JP2010046874A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus equipped with a capping mechanism that covers a recording head by a cap and has a good assembly efficiency of the image forming apparatus and a good workability during maintenance and repair. <P>SOLUTION: The capping mechanism 150, equipped with the caps 151a-151h which cover nozzle formation surfaces 123a-123h in the recording heads 122a-122h, supports the caps 151a-151h each of which can shift in a main scan direction and a sub scan direction in which the recording heads 122a-122h shift relatively. A recording head unit 120, equipped with the recording heads 122a-122h, and the capping mechanism 150 which supports the caps 151a-151h include a positioning guide 131 and a positioning bar 133, and a positioning plate 141 and a positioning bar 143 for positioning the caps 151a-151h by contacting with the recording heads 122a-122h. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus of an ink jet recording system provided with a capping mechanism that covers a nozzle forming surface of a recording head having a nozzle for ejecting ink onto a recording medium with a cap.

Conventionally, ink is ejected while a recording head having a plurality of nozzles is displaced in a direction (main scanning direction) orthogonal to the recording medium conveyance direction (sub-scanning direction) while intermittently conveying the recording medium. 2. Description of the Related Art An inkjet recording type image forming apparatus that forms an image, a so-called inkjet printer is known. In general, in such an ink jet printer, for example, as shown in Patent Document 1 below, the nozzle forming surface is covered with a rubber cap for the purpose of drying and protecting the nozzle forming surface on which the nozzles for ejecting ink are formed. A capping mechanism for covering is provided.
JP 2007-203648 A

  However, in such a capping mechanism, the cap attached to the recording head is fixedly provided at a standby position (also referred to as a capping position) of the recording head, so that the position of the cap is accurately positioned at the manufacturing stage of the ink jet printer. Need to be assembled. However, the operation of accurately positioning and fixing the capping mechanism including the cap is a complicated operation, and there is a problem that the manufacturing efficiency of the ink jet printer is lowered.

  Also, during maintenance or failure of an ink jet printer, the recording head may be moved to the capping position by manual operation and capped. However, it is extremely difficult to accurately position the recording head at the capping position by manual operation. For this reason, there also exists a problem that the work efficiency of an inkjet maintenance work and repair work falls. Furthermore, when the ink jet printer is operated, if the recording head is not accurately positioned at the capping position due to some reason (for example, step out of the recording head), there is a problem that the capping is not correctly performed on the recording head. there were.

  Note that the ink jet printer disclosed in Patent Document 1 is configured such that a capping mechanism for capping the nozzle formation surface of the recording head is displaced in the sub-scanning direction (recording medium conveyance direction). However, this is because the wiping mechanism for sweeping the ink adhering to the recording head is integrally provided in the capping mechanism, so that the capping mechanism is integrally displaced in the sub-scanning direction due to the operation of the wiping mechanism. Is. That is, in the ink jet printer disclosed in Patent Document 1, the capping mechanism is not displaced in the sub-scanning direction during the capping operation of the recording head, and the cap attached to the recording head is fixed to the recording head. It is provided.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to address the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus having a capping mechanism that covers a recording head with a cap. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus having a capping mechanism that can be improved.

  In order to achieve the above object, a feature of the present invention according to claim 1 is that the recording head is disposed opposite to the recording medium, and has a recording head having a nozzle for ejecting ink on the recording medium, and the recording head. Image formation comprising: a recording head relative displacement means for relatively displacing the recording head with respect to the recording medium in two directions orthogonal to each other in the plane; and a capping mechanism for covering the nozzle forming surface on which the nozzles of the recording head are formed with a cap. In the apparatus, the capping mechanism includes cap support means for supporting the cap so as to be displaceable in at least one of the two directions by direct or indirect contact with the recording head.

  In this case, in the image forming apparatus, the cap support unit may include a biasing unit that applies a force acting on the cap in a direction opposite to the direction in which the recording head approaches.

  According to the characteristic of the present invention according to claim 1 configured as described above, the capping mechanism including the cap that covers the nozzle forming surface of the recording head can be displaced in at least one of the two directions in which the recording head is relatively displaced. The cap is supported in a stable state. For this reason, when the recording head directly or indirectly contacts the cap, the position of the cap is displaced in the at least one direction. For example, even when the recording head is positioned at a position displaced from the cap, when the cap is mounted on the recording head, the recording head is in a state in which the displacement is eliminated by the displacement of the cap due to the contact of the recording head. It is attached to. Accordingly, when the capping mechanism is assembled to the image forming apparatus, it is not necessary to precisely position and assemble the cap. Also, during maintenance or repair of the image forming apparatus, the operator can perform capping by rough positioning with respect to the capping position of the recording head. As a result, the assemblability of the image forming apparatus and the workability during maintenance and repair can be improved.

  According to still another aspect of the present invention according to claim 3, in the image forming apparatus, the cap support means causes the recording head to contact the cap directly or indirectly so that the cap is at least one of the two directions. And a cap positioning means for positioning the recording head.

  In this case, in the image forming apparatus, the cap positioning means is provided directly or indirectly on one of the recording head and the cap, and has a guide body having a V-groove formed in a V shape, a recording head, It is good to provide with the fitting body which is directly or indirectly provided in the other of the caps, and fits in a V-groove part. Further, in this case, in the image forming apparatus, the cap positioning means further includes a recording head and a cap that generate the same reaction force as the mutual reaction force when the fitting body is fitted into the V groove. A pair of contact bodies provided at positions may be provided.

  According to another aspect of the present invention as set forth in claim 3, the cap support mechanism includes cap positioning means for positioning the cap on the recording head when the recording head comes into contact therewith. For this reason, the cap is mounted in a state of being accurately positioned with respect to the recording head during capping. Thereby, the recording head can be capped with high accuracy.

(Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus 100)
Hereinafter, an embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the entire image forming apparatus 100 according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control system for controlling the operation of the image forming apparatus 100. Note that each drawing referred to in the present specification is schematically represented by exaggerating some of the components in order to facilitate understanding of the present invention. For this reason, the dimension, ratio, etc. between each component may differ. The image forming apparatus 100 is a so-called inkjet printer that forms an image of a desired character, symbol, figure, or the like by attaching ink to the surface of a sheet-like recording medium WK that is an image formation target.

  The image forming apparatus 100 includes a platen 101 having a flat portion arranged in a horizontal state. The platen 101 is a mounting table on which the recording medium WK is mounted on the flat portion, and is formed to extend in the horizontal direction in the figure. A cylindrical grid roller 102 is provided at the center of the platen 101 along the horizontal direction in the drawing with its upper surface exposed. The grid roller 102 is rotationally driven by an X-axis direction feed motor 103 whose operation is controlled by a controller 170 described later.

  A long guide rail 104 is provided above the platen 101 so as to be parallel to the platen 101. Under the guide rail 104, four pinch rollers 105 each having a cylindrical portion facing the grid roller 102 are provided at substantially equal intervals. The grid roller 102 and the pinch roller 105 convey the sheet-like recording medium WK in the front-rear direction shown in the figure while being sandwiched from the upper side in the figure. Note that the front-rear direction (X-axis direction) in the drawing in which the recording medium WK is conveyed is the sub-scanning direction, and the left-right direction (Y-axis direction) orthogonal to the X-axis direction is the main scanning direction.

  The guide rail 104 supports the recording head unit 120 via the linear motion rail 106 and the linear motion block 107. The linear motion rail 106 is a single rail fixed to the guide rail 104 along the main scanning direction (Y-axis direction in the drawing). The linear motion block 107 is a moving body that slides along the linear motion rail 106, and is fixed to the back surface of the recording head unit 120. That is, the recording head unit 120 is guided in the main scanning direction along the linear motion rail 106 (guide rail 104).

  A part of the drive belt 108 laid in the main scanning direction (Y-axis direction in the drawing) is fixed to the upper back of the recording head unit 120. The drive belt 108 is connected to a Y-axis direction scan motor 109 whose drive is controlled by a controller 170, and is displaced in the main scanning direction by the rotational drive of the Y-axis direction scan motor 109. That is, the recording head unit 120 is displaced in the main scanning direction by driving the Y-axis direction scanning motor 109 via the driving belt 108. These grid roller 102, X-axis direction feed motor 103, pinch roller 105, linear motion rail 106, linear motion block 107, drive belt 108, and Y-axis direction scan motor 109 correspond to the recording head relative displacement means according to the present invention. To do.

  In FIG. 1, the recording head unit 120 is shown in a standby position in the Y-axis direction. The standby position in the Y-axis direction of the recording head unit 120 is an origin position that serves as a reference for the displacement of the recording head unit 120 in the Y-axis direction. Therefore, when the image forming apparatus 100 is activated or when printing on the recording medium WK is not performed, the recording head unit 120 stands by at this standby position.

  Further, above the recording head unit 120, a long upper cover 110 that constitutes an upper casing of the image forming apparatus 100 is provided. Further, side covers 111R and 111L that constitute a housing on both sides of the image forming apparatus 100 are provided on both sides of the platen 101 and the upper cover 110, respectively. Among these, on the front surface of the side cover 111R, there is provided an operation panel 112 for giving an instruction to the image forming apparatus 100 (controller 170) and displaying information from the image forming apparatus 100 (controller 170). . Further, below the platen 101, a stand 113 is provided that supports the image forming apparatus 100 and can move the image forming apparatus 100 to a position desired by the operator.

  As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the recording head unit 120 includes eight recording heads in a casing 121 that is displaced along the vertical direction in FIG. 3B by an elevating mechanism (not shown). 122a to 122h are accommodated. The casing 121 is covered with a substantially box-shaped upper lid 121b (not shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B) whose bottom surface is opened on a bottom plate 121a formed by raising the periphery of a plate-like body. Configured. Among these, on the upper surface of the bottom plate 121a, eight recording heads 122a to 122h are arranged in a staggered pattern in the sub-scanning direction along the main scanning direction.

  The recording heads 122a to 122h each record four different colors (black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y)) supplied from an ink tank (not shown). It discharges toward the recording medium WK from a nozzle (not shown) formed on the lower surface of the heads 122a to 122h. A plurality of nozzles are formed along the sub-scanning direction on the lower surfaces of the recording heads 122a to 122h. The nozzle formation surfaces 123a to 123h in the recording heads 122a to 122h in which these nozzles are formed are provided in a state of protruding downward from the bottom surface of the bottom plate 121a.

  Of the four upstanding side walls of the bottom plate 121a, a positioning guide 131 and a positioning plate 141 are assembled to the outer surface of the right side wall 121c. Among these, the positioning guide body 131 is made of a hard resin material, and is a block-like member having a V-groove portion 132 made up of two inclined surfaces 132a and 132b that open in a substantially V shape along the main scanning direction. It is. The positioning plate 141 is a block-shaped member that is made of a hard resin material and has a contact surface 142 that is parallel to the sub-scanning direction.

  A capping mechanism 150 (shown by a broken line in FIG. 1) is provided in the platen 101 at the standby position of the recording head unit 120. As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the capping mechanism 150 covers the nozzle forming surfaces 123a to 123h of the recording heads 122a to 122h to prevent the nozzle forming surfaces 123a to 123h from drying and protect them. And caps 151a to 151h that cover the nozzle formation surfaces 123a to 123h. The caps 151a to 151h are mainly composed of a rubber material and a resin material, and are formed in a size that can cover the nozzle forming surfaces 123a to 123h.

  In addition, an ink absorber 152 made of a porous material is provided in each of the caps 151a to 151h, and a waste liquid hole 153 penetrating the bottom of the caps 151a to 151h and the ink absorber 152 is formed. Has been. These caps 151a to 152h are assembled on the upper surfaces of cap holders 154a to 154h formed in a box shape while being pressed upward in the figure by a spring (not shown). On the lower surfaces of the cap holders 154a to 154h, waste liquid pipes 155 communicating with the waste liquid holes 153 are formed extending downward in the figure.

  The cap holders 154a to 154h are supported by the movable table 156 in an arrangement relationship corresponding to the arrangement relationship of the recording heads 122a to 122h. The movable table 156 includes a lower plate 156a that supports the cap holders 154a to 154h, and an upper plate 156b that covers the cap holders 154a to 154h with the caps 151a to 151h supported by the cap holders 154a to 154h exposed. Has been.

  Among these, a stay 156c is provided at the right end portion of the lower plate 156a in the drawing, and extends in the horizontal direction flush with the upper plate 156b after standing up in the drawing. On the stay 156c, two columnar positioning rods 133 and 143 are fixed in a standing state. These positioning rods 133 and 143 are made of steel and are provided in an arrangement positional relationship corresponding to the arrangement positions of the positioning guide body 131 and the positioning plate 141. Further, a soft rubber cushioning material 156e is provided on the outer surface of the side wall 156d formed in a state of standing on the left end portion of the lower plate 156a in the figure.

  The movable table 156 is supported via 12 elastic support pins 158 on a fixed table 157 formed in a substantially flat plate shape (only five are shown in FIG. 4B). The elastic support pins 158 are configured by springs 158a and pressing pins 158b pressed upward in the drawing by the springs 158a, and are arranged in two rows on the upper surface of the fixed table 157 along the main scanning direction. Yes. The upper surface of the pressing pin 158b in these elastic support pins 158 is formed smooth, and supports the movable table 156 (the lower surface of the lower plate 156a) in a slidable state.

  At end portions of the fixed table 157 facing each other in the longitudinal direction, pressing portions 157a, 157b, and 157c bent in a substantially U-shape toward the inside are formed. The pressing portions 157a, 157b, and 157c are members that press the upper surface (the upper surface of the lower plate 156a) of the movable table 156 supported by the elastic support pins 158. Therefore, the movable table 156 is supported in a state of being pressed against the pressing portions 157a, 157b, and 157c by the elastic support pins 158. In addition, the contact surface to the movable table 157 in the pressing parts 157a, 157b, and 157c is also formed smoothly, and the movable table 156 is received in a slidable state.

  The fixed table 157 and the movable table 156 are provided with two contraction springs 159a and 159b in a spanned state. The contraction springs 159a and 159b keep the movable table 156 displaced in the same direction by pulling the movable table 156 in the left direction in the drawing in the main scanning direction. Further, these contraction springs 159a and 159b do not pull the movable table 156 from a direction parallel to the main scanning direction, but slightly pull the movable table 156 from a direction spreading in the sub-scanning direction. As a result, the movable table 156 supported on the elastic support pins 158 can be displaced in the sub-scanning direction. These contraction springs 159a and 159b correspond to the biasing means according to the present invention.

  The fixed table 157 is supported by a support frame 160. The support frame 160 supports the two side walls 161a and 161b erected so as to face each other along the sub-scanning direction with both ends of the fixed table 157 in the main scanning direction being sandwiched. Therefore, the movable table 156 pulled to the left in the drawing in the sub-scanning direction by the contraction springs 159a and 159b is pressed against the inner side surface of the side wall 161a of the support frame 160 via the cushioning material 156e. A waste liquid receiver 162 is provided below the fixed table 157 inside the support frame 160. The waste liquid receiver 162 collects the waste ink guided from the waste liquid pipe 155 extending from the cap holders 154a to 154h and guides it to the outside of the capping mechanism 150.

  The capping mechanism 150 configured as described above is a standby position for the recording heads 122a to 122h in the platen 101 of the recording head unit 120, and the capping mechanism 150 is provided with caps 151a to 151h attached to the recording heads 122a to 122h. It is fixedly provided at the position. In this case, the capping mechanism 150 is assembled by a screw that passes through a mounting hole provided in advance in the support frame 160 and a mounting hole provided in advance in the platen 101. That is, the capping mechanism 150 is assembled in the platen 101 only by rough alignment with the capping position.

  The controller 170 is configured by a microcomputer including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, and is stored in a storage device such as a ROM in accordance with an instruction from an operator or an instruction from an external computer device 180 connected via the interface 171. Various operations of the image forming apparatus 100 are controlled by executing a program stored in advance. Specifically, the controller 170 controls each operation of the X-axis direction feed motor 103, the Y-axis direction scan motor 109, and the recording head unit 120 (recording heads 122a to 122h). The external computer device 180 is a personal computer (so-called personal computer) including an input device 181 composed of a keyboard and a mouse and a display device 182 composed of a liquid crystal display.

(Operation of Image Forming Apparatus 100)
Next, the operation of the image forming apparatus 100 configured as described above will be described. In the description of the operation, the capping process of the recording heads 122a to 122h according to the present invention will be described. The image forming process for the recording medium WK is not directly related to the present invention and is the same as the prior art. Description is omitted.

  The capping processing of the recording heads 122a to 122h is automatically executed when the recording heads 122a to 122h stand by at the standby position under the control of the controller 170, and the operator inputs an execution command via the operation panel 112. Is selectively executed. The capping process is executed by executing a capping process program (not shown) stored in advance in a storage device such as a ROM of the controller 170.

  First, the controller 170 controls the operation of the Y-axis direction scan motor 109 to displace the recording head unit 120 toward the standby position of the recording head unit in the main scanning direction. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the positioning guide 131 and the positioning plate 141 provided on the bottom plate 121a of the recording head unit 120 (indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 5A) are provided. The positioning rods 133 and 143 provided on the movable table 156 of the capping mechanism 150 are in contact with each other. Note that in FIG. 5, the reference numerals are kept to the minimum necessary for easy understanding.

  Then, when the recording head unit 120 is further displaced toward the standby position (right side in the figure), the positioning rod 133 provided on the movable table 156 in the V-groove portion 132 of the positioning guide 131 provided on the bottom plate 121a. The positioning rod 143 provided on the movable table 156 is pressed against the positioning plate 141 provided on the bottom plate 121a. As a result, the movable table 156 displaces on the elastic support pins 158 together with the recording head unit 120 against the tensile force of the contraction springs 159a and 159b (see FIGS. 5A and 5B).

  In this case, the movable table 156 is displaced in the sub-scanning direction when the positioning rod 133 is fitted in the V-groove 132 of the positioning guide 131, and the shift in the sub-scanning direction with respect to the recording head unit 120 is corrected. Further, the movable table 156 is displaced in the main scanning direction when the positioning rod 133 is fitted into the V groove portion 132 of the positioning guide body 131 or when the positioning rod 143 is pressed against the positioning plate 141, thereby moving the recording head unit. The deviation in the main scanning direction with respect to 120 is corrected. Further, the movable table 156 is fitted in the plane including the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction when the positioning bar 133 is fitted into the V groove 132 of the positioning guide 131 and the positioning bar 143 is pressed against the positioning plate 141. And the deviation in the rotational direction with respect to the recording head unit 120 is corrected.

  That is, the positioning guide 131 corresponds to the guide according to the present invention, and the positioning rod 133 corresponds to the fitting according to the present invention. Further, the positioning plate 141 and the positioning rod 143 correspond to a pair of contact bodies according to the present invention.

  The controller 170 displaces the recording head unit 120 to a position where the positioning bar 133 is pressed into the positioning plate 141 while the positioning bar 133 is fitted in the V groove 132 of the positioning guide 131 (FIG. 5A). , (B)), the displacement of the recording head unit 120 is stopped. As a result, the caps 151a to 151h provided on the movable table 156 are positioned with respect to the recording heads 122a to 122h of the recording head unit 120 (see FIGS. 5A and 5B). Next, the controller 170 controls the operation of a lifting mechanism (not shown) of the recording head unit 120 to lower the recording head unit 120 toward the capping mechanism 150 (caps 151a to 151h). Accordingly, the nozzle formation surfaces 123a to 123h of the recording heads 122a to 122h are covered with the caps 151a to 151h, and capping is performed.

  While the recording heads 122a to 122h are capped, the ink flowing out from the nozzles formed on the nozzle formation surfaces 123a to 123h is absorbed by the ink absorber 152 and then passes through the waste liquid holes 153 and the waste liquid pipe 155. Then, it is guided to the waste liquid receiver 162.

  When the capping of the recording heads 122a to 122h is completed, the controller 170 controls the operation of the lifting mechanism to raise the recording head unit 120. As a result, the nozzle formation surfaces 123a to 123h of the recording heads 122a to 122h are detached from the caps 151a to 151h. Next, the controller 170 controls the operation of the Y-axis direction scan motor 109 to retract the recording head unit 120 from the standby position (capping position). As a result, the movable table 156 is displaced together with the recording head unit 120 to the position where it contacts the inner surface of the side wall 161a of the support frame 160 on the elastic support pin 158 by the pulling force of the contraction springs 159a and 159b (FIG. 4A). (See (B)). Thereby, a series of operations of the capping process of the recording heads 122a to 122h is completed.

  In addition, when the image forming apparatus 100 is maintained or repaired due to a failure, the operator can displace the recording head unit 120 through the operation of the operation panel 112 or directly by hand. In these cases, the operator manually moves the recording head unit 120 to a position where the positioning bar 133 is fitted into the V groove 132 of the positioning guide 131 and the positioning bar 143 is pressed against the positioning plate 141. By displacing in the scanning direction (standby position direction), the caps 151a to 151h can be aligned with the recording heads 122a to 122h of the recording head unit 120.

  As can be understood from the above description of the operation, according to the above embodiment, the capping mechanism 150 including the caps 151a to 151h covering the nozzle formation surfaces 123a to 123h in the recording heads 122a to 122h has the relative displacement of the recording heads 122a to 122h. The caps 151a to 151h are supported while being displaceable in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction. The capping mechanism 150 that supports the recording head unit 120 including the recording heads 122a to 122h and the caps 151a to 151h includes a positioning guide 131 and a positioning guide for positioning the caps 151a to 151h by contact of the recording heads 122a to 122h. A rod 133, a positioning plate 141, and a positioning rod 143 are provided. Accordingly, the caps 151a to 151h can be accurately positioned with respect to the recording heads 122a to 122h. That is, when the capping mechanism 150 is assembled to the image forming apparatus 100, the caps 151a to 151h do not need to be precisely positioned and assembled. Further, even during maintenance and repair of the image forming apparatus 100, the operator can perform capping by rough positioning with respect to the capping positions of the recording heads 122a to 122h. As a result, the assemblability of the image forming apparatus 100 and the workability during maintenance and repair can be improved.

  Furthermore, in carrying out the present invention, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the object of the present invention.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the movable table 156 that supports the caps 151a to 151h is moved in two directions in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction, that is, in two directions orthogonal to each other in the plane facing the recording heads 122a to 122h. It was configured to be displaced. However, if the direction in which the movable table 156 (caps 151a to 151h) is displaced is at least one of the two directions, the effect of the above embodiment can be enjoyed with respect to the same direction. In this case, the movable table 156 (caps 151a to 151h) can be displaced in the one direction by using a combination of one of the positioning guide 131 and the positioning rod 133 or the positioning plate 141 and the positioning rod 143. .

  In the above embodiment, the two contraction springs 159a and 159b are used to apply a force acting on the movable table 156 in the direction opposite to the direction in which the recording heads 122a to 122h approach. . This improves the adhesion between the positioning guide body 131 and the positioning rod 133 due to the displacement of the recording heads 122a to 122h, and the adhesion between the positioning plate 141 and the positioning rod 143, thereby positioning the movable table 156 (caps 151a to 151h). This is to improve accuracy. Accordingly, it is not always necessary to apply a force acting on the movable table 156 in the direction opposite to the direction in which the recording heads 122a to 122h approach.

  For example, the movable table 156 (caps 151a to 151h) may be simply supported while being displaceable in the main scanning direction and / or the sub-scanning direction. In this case, the movable table 156 (caps 151a to 151h) may be generally positioned and fixed at the capping positions of the recording heads 122a to 122h. When the recording heads 122a to 122h are capped, the lowered recording heads 122a to 122h are inserted into the caps 151a to 151h, whereby the position of the movable table 156 is corrected via the caps 151a to 151h. . That is, the positions of the caps 151a to 151h may be corrected directly by the recording heads 122a to 122h. Also by these, the same effect as the above-mentioned embodiment can be expected.

  In the above embodiment, the movable table 156 (caps 151a to 151h) is positioned using the positioning guide 131 and the positioning bar 133, and the positioning plate 141 and the positioning bar 143. However, the configuration is not necessarily limited to the above-described embodiment as long as the movable table 156 (caps 151a to 151h) can be positioned by contacting the recording heads 122a to 122h. For example, the positioning guide body 131 (or positioning rod 133) is provided at the center portion in the sub-scanning direction on the side wall 121c of the bottom plate 121a, and the center portion in the sub-scanning direction on the stay 156c of the movable table 156 Positioning rod 133 (or positioning guide 131) may be provided at a position corresponding to According to this, the same effect as the above-described embodiment can be expected without using the positioning plate 141 and the positioning rod 143.

  In the above embodiment, in addition to the positioning guide 131 and the positioning rod 133, the movable table 156 (caps 151a to 151h) is corrected in order to correct the shift in the rotational direction in the plane including the main scanning direction and the sub scanning direction. Thus, a positioning plate 141 and a positioning rod 143 were provided. However, each shape, size, and each mounting position of the positioning plate 141 and the positioning rod 143 is such that a reaction force having the same magnitude as the reaction force when the positioning rod 133 is fitted into the positioning guide 131 is generated. If it is a shape, a magnitude | size, and each attachment position, it will not be limited to the said embodiment. According to this, the effect similar to the said embodiment can be expected by correcting the shift in the rotational direction of the movable table 156 (caps 151a to 151h).

  Further, in the above embodiment, the cap mechanism 150 that performs capping on the nozzle formation surfaces 123a to 123h of the recording heads 122a to 122h has been described. However, in the cap mechanism 150, after the caps 151a to 151h are mounted on the nozzle formation surfaces 123a to 123h of the recording heads 122a to 122h, a cleaning mechanism that sucks and removes ink from the nozzle formation surfaces 123a to 123h. Some are equipped with. The present invention can be applied to the cap mechanism 150 provided with such a cleaning mechanism or the cleaning mechanism alone as in the above embodiment.

1 is an external perspective view showing an entire image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control system that controls the operation of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1. 2A and 2B are schematic diagrams for explaining the configuration of a recording head unit included in the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1, in which FIG. 2A is a plan view showing a main part of the recording head unit, and FIG. It is a front view which shows a part. 2A and 2B are schematic views for explaining a capping mechanism included in the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1, wherein FIG. 2A is a plan view showing a main part of the capping mechanism, and FIG. It is a fracture front view. 2A and 2B are schematic views showing a positional relationship between a recording head unit and a capping mechanism at the time of capping the recording head, FIG. 3A is a plan view showing main parts of the recording head unit and the capping mechanism, and FIG. It is a partially broken front view which shows the principal part of a capping mechanism.

Explanation of symbols

WK ... recording medium, 100 ... image forming apparatus, 101 ... platen, 102 ... grid roll, 104 ... guide rail, 105 ... pinch roller, 120 ... recording head unit, 121 ... casing, 121a ... bottom plate, 122a to 122h ... recording head , 123a to 123h ... nozzle formation surface, 131 ... positioning guide, 132 ... V groove, 133, 143 ... positioning rod, 141 ... positioning plate, 142 ... contact surface, 150 ... capping mechanism, 151a to 151h ... cap, 152 ... Ink absorber, 153 ... Waste liquid hole, 154a to 154h ... Cap holder, 156 ... Movable table, 157 ... Fixed table, 157a-157c ... Pressing part, 158 ... Elastic support pin, 159a, 159b ... Contraction spring, 160 ... Support frame , 170 ... Controller 180 ... external computer equipment.

Claims (5)

A recording head disposed opposite to the recording medium and having a nozzle for discharging ink on the recording medium;
Recording head relative displacement means for relatively displacing the recording head with respect to the recording medium in two directions orthogonal to each other in a plane facing the recording head;
An image forming apparatus comprising a capping mechanism that covers a nozzle forming surface on which the nozzles are formed in the recording head with a cap.
The capping mechanism is
An image forming apparatus comprising cap support means for supporting the cap so as to be displaceable in at least one of the two directions by direct or indirect contact with the recording head. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,
The cap support means includes
An image forming apparatus comprising: an urging unit that applies a force acting on the cap in a direction opposite to a direction in which the recording head approaches. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:
The cap support means includes
An image forming apparatus comprising cap positioning means for positioning the recording head by displacing the cap in at least one of the two directions by direct or indirect contact with the recording head. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:
The cap positioning means includes
A guide body provided with one of the recording head and the cap directly or indirectly and having a V-groove formed in a V-shape;
An image forming apparatus comprising: a fitting body that is directly or indirectly provided on the other of the recording head and the cap and fits into the V-groove portion. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4,
The cap positioning means further includes:
A pair of contact bodies are provided at each position of the recording head and the cap for generating a reaction force having a magnitude equal to the magnitude of the reaction force acting when the fitting body is fitted into the V-groove portion. An image forming apparatus.

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