Printing apparatus

Abstract

To provide a printing device capable of performing a more appropriate drying process on a print medium that has been subjected to a printing process, and capable of obtaining stable print quality. [Solution] The device comprises a shuttle unit 4 that performs a printing process on the printing medium, and a drying unit 5 that takes in gas from the surrounding area and blows the gas onto the printing medium that has been subjected to the printing process to dry it. The drying unit 5 is configured to be able to take in gas from multiple directions around it, and selects from the multiple directions the direction that can take in gas with the highest drying ability, and takes in the gas from the selected direction.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a printing device that performs a printing process on a print medium and also performs a drying process on the print medium that has been subjected to the printing process. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, inkjet printing devices have been proposed that perform printing by ejecting ink from an inkjet head onto a printing medium such as paper, film, or building material.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 proposes an inkjet printer that performs a printing process on a print medium, sets drying conditions according to the temperature and humidity of the environment in which the device is installed, and performs a drying process. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-292837 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Here, in a small device such as the inkjet printer described in Patent Document 1, the location of the measuring means for the environmental temperature and humidity is less dependent, and in a device where the location where the printing process is performed (the position of the inkjet head) is fixed, it is sufficient to place the measuring means near that location.

[0006] However, in large devices or devices in which the location where the printing process is performed (the position of the inkjet head) moves as the printing process progresses, the environmental temperature and humidity may differ between the location where the measuring means is located and the location where the printing process is actually performed.

[0007] Furthermore, since the temperature and humidity of the environment are not the same in all directions surrounding the device, there is a problem in that the measurement results depend on the direction of measurement.

[0008] If the environmental temperature and humidity measurements are inappropriate, the drying process may not be sufficient, which may result in a deterioration in the quality of the printed matter.

[0009] In view of the above circumstances, the present invention aims to provide a printing device that can perform a more appropriate drying process on a printing medium that has been subjected to a printing process, thereby obtaining stable print image quality. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The printing device of the present invention comprises a printing unit that performs a printing process on a printing medium, and a drying unit that takes in surrounding gas and blows the gas onto the printing medium that has been subjected to the printing process to dry it, and the drying unit is configured to be able to take in gas from multiple surrounding directions, and selects from the multiple directions the direction that can take in gas with the highest drying ability, and takes in the gas from the selected direction. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the printing device of the present invention, the drying section is configured to be able to take in gas from multiple directions around it, and from among the multiple directions, the direction that can take in gas with the highest drying ability is selected, and the gas is taken in from the selected direction to perform the drying process, so that a more appropriate drying process can be performed and stable print quality can be obtained. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a schematic configuration of an inkjet printing apparatus main body using an embodiment of the printing apparatus of the present invention. [Figure 2] A diagram showing the schematic configuration of a shuttle unit. [Figure 3] Front view of the drying unit [Figure 4]Front view of air intake in the drying unit body [Figure 5] Left view of air intake in the drying unit body [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control system of an inkjet printing apparatus using an embodiment of the printing apparatus of the present invention. [Figure 7] Flowchart for explaining opening and closing control of the shutter of the capture unit [Figure 8] A table showing an example of the relationship between temperature and saturated water vapor amount, and an example of the temperature, humidity, saturated water vapor amount, and water vapor margin of air in each direction. [Figure 9] 1 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of an inkjet printing apparatus using an embodiment of the printing apparatus of the present invention. [Figure 10] A diagram showing an example of installing multiple drying unit bodies. [Figure 11] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing other configuration examples of the drying unit main body; [Figure 12] A front view of the drying unit body shown in Figure 11. [Figure 13] FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control system when the drying unit main body shown in FIG. 11 is installed. [Figure 14] A flowchart for explaining a process for determining the direction of the intake portion of the drying unit main body shown in FIG. 11. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] An inkjet printing apparatus using one embodiment of the printing apparatus of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The inkjet printing apparatus of this embodiment is characterized by a drying mechanism for the print medium on which the printing process is performed, but first, a general configuration of the inkjet printing apparatus main body of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the general configuration of the inkjet printing apparatus main body of this embodiment. In the following description of the embodiment, the up, down, left, right, front, and rear indicated by arrows in FIG. 1 are defined as the up, down, left, right, front, and rear directions of the inkjet printing apparatus main body.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, the inkjet printing apparatus main body 1 of this embodiment includes a shuttle base unit 2, a flatbed unit 3, a shuttle unit 4, and a drying unit 5.

[0015] The shuttle base unit 2 supports the shuttle unit 4 and moves the shuttle unit 4 in the front-to-rear direction (sub-scanning direction). Specifically, the shuttle base unit 2 includes a stand part 11 and a sub-scanning drive motor 12 (see FIG. 6).

[0016] The base 11 is formed in the shape of a rectangular frame and supports the shuttle unit 4. Sub-scanning drive guides 13A and 13B extending in the front-to-rear direction are formed on the left and right frames of the base 11, respectively. The sub-scanning drive guides 13A and 13B guide the shuttle unit 4 to move in the front-to-rear direction. The sub-scanning drive motor 12 moves the shuttle unit 4 in the front-to-rear direction.

[0017] The flatbed unit 3 supports the print medium 15. Examples of the print medium 15 include, but are not limited to, paper, film, and building materials. The flatbed unit 3 is placed in a rectangular parallelepiped recess formed inside the mount portion 11 of the shuttle base unit 2. The flatbed unit 3 has a medium placement surface 3a, which is a horizontal surface on which the print medium 15 is placed. The flatbed unit 3 has an elevation mechanism, such as a hydraulic drive mechanism (not shown), which is configured to adjust the height of the medium placement surface 3a.

[0018] The shuttle unit 4 performs printing processing on the print medium 15. In this embodiment, the shuttle unit 4 corresponds to the printing section of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the shuttle unit 4.

[0019] As shown in Figure 2, the shuttle unit 4 includes a housing 21, a main scanning drive guide 22, a main scanning drive motor 23 (see Figure 6), a head lifting guide 24, a head lifting motor 25 (see Figure 6), a head unit 26, and a capping unit 76.

[0020] The housing 21 houses various components such as the head unit 26. The housing 21 is formed in a gate shape that straddles the flatbed unit 3 in the left-right direction. The housing 21 is supported by the stand portion 11 of the shuttle base unit 2, and is configured to be movable along the sub-scanning drive guides 13A and 13B.

[0021] The main scanning drive guide 22 guides the head unit 26 to move in the left-right direction (main scanning direction). The main scanning drive guide 22 is formed of an elongated member extending in the left-right direction. The head unit 26 is moved in the left-right direction by a main scanning drive motor 23.

[0022] The head lift guide 24 guides the head unit 26 to move up and down. The head lift guide 24 is formed from a member that is elongated in the vertical direction. The head lift guide 24 is configured to be movable in the left and right directions along the main scanning drive guide 22 together with the head unit 26. The head unit 26 is raised and lowered in the vertical direction by a head lift motor 25.

[0023] As described above, the head unit 26 performs a printing process by ejecting ink onto the print medium 15 while moving left and right along the main scanning drive guide 22. As shown in Fig. 2, the head unit 26 has four inkjet heads 31. The number of inkjet heads 31 is not limited to four, and for example, five or more inkjet heads 31 may be provided in the head unit 26.

[0024] The four inkjet heads 31 are arranged in parallel in the left-right direction. There are no particular restrictions on the ink ejected from the inkjet heads 31, but from the standpoints of workability and safety, it is preferable that the ink be a water-based ink. The coloring material for the water-based ink may be a dye or pigment, but it is preferable that a binder resin be added as appropriate to ensure fixation.

[0025] In addition, from the viewpoint of light resistance, the coloring material is preferably a pigment. As the binder resin, a water-dispersible emulsion resin that has a proven track record in inkjet printing can be used, and it is preferable to use a urethane resin, an acrylic resin, or the like.

[0026] The content of materials is preferably in the range of 0.1 to 25% by weight of the total amount of colorant, 5 to 10% by weight of binder resin, and 0.1 to 5.0% by weight of surfactant. For example, it is preferable to use 20% by weight of colorant and 10% by weight of ethylene glycol, with the remaining amount of water being used so that the total of the components becomes 100.0% by weight. Examples of colorants that can be used include CAB-O-JET 300 (manufactured by Cabot Corporation) for black, CAB-O-JET 450C (manufactured by Cabot Corporation) for cyan, CAB-O-JET 465M (manufactured by Cabot Corporation) for magenta, and CAB-O-JET 470Y (manufactured by Cabot Corporation) for yellow.

[0027] One end of an ink supply pipe 32 is connected to each inkjet head 31. A supply pump (not shown) is disposed in the ink supply pipe 32, and ink is supplied to the inkjet head 31 via the ink supply pipe 32 by operating the supply pump.

[0028] The capping unit 76 seals the ink ejection ports of the inkjet head 31 to prevent them from drying out while the head unit 26 is on standby and not performing printing processing.

[0029] 2, the capping unit 76 is installed inside the right end of the housing 21. When the head unit 26 moves to the standby position at the right end of the housing 21, the capping unit 76 seals the ink ejection ports.

[0030] The capping unit 76 is raised and lowered in the vertical direction by a cap lifting motor 77 (see FIG. 6). Specifically, the capping unit 76 is raised and lowered between a contact position where it contacts the inkjet head 31 and a retracted position below the contact position.

[0031] The suction unit 28 provided below the capping unit 76 sucks up ink accumulated in the capping unit 76. The suction unit 28 includes four suction pipes 78, four suction pumps 69, and a waste liquid tank 70.

[0032] One end of each of the four suction pipes 78 is connected to one of the four capping units 76, and the other end of each of the four suction pipes 78 is connected to the waste liquid tank 70. A suction pump 69 is provided for each of the suction pipes 78.

[0033] The ink accumulated in the capping unit 76 is sucked by the suction pump 69 and is stored in the waste liquid tank 70 via each suction pipe 78 .

[0034] The drying unit 5 dries the print medium 15 that has been printed by ejecting ink from the head unit 26. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the drying unit 5 is provided above the center of the shuttle unit 4. The connection portion of the housing 21 of the shuttle unit 4 with the drying unit 5 is open, and the air blown out from the drying unit 5 is blown onto the print medium 15 via the shuttle unit 4. In this embodiment, the drying unit 5 corresponds to the drying section of the present invention.

[0035] 3 is a front view of the drying unit 5. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the drying unit 5 includes a drying unit main body 50 and a main scanning duct 51.

[0036] The drying unit main body 50 includes a housing 52 , an intake section 53 , an environment detection section 54 , a fan 55 , a heater 56 , and a gas measurement section 57 .

[0037] The housing 52 is formed as a rectangular parallelepiped box, and a fan 55, a heater 56, and a gas measurement unit 57 are provided inside the housing 52. The surface of the housing 52 facing the main scanning duct 51 is open, and the housing 52 and the main scanning duct 51 are in communication with each other.

[0038] An intake section 53 is provided on each of the four side surfaces of the housing 52. The intake sections 53 take in air around the drying unit main body 50. The four intake sections 53 take in air from the front, back, left, and right directions of the drying unit main body 50.

[0039] Intake section 53 has rectangular opening 53a and shutter 53b that can open and close opening 53a. Shutter 53b opens and closes opening 53a by moving left and right or front and back. When shutter 53b is open, surrounding air is taken in, and when shutter 53b is closed, no air is taken in.

[0040] Small windows are provided above the intake sections 53 on the four side surfaces of the housing 52, and an environment detection section 54 is provided inside each of the small windows. The environment detection sections 54 detect the temperature and humidity of the air in their vicinity and are equipped with temperature sensors and humidity sensors. The temperature and humidity detected by the four environment detection sections 54 are output to the control section 6, which will be described later. Based on the input temperature and humidity, the control section 6 controls the shutters 53b of only one of the four intake sections 53 to open, and the shutters 53b of the other intake sections 53 to close. The opening and closing control of the shutters 53b of the four intake sections 53 will be described in detail later.

[0041] The fan 55 is provided below the intake section 53 inside the housing 52. The fan 55 generates a downward air current by rotating. The air current is generated by driving the fan 55, and the surrounding air is taken in through the intake section 53 with the shutter 53b open. The taken-in air passes through the fan 55 and the heater 56 and flows out into the main scanning duct 51.

[0042] The heater 56 heats the air taken in from the intake unit 53 and passed through the fan 55. For example, a PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) heater can be used as the heater 56. The heater 56 is configured to allow the air blown out from the fan 55 to pass through, and heats the air passing through as necessary. The heater 56 is controlled by the control unit 6, and the heating control will be described in detail later.

[0043] Gas measuring unit 57 measures the temperature and humidity of the air taken in from intake unit 53 and passed through fan 55 and heater 56. Gas measuring unit 57 is equipped with a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor. The temperature and humidity measured by gas measuring unit 57 are output to control unit 6. Control unit 6 controls the heating temperature of heater 56 based on the input temperature and humidity, and the control method will be described in detail later.

[0044] The main scanning duct 51 receives the air blown out from the drying unit main body 50 and expands and flows the air in the left-right direction (main scanning direction). The main scanning duct 51 is formed from a rectangular box extending in the main scanning direction, and its bottom surface is open.

[0045] Air blown out from the drying unit main body 50 into the main scanning duct 51 passes through the main scanning duct 51 and is blown out from an opening on the bottom surface of the main scanning duct 51 toward the print medium 15. Figures 4 and 5 are diagrams showing how the control unit 6 opens the shutter 53b of the intake section 53 on the left side of the drying unit main body 50 and how air is taken in through the opening 53a of the intake section 53. Figure 4 is a diagram of the drying unit main body 50 as seen from the front, and Figure 5 is a diagram of the drying unit main body 50 as seen from the left. The outline arrows in Figures 4 and 5 indicate the flow of air.

[0046] As described above, rotation of the fan 55 generates a downward airflow, which draws in air around the opening 53a of the intake section 53 on the left side of the drying unit main body 50. The air drawn into the intake section 53 flows toward the fan 55, passes through the heater 56, and is then blown out into the main scanning duct 51. Note that 52c and 52d shown in FIG. 4 are partition plates.

[0047] The air blown out into the main scanning duct 51 flows inside the main scanning duct 51 and is then blown downward. As shown in FIG. 5, the air blown out from the main scanning duct 51 passes through the housing 21 of the shuttle unit 4 and is then blown out toward the print medium 15. Note that because the air blown out from above the head unit 26 hits the top surface of the head unit 26, the air does not hit the area being printed by the head unit 26, but hits the surrounding print area. The arrow R extending in the front-to-rear direction in FIG. 5 indicates the print area by the head unit 26.

[0048] Figure 6 is a block diagram showing the control system of the inkjet printing device of this embodiment. The inkjet printing device of this embodiment is equipped with a control unit 6 that controls the inkjet printing device main body. The control unit 6 is equipped with a CPU (Central Processing Unit), semiconductor memory, hard disk, etc. The control unit 6 executes a program stored in advance in a storage medium such as the semiconductor memory or the hard disk, and controls each unit shown in Figure 6 by operating an electric circuit.

[0049] In particular, the control unit 6 of this embodiment determines which of the four intake units 53 should open the shutter 53b, based on the ambient temperature and humidity detected by each of the four environment detection units 54 provided in the drying unit main body 50. Specifically, the control unit 6 selects, based on the temperature and humidity detected by each of the four environment detection units 54, the direction that can take in air with the highest drying ability from among the directions of the four side surfaces on which the four environment detection units 54 are provided, and determines the intake unit 53 provided in the selected direction as the intake unit 53 that should open the shutter 53b.

[0050] FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the opening and closing control of shutter 53b of capture unit 53.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 7, the control unit 6 acquires the temperature and humidity of the air AIR1 to AIR4 around each of the four intake units 53 from the four environment detection units 54 (S10).

[0052] Next, the control unit 6 determines which of the air AIR1 to AIR4 has the highest drying capacity (S12) based on the temperature and humidity acquired by the four environment detection units 54. Specifically, the control unit 6 determines the saturated water vapor amount of the air AIR1 to AIR4 based on the temperature of the air AIR1 to AIR4, and calculates the excess water vapor content of the air AIR1 to AIR4 based on the saturated water vapor amount and the humidity of the air AIR1 to AIR4 using the following formula: Water vapor content [g / m 3 ] = saturated water vapor amount [g / m3 ]*(1-humidity[%]×0.01)

[0053] Fig. 8A is a table showing an example of the relationship between temperature and saturated water vapor amount, and Fig. 8B is a table showing an example of the temperature, humidity, saturated water vapor amount, and excess water vapor content of air AIR1 to AIR4 in each direction. The control unit 6 determines the saturated water vapor content of air AIR1 to AIR4 based on the relationship shown in Fig. 8A, for example, and calculates the excess water vapor content as shown in Fig. 8B.

[0054] Then, the control unit 6 determines the air AIRmax having the largest excess water vapor content among the air AIR1 to AIR4 as the air having the highest drying capacity.

[0055] The control unit 6 determines the capture unit 53 located on the same side as the environment detection unit 54 that detected the temperature and humidity of the air AIRmax as the capture unit 53 that will open the shutter 53b, and outputs a control signal to the determined capture unit 53 to open the shutter 53b (S14).

[0056] The control unit 6 also acquires the printing conditions for the printing process, and if the drying capacity of the air AIRmax is insufficient for the printing conditions, it heats the air AIRmax by controlling the heater 56. The printing conditions include, for example, the type of ink used in the printing process, the type of printing medium 15, the operating mode, and the maximum printing rate.

[0057] The degree of ink bleeding varies depending on the type of ink and the type of print medium 15, which in turn affects how easily the ink dries. Therefore, the more difficult it is to dry, the more air with higher drying capacity is required. Furthermore, there are two operating modes: a low-resolution mode for printing at low resolution, and a high-resolution mode for printing at high resolution. Since the high-resolution mode performs high-resolution printing, the printing speed is slower than the low-resolution mode, and the time that air is blown from the drying unit 5 onto the print medium 15 is longer. Furthermore, the higher the maximum printing rate, the greater the amount of ink, so air with higher drying capacity is required.

[0058] The control unit 6 calculates the air drying capacity required for each printing condition as described above, and determines whether the drying capacity of the air AIRmax taken in from the intake unit 53 is insufficient by comparing the required air drying capacity with the drying capacity of the air AIRmax.

[0059] An operation panel 7 is connected to the control unit 6, and the information on the ink type, the information on the print medium 15, and the information on the operation mode are set and input by the user through the operation panel 7.

[0060] Next, the operation of the inkjet printing apparatus of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0061] First, the control unit 6 acquires information on the ink type, the type of print medium 15, and the operating mode from among the printing conditions described above (S20). This information is set and input by the user on the operation panel 7, as described above.

[0062] Next, the control unit 6 starts the rotation of the fan 55 of the drying unit main body 50 (S22). Then, the control unit 6 controls the sub-scanning drive motor 12 to move the shuttle unit 4 from the standby position to the print processing start position (S24). In the inkjet printing apparatus main body 1 of this embodiment, the shuttle unit 4 is disposed in the standby position in the standby state before the start of the printing operation. The standby position of the shuttle unit 4 is the position of the shuttle unit 4 indicated by the solid line in FIG. 1, which is the rear end of the stand 11 of the shuttle base unit 2. The print processing start position is the position of the shuttle unit 4 indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1, which is the front end of the stand 11 of the shuttle base unit 2. Note that, prior to the input of the printing condition settings described above, the print medium 15 is placed on the medium placement surface 3a of the flatbed unit 3.

[0063] Next, the control unit 6 receives print data for one pass output from a terminal device (not shown) such as a computer (S26).The control unit 6 then uses the received print data to calculate and obtain the maximum print rate for that pass (S28). Specifically, the control unit 6 calculates the print rate per unit area set in advance in the print data for one pass, and obtains the largest print rate among the print rates per unit area as the maximum print rate.

[0064] Next, the four environment detection parts 54 of the drying unit main body 50 detect the ambient temperature and humidity (S30), and the detected values ​​are acquired by the control part 6. Based on the input temperature and humidity, the control part 6 determines the direction of the air AIRmax with the highest drying capacity as described above (S32), and starts taking in the air AIRmax by opening only the shutter 53b of the intake part 53 in that direction (S34).

[0065] On the other hand, the control unit 6 calculates the water vapor content margin of the air required to dry the above pass based on the printing conditions set and input by the user and the maximum printing rate calculated from the printing data, and determines whether the drying capacity of the air AIRmax is sufficient by comparing this with the water vapor content margin of the air AIRmax taken in from the intake unit 53 (S36).

[0066] If the control unit 6 determines that the air AIRmax is insufficient for drying capacity (S36, YES), it controls the heater 56 to adjust the heating of the air AIRmax (S38). Note that the relationship between the insufficient drying capacity and the degree of heating of the heater 56 is set in advance using a function or the like.

[0067] Then, the temperature and humidity of the air heated by heater 56 are detected by gas measurement unit 57 (S40). Control unit 6 determines whether the drying capacity of the heated air is insufficient based on the temperature and humidity detected by gas measurement unit 57 (S36). If the drying capacity of the heated air is still insufficient (S36, YES), control unit 6 further heats the air (S38).

[0068] On the other hand, if the control unit 6 determines in S36 that drying is possible with air AIRmax or that drying is possible with air heated by the heater 56 (S36, NO), it controls the inkjet head 31 to perform one pass of printing processing based on the input print data for one pass while moving the head unit 26 in the main scanning direction (S42). When this one pass of printing processing is performed, air is blown out from the main scanning duct 51 toward the printing medium 15, and the printing range after the printing processing is dried.

[0069] Then, after the printing process for one pass is completed, the control unit 6 determines whether the printing processes for all passes are complete (S44), and if not complete (S44, NO), it controls the sub-scanning drive motor 12 to move the shuttle unit 4 backward to the printing position for the next pass (S46), and then repeats the processes from S26 to S42. That is, in this embodiment, for each pass, the direction in which the air AIRmax with the highest drying capacity is taken in is determined, and only the shutter 53b of the intake unit 53 in that direction is opened to take in the air AIRmax and heat the air AIRmax as necessary.

[0070] Then, when the control unit 6 determines in S44 that the printing process for all passes has been completed (S44, YES), it moves the shuttle unit 4 to the standby position (S48), thereby completing the printing operation.

[0071] In the inkjet printing device of the above embodiment, the intake section 53 is provided on four sides of the drying unit main body 50 in the front, back, left and right directions, but this is not limited to this, and the intake section 53 may be provided on two, three, or five or more sides.

[0072] According to the inkjet printing device of the above embodiment, the drying unit 5 is configured to be able to take in air from multiple directions around it, and from among the multiple directions, the direction that can take in air with the highest drying capacity is selected, and the drying process is performed by taking in gas from the selected direction, so that a more appropriate drying process can be performed and stable print quality can be obtained.

[0073] Furthermore, in the inkjet printing device of the above embodiment, the direction in which air with the highest drying capacity can be taken in is selected based on the temperature and humidity of the air in each direction detected by the environment detection unit 54, so that the air with the highest drying capacity can be selected with high accuracy.

[0074] Furthermore, in the inkjet printing device of the above embodiment, the drying unit 5 selects the direction in which it can take in air with the highest drying capacity for each pass, thereby enabling more appropriate drying processing to be performed without being affected by the printing position, which changes as the printing process progresses.

[0075] Furthermore, in the inkjet printing device of the above embodiment, the drying capacity of the gas with the highest drying capacity is heated and adjusted based on the printing conditions of the printing process, so that the drying process can be performed using air with a drying capacity that corresponds to the printing conditions (type of ink, type of printing medium, operating mode, and printing rate of the print data), thereby minimizing the cost of the drying process.

[0076] Furthermore, in the inkjet printing apparatus of the above embodiment, air is supplied to the printing range of one pass using one drying unit body 50 and one main scanning duct 51. However, in cases where the print medium 15 is large in the left-right direction, multiple drying unit bodies 50 may be arranged in the left-right direction to ensure sufficient drying to the left and right edges of the print medium 15. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example in which multiple drying unit bodies 50 are installed. As shown in FIG. 10, it is preferable to arrange the drying unit bodies 50 with no gaps in the left-right direction above the main scanning duct 51. The air flow in this case is indicated by the white arrows. This allows sufficient air to be supplied to the left and right edges of the printing range, ensuring sufficient drying.

[0077] Furthermore, when multiple drying unit bodies 50 are arranged with no gaps in the left-right direction as described above, in order to ensure sufficient air intake from the opposing intake sections 53 of adjacent drying unit bodies 50, the housing 52 may be configured with an inclined housing surface 52a and a vertically erected housing surface 52b, as shown in Fig. 10. The inclination angle of the inclined housing surface 52a with respect to the vertical direction is preferably approximately 30° to 60°. By providing such an inclined housing surface 52a, sufficient space can be secured between the opposing intake sections 53 of adjacent drying unit bodies 50, thereby enabling sufficient air intake.

[0078] In the above embodiment, the drying unit body 50 is provided with a plurality of intake sections 53, and the direction of air intake is selected by selecting any one of the plurality of intake sections 53. However, the configuration for selecting the direction of air intake is not limited to this, and other configurations may be adopted. Fig. 11 is a perspective view showing an example of a drying unit body 60 having another configuration, and Fig. 12 is a view of the drying unit body 60 shown in Fig. 11 as seen from the front.

[0079] 11, the drying unit main body 60 has a cylindrical housing 62. An intake section 63 is provided on a cylindrical side surface that stands upright in the vertical direction in the housing 62. Unlike the intake section 53 of the above embodiment, the intake section 63 does not include a shutter and is composed of only an intake port.

[0080] Housing 62, on the side of which intake section 63 is provided, is configured to be rotatable in the direction of arrow A shown in Fig. 11 on a horizontal plane by the drive of rotation motor 65. When housing 62 rotates, intake section 63 also rotates in the direction of arrow A, thereby changing the direction in which intake section 63 takes in air by 360°.

[0081] As in the above embodiment, a small window is provided above intake unit 63, and environment detection unit 64 is provided within this small window. Environment detection unit 64 detects the temperature and humidity of the air taken in by intake unit 63 and outputs the results to control unit 6. The environment detection unit 64 continuously detects the temperature and humidity of the air as intake unit 63 rotates, and control unit 6 determines one of the 360° rotation directions as the direction of intake unit 63 based on the detected temperature and humidity.

[0082] 12, the drying unit body 60 is provided with a fan 66, a heater 67, and a gas measuring section 68, similar to the drying unit body 50 of the above embodiment. These configurations are the same as those of the above embodiment.

[0083] Fig. 13 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control system when the drying unit main body 60 shown in Fig. 11 is provided. In Fig. 13, a rotary motor 65 is provided instead of the shutter 53b in the block diagram of the control system shown in Fig. 6. The other configurations are the same as those of the control system shown in Fig. 6.

[0084] 14 is a flowchart for explaining the process of determining the direction of the intake part 63 of the drying unit main body 60. The process of the flowchart shown in FIG. 14 is the process performed in S28 to S32 of the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0085] First, the control unit 6 drives the rotary motor 65 to start the rotation of the capture unit 63 (S50). Then, as the capture unit 63 rotates, the control unit 6 continuously acquires the temperature and humidity detected by the environment detection unit 64 (S52).

[0086] Next, the control unit 6 determines the position of the intake unit 63 that can take in the air AIRmax with the highest drying capacity, based on the temperature and humidity continuously acquired by the environment detection unit 64 (S54). Specifically, the control unit 6 determines the saturated water vapor amount based on the continuously acquired air temperature, as in the above embodiment, and calculates the water vapor excess amount of the air taken in at each position of the intake unit 63, based on the saturated water vapor amount and the air humidity. Then, of the positions of the intake unit 63, the position with the largest water vapor excess amount is determined as the position of the intake unit 63 that can take in the air AIRmax with the highest drying capacity.

[0087] Then, the control unit 6 stops driving the rotary motor 65 and stops the rotation of the intake unit 63 so that the intake unit 63 stops at the position determined in S54 (S56), and starts taking in the air AIRmax with the highest drying capacity. Note that the subsequent processes of S34 to S46 in the flowchart shown in Fig. 9 are the same as those in the above embodiment.

[0088] As described above, when air is taken in from multiple directions around the periphery by rotating the intake section 63, it is possible to select the air with the highest drying ability within a 360° periphery, and it is possible to select the air with the highest drying ability with greater accuracy.

[0089] Note that, as described above, when the intake portion 63 is rotated, the time required for the rotational movement is required. On the other hand, in the case of the drying unit main body 50 provided with the above-described multiple intake portions 53, there is no rotational movement time, so the time required to determine the drying capacity of the air in each direction and to determine the air direction with the highest drying capacity can be shortened. In other words, this is advantageous in that the time required from opening the shutter 53b to taking in air can be shortened. This shortens the time required for the head unit 26 to stop at the left and right ends, thereby improving the productivity of the device.

[0090] Furthermore, as described above, when the size of the print medium 15 in the left-right direction (main scanning direction) is large, the drying unit main bodies 60 that rotate the intake portions 63 may also be arranged in multiple rows in the left-right direction. In this case, the upper portion of the drying unit main bodies 60 may be made narrower, that is, the housing 62 may be made cylindrical with a narrow upper portion, thereby improving the intake of air from the intake portions 63 of adjacent drying unit main bodies 60.

[0091] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the components can be modified and embodied in practice without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining the multiple components disclosed in the above-described embodiments. For example, all of the components shown in the embodiments can be appropriately combined. Naturally, various modifications and applications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0092] The present invention further discloses the following supplementary notes.

[0093] (Appendix 1) The printing device of the present invention comprises a printing unit that performs a printing process on a printing medium, and a drying unit that takes in surrounding gas and blows the gas onto the printing medium that has been subjected to the printing process to dry it, and the drying unit is configured to be able to take in gas from multiple surrounding directions, and selects from the multiple directions the direction that can take in gas with the highest drying ability, and takes in the gas from the selected direction.

[0094] (Appendix 2) The printing device described in Appendix 1 is equipped with an environmental detection unit that detects the temperature and humidity of gas taken in from multiple directions, and the drying unit can select the direction in which it can take in gas with the highest drying ability based on the temperature and humidity of the gas in each direction detected by the environmental detection unit.

[0095] (Appendix 3) In the printing device described in Appendix 1 or 2, the printing unit performs printing processing for each position in accordance with relative movement between the printing unit and the printing medium, and the drying unit can select, for each position, the direction in which it can take in gas with the highest drying ability.

[0096] (Appendix 4) In the printing device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 3, the drying unit can adjust the drying capacity of the gas with the highest drying capacity based on the printing conditions of the printing process.

[0097] (Appendix 5) In the printing device described in any one of Appendices 1 to 4, the drying unit is configured with a movable intake port for taking in gas, and by moving the intake port, gas can be taken in from multiple directions around the periphery.

[0098] (Appendix 6) In the printing device described in any one of Appendices 1 to 4, the printing unit performs printing processing at each position in accordance with relative movement between the printing unit and the printing medium, and the drying unit is arranged in multiple rows in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement, and the surface on which the gas inlet is provided can be inclined relative to the vertical direction. [Explanation of symbols]

[0099] 1 Inkjet printing device 2 Shuttle Base Unit 3 Flatbed Unit 3a Media placement surface 4 Shuttle Unit 5 Drying Unit 6 Control Unit 7 Operation panel 11 Mounting section 12 Sub-scanning drive motor 15 Print media 21. Cabinet 22 Main scanning drive guide 23 Main scanning drive motor 24 Head lift guide 25 Head lift motor 13A, 13B Sub-scanning drive guide 26 Head Unit 28 Suction part 31 Inkjet head 32 Ink supply pipe 50 Drying unit body 51 Main scanning duct 52 Case 52a Case surface 52b Case surface 52c, 52d Partition 53 Intake section 53a aperture 53b Shutter 54 Environmental detection unit 55 fans 56 Heater 57 Gas Measurement Section 60 Drying unit body 62 Case 63 Intake section 64 Environmental detection unit 65 rotation motor 66 fans 67 Heater 68 Gas Measurement Section 69 Suction Pump 70 Waste liquid tank 76 Capping Unit 77 Cap lifting motor 78 Suction tube

Claims

1. a printing unit that performs printing processing on a print medium; a drying unit that takes in ambient gas and blows the gas onto the print medium that has been subjected to the printing process to dry it; A printing device in which the drying unit is configured to be able to take in the gas from multiple surrounding directions, and the drying unit selects from the multiple directions a direction that can take in the gas with the highest drying ability, and takes in the gas from the selected direction.

2. an environment detection unit that detects the temperature and humidity of the gas taken in from the plurality of directions; 2. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein the drying unit selects a direction in which the gas with the highest drying ability can be taken in based on the temperature and humidity of the gas in each direction detected by the environment detection unit.

3. the printing unit performs printing processing for each position in accordance with relative movement between the printing unit and the printing medium; 2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the drying unit selects, for each of the positions, a direction in which the drying unit can take in the gas with the highest drying ability.

4. 2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the drying unit adjusts the drying capacity of the gas having the highest drying capacity based on printing conditions of the printing process.

5. 2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the drying unit has a movable intake port for taking in the gas, and by moving the intake port, the drying unit can take in gas from a plurality of directions around the drying unit.

6. the printing unit performs printing processing for each position in accordance with relative movement between the printing unit and the printing medium; 2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the drying units are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the movement, and the surface on which the gas inlet is provided is inclined relative to the vertical direction.

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