Patent ID: 8469505

Claim:
An inkjet recording apparatus, comprising: an image formation unit including: an inkjet head which forms an image on a recording medium; and an image formation drum which has a cylindrical shape, rotates on a central axis or the cylindrical shape serving as a rotational axis while supporting, the recording medium on is circumferential surface of the image formation drum, and thereby moves the recording medium along circumferential direction of the image formation drum relatively to the inkjet head; a drying process unit including: a drying process device which performs a drying process on the recording medium on which the image has been formed by the inkjet head; and a drying drum which has shape, rotates on a central axis of the cylindrical shape serving as a rotational axis while supporting the recording medium on a circumferential surface of the drying drum, and thereby moves the recording medium along a circumferential direction on of the drying drum in a process region of the drying process unit; and an air curtain generation unit which generates, between the image formation unit and die drying process unit, an air flow in one of a vertically downward direction and a downward direction oblique to a vertical direction, and thereby generates an air curtain for thermal insulation between the image formation unit and the drying process unit, wherein the air curtain generation unit includes: an air flow generation device which generates the air flow in the one of the vertically downward direction and the downward direction oblique to the vertical direction; and a restricting unit which includes: an inlet through which the air flow generated by the air flow generation device enters the restricting unit; and a discharge side opening through which the air flow exits from the restricting unit to generate the air curtain, the discharge side opening having an aperture area smaller than an aperture area of the inlet, the discharge side opening having a length, in direction parallel to an axial direction of the image formation drum, corresponding to an entire length of the image formation unit in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the image formation drum.