Patent Publication Number: US-10759171-B2

Title: Liquid discharge apparatus

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This patent application is based on and claims priority pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) to Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-020771, filed on Feb. 8, 2018, No. 2018-020783, filed on Feb. 8, 2018, and No. 2018-207390, filed on Nov. 2, 2018, in the Japan Patent Office, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Technical Field 
     Aspects of the present disclosure relates to a liquid discharge apparatus. 
     Related Art 
     A liquid discharge apparatus such as a printing apparatus including a liquid discharge head that discharges a liquid performs collection of mist resulted from liquid discharge by using a filter or the like. 
     SUMMARY 
     In an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a liquid discharge apparatus that includes an apparatus body, a holder, a stage, an exhaust fan, a suction port, and a partition. The holder holds a target object. The stage reciprocates while holding the holder that holds the target object. The exhaust fan generates an airflow. The suction port is disposed on a side portion of the holder to suck the airflow generated by the exhaust fan. The partition partitions an interior of the apparatus body into a space including the suction port and a space not including the suction port. The partition and the holder are arranged to form an airflow path toward the suction port between the partition and the holder. 
     In another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a liquid discharge apparatus that includes an apparatus body, a holder, a stage, an exhaust fan, a suction port, a liquid discharge head, a carriage, and a gap forming member. The holder holds a target object. The stage reciprocates while holding the holder that holds the target object. The exhaust fan generates an airflow. The suction port is disposed on a side portion of the holder to suck the airflow generated by the exhaust fan. The liquid discharge head discharges a liquid onto the target object. The carriage holds the liquid discharge head. The gap forming member forms a spatial gap between the holder and the gap forming member. A lower surface of the gap forming member is arranged at a position higher than a nozzle surface of the liquid discharge head. 
     In still another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a mist collection device that includes an exhaust fan and a plurality of opening members. The exhaust fan generates an airflow. The plurality of opening members is arranged on a downstream side of the exhaust fan in a direction of the airflow generated by the exhaust fan. Each of the plurality of opening members includes an opening portion and a wall portion. At least a part of the opening portion of one opening member on an upstream side in the direction of the airflow out of adjacent two of the plurality of opening members is opposed to at least a part of the wall portion of another opening member on the downstream side in the direction of the airflow out of the adjacent two of the plurality of opening members. 
     In still yet another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a liquid discharge apparatus that includes a liquid discharge device to discharge a liquid and the mist collection device. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The aforementioned and other aspects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure would be better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a front view of a printing apparatus as a liquid discharge apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of the printing apparatus; 
         FIG. 3  is a plan view of the printing apparatus; 
         FIG. 4  is an external perspective view of an example of a cassette used in the printing apparatus; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a state where an outer circumferential cover member of the cassette is open; 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic cross-sectional view along a short side direction of the cassette; 
         FIG. 7  is a front view illustrating a portion related to mist collection in the printing apparatus; 
         FIG. 8  is a side view of a mist collection device during mist collection; 
         FIG. 9  is a front view of the mist collection device during mist collection; 
         FIG. 10  is a side view of a carriage portion illustrating arrangement position of a partition as a gap forming member; 
         FIG. 11  is a view illustrating a discharge unit; 
         FIG. 12  is a side view illustrating occurrence of mist accumulation in the absence of a partition; 
         FIG. 13  is a front view illustrating operation of a configuration in which an exhaust fan and a filter are arranged above a suction port; 
         FIG. 14  is a side view illustrating a second embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 15  is a side view illustrating operational effects of the second embodiment; 
         FIG. 16  is a front view illustrating a third embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 17  is a side view of the third embodiment; 
         FIG. 18  is a front view of a printing apparatus as a liquid discharge apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 19  is a side view of the printing apparatus of  FIG. 18 ; 
         FIG. 20  is a plan view of the printing apparatus of  FIG. 18 ; 
         FIG. 21  is a side view illustrating a flow of air when a mist collection device in the fourth embodiment is driven; 
         FIGS. 22A to 22C  are front views illustrating a first opening member and a second opening member in the fourth embodiment; 
         FIG. 23  is a cross-sectional plan view of a portion from an exhaust fan to an exhaust port in the fourth embodiment; 
         FIG. 24  is a cross-sectional plan view of a portion from an exhaust fan to an exhaust port according to a fifth embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIGS. 25A to 25C  are front views illustrating a first opening member and a second opening member in a sixth embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 26  is a cross-sectional plan view of a portion from the exhaust fan to the exhaust port of the sixth embodiment; 
         FIGS. 27A to 27C  are front views illustrating a first opening member and a second opening member in a seventh embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 28  is a cross-sectional plan view of a portion from an exhaust fan to an exhaust port in an eighth embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIGS. 29A to 29C  are front views of a first opening member and a second opening member according to a ninth embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 30  is a side view of a mist collection device in a tenth embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 31  is a side view of a mist collection device in an eleventh embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 32  is a cross-sectional plan view of a portion from an exhaust fan to an exhaust port in a twelfth embodiment of the present disclosure; and 
         FIG. 33  is a cross-sectional plan view of a portion from an exhaust fan to an exhaust port in a thirteenth embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     The accompanying drawings are intended to depict embodiments of the present disclosure and should not be interpreted to limit the scope thereof. The accompanying drawings are not to be considered as drawn to scale unless explicitly noted. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In describing embodiments illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology is employed for the sake of clarity. However, the disclosure of this patent specification is not intended to be limited to the specific terminology so selected and it is to be understood that each specific element includes all technical equivalents that operate in a similar manner and achieve similar results. 
     Although the embodiments are described with technical limitations with reference to the attached drawings, such description is not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure and all of the components or elements described in the embodiments of this disclosure are not necessarily indispensable. 
     Referring now to the drawings, embodiments of the present disclosure are described below. In the drawings for explaining the following embodiments, the same reference codes are allocated to elements (members or components) having the same function or shape and redundant descriptions thereof are omitted below. 
     Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. A printing apparatus as a liquid discharge apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to  FIGS. 1 to 3 .  FIG. 1  is a front view,  FIG. 2  is a side view, and  FIG. 3  is a plan view, of the printing apparatus. 
     A printing apparatus  1  includes, in an apparatus body  100 ; a stage  111  that reciprocates while removably holding a cassette  200 ; and a printing unit  112  printing on a printing medium held by the cassette  200  held by the stage  111 . The cassette  200  is a holder having a platen member  300  to hold a cloth  400  (refer to  FIG. 6 ) or the like being a printing medium as an application target object. 
     The stage  111  is mounted to a slider member  113 , and the slider member  113  is held by guide members  114  and  114  so as to be capable of reciprocating in an arrow Y direction (feed direction). The stage  111  reciprocates with reciprocating movement of the slider member  113  in the feed direction. 
     This also causes reciprocating movement in the Y-direction of the cassette  200 , which is a holder removably attached to the stage  111 , and of the cloth  400  held by the platen member  300  of the cassette  200 . 
     The printing unit  112  includes a carriage  121  that moves in the arrow X direction (main scanning direction) with respect to the stage  111 . The carriage  121  includes a liquid discharge head  122  being a liquid discharge device that discharges a liquid. 
     A maintenance unit  130  that performs maintenance of the liquid discharge head  122  is disposed below the carriage  121  on one end side in the arrow X direction. The maintenance unit  130  includes a cap  131  for capping a nozzle surface of the liquid discharge head  122 . 
     In the printing apparatus  1 , the cassette  200  is mounted on the stage  111  in the apparatus body  100  and held in a state where a printing medium is set on the platen member  300  of the cassette  200 . Thereafter, movement of the stage  111  in the arrow Y direction and the reciprocating movement of the printing unit  112  (the carriage  121 ) in the arrow X direction are repeated to enable printing a desired image on the cloth  400  as a printing medium. 
     Next, an example of a cassette used in this printing apparatus will be described with reference to  FIGS. 4 to 6 .  FIG. 4  is an external perspective view of the cassette.  FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the cassette in a state where the outer circumferential cover member is open.  FIG. 6  is a schematic cross-sectional view along a short side direction of the cassette. 
     The cassette  200  includes: a base member  201 ; the platen member  300  that holds a portion to be printed on the cloth  400  in a flat state; and an outer circumferential cover member  202  that sandwiches the cloth  400  between oneself and the platen member  300 . 
     The platen member  300  is constituted with: a platen body  301  formed of a heat insulating member  300   a  constituting a holding surface that holds the cloth  400  in a flat state; and a platen structure  302 . The platen body  301  has heat resistance in heat application. The platen structure  302  is integrated with the platen body  301  and projects from the outer circumferential side of the platen body  301  to form a flange portion  300   b  which is a peripheral portion of the platen member  300 . 
     The outer circumferential cover member  202  includes a frame portion  202   b  forming an opening portion  202   a  from which the platen member  300  is exposed. The outer circumferential cover member  202  is provided so as to be openable/closable with respect to the base member  201  by a hinge  203  or the like. The outer circumferential cover member  202  holds the cloth  400  between oneself and the flange portion  300   b  of the peripheral portion of the platen member  300 . 
     The platen member  300  is supported by a support  311  with respect to the base member  201 , so as to form an accommodation space  312  between the platen member  300  and the base member  201  enabling accommodation of a residual portion  400   a  of the cloth  400 . The residual portion  400   a  corresponds to both sleeves, collar portion, hem, etc. in the case of printing on the front side of a T-shirt, for example. 
     When holding and printing the cloth  400  on the cassette  200 , the outer circumferential cover member  202  is first opened, and then, a printing portion of the cloth  400  is set on the platen member  300 . Thereafter, a remaining portion (residual portion)  400   a  of the cloth  400  is pushed into the accommodation space  312 , and the residual portion  400   a  is accommodated in the accommodation space  312 . Thereafter, the outer circumferential cover member  202  is closed. 
     This procedure can hold the printing portion of the cloth  400  flat by the platen member  300 , enabling accommodation of the residual portion  400   a  within the cassette  200  by suppressing its protrusion to the outside. 
     Thereafter, the cassette  200  in which the cloth  400  is set is mounted (set) on the stage  111  of the apparatus body  100  of the printing apparatus  1 . 
     Next, a configuration of a portion related to mist collection in the printing apparatus  1  will be described with reference to  FIG. 7  as well.  FIG. 7  is a front view illustrating the printing apparatus  1 . 
     Here, an attachment/detachment side of the cassette  200  with respect to the apparatus body  100  is defined as the front side of the apparatus body  100 , and the side opposite to the front side in the arrow Y direction is defined as the rear side of the apparatus body  100 . 
     Mist collection devices  500  are arranged at portions being both side portions of the apparatus body  100  and being the rear side of the apparatus body  100 . 
     The mist collection device  500  includes an exhaust duct  501 , a filter  502  that captures mist, and an exhaust fan  503  that is disposed on a downstream side of the filter  502  to generate an airflow. 
     The exhaust duct  501  includes: a suction duct portion  501   a  having a suction port  511  and that guides the air sucked from the suction port  511  upward; and an exhaust duct portion  501   c  in which the exhaust fan  503  for sucking air from the suction duct portion  501   a  via the filter  502  is arranged and that guides the air sent out from the exhaust fan  503  toward an exhaust port  515  on a rear side. 
     In this case, the filter  502  and the exhaust fan  503  are disposed above the suction port  511 . 
     The suction port  511  of the exhaust duct  501  is disposed on both side portions in the X direction at substantially the same height as the cassette  200 . This configuration enables suction of the mist from both sides of the cassette  200  without hindering the movement of the cassette  200 . 
     In addition, there is provided a partition (partition plate)  550  that partitions an internal space of the apparatus body  100  into a first space A including the suction port  511  of the exhaust duct  501  and a second space B not including the suction port  511  of the exhaust duct  501 . 
     The partition  550  is disposed at a height that would not interfere with the reciprocating cassette  200 . 
     The partition  550  is a gap forming member that forms a spatial gap  551  (refer to  FIG. 7 ) from the cassette  200  which is a reciprocating holder. 
     Next, the collection of mist by the mist collection device  500  will be described with reference to  FIGS. 8 and 9  as well.  FIG. 8  is a side view of the mist collection device  500  and  FIG. 9  is a front view of the mist collection device  500 . 
     The exhaust fan  503  of the mist collection device  500  is driven to allow the air to be sucked from the suction port  511  and discharged from the exhaust port  515 , generating an airflow  600 . This airflow  600  allows the mist caused with the liquid discharge from the liquid discharge head  122  during printing on the cloth  400  and the mist generated in the maintenance of the liquid discharge head  122  performed by the maintenance unit  130  to be sucked from the suction port  511  of the exhaust duct  501  via the airflow  600 . 
     The sucked mist is captured and collected by the filter  502  on an upstream side of the exhaust fan  503  in a direction of the airflow  600 . Note that the filter  502  can be omitted or may be disposed on the downstream side of the exhaust fan  503  in the direction of the airflow  600  when mist sticking to the exhaust fan  503  would not be a problem. 
     Here, the suction port  511  is disposed on the side-portion side of the cassette  200 , and a partition  550  is arranged to partition the space into the space A including the suction port  511  and the space B not including the suction port  511 . 
     Such a configuration forms an airflow path of the airflow  600  passing by the side surface of the cassette  200  from the space between the partition  550  and the upper surface of the cassette  200  toward the suction port  511 . At this time, the partition  550  makes it possible to efficiently guide the airflow  600  from the printing unit  112  as a mist occurrence site toward the suction port  511 , achieving efficient mist collection. 
     Furthermore, the suction port  511  is arranged on the side-portion side of the movement range of the cassette  200 , making it possible to separate contamination in the vicinity of the suction port  511  where stagnation of the airflow  600  is likely to occur from the printing medium. 
     Furthermore, the partition  550  is disposed at a position aligned with an upper portion of the suction port  511 . Accordingly, even when the airflow  600  is disturbed by the operation of the cassette  200 , the airflow  600  can be easily guided to the suction port  511 . At this time, there is always a flow attributed to the airflow  600 , making it possible to prevent sticking of the mist to the partition  550  itself. 
     With this configuration, even when the airflow  600  inside the apparatus body  100  is disturbed by the reciprocating movement of the carriage  121 , the stage  111 , and the cassette  200 , it is still possible to prevent sticking of the mist to the partition  550  located directly above the cloth  400 . This leads to prevention of dripping and sticking of the contamination attributed to the mist onto the printing medium even after use for a long period of time. 
     Next, the arrangement position of the partition  550  as the gap forming member will be described with reference to  FIGS. 10 and 11  as well.  FIG. 10  is a side view of a carriage portion.  FIG. 11  is a view illustrating a discharge unit. 
     In the present embodiment, the carriage  121  includes a discharge unit  120  integrating: the liquid discharge head  122 ; and a sub tank  123  for temporarily storing the liquid to be supplied to the liquid discharge head  122 . 
     The sub tank  123  includes: a tank body  123   a  constituting a housing for accommodating a liquid  10 ; a supply port  123   b  supplying the liquid into the tank body  123   a ; a venting mechanism  123   c  for venting the inside of the tank body  123   a ; and an electrode pin pair  123   d  for detecting a liquid level within the tank body  123   a , or the like. Here, as illustrated in  FIG. 10 , a height of a nozzle surface  122   a  of the liquid discharge head  122  is defined as h 1 , a height of an upper surface  122   b  of the liquid discharge head  122  is defined as h 2 , and a height of an upper surface  121   a  of the carriage  121  is defined as h 3  (h 1 &lt;h 2 &lt;h 3 ). 
     With reference to above-described  FIG. 8  as well, the partition  550  is disposed at a position where a lower surface (surface opposed to the cassette  200  as the holder)  550   a  of the partition  550  is higher than the height h 1  of the nozzle surface  122   a  of the head  122 . 
     Meanwhile, the partition  550  is preferably disposed at a position where the lower surface  550   a  of the partition  550  is lower than the height h 3  of the upper surface  121   a  of the carriage  121 . More preferably, the lower surface  550   a  of the partition  550  is disposed at a position lower than the height h 2  of the upper surface  122   b  of the head  122 . 
     Next, operation of the partition  550  will be described with reference to  FIG. 12  as well.  FIG. 12  is a side view illustrating occurrence of mist accumulation in the absence of the partition  550  provided for the description. 
     As described above, mist is generated together with liquid discharge from the liquid discharge head  122  during printing on a printing medium, or with maintenance of the liquid discharge head  122  performed by the maintenance unit  130 . 
     Therefore, it would be necessary, in constructing the mist collection device  500 , to arrange the suction port  511  in the vicinity of the maintenance unit  130  and the carriage  121 . This, however, needs to avoid moving regions of the carriage  121 , the stage  111 , and the cassette  200 . 
     In addition, movement of the carriage  121 , the stage  111 , and the cassette  200  disturbs the airflow  600  in the apparatus body  100 , causing sticking of the mist to various sites inside the apparatus body  100 . During a long time of use in particular, the mist would continuously stick to the interior of the apparatus body  100 , and the mist attached to the upper surface might fall down in the form of mist accumulation like icicle. 
     For example, even when the exhaust duct  501  and the fan  503  are disposed as illustrated in  FIG. 12 , rearward movement of the cassette  200  would push out the air behind the cassette  200  to generate an airflow heading toward the top surface side. The airflow heading toward the top surface side stagnates on the top surface side of the apparatus body  100 , resulting in generation and growth of mist accumulation  603 . 
     A liquid material as an aggregate of mist that falls from the mist accumulation  603  might stick to a printing medium such as the cloth  400  held by the cassette  200  moving at a lower position, leading to contamination of the printing medium in some cases. 
     Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the suction port  511  is disposed on the side-portion side of the cassette  200  and the space is partitioned into the space A including the suction port  511  and the space B not including the suction port  511  by using the partition  550 , so as to allow the airflow  600  to constantly flow over the surface of the partition  550  on the cassette  200  side. 
     This would suppress occurrence of mist accumulation on the partition  550 , making it possible to prevent the liquid material being aggregation of the mist from dripping onto the cassette  200 . 
     Next, operation of the configuration in which the exhaust fan  503  and the filter  502  are disposed above the suction port  511  will be described with reference to  FIG. 13  as well.  FIG. 13  is a front view illustrating the same situation. 
     When the printing medium is the cloth  400 , there is a case where unnecessary fiber pieces such as fragments of fibers are stuck to the printing medium. When such a fiber piece is sucked into the mist collection device  500 , adsorption of mist to the fiber piece would cause solidification, leading to malfunction of the exhaust fan  503  and clogging of the filter  502 . 
     To cope with this, the exhaust fan  503  and the filter  502  are arranged above the suction port  511 . With this arrangement, a light mist  605  is sucked upward by the exhaust fan  503 , and even in a case where a heavy fiber piece  606  is sucked by the suction port  511 , it falls down and would not reach the exhaust fan  503  or the filter  502 , as illustrated in  FIG. 13 . 
     This makes it possible prevent malfunction of the exhaust fan  503  and clogging of the filter  502 . 
     Next, a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to  FIGS. 14 and 15 .  FIG. 14  is a side view illustrating the same embodiment.  FIG. 15  is a side view illustrating operational effects of the same embodiment. 
     In the present embodiment, the exhaust fan  503  is disposed in a posture inclined so as to face diagonally down toward the upstream side in the direction of the airflow  600 . 
     That is, since the mist occurs at the time of printing or maintenance, arranging the suction port  511  in the vicinity of the liquid discharge head  122  (near the carriage  121 ) would increase the mist collection efficiency. However, as illustrated in  FIG. 15 , the maintenance unit  130  is disposed just under the cassette  200  after movement of the liquid discharge head  122  to the home position (to the right in the X-direction), making it difficult to arrange the suction port  511  on a side-surface side of the cassette  200 . 
     Since there is a need to arrange the suction port  511  at a position to avoid the maintenance unit  130 , and thus, the suction port  511  is arranged on the rear side of the apparatus body  100  in the present embodiment. 
     Therefore, the exhaust fan  503  is disposed to face diagonally down toward the upstream side, inclined toward the liquid discharge head  122  side. This makes it easy to suck the air from below by the exhaust fan  503 , leading to an increase in the amount of mist to suck. Even in a case where the exhaust fan  503  is disposed above the suction port  511 , a sufficient airflow  600  can be generated. 
     Next, a third embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to  FIGS. 16 and 17 .  FIG. 16  is a front view illustrating the same embodiment.  FIG. 17  is a side view of the same embodiment. 
     In the present embodiment, a lowered ceiling portion  561  as a portion of a casing  560  of the mist collection device  500  also serves as a gap forming member. The lowered ceiling portion  561  is lowered to the position of the lower surface  550   a  of the partition  550  of the embodiment, forming a spatial gap  551  between the lowered ceiling portion  561  and the cassette  200 . 
     In this case, a lower surface  561   a  of the lowered ceiling portion  561  is arranged at a position higher than the nozzle surface  122   a  of the head  122 . Meanwhile, the lower surface  561   a  of the lowered ceiling portion  561  is preferably disposed at a position lower than the upper surface  121   a  of the carriage  121 . More preferably, the lower surface  561   a  of the lowered ceiling portion  561  is disposed at a position lower than the upper surface  122   b  of the head  122 . 
     This configuration also makes it possible to obtain the operational effects similar to the above embodiment. 
     A printing apparatus as a liquid discharge apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to  FIGS. 18 to 20 .  FIG. 18  is a front view of the printing apparatus.  FIG. 19  is a side view of the same.  FIG. 20  is a plan view of the same. 
     The printing apparatus  1  includes, in the apparatus body  100 , the stage  111  to which the cassette  200  having the platen member  300  for holding cloth or the like as a printing medium is removably attached and which reciprocates while holding the cassette  200 ; and the printing unit  112  printing on the printing medium held by the cassette  200  held by the stage  111 . 
     The stage  111  is mounted to a slider member  113 , and the slider member  113  is held by guide members  114  and  114  so as to be capable of reciprocating in an arrow Y direction (feed direction). The stage  111  reciprocates with reciprocating movement of the slider member  113  in the feed direction. This also causes reciprocating movement in the Y-direction in the cassette  200  removably attached to the stage  111 , and the printing medium held by the platen member  300  of the cassette  200 . 
     The printing unit  112  includes a carriage  121  that moves in the arrow X direction (main scanning direction) with respect to the stage  111 . The carriage  121  includes the liquid discharge head  122  being a liquid discharge device that discharges a liquid. 
     The maintenance unit  130  that performs maintenance of the liquid discharge head  122  is disposed below the carriage  121  on one end side in the arrow X direction. The maintenance unit  130  includes the cap  131  for capping a nozzle surface of the liquid discharge head  122 . 
     In the printing apparatus  1 , the cassette  200  is mounted on the stage  111  in the apparatus body  100  and held in a state where a printing medium is set on the platen member  300  of the cassette  200 . Thereafter, movement of the stage  111  in the arrow Y direction and the reciprocating movement of the printing unit  112  (the carriage  121 ) in the arrow X direction are repeated to enable printing a desired image on the printing medium. 
     Here, an attachment/detachment side of the cassette  200  with respect to the apparatus body  100  is defined as the front side of the apparatus body  100 , and the side opposite to the front side in the arrow Y direction is defined as the rear side of the apparatus body  100 . 
     In the printing apparatus  1  of the present embodiment, mist collection devices  500  and  500  according to an embodiment of the present disclosure are arranged at portions being both side portions of the apparatus body  100  and being the rear side of the apparatus body  100 . 
     The mist collection device  500  includes: the exhaust duct  501 , the filter  502  that captures mist, the exhaust fan  503  that generates the airflow  600  passing through the filter  502 , a first opening member  504 , and a second opening member  505 . 
     The exhaust duct  501  includes: the suction duct portion  501   a  having the suction port  511  at a substantially same height as the cassette  200  and that guides the sucked air upward; an intermediate duct portion  501   b  in which the exhaust fan  503  that sucks the air from the suction duct portion  501   a  via the filter  502  is arranged; and the exhaust duct portion  501   c  that guides the air sent out from the exhaust fan  503  toward an exhaust port  515  on a rear side. 
     Here, the width of the exhaust duct portion  501   c  in the arrow Y direction is set to be wider than the width of the intermediate duct portion  501   b  in the arrow X direction. 
     The exhaust duct portion  501   c  includes the first opening member  504  and the second opening member  505  constituting a plurality of opening members being sequentially arranged from the exhaust fan  503  side on the downstream side of the exhaust fan  503  and on the upstream side of the exhaust port  515  in the direction of the airflow  600 . 
     This configuration makes the width of the first opening member  504  and the second opening member  505  in the arrow X direction larger than the diameter of the exhaust fan  503 . That is, the exhaust fan  503  is offset with respect to each of the first opening member  504  and the second opening member  505 . 
     Next, a flow of air when the mist collection device  500  is driven will be described with reference to  FIG. 21 .  FIG. 21  is a side view illustrating the same situation. 
     The exhaust fan  503  of the mist collection device  500  is driven to suck the air in the apparatus body  100  from the suction port  511  of the exhaust duct  501 , generating the airflow  600 . The airflow  600  is sucked into the suction duct portion  501   a  from the vicinity of the carriage  121 , passes through the filter  502 , so as to be sent out from the exhaust fan  503 , then, passes through the first opening member  504  and the second opening member  505  to be blown out from the exhaust port  515 . 
     Next, the first opening member and the second opening member in the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to  FIGS. 22 and 23 .  FIGS. 22A to 22C  are front views illustrating the first opening member  504  and the second opening member  505 . Specifically,  FIG. 22A  is a front view of the first opening member  504 ,  FIG. 22B  is a second opening member  505 ,  FIG. 22C  is a view from a direction in which the first opening member  504  and the second opening member  505  overlaps with each other.  FIG. 23  is a cross-sectional plan view of a portion from the exhaust fan  503  to the exhaust port  515 . 
     The first opening member  504  includes: a plurality of slit-shaped first opening portions  504   a  that allows passage of the airflow  600 ; and a wall portion  504   b  that blocks passage of the airflow  600 , being a portion other than the first opening portion  504   a.    
     The second opening member  505  has a plurality of slit-shaped second opening portions  505   a  through which the airflow  600  passes; and a wall portion  505   b  other than the second opening portion  505   a  that blocks passage of the airflow  600 . 
     In the present embodiment, the plurality of first opening portions  504   a  of the first opening member  504  and the plurality of second opening portions  505   a  of the second opening members  505  are each arranged in the X direction. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 22C and 23 , among the first opening member  504  and the second opening member  505  which are adjacent two opening members, the first opening portion  504   a  of the first opening member  504  serving as the opening member on the upstream side is arranged to be opposed to the wall portion  505   b  of the second opening member  505  which is an opening member on the downstream side in the direction of the airflow  600 . 
     While the present embodiment has a configuration in which all of the first opening portions  504   a  of the first opening member  504  on the upstream side are entirely opposed to the wall portion  505   b  of the second opening member  505  on the downstream side, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to such a configuration. 
     With such a configuration, the airflow  600  blown out from the exhaust fan  503  flows directly into the first opening portion  504   a  of the first opening member  504  or changes its direction at the wall portion  504   b  to pass through the first opening portion  504   a , as illustrated in  FIG. 23 . 
     In this embodiment, the airflow  600  that has passed through the first opening portion  504   a  of the first opening member  504  collides with the wall portion  505   b  of the second opening member  505  to change its direction, so as to pass through the second opening portion  505   a  of the second opening member  505  and is discharged to the outside from the exhaust port  515 . 
     Here, the airflow  600  blown out from the exhaust fan  503  contains mist that has not been collected by the filter  502 . 
     At this time, the airflow  600  passes meandering through the first opening portion  504   a  of the first opening member  504  and then the second opening portion  505   a  of the second opening member  505 , resulting in a decrease in the flow velocity of the airflow  600 . Therefore, the mist contained in the airflow  600  easily sticks to the wall surface of the exhaust duct  501 , the wall portion  504   b  of the first opening member  504 , the wall portion  505   b  of the second opening member  505 , or the like. 
     This achieves reduction of the mist discharged from the exhaust port  515 . 
     Note that with the use of the first opening portion  504   a  and the second opening portion  505   a  as slit-shaped openings as in the present embodiment, the shape can be simplified. 
     Next, a fifth embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to  FIG. 24 .  FIG. 24  is a cross-sectional plan view of the portion from the exhaust fan  503  to the exhaust port  515  in the same embodiment. 
     In the present embodiment, similarly to the fourth embodiment, the exhaust fan  503  is offset with respect to the first opening member  504  and the second opening member  505 . 
     The first opening member  504  includes the first opening portion  504   a  having a width W 1 . In contrast, the second opening member  505  includes three types of second opening portions  505   a   1 ,  505   a   2 , and  505   a   3  increasing their width from a width W 1  to a width W 3 , respectively, as spaced away from the exhaust fan  503 . 
     That is, the second opening member  505  includes; on the side relatively far from the exhaust fan  503 , the second opening portions  505   a   2  and  505   a   3  having larger opening areas than the second opening portion  505   a   1  provided on the side closer to the exhaust fan  503 . Additionally, the opening areas of the second opening portions  505   a   2  and  505   a   3  are larger than the opening area of the first opening portion  504   a  of the first opening member  504 . 
     Furthermore, in the present embodiment, a part of the first opening portion  504   a  of the first opening member  504  on the upstream side is entirely opposed to the wall portion  505   b  of the second opening member  505  on the downstream side in the direction of the airflow  600 , while the remaining part of the first opening portion  504   a  is opposed to the second opening portions  505   a   2  and  505   a   3  of the second opening member  505 . 
     With the exhaust fan  503  being offset with respect to the second opening member  505  in this manner, the airflow  600  is guided by the second opening member  505  to meander to be exhausted from the exhaust port  515  even when the opening areas of the second opening portions  505   a   2  and  505   a   3  of the second opening member  505  away from the exhaust fan  503  are increased. 
     Moreover, with the opening areas of the second opening portions  505   a   2  and  505   a   3  of the second opening member  505  away from the exhaust fan  503  formed to be larger than the opening area of the second opening portion  505   a   1  closer to the fan, it is possible to promote the airflow  600  on the second opening portions  505   a   2  and  505   a   3  side. 
     Accordingly, by changing the opening areas (size) of the second opening portions, exhaust air volume is dispersed and exhausted throughout the exhaust port  515  as opposed to a general case where exhaust air volume is greater in a portion closer to the exhaust fan  503 . 
     This configuration allows the airflow  600  including the exhaust mist is discharged in a wider range with slower flow velocity, leading to reduction of sticking of the mist to the outside of the apparatus. 
     Next, a sixth embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to  FIGS. 25A to 25C  and  FIG. 26 .  FIGS. 25A to 25C  are front views illustrating the first opening member  504  and the second opening member  505  in the same embodiment. Specifically,  FIG. 25A  is a front view of the first opening member  504 ,  FIG. 25B  is a front view of the second opening member  505 , and  FIG. 25C  is a view as seen from the direction in which the first opening member  504  and the second opening member  505  overlap with each other.  FIG. 26  is a cross-sectional plan view of a portion from the exhaust fan  503  to the exhaust port  515 . 
     In the present embodiment, the width of the exhaust fan  503  in the X direction and the widths of the first opening member  504  and the second opening member  505  are substantially the same. 
     The first opening member  504  includes a plurality of first opening portions  504   a  arranged in a matrix, while portions other than the first opening portion  504   a  are provided as the wall portion  504   b . Similarly, the second opening member  505  includes a plurality of second opening portions  505   a  arranged in a matrix, while the portion other than the second opening portion  505   a  is provided as the wall portion  505   b.    
     Additionally as illustrated in  FIGS. 25C and 26 , the whole (or part of the first opening portion  504   a  of the first opening member  504 ) is opposed to the wall portion  505   b  of the second opening member  505 . 
     With this configuration, similarly to the fourth embodiment, the airflow  600  exhausted from the exhaust fan  503  meanders and passes through the first opening portion  504   a  of the first opening member  504  and the second opening portion  505   a  of the second opening member  505 , so as to be discharged from the exhaust port  515 . 
     At this time, the first opening portion  504   a  of the first opening member  504  is arranged in a matrix to be opposed to the wall portion  505   b  of the second opening member  505 . Accordingly, the airflow  600  is disturbed not only in the arrow X direction but also in the arrow Z direction, enabling the airflow  600  to generate more complicated flows than in the fourth embodiment. 
     This makes it possible to further reduce the mist discharged from the exhaust port  515 . 
     Next, a seventh embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to  FIGS. 27A to 27C .  FIGS. 27A to 27C  are front views illustrating the first opening member  504  and the second opening member  505  in the same embodiment. Specifically,  FIG. 27A  is a front view of the first opening member  504 ,  FIG. 27B  is a front view of the second opening member  505 , and  FIG. 27C  is a view as seen from the direction in which the first opening member  504  and the second opening member  505  overlap with each other. 
     In the present embodiment, the plurality of slit-shaped first opening portions  504   a  of the first opening member  504  and the plurality of slit-shaped second opening portions  505   a  of the second opening member  505  are arranged side by side in the Z direction. 
     Even with such a configuration, the airflow  600  from the exhaust fan  503  meanders with disturbance, making it possible to reduce the mist discharged from the exhaust port  515 , similarly to the sixth embodiment. 
     Next, an eighth embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to  FIG. 28 .  FIG. 28  is a cross-sectional plan view of the portion from the exhaust fan  503  to the exhaust port  515  in the same embodiment. 
     In the present embodiment, the first opening member  504  and the second opening member  505  of the fifth embodiment are integrated by a bridging portion  506 . 
     This configuration makes it possible to reduce the number of parts and facilitate assembly works. 
     Additionally, the first opening member  504  and the second opening member  505  can be integrated with the exhaust duct  501 . 
     Next, a ninth embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to  FIGS. 29A to 29C .  FIGS. 29A to 29C  are front views illustrating the first opening member  504  and the second opening member  505  in the same embodiment. Specifically,  FIG. 29A  is a front view of the first opening member  504 ,  FIG. 29B  is a front view of the second opening member  505 , and  FIG. 29C  is a view as seen from the direction in which the first opening member  504  and the second opening member  505  overlap with each other. 
     In the present embodiment, the first opening member  504  includes the plurality of first opening portions  504   a  arranged in a checker-pattern, while the portion other than the first opening portion  504   a  is provided as the wall portion  504   b . Similarly, the second opening member  505  includes the plurality of second opening portions  505   a  arranged in a checker-pattern, while the portion other than the second opening portion  505   a  is provided as the wall portion  505   b.    
     Additionally as illustrated in  FIG. 29C , the whole (or part of) the first opening portion  504   a  of the first opening member  504 ) is opposed to the wall portion  505   b  of the second opening member  505 . 
     With this manner, it is possible to generate a more complicated flow and further reduce the mist discharged from the exhaust port  515  similarly to the fifth embodiment. 
     Next, a tenth embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to  FIG. 30 .  FIG. 30  is a side view of a mist collection device  500  in the same embodiment. 
     In the present embodiment, the exhaust fan  503  is disposed in a posture with the downstream side inclined to be diagonally facing upward so that an exhaust direction of the exhaust fan  503  is diagonal with respect to a direction in which the first opening member  504  and the second opening member  505  are arranged. 
     This configuration suppresses the airflow  600  discharged from the exhaust fan  503  from directly flowing to the first opening member  504  and the second opening member  505 , making it possible to further disturb the airflow  600  and further reduce the mist discharged from the exhaust port  515 . 
     Next, an eleventh embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to  FIG. 31 .  FIG. 31  is a side view of a mist collection device  500  in the same embodiment. 
     In the present embodiment, similarly to the ninth embodiment, the exhaust fan  503  is disposed in a posture with the downstream side inclined to be diagonally facing upward so that the exhaust direction of the fan is disposed diagonally with respect to the arrangement direction of the first opening member  504  and the second opening member  505 . 
     In addition, the second opening member  505  used is a member having opening areas being varied in the vertical direction (Z direction). Here, the second opening portion  505   a  of the second opening member  505  forms the second opening portions  505   a   1  and  505   a   2  having opening areas increasing with the increase in the distance from the exhaust fan  503 . 
     This configuration enables the airflow  600  to be dispersed throughout the exhaust port  515  and discharged similarly to the case of the fifth embodiment even when the exhaust fan  503  is disposed diagonally, so as to discharge the airflow  600  in a wider range at a lower flow rate, leading to reduction of sticking of the mist to the outside of the apparatus. 
     Next, a twelfth embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to  FIG. 32 .  FIG. 32  is a cross-sectional plan view of the portion from the exhaust fan  503  to the exhaust port  515  in the same embodiment. 
     In the present embodiment, the whole (or part of the) first opening portion  504   a  of the first opening member  504  being the opening member on the upstream side is opposed to a part of the wall portion  505   b  of the second opening member  505  being the opening member on the downstream side in the direction of the airflow  600 . 
     Even with such a configuration, the airflow  600  can be disturbed to slow down the flow rate, making it possible to reduce the mist discharged from the exhaust port  515 . 
     Next, a thirteenth embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to  FIG. 33 .  FIG. 33  is a cross-sectional plan view of the portion from the exhaust fan  503  to the exhaust port  515  in the same embodiment. 
     In the present embodiment, three opening members, namely, the first opening member  504 , the second opening member  505 , and a third opening member  507 , are arranged in this order. The third opening member  507  includes a third opening portion  507   a  and a wall portion  507   b.    
     The opposing relationship between adjacent two opening members, namely, between the first opening portion  504   a  of the first opening member  504  and the wall portion  505   b  of the second opening member  505 , and between the second opening portion  505   a  of the second opening member  505  and the wall portion  507   b  of the third opening member  507 , can be set in similarly to the description in each of the above embodiments. 
     Disposing three or more opening members in this manner makes it possible to further reduce the mist discharged from the exhaust port  515 . 
     In the present application, the liquid to be discharged may have any viscosity and surface tension that can be discharged from the head, and is not limited in particular. Still, it is preferable that the viscosity of the discharged liquid is 30 mPa·s or less at ordinary temperature and ordinary pressure or by heating and cooling. More specifically, the liquid may be, for example, a solvent such as water or an organic solvent, a colorant such as a dye or a pigment, or a solution containing a functionalizing material such as a polymerizable compound, a resin or a surfactant, a biocompatible material such as DNA, amino acid, protein, or calcium, or an edible material such as a natural pigment, suspension liquid, or emulsion. These liquids can be applied, for example, as an inkjet ink, a surface treatment liquid, formation liquid for constituents of an electronic element or a light-emitting element, or for an electronic circuit resist pattern, or as solution for three-dimensional modeling materials. 
     Examples of an energy generation source for liquid discharge include devices using a piezoelectric actuator (laminated type piezoelectric element and thin film type piezoelectric element), a thermal actuator using an electrothermal transducer such as a heating resistor, or an electrostatic actuator formed with a diaphragm and a counter electrode. 
     The “liquid discharge apparatus” includes an apparatus that is equipped with a liquid discharge head or a liquid discharge device and drives the liquid discharge head to eject a liquid. The liquid discharge apparatus includes not only an apparatus capable of discharging a liquid to a liquid stickable material but also an apparatus that discharges a liquid towards air or liquid. 
     The “liquid discharge apparatus” can include a unit related to feeding, conveying, sheet ejection of the liquid stickable material, a preprocessing apparatus, a post-processing apparatus, or the like. 
     Examples of the “liquid discharge apparatus” include an image forming apparatus which is an apparatus that discharges ink to form an image on a sheet, and a solid object modeling apparatus (three-dimensional modeling apparatus) that discharges a modeling liquid onto a powder layer formed with layers of powdery material in order to form a solid model (three-dimensional model). 
     The “liquid discharge apparatus” is not limited to an apparatus by which significant images such as letters, graphics, etc. are visualized by the discharged liquid. For example, an apparatus that forms a pattern or the like that has no meaning, and an apparatus that shapes a three-dimensional image are included. 
     The above “liquid stickable material” represents a material to which a liquid can be stuck at least temporarily, stuck and adhered, stuck and permeated, or the like. Specific examples include media such as recording media including a sheet, a recording sheet, recording paper, a film, a cloth, or an electronic substrate, electronic components such as piezoelectric elements, powdery material layer (powder layer), organ model, inspection cells. In short, the “liquid stickable material” includes all materials to which a liquid can stick unless specifically limited. 
     The above-mentioned “liquid stickable material” may be any material as long as a liquid can stick even temporarily, such as a sheet, thread, fiber, cloth, leather, metal, plastic, glass, wood, or ceramics. 
     In addition, there is a type of “liquid discharge apparatus” in which a liquid discharge head and a liquid stickable material move relative to each other, but embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to this type. Specific examples include a serial type apparatus for moving the liquid discharge head, and a line type apparatus not moving the liquid discharge head. 
     Other examples of the “liquid discharge apparatus” include: a treatment liquid application apparatus that discharges a treatment liquid onto a sheet in order to apply the treatment liquid to the surface of the sheet for the purpose of modifying the surface of the sheet; and an injection granulation apparatus that injects a composition liquid in which raw materials are dispersed in a solution through a nozzle to granulate fine particles as a raw material. 
     In the terms of the present application, image formation, recording, printing, image printing, molding or the like are to be treated as synonymous. 
     Numerous additional modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that, within the scope of the above teachings, the present disclosure may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. With some embodiments having thus been described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the scope of the present disclosure and appended claims, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure and appended claims.