Here, the one side Y1 and the other side Y2 face in opposite directions, and the downstream side Dmd and the upstream side Dmu face in opposite directions. As shown in FIG. 2, the mist collection unit 3 has multiple collection nozzles 4 with different inclinations, but these nozzles share a common configuration except for the inclinations. Therefore, FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate a mist collection unit 3 arranged parallel to the Z direction.

[0046] The recovery nozzle 4 has a nozzle housing 41 that is long in the Y direction, and a flow path space S (FIGS. 5A and 5B) that serves as an air flow path is provided inside the nozzle housing 41. The nozzle housing 41 has side covers 411 and 412 that are spaced apart in the transfer direction Dm. The side cover 411 stands upright parallel to the Z direction on the upstream side Dmu of the side cover 412 (i.e., on the side of the corresponding ejection head 121). The side cover 412 stands upright parallel to the Z direction on the downstream side Dmd of the side cover 411 (i.e., on the opposite side of the corresponding ejection head 121).

[0047] The nozzle housing 41 also has side covers 413 and 414 spaced apart in the Y direction. The side cover 413 extends in the Z direction while inclining in the Z direction on one side Y1 of the side cover 414. The side cover 414 stands parallel to the Z direction on the other side Y2 of the side cover 413. The side covers 411, 412, 413, and 414 surround the flow path space S inside the nozzle housing 41 from the sides (horizontally). The side cover 411 also has a top cover 415 that is provided to connect the upper ends of the side covers 411, 412, 413, and 414. The top cover 415 covers the flow path space S surrounded by the side covers 411, 412, 413, and 414 from above.

[0048] A bottom cover 417 extending in the Y direction is provided on the bottom 416 of the nozzle housing 41. The bottom cover 417 is provided horizontally so as to connect the side covers 412, 414. In other words, the side cover 412 stands upward from the end of the bottom cover 417 on the downstream side Dmd, and the side cover 414 stands upward from the end of the bottom cover 417 on the other side Y2. The bottom cover 417 extends from the lower end of the side cover 412 to the upstream side Dmu, and faces the end of the upstream side Dmu of the flow path space S inside the nozzle housing 41 from below.

[0049] Furthermore, the nozzle housing 41 has a nozzle intake section 42 that protrudes downward from the bottom cover 417 at the bottom 416 of the nozzle housing 41. The nozzle intake section 42 extends in the Y direction so as to be adjacent to the bottom cover 417 from the upstream side Dmu. The nozzle intake section 42 is provided between the bottom cover 417 and the side cover 411 in the transport direction Dm. This nozzle intake section 42 faces the flow path space S from below, on the upstream side Dmu of the bottom cover 417 and the downstream side Dmd of the side cover 411. An intake opening Ani that extends in the Y direction opens downward in a bottom plate 421 provided at the lower end of the nozzle intake section 42. The intake opening Ani faces from above the surface M1 of the printing medium M supported by the rollers 201 of the transport unit 2. This intake opening Ani communicates with the flow path space S inside the nozzle housing 41.

[0050] The nozzle housing 41 also has a nozzle exhaust section 43 that protrudes downward from the bottom 416. The nozzle exhaust section 43 is located downstream Dmd from the nozzle intake section 42 and on one side Y1 of the bottom cover 417. This nozzle exhaust section 43 is offset to one side Y1 in the Y direction from the printing medium M supported by the rollers 201 of the conveyance section 2, and does not face the printing medium M. At the lower end of this nozzle exhaust section 43, an exhaust opening Ano opens downward. This exhaust opening Ano communicates with the flow path space S inside the nozzle housing 41. At the lower end of the nozzle exhaust section 43, a flange 431 is provided to surround the exhaust opening Ano.

[0051] As described above, the recovery nozzle 4 has an intake opening Ani that faces the printing medium M from above, and an exhaust opening Ano that is offset in the Y direction from the printing medium M. The intake opening Ani and the exhaust opening Ano are connected to each other via a flow path space S inside the nozzle housing 41. Therefore, as will be described later, when the exhaust opening Ano is sucked, an airflow Fn (FIGS. 5A and 5B) is formed that flows from the intake opening Ani through the flow path space S to the exhaust opening Ano.

[0052] Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a typical internal configuration of the recovery nozzle, Figs. 5A and 5B are cross-sectional views showing a typical internal configuration of the recovery nozzle, and Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a typical operation of the recovery nozzle. The recovery nozzle 4 has a partition wall 441 arranged in the flow path space S. The partition wall 441 is provided between the side covers 411 and 412 in the transport direction Dm and extends in the Z direction. The partition wall 441 faces the side cover 411 from the downstream side Dmd and faces the side cover 412 from the upstream side Dmu.

[0053] The partition wall 441 and the side cover 411 are erected in the X direction from both ends of the bottom plate 421 of the nozzle intake unit 42 in the transport direction Dm, with the lower end of the partition wall 441 forming a side wall on the downstream side Dmd of the nozzle intake unit 42, and the lower end of the side cover 411 forming a side wall on the upstream side Dmu of the nozzle intake unit 42. A gap Ci is formed between the side cover 411 and the partition wall 441 in the transport direction Dm, and the intake opening Ani faces and communicates with the gap Ci from below. Furthermore, a gap Co is formed between the side cover 411 and the partition wall 441 in the transport direction Dm. The gap Ci and the gap Co communicate with each other above the partition wall 441. Furthermore, the nozzle exhaust unit 43 is connected to the end of one side Y1 of the gap Co, so that the gap Co and the exhaust opening Ano communicate with each other. Therefore, the airflow Fn flows from the intake opening Ani through the gap Ci and the gap Co in this order to reach the exhaust opening Ano.

[0054] The recovery nozzle 4 also has an eave 443 (FIGS. 4 and 5B) provided at the upper end 442 of the partition wall 441. The eave 443 curves upward from the upper end 442 of the partition wall 441 and protrudes toward the downstream side Dmd. That is, the eave 443 protrudes from the partition wall 441 into the gap Co. The eave 443 is provided biased toward the exhaust opening Ano (one side Y1) with respect to the upper end of the partition wall 441. That is, the eave 443 is provided in a range between positions Pa and Pb in the Y direction at the upper end 442 of the partition wall 441. Here, position Pa is the end position of the one side Y1 of the upper end 442 of the partition wall 441, and position Pb is a position between the end position of the one side Y1 and the end position of the other side Y2 of the upper end 442 of the partition wall 441 (an intermediate position in this example). Therefore, in the range where the eave 443 is not provided (FIG. 5A), the airflow Fn flowing from the gap Ci to the gap Co is not particularly restricted. On the other hand, in the range where the eaves 443 is provided (FIG. 5B), the airflow Fn flowing from the gap Ci to the gap Co is restricted by the eaves 443. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6, in the range close to the exhaust opening Ano in the Y direction, the airflow Fn is restricted by the eaves 443, but in the range far from the exhaust opening Ano in the Y direction, the airflow Fn is not restricted by the eaves 443. By providing such eaves 443, it is possible to suppress variation in the Y direction of the suction force supplied to the intake opening Ani.

[0055] 2, the mist collection unit 3 has a plurality of exhaust ducts 5 corresponding to the plurality of collection nozzles 4, and each of the plurality of exhaust ducts 5 is connected to a corresponding collection nozzle 4. The exhaust duct 5 has an exhaust connector 51 (FIG. 7) connected to a flange 431 of the corresponding collection nozzle 4.

[0056] FIG. 7 is a perspective view schematically illustrating the exhaust connector of the exhaust duct. The exhaust connector 51 has a flange 511 that faces the flange 431 of the recovery nozzle 4 from below. The exhaust connector 51 also has a duct opening Adi that opens upward in the flange 511. That is, the flange 511 is provided so as to protrude laterally from the duct opening Adi. The exhaust connector 51 also has a connector pipe 512 that extends downward from the flange 511 and communicates with the duct opening Adi. The connector pipe 512 extends at an angle downward toward one side X1 in the X direction. The exhaust connector 51 also has a flange 513 provided at the lower end of the connector pipe 512. Of the flange 511 at the upper end and the flange 513 at the lower end of the exhaust duct 5, at least the flange 513 is positioned below the print medium M supported by the rollers 201 of the transport unit 2.

[0057] The exhaust duct 5 also has a stay 52 that attaches the exhaust connector 51 to the support plate 202 of the conveying unit 2. The stay 52 is attached to the support plate 202 directly or via vibration-isolating rubber, a beam, or the like. The stay 52 has a mounting plate 521 that is supported horizontally. The flange 513 of the exhaust connector 51 contacts the mounting plate 521 of the stay 52 from above and is fastened to the mounting plate 521 with screws or the like. In this way, the exhaust connector 51 of the exhaust duct 5 is attached to the support plate 202 of the conveying unit 2 via the stay 52.

[0058] The exhaust duct 5 also has an exhaust pipe 53 (FIG. 2) attached to the lower end of the connector pipe 512. The exhaust pipe 53 is positioned below the print medium M supported by the rollers 201 of the conveyance unit 2. A through hole that opens to the connector pipe 512 is provided in the mounting plate 521, and the upper end of the exhaust pipe 53 is attached to the lower end of the connector pipe 512 from below through the through hole. In this way, the exhaust pipe 53 extends downward from the lower end of the connector pipe 512. The exhaust pipe 53 communicates with the duct opening Adi via the connector pipe 512.

[0059] Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 8, the mist collection unit 3 has a mist removal unit 6 and a suction unit 7. Fig. 8 is a side view showing the mist removal unit and the suction unit. The mist removal unit 6 and the suction unit 7 are disposed below the printing medium M supported by the rollers 201 of the transport unit 2, and face the printing medium M from below.

[0060] Each of the multiple exhaust ducts 5 is connected to the suction unit 7 via the mist removal unit 6. That is, the lower end of the exhaust pipe 53 of each of the multiple exhaust ducts 5 is connected to the mist removal unit 6. The mist removal unit 6 has a mist removal pipe 61 that connects the lower end of the exhaust duct 5 to the suction unit 7 and a filter attachment unit 62 provided for the mist removal pipe 61. A filter 31 can be attached to and detached from the filter attachment unit 62 from one side Y1 in the Y direction. The filter attachment unit 62 is, for example, a protrusion that protrudes inward inside the mist removal pipe 61. The filter 31 can be attached to the filter attachment unit 62 by placing the filter 31 on this protrusion. Note that, here, one mist removal pipe 61 and one filter 31 are provided in common for the multiple exhaust ducts 5, but one mist removal pipe 61 and one filter 31 may be provided individually for each of the multiple exhaust ducts 5.

[0061] The suction section 7 has a plurality of fan units 71 corresponding to the plurality of exhaust ducts 5, respectively, and each of the plurality of exhaust ducts 5 is connected to the corresponding fan unit 71 by a mist removal pipe 61. Each fan unit 71 has two suction fans 72, and the two suction fans 72 generate suction force to suck air from the mist removal pipe 61.

[0062] When the fan unit 71 starts and the suction fan 72 rotates, an airflow Fd is generated from the duct opening Adi through the connector pipe 512, the exhaust pipe 53, and the mist removal pipe 61 to the suction unit 7, and this airflow Fd sucks the duct opening Adi. In this way, the suction force generated by the fan unit 71 is supplied to the duct opening Adi through the mist removal pipe 61, the exhaust pipe 53, and the connector pipe 512. As described above, the exhaust opening Ano faces the duct opening Adi from above. Therefore, the suction force supplied to the duct opening Adi sucks the exhaust opening Ano, and an airflow Fn ( FIGS. 5A and 5B ) is formed that runs from the intake opening Ani to the exhaust opening Ano through the flow path space S. As a result, the ink mist sucked through the intake opening Ani rides on the airflow Fn and reaches the duct opening Adi. Furthermore, the ink mist that reaches the duct opening Adi rides on the airflow Fd and travels from the duct opening Adi toward the fan unit 71. Furthermore, the filter 31 is present in the middle of the airflow Fd that flows from the duct opening Adi toward the fan unit 71. Therefore, the filter 31 removes ink mist that is carried on the airflow Fd from the airflow Fd.

[0063] The printing device 1 also includes a lifting drive mechanism 17 that raises and lowers the base frame 14 that fixes the recovery nozzle 4 to the ejection head 121. The lifting drive mechanism 17 has a lifting plate 171 to which the base frame 14 is attached, and an actuator 172 that raises and lowers the lifting plate 171. When the actuator 172 raises the lifting plate 171, the lifting plate 171 rises, taking the ejection head 121 and the recovery nozzle 4 with it. When the actuator 172 lowers the lifting plate 171, the lifting plate 171 lowers, taking the ejection head 121 and the recovery nozzle 4 with it. As a result, the operation shown in FIG. 9 is performed.

[0064] 9 is a partial cross-sectional view that highlights and schematically illustrates the operations performed by raising and lowering the discharge head and recovery nozzle. As shown in FIG. 9, the discharge head 121 is driven in the Z direction by the actuator 172 between a print height Hhl and a non-print height Hhh that is higher than the print height Hhl (in other words, farther from the print medium M). The flange 431 is also driven in the Z direction by the actuator 172 between a proximity height Hnl and a separation height Hnh that is higher than the proximity height Hnl (in other words, farther from the flange 511).

[0065] During image printing, in which the ejection head 121 ejects color inks onto the print medium M to print a color image, the actuator 172 lowers the ejection head 121 and the recovery nozzle 4. As a result, as shown in the "During Image Printing" section of FIG. 9 , the ejection head 121 is positioned at the printing height Hhl and ejects ink onto the print medium M while facing the print medium M supported by the roller 201 from above. During this image printing, the flange 431 of the recovery nozzle 4 is positioned at the proximity height Hnl and faces the flange 511 from above. As a result, the exhaust opening Ano faces the duct opening Adi at the proximity height Hnl. The suction unit 7 also operates the suction fan 72 of the fan unit 71 to generate suction force. At this time, the flange 431 and the flange 511 are spaced apart from each other at the proximity height Hnl, leaving a gap between them in the Z direction. Therefore, a gap also exists in the Z direction between the exhaust opening Ano and the duct opening Adi at the proximity height Hnl. However, because this gap is very small, the suction force supplied to the duct opening Adi by the suction unit 7 is sufficiently transmitted to the exhaust opening Ano, generating the airflow Fn described above. As a result, the ink mist generated during image printing is collected by the airflow Fn and the airflow Fd from the intake opening Ani of the collection nozzle 4 into the filter 31.

[0066] During non-image printing, when the ejection head 121 is not printing a color image, the actuator 172 raises the ejection head 121 and the recovery nozzle 4. As a result, as shown in the "Non-Image Printing" column in Fig. 9, the ejection head 121 is positioned at a non-printing height Hhh and separated upward from the print medium M supported by the roller 201. During this non-image printing, the flange 431 of the recovery nozzle 4 is positioned at a separation height Hnh and separated upward from the flange 511.

[0067] In the embodiment described above, the recovery nozzle 4 is provided with a recovery nozzle 4 for recovering ink mist. The recovery nozzle 4 has a nozzle intake section 42 provided with an intake opening Ani and a nozzle exhaust section 43 provided with an exhaust opening Ano that communicates with the intake opening Ani. Furthermore, the recovery nozzle 4 is provided with a fan unit 71 (suction source) and an exhaust duct 5 (suction duct). The exhaust duct 5 has an exhaust connector 51 (duct intake section) provided with a duct opening Adi that faces the exhaust opening Ano of the recovery nozzle 4. The suction force generated by the fan unit 71 is supplied to the duct opening Adi by the exhaust duct 5. As described above, the exhaust opening Ano of the nozzle exhaust section 43 faces the duct opening Adi of the exhaust connector 51. Therefore, the suction force supplied to the duct opening Adi generates an airflow Fn that flows from the intake opening Ani through the exhaust opening Ano and into the duct opening Adi. This airflow Fn sucks the mist through the intake opening Ani of the recovery nozzle 4. In other words, the recovery nozzle 4 recovers the ink mist by suction force supplied from the fan unit 71 via the exhaust duct 5. By arranging this recovery nozzle 4 alongside the ejection head 121, it is possible to recover the mist near the ejection head 121, which is the source of the ink mist. At this time, the nozzle exhaust section 43 and the exhaust connector 51 (exhaust duct 5) are spaced apart from each other. Therefore, the transmission of vibrations from the exhaust connector 51 to the nozzle exhaust section 43 is suppressed. As a result, it is possible to recover the mist near the ejection head 121, which is the source of the ink mist, while suppressing the transmission of vibrations from the fan unit 71, which generates suction force to recover the mist, to the ejection head 121.

[0068] Furthermore, the recovery nozzle 4 is fixed to the ejection head 121. In this configuration, the positional relationship of the recovery nozzle 4 with respect to the ejection head 121 is maintained, and the ink mist can be recovered by the recovery nozzle 4 near the ejection head 121.

[0069] The device also includes an elevation drive mechanism 17 (head drive unit) that moves the ejection head 121 between a printing height Hhl (printing position) and a non-printing height Hhh (non-printing position) that is spaced apart from the printing height Hhl and the printing medium M. When the ejection head 121 is positioned at the printing height Hhl, it ejects ink onto the printing medium M to print an image, but does not print an image when positioned at the non-printing height Hhh. The recovery nozzle 4 moves along with the ejection head 121. At this time, the nozzle exhaust unit 43 is positioned at a proximity height Hnl (proximity position) when the ejection head 121 is positioned at the printing height Hhl, and at a separation height Hnh (separation position) that is spaced apart from the exhaust connector 51 (duct intake unit) from the proximity height Hnl when the ejection head 121 is positioned at the non-printing height Hhh. The fan unit 71 generates a suction force during the period when image printing is being performed. That is, the ejection head 121 can be configured to be positioned at a printing height Hhl when printing an image, and at a non-printing height Hhh when printing a non-image, which is farther from the print medium M than the printing height Hhl. However, with this configuration, the recovery nozzle 4 moves along with the ejection head 121, so the nozzle exhaust section 43 is farther from the exhaust connector 51 when printing a non-image than when printing an image. Therefore, for example, if the exhaust opening Ano of the nozzle exhaust section 43 and the duct opening Adi of the exhaust connector 51 are connected by piping, it would be necessary to provide a flexible and long piping, which could result in a loss of suction force (pressure loss). In contrast, this embodiment eliminates this need.

[0070] Furthermore, the recovery nozzle 4 and the fan unit 71 (suction source) are disposed on opposite sides of the print medium M supported by the transport unit 2. In this configuration, the opposite side of the recovery nozzle 4 with respect to the print medium M can be effectively used for disposing the fan unit 71, while the fan unit 71 can be disposed close to the recovery nozzle 4.

[0071] Furthermore, the exhaust opening Ano and the duct opening Adi face each other in the Y direction (the width direction of the printing medium M) perpendicular to the transport direction Dm, at a position away from the printing medium M. In this configuration, the outside of the printing medium M in the Y direction is effectively utilized to make the exhaust opening Ano and the duct opening Adi face each other, thereby enabling the suction force to be transmitted accurately from the duct opening Adi to the exhaust opening Ano.

[0072] Furthermore, the exhaust duct 5 (suction duct) is fixed to the support plate 202 of the transport unit 2 (print medium transport unit). With this configuration, transmission of vibrations from the exhaust duct 5 to the ejection head 121 can be suppressed.

[0073] In addition, a filter mounting portion 62 (filter mounting portion) that detachably holds a filter 31 is provided between the exhaust duct 5 (suction duct) and the fan unit 71 (suction source). The filter 31 mounted on this filter mounting portion 62 removes mist from the airflow Fd that flows from the duct opening Adi toward the fan unit 71. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent the fan unit 71 from being contaminated by the collected ink mist.

[0074] The recovery nozzle 4 also has a nozzle housing 41 (nozzle main body) arranged above the print medium M. The nozzle housing 41 has side covers 411 (first side wall) and 412 (second side wall) provided on both sides of the intake opening Ani in the transport direction Dm and erected above the intake opening Ani. Inside the nozzle housing 41, a partition wall 441 is provided between the side covers 411 and 412 in the transport direction Dm, erected above the intake opening Ani. The intake opening Ani is located between the partition wall 441 and the side cover 411 in the transport direction Dm. The exhaust opening Ano is also provided on one side Y1 of the intake opening Ani in the Y direction (width direction of the print medium). The airflow Fn flowing in from the intake opening Ani rises through the gap Ci between the side cover 411 and the partition wall 441 up to the upper end 442 of the partition wall 441, then descends through the gap Co between the side cover 412 and the partition wall 441, and reaches the exhaust opening Ano. In response to this, the recovery nozzle 4 has an eave 443 (airflow restricting portion) that protrudes from the upper end 442 of the partition wall 441 toward the side cover 412. This eave 443 is provided in the Y direction from a position Pa at the end on one side Y1 of the upper end 442 of the partition wall 441 to a position Pb on the one side Y1 from the end on the other side Y2 of the upper end 442 of the partition wall 441. With this configuration, variation in suction force at the intake opening Ani in the Y direction is suppressed, enabling ink mist to be sucked in uniformly.

[0075] The fan unit 71 is made up of two suction fans 72. With this configuration, a large suction force can be generated.

[0076] Furthermore, a gap is provided between the flange 431 of the nozzle exhaust section 43 and the flange 511 of the exhaust connector 51 of the exhaust duct 5. In other words, a gap is provided between the nozzle exhaust section 43 and the exhaust duct 5, and only gas (air) is present in the gap (in other words, no material fills the gap). Therefore, transmission of vibration from the exhaust connector 51 to the nozzle exhaust section 43 is suppressed.

[0077] As described above, the printing apparatus 1 includes a housing 11. The housing 11 has a schematic configuration shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B. FIGS. 10A and 10B are diagrams that schematically illustrate the general configuration of the housing. The housing 11 accommodates components such as the transport unit 2, multiple ejection heads 121, multiple base frames 14, an elevation drive mechanism 17, and a mist collection unit 3. The housing 11 also includes a front cover 115 that faces the components, such as the transport unit 2, multiple ejection heads 121, multiple base frames 14, an elevation drive mechanism 17, and a mist collection unit 3, from one side Y1. The front cover 115 has an access opening 116 that faces the filter attachment unit 62 from the one side Y1. The front cover 115 also includes an access door 117 that opens and closes the access opening 116. When the working door 117 closes the working opening 116, the filter mounting portion 62 is covered by the working door 117. On the other hand, when the working door 117 opens the working opening 116, the filter mounting portion 62 is exposed to the one side Y1 through the working opening 116.

[0078] As described above, the printer is provided with a housing 11 that houses the transport unit 2 (print medium transport unit), the ejection head 121, the recovery nozzle 4, the suction unit 7 (suction source), and the exhaust duct 5 (suction duct). The housing 11 is provided with an access door 117 (door) that can be opened and closed by an operator, and when the access door 117 is opened, the filter attachment unit 62 is exposed. With this configuration, an operator can easily replace the filter 31 through the access opening 116.

[0079] In the above embodiment, no particular member is provided between the flange 431 of the nozzle exhaust portion 43 and the flange 511 of the exhaust connector 51. Alternatively, a buffer material 32 (FIGS. 11 and 12) may be provided between them.

[0080] Fig. 11 is a perspective view showing the external configuration of the cushioning material, and Fig. 12 is a partial cross-sectional view showing, with emphasis, the operation performed by raising and lowering the discharge head and recovery nozzle in a configuration equipped with the cushioning material. The only difference between the operation example in Fig. 9 and the operation example in Fig. 12 is the presence or absence of the cushioning material 32, so this difference will be mainly explained, and the same parts will be assigned the same reference numerals and explanations thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

[0081] The cushioning material 32 is made of sponge or rubber and is configured with a frame 321 that surrounds a communication opening A32 that penetrates in the Z direction. In other words, the communication opening A32 is provided in the center of the cushioning material 32. The cushioning material 32 is provided between the flange 431 and the flange 511 and is adhered to the bottom surface of the flange 431. When the flange 431 is positioned at the separation height Hnh during non-image printing, the cushioning material 32 is separated upward from the flange 511.

[0082] On the other hand, when the flange 431 is positioned at the proximity height Hnl during image printing, the cushioning material 32 comes into contact with the upper surface of the flange 511. In particular, the cushioning material 32 comes into contact with both the bottom surface of the flange 431 and the upper surface of the flange 511, and is crushed and deformed by the flanges 431 and 511 in the Z direction. In other words, the cushioning material 32 fills the gap between the flanges 431 and 511. During this image printing, the communication opening A32 faces the exhaust opening Ano from below and faces the duct opening Adi from above, and the exhaust opening Ano and the duct opening Adi communicate with each other via the communication opening A32.

[0083] As described above, during image printing, the suction unit 7 operates the suction fan 72 of the fan unit 71 to generate suction force. The suction force supplied to the duct opening Adi by the suction unit 7 is transmitted to the exhaust opening Ano via the communication opening A32, generating the airflow Fn described above. As a result, the ink mist generated during image printing is collected by the airflow Fn and the airflow Fd from the intake opening Ani of the recovery nozzle 4 into the filter 31.

[0084] In this embodiment, a cushioning material 32 is provided, which is disposed between the nozzle exhaust section 43 and the exhaust connector 51 (duct intake section) and comes into contact with the flange 431 of the nozzle exhaust section 43 and the flange 511 of the exhaust connector 51. This cushioning material 32 is provided with a communication opening A32 that faces the exhaust opening Ano and the duct opening Adi, thereby connecting the exhaust opening Ano and the duct opening Adi to each other. In this configuration, the communication opening A32 provided in the cushioning material 32 accurately transmits suction force from the duct opening Adi to the exhaust opening Ano, while the cushioning material 32 can suppress the transmission of vibrations from the exhaust connector 51 to the nozzle exhaust section 43.

[0085] 13A and 13B are cross-sectional views schematically illustrating a modified internal configuration of the recovery nozzle. The difference from the example of FIGS. 5A and 5B is that the recovery nozzle does not include a bottom plate 421. Therefore, the following description will focus on the differences, and the common features will be denoted by corresponding reference numerals and omitted where appropriate. In this modified example, a partition wall 441 and a side cover 411 are erected in the Z direction from both ends of the bottom 422 of the nozzle intake section 42 in the transport direction Dm. The lower end of the partition wall 441 forms a side wall on the downstream side Dmd of the nozzle intake section 42, and the lower end of the side cover 411 forms a side wall on the upstream side Dmu of the nozzle intake section 42. An intake opening Ani is provided between the lower end of the side cover 411 and the lower end of the partition wall 441. A gap Ci is formed between the side cover 411 and the partition wall 441 in the transport direction Dm, and the intake opening Ani faces and communicates with the gap Ci from below.

[0086] In the embodiment described above, the printing medium M corresponds to an example of the "printing medium" of the present invention, the transport direction Dm corresponds to an example of the "transport direction" of the present invention, the transport unit 2 corresponds to an example of the "printing medium transport unit" of the present invention, the ejection head 121 corresponds to an example of the "ejection head" of the present invention, the intake opening Ani corresponds to an example of the "intake opening" of the present invention, the nozzle intake unit 42 corresponds to an example of the "nozzle intake unit" of the present invention, the exhaust opening Ano corresponds to an example of the "exhaust opening" of the present invention, and the nozzle exhaust unit 43 corresponds to an example of the " the recovery nozzle 4 corresponds to an example of a "recovery nozzle" of the present invention; the fan unit 71 corresponds to an example of a "suction source" of the present invention; the duct opening Adi corresponds to an example of a "duct opening" of the present invention; the exhaust connector 51 corresponds to an example of a "duct intake section" of the present invention; the exhaust duct 5 corresponds to an example of a "suction duct" of the present invention; the printing device 1 corresponds to an example of a "printing device" of the present invention; the cushioning material 32 corresponds to an example of a "cushioning material" of the present invention; and the communication opening A32 corresponds to an example of a "communication" of the present invention. The print height Hhl corresponds to an example of the "print position" of the present invention, the non-print height Hhh corresponds to an example of the "non-print position" of the present invention, the lift drive mechanism 17 corresponds to an example of the "head drive unit" of the present invention, the proximity height Hnl corresponds to an example of the "proximity position" of the present invention, the separation height Hnh corresponds to an example of the "separation position" of the present invention, the Y direction corresponds to an example of the "width direction" of the present invention, the filter 31 corresponds to an example of the "filter" of the present invention, and the filter attachment part 62 corresponds to an example of the "filter" of the present invention. The housing 11 corresponds to an example of a "housing" of the present invention, the working door 117 corresponds to an example of a "door" of the present invention, the nozzle housing 41 corresponds to an example of a "nozzle main body" of the present invention, the side cover 411 corresponds to an example of a "first side wall" of the present invention, the side cover 412 corresponds to an example of a "second side wall" of the present invention, the partition 441 corresponds to an example of a "partition" of the present invention, the canopy 443 corresponds to an example of an "airflow restriction section" of the present invention, and the suction fan 72 corresponds to an example of a "fan" of the present invention.

[0087] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications other than those described above are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the period during which the suction fan 72 operates is not limited to when images are being printed. Therefore, the suction fan 72 may operate during both image printing and non-image printing.

[0088] Furthermore, the number and arrangement of the suction fans 72 can be changed as appropriate.

[0089] Furthermore, the cushioning material 32 may be bonded to the flange 511 instead of the flange 431 .

[0090] Furthermore, various materials are conceivable for the flanges 431 and 511. In other words, these materials may be resin or metal. [Industrial Applicability]

[0091] The present invention is applicable to all techniques for collecting ink mist that is generated when ink is ejected onto a print medium to print an image. [Explanation of symbols]

[0092] Code List 1...Printing device 11...Housing 117...Work door 121...Discharge head 17...Lifting drive mechanism 2...Transport section 31...Filter 32...Cushioning material 4...Recovery nozzle 41...Nozzle housing 411...Side cover 412...Side cover 42...Nozzle intake 43...Nozzle exhaust section 441...Bulkhead 443...Eaves 5...Exhaust duct 51...Exhaust connector 62...Filter mounting part 71...Fan unit 72...Suction fan A32...Communication opening Adi...Duct opening Ani...Intake opening Ano...Exhaust opening Dm: Conveying direction Hhh...Non-printing height Hhl...print height Hnh: separation height Hnl: proximity height M…Print media

Claims

1. a print medium transport unit that transports the print medium in a transport direction; an ejection head that ejects ink onto the printing medium; a collection nozzle that is aligned with the ejection head in the transport direction and that has a nozzle intake section that is provided with an intake opening that faces the print medium and a nozzle exhaust section that is provided with an exhaust opening that communicates with the intake opening; a suction source that generates suction force; a suction duct having a duct intake section provided with a duct opening facing the exhaust opening of the recovery nozzle, the suction duct supplying the suction force generated by the suction source to the duct opening; Equipped with The exhaust opening of the nozzle exhaust section and the duct opening of the duct intake section are opposed to each other, so that the suction force supplied to the duct opening generates an airflow that flows from the intake opening through the exhaust opening into the duct opening, and mist is sucked in from the intake opening by the airflow, The nozzle exhaust section and the duct intake section are spaced apart from each other.

2. a buffer material disposed between the nozzle exhaust portion and the duct intake portion and in contact with the nozzle exhaust portion and the duct intake portion, The buffer material is provided with a communication opening, 2. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein the communication opening faces the exhaust opening and the duct opening, and communicates the exhaust opening and the duct opening with each other.

3. 3. The printing device according to claim 2, wherein the cushioning material is a sponge or rubber.

4. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the recovery nozzle is fixed to the ejection head.

5. a head drive unit that moves the ejection head between a printing position and a non-printing position that is spaced apart from the printing position from the print medium; the ejection head, when positioned at the printing position, ejects ink onto the print medium to print an image, while not printing an image when positioned at the non-printing position; the recovery nozzle moves along with the ejection head; the nozzle exhaust unit is located at a proximity position when the ejection head is located at the printing position, and is located at a remote position that is farther away from the duct intake unit than the proximity position when the ejection head is located at the non-printing position; The printing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the suction source generates the suction force during the period in which the image printing is performed.

6. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the collection nozzle and the suction source are disposed on opposite sides of the print medium.

7. The printing device according to claim 1 , wherein the exhaust opening and the duct opening face each other at positions offset from the printing medium in a width direction of the printing medium that is perpendicular to the transport direction.

8. The printing device according to claim 1 , wherein the suction duct is fixed to the print medium transport section.

9. 2. A printing device according to claim 1, further comprising a filter mounting section that detachably holds a filter between the suction duct and the suction source, wherein the filter mounted on the filter mounting section removes mist from the airflow flowing from the duct opening toward the suction source.

10. a housing that houses the print medium transport unit, the ejection head, the recovery nozzle, the suction source, and the suction duct; The printing device according to claim 9 , wherein the housing has an access opening at a position opposite to the filter mounting portion.

11. the recovery nozzle has a nozzle body positioned above the print medium; the nozzle body has a first side wall and a second side wall that are provided on both sides of the intake opening in the conveying direction and that stand above the intake opening, a partition wall is provided inside the nozzle body between the first side wall and the second side wall in the conveying direction, the partition wall being erected above the intake opening; the intake opening is located between the partition wall and the first side wall in the conveying direction, the exhaust opening is provided on one side of the intake opening in a width direction of the print medium that is perpendicular to the transport direction, the airflow flowing in from the intake opening rises between the first side wall and the partition wall to an upper end of the partition wall, then descends between the second side wall and the partition wall, and reaches the exhaust opening, the recovery nozzle has an airflow restricting portion that protrudes from an upper end of the partition wall toward the second side wall, The printing device according to claim 1 , wherein the airflow restricting portion is provided across the width direction from a position on one side of an upper end of the partition wall to a position on the one side of the other upper end of the partition wall.

12. 2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the suction source is a fan.

13. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a gap is provided between the nozzle exhaust section and the duct intake section.

14. a step of transporting the print medium in a transport direction by a print medium transport unit; ejecting ink from an ejection head onto the print medium; a step of recovering ink by the recovery nozzle using suction force supplied from a suction source through a suction duct; Equipped with the recovery nozzle has a nozzle intake section provided with an intake opening facing the print medium, and a nozzle exhaust section provided with an exhaust opening communicating with the intake opening, and is aligned with the ejection head in the transport direction; the suction duct has a duct intake portion provided with a duct opening facing the exhaust opening of the recovery nozzle, and supplies the suction force generated by the suction source to the duct opening; The exhaust opening of the nozzle exhaust section and the duct opening of the duct intake section are opposed to each other, so that the suction force supplied to the duct opening generates an airflow that flows from the intake opening through the exhaust opening into the duct opening, and mist is sucked in from the intake opening by the airflow, The nozzle exhaust section and the duct intake section are spaced apart from each other.

Images