EP1695828B1 - Ink jet recorder - Google Patents

Ink jet recorder Download PDF

Info

Publication number
EP1695828B1
EP1695828B1 EP20060250857 EP06250857A EP1695828B1 EP 1695828 B1 EP1695828 B1 EP 1695828B1 EP 20060250857 EP20060250857 EP 20060250857 EP 06250857 A EP06250857 A EP 06250857A EP 1695828 B1 EP1695828 B1 EP 1695828B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
ink
absorber
ink jet
nozzle plate
jet recorder
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 - Fee Related
Application number
EP20060250857
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP1695828A1 (en
Inventor
Shinji c/o Sii Printek Inc. Saeki
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.)
SII Printek Inc
Original Assignee
SII Printek 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 SII Printek Inc filed Critical SII Printek Inc
Publication of EP1695828A1 publication Critical patent/EP1695828A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP1695828B1 publication Critical patent/EP1695828B1/en
Expired - Fee Related legal-status Critical Current
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical

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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—Prevention or detection of nozzle clogging, e.g. cleaning, capping or moistening for nozzles
    • B41J2/16505—Caps, spittoons or covers for cleaning or preventing drying out
    • B41J2/16508—Caps, spittoons or covers for cleaning or preventing drying out connected with the printer frame
    • 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
    • B41J2/14—Structure thereof only for on-demand ink jet heads
    • B41J2/1433—Structure of nozzle plates

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to an ink jet recorder capable of preventing deterioration of image quality of an ink jet print head having multiple nozzles for ejecting ink.
  • a cap of the conventional ink jet recorder is equipped with an ink introducing cap 101 for covering the nozzles of the ink jet head and introducing ink thereinto, and a waste ink removal cap 102 for removing waste ink 117 staying between the ink jet head 107 and a carriage 103.
  • An ink introducing suction pump 105 is coupled to the ink introducing cap 101.
  • the ink introducing cap 101, the waste ink removal cap 102, and the ink introducing suction pump 105 are included in a cap unit 104.
  • the ink introducing cap 101 and the waste ink removal cap 102 are pressed against a nozzle plate 108 of the ink jet head 107 and the carriage 103 to come into intimate contact therewith by the cap unit 104. Then, the ink introducing pump 105 is driven, and ink is introduced into the ink jet head 107 by negative pressure.
  • the waste ink removal cap 102 is constructed so as to remove the waste ink 117 present between the ink jet head 107 and the carriage 103 by an absorber 106 such as a sponge provided inside the cap. Further, the waste ink 117 staying in the cap passes through a tube 118 coupled to the waste ink removal cap 102 to accumulate in a waste ink tank (not shown) .
  • the recording on the medium to be recorded is performed by continuous or intermittent ejection of the ink from the multiple nozzles
  • satellites occur from the ink ejected at this time, a part of the satellites adhere onto the nozzle plate, and an ejection direction of the ink is deviated, leading to deterioration of image quality.
  • the nozzle plate of the ink jet head on the carriage is directly exposed to a surface of the medium to be recorded, so the nozzle plate is prone to be damaged in the case where the nozzle plate accidentally contacts a wrinkle of the medium to be recorded and unexpected large dust on the medium to be recorded, resulting in the deterioration of the image quality.
  • JP 2004-230745 discloses an inkjet print head having a plate stuck to a nozzle surface such that its edge is arranged in the vicinity of the nozzles. Ink puddles in the vicinity of the nozzles are removed from the vicinity of the nozzles by capillarity occurring between the nozzle surface and the plate.
  • the plate has an ink absorber attached thereto, and the ink is first stored in the ink absorber, which is then sucked by a pump or the like, thereby suppressing formation of the ink puddles in the vicinity of the nozzles over a long period of time.
  • the present invention is made in view of solving those problems inherent in such a conventional construction. It is an object of the present invention to provide an ink jet recorder in which the ink drip from the nozzle plate is prevented, the deterioration of the image quality is prevented, and damage to the nozzle plate is suppressed.
  • an ink jet recorder for performing recording on a medium
  • the ink jet recorder comprising: an ink jet head for ejecting ink from multiple nozzles provided on a hydrophilic nozzle plate; an ink absorber which absorbs ink staying on the nozzle plate; absorber holding means for sandwiching and holding the ink absorber between the nozzle plate and the absorber holding means; and suction means for sucking ink from the ink absorber; characterised in that the suction means includes cap means, the cap means being arranged to abut on the absorber holding means during a cleaning operation.
  • the nozzle plate is made to be hydrophilic in the ink jet head.
  • the ink absorber is provided so as to contact the nozzle plate. Accordingly, unnecessary ink adhering onto the nozzle plate is diffused across the entire surface of the nozzle plate, and the ink absorber absorbs the ink. Therefore, the ink is prevented from staying in the vicinity of the nozzles, and the deterioration of the image quality is prevented. Further, the ink absorbed by the ink absorber is discharged to the outside by a suction operation performed by the suction means at a predetermined interval, so an ink drip from the absorber can be suppressed.
  • the absorber holding means holds the absorber between the nozzle plate and the absorber holding means itself, and covers the nozzle plate. Accordingly, the nozzle plate can be prevented from being directly damaged, and the deterioration of the image quality is prevented. Further, the ink jet head can be filled with ink by the pressurizing means.
  • the ink absorber is formed into such a frame shape that an opening is provided in a nozzle array portion on the nozzle plate.
  • the opening of the nozzle array portion enables ink ejection from the nozzles, and allow the ink absorber to efficiently absorb unnecessary ink which adheres onto the nozzle plate.
  • the ink is suppressed from staying in the vicinity of the nozzles, and the deterioration of the image quality is prevented.
  • the ink absorber is made of a porous absorber.
  • the porous absorber can absorb ink more efficiently. As a result, the ink is prevented from staying in the vicinity of the nozzles, and the deterioration of the image quality is prevented.
  • the absorber holding means is formed into such a frame shape that an opening is provided in the nozzle array portion on the nozzle plate.
  • the opening of the absorber holding means enables the ink ejection from the nozzles, and the absorber holding means presses the ink absorber against the nozzle plate, thus making it possible for the ink absorber to absorb the ink.
  • the ink is prevented from staying in the vicinity of the nozzles, and the deterioration of the image quality is prevented.
  • the opening of the nozzle array portion of the absorber holding means having a size set approximately equal to a size of the opening of the nozzle array portion of the ink absorber.
  • the size of the opening of the nozzle array portion of the absorber holding means is set approximately equal to the size of the opening of the nozzle array portion of the ink absorber, therefore preventing the ink absorber from being dragged out directly from outside.
  • the absorber holding means is constructed such that an outer periphery side of the ink absorber communicates with the atmosphere.
  • the outer periphery side of the ink absorber communicates with the atmosphere. Accordingly, the ink held by the ink absorber can be discharged from the outer periphery side of the ink absorber to the opening side by the suction means. Therefore, the ink drip from the absorber is suppressed, and the deterioration of the image quality is prevented.
  • the cap means formed of an elastic member.
  • the cap means is formed of the elastic member, so intimate contact property of the cap means with the absorber holding means is enhanced, thus making it possible to suck the ink more efficiently.
  • the cap means formed of a porous absorber and a housing portion for the porous absorber.
  • the ink jet recorder of the present invention the ink is prevented from staying in the vicinity of the nozzles. As a result, it is possible to provide an inkjet recorder in which the deterioration of the image quality is prevented.
  • the nozzle plate can be prevented from being directly damaged, so it is possible to provide an ink jet recorder in which the deterioration of the image quality is further prevented.
  • FIG. 1 This embodiment is one in which the present invention is applied to an ink jet recorder for performing recording, on a medium to be recorded, by an ink jet head mounted on a carriage.
  • reference symbol 1 denotes a main portion of the ink jet head, with an actuator portion 2 and a hydrophilic nozzle plate 4 (made of polyimide as its material) including multiple nozzles 3 being shown.
  • Reference symbol 5 denotes an ink absorber which absorbs ink staying on the nozzle plate 4.
  • Reference symbol 6 denotes an absorber holding board which sandwiches and holds the ink absorber 5 between the nozzle plate 4 and the absorber holding board itself.
  • Reference symbol 7 denotes a carriage which includes the absorber holding board 6 and on which the ink jet head 1 is mounted.
  • Reference symbol 8 denotes a main portion of a suction mechanism which sucks the ink staying in the ink absorber 5, and includes a cap 9 and a tube 10, which are rubber molded parts.
  • the ink absorber 5 is formed into a frame shape in which an opening as shown in Fig. 2 is provided in a nozzle array portion of the multiple nozzles 3 on the nozzle plate 4. Further, also in the absorber holding board 6, an opening similar to that of the ink absorber 5 is provided.
  • the ink absorber 5 is composed of an "A" series sponge sheet with a thickness of 1 mm, which is a porous member made by AION Co. , Ltd.
  • the absorber holding board 6 is composed of a SUS plate with a thickness of 0.2 mm.
  • an initial filling operation which fills the ink jet head with ink is performed. That is, as is known, the ink is supplied to the ink jet head by pressurizing means, when the ink jet head 1 is filled with the ink, and the ink then starts to be ejected from the nozzles 3.
  • the ink to be discharged from the ink jet head is discharged in such a manner that the cap 9 is made to abut on the absorber holding board 6, thereby causing the ink to be sucked from the tube 10.
  • the ink on the nozzle plate 4 can be removed therefrom by sucking the ink for a while even after the filing operation using the pressurization is stopped.
  • an outer periphery side of the ink absorber 5 communicates with the atmosphere, so the air enters the outer periphery side of the ink absorber 5 as shown in Fig. 3 by the above-described suction operation, thereby making it possible to remove also the ink in the ink absorber 5 therefrom.
  • the cap 9 comes off from the absorber holding board 6, the carriage 7 moves onto the medium to be recorded, and the recording is performed according to recording data given to the ink jet recorder.
  • the recording to the medium to be recorded is performed by continuous or intermittent ejection of the ink from the multiple nozzles 3 according to the recording data. Satellites occur from the ink ejected at this time, and a part of the satellites adheres onto the nozzle plate 4. However, the nozzle plate 4 is hydrophilic, so the satellites diffuse across the entire surface of the nozzle plate 4, and is absorbed by the ink absorber 5. Thus, ink accumulation due to satellites does not occur in the vicinity of the nozzles 3.
  • the ink absorber 5 is not limited to the shape of the above-described embodiment, and may also be one with a shape like an ink absorber 5a shown in Fig. 4 .
  • members denoted by the same reference symbols as those of Fig. 1 represent the same parts.
  • the absorber holding board 6 is not limited to the shape of the above-described embodiment, and an absorber holding board 6b may also be provided in the ink jet head as shown in Fig. 5 .
  • members denoted by the same reference symbols as those of Fig. 1 represent the same parts.
  • an opening 6c is provided in an outer periphery side of the absorber holding board 6b, and the ink absorber 5b communicates with the atmosphere, so ink absorbed by the ink absorber 5b can be removed therefrom.
  • the cap 9 is not limited to the shape of the above-described embodiment, and the cap 9 may also be configured by housing a porous absorber 9c in a plastic-made housing portion 9b as shown in Fig. 6 .
  • the cap is not necessarily composed of a soft elastic member, since the housing portion 9b does not directly contact the nozzle plate 4 in the case where the ink contained in the ink absorber 5 is sucked. Still further, this is because, unlike in the case where ink is sucked from the nozzles, it is possible to suck the ink contained in the ink absorber 5 even if there is no complete air tightness when the absorber holding board 6 is capped.

Landscapes

  • Ink Jet (AREA)
EP20060250857 2005-02-25 2006-02-17 Ink jet recorder Expired - Fee Related EP1695828B1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP2005051200A JP4570985B2 (ja) 2005-02-25 2005-02-25 インクジェット記録装置

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1695828A1 EP1695828A1 (en) 2006-08-30
EP1695828B1 true EP1695828B1 (en) 2010-05-19

Family

ID=36481296

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP20060250857 Expired - Fee Related EP1695828B1 (en) 2005-02-25 2006-02-17 Ink jet recorder

Country Status (4)

Country Link
EP (1) EP1695828B1 (ja)
JP (1) JP4570985B2 (ja)
CN (1) CN1827381B (ja)
ES (1) ES2341879T3 (ja)

Families Citing this family (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP5123881B2 (ja) * 2008-06-05 2013-01-23 エスアイアイ・プリンテック株式会社 液体噴射ヘッド、液体噴射記録装置及び液体噴射ヘッドの液体充填方法
CN102177025B (zh) * 2008-10-09 2013-11-06 精工电子打印科技有限公司 液体喷射头、液体喷射头的液体填充方法、液体喷射记录装置及其使用方法
JP6520316B2 (ja) * 2015-03-31 2019-05-29 ブラザー工業株式会社 液体吐出装置
CN105128535B (zh) * 2015-09-01 2017-03-22 宁波荣大昌办公设备有限公司 一种喷头清洁机构
JP7110653B2 (ja) * 2018-03-23 2022-08-02 カシオ計算機株式会社 印刷ユニット

Family Cites Families (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPH089231B2 (ja) * 1984-01-31 1996-01-31 キヤノン株式会社 吐出回復方法
JPH03164263A (ja) * 1989-11-24 1991-07-16 Canon Inc インクジェット記録装置
JPH03240554A (ja) * 1990-02-19 1991-10-25 Canon Inc インクジェット記録装置
JPH0483638U (ja) * 1990-11-29 1992-07-21
JP3520463B2 (ja) * 1998-03-26 2004-04-19 セイコーエプソン株式会社 インクジェット式記録装置
JP2002273914A (ja) * 2001-03-21 2002-09-25 Olympus Optical Co Ltd インクジェットプリンタ
JP2002301830A (ja) * 2001-04-04 2002-10-15 Seiko Instruments Inc インクジェット記録装置
JP2004230745A (ja) * 2003-01-31 2004-08-19 Hitachi Printing Solutions Ltd インクジェットプリントヘッド
JP3966261B2 (ja) * 2003-09-26 2007-08-29 ブラザー工業株式会社 インクジェットプリンタ

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
CN1827381B (zh) 2010-06-16
CN1827381A (zh) 2006-09-06
ES2341879T3 (es) 2010-06-29
EP1695828A1 (en) 2006-08-30
JP4570985B2 (ja) 2010-10-27
JP2006231772A (ja) 2006-09-07

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