EP0960735B1 - Reinigungsgerät und Reinigungsverfahren für Tintenstrahldruckkopf - Google Patents

Reinigungsgerät und Reinigungsverfahren für Tintenstrahldruckkopf Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0960735B1
EP0960735B1 EP19990110177 EP99110177A EP0960735B1 EP 0960735 B1 EP0960735 B1 EP 0960735B1 EP 19990110177 EP19990110177 EP 19990110177 EP 99110177 A EP99110177 A EP 99110177A EP 0960735 B1 EP0960735 B1 EP 0960735B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
printing
printing head
ink
head
deposit
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
EP19990110177
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0960735A2 (de
EP0960735A3 (de
Inventor
Yoshitaka Okamura
Takeshi Yazawa
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
Priority date (The priority date 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 date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Canon Inc filed Critical Canon Inc
Publication of EP0960735A2 publication Critical patent/EP0960735A2/de
Publication of EP0960735A3 publication Critical patent/EP0960735A3/de
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0960735B1 publication Critical patent/EP0960735B1/de
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41JTYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J2/00Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
    • B41J2/005Typewriters 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
    • B41J2/01Ink jet
    • B41J2/135Nozzles
    • B41J2/165Prevention or detection of nozzle clogging, e.g. cleaning, capping or moistening for nozzles
    • B41J2/16517Cleaning of print head nozzles
    • B41J2/16535Cleaning of print head nozzles using wiping constructions
    • B41J2/16538Cleaning of print head nozzles using wiping constructions with brushes or wiper blades perpendicular to the nozzle plate

Definitions

  • a printing means performs a main-scanning movement in the direction (i.e., a main-scanning direction) that intersects the direction (i.e., a sub-scanning direction) of transferring a printing medium.
  • the serial-type printing apparatus prints information throughout the printing medium by repeating the following procedure. First, the printing medium is arranged in a predetermined printing position, and subsequently one line of image is printed on the printing medium by the printing means mounted on a carriage that moves along the printing medium in the main-scanning direction. After that, the printing medium shifts its position at a predetermined pitch in the sub-scanning direction (i.e., a pitch transfer) and then a subsequent line of image is printed on the printing medium being stopped again.
  • a predetermined pitch in the sub-scanning direction i.e., a pitch transfer
  • an elastic material such as urethane rubber is generally used.
  • the performance of the wiping member depends on the quality of its material and the mechanical set-up condition. For maintaining the performance all the time, it is preferable to keep a surface of the wiping member clean.
  • most of the inkjet printing apparatuses has a cleaning mechanism in which the wiping member wipes or scratches viscous ink or foreign substances and then pushes them to an absorber or the like so as to absorb the wiped or scratched one into the absorber.
  • the problem of the ink deposition on the wiping means can be solved by installing a wiper cleaner for cleaning the wiping means in place. It means that the wiper cleaner keeps the wiping means clean at all times.
  • an electric contact portion 23 having contacts 22 to receive driving signals for the printing head is provided on the upper portion of the side of the printing head 21.
  • a carriage C has insertion portions for receiving the printing heads H (111, 112). These insertion portions have their respective electric contact portions 24, 25 with contact points 22A, respectively.
  • the contact point 22A is responsible for transmitting a signal to the printing head H by contacting with the electric contact portion 23 on the head's side.
  • the electric contact portions 24, 25 establish connection with a control system on a main body of the printing apparatus. As shown in Fig.
  • the term "ink” herein used refers ink having a composition that includes an electrically conductive color material (e.g., carbon, ink dye) or an electrically conductive material (e.g., conductive fixing material, conductive liquid material).
  • the term "the side" of a printing head refers at least one surface being laterally positioned in the direction of the respective movement of a carriage or a printing head with a cleaning member. That is, the side of the printing head is substantially parallel to the direction of the respective movement.
  • a state of the ink deposit formed by the depositing of ink on the side of the printing head As a result, a width of the ink deposit from the orifice surface to the side was about 3 mm and a height of the ink deposit laterally protruding from the side was about 2.1 mm. Therefore, it is preferable that a structural component for removing the ink deposit is of about 3 mm or more in length and provided so as to face the side of the printing head. It is also preferable that such a structural component extends from the side to the opposite one with respect to the orifice surface. In addition, the distance from the side of the printing head to the structural component for removing the ink deposit depends on the amount of the ink deposit to be removed.
  • the distance is theoretically in the range of 2 mm or less to allow the movement of the ink deposit from the side at a place facing to the side. In actuality, however, the distance may be in the range of 1 mm or less.
  • a width of slit-cut described later is typically 0.5 mm but approximately 0.3 to 0.7 mm.
  • Fig. 6, Fig. 7, and Fig. 8 are sectional views of a suction-pump portion, in which reference numeral 9 denotes an air-communicating tube, 10 denotes a suction tube, 11 denotes a suction pump, 12 denotes a recovery base, 13 denotes a suction roller, 14 denotes a roller holder, and 15 denotes a carriage lock.
  • the carriage 2 has a shaft bearing 100 through which a guide shaft 101 is passed so as to guide the movement of the carriage 2 reciprocally in the direction along the arrows A1 and A2 without restraint.
  • the carriage lock 15 is constructed so as to be operated in conjunction with the suction pump 11 through a friction member 15a, so that it locks into place when the suction pump 11 rotates in the reverse direction (the arrow b) and it unlocks into place when the suction pump 11 rotates in the positive direction (the arrow a).
  • the other end of the air-communicating tube 9 is inserted into the cap slider 8, and also a valve 17 is provided on its tip through a packing 17a.
  • the cap slider 8 slides over the valve 17 so as to open or close the valve 17 as a result of pushing the cap slider 8 with a motion of the carriage 2. That is, the valve 17 is in the closed state at the position [2] of Fig. 9, while it is in the opened state at the position [1]. Therefore, it becomes possible to perform a recovery operation at the position [2] where the printing head 1 is capped and the air-communicating tube 9 is closed. In the recovery operation, the suction pump 11 sucks up ink in the orifices of the printing head 1. It also becomes possible to perform a lost suction in which the suction pump 11 sucks up ink in the cap 6 at the position [1] where the printing head 1 is capped and the air-communicating tube 9 is opened.
  • the head 111 is a photo head for ejecting magenta ink, cyan ink, and black ink in small concentrations and the head 112 is a color head for ejecting magenta ink, cyan ink, and yellow ink in high concentrations.
  • a combination of these heads 111, 112 allows a print such as printing with six deferent color inks and provides a beautiful photographic print.
  • Each of these heads 111, 112 may be provided as an inkjet cartridge by coupling with an ink tank.
  • the photo head 111 may be displaced with a black head having an ink tank for black ink to allow a high speed text printing or a high speed business color print.
  • the wiper 3 As shown in Fig. 18, there are four wiper slit portions 3a, 3b, 3c, and 3d.
  • the slit 3a is formed on the position corresponding to the side 112a of the head 112
  • the slit 3b is formed on the position corresponding to the side 111a of the head 111
  • the slit 3c is formed on the position corresponding to the side 112b of the head 112
  • the slit 3d is formed on the position corresponding to the side 111b of the head 111.
  • the slit portions 3a, 3b, 3c, and 3d are formed on the positions facing to the sides 112a, 111a, 112b, and 111b, respectively.
  • each of the slit portions 3a, 3b, 3c, and 3d is linearly formed along the predetermined area from a free end (the top) to a fixed end (the bottom) of the wiper 3 in the shape of a sheet.
  • the side 111a of the printing head 111 is positioned on the side 21 of the head H in Fig. 29, i.e., the side of an electrically contact portion 23. It is noted that the scraper 26 is further provided so as to remove the ink deposit on that side 111a, so that it prevents the problems to be caused by a deposition of ink on the electric contact portion 23, such as the development of electric short circuit.
  • Fig. 23 and Fig. 24 illustrate the third preferred embodiment of the present invention.
  • Fig. 25 is a schematic representation of a main portion of a cleaning member in accordance with a fourth preferred embodiment of the present invention.
  • the cleaning member of Fig. 25 has deep-grooved slits, so that there may be a warp in the wiper 30 at the time of cleaning the head H.
  • the deposit-removing members 28, 29 are substantially free from such a warped wiper 30. Therefore, it is possible to keep the constant space (1 mm or less) between the deposit-removing members 28, 29 and the side of the head H, so that ink can be smoothly moved from the side thereof.
  • An orifice surface of each of the heads 111, 112 is cleaned by a wiper 40 at first and then further cleaned by another wiper 44.
  • the wiper 40 is positioned at the back side of the figure with respect to the deposit-removing members 41, 42.
  • the wiper 44 is protruded over an end face of the wiper 40 to the head side as indicated by H1 in the figure to form a step between the wipers 40, 44, resulting in a more reliable cleaning of the orifice surface of the head.
  • H1 can be defined in the range of plus 0.1 mm to minus 0.5 mm with respect to the height of the wiper 40. It would be better that the range of "H1" is defined so as to insure that the wiper 40 which is initially fall down by making contact with the head does not exert any influence upon the wiper 43.
  • An alternative scraper may be prepared using an elastic material without integral with the cap holder 7 and placed in the same position as that of the first scraper 200 described above.
  • the scraper 202 is ready for the printing head 112. However, it is not limited to such a configuration. It is also possible to provide a scraper 202 so as to be ready for more than one printing heads or all of the printing heads to be mounted on the printing apparatus together. It is also possible to provide scrapers on both sides of the printing head to simultaneously scrape ink deposits off.
  • the present unclaimed example may be also applied on a printing apparatus having an additional head having the same configuration as those of the printing head 111 or 112 for ejecting a treatment liquid which is responsible for insolublizing or coagulating a color material in ink.
  • An ink deposit on the side of a face (a surface on which orifices are formed for ejecting the treatment solution) may be scraped off by the scraper.
  • Fig. 40 to Fig. 42 illustrate the third unclaimed example, in which a scraper 203 is arranged so as to be ready for a side portion located around a face 112A.
  • the scraper 203 is configured so as to surround the all ride portions of the head 112, as shown in Fig. 40.
  • the scraper 203 makes contact with the side of the head 112 and slides over to remove an ink deposit therefrom.
  • the accumulation of viscous ink on the side of the printing head 112 can be prevented, so that an excellent print can be allowed all the time.
  • the scraper 203 and the printing head 112 may shift their positions in a relative manner at the time of capping operation. It is also possible to shift the printing head 112 against the scraper 203. Therefore, the present unclaimed example does not limit the mechanism for the relative movement between the scraper 203 and the printing head 112, the direction of such a relative movement, and the like.
  • the present invention achieves distinct effect when applied to a printing head or a printing apparatus which has means for generating thermal energy such as electrothermal transducers or laser light, and which causes changes in ink by the thermal energy so as to eject ink. This is because such a system can achieve a high density and high resolution printing.
  • the number and type of printing heads to be mounted on a printing apparatus can be also changed. For example, only one printing head corresponding to a single color ink, or a plurality of printing heads corresponding to a plurality of inks different in color or concentration can be used.
  • the present invention can be effectively applied to an apparatus having at least one of the monochromatic, multi-color and full-color modes.
  • the monochromatic mode performs printing by using only one major color such as black.
  • the multi-color mode carries out printing by using different color inks, and the full-color mode performs printing by color mixing.
  • inks that are liquid when the printing signal is applied can be used: for example, inks can be employed that solidify at a temperature lower than the room temperature and are softened or liquefied in the room temperature. This is because in the ink jet system, the ink is generally temperature adjusted in a range of 30°C-70°C so that the viscosity of the ink is maintained at such a value that the ink can be ejected reliably.
  • the present invention can be applied to such apparatus where the ink is liquefied just before the ejection by the thermal energy as follows so that the ink is expelled from the orifices in the liquid state, and then begins to solidify on hitting the printing medium, thereby preventing the ink evaporation: the ink is transformed from solid to liquid state by positively utilizing the thermal energy which would otherwise cause the temperature rise; or the ink, which is dry when left in air, is liquefied in response to the thermal energy of the printing signal.
  • the ink may be retained in recesses or through holes formed in a porous sheet as liquid or solid substances so that the ink faces the electrothermal transducers as described in Japanese Patent Application Laying-open Nos. 54-56847 (1979) or 60-71260 (1985).
  • the present invention is most effective when it uses the film boiling phenomenon to expel the ink.
  • the ink jet printing apparatus of the present invention can be employed not only as an image output terminal of an information processing device such as a computer, but also as an output device of a copying machine including a reader, and as an output device of a facsimile apparatus having a transmission and receiving function.

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  • Ink Jet (AREA)

Claims (13)

  1. Druckgerät mit einem Reinigungsgerät, nachstehend als eine Reinigungsvorrichtung bezeichnet, zum Reinigen eines Tintenstrahldruckkopfs (1; 111; 112; H) mit einer Tintenausstoßfläche (1A), in welcher eine Vielzahl von Tintenausstoß-öffnungen zum Ausstoßen von Tinte erzeugt ist, in welchem die Tintenausstoßfläche (1A) durch eine Relativbewegung zwischen dem Druckkopf und der Reinigungsvorrichtung gereinigt wird, wobei die Reinigungsvorrichtung
       dadurch gekennzeichnet ist, daß:
    ein Ablagerungsentfernelement (3; 28, 29; 34, 35; 37, 38; 41, 42; 200; 201; 202; 203) an einer Haltevorrichtung angeordnet ist und angepaßt ist, bei Verwendung in Gegenüberlage einer Seitenfläche des Druckkopfs, anders als die Tintenausstoßfläche (1A), zu sein, um in bezug auf diese zur Reinigung der Seitenfläche bewegbar zu sein, wobei
    sich die Seitenfläche des Druckkopfs im wesentlichen in der Richtung entlang der Relativbewegung zwischen dem Druckkopf und der Reinigungsvorrichtung erstreckt und angrenzend an und entlang einer Kante der Tintenausstoßfläche angeordnet ist, und wobei
    das Ablagerungsentfernelement (3; 28, 29; 34, 35; 37, 38; 41, 42; 200; 201; 202; 203) angepaßt ist, den Kontakt mit der Seite des Druckkopfs (1; 111, 112; H) zu vermeiden und bei Verwendung den Kontakt mit einer Ablagerung auf der Seite des Druckkopfs herzustellen, um die Ablagerung von dieser zu entfernen.
  2. Druckgerät gemäß Anspruch 1,
       dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß:
    das Ablagerungsentfernelement (3; 28, 29; 34, 35; 37, 38; 41, 42; 200; 201; 202; 203) angepaßt ist, bei Verwendung zu der Seite des Druckkopfs (1; 111, 112; H) in einem Abstand von 1 mm oder weniger in Gegenüberlage angeordnet zusein.
  3. Druckgerät gemäß Anspruch 1,
       gekennzeichnet durch:
    eine Kappeneinheit (12, 6, 7), wobei das Ablagerungsentfernelement (3; 28, 29; 34, 35; 37, 38; 41, 42; 200; 201; 202; 203) an der Kappeneinheit (12, 6, 7) fest angeordnet gehalten wird, welche in bezug auf den Druckkopf (1; 111, 112; H) bewegbar ist.
  4. Druckgerät gemäß Anspruch 1,
       dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß:
    eine Vielzahl von Druckköpfen (111, 112) in dem Druckgerät angeordnet ist und das Ablagerungsentfernelement bei Verwendung zu Seiten der Vielzahl von Druckköpfen in Gegenüberlage ist.
  5. Druckgerät gemäß Anspruch 4,
       dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß:
    mindestens einer der Druckköpfe in einer Richtung versetzt ist, welche die Richtung der Relativbewegung zwischen dem Druckkopf und der Reinigungsvorrichtung kreuzt, wobei das Ablagerungsentfernelement (3; 28, 29; 34, 35; 37, 38; 41, 42; 200; 201; 202; 203) angepaßt ist, in Gegenüberlage der Seitenfläche von einem der Druckköpfe zu sein, mit einem anderen Abstand als der Rest der Druckköpfe.
  6. Druckgerät gemäß Anspruch 3,
       dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß:
    die Richtung der Relativbewegung zwischen dem Druckkopf und dem Ablagerungsentfernelement im wesentlichen in eine Hauptabtastbewegungsrichtung des Druckkopfs eingestellt ist.
  7. Druckgerät gemäß Anspruch 3,
       dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß:
    die Richtung der Relativbewegung zwischen dem Druckkopf und dem Ablagerungsentfernelement im wesentlichen in die Richtung eingestellt ist, welche die Hauptabtastbewegungsrichtung des Druckkopfs schneidet.
  8. Druckgerät gemäß Anspruch 1,
       dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß:
    der Druckkopf eine Vielzahl von Tintenausstoßöffnungen entlang einer Düsenreihe aufweist und
    die Seite des Druckkopfs, zu welcher das Ablagerungsentfernelement angepaßt ist, bei Verwendung in Gegenüberlage zu sein, an einer Endseite der Düsenreihe angeordnet ist.
  9. Druckgerät gemäß Anspruch 1,
       dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß:
    der Druckkopf einen elektrischen Kontaktabschnitt aufweist und
    die Seite des Druckkopfs, zu welcher das Ablagerungsentfernelement angepaßt ist, bei Verwendung in Gegenüberlage zu sein, auf der Seite des elektrischen Kontaktabschnitts angeordnet ist.
  10. Druckgerät gemäß Anspruch 1, das ferner aufweist:
    ein elastisches Wischelement (3; 30; 33; 39; 40; 44) zum Wischen der Tintenausstoßfläche (1A) des Druckkopfs durch eine Relativbewegung zwischen dem elastischen Wischelement und dem Druckkopf, wobei
       das elastische Wischelement in bezug auf das Ablagerungsentfernelement (3; 28, 29; 34, 35; 37, 38; 41, 42; 200; 201; 202; 203) verschiebbar ist.
  11. Druckgerät gemäß Anspruch 10,
       dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß:
    das elastische Wischelement (3; 30; 33; 39; 40; 44) und das Ablagerungsentfernelement (3; 28, 29; 34, 35; 37, 38; 41, 42; 200; 201; 202; 203) zu einem klingenförmigen elastischen Körper einstückig ausgebildet sind und
    ein Schlitz (3a; 3b) in dem klingenförmigen elastischen Körper so erzeugt ist, daß der klingenförmige elastische Körper mit einem Abschnitt in Gegenüberlage der Seite des Druckkopfs versehen ist, und ein anderer Abschnitt als eine elastische Wischvorrichtung, die über die Tintenausstoßfläche des Druckkopfs gleitet.
  12. Druckgerät gemäß Anspruch 10,
       dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß:
    das Ablagerungsentfernelement (3; 28, 29; 34, 35; 37, 38; 41, 42; 200; 201; 202; 203) vor der Seite des Druckkopfs in einem vorbestimmten Abstand angeordnet ist und in der Lage ist, über mindestens einen Teil der Seite des Druckkopfs durch dessen Verschiebung als ein Ergebnis der Wischoperation der Tintenausstoßfläche des Druckkopfs mittels des elastischen Wischelements (3; 30; 33; 39; 40; 44) zu gleiten.
  13. Druckgerät gemäß Anspruch 10,
       dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß:
    die Richtung der Relativbewegung zwischen dem Ablagerungsentfernelement (200; 201; 202; 203) und dem Druckkopf von der Richtung der Relativbewegung zwischen dem elastischen Wischelement (3) und dem Druckkopf verschieden ist.
EP19990110177 1998-05-27 1999-05-26 Reinigungsgerät und Reinigungsverfahren für Tintenstrahldruckkopf Expired - Lifetime EP0960735B1 (de)

Applications Claiming Priority (6)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP14637098 1998-05-27
JP14637098 1998-05-27
JP25440998 1998-09-08
JP25440998 1998-09-08
JP31145398 1998-10-30
JP31145398 1998-10-30

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0960735A2 EP0960735A2 (de) 1999-12-01
EP0960735A3 EP0960735A3 (de) 2000-04-26
EP0960735B1 true EP0960735B1 (de) 2003-07-30

Family

ID=27319165

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Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP19990110177 Expired - Lifetime EP0960735B1 (de) 1998-05-27 1999-05-26 Reinigungsgerät und Reinigungsverfahren für Tintenstrahldruckkopf

Country Status (2)

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EP (1) EP0960735B1 (de)
DE (1) DE69909888T2 (de)

Families Citing this family (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6398340B1 (en) * 2000-07-12 2002-06-04 Acer Communications And Multimedia Inc. Ink jet service station with a wiper moved by a wipe sled
US9409401B2 (en) 2010-04-30 2016-08-09 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. Wiper for an inkjet printer

Family Cites Families (12)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS62103147A (ja) * 1985-10-31 1987-05-13 Canon Inc インクジエツト記録装置
JPH0347754A (ja) * 1989-04-26 1991-02-28 Canon Inc インクジェット記録装置
JP2667277B2 (ja) * 1990-03-14 1997-10-27 キヤノン株式会社 インクジェット記録装置
US5644347A (en) * 1992-09-21 1997-07-01 Hewlett-Packard Company Inkjet printer with variable wiping capabilities for multiple printheads
JPH06115065A (ja) * 1992-10-09 1994-04-26 Nec Corp インクジェットプリンタ
JPH06134998A (ja) * 1992-10-22 1994-05-17 Canon Inc インクジェット記録装置
US5396271A (en) * 1992-11-12 1995-03-07 Xerox Corporation Wiper blade cleaning system for non-coplanar nozzle faces of ink jet printheads
JPH07137270A (ja) * 1993-11-16 1995-05-30 Canon Inc インクジェット記録装置
JPH07171967A (ja) * 1993-12-20 1995-07-11 Canon Inc インクジェット記録装置
US5555461A (en) * 1994-01-03 1996-09-10 Xerox Corporation Self cleaning wiper blade for cleaning nozzle faces of ink jet printheads
JPH07285226A (ja) * 1994-04-19 1995-10-31 Fuji Xerox Co Ltd インクジェット記録装置
US5548310A (en) * 1994-10-17 1996-08-20 Xerox Corporation Automatic positioning of wiper blades in an ink jet printer maintenance station

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Publication number Publication date
EP0960735A2 (de) 1999-12-01
EP0960735A3 (de) 2000-04-26
DE69909888D1 (de) 2003-09-04
DE69909888T2 (de) 2004-02-26

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