Inkjet printing equipment

Abstract

To prevent defective ejection of ink occurring after the rotation of an ink jet head laterally ejecting ink, in ink jet printing equipment.SOLUTION: Ink jet printing equipment 1 comprises: an ink jet head 10 which ejects ink IK in a lateral direction D2 intersecting the vertical direction; a rotation mechanism 20 which rotates the ink jet head 10 to the printing angle in the lateral direction in the time of printing and to the standby angle in the time of non-printing; an ink flow channel (for example, supply tube 39a and discharge tube 39b) which is connected to the ink jet head 10 and in which the ink IK flows; and a cutoff mechanism 40 which cuts off the ink flow channel in the time of rotation of the ink jet head 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an inkjet printing apparatus that performs printing in a lateral direction on a printing target.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a lateral printing method for performing inkjet printing in a lateral direction on a printing target such as the side surface of a cardboard or a sheet of paper is known. In this lateral printing method, at the time of printing, the inkjet head faces in the lateral direction, and at the time of maintenance, a method in which the inkjet head rotates 90 degrees downward is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] As described above, when an inkjet head that ejects ink in a lateral direction rotates downward during maintenance or rotates laterally after maintenance, the meniscus of the ink at the nozzle of the inkjet head may be destroyed due to vibrations associated with the rotation operation. This meniscus is the shape of the tip portion in the ink ejection direction. When the meniscus is destroyed, the inkjet head cannot eject ink normally during printing.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide an inkjet printing apparatus capable of preventing ejection failure after rotation of an inkjet head that ejects ink in a lateral direction.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In one embodiment, the inkjet printing apparatus includes an inkjet head that ejects ink in a horizontal direction intersecting the vertical direction, a rotation mechanism that rotates the inkjet head to a horizontal printing angle for printing and a standby angle for non-printing, an ink channel connected to the inkjet head for flowing ink, and a shut-off mechanism that shuts off the ink channel when the inkjet head rotates. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the above embodiment, it is possible to prevent ink ejection failures after rotation of the inkjet head that ejects ink in the lateral direction. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a plan view illustrating lateral printing by an inkjet head in one embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a front view illustrating lateral printing by an inkjet head in one embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a diagram showing the ink circulation section in one embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a left side view showing an inkjet head, a rotation mechanism, and a blocking mechanism in one embodiment. [Figure 5] This figure shows the control configuration of an inkjet printing apparatus according to one embodiment. [Figure 6] This is a left side view showing the state of blockage in the ink flow path while the inkjet head is rotating in one embodiment. [Figure 7] This figure shows the maintenance status of the inkjet head in one embodiment. [Figure 8] This is a left side view showing the state of blockage in the ink flow path while the inkjet head is rotating in another embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Hereinafter, an inkjet printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] Figures 1 and 2 are a plan view and a front view illustrating lateral printing by the inkjet head 10 in one embodiment.

[0011] Note that the front-back, left-right, and up-down directions in Figures 1 and 2, and in Figures 4 and 6 to 8 described later, are merely examples for the sake of explanation when the conveying direction D1 of the conveyor 100 is to the right. The front-back and left-right directions are horizontal, and the up-down direction is vertical.

[0012] As shown in Figure 1, the inkjet head 10 is positioned at the front of the conveyor 100. The inkjet head 10 ejects ink in the lateral direction D2 onto the material to be printed P, which is being transported on the conveyor 100 in the transport direction D1, and performs printing. This lateral direction D2 is the direction that intersects the vertical direction (up and down direction in Figure 1) and the transport direction D1 of the material to be printed P (right direction in Figure 1) (rear direction in Figure 1), and is, for example, the horizontal direction. However, the lateral direction D2 is not limited to the horizontal direction, but may also be inclined vertically with respect to the horizontal direction. The material to be printed P is, for example, a box such as a cardboard box, but may also be paper, and is not particularly limited.

[0013] Here, the inkjet printing apparatus 1, which includes the inkjet head 10, further comprises a rotating mechanism 20 and a shut-off mechanism 40 shown in Figure 4, an ink circulation unit 30 and an ink supply unit 50 shown in Figure 3, a purge tray 60 shown in Figure 7, and a control unit 71, a storage unit 72, and an interface unit 73 shown in Figure 5. The system comprising this inkjet printing apparatus 1 and the conveyor 100 shown in Figures 1 and 2 can be called a printing system. As an example, the conveyor 100 is a belt conveyor arranged as part of a box-making machine. Note that the conveyor 100 may be a conveyor other than a belt conveyor, such as a roller conveyor.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 2, the inkjet head 10 has a plurality of head modules 11 (not shown in FIG. 2 because they are located on the rear side of the inkjet head 10 and are shown by dashed lines which are hidden lines). For example, the inkjet head 10 has six head modules 11 for each of the colors black, cyan, magenta, and yellow. The six head modules 11 for each color are arranged in the height direction while having different positions in the left-right direction (transport direction D1) in a staggered manner.

[0015] Then, the inkjet head 10 performs printing of characters such as "〇〇 apple" and "Harvest date * month * day" (* represents variable printing) and printing of a pattern of two apples in four colors (full color) of black, cyan, magenta, and yellow on the side surface (front surface) of the printed object P.

[0016] Although not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the printed object P conveyed on the conveyor 100 may be guided by a conveyance guide arranged on the rear side of the conveyor 100, and the inkjet head 10 may perform printing on the printed object P thus guided.

[0017] FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing the ink circulation section 30.

[0018] The above-mentioned plurality of head modules 11 of the inkjet head 10 shown in FIG. 3 have an ink chamber (not shown) for storing the ink IK and a plurality of nozzles (not shown) for discharging the ink IK. A piezo element (not shown) is arranged in the ink chamber. By driving this piezo element, the ink IK is discharged from the nozzles.

[0019] The ink circulation unit 30 includes a pressure tank 31, a dispenser 32, a collector 33, a negative pressure tank 34, an ink pump P1, a pressure common air chamber 35, a negative pressure common air chamber 36, an air pump P2, a temperature adjustment unit 37, ink circulation pipes 38a, 38b, 38c, a supply tube 39a, and a discharge tube 39b. The ink circulation unit 30 is provided for each color of the ink IK discharged by the head module 11 of the inkjet head 10, except for the pressure common air chamber 35, the negative pressure common air chamber 36, and the air pump P2.

[0020] The pressure tank 31, the ink circulation pipe 38a, the dispenser 32, the supply tube 39a, the discharge tube 39b, the collector 33, the ink circulation pipe 38b, the negative pressure tank 34, and the ink circulation pipe 38c are an example of an ink flow path that is connected to the inkjet head 10 and through which the ink IK flows, and constitute a circulation flow path for supplying the ink IK to the inkjet head 10 while circulating the ink IK.

[0021] The pressure tank 31 stores the ink IK supplied to the inkjet head 10. The ink IK in the pressure tank 31 is supplied to the inkjet head 10 via the ink circulation pipe 38a, the dispenser 32, and the supply tube 39a. An air layer is formed on the liquid surface of the ink IK in the pressure tank 31. The pressure tank 31 is disposed at a position lower than the inkjet head 10.

[0022] The dispenser 32 distributes the ink IK supplied from the pressure tank 31 via the ink circulation pipe 38a to each head module 11 of the inkjet head 10.

[0023] The collector 33 collects the ink IK not consumed by the inkjet head 10 from each head module 11 via the discharge tube 39b. The ink IK collected by the collector 33 flows to the negative pressure tank 34 through the ink circulation pipe 38b.

[0024] The negative pressure tank 34 receives and stores ink IK that was not consumed by the inkjet head 10 from the collector 33. The negative pressure tank 34 also stores ink IK supplied from the ink cartridge 51 of the ink supply unit 50, which will be described later. An air layer is formed above the liquid surface of the ink IK inside the negative pressure tank 34. The negative pressure tank 34 is positioned at the same height as the pressurized tank 31.

[0025] The negative pressure tank 34 is equipped with a liquid level detection sensor (not shown) that detects whether the liquid level of the ink IK inside the negative pressure tank 34 has reached a reference height.

[0026] The ink pump P1 supplies ink IK from the negative pressure tank 34 to the pressurized tank 31. The ink pump P1 is located in the middle of the ink circulation pipe 38c.

[0027] The pressurized common air chamber 35 is an air chamber for equalizing the pressure of multiple pressurized tanks 31 corresponding to each color of ink IK. The pressurized common air chamber 35 has an atmospheric release valve 35a. This atmospheric release valve 35a switches the pressurized common air chamber 35 between a sealed state (isolated from the atmosphere) and an open state (connected to the atmosphere).

[0028] The negative pressure common air chamber 36 is an air chamber for equalizing the pressure of multiple negative pressure tanks 34 corresponding to each color of ink IK. The negative pressure common air chamber 36 has an atmospheric release valve 36a. This atmospheric release valve 36a switches the negative pressure common air chamber 36 between a sealed state (isolated from the atmosphere) and an open state (connected to the atmosphere).

[0029] The air pump P2 sends air from the negative pressure common air chamber 36 to the pressurized common air chamber 35. When the air pump P2 is driven, the atmospheric release valve 35a of the pressurized common air chamber 35 is closed, sealing the pressurized common air chamber 35 and generating pressure (positive pressure) in the pressurized common air chamber 35. Also, when the air pump P2 is driven, the atmospheric release valve 36a of the negative pressure common air chamber 36 is closed, sealing the negative pressure common air chamber 36 and generating pressure (negative pressure) in the negative pressure common air chamber 36.

[0030] The temperature control unit 37 is located in the middle of the ink circulation pipe 38a. The temperature control unit 37 includes, for example, a heat sink, a cooling fan, and a heater, and controls the temperature of the ink IK flowing through the ink circulation pipe 38a.

[0031] Ink circulation pipe 38a connects the pressurized tank 31 and the distributor 32. Ink IK flows from the pressurized tank 31 to the distributor 32 through ink circulation pipe 38a. Ink circulation pipe 38b connects the collector 33 and the negative pressure tank 34. Ink IK flows from the collector 33 to the negative pressure tank 34 through ink circulation pipe 38b. Ink circulation pipe 38c connects the negative pressure tank 34 and the pressurized tank 31. Ink IK flows from the negative pressure tank 34 to the pressurized tank 31 through ink circulation pipe 38c.

[0032] The supply tube 39a is made of an elastic material, for example, with an outer layer of polyurethane resin and an inner layer of fluororesin, and supplies ink IK from the distributor 32 to the head module 11. The same number of supply tubes 39a are provided as the number of head modules 11. The supply tube 39a is an example of a supply channel that carries the ink IK supplied to the inkjet head 10. Note that ink circulation pipes 38a and the like can also be called supply channels.

[0033] The discharge tube 39b is made of an elastic material, such as having an outer layer made of polyurethane resin and an inner layer made of fluororesin, and discharges ink IK from the head module 11 to the collector 33. The same number of discharge tubes 39b are provided as the number of head modules 11. The discharge tube 39b is an example of a discharge channel for the ink IK discharged from the inkjet head 10. Note that ink circulation tubes 38b and the like can also be called discharge channels.

[0034] During purging, which is performed by the downward-facing inkjet head 10 in the standby angle when not printing (described later), the atmospheric release valve 35a of the pressurized common air chamber 35 is closed and the air pump P2 is driven in order to generate the set pressure for purging in the pressurized tank 31 and the negative pressure tank 34, respectively. Purge is a process that forcibly discharges ink IK from the nozzles of each head module 11 by supplying ink IK from the pressurized tank 31 to the inkjet head 10.

[0035] The ink supply unit 50 supplies ink IK to the negative pressure tank 34 of the ink circulation unit 30. The ink supply unit 50 comprises an ink cartridge 51, an ink supply valve 52, and an ink supply pipe 53.

[0036] The ink cartridge 51 contains the ink IK used for printing by the inkjet head 10. The ink IK in the ink cartridge 51 is supplied to the negative pressure tank 34 of the ink circulation unit 30 via the ink supply pipe 53.

[0037] The ink supply valve 52 is a solenoid valve that opens and closes the flow path of ink IK in the ink supply pipe 53. When supplying ink IK to the negative pressure tank 34, the ink supply valve 52 is opened by the control of the control unit 71, which will be described later.

[0038] The ink supply pipe 53 connects the ink cartridge 51 and the negative pressure tank 34. Ink IK flows from the ink cartridge 51 to the negative pressure tank 34 through the ink supply pipe 53.

[0039] Figure 4 is a left side view showing the inkjet head 10, the rotation mechanism 20, and the blocking mechanism 40.

[0040] The rotation mechanism 20 shown in Figure 4 comprises a rotation drive unit 21 and a rotating member 22. The rotation mechanism 20 rotates the inkjet head 10 to a horizontal printing angle (horizontal as shown in Figure 4) for printing and a standby angle (downward as shown in Figure 7, described later) for non-printing. Note that this standby angle is not limited to vertically downward, and is an angle different from the horizontal angle of the horizontal printing angle. Alternatively, the standby angle may be the same angle as the printing angle with respect to the horizontal. In this case, the inkjet head 10 rotates to the printing angle and the standby angle with a rotation center axis extending in the vertical direction as the center of rotation.

[0041] The rotary drive unit 21 is, for example, an actuator such as a motor or a solenoid. Figure 4 shows the output shaft (gear of the output shaft) of the rotary drive unit 21.

[0042] The rotating member 22 is, for example, a gear that rotates around a rotational axis (not shown) extending in the left-right direction, and the inkjet head 10 is fixed to its left side. The rotating member 22 meshes with the rotary drive unit 21 and rotates when driven by the rotary drive unit 21. Consequently, the inkjet head 10 fixed to the rotating member 22 also rotates.

[0043] The shut-off mechanism 40 includes a shut-off valve 41, a spring 42, and a gear 43.

[0044] Two shut-off valves 41 are provided, for example, one that shuts off all of the supply tubes 39a connected to all of the head modules 11 at once, and another that shuts off all of the discharge tubes 39b connected to all of the head modules 11 at once. Alternatively, a single shut-off valve 41 may shut off all of the supply tubes 39a and all of the discharge tubes 39b at once, or multiple shut-off valves 41 may be provided for each supply tube 39a and each discharge tube 39b.

[0045] The two shut-off valves 41 can be in an open state (see Figure 4) that opens the supply tube 39a and the discharge tube 39b, and a closed state (see Figure 6, described later) that shuts off the supply tube 39a and the discharge tube 39b. The shut-off mechanism 40 shuts off both the supply tube 39a and the discharge tube 39b when the two shut-off valves 41 are in the closed state.

[0046] The spring 42 is, for example, a compression spring that biases the shut-off valve 41 backward. The spring 42 biases the shut-off valve 41 backward to close it. However, in the state shown in Figure 4, the shut-off valve 41 is pushed forward by the cam projection 43a, which will be described later, so the shut-off valve 41 is in the open state.

[0047] Gear 43 rotates in conjunction with the operation of the rotation mechanism 20, i.e., the rotational operation of the inkjet head 10, by meshing with the rotary drive unit 21 (the gear on the output shaft of the rotary drive unit 21). Gear 43 is provided with cam protrusions 43a and 43b that protrude radially at 90-degree intervals. When gear 43 rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the rotary drive unit 21, and cam protrusions 43a or 43b push the shut-off valve 41 forward against the biasing force of the spring 42, the shut-off valve 41 is in an open state. On the other hand, as shown in Figure 6, when the cam protrusions 43a and 43b do not contact the shut-off valve 41, the shut-off valve 41 is in a closed state.

[0048] Figure 5 shows the control configuration of the inkjet printing device 1.

[0049] The control unit 71 shown in Figure 5 has a processor (e.g., CPU: Central Processing Unit) that functions as a processing unit that controls the operation of the entire inkjet printing apparatus 1. For example, the control unit 71 controls the inkjet head 10, the rotary drive unit 21, the ink circulation unit 30, the ink supply valve 52, and so on.

[0050] The memory unit 72 includes, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory), which is a read-only semiconductor memory in which a predetermined control program is pre-recorded, and a RAM (Random Access Memory), which is a semiconductor memory that can be written to and read at any time and used as a working memory area as needed when the processor executes various control programs.

[0051] The interface unit 73 exchanges various types of information with external devices such as a print control device and a user terminal. For example, the interface unit 73 receives a print job that includes image data to be printed.

[0052] Next, the operation of the inkjet head 10, the rotation mechanism 20, and the blocking mechanism 40 will be described with reference to Figures 4, 6, and 7.

[0053] Figure 6 is a left side view showing the state in which the supply tube 39a and discharge tube 39b (ink flow path) are blocked while the inkjet head 10 is rotating.

[0054] Figure 7 shows the maintenance status of the inkjet head 10.

[0055] First, as shown in Figure 4 above, the inkjet head 10 ejects ink in the lateral direction D2 during printing. At this time, the cam projection 43a pushes the shut-off valve 41 forward against the biasing force of the spring 42, so the shut-off valve 41 is in the open state.

[0056] Subsequently, when maintenance such as purging is performed, when the power is turned off, or when printing is not performed for a long period of time, the rotary drive unit 21 of the rotary mechanism 20 rotates (clockwise in Figure 6), as shown in Figure 6. This causes the rotating member 22 that meshes with the gear on the output shaft of the rotary drive unit 21 to rotate (counterclockwise in Figure 6), and the inkjet head 10 fixed to the rotating member 22 also rotates. During the rotation of the inkjet head 10 and the rotating member 22 (during rotation), the cam protrusions 43a and 43b do not contact the shut-off valve 41, so the shut-off valve 41 remains closed, shutting off the supply tube 39a and the discharge tube 39b. In the configuration example shown in Figure 6, the supply tube 39a and the discharge tube 39b are continuously shut off by the shut-off valve 41 while the inkjet head 10 is rotating, but the supply tube 39a and the discharge tube 39b may be shut off by the shut-off valve 41 for at least a portion of the time while the inkjet head 10 is rotating.

[0057] As shown in Figure 7, when the inkjet head 10 rotates 90 degrees to its standby angle for non-printing, facing downwards, the cam projection 43b pushes the shut-off valve 41 forward against the biasing force of the spring 42, causing the shut-off valve 41 to open. Below the inkjet head 10, a purge tray 60 moves manually by a maintenance worker or general user, or automatically. This purge tray 60 contains the ink IK purged from the inkjet head 10.

[0058] When printing is to resume, the purge tray 60 is retracted from below the inkjet head 10, and the rotary drive unit 21 of the rotary mechanism 20 rotates (counterclockwise, unlike the arrow in Figure 6). Then, the rotating member 22 that meshes with the gear on the output shaft of the rotary drive unit 21 rotates (clockwise, unlike the arrow in Figure 6), and the inkjet head 10 fixed to the rotating member 22 also rotates. Even when the inkjet head 10 and the rotating member 22 are rotating, the cam protrusions 43a and 43b do not come into contact with the shut-off valve 41, so the shut-off valve 41 remains closed, shutting off the supply tube 39a and the discharge tube 39b.

[0059] The shut-off mechanism 40 shuts off the supply tube 39a and the discharge tube 39b both when the inkjet head 10 rotates from the sideways printing angle (see Figure 4) to the non-printing standby angle (see Figure 7) (see Figure 6), and when the inkjet head 10 rotates from the non-printing standby angle to the sideways printing angle. However, the supply tube 39a and the discharge tube 39b may be shut off only at one of these times. For example, if the ink IK meniscus (the shape of the tip portion in the direction of ink IK ejection) in the nozzle of the head module 11 is easily damaged when the inkjet head 10 rotates from the non-printing standby angle to the sideways printing angle, it is preferable to shut off the supply tube 39a and the discharge tube 39b only when the inkjet head 10 rotates from the non-printing standby angle to the sideways printing angle.

[0060] Furthermore, the blocking mechanism 40 blocks both the supply tube 39a, which is an example of a supply channel for supplying ink IK to the inkjet head 10, and the discharge tube 39b, which is an example of a discharge channel for supplying ink IK from the inkjet head 10, but it may block only one of them. Also, the blocking mechanism 40 may block the ink circulation pipe 38a shown in Figure 3 above, which is another example of a supply channel, or the ink circulation pipe 38b shown above, which is another example of a discharge channel. However, since it is desirable for the blocking mechanism 40 to block the channel near the inkjet head 10, it is preferable to block the channel in the supply tube 39a and discharge tube 39b which are directly fixed to the inkjet head 10. Note that if the inkjet printing device 1 does not have an ink circulation section 30 (circulation channel), the blocking mechanism 40 will only block the supply channel (for example, the supply tube 39a) for supplying ink IK to the inkjet head 10.

[0061] In the embodiment described above, the inkjet printing apparatus 1 includes an inkjet head 10 that ejects ink IK in a horizontal direction D2 intersecting the vertical direction, a rotation mechanism 20 that rotates the inkjet head 10 to a horizontal printing angle during printing (see Figure 4) and a standby angle when not printing (see Figure 7), a supply tube 39a and a discharge tube 39b connected to the inkjet head 10, which are examples of ink flow paths for the flow of ink IK, and a shut-off mechanism 40 that shuts off the supply tube 39a and the discharge tube 39b when the inkjet head 10 is rotating (see Figure 6).

[0062] In this way, the blocking mechanism 40 blocks the ink flow path (supply tube 39a and discharge tube 39b) when the inkjet head 10 rotates, thus preventing the meniscus of the ink IK in the nozzle of the head module 11 from being damaged by vibrations associated with the rotation of the inkjet head 10. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to prevent ejection failure after rotation of the inkjet head 10 that ejects ink IK in the lateral direction D2.

[0063] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the ink channel connected to the inkjet head 10 and through which ink IK flows is a circulating channel that includes a supply channel (supply tube 39a) through which ink IK supplied to the inkjet head 10 flows, and a discharge channel (discharge tube 39b) through which ink IK discharged from the inkjet head 10 flows, and the shut-off mechanism 40 shuts off both the supply channel and the discharge channel.

[0064] As a result, both the supply and discharge channels are blocked when the inkjet head 10 rotates, making it possible to more reliably prevent damage to the nozzle meniscus of the head module 11. Therefore, ejection failures after rotation of the inkjet head 10 can be further prevented.

[0065] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the shut-off mechanism 40 shuts off the ink flow path (supply tube 39a and discharge tube 39b) in conjunction with the operation of the rotation mechanism 20.

[0066] As a result, the ink flow path can be shut off by the shut-off mechanism 40 without the need to provide a separate drive unit to drive the shut-off mechanism 40, thus simplifying the configuration of the inkjet printing apparatus 1.

[0067] Figure 8 is a left side view showing the state in which the ink flow path (supply tube 39a and discharge tube 39b) is blocked while the inkjet head 10 is rotating in another embodiment.

[0068] Another embodiment shown in Figure 8 differs from the above-described embodiment in that it uses a shut-off mechanism consisting only of a solenoid valve 80 instead of the shut-off mechanism 40 having the shut-off valve 41 etc. shown in Figure 4, but otherwise it can be the same. Therefore, a detailed explanation is omitted.

[0069] For example, two solenoid valves 80 are provided: one that shuts off all of the supply tubes 39a connected to all of the head modules 11 at once, and another that shuts off all of the discharge tubes 39b connected to all of the head modules 11 at once. Alternatively, a single solenoid valve 80 may shut off all of the supply tubes 39a and all of the discharge tubes 39b at once, or multiple solenoid valves 80 may be provided for each supply tube 39a and each discharge tube 39b.

[0070] The two solenoid valves 80, under the control of the control unit 71 shown in Figure 5, can take on an open state that opens the supply tube 39a and the discharge tube 39b, and a closed state that blocks the supply tube 39a and the discharge tube 39b (see Figure 8).

[0071] Similar to the shut-off valve 41 in the above-described embodiment, the solenoid valve 80 closes when the inkjet head 10 rotates due to the drive of the rotary drive unit 21, thereby shutting off the supply tube 39a and the discharge tube 39b.

[0072] In the other embodiments described above, similar effects can be obtained with respect to matters similar to those of the above-described embodiment, namely, effects such as preventing ejection failures after rotation of the inkjet head 10 that ejects ink IK in the lateral direction D2.

[0073] In this embodiment, the shut-off mechanism is a solenoid valve 80 that shuts off the ink flow path (for example, the supply tube 39a and the discharge tube 39b).

[0074] This allows for flexible control of the shutoff, for example, when the inkjet head 10 rotates from a horizontal printing angle to a non-printing standby angle, and when the inkjet head 10 rotates from a non-printing standby angle to a horizontal printing angle, from the start of rotation to the end of rotation. As a result, damage to the nozzle meniscus of the head module 11 can be more reliably prevented. Consequently, ejection failures after rotation of the inkjet head 10 can be further prevented.

[0075] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the first embodiment described above, and the components can be modified and implemented 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 first embodiment described above. For example, all the components shown in the first embodiment may be combined as appropriate. It goes without saying that various modifications and applications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. The invention described in the original claims of this application is listed below.

[0076] [Note 1] An inkjet head that ejects ink in a horizontal direction intersecting the vertical direction, A rotation mechanism that rotates the inkjet head to a horizontal printing angle for printing and a standby angle for non-printing, An ink channel connected to the aforementioned inkjet head for flowing ink, A blocking mechanism that blocks the ink flow path when the inkjet head rotates, An inkjet printing apparatus characterized by comprising the following features.

[0077] [Note 2] The ink flow path is a circulation flow path that includes a supply flow path for supplying ink to the inkjet head and a discharge flow path for discharging ink from the inkjet head. The shut-off mechanism shuts off both the supply channel and the discharge channel. An inkjet printing apparatus as described in Appendix 1, characterized by the features described herein.

[0078] [Note 3] The blocking mechanism blocks the ink flow path in conjunction with the operation of the rotating mechanism. An inkjet printing apparatus as described in Appendix 1 or 2, characterized by the above.

[0079] [Note 4] The shut-off mechanism is a solenoid valve that shuts off the ink flow path. An inkjet printing apparatus as described in Appendix 1 or 2, characterized by the above. [Explanation of symbols]

[0080] 1. Inkjet printing device 10 inkjet heads 11 Head Modules 20 Rotation mechanism 21 Rotary drive unit 22 Rotating member 30 Ink circulation unit 31 Pressurized tank 32 Distributor 33 Collector 34. Vacuum Tank 35 Pressurized common air chamber 35a Atmospheric release valve 36 Negative pressure common air chamber 36a Atmospheric release valve 37 Temperature adjustment section 38a, 38b, 38c Ink circulation tubes 39a Supply tube 39b Discharge tube 40. Interruption mechanism 41 Shut-off valve 42 Springs 43 gears 43a, 43b Cam protrusion 50 Ink Refill Section 51 Ink Cartridges 52 Ink refill valve 53 Ink refill tube 60 Purge Trays 71 Control Unit 72 Memory section 73 Interface section 80 Solenoid valve (shut-off mechanism) 100 Conveyors D1 Conveying direction D2 Lateral direction P Printing material

Claims

1. An inkjet head that ejects ink in a horizontal direction intersecting the vertical direction, A rotation mechanism that rotates the inkjet head to a horizontal printing angle for printing and a standby angle for non-printing, An ink channel connected to the aforementioned inkjet head for flowing ink, A blocking mechanism that blocks the ink flow path when the inkjet head rotates, Equipped with, The blocking mechanism blocks the ink flow path in conjunction with the operation of the rotating mechanism. An inkjet printing apparatus characterized by the following features.

2. An inkjet head that ejects ink in a transverse direction intersecting the vertical direction, A rotation mechanism that rotates the inkjet head to a horizontal printing angle for printing and a standby angle for non-printing, An ink channel connected to the aforementioned inkjet head for flowing ink, A blocking mechanism that blocks the ink flow path when the inkjet head rotates, Equipped with, The shut-off mechanism is a solenoid valve that shuts off the ink flow path. An inkjet printing apparatus characterized by the following features.

3. The ink flow path is a circulation flow path that includes a supply flow path for supplying ink to the inkjet head and a discharge flow path for discharging ink from the inkjet head. The shut-off mechanism shuts off both the supply channel and the discharge channel. The inkjet printing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it is the same as described in claim 1 or 2.

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