JP7448438B2 - inkjet printer - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an inkjet printer.

2. Description of the Related Art Inkjet printers that print on recording media using an inkjet method have been known. This type of inkjet printer includes, for example, a platen on which a recording medium is placed, and an ink head that ejects ink onto the recording medium placed on the platen. Furthermore, depending on the type of ink used, some inkjet printers are equipped with a drying device such as a heater or a fan that dries the ink ejected onto the recording medium.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an inkjet printer equipped with a drying device having a plurality of fans as means for accelerating drying of ink ejected onto a recording medium. Since such a drying device is configured to send air toward the recording medium from above the recording medium, it is possible to efficiently dry the ink ejected onto the recording medium.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-159482

By the way, in the drying device disclosed in Patent Document 1, by arranging a plurality of fans in the main scanning direction, which is the moving direction of the ink head, the air volume is evenly distributed (preferably uniformly) toward the recording medium. be able to. However, since it is necessary to provide a plurality of fans, the drying apparatus tends to become larger. Furthermore, as the length of the platen in the main scanning direction becomes longer, the number of fans needs to be increased, so there is a risk that the drying device will also become larger as the printer becomes larger.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide an inkjet printer equipped with a drying device capable of promoting drying of ink ejected onto a recording medium and suppressing an increase in size. That's true.

An inkjet printer according to the present invention includes: a platen on which a recording medium is placed; a carriage disposed above the platen and movable in the main scanning direction; an ink head that discharges ink onto the recording medium that is conveyed in the scanning direction; and an ink head that is disposed downstream of the platen in the sub-scanning direction, and whose upper surface is diagonally downward from the upstream side in the sub-scanning direction toward the downstream side. a drying device that is arranged above at least a portion of the guide member and sends air toward the recording medium guided by the guide member. ing. The drying device includes a main body case extending in the main scanning direction, and a fan provided in the main body case. The main body case includes an intake port formed at one end of the main scanning direction of the main body case, and an exhaust port formed in the main body case, extending in the main scanning direction and opening toward the guide member. partitioning the main body case into a first chamber including the intake port and a second chamber located upstream of the first chamber in the sub-scanning direction and including the exhaust port; A partition wall in which a plurality of communication holes arranged in the main scanning direction are formed to communicate the first chamber and the second chamber. The fan is disposed in the first chamber so as to be located on the side of the intake port, and is configured to suck air from the intake port and exhaust air from the exhaust port through the plurality of communication holes. It is configured. The intake port, the fan, and the plurality of communication holes are arranged in this order from one side to the other side in the main scanning direction. The plurality of communication holes are formed such that the distance between the communication holes becomes wider as the distance from the fan increases.

According to the inkjet printer of the present invention, the drying device can suck air from the intake port using the fan disposed on the side of the intake port, and can cause the air to flow in the main scanning direction in the first chamber. The air flowing in the first chamber is discharged from the exhaust port toward the recording medium through the plurality of communication holes. Here, since the plurality of communication holes are formed so that the distance between the communication holes becomes wider as the distance from the fan increases, the amount of air when the air sent from the fan in the main scanning direction passes through each communication hole is approximately It will be the same. Since the air that has passed through the communication hole is rectified in the second chamber and discharged from the exhaust port extending in the main scanning direction, it is possible to send approximately uniform air over the main scanning direction of the recording medium. Thereby, drying of the recording medium can be promoted over the entire recording medium. Note that by providing a plurality of discharge ports and arranging a fan at each discharge port, it is also possible to send approximately uniform air over the main scanning direction of the recording medium. However, in this case, the number of fans required is equal to the number of discharge ports, which may increase the size of the drying device. On the other hand, the strength of the wind required for drying after printing is weak, and the fan installed at the discharge port needs to be installed only to send a weak breeze, so the ability of the fan should be utilized to the fullest. Since this is not possible, improvements were desired. Therefore, as mentioned above, by appropriately arranging the multiple communication holes formed in the partition wall that partitions the main body case into the first and second chambers, it is no longer necessary to provide multiple fans in the main body case. Also, the fan placed on the side of the air intake port can send approximately uniform air to the recording medium, and it is possible to suppress the size of the drying device.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an inkjet printer equipped with a drying device that can promote drying of ink ejected onto a recording medium and can suppress an increase in size.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a printer according to an embodiment. FIG. 1 is a front view of a printer according to an embodiment. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2. FIG. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a drying device according to an embodiment. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional perspective view of a drying device according to an embodiment. FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 3B. 3B is a sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. 3B. FIG.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An inkjet printer (hereinafter simply referred to as a "printer") according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described here are, of course, not intended to particularly limit the present invention. In addition, the same reference numerals are given to members and parts that have the same function, and redundant explanations are omitted or simplified as appropriate.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a printer 10 according to this embodiment. The printer 10 prints on the recording medium 5 (see FIG. 2). The recording medium 5 is, for example, recording paper. However, the recording medium 5 is not limited to recording paper. In addition to paper such as plain paper and inkjet printing paper, the recording medium 5 may include those made of resin materials such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyester, metal plates made of aluminum, iron, etc. Includes those made from glass plates, wood plates, cardboard, etc.

In the following description, left, right, upper, and lower mean the left, right, upper, and lower, respectively, as viewed from the operator in front of the printer 10. Furthermore, when the operator is facing the front of the printer 10, the direction from the rear of the printer 10 toward the operator is defined as the front, and the direction from the operator toward the rear of the printer 10 is defined as the rear. The symbols F, Rr, L, R, U, and D in the drawings represent front, rear, left, right, top, and bottom, respectively. A carriage 30 (see FIG. 2), which will be described later, is provided so as to be movable leftward and rightward. When the rear side of the printer 10 is referred to as the upstream side and the front side of the printer 10 is referred to as the downstream side, the recording medium 5 is conveyed from the upstream side to the downstream side. In this embodiment, the direction in which the carriage 30 moves is referred to as a main scanning direction Y, and the direction in which the recording medium 5 is conveyed is referred to as a sub-scanning direction X. Here, the main scanning direction Y corresponds to the left-right direction, and the sub-scanning direction X corresponds to the front-back direction. The main scanning direction Y and the sub-scanning direction X are perpendicular to each other. However, the main scanning direction Y and the sub-scanning direction X are not particularly limited, and can be set as appropriate depending on the form of the printer 10 and the like.

As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 10 includes a main body 10a, legs 11, and an operation panel 12. The main body portion 10a has a casing extending in the main scanning direction Y. The legs 11 support the main body 10a and are provided on the lower surface of the main body 10a. The operation panel 12 is provided, for example, on the right front surface of the main body portion 10a. However, the position of the operation panel 12 is not particularly limited. The operation panel 12 is used by the user to perform printing-related operations. Although not shown, the operation panel 12 includes, for example, a display section that displays printing-related information such as resolution and ink density, the status of the printer 10 that is currently printing, and a display section for inputting printing-related information. It is equipped with an input section for

As shown in FIG. 3A, the printer 10 includes a platen 16. As shown in FIG. The recording medium 5 is placed on the platen 16 . Printing on the recording medium 5 is performed on a platen 16. The platen 16 extends in the main scanning direction Y. The platen 16 is provided at the center of the main body 10a. The platen 16 has a flat upper surface 16A.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the printer 10 includes an upstream guide member 17 and a downstream guide member 18. The upstream guide member 17 is arranged behind the platen 16 (that is, on the upstream side in the sub-scanning direction X). The upper surface 17A of the upstream guide member 17 is inclined obliquely upward from the rear toward the front (that is, from the upstream side to the downstream side in the sub-scanning direction X). The upstream guide member 17 has, for example, an arcuate cross section. The upstream guide member 17 is curved downward as the distance from the platen 16 increases. The upstream guide member 17 guides the movement of the recording medium 5. That is, the upstream guide member 17 guides the movement of the recording medium 5 toward the platen 16. The downstream guide member 18 is arranged in front of the platen 16 (that is, downstream in the sub-scanning direction X). The upper surface 18A of the downstream guide member 18 is inclined obliquely downward from the rear toward the front (that is, from the upstream side to the downstream side in the sub-scanning direction X). The downstream guide member 18 has, for example, an arcuate cross section. The downstream guide member 18 is curved downward as the distance from the platen 16 increases. The downstream guide member 18 guides the movement of the recording medium 5. That is, the downstream guide member 18 guides the movement of the recording medium 5 from the platen 16. Here, the downstream guide member 18 guides the recording medium 5 to a winding device 19 (see FIG. 1) that winds up the recording medium 5 placed on the platen 16. The downstream guide member 18 is an example of a guide member.

As shown in FIG. 2, the printer 10 includes an ink head 35 that ejects ink. The ink head 35 discharges ink onto the recording medium 5 that is conveyed in the sub-scanning direction X. The ink head 35 is arranged above the platen 16. The ink head 35 is provided movably in the main scanning direction Y. In this embodiment, the ink head 35 is connected to an ink cartridge 37 by an ink supply path (not shown). The ink cartridge 37 is removably disposed, for example, at the left end of the main body 10a. Note that the material for the ink is not limited at all, and various materials conventionally used as ink materials for inkjet printers can be used. The ink may be, for example, a solvent-based pigment ink or an aqueous pigment ink, an aqueous dye ink, or an ultraviolet-curable pigment ink that cures upon exposure to ultraviolet light.

As shown in FIG. 2, the printer 10 includes a head moving mechanism 31 and a medium transport mechanism 32. The head moving mechanism 31 is a mechanism that moves the ink head 35 in the main scanning direction Y relative to the recording medium 5 placed on the platen 16. In this embodiment, the head moving mechanism 31 moves the ink head 35 in the main scanning direction Y. Here, the head moving mechanism 31 includes a guide rail 20, a first pulley 21, a second pulley 22, an endless belt 23, a first drive motor 24, and a carriage 30. The guide rail 20 guides the movement of the carriage 30 in the main scanning direction Y. As shown in FIG. 3A, the guide rail 20 is arranged above the platen 16. As shown in FIG. 2, the guide rail 20 extends in the main scanning direction Y. The first pulley 21 is provided at the left end portion of the guide rail 20. The second pulley 22 is provided at the right end portion of the guide rail 20. The belt 23 is wound around the first pulley 21 and the second pulley 22. In this embodiment, a first drive motor 24 is connected to the second pulley 22 . However, the first drive motor 24 may be connected to the first pulley 21. The belt 23 runs between the first pulley 21 and the second pulley 22 as the first drive motor 24 drives and the second pulley 22 rotates.

Carriage 30 is attached to belt 23. The carriage 30 is arranged above the platen 16. As shown in FIG. 3A, the carriage 30 is engaged with the guide rail 20 and is slidably provided on the guide rail 20. An ink head 35 is mounted on the carriage 30. In this embodiment, the head moving mechanism 31 moves the ink heads 35 mounted on the carriage 30 as the belt 23 runs by the drive of the first drive motor 24 and the carriage 30 moves in the main scanning direction Y. Move in the main scanning direction Y.

The medium transport mechanism 32 moves the recording medium 5 placed on the platen 16 in the sub-scanning direction X relative to the ink head 35. Here, the medium transport mechanism 32 moves the recording medium 5 placed on the platen 16 in the sub-scanning direction X. Note that the configuration of the medium transport mechanism 32 is not particularly limited. As shown in FIG. 3A, in this embodiment, the media transport mechanism 32 includes a grit roller 25, a pinch roller 26, and a second drive motor (not shown) that drives the grit roller 25. The grit roller 25 is provided on the platen 16. Here, at least a portion of the grit roller 25 is embedded in the platen 16. The pinch roller 26 presses down the recording medium 5 from above. Pinch roller 26 is arranged above grit roller 25. The pinch roller 26 is provided at a position facing the grit roller 25. The pinch roller 26 is configured to be movable in the vertical direction. When the second drive motor drives and the grit roller 25 rotates while the recording medium 5 is sandwiched between the grit roller 25 and the pinch roller 26, the recording medium 5 is conveyed in the sub-scanning direction X. Note that the installation positions and numbers of the grit rollers 25 and pinch rollers 26 are not particularly limited.

As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 10 includes a drying device 50. The drying device 50 is a device that dries the ink ejected onto the recording medium 5. The drying device 50 sends air toward the recording medium 5 guided by the downstream guide member 18 . As shown in FIG. 3A, the drying device 50 is arranged in front of the platen 16 (that is, on the downstream side in the sub-scanning direction X). The drying device 50 is arranged above at least a portion of the downstream guide member 18. A portion of the drying device 50 overlaps with the downstream guide member 18 in plan view. As shown in FIG. 2, a portion of the drying device 50 overlaps with the downstream guide member 18 when viewed from the front. The drying device 50 is detachably provided in the main body portion 10a.

As shown in FIG. 1, the drying device 50 includes a main body case 51 extending in the main scanning direction Y, and a fan 55 (see FIG. 5) provided in the main body case 51. The main body case 51 has an intake port 52 formed at the right end of the main body case 51, an exhaust port 53 formed in the main body case 51 (see FIG. 4), and a first chamber 61 (see FIG. 4) that connects the main body case 51 to a first chamber 61 (see FIG. 4). and a partition wall 54 (see FIG. 4) that partitions the room into a second chamber 62 (see FIG. 4).

As shown in FIG. 1, the main body case 51 includes a front wall 51A that extends in the main scanning direction Y and extends in the vertical direction, and an upper wall 51B that extends rearward (i.e., upstream in the sub-scanning direction X) from the upper end of the front wall 51A. , a rear wall 51C extending downward from the rear end of the upper wall 51B (see FIG. 3B), and a first lower wall 51D extending rearward (i.e., upstream in the sub-scanning direction X) from the lower end of the front wall 51A (see FIG. 3B). ), a second lower wall 51E (see FIG. 3B) located below the upper wall 51B and rearward of the partition wall 54 (that is, on the upstream side in the sub-scanning direction It has a right wall 51F, a left wall 51G (see FIG. 5) extending rearward from the left end of the front wall 51A, and a vertical wall 51H (see FIG. 4) extending upward from the second lower wall 51E. The front wall 51A, the upper wall 51B, the partition wall 54, the first lower wall 51D, the right wall 51F, and the left wall 51G partition the first chamber 61 (see FIG. 4). The upper wall 51B, the partition wall 54, the rear wall 51C, the second lower wall 51E, the right wall 51F, and the left wall 51G define a second chamber 62 (see FIG. 4). The second chamber 62 is located at the rear of the first chamber 61.

As shown in FIG. 4, the upper wall 51B is located above the partition wall 54. A portion of the upper wall 51B is located behind the partition wall 54 (that is, on the upstream side in the sub-scanning direction X). The other part of the upper wall 51B is located forward of the partition wall 54 (ie, on the downstream side in the sub-scanning direction X). The upper wall 51B extends in the main scanning direction Y and the sub-scanning direction X. The rear wall 51C has a first portion 51CA that slopes diagonally downward toward the rear from the rear end of the upper wall 51B, and a second portion 51CB that slopes diagonally downward from the lower end of the first portion 51CA toward the front. The first lower wall 51D extends in the main scanning direction Y and the sub-scanning direction X. The second lower wall 51E extends in the main scanning direction Y. The second lower wall 51E includes a first portion 51EA that slopes diagonally downward from the rear to the front, and a second portion 51EB that extends downward from the front end of the first portion 51EA. The vertical wall 51H extends in the main scanning direction Y. The vertical wall 51H is located forward of the exhaust port 53. The upper end of the vertical wall 51H is located below the communication hole 65.

As shown in FIG. 1, the intake port 52 is formed at the right end of the main body case 51. More specifically, the intake port 52 is formed at the right end of the front wall 51A of the main body case 51 and at the right wall 51F, respectively. An intake port 52 formed in the front wall 51A opens forward. The intake port 52 formed in the right wall 51F opens toward the right. Note that the direction in which the intake port 52 opens is not limited to the above direction. The intake port 52 is formed in a slit shape. The intake port 52 is included in the first chamber 61 (see FIG. 3A). The intake port 52 communicates the outside of the main body case 51 and the first chamber 61 . Note that the intake port 52 may be formed at the left end of the main body case 51.

As shown in FIG. 3B, the main body case 51 has a gap provided between the rear wall 51C and the second lower wall 51E. The exhaust port 53 is formed in the gap. The exhaust port 53 extends in the main scanning direction Y with the width of the gap and opens toward the downstream guide member 18 . In this embodiment, the exhaust port 53 opens downward. The exhaust port 53 is formed in a slit shape. The exhaust port 53 is located below a plurality of communication holes 65, which will be described later. The exhaust port 53 is located above the downstream guide member 18. The exhaust port 53 is included in the second chamber 62. The exhaust port 53 communicates the second chamber 62 with the outside of the main body case 51 .

As shown in FIG. 3B, the partition wall 54 is located between the front wall 51A and the rear wall 51C in the sub-scanning direction X. The partition wall 54 extends in the main scanning direction Y and in the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of communication holes 65 are formed in the partition wall 54 to communicate the first chamber 61 and the second chamber 62. As shown in FIG. The communication holes 65 are arranged in the main scanning direction Y. The communication hole 65 is formed in a rectangular shape. As shown in FIG. 6, the communication hole 65 is formed in the upper part of the partition wall 54. As shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the communication hole 65 includes a first communication hole 65A to a seventh communication hole 65G. The first communication hole 65A to the seventh communication hole 65G are formed in this order from right to left. In the following description, the first communication hole 65A to the seventh communication hole 65G may be collectively referred to as the communication hole 65. Note that the number of communicating holes 65 is not limited to seven. As shown in FIG. 5, the plurality of communication holes 65 are formed such that the distance between the communication holes 65 becomes wider as the distance from the fan 55 increases. More specifically, the distance between the first communication hole 65A and the second communication hole 65B is L1, the distance between the second communication hole 65B and the third communication hole 65C is L2, and the distance between the third communication hole 65C and the fourth communication hole is L1. The distance between the hole 65D and the hole 65D is L3, the distance between the fourth communication hole 65D and the fifth communication hole 65E is L4, the distance between the fifth communication hole 65E and the sixth communication hole 65F is L5, and the distance between the fourth communication hole 65D and the fifth communication hole 65E is L5. The communication hole 65 is formed so that the relationship L6>L5>L4>L3>L2>L1 holds, where L6 is the distance between the seventh communication hole 65G and the seventh communication hole 65G. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the plurality of communication holes 65 are formed such that the length in the main scanning direction Y becomes shorter as the distance from the fan 55 increases. More specifically, when the lengths in the main scanning direction Y of the first communication hole 65A to the seventh communication hole 65G are respectively M1 to M7, the relationship M1>M2>M3>M4>M5>M6>M7 holds. A communication hole 65 is formed as shown in FIG. That is, the opening area of the first communication hole 65A is set to be the largest, and the opening area of the seventh communication hole 65G is set to be the smallest.

As shown in FIG. 5, the fan 55 is arranged in the first chamber 61. The fan 55 is arranged to be located on the side of the intake port 52. Here, the fan 55 is arranged to the left of the intake port 52. In this embodiment, the intake port 52, the fan 55, and the plurality of communication holes 65 are arranged in this order from right to left. The fan 55 is configured to suck air through the intake port 52 and exhaust air from the exhaust port 53 via the plurality of communication holes 65.

Next, the flow of air sucked from the air intake port 52 of the drying device 50 will be described in detail. First, as shown by the arrow F1 in FIG. 6, the fan 55 causes air sucked through the intake port 52 to flow in the main scanning direction Y within the first chamber 61. Air flowing in the first chamber 61 flows into the second chamber 62 through the plurality of communication holes 65, as shown by arrow F2 in FIG. Here, because the air flowing from the fan 55 causes a difference in internal pressure between the right side of the first chamber 61 (i.e., the side closer to the fan 55) and the left side of the first chamber 61 (i.e., the side away from the fan 55), for example, If communication holes of the same shape are arranged at regular intervals in the main scanning direction Y, more air will flow into the second chamber 62 from the communication hole formed on the left side of the first chamber 61. That is, the air flowing into the second chamber 62 becomes uneven. Therefore, as described above, by making the intervals between the plurality of communication holes 65 uneven and making the opening areas different, more air can be transferred to the second chamber 62 on the right side of the first chamber 61 where the internal pressure is relatively low. can be passed to. That is, even with the single fan 55, the air flowing out from the communication hole 65 into the second chamber 62 can be made uniform. A part of the air that has flowed into the second chamber 62 hits the vertical wall 51H and convects inside the second chamber 62 along the inner wall of the second lower wall 51E, as shown by arrow F3 in FIG. 3B. This increases the flow velocity of air discharged from the second chamber 62 to the outside via the exhaust port 53. Here, since the first portion 51EA of the second lower wall 51E is inclined diagonally downward from the rear to the front, the air discharged from the exhaust port 53 is It flows along the first portion 51EA. Then, the air flowing along the first portion 51EA collides with the second portion 51EB extending downward from the front end of the first portion 51EA, and as shown by arrow F5 in FIG. 3B, the air flows into the downstream guide member 18. It flows toward the guided recording medium 5. In this way, the air discharged from the drying device 50 flows toward the recording medium 5 guided by the downstream guide member 18, but the air flows toward the platen 16 (i.e., upstream in the sub-scanning direction X). It is designed not to.

As described above, according to the printer 10 of the present embodiment, the drying device 50 sucks air from the air intake port 52 using the fan 55 disposed on the side of the air intake port 52, and generates air in the main scanning direction within the first chamber 61. Air can flow through Y. The air flowing in the first chamber 61 is then discharged toward the recording medium 5 from the exhaust port 53 via the plurality of communication holes 65 . Here, since the plurality of communication holes 65 are formed such that the distance between the communication holes 65 becomes wider as the distance from the fan 55 increases, the air sent from the fan 55 in the main scanning direction Y passes through each communication hole 65. The amount of air at the time will be approximately the same. The air that has passed through the communication hole 65 is rectified in the second chamber 62 and discharged from the exhaust port 53 extending in the main scanning direction Y, so that air is sent approximately uniformly across the recording medium 5 in the main scanning direction Y. be able to. Thereby, drying of the recording medium 5 can be promoted over the entire recording medium 5. Note that by providing a plurality of discharge ports and arranging a fan at each discharge port, it is also possible to send approximately uniform air over the main scanning direction Y of the recording medium 5. However, in this case, the number of fans required is equal to the number of discharge ports, which may increase the size of the drying device. On the other hand, the strength of the wind required for drying after printing is weak, and the fan installed at the discharge port needs to be installed only to send a weak breeze, so the ability of the fan should be utilized to the fullest. Since this is not possible, improvements were desired. Therefore, as described above, by appropriately setting the arrangement of the plurality of communication holes 65 formed in the partition wall 54 that partitions the main body case 51 into the first chamber 61 and the second chamber 62, Even if the fan 55 is not provided, the fan 55 disposed on the side of the air intake port 52 can send approximately uniform air to the recording medium 5, and the size of the drying device 50 can be suppressed.

In the printer 10 of this embodiment, the plurality of communication holes 65 are formed such that the length in the main scanning direction Y becomes shorter as the distance from the fan 55 increases. Thereby, the amount of air sent from the fan 55 in the main scanning direction Y when it passes through each communication hole 65 becomes more uniform. As a result, more uniform air can be sent across the recording medium 5 in the main scanning direction Y. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of uneven drying of the ink ejected onto the recording medium 5.

In the printer 10 of this embodiment, the exhaust port 53 is formed in the gap provided between the rear wall 51C and the second lower wall 51E of the main body case 51, and is located below the plurality of communication holes 65. . Thereby, the air that has passed through the plurality of communication holes 65 can be efficiently discharged from the exhaust port 53.

In the printer 10 of this embodiment, the main body case 51 has a vertical wall 51H that is located downstream of the exhaust port 53 in the sub-scanning direction X and extends upward from the second lower wall 51E in the main scanning direction Y. . A portion of the air that has passed through the plurality of communication holes 65 hits the vertical wall 51H. Thereby, the air is rectified in the second chamber 62, and the flow velocity of the air discharged from the exhaust port 53 can be increased.

In the printer 10 of this embodiment, the second lower wall 51E has a first portion 51EA that is inclined obliquely downward from the rear to the front (that is, from the upstream side to the downstream side in the sub-scanning direction X). As a result, the air that hits the vertical wall 51H in the second chamber 62 flows along the inner wall of the first portion 51EA, so that the air in the second chamber 62 is further rectified. Moreover, since the air discharged from the exhaust port 53 flows along the outer wall of the first portion 51EA, it is possible to suppress the air discharged from the exhaust port 53 from flowing toward the platen 16 side. That is, when ink is ejected from the ink head 35, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of deviation in the landing position of the ink due to unnecessary air flow.

In the printer 10 of this embodiment, the second lower wall 51E has a second portion 51EB extending downward from the front end (that is, the downstream end in the sub-scanning direction X) of the first portion 51EA. As a result, the air discharged from the exhaust port 53 and flowing along the first portion 51EA hits the second portion 51EB and flows downward. As a result, air can be efficiently sent to the recording medium 5 guided by the downstream guide member 18.

The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the above-described embodiments are merely illustrative, and the present invention can be implemented in various other forms.

In the printer 10 described above, the drying device 50 may be disposed within the main body case 51 and may include a heating mechanism that heats the air discharged from the exhaust port 53. Examples of the heating mechanism include a nichrome wire heater. Thereby, heated air can be sent to the recording medium 5, so that drying of the ink ejected onto the recording medium 5 can be further accelerated.

In the embodiment described above, the upper wall 51B of the main body case 51 separates the first chamber 61 and the second chamber 62, but the upper wall partitions the first chamber 61 and the second chamber 62. It may be a separate member from the upper wall.

In the embodiment described above, the exhaust port 53 opens downward, but the exhaust port 53 is not limited thereto. Since the exhaust port 53 only needs to open toward the downstream guide member 18, for example, the exhaust port 53 may open horizontally toward the rear, diagonally downward toward the rear, or toward the top. It may be open.

10 Printer (inkjet printer)
16 Platen 18 Downstream guide member 30 Carriage 35 Ink head 50 Drying device 51 Main body case 52 Intake port 53 Exhaust port 54 Partition wall 55 Fan 61 First chamber 62 Second chamber 65 Communication hole

Claims (6)

a platen on which a recording medium is placed;
a carriage disposed above the platen and movable in the main scanning direction;
an ink head that is mounted on the carriage and discharges ink onto the recording medium that is conveyed in a sub-scanning direction perpendicular to the main-scanning direction;
a guide member disposed on the downstream side of the platen in the sub-scanning direction, whose upper surface is inclined diagonally downward from the upstream side in the sub-scanning direction toward the downstream side, and guides movement of the recording medium;
a drying device disposed above at least a portion of the guide member and sending air toward the recording medium guided by the guide member;
The drying device includes:
a main body case extending in the main scanning direction;
A fan provided in the main body case,
The main body case is
an intake port formed at one end of the main scanning direction of the main body case;
an exhaust port formed in the main body case, extending in the main scanning direction and opening toward the guide member;
The main body case is partitioned into a first chamber including the intake port and a second chamber located upstream of the first chamber in the sub-scanning direction and including the exhaust port, and a partition wall in which a plurality of communication holes arranged in the main scanning direction are formed to communicate the chamber and the second chamber;
The fan is disposed in the first chamber so as to be located on the side of the intake port, and is configured to suck air from the intake port and exhaust air from the exhaust port through the plurality of communication holes. configured,
The intake port, the fan, and the plurality of communication holes are arranged in this order from one side to the other side in the main scanning direction,
In the inkjet printer, the plurality of communication holes are formed such that the distance between the communication holes becomes wider as the distance from the fan increases. The inkjet printer according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of communicating holes are formed such that the length in the main scanning direction becomes shorter as the distance from the fan increases. The main body case includes an upper wall located above the partition wall and at least a portion of which is located on the upstream side in the sub-scanning direction, and extends downward from an end of the upper wall on the upstream side in the sub-scanning direction. A rear wall, a lower wall located below the upper wall and on the upstream side of the partition wall in the sub-scanning direction, and a gap provided between the rear wall and the lower wall. death,
The upper wall, the rear wall, the partition wall, and the lower wall partition the second chamber,
The inkjet printer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the exhaust port is formed in the gap and located below the plurality of communication holes. The inkjet printer according to claim 3, wherein the main body case has a vertical wall located downstream of the exhaust port in the sub-scanning direction and extending upward from the lower wall in the main-scanning direction. 5. The inkjet printer according to claim 3, wherein the lower wall has a first portion that slopes diagonally downward from the upstream side toward the downstream side in the sub-scanning direction. The inkjet printer according to claim 5, wherein the lower wall has a second portion extending downward from the downstream end of the first portion in the sub-scanning direction.

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