EP0335699B1 - Austauschbare Tintenstrahlkassette und Tintenstrahldruckgerät mit einer solchen - Google Patents

Austauschbare Tintenstrahlkassette und Tintenstrahldruckgerät mit einer solchen Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0335699B1
EP0335699B1 EP19890303119 EP89303119A EP0335699B1 EP 0335699 B1 EP0335699 B1 EP 0335699B1 EP 19890303119 EP19890303119 EP 19890303119 EP 89303119 A EP89303119 A EP 89303119A EP 0335699 B1 EP0335699 B1 EP 0335699B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
humidifying
ink
tape
discharge opening
ink jet
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP19890303119
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0335699A2 (de
EP0335699A3 (en
Inventor
Keiichi Murai
Hiroshi Sugitani
Masami Ikeda
Mitsuru Kurata
Hiromitsu Hirabayashi
Akihiro Nomura
Norifumi Koitabashi
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Canon Inc
Original Assignee
Canon Inc
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Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Canon Inc filed Critical Canon Inc
Publication of EP0335699A2 publication Critical patent/EP0335699A2/de
Publication of EP0335699A3 publication Critical patent/EP0335699A3/en
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Publication of EP0335699B1 publication Critical patent/EP0335699B1/de
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Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
    • B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
    • B41J2/01—Ink jet
    • B41J2/135—Nozzles
    • B41J2/165—Preventing or detecting of nozzle clogging, e.g. cleaning, capping or moistening for nozzles
    • B41J2/16517—Cleaning of print head nozzles
    • B41J2/16552—Cleaning of print head nozzles using cleaning fluids

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a liquid jet recording apparatus and a cartridge adapted to be detachably mounted on the liquid jet recording apparatus or the like and provided with liquid discharge means.
  • ink jet recording apparatus in which characters or patterns are recorded by discharging recording liquid from liquid discharge means or a recording head, since said recording liquid (hereinafter called “ink”) is directly discharged from discharge openings of the recording head, there is required particular attention, not encountered in other recording apparatuses, in order to maintain the ink constantly in dischargeable state.
  • ink recording liquid
  • the increase in ink viscosity can not be avoided by the above-mentioned drying preventing means under a low-humidity condition or after a long pause, and, for this reason there has been employed, in combination with the above-mentioned capping means, a recovery mechanism for sucking the air in the cap covering the recording head thereby applying a negative pressure to the discharge openings for sucking the ink remaining in said openings, or applying a positive pressure for example with a pump to an ink supply system leading to the discharge openings for discharging deteriorated ink from the discharge openings, or effecting preliminary ink discharge from the discharge openings into the capping means thereby eliminating the ink of increased viscosity from the nozzle.
  • such recovery mechanism is generally activated automatically for example at the start of power supply, and is preferably used, during the recording operation, at as long interval as possible in order to reduce the ink consumption.
  • it is necessary to interrupt the recording operation frequently at short intervals, so that the efficiency of recording operation is inevitably deteriorated.
  • Such hunidifying means is generally designated to apply liquid humidifying agent on a face of the recording head having the ink discharge openings (hereinafter called "discharge opening face"), and is provided, in case of a serial recording apparatus, in a position outside the recording range of the recording head, for example next to said capping means, in such a manner that a member for applying said humidifying agent engages with the discharge opening face at the hunidifying operation.
  • the discharge opening face is preferably covered with the capping means as explained before, since, otherwise, defective ink discharge or disabled ink discharge may result due to the dust deposition or the increase in ink viscosity.
  • cleaning means In order to remove the dusts deposited on the discharge opening face, there is often provided cleaning means.
  • drive means for moving the capping means and the cleaning means, mounted on the main body of the apparatus, relative to the recording head in order to engage these means with said recording head thereby enabling capping or cleaning operation, for example moving the capping means toward the recording head it is brought in front of the capping means, or bringing the cleaning means in engagement with the discharge opening face.
  • a replaceable ink jet cartridge for removably mounting on a main body of an ink jet recording apparatus, the cartridge comprising: a casing having means for removably mounting the cartridge on the apparatus; an ink storing portion in said casing for storing ink discharged from a discharge opening; an energy generating member for generating energy for discharging ink from the discharge opening; electrical connecting means attached to said casing for receiving from the apparatus a signal for actuating said energy generating member while the cartridge is mounted on the apparatus; a closure member mounted on said casing, said closure member being movable between a closure position for closing the discharge opening and an open position enabling ink to be discharged through the discharge opening; and driving force receiving means mounted on said casing for receiving from the apparatus a drive force for moving said closure member; characterized in that said closure member has liquid delivery means capable of delivering a moistening liquid which with the closure member in said closed position serves to prevent ink from clogging the discharge opening, and in said open position to open a
  • Fig. 1 shows an ink jet recording apparatus employing ink as the recording liquid, constituting an embodiment of the present invention.
  • a cartridge 1 provided with a recording head and detachably mounted on the main body, as will be explained later; a carriage 3 detachably supporting said cartridge 1 and driven in a direction S; a wire 5 fixed to said carriage 3 and supported between pulleys 7 provided on both ends of the movable range; a motor 9 linked with one of said pulleys 7 and serving to move the carriage 3 in the direction S; and first and second guide rails 11A and 11B extended in the direction S for guiding the carriage 3.
  • a platen roller 13 for advancing a recording medium such as paper or film and defining the recording surface thereof; a motor 15 linked with said platen roller 13 and serving to rotate said platen roller 13 for advancing the recording medium; and a control signal cable 17 connected between the carriage 3 and control means (not shown) for transmitting image data and control signals between said control means and the cartridge 1, and composed of a flexible cable capable of following the movement of the carriage 3.
  • the cartridge 1 can be replaced at a suitable position C of the carriage 3, for example at a home position outside the image recording range.
  • electrical contacts provided on the cartridge 1 are connected to contact members on the carriage 3, whereby the recording head etc. and the control means are electrically connected to enable recording operation.
  • the carriage 3 is set in a scanning motion in the direction S by the motor 9, and the recording head is activated in the course of said movement to discharge ink toward the recording medium supported by the platen roller 13, thereby executing the recording operation.
  • the recording medium is advanced by a predetermined amount by the motor 15.
  • Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the external structure of the cartridge 1
  • Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the internal structure thereof.
  • a casing 100 incorporating following components; a protective cover 102 detachably mountable on the casing 100; an engaging groove 104 provided on the casing 100; and an engaging member 106 provided on the protective cover 102 and serving to engage with the groove 104.
  • the protective cover 102 is mounted on the casing 100 by the engagement of said groove and said engaging member.
  • the protective cover 102 is detached to expose a face (discharge opening face) 112 in which at least discharge openings of the recording head 110 are provided, whereby said face can be brought into facing relationship with the recording medium.
  • the protective cover 102 is mounted on the casing 100 to protect the recording head 110 etc. in the cartridge 1.
  • a tape member 120 (tape) having an aperture 122 for exposing the discharge opening face 112 of the recording head 110.
  • the structure of said tape 120 will be explained later with reference to Figs. 6 and 7.
  • a gear 140 is provided outside the casing 100 for transmitting the driving force to said tape 120.
  • a driving roller 142 coaxial with. the gear 140; a pinch roller 144 for pressing the tape 120 against the driving roller 142, provided on an end of a roller arm 144B biased in rotation toward the driving roller 142 by means of a spring 144A; rollers 146 for defining the path of the tape 120 formed as an endless belt in the present embodiment; and a tension roller 148 provided for applying a tension to the tape 120 and positioned on an end of a tension arm 148B biased in rotation toward the tape 120 by means of a spring 148A. Said tension roller 148 ensures that the tape 120 runs along the transport path thereof and is in sliding contact with the discharge opening face 112.
  • a reservoir member (ink tank) 150 for storing the recording liquid or ink constitutes a main ink supply source for the recording head 110 in the present embodiment, and supplies a chip 114 of the recording head 110 with ink through a liquid path 152.
  • An opening 154 provided on the upper face of the ink tank 150 serves to introduce air according to the ink consumption in the ink tank 150.
  • Said ink tank 150 need not necessarily be provided in the cartridge 1.
  • the ink may by supplied to the recording head 110 for example through a tube, from an ink supply source fixed in the main body of the apparatus. In such case, a sub ink tank may be provided in the cartridge.
  • a humidifying agent chamber 160 contains an impregnating member 162 composed for example of an absorbent material impregnated with humidifying agent, and is so constructed as to engage said impregnating member 162 with the rear surface of the tape 120 (in sliding contact with the discharge opening face 112) for applying the humidifying agent thereon.
  • the rear surface, coated with the humidifying agent, of the tape 120 reach the discharge opening face 112 to apply said humidifying agent thereto.
  • the humidifying agent chamber in the form of a tank storing the liquid humidifying agent, provided therein with a humidifying material having a portion dipped in said humidifying agent and a portion engaging with the tape 120 (Fig. 12).
  • An electrical contact member 170 formed as a connector may be provided with contacts for receiving image signals, drive signals and other contact signals, and contacts for transmitting state signals of the cartridge 1, such as an ink amount detection signal.
  • the chip 112 is provided with an array of plural ink discharge openings, and energy generating elements, corresponding respectively to said openings, for applying discharge energy to the ink in response to drive signals.
  • Said energy generating element can be composed, for example, of an electro-thermal converter for generating heat in response to electric current supply, thereby generating bubbles in the ink and causing ink discharge.
  • a detection aperture 100A is provided in the casing 100 as will be explained later.
  • An aperture 106 is provided on the casing 100 for communication of the interior thereof with the exterior, and, at the recording operation, the interior of the ink tank 150 communicates with the external air through the apertures 106 and 154.
  • a lower profile of the casing 100 below the recording head 110 constitutes a positioning portion 100B for the carriage 3.
  • Figs. 4 and 5 show a state in which the cartridge 1 is mounted on the carriage 3 to enable the recording operation.
  • bearings 31A, 31B respectively for the first and second guide rails 11A, 11B; a locking arm 33 provided on the carriage 3 for fixing the cartridge 1; and an electrical contact member 37 for receiving the electrical contact member 170 of the cartridge 170 for connection to the cable 17.
  • a humidifying motor 40 provided on the carriage 3 and serving to drive the tape 120 at the humidifying operation; a motor gear 42 fixed on the shaft of said motor 40; and a drive gear 44 meshing with the gear 42 and with the gear 140 in the illustrated mounted state of the cartridge, thereby transmitting the rotation of the motor 40 to said gear 140.
  • the above-explained transmission mechanism may be constructed in arbitrary manner.
  • a microswitch 48 provided on the carriage 3 has an actuator 48A which is in contact with the tape 120 through the detection aperture 100A of the casing 100.
  • said microswitch 48 is turned off when the aperture 122 of the tape 120 reaches the actuator 48A, and the motor is so controlled from the turn-off time as to bring the aperture 122 of the tape 120 to the discharge opening face 112 thereby enabling recording operation.
  • Said switch 48 may also be used as a sensor for detecting the presence of the mounted cartridge 1. For such purpose, there may be employed any sensor, instead of the microswitch 48.
  • a reflective photosensor provided, in a predetermined position of the image area (cf. Fig. 1) so as to face the discharge opening face 112. In the use of such reflective photosensor, the front surface of the tape 120 is made reflective to light.
  • a positioning portion 3A to engage with the positioning portion 100B of the cartridge 3, thereby defining the position of the cartridge with respect to the carriage 3.
  • a recovery unit 80 is provided in a predetermined position outside the recording range of the recording head 110, for example in the home position, so as to oppose to the discharge opening face 112 of the head 110, and to be moved relative thereto at the discharge recovery operation of the head 110.
  • a capping member 82 composed for example of rubber, for covering the discharge opening face 112 as the result of said relative movement, and a holder 84 therefor.
  • the discharge recovery operation can be achieved by ink discharge (preliminary discharge) by the normal driving of the recording head 110, or by ink suction from the head 110 by means of a pump provided in the recovery unit 80, thereby removing viscosified ink, bubbles, dusts etc. from the recording head 110. Also if the ink is supplied, not from the ink tank 150 provided in the cartridge 1 as in the present embodiment, but from an ink supply system in the main body of the apparatus, the ink discharge may be achieved by pressurizing said ink supply system.
  • the recovery unit 80 may be used for protecting the recording head 110 by the engagement therewith during the pause of the recording operation.
  • Fig. 6 illustrates the structure of the tape 120 in the present embodiment.
  • the tape 120 for transferring the humidifying agent from the impregnating material 162 to the discharge opening face 112 of the recording head 110 is provided with the aperture 122 for enabling ink discharge at the recording operation.
  • Said aperture 122 is so sized as to expose the aperture 106 of the casing.
  • the humidifying function may be conducted by the entire rear surface of the tape 120 excluding the aperture 120, or by a hatched portion 124 thereof.
  • the humidifying means of the present embodiment namely the tape 120, humidifying agent and impregnating member.
  • the tape 120 is required to satisfy following requirements:
  • the tape 120 can be composed of a polymer film for example of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyimide (PI), polytetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroacrylvinyl ether copolymer (PFA) or polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), reinforced paper or a thin metal foil such as of aluminum.
  • PET polyethylene terephthalate
  • PI polyimide
  • PFA polytetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroacrylvinyl ether copolymer
  • PVA polyvinyl alcohol
  • Fig. 7 shows an example of the structure of the tape 120, composed of a substrate (base) 121 and a humidifying layer 125 provided thereon as a humidifying part 124.
  • a substrate (base) 121 On the front surface of the tape 120 there is formed an antistatic layer 127, for preventing the deposition of dust by electrostatic charge, and said layer can be formed by metal evaporation or by mixing of conductive fine particles such as carbon.
  • the humidifying part 124 on the front surface (coming into contact with the impregnating member 162 and the discharge opening face 112 in the present embodiment) of the tape 120 is preferably wettable with the humidifying agent and adapted to maintain such state for a certain period, and, for this reason, the absorbing property is advantageously improved by forming porous or irregular surface. This is achieved, for example, by:
  • the member 162 can be composed of a spongy porous material for achieving uniform application of the humidifying agent on the surface of the tape 120.
  • it can be composed of a polymer material, such as polyurethane polyvinyl alcohol, foamed with a high density, or felt composed of wool or other fibers.
  • a polymer material such as polyurethane polyvinyl alcohol, foamed with a high density, or felt composed of wool or other fibers.
  • the humidifying agent preferably satisfies following requirements, in order to effectively humidify the discharge opening face 112 thereby preventing the blocking of the openings:
  • glycols glycolethers, amides or pyrrolidones, or mixtures thereof with water, or mixtures of these substances.
  • Other mateirals can also be utilized depending on the purpose, for example for reducing the viscosity of the viscosified ink.
  • clear ink water or alcohol may be used for such purpose, though these materials do not satisfy all the requirements.
  • Fig. 8 shows an example of a humidifying operation control unit of the present embodiment, constructed as a part of the control system of the recording apparatus.
  • a control unit 500 composed of a micro-computer provided for example with CPU, ROM, RAM etc., controls various units according to a control program stored in the ROM, and controls the recording and other operations by driving a head 1 according to the image data received for example from a host apparatus.
  • the control unit 500 also drives the platen driving motor 15 thereby controlling the advancement of the recording medium, in response to the detection by a sensor PS for detecting said recording medium P. If further controls the motion of the carriage 3 and the movement thereof to the home position through the carriage motor 9, in response to the carriage position information detected by a carriage position sensor CS.
  • recovery unit 80 If further activates the recovery unit 80 through a recovery unit drive circuit 86, thereby effecting the capping on the recording head 110 and the discharge recovery thereof. Furthermore it controls the motor 40 for tape transportation, thereby effecting the movement of the tape 120 for the humidifying operation and the positioning of the aperture 122 according to the state of the switch 48.
  • Fig. 9 shows an example of the humidifying routine or sequence in the present embodiment.
  • a step S1 activates the motor 40, thereby transporting the tape 120 in the direction A shown in Fig. 3.
  • the humidifying agent is given from the impregnating member 162 to the humidifying part 124 (humidifying layer 125) of the tape 120, and is applied onto the discharge opening face 112 when said tape arrives thereat.
  • a step S3 discriminates whether the aperture 122 have passed the position of the switch 48, based on the signal therefrom. If the result of said discrimination is affirmative, the motor 40 is driven corresponding to the known length of the tape 120 (with continued application of the humidifying agent on the discharge opening face 112), and the motor 40 is stopped when the aperture 122 reaches the position of the discharge opening face 112 (step S5).
  • the amount of movement of the tape 120 from the start to the stopping of the motor 40 namely the number of rotations of the endless tape 120 can be one turn or several turns as long as proper humidifying can be obtained. It can be less than one turn if the tape 120 is provided with plural apertures 122.
  • the above-mentioned routine can be activated at any suitable timing. For example it can be conducted at the start of power supply, at the start of recording operation, after the discharge recovery operation, after the lapse of a predetermined period, or after the recording operation of a predetermined amount. Also the carriage need not be outside the image recording range, since there is no member protruding toward the platen roller 13, so that said routine may be executed during the returning motion of the carriage 3, or by interrupting the recording operation and without moving the recording head.
  • the discharge opening face 112 is maintained in humidified state during the recording operation by the humidifying means including the tape 120 and the impregnating member 162, so that the area in the vicinity of the discharge openings is protected from drying.
  • the failure in ink discharge resulting from increase in viscosity can be suppressed even if the frequency of ink discharges or recovery operation is reduced. It is therefore rendered possible to accordingly increase the recording speed, and to unnecessary waste of ink.
  • the recording head 110 is the humidifying means are integrated in a cartridge, the service life of the humidifying means can be designed corresponding to that of the recording head 110.
  • a high recording image quality can be maintained for a long time, since the humidifying agent and the tape 120 are replaced simultaneously with the replacement of the recording head 110.
  • the humidifying means can be positioned spatially close to the discharge opening face 112, the probability of contamination with dusts at the humidifying operation is reduced, whereby the reliability is improved, and the response of the humidifying operation is also improved.
  • the humidifying operation can be conducted in the cartridge alone, scarcely depending on the structure of the main body of the recording apparatus. Also the timing of said operation is scarcely restricted, and the pause required in the main body is also reduced.
  • the above-explained embodiment can simplify the structure and the operation, since the impregnated member 162 is positioned at the same side of the discharge opening face 112 with respect to the tape 120 and does not hinder the recording operation.
  • the humidifying agent is applied by sliding contact of the tape 120 with the discharge opening face 112, there can also be prevented the retraction of meniscus of the ink in the discharge openings or the air inhaling therein.
  • the use of thin tape 120 allows to compactize the cartridge 1 and to facilitate the humidifying operation in the image recording range, and the flexibility of said tape realizes intimate contact thereof with the discharge opening face 112, thus achieving improved humidifying operation.
  • the humidifying agent chamber 160 is not filled with the impregnating member 162 but is constructed as a tank containing liquid humidifying agent, it is suitably agitated by the acceleration. This is desirable since the effect of homogenization by agitation is large while the disadvantage of foaming is limited.
  • the structure for humidifying agent application on the discharge opening face 112 with a tape-formed member is not limited to the foregoing embodiment.
  • the tape is not formed as an endless belt but is supported, as indicated by 120-1, on both ends with elastic members 120-2 such as springs.
  • elastic members 120-2 such as springs.
  • the tape 120-1 is moved in a direction A at the humidifying operation, and in a direction B after said operation, thereby achieving the application of humidifying agent and the positioning of aperture.
  • Fig. 11 illustrates such embodiment, employing a tape 120-3 of which humidifying part (cf. Figs. 6 and 7) is impregnated in advance with the humidifying agent.
  • the ink in the humidifying part is also possible to receive the ink in the humidifying part from the recording head 110 and to utilize said ink as the humidifying agent.
  • the ink is principally composed of dyes or pigments serving as the coloring agent, and liquid medium for dissolving or dispersing said dyes or pigments, and eventually contain various additives.
  • the coloring agent is generally composed of water-soluble dyes such as direct dyes or acid dyes, and the liquid medium is composed of water or the components described above with respect to the humidifying agent.
  • the running path of the tape and direction of movement thereof are not critical as long as the discharge opening face 112 can be effectively humidified.
  • the tape in the foregoing embodiments is moved in the vertical plane, but it may be moved in the horizontal plane.
  • Fig. 12 illustrates the carriage 1 constituting another embodiment of the present invention, wherein same components as those in the foregoing embodiments are represented by same numbers.
  • a casing 200 of the cartridge 1 of the present embodiment is provided with a chamber 201 capable of accommodating a humidifying agent chamber 260.
  • a protective cover 202 a similar to the aforementioned protective cover 102, is so shaped as to cover the front face of the recording head 110 including the discharge opening face 112 and the chamber 201.
  • the humidifying agent chamber 260 stores liquid humidifying agent W and is provided with a containing member 262 impregnated with said humidifying agent, said member being brought into contact with the discharge opening face 112 at the humidifying operation to effect the application of the humidifying agent. After the humidifying operation, the humidifying agent chamber 260 is rotated as indicated by an arrow and is contained in the chamber 201. Thus the recording operation is not hindered.
  • the humidifying agent chamber 260 may be filled with the containing member as explained before (cf. Fig. 3).
  • Figs. 13A and 13B illustrate examples of the mechanism for moving the humidifying agent chamber 260.
  • a driving arm 240 supporting the humidifying agent chamber 260 and biased by a spring 244 clockwise about a shaft 240A, in a direction to accommodate the humidifying agent chamber 260 in the chamber 201; and a gear 242 provided on the driving arm 240 and coupled with the driving gear 44 of the carriage 3 through an intermediate gear 246.
  • the motor 40 is rotated in the forward direction for effecting the humidifying operation.
  • the driving arm 240 rotates anticlockwise against the biasing force of the spring 244, whereby the containing member 262 of the humidifying agent chamber 260 is brought into contact with the discharge opening face 112 as shown in Fig. 13B whereby the humidifying agent is applied onto said face 112.
  • the above-mentioned operation can be conducted at a carriage position outside the image recording range.
  • the motor 40 is reversed to return the humidifying agent chamber 260 to the position shown in Fig. 13A.
  • the recording or capping operation is not hindered by placing said chamber in the position shown in Fig. 13A, and such state is secured by the spring 244.
  • Fig. 14 shows still another embodiment of the cartridge 1 of the present invention, in which, instead of the movement of the humidifying agent chamber as shown in Fig. 12, there is provided a rocking member for receiving the humidifying agent from a fixed humidifying agent chamber and being moved to apply said humidifying agent to the discharge opening face 112.
  • a casing 300 a humidifying agent chamber 360 fixed to the casing 300; a containing member 362 impregnated with the humidifying agent; a cap 364 capable of rocking between a solid-lined position in contact with the discharge opening face 112 and a broken-lined position in contact with the containing member 362 and provided with humidifying agent containing material 366 for effecting said contact; and a closing member 368 provided on the cap 364.
  • the presence of said closing member allows to use the cap 364 as a protective member for the recording head 110 when it is not in the recording operation, or as a protective member for preventing the humidifying agent chamber 360 from dusts and drying.
  • Fig. 15 shows an example of the moving mechanism for the cap 364, wherein said cap 364 is supported by rocking arms 369 to enable the above-mentioned rocking motion.
  • Said rocking arms can be driven by a transmission mechanism as shown in Figs. 13A and 13B.
  • the humidifying operation is possible with a control system as shown in Fig. 8.
  • the control sequence consists of driving the motor 40 at the humidifying operation to bring the containing material 262 or 366 into contact with the discharge opening face 112, maintaining this state until the humidifying agent is sufficiently absorbed, and then reversing the motor 40 to return the humidifying agent chamber 260 or the cap 364 to the broken-lined position shown in Fig. 12 or 14.
  • the humidifying means since the humidifying means has to be positioned in front of the front face of the cartridge 1, the above-explained operation should be conducted at a position where the cartridge does not face the platen roller 13, in order to prevent colision with the platen roller 13 or the recording medium.
  • the above-explained humidifying means not only performs the humidifying function, but also a capping function in a structure as shown in Fig. 14 and a cleaning function for the liquid discharge portion in case of a tape in sliding contact with the recording head as shown in Fig. 12.
  • the present invention is not limited to the foregoing embodiments but it is possible to arbitrarily select the structure of the recording head and the humidifying means, mode of humidifying agent application, and the mechanism therefore, as long as the recording head and the humidifying means are integrated.
  • the application of the humidifying agent to the humidifying part may be achieved for example by passing the tape, in the moving path thereof, in a reservoir containing the humidifying agent, or by employing a roller or rollers impregnated with the humidifying agent at least as a part of the transport rollers 146, or employing a roller or rollers for picking up the humidifying agent from a suitable reservoir for the humidifying agent, at least as a part of the transport rollers.
  • the presence of such reservoir also provides an advantage that the interior of the cartridge 1 is maintained at a suitable vapor pressure.
  • the entire structure of the ink jet recording apparatus is same as shown in Fig. 1.
  • Fig. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of the internal structure of the cartridge 1, in which there are shown a casing 100 incorporating following components; an ink tank 150 storing recording ink and constituting a main supply source of the ink to the chip 114 of the recording head 110 through a liquid path 152; and an aperture 154 provided on the upper face of the ink tank 150 for introducing air according to the consumption of the ink in the ink tank 150.
  • Said ink tank 150 need not necessarily be provided on the tank 1, but the ink may be supplied to the recording head 110 from an ink source, fixed in the main body of the apparatus, for example through a tube. In such case, the ink tank may be utilized as a subsidiary tank.
  • a cap 160A may be moved between a stored position (broken-lined) and a capping position (solid-lined) for capping the discharge opening face 112 and an aperture 106 of the casing.
  • a containing member 162A impregnated with humidifying agent, is brought into contact, at said capping position, with the discharge opening face 112 of the recording head 110 thereby applying the humidifying agent thereto.
  • a closing member 168 provided on the cap 168A and serving to close the interior of the cap 160A from the exterior in the stored and capping positions, is used for protecting the containing member 162A from drying and dusts in the stored position, and the recording head 110 and the ink tank 150 at the capping position. Since the recording operation is conducted while the cap 160A is in the stored position, the casing 160 is provided with a suitable storing portion 108 in order that the cap 160A does not protrude from a plane of the discharge opening face 112 toward the platen roller 13.
  • the containing member 162A in the cap 160A may be replaced by a tank storing liquid humidifying agent and a containing member having a portion immersed therein and another portion to be in contact with the discharge opening face 112.
  • An electrical contact member 170 formed as a connector is provided with contacts for receiving image signals, drive signals and other control signals, and other contacts for transmitting state signals of the cartridge 1, such as an ink amount detection signal.
  • the chip 112 is provided with an array of plural ink discharge openings, and with energy generating elements respectively corresponding to said discharge openings and applying discharging energy to the ink in response to drive signals.
  • Said energy generating elements may be composed, for example, of electrothermal converters for generating heat in response to electrical current supply, thereby generating bubbles in the ink and thus discharging the ink.
  • An aperture 106 is provided on the casing 100, and, in the recording operation, the interior of the ink tank 150 communicates with the external air through said aperture and the aperture 154.
  • a bottom profile of the casing 100 below the recording head 110 constitutes a positioning portion 100B for the carriage 3.
  • the material and properties of the containing member and the humidifying agent employed in the present embodiment may be same as those in the embodiment 1.
  • Figs. 17A and 17B illustrate the external view of the cartridge 1 in a state mounted on the carriage 3, respectively in the stored state and in the capping state of the cap.
  • a positioning part 3A is provided on the carriage 3 close to the side thereof facing the platen roller 13, for engaging with the positioning portion 100B of the cartridge 1 thereby defining the position thereof with respect to the carriage 3.
  • bearings 31A, 31B respectively for the first and second guide rails 11A, 11B; a locking arm 33 for fixing the cartridge 1′ and an electrical contact member 37 for accepting the electrical contact member 170 of the cartridge 1 for connection with the cable 17.
  • a motor 40 provided on the carriage 3 for driving the cap 160; a motor gear 42 fixed on the shaft of said motor 42; and a driving gear 44 meshing with the gear 42.
  • Rocking arms 120, 121 support the cap 160 at the ends thereof and are articulated at the other ends on the casing 100 by means of pins 120A, 121A, thus forming a parallel link mechanism.
  • a spring 123 is provided between a rocking arm 120 and the casing 100, thereby biasing said arm and securing said arms either in the capping position or in the stored position.
  • the engaging position of the spring 123 with the casing 100 and the biasing direction of said spring may be suitably selected in such a manner that the stored state or the capping state is normally obtained.
  • a gear portion 122 is integrally provided on the rocking arm 121 and meshes with the driving gear 44 for receiving the driving force.
  • the above-explained transmission mechanism can be constructed in any desirable manner.
  • Fig. 18 shows an example of the humidifying control unit of the present embodiment, constructed as a part of the control system of the recording apparatus.
  • a control unit 500 composed of a microcomputer provided for example with CPU, ROM, RAM etc., controls various components according to a control program stored in the ROM, and controls the recording and other operations by driving the recording head 1 according to the image data received for example from a host apparatus. Also, it controls the advancement of the recording medium by driving the platen roller 13 through the platen driving motor 15 in response to the detection of the recording medium P by a sensor PS, and controls the movement of the carriage 3 and the return thereof to the home position, through the carriage motor 9, in response to the carriage position information detected by the carriage position sensor CS.
  • a recovery unit 80 is provided at a predetermined position (for example home position) outside the image recording range of the recording head 110, so as to be able to oppose to the discharge opening face 112 of the recording head 110, and, in the discharge recovery operation of the recording head 110, is moved relative thereto by a driving unit 86 under the control of the control unit 500.
  • the discharge recovery operation for eliminating the viscosified ink, bubbles or dusts from the recording head 110, and can be achieved by ink discharge ("preliminary discharge") by normal drive of the recording head 110, or by ink suction from said head 110 with a pump provided in the recovery unit 80. Also, in case the ink is supplied from an ink supply system of the apparatus to the recording head 110, instead of the ink tank 150 provided in the cartridge 1, the ink discharge can also be achieved by pressurizing said ink supply system.
  • the recovery operation is conducted by the preliminary discharge, there may be dispensed with driving means for bringing the recovery unit 80 in contact with the recording head 110 in a pause of the recording operation, since the capping operation is conducted with the cap 160. Furthermore, the recovery unit 80 may be dispensed with if such preliminary discharge is conducted onto the recording medium.
  • control unit 500 controls the motor 40, for bringing the cap 160 to the capping position at the humidifying operation or in a pause of the recording operation, and bringing said cap 160 to the stored position at the recording operation.
  • Fig. 19 shows an example of the humidifying routine or process in the present embodiment.
  • a step S1 activates the motor 40 in the forward direction.
  • the rocking arms 121, 120 rotate anticlockwise in Fig. 16, whereby, as shown in Fig. 17A, the containing member 162 of the cap 160 is brought into contact with the discharge opening face 112 to achieve application of the humidifying agent thereto.
  • Such operation can be achieved, in the present embodiment, at a carriage position outside the image recording range.
  • step S5 reverses the motor 40 to bring the cap 160 in a position shown in Fig. 17B.
  • This state is maintained by the spring 123, so that the recording operation is not hindered.
  • the interior of the ink tank 150 communicates with the external air through the apertures 106, 154, whereby smooth ink supply to the recording head 110 is ensured.
  • the above-explained routine can be activated at a suitable timing, for example at the start of power supply in the apparatus, at the start of recording operation, after the discharge recovery operation, after the lapse of a predetermined period or after the recording operation of a predetermined amount.
  • the step S5 may be skipped so that the cap 160 continues to be fitted on the discharge opening face 112. Also in case of a pause after recording operation, the cap 160 is fitted on the discharge opening face 112.
  • the capping on said face 112 protects the discharge openings from ink evaporation or dust deposition, and also prevents ink evaporation from the ink tank 150, since it is sealed from the air. Besides, when the ink cartridge 1 is still unused or detached from the carriage 3, the capped state is maintained by the spring 123 to attain similar protection.
  • the discharge opening face is maintained humidified during the recording operation by a humidifying operation combined with capping, protects the area in the vicinity of the discharge openings from drying, so that the failure in ink discharge resulting from increase in viscosity of the ink can be suppressed even when the frequency of ink discharges or recovery operations by the ink discharge. It is therefore rendered possible to increase the Overall recording speed, and to avoid unnecessary waste of ink.
  • the aperture 106 of the casing is also closed whereby the vapor pressure in the cartridge 1 is increased to achieve more effective heat protection.
  • the humidifying means and the recording head 110 are integrated into a cartridge, the service life of the humidifying means can be selected corresponding to that of the recording head 110. Also high image quality can be maintained for a long time, since the humidifying means is replaced simultaneously with the replacement of the recording head 110.
  • the humidifying means can be positioned spatially close to the discharge opening face 112, it is possible to reduce the probability of contamination with dusts or the like at the humidifying operation, so that the reliability and the response of the humidifying operation can be improved.
  • the humidifying operation can be executed in the cartridge itself, scarcely relying on the structure of the main body of the recording apparatus, with little limitation in the timing of said operation and with reduced period of pause of the main body.
  • the capping is achieved by a substantially horizontal movement of the containing member 162 with respect to the discharge opening face 112, there can be reduced the retraction of ink meniscus in the discharge openings and air intake thereinto.
  • timing of humidifying operation can be arbitrarily selected, it is easily possible to continue and maximize the effect of humidifying operation.
  • Figs. 20A and 20B show another embodiment of the present invention in which the humidifying operation is conducted only at the movement to the capping position and at the movement therefrom, in contrast to the foregoing embodiment in which the containing member 162 is constantly in contact with the discharge opening face 112 during the capping operation.
  • a cap 260 of the present embodiment can be placed in a capping position (solid-lined) in Fig. 20A and a stored position (broken-lined).
  • a hollow rocking arm 261 provided in the cap 260 is rotatable about a shaft 261A, stores the humidifying agent W in the hollow part, and is provided at the end with a containing member 262 serving to be impregnated with the humidifying agent.
  • a spring 264 biases the rocking arm 261 anticlockwise, in a direction that the end of said arm protrudes from the cap 264.
  • An engaging portion 266 provided on the arm 261 and a stopper 267 provided on the cap 260 mutually cooperate to limit the rotating motion of the rocking arm 261.
  • a storage portion 208 is so formed that the cap 260 in the stored state does not protrude from the plane of the discharge opening face 112, and is provided with a recess 208A in order to avoid the contact of the containing member 262 of the arm 261.
  • a stopper 209 is provided to engage with the arm 261 in the stored state thereof for limiting the movement of the arm 261.
  • a sealing member 268 seals the interior of the cap 260 from the external air at the capping position and the stored position thereof, thereby protecting, in the capping position, the discharge opening face 112 and the containing member 262 from drying and dusts and closing the aperture 106 of the casing to prevent the ink evaporation from the ink tank 150, and, in the stored position, protecting the containing member 262 from dusts and drying.
  • the movement and positioning of the cap 260 can be achieved by a mechanism and a control sequence similar to those in the foregoing embodiment.
  • the dyes in the ink do not diffuse into the humidifying agent, since the containing member 262 is not in contact with the discharge opening face 112.
  • the containing member 262 moves in contact with the discharge opening face 112, as shown in Fig. 20B, by the rotating force of the arm 261 biased by the spring 264.
  • the humidifying agent is applied onto the discharge opening face 112, and it is also cleaned by wiping with the containing member 262. If sufficient application of the humidifying agent cannot be obtained by an open/closing motion of the cap, there may be conducted plural operations.
  • the present embodiment also provides, as in the foregoing embodiment, advantages of humidifying operation, of integrating the humidifying means with the recording head, and of positioning the two in close vicinity.
  • the humidifying agent is adequately agitated by the acceleration of carriage movement, due to the use of a reservoir member containing liquid humidifying agent. This is desirable because the humidifying agent can be advantageously homogenized by the agitation but is little affected by foaming.
  • the present embodiment is not limited to the foregoing examples, but the structure, mode of humidifying agent application and mechanism therefor can be arbitrarily selected as long as the recording head and the humidifying means are mutually integrated.
  • the humidifying operation for the discharge opening face 112 of the recording head 110 may be conducted without the containing member 162 or 262 impregnated with the humidifying agent or receiving the supply thereof.
  • a containing member composed of spongy porous material with ink by discharge from the recording head 110 and utilize said ink as the humidifying agent.
  • the above-mentioned ink is principally composed of dyes or pigments serving as the coloring material and a liquid medium for dissolving or dispersing said dyes or pigment, with eventual various additives, and the coloring material is generally composed of water-soluble direct dyes or acid dyes while the liquid medium is composed of water or the components mentioned before with respect to the humidifying agent.
  • the amount of movement of the motor is controlled, in the mounted state of the cartridge 1 shown in Fig. 4, from the turning-off of the microswitch 48 by the engagement of the actuator 48A with the aperture 122 of the tape 120, thereby positioning the aperture 122 at the discharge opening face 112 to enable the recording operation or capping said face when the recording head is not in use.
  • the basic structure of the ink jet recording apparatus and the control sequence therefor are substantially same as those in the embodiment 1.
  • the capping is achieved by a portion of the tape 120 as explained later, there may be dispensed with the drive means for bringing the recovery unit 80 into contact with the recording head 110 in the non-recording period, if the recovery of ink discharge is conducted by preliminary discharge.
  • the recovery unit 80 itself may be dispensed with if such preliminary discharge is conducted onto the recording medium.
  • Fig. 21 shows an example of the structure of the tape 120 employed in the present embodiment.
  • the tape 120 of the present embodiment is provided with an aperture 122 for enabling ink discharge at the recording operation, a capping portion 130 for covering the discharge opening face 112 when the apparatus is not in use, and a humidifying portion 124 for receiving the humidifying agent from the containing member 162 and transferring the same onto said discharge opening face 112.
  • the aperture 122 is so sized as to expose the discharge opening face 112 and to open the aperture 106 of the casing thereby leaving the aperture 154 of the ink tank 150 in communication with the external air at the recording operation
  • the capping portion 130 is so sized as to cover the discharge opening face 112 and to cover said aperture 106 thereby preventing ink evaporation from the aperture 154 in the non-recording state.
  • the tape 120 has to satisfy following requirements:
  • the tape 120 can be composed of a polymer film for example of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyimide (PI), polytetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroacrylvinylether copolymer (PFA) or polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), reinforced paper or a metal foil such as aluminum.
  • PET polyethylene terephthalate
  • PI polyimide
  • PFA polytetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroacrylvinylether copolymer
  • PVA polyvinyl alcohol
  • Fig. 22 shows an example of the structure of the tape 120, composed of a tape substrate (base) 121, a humidifying layer 125 functioning as the above-mentioned humidifying portion 124, and a capping layer 132 functioning as the above-mentioned capping portion 130.
  • An antistatic layer 127 is provided on the front surface of the tape 120 for preventing dust deposition by static charge, and can be formed by metal evaporation or mixing of fine powder of a conductive material such as carbon.
  • the humidifying portion 124 formed on a surface (to be in contact with the containing member 162 and the discharge opening face 112 in the present embodiment) of the tape 120 is preferably easily humidifyable with the humidifying agent and capable of retaining the humid state for a certain period, and it is therefore advantageous to improve the liquid absorption by surface modification such as forming porousness or surface irregularities.
  • the capping portion 130 which is maintained in contact with the face 112 during the non-recording state, contains the humidifying agent, the ink in the discharge opening may be diluted by the humidifying agent.
  • the capping portion is preferably made repellent to the humidifying agent.
  • the capping portion 130 may be composed of a smooth surface of the resinous film itself or a smooth surface obtained by evaporation of a metal such as aluminum onto said film. In this manner, there is obtained intimate contact with the discharge opening face 112 for preventing ink evaporation from the discharge openings when they are not in use. It is also possible to replace a part of the resinous tape with a thin metal foil as the capping portion.
  • the containing member and the humidifying agent can be same as those employed in the embodiment 1.
  • control unit 500 shown in Fig. 8 may be employed for controlling the recovery unit 80 through the drive unit 86 thereby effecting the capping of the recording head 110 or the discharge recovery thereof, but, as explained before, such structure is not essential.
  • the control unit 500 also controls the motor 40 for tape driving, thereby effecting the tape advancement at the humidifying operation or the positioning of the aperture 122 and the capping portion 130, according to the state of the switch 48.
  • Fig. 23 A shows an example of the humidifying routine in the present embodiment.
  • a step S1 activates the motor 40 for moving the tape 120 in the direction A shown in Fig. 3, whereby the humidifying agent is given by the containing member 162 to the humidifying portion 124 (humidifying layer 125) of the tape 120, and is applied to the discharge opening face 112 upon arrival thereat.
  • a step S3 discriminates, according to the signal from the switch 48, whether the aperture 122 has passed the position of said switch. If the result of said discrimination is affirmative, the motor 40 continues to be driven for the known length of the tape 120 (the humidifying agent continues to be applied to the discharge opening face 112), and the motor 40 is stopped when the aperture 122 reaches the discharge opening face 112 (step S5). If the recording operation is not conducted immediately thereafter, the capping portion 130 may be placed on the discharge opening face 112.
  • the amount of movement of the tape 120 from the start to the end of rotation of the motor 40, or the number of turns of the endless tape 120 can be one turn or several turns as long as the humidifying is appropriately conducted. Also it can be less than one turn if the tape 120 is provided with plural apertures 122.
  • the above-mentioned routine can be activated at a suitable timing, such as at the start of power supply in the apparatus, at the start of recording operation, after the discharge recovery operation, after the lapse of a predetermined period of after the recording operation of a predetermined amount.
  • the humidifying operation need not be carried out outside the image recording range, but can be executed for example during the returning motion of the carriage 3, since no members protrude toward the platen roller 13 in the present embodiment. It can also be conducted, by interrupting the recording operation, at the carriage position at said interruption.
  • Fig. 23B shows an example of routine for setting the aperture 122 or the capping portion 130 of the tape 120 onto the discharge opening face 112 and the aperture 106.
  • a step S11 discriminates, at a suitable timing, whether the recording operation is to be started or not. Said discrimination is conducted when the control unit 500 receives a recording instruction signal, or at the start of recording of a line, or at the carriage return after the recording of a line. This routine may be added to the routine shown in Fig. 23A.
  • a step S13 sets the aperture 122. If the capping portion 130 has been placed, the setting can be achieved by moving the tape 120 in the direction A shown in Fig. 3 or in the opposite direction. This setting exposes the discharge opening face 112 to enable the ink discharge, and allows the interior of the ink tank 150 to communicate with the external air through the apertures 106 and 154, thereby ensuring smooth ink supply to the recording head 110.
  • a step S15 sets the capping portion 130.
  • the capping on the discharge opening face 112 protects the discharge openings from ink evaporation and dust deposition, and seals the ink tank 150 from the external air to prevent the ink evaporation therefrom.
  • the present embodiment provides an advantage of preventing the retraction of ink meniscus in the discharge openings and the air intake therein, since the application of humidifying agent and the capping are achieved by sliding contact of the tape 120 with the face 112. Also the use of thin tape 120 enables compactization of the cartridge 1, humidifying operation and capping operation in the image recording range, and the flexibility of said tape 120 realizes initimate contact with the discharge opening face 112, thereby improving the humidifying and capping performance. In addition, the use of tape allows to separate various functional portions and to enlarge each portion sufficiently.
  • the structure for humidifying agent application onto the discharge opening face 112 with a tape-shaped member is not limited to the foregoing example.
  • the tape 120-1 can be supported at both ends by elastic members 120-2 such as springs instead of being shaped in an endless form, whereby the contact of the tape 120-1 to the face 112 can be improved by the tension of the elastic members 120-2 and the tape 120-1 is moved in a direction A at the humidifying operation and is thereafter moved in a direction B, thereby achieving the application of humidifying agent and the positioning of the aperture 122 or the capping portion 130.
  • elastic members 120-2 such as springs
  • the present example not only provides the advantages as in the foregoing embodiments but also contributes to cost reduction, owing to the ease of assembly and tape preparation. It also provides an advantage that the reference position can be easily selected. For example, a position in which the capping portion 130 covers the discharge opening face 112 and the aperture 106 of the casing is selected as the balanced position of the elastic members 120-2.
  • a structure as shown in Fig. 11 may be adopted to effect the humidifying operation on the discharge opening face 112 of the recording head 110 without the humidifying agent chamber.
  • the path and running direction of the tape can naturally be selected arbitrarily as long as the face 112 can be effectively humidified.
  • tape running in the vertical plane in the foregoing embodiments there may be employed tape running in the horizontal direction.
  • Fig. 24 shows another embodiment, in which the tape is used one time only, in contrast to the foregoing embodiments in which the tape 120 is repeatedly used by rotating or reciprocating motion.
  • a tape 220 to be used one time an idler shaft 246 bearing the unused portion of the tape 220; and a taking-up shaft 248 for winding the used portion of the tape.
  • the taking-up shaft 248 can be rotated through a suitable transmission mechanism such as gears.
  • a sliding member 250 is maintained in contact with the tape 220 wound on the idler shaft 246, and is biased by a plate spring 252 to prevent slack in the tape.
  • plural sets of the capping portion, aperture and humidifying portion are provided, in this order, from the side of the taking-up shaft 248 to the idler shaft 246.
  • the discharge opening face 112 and the aperture 106 of the casing are covered by the capping portion.
  • Such state can be obtained in the stage of manufacture or in the setting for the non-recording stage (cf. Fig. 9B), but undesirable evaporation or dilution of ink will result if the aperture or the humidifying portion of the tape is positioned. Following structure may therefore be employed in order to avoid such inconvenience.
  • Figs. 25A and 25B show an example of the structure for maintaining the capped state for example when the cartridge is unused.
  • a stopper arm 180 there are shown a stopper arm 180; a rotary shaft 181 therefor; a latch 182 for engaging with the tape driving gear 140 to stop the rotation thereof; and a spring 190 for biasing the stopper arm 180 for causing the latch 182 to engage with the gear 140.
  • a push-up member 38 engages with the stopper arm 180 in response to the mounting of the cartridge 1 and pushes up said arm against the biasing force of the spring 190, thereby disengaging the latch 182 from the gear 140.
  • the tape 120, 120-1, 120-3 or 220 with perforations 120A and to provide the driving roller 142 with pins 142A engaging with said perforations and the pinch roller 144 with a groove 144A corresponding to said pins 142A, thereby preventing slippage of the tape, thus maintaining the set state of the capping portion, preventing the skewed advancement and improving the precision of drive.
  • the present invention is not limited to the foregoing embodiments, but, as long as a tape having an aperture, a capping portion and a humidifying portion is provided in a cartridge equipped with a recording head, there may be arbitrarily selected the structures of these components, mode of application of the humidifying agent to the discharge opening face or to the humidifying portion, and mechanism therefor.
  • the application of the humidifying agent to the humidifying portion can be achieved by passing the tape in a reservoir of the humidifying agent or employing rollers impregnated with the humidifying agent as at least a part of the transport rollers 146, or employing rollers for picking up the humidifying agent from a suitable reservoir therefor.
  • the tape 220 wound on the idler shaft 246 can be immersed in the humidifying agent in a reservoir. The presence of such reservoir provides an additional advantage of maintaining a suitable vapor pressure in the cartridge 1.
  • the amount of movement of the motor is controlled, in the mounted state of the cartridge 1, from the turning-off of the microswitch 48 by the engagement of the actuator 48A with the aperture 122 engagement of the actuator 48A with the aperture 122 of the tape 120, thereby positioning the aperture 122 at the discharge opening face 112 to enable the recording operation or capping said face when the recording head is not in use.
  • a cleaning portion is brought into sliding contact with the discharge opening face 112 prior to the sliding contact of the humidifying portion, as will be explained later.
  • the basic structure of the ink jet recording apparatus and the control sequence therefor are substantially same as those in the embodiment 3.
  • Fig. 27 shows an example of the structure of the tape 120 employed in the present embodiment.
  • the tape 120 of the present embodiment is provided with an aperture 122 for enabling ink discharge at the recording operation, a capping portion 130 for covering the discharge opening face 112 when the apparatus is not in use, a humidifying portion 124 for receiving the humidifying agent from the containing member 162 and transferring said humidifying agent onto said face 112, and a cleaning portion 134 to be brought into sliding contact with said face 112 preceding said humidifying portion 124 in a movement shown in Fig. 3.
  • the aperture 122 is so sized as to expose the discharge opening face 112 and to open the aperture 106 of the casing thereby enabling the aperture 154 of the ink tank 150 in communication with the external air at the recording operation
  • the capping portion 130 is so sized as to cover the discharge opening face 112 and also to cover said aperture 106 thereby preventing ink evaporation from the aperture 154 in the non-recording state.
  • the tape 120 has to satisfy following requirements:
  • the tape 120 can be composed of a polymer film for example of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyimide (PI), polytetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroacrylvinylether copolymre (PFA) or polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), reinforced paper or a metal foil such as aluminum.
  • PET polyethylene terephthalate
  • PI polyimide
  • PFA polytetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroacrylvinylether copolymre
  • PVA polyvinyl alcohol
  • Fig. 28 shows an example of the structure of the tape 120, composed of a tape substrate (base) 121, a humidifying layer 125 functioning as the above-mentioned humidifying portion 124, a cleaning layer 136 functioning as the cleaning portion 134, and a capping layer 132 functioning as the capping portion 130.
  • An antistatic layer 127 is provided on the front surface of the tape 120 for preventing dust deposition by static charge and can be formed by metal evaporation or mixing of fine powder of a conductive material such as carbon.
  • the humidifying portion 124 formed on a surface (to be in contact with the containing member 162 and the discharge opening face 112 in the present embodiment) of the tape 120 is preferably easily humidifyable with the humidifying agent and capable of retaining the humid state for a certain period, and it is therefore advantageous to improve the liquid absorption by surface modification such as forming porousness or surface irregularities.
  • the capping portion 130 which is maintained in contact with the face 112 during the non-recording state, contains the humidifying agent, the ink in the discharge opening may be diluted by the humidifying agent.
  • the capping portion is preferably made repellent to the humidifying agent.
  • the cleaning portion 134 should preferably be capable of not only wiping the dusts and solidified ink adhering to the discharge opening face 112 but also effecting such wiping operation after swelling for example with the humidifying agent.
  • the capping portion 130 may be composed of a smooth surface of the resinous film itself or a smooth surface obtained by evaporation of a metal such as aluminum onto said film. In this manner, there is obtained intimate contact with the discharge opening face 112 for preventing ink evaporation from the discharge openings when they are not in use. It is also possible to replace a part of the resinous tape with a thin metal foil as the capping portion.
  • the cleaning portion 134 can be formed by coating or lamination of polyurethane foam, PVA or various rubber materials on the substrate composed of a resinous film or a thin metal foil. There are required such surface characteristics not damaging the discharge openings as said cleaning portion moves in sliding contact with therewith.
  • the containing member and the humidifying agent can be same as those employed in the embodiment 1.
  • control unit 500 shown in Fig. 8 may be employed for controlling the recovery unit 80 through the drive unit 86 thereby effecting the capping of the recording head 110 or the discharge recovery thereof, but, as explained before, such structure is not essential.
  • the control unit 500 also controls the motor 40 for tape driving, thereby effecting the tape advancement at the humidifying operation or the positioning of the aperture 122, capping portion 130 and cleaning portion 134, according to the state of the switch 48.
  • a step S1 activates the motor 40 for moving the tape 120 in the direction A shown in Fig. 3, whereby the cleaning portion 134 slides on the discharge opening face 112 to achieve the cleaning thereof, and the humidifying agent is given by the containing member 162 to the humidifying portion 124 (humidifying layer 125) of the tape 120, and is applied to the discharge opening face 112 upon arrival thereat. Said application is conducted after said face 112 is cleaned by the cleaning portion 134.
  • a step S3 discriminates, according to the signal from the switch 48, whether the aperture 22 has passed the position of said switch. If the result of said discrimination is affirmative, the motor 40 continues to be driven for the known length of the tape 120 (the humidifying agent continues to be applied to the discharge opening face 112), and the motor 40 is stopped when the aperture 122 reaches the discharge opening face 112 (step S5). If the recording operation is not conducted immediately thereafter, the capping portion 130 may be placed on said face 112.
  • the present embodiment provides an advantage of improved effect of humidifying, since the discharge opening face is cleaned sufficiently prior to the humidifying.
  • the present embodiment provides an advantage of preventing the retraction of ink meniscus in the discharge openings and the air intake therein, since the application of humidifying agent and the capping are achieved by sliding contact of the tape 120 with the face 112.
  • the use of thin tape 120 enables compactization of the cartridge 1 humidifying operation and capping operation in the image recording range, and the flexibility of said tape 120 realizes intimate contact with the discharge opening face 112, thereby improving the cleaning, humidifying and capping performance.
  • the use of tape allows to separate various functional portions and to enlarge each portion sufficiently.
  • the structure for humidifying agent application onto the discharge opening face 112 with a tape-shaped member is not limited to the foregoing example.
  • a tape 120-1 supported at both ends by elastic members 120-2 such as springs instead of the endless tape, whereby the contact of the tape 120-1 to the face 112 can be improved by the tension of the elastic members 120-2 and the tape 120-1 is moved in a direction A at the humidifying operation and thereafter moved in a direction B, thereby achieving the cleaning operation, humidifying agent application and positioning of the aperture 122 or capping portion 130.
  • the present example not only provides the advantages as in the foregoing embodiments but also contributes to cost reduction, owing to the ease of assembly and tape preparation. It also provides an advantage that the reference position can be easily selected. For example a position in which the capping portion 130 covers the discharge opening face 112 and the aperture 106 of the casing is selected as the balanced position of the elastic members 120-2.
  • a structure as shown in Fig. 11 may be adopted to effect the humidifying operation on the discharge opening face 112 of the recording head 110 without the humidifying agent chamber.
  • the path and running direction of the tape can naturally be selected arbitrarily as long as the face 112 can be effectively humidified.
  • the path and running direction of the tape can naturally be selected arbitrarily as long as the face 112 can be effectively humidified.
  • tape running in the vertical plane in the foregoing embodiments there may be employed tape running in the horizontal direction.
  • the tape may be used one time only, as shown in Fig. 24, in contrast to the foregoing embodiments in which the tape 120 is repeatedly used by rotating or reciprocating motion.
  • plural sets of capping portion 230, aperture 222, cleaning portion 234 and humidifying portion 224 can be provided in this order from the side of the take-up shaft 248 toward the idler shaft 246.
  • the tape is provided within the cartridge having the recording head to be exchanged together with the recording head, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.
  • the tape can be provided separately as shown in Figure 30, in which the same reference as that of Figure 1 are used to designate the corresponding portion or element.
  • Reference numeral 310 designates a recording head
  • 330 designates a carriage
  • 350 designates an ink tank.
  • the recording head 310 can be a member fixed to the apparatus or can be a member to be exchanged.
  • the ink tank 350 can be the cartridge type which is exchanged when no ink is remained, or can be the subtank type in which the ink is received from a ink supplying source (not shown) to supply the recording head 310.
  • the recording head 350 and the ink tank can be exchanged integrally or can be exchanged individually as separate member, or only one of them can be exchangeable member.
  • exchange of the recording head and ink tank is not an essential premise. In the case the recording head 310 directly receives ink from the ink supplying source (not shown), the ink tank 350 need not be provided.
  • Reference numeral 310 designates a tape fed by a suitable actuating means (not shown) with scrubbing the discharge opening surface of the recording head 310, which tape has an opened portion 322 set in a position opposing to the discharge opening of the recording head to expose the total discharge opening upon recording, and has a function to apply the humidifying agent with being scrubbed the discharge opening surface 310.
  • the humidifying portion for achieving the above function can be the total surface or the part of it scrubbing the discharge opening surface.
  • Humidifying function portion can be provided with a cupping function portion or cleaning portion.
  • Reference numeral 346 designates a guide roller provided on the carriage 330 to regulate the feeding path of the tape 310 for guiding it
  • 348 designates a sensor used for control in which passage of the opened portion 322 is detected to set position of it, which sensor 348 has same function as the microswitch 48 explained with reference to Figure 4.
  • the reference numeral 360 designates a container for containing the humidifying agent, which container has a pad 362 in the form of impregnated material having resiliency.
  • the pad 362 comprises a portion dipped into the humidifying agent in the container and a portion being abutted to the tape 320 to apply the humidifying agent thereto and pressing it to apply the tention force to the tape 320. Due to presence of the pad 362, the tape 320 is stuck to the discharge opening surface of the recording head 310 to enable proper humidifying process.
  • the humidifying agent container 360 can have the construction in which the impregnated material into which the humidifying agent is impregnated preliminarily, and in the case the ink is used as the humidifying agent the container need not be provided.
  • the humidifying agent container 361 can be exchanged in single or together with the ink tank 360 and the recording head 310, or can be fixed to the carriage 330 to receive the supplement of the humidifying agent.
  • humidifying means is made integral with the cartridge provided with liquid discharging means (recording head), humidifying means and the cartridge can be exchanged at same time, proper humidifying process can be maintained by setting lifetime of humidifying means considering lifetime of the recording head, and because humidifying means and the liquid discharging portion (discharging opening) to be humidified can be disposed in proximity to each other, danger of dust contamination is decreased.
  • the cartridge can effect humidifying operation, capping and cleaning independently by receiving power from the main body of the recording head, so that construction of the recording apparatus will not be complexed.
  • the lifetime of humidifying means and/or cleaning means can be set corresponding to the lifetime of the recording head. Since exchange of the humidifying agent and tape is carried out at the same time as that of the recording head, high recording quality can be maintained for a long time.
  • humidifying means and discharge opening surface can be disposed in proximity in the space, foreign material such as dust would not enter upon humidifying operation, which increases responsibility and improve response of humidifying operation.
  • cleaning is carried out prior to humidifying, because humidifying liquid is applied to the discharge opening surface in proper condition, the efficiency is greatly improved.
  • Humidifying operation can be effected only by the cartridge not depending on construction of the main body of recording apparatus, which means not only restriction of the operating time is small but rest time of the main body is small.
  • the impregnated material and the discharge opening surface are positioned at common or same side with respect to the tape so as not to hinder the recording, the mechanism or operation can be simplified.
  • the excellent response of capping can be obtained, and the discharge opening surface can be capped when the recording is not carried out, which is effective in protecting the recording head.
  • shock applied can be reduced while the retraction of meniscus of the ink within the discharge opening and the intake of air can be prevented.
  • humidifying means is integrally provided on the cap member, not only the discharge opening can be sealed by the cap member but the discharge opening can be protected sufficiently.

Claims (12)

  1. Austauschbare Tintenstrahlkassette zur entfernbaren Montage an einem Hauptkörper eines Tintenstrahlaufzeichnungsgerätes, wobei die Kassette umfaßt:
       ein Gehäuse (100), das Mittel zum entfernbaren Montieren der Kassette an dem Gerät aufweist;
       einen Tinte-Speicherabschnitt (150) in dem Gehäuse zum Speichern der Tinte, die von einer Ausstoßöffnung abgegeben wird;
       ein Energieerzeugungselement zum Erzeugen von Energie zum Ausstoß der Tinte von der Ausstoßöffnung;
       eine elektrische Verbindungseinrichtung (170), die an dem Gehäuse angebracht ist, zum Empfangen eines Signals von dem Gerät zur Aktivierung des Energieerzeugungselements während die Kassette in dem Gerät montiert ist;
       ein Abdeckelement (120,202,260,364,160A), das an dem Gehäuse montiert ist und bewegbar zwischen einer Abdeckposition zum Abdecken der Ausstoßöffnung und einer offenen Position (122) ist, um es zu ermöglichen, daß Tinte durch die Ausstoßöffnung ausgestoßen wird;
       eine Antriebskraftaufnahmeeinrichtung (140), die an dem Gehäuse zum Aufnehmen einer Antriebskraft von dem Gerät montiert ist, um das Abdeckelement zu bewegen,
       dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß
       das Abdeckelement eine Flüssigkeitsabgabeeinrichtung (124) aufweist, die in der Lage ist, eine befeuchtende Flüssigkeit abzugeben, wobei das Abdeckelement mit dieser dazu dient, in der Abdeckposition Tinte am Verstopfen der Ausstoßöffnung zu hindern und in der geöffneten Position zum Öffnen eines Bereiches der Kassette dient, in dem die Ausstoßöffnung vorgesehen ist.
  2. Tintenstrahlkassette nach Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß das Abdeckelement die Form einer schützenden Abdeckung aufweist (202,260,364,160A).
  3. Tintenstrahlkassette nach Anspruch 2, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die Antriebskraftempfangseinrichtung einen Getriebemechanismus umfaßt (140).
  4. Tintenstrahlkassette nach Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß das Abdeckelement ein bandartiges Element (120) ist, das einen Abdeckabschnitt umfaßt, der wirksam die Ausstoßöffnung abdeckt und eine Öffnung (122) öffnet, um einen Tintenfluß zu ermöglichen.
  5. Tintenstrahlkassette nach Anspruch 4, gekennzeichnet durch eine Einrichtung (162) zum Aufbringen einer befeuchtenden Flüssigkeit auf die Flüssigkeitsabgabeeinrichtung.
  6. Tintenstrahlkassette nach Anspruch 4 oder 5, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß das bandartige Element (120) mit einem Reinigungsabschnitt zum Bewirken einer Reinigung der Ausstoßöffnung versehen ist.
  7. Tintenstrahlkassette nach Anspruch 4, 5 oder 6, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß das bandartige Element (120) endlos ist.
  8. Tintenstrahlkassette nach Anspruch 4, 5 oder 6, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß das bandartige Element (120) Enden aufweist.
  9. Tintenstrahlkassette nach einem der Ansprüche 4 bis 8, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß das bandartige Element eine Electrostatic-Verhinderungs-Schicht (127) aufweist.
  10. Tintenstrahlkassette nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 9, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß das Energieerzeugungselement ein elektrothermisches Wandlerelement ist, das thermische Energie erzeugt.
  11. Tintenstrahlgerät mit einem Hauptkörper, der eine austauschbare Tintenstrahlkassette gemäß einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 10 aufweist, die an diesem montiert ist, und weiterhin eine Signal-Zuführeinrichtung zum Zuführen des Signals zu der Verbindungseinrichtung aufweist, wobei die Kassette auf dem Hauptkörper montiert ist.
  12. Tintenstrahlgerät mit einer Tintenstrahlkassette nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 10, das weiterhin eine Antriebskraftzufuhrvorrichtung (44) umfaßt zur Übertragung von Antriebskraft zu der Antriebskraftaufnahmeeinrichtung, wobei die Kassette auf dem Hauptkörper montiert ist.
EP19890303119 1988-03-31 1989-03-30 Austauschbare Tintenstrahlkassette und Tintenstrahldruckgerät mit einer solchen Expired - Lifetime EP0335699B1 (de)

Applications Claiming Priority (10)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP76373/88 1988-03-31
JP76375/88 1988-03-31
JP7637588 1988-03-31
JP76376/88 1988-03-31
JP7637788 1988-03-31
JP7637688 1988-03-31
JP7637388 1988-03-31
JP76374/88 1988-03-31
JP76377/88 1988-03-31
JP7637488 1988-03-31

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0335699A2 EP0335699A2 (de) 1989-10-04
EP0335699A3 EP0335699A3 (en) 1990-05-02
EP0335699B1 true EP0335699B1 (de) 1995-06-14

Family

ID=27524618

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP19890303119 Expired - Lifetime EP0335699B1 (de) 1988-03-31 1989-03-30 Austauschbare Tintenstrahlkassette und Tintenstrahldruckgerät mit einer solchen

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Country Link
EP (1) EP0335699B1 (de)
JP (1) JP2763576B2 (de)
DE (1) DE68923025T2 (de)
ES (1) ES2072896T3 (de)

Families Citing this family (13)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE69027660T2 (de) * 1989-12-26 1996-12-05 Canon Kk Tintenstrahlgerät und Einheitskartusche für Aufzeichnung
JP2801409B2 (ja) * 1989-12-26 1998-09-21 キヤノン株式会社 インクジェット装置及び記録系ユニットカートリッジ
US5548309A (en) * 1990-08-03 1996-08-20 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Apparatus and method for wiping an ink jet recording head with control of relative speed between wiper and head
JP2532433Y2 (ja) * 1991-12-13 1997-04-16 株式会社竹屋 パチンコ機
JP3021149B2 (ja) * 1991-12-19 2000-03-15 キヤノン株式会社 インクジェット記録手段
US5300958A (en) * 1992-02-28 1994-04-05 Hewlett-Packard Company Method and apparatus for automatically cleaning the printhead of a thermal inkjet cartridge
JPH06320744A (ja) * 1993-04-19 1994-11-22 Xerox Corp 全巾インクジェットプリンタ用の湿式拭い保守装置
GB2280149A (en) * 1993-06-23 1995-01-25 Willett Int Ltd Preventing nozzle clogging in ink-jet printers.
GB2384554A (en) * 2002-01-25 2003-07-30 Sepha Ltd Detecting leaks from sealed packages
KR20090019817A (ko) * 2006-05-22 2009-02-25 바스프 에스이 수흡수성을 나타내는 신발창
JP5008912B2 (ja) * 2006-07-07 2012-08-22 芝浦メカトロニクス株式会社 溶液塗布装置
JP2008087477A (ja) * 2006-09-07 2008-04-17 Toppan Printing Co Ltd インクジェット印刷装置の洗浄方法
JP5316506B2 (ja) 2010-09-30 2013-10-16 ブラザー工業株式会社 液体吐出装置

Family Cites Families (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE2705328C3 (de) * 1977-02-09 1981-02-12 Olympia Werke Ag, 2940 Wilhelmshaven Abdeckeinrichtung zum Bedecken der Düsen in einem Tintenschreibwerk
DE2742963C3 (de) * 1977-09-23 1981-01-29 Siemens Ag, 1000 Berlin Und 8000 Muenchen Elektrische Antriebsvorrichtung für eine schwenkbare Tintenabweisblende
DE2743966C3 (de) * 1977-09-30 1981-02-12 Olympia Werke Ag, 2940 Wilhelmshaven Kassette für ein gegen die Düsenaustrittsfläche eines Tintenschreibkopfes anzulegendes Band
DE2756334C3 (de) * 1977-12-17 1981-09-17 Olympia Werke Ag, 2940 Wilhelmshaven Einrichtung zum Abdecken der Düsenfläche an einem Tintenschreibkopf in einem Tintenschreibwerk
JPS5648644U (de) * 1979-09-19 1981-04-30
DE3021913A1 (de) * 1980-06-11 1981-12-17 Siemens AG, 1000 Berlin und 8000 München Schwenkbare tintenabweisblende fuer den screibkopf einer tintenschreibeinrichtung
JPS58171345U (ja) * 1982-05-10 1983-11-16 三洋電機株式会社 インクヘツドの乾燥防止装置
JPS60162655A (ja) * 1984-02-03 1985-08-24 Nec Corp インクジエツトプリンタ
DE3713794A1 (de) * 1987-04-24 1988-11-10 Siemens Ag Vorrichtung zum reinigen und verschliessen der duesenflaeche eines tintenkopfes

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP0335699A2 (de) 1989-10-04
EP0335699A3 (en) 1990-05-02
JP2763576B2 (ja) 1998-06-11
DE68923025D1 (de) 1995-07-20
DE68923025T2 (de) 1995-11-16
ES2072896T3 (es) 1995-08-01
JPH0229346A (ja) 1990-01-31

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