JP2000094714A - Ink jet recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ink jet recorder capable of preventing contamination of a recording paper that may occur when ink removed by wiping and to be accumulated between a plurality of recording heads drops. SOLUTION: An ink accumulating section 6a which is recessed between nozzle faces of a plurality of recording heads 5 is inclined such that the height is lowered toward an edge section of the ink accumulating section 6a in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the plurality of recording heads 5. A part of the ink collected by wiping the nozzle face by a wiping member 25 moves toward the edge section of the ink accumulating section 6a and is introduced from the ink accumulating section 6a to a portion outside a recording area of a recording paper by a flexible ink discharge section 31 which is contacted to the edge section.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an ink jet recording apparatus has been provided with a wiping mechanism for wiping a nozzle surface of an ink jet head with a flexible wiping member. This is because, in the recording head, if the ink is repeatedly ejected from the nozzles, excess ink may accumulate on the nozzle surface and deteriorate the ejection state, so that the excess ink is removed to recover a favorable ejection state. is there. Such a wiping member is provided between the standby area of the carriage on which the recording head is mounted and the recording area so as to protrude or retract with respect to the moving path of the recording head. When the carriage moves from the standby area to the recording area, the wiping member is protruded to wipe off the nozzle surface, and recording is performed in a good ejection state.

[0003] In addition, since ink deterioration such as generation of air bubbles and changes in viscosity may occur inside the recording head,
Usually, a purge mechanism for sucking and removing the deteriorated ink is provided separately from the wiper mechanism. This purging mechanism normally covers the nozzle surface of the recording head with a cap and sucks ink in the head with a pump. When this purging operation is performed, a part of the ink sucked from inside the head is removed from the nozzle surface. Before the recording operation is restarted after the purging operation, the nozzle surface is wiped off by the wiping member.

However, in a device having a plurality of recording heads, such as a multi-color ink jet recording device, there is a depression between the recording heads, and even if the nozzle surface is wiped off with a wiping member, a part of the surplus ink is recorded. It collects in the depression between the heads.

[0005] Incidentally, there is a recording head in which the recording head is positioned obliquely above the recording paper in an inclined state. In this case, the front of the lower surface of the recording head (here, the front is defined as the recording paper). (Closer side) is the lowest position, so the excess ink accumulated in the recess between the recording heads moves here due to the action of gravity, and since this location is not wiped off by the wiping member, The recording ink is left as it is, the recording operation is performed as it is, and excessive ink drips during the recording operation.

Therefore, the front portion of the lower surface of the recording head where surplus ink is likely to accumulate is wiped off with a part of the wiping member (a sub-contact portion separate from the main body portion), and there is a possibility that the surplus ink in that portion may cause contamination. (Japanese Patent Application No. 8-62094).

On the other hand, there is also known an ink jet recording apparatus having a recording head which performs recording by ejecting ink from a nozzle toward a recording medium positioned below, which has a downwardly directed nozzle surface in a substantially horizontal state. Have been.

[0008]

In such a recording head as well, surplus ink removed by wiping the nozzle surface with a wiping member is accumulated in a recess between the recording heads, and drops when a certain amount or more is accumulated. However, there is a similar problem that the recording medium is soiled. However, since the recording head is not inclined, the surplus ink does not move to one place due to the gravitational action, and the technique of Japanese Patent Application No. 8-62094 is used. It cannot be applied as it is.

It is also conceivable to increase the length of the wiping member (main body) so as to wipe not only the nozzle surface of the recording head but also the depression between the recording heads. However, not only surplus ink accumulated in the recesses between the recording heads, but also dust and dirt are wiped off together, and the nozzle surface of the recording head is wiped off with a wiping member to which the dirt and dust are attached. On the contrary, there is a problem that the nozzle surface is soiled.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and in a recording apparatus in which recording is performed by a recording head having a downwardly directed nozzle surface in a substantially horizontal state, ink removed by a wiping member and accumulated between ink jet heads is provided. It is an object of the present invention to provide an ink jet recording apparatus that prevents the recording medium from dropping and soiling the recording medium.

[0011]

According to the present invention, there is provided a plurality of recording heads which have a downwardly directed nozzle surface in a substantially horizontal state and which perform recording by ejecting ink from nozzles toward a recording medium positioned below. And a wiping member for wiping the nozzle surface of the recording head.

In such an ink jet recording apparatus,
The invention according to claim 1, wherein an ink reservoir is formed between the plurality of nozzle surfaces so as to open toward the recording medium side and to be depressed toward the recording head, and the ink reservoir is arranged in the plurality of recording heads. It is inclined so that the height decreases toward the end of the ink reservoir in a direction perpendicular to the direction.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the ink reservoir formed between the plurality of nozzle surfaces so as to open toward the recording medium and to be depressed toward the recording head is orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the plurality of recording heads. Is inclined so that the height decreases toward the end of the ink reservoir in the direction in which the ink accumulates.
It will move towards its end. Therefore, the ink accumulated in the ink accumulation portion is collected on the end side, and collection and removal are facilitated.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the ink jet recording apparatus according to the first aspect, further comprising a flexible member which is provided so as to be able to come into contact with the vicinity of the end of the ink reservoir and discharges the ink outside the ink reservoir. An ink discharge member is provided, and the ink discharge member guides the ink to an area other than a recording area for the recording medium.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, a flexible ink discharging member for discharging ink to the outside of the ink reservoir is provided near the end of the ink reservoir so as to be in contact therewith. The ink that has moved toward the end of the ink reservoir is discharged to the outside of the ink reservoir through an ink discharge unit, and is guided by the ink discharge member to an area other than the recording area for the recording medium.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet recording apparatus of the second aspect, the ink discharge member is formed integrally with the wiping member.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the ink discharging member is formed integrally with the wiping member, and the nozzle surface of the recording head is wiped off by the wiping member. The ink is discharged to the outside of the ink reservoir by the discharge member.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet recording apparatus of the third aspect, the tip of the ink discharge member extends further above the tip of the wiping member.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the tip of the ink discharge member extends further upward than the tip of the wiping member, and the ink accumulated in the ink reservoir formed to be concave toward the recording head. Is easily discharged to the outside of the ink reservoir by the ink discharge member.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet recording apparatus of the fourth aspect, the ink discharge member has a vertically long shape, is arranged at a fixed distance from the wiping member, and has a base end connected to the wiping member.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the ink discharge member has a vertically long shape, is arranged at a fixed interval from the wiping member, and has a base end connected to the wiping member, the ink discharge member is rich in flexibility. The tip of the ink discharge member is deformed according to the shape of the ink reservoir, and the ink accumulated in the ink reservoir is discharged.

[0022]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, an ink jet recording apparatus 1 has a cylindrical platen roller 4 in a casing 2 by a rotating shaft (not shown) extending in a left-right direction in order to convey a recording sheet 3 (recorded body). It is rotatably supported. Platen roller 4
Is for transporting the recording paper 3 supplied from a paper supply cassette or a manual paper supply section substantially horizontally while facing the recording head 5, and constitutes a part of a so-called paper feed mechanism.

A carriage 8 is provided above the platen roller 4 so as to be movable along the axis of the platen roller 4. The carriage 8 has a recording head 5 and an ink cartridge 9 containing ink supplied to the recording head 5 detachably mounted thereon. The recording head 5 is of an ink jet type that ejects ink droplets from a plurality of nozzle holes to the recording paper 3. In this example, a recording head 5 and an ink cartridge 9 are provided for each of the four colors of yellow, black, cyan, and magenta.

A carriage shaft 10 and a guide rail 11 are provided in parallel with the axis of the platen roller 4. A carriage 8 is slidably fitted on the carriage shaft 10. The upper engaging portion 8c of the carriage 8 is guided by the guide rail 11. The carriage 8 is fixed to a part of the timing belt 12, and the timing belt 12 is wound around the timing pulleys 13 and 14 to form a carriage mechanism CM. One of the timing pulleys 13 is connected to a carriage drive motor 15. ing. The carriage 8 is movable over a recording area facing the recording paper 3 and a recovery / maintenance area and a flushing area on both sides to be described later.

In the recovery / maintenance area on the left side of the recording area, a purge mechanism RM, a wiping member 25 and a storage cap member 26 are provided.

The purging mechanism RM includes a suction cap 21 which is put in close contact with the nozzle surface of the recording head 5, and a suction pump 23 which suctions and removes ink in the recording head 5 through the suction cap 21. The cam 20 is rotated by a drive source (not shown) to move the suction cap 21 to a position where the suction cap 21 is in close contact with the recording head 5 and to a position retracted therefrom.
2 is driven, defective ink (ink in which bubbles are generated or thickened) in the recording head 5 is sucked and discharged to the waste ink tank 24.

Adjacent to the recording area side of the suction means 23,
Wiping member 25 for wiping the nozzle surface of recording head 5
Are arranged. The wiping member 25 is also connected to the cam 20.
The position protruding into the movement path of the recording head 5,
It is possible to move to a position withdrawn from there. Further, a storage cap device 26 is provided on the opposite side of the suction area 23 from the recording area. The storage cap device 26 covers the nozzle surface of the recording head 5 when recording is not performed, prevents ink from evaporating, and avoids drying of the nozzle surface.

As shown in FIG. 1, the storage cap device 26 has a storage cap 41 which is put in close contact with each of the recording heads 5, and a casing 42 supporting the storage cap 41 adjusts the moving direction of the carriage 8 according to the movement direction. The guide rod member 43 extending in parallel is supported so as to be able to slide and rotate. When the carriage 8 moves from the recording area to the recovery area,
2a, the storage cap 41 slides following the movement of the carriage 8 (to the left in FIG. 1), and by the action of the not-shown inclined cam means.
The recording head 5 rotates in a direction approaching the recording head 5 and comes into close contact with the nozzle surface of the recording head 5. When the carriage 8 moves toward the recording area again, the storage cap 41 moves away from the recording head 5 while moving toward the recording area.

In the flushing area on the right side of the recording area, a waste ink receiving member 16 is provided. The waste ink receiving member 16 receives ink preliminarily ejected immediately before the recording operation by the recording head 5 in order to eliminate clogging of the nozzles of the recording head 5 and to remove bubbles mixed with ink in the nozzles. belongs to.

As shown in detail in FIGS. 2 to 4, the plurality of recording heads 5 are covered with a cover member 6 in a state where each nozzle surface is exposed, and the cover member 6 is provided between the plurality of nozzle surfaces. A plurality of ink reservoirs 6a are formed in the recording head 5 and open to the recording paper 3 side. The space between the cover member 6 and the recording head 5 is closed by a sealing material 7 made of an adhesive or the like. The nozzle surface of each recording head 5 is located downward in a substantially horizontal state, and ejects ink to the recording paper 3 located thereunder.

As shown in FIG. 3, the ink reservoir 6a extends in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the plurality of recording heads 5 are arranged, and is inclined so that its height decreases toward one end thereof. ing. Specifically, the depth of the ink reservoir 6a formed in the cover member 6 is inclined so that the height decreases toward one end. In this example,
The recording paper 3 is inclined so that its height decreases toward the upstream side in the transport direction, but it is also possible to incline such that the height is decreased toward the above side.

The wiping member 25 includes a recording head 5
Is slightly longer than the nozzle surface in the conveyance direction of the recording paper, but shorter than the length of the ink reservoir 6a in the same direction.
As shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 2, the wiping member 25 is formed to have a length such that its tip contacts the nozzle surface but does not contact the ceiling surface of the ink reservoir 6a.
As shown in FIG. 3, the wiping member 25 is provided with a flexible ink discharge member 31 which is provided in contact with the vicinity of the end of the ink reservoir 6a and which discharges ink to the outside of the ink reservoir 6a. It is molded into. The material used for the wiping member 25 and the ink discharge member 31 is not particularly limited as long as it has flexibility and ink resistance, but it is difficult to have a habit, ink repellency, workability, and price. From the viewpoint of consideration, ethylene-propylene rubber (EPM, EPDM) or the like is suitable.

The distal end of the ink discharge member 31 extends further upward than the distal end of the wiping member 25 for wiping the nozzle surface, and the ink discharge member 31 is located near the end of the ink reservoir 6a. The ink stored in the ink storage section 6a is discharged to the outside of the ink storage section 6a by contact with the recording paper 3 to guide the ink to a region other than the recording area for the recording paper 3. That is, when the ink accumulated in the ink accumulation section 6a comes into contact with the ink discharge member 31, it flows downward along the surface thereof by the action of gravity, and travels through a member (not shown) to finally go out of the recording area. For example, it is discharged to the waste ink tank 24. The wiping member 2
The ink adhering to 5 is similarly discharged to waste ink tank 24.

The ink discharge member 31 is formed in a vertically long shape so as to be highly flexible.
31a having a shape corresponding to the inclination of
and a vertical portion 31b connected to the lower end of the wiping member a and extending in the vertical direction, and is formed integrally with the wiping member 24. That is, the vertical portion 31b is arranged in parallel with the wiping member 24 at a fixed interval, and the lower end (base end) thereof is connected to the lower end of the wiping member 24.
The inclined portion 31a is inserted into the ink reservoir 6a from the side surface of the cover member 6 on the upstream side in the recording paper transport direction.

A series of operations of the ink jet recording apparatus configured as described above will be described.

First, in the ink jet recording apparatus 1, the recording head 5 is usually located at a position covered by the storage cap 41. When the recording data is input, the recording paper 3 is supplied between the platen roller 4 and the recording head 5, and the recording head 5 is moved away from the storage cap 41 to the recording area. Then, the recording head 5
The recording paper 3 is reciprocated in the recording area while ejecting ink based on the recording data.
A record is made above.

When the recording head 5 completes the recording operation, the carriage 8 moves from the recording area to the recovery area, and the storage cap 41 caps the nozzle surface of each recording head 5.

On the other hand, when a purge operation for the recording head 5 is instructed artificially or at regular intervals,
The carriage 8 moves the specific recording head 5 for which the purge operation has been instructed, to a position facing the suction cap 21. When the cam 20 is rotated by a drive source (not shown), the suction cap 21 moves toward the recording head 5 and comes into close contact therewith. Then, the suction pump 22 is driven to suck ink from the nozzles of the recording head 5.

When the suction is completed, the suction cap 21 is retracted, while the wiping member 25 is advanced, and the carriage 8 moves the recording head 5 having completed the suction in a direction crossing the wiping member 25, and is moved by the wiping member 25. The nozzle surface of the recording head 5 is wiped off and moved to a recording area.

Further, in the recording operation, if the ejection of the ink from the nozzles is repeated, excess ink may accumulate on the nozzle surface and deteriorate the ejection state. Therefore, the wiping member 25 is moved forward at regular intervals. The carriage 8 moves the recording head 5 in a direction crossing the wiping member 25, wipes the nozzle surface of the recording head 5 with the wiping member 25, and returns to the recording area.

Here, the surplus ink on the nozzle surface is removed by wiping off the wiping member 25, and a part of the ink is collected between the recording heads 5 as shown by S in FIG.
Collect in a. The ink accumulated in the ink reservoir 6a is
As shown in FIG. 3, due to the action of gravity, the ink pool 6
a move toward the lower end and gather. The inclined portion 31a of the ink discharge member 31 contacts the collected ink, and the ink is discharged to the ink discharge member 31.
To the waste ink tank 24, and the recording paper 3 is prevented from being soiled by dropping.

In particular, since the tip of the wiping member 25 does not come into contact with the ceiling surface of the ink reservoir 6a, the nozzle surface is not contaminated by dust or dirt attached to the ink reservoir 6a. Also, the inclined portion 31a of the ink discharge member 31
However, in addition to extending above the tip of the wiping member 25, the ink discharge member 31 has a vertically long shape and is arranged at a constant interval from the wiping member 25.
Since the base end portion is connected to the wiping member 25, the base portion is highly flexible, and the inclined portion 3 of the ink discharge member 31 is provided.
1a is deformed according to the shape of the ink reservoir 6a, and the ink accumulated in the ink reservoir 6a is
In step 1, it is discharged smoothly without difficulty.

In the above embodiment, the ink discharge member is formed integrally with the wiping member. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be formed separately from the wiping member. Needless to say, the position where the wiping member is provided is not limited to the recovery area where the wiping member is provided, but may be provided between the recording area and the flushing area (see a chain line P in FIG. 1). Further, the ink discharge member 31 can be formed of a porous material that absorbs ink.

[0045]

The present invention is embodied in the form described above, and has the following effects.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, an ink reservoir is formed between a plurality of nozzle surfaces of a recording head so as to open toward the recording medium and to be depressed toward the recording head. Because the ink is inclined so that the height decreases toward the end in the direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the heads, the ink accumulated in the ink accumulation portion is
You can move it towards its end and collect it,
Collection and removal are easy. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the ink from dropping onto the recording medium located below and soiling the recording medium.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, a flexible ink discharging member for discharging ink to the outside of the ink reservoir is provided near the end of the ink reservoir so as to be in contact therewith. The ink that has moved toward the portion can be reliably discharged from the ink reservoir to the outside through the ink discharge portion. Further, since the ink is guided by the ink discharge member to an area other than the recording area for the recording medium, it is possible to reliably prevent the recording medium from being stained.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the ink discharging member is formed integrally with the wiping member, the ink accumulated in the ink reservoir is immediately removed after the nozzle surface of the recording head is wiped off by the wiping member. The discharge member can easily discharge the ink to the outside of the ink reservoir.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the tip of the ink discharge member extends further upward than the tip of the wiping member, the ink accumulated in the ink reservoir formed so as to be concave toward the recording head can be removed. , In the ink discharge member,
The ink can be discharged to the outside of the ink reservoir without difficulty.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the ink discharge member is vertically long and is disposed at a predetermined interval from the wiping member so that the base end is connected to the wiping member. By deforming according to the shape of the ink reservoir, the ink accumulated in the ink reservoir can be discharged.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of a recording head and a cover member according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing an ink reservoir according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a relationship among an ink discharge member, a wiping member, and a recording head according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ink jet recording apparatus 3 Recording paper 5 Recording head 6 Cover member 6a Ink pool part 25 Wiping member 31 Ink discharge member 31a Inclined part 31b Vertical part

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of recording heads having a downwardly directed nozzle surface in a substantially horizontal state and ejecting ink from nozzles toward a recording medium positioned below, to perform recording, and a nozzle surface of the recording head An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: a wiping member for wiping off the recording medium, wherein an ink reservoir is formed between the plurality of nozzle surfaces so as to be open toward the recording medium and concave toward the recording head; An ink jet recording apparatus characterized in that the ink jet recording apparatus is inclined so that its height decreases toward an end of the ink reservoir in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the plurality of recording heads. 2. A flexible ink discharging member, which is provided so as to be able to come into contact with the vicinity of the end of the ink reservoir and discharges ink to the outside of the ink reservoir, wherein the ink discharging member comprises 2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said ink is guided to a position other than a recording area for a recording medium. 3. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said ink discharge member is formed integrally with said wiping member. 4. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the tip of the ink discharge member extends further above the tip of the wiping member. 5. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the ink discharge member has a vertically long shape, is arranged at a fixed distance from the wiping member, and has a base end connected to the wiping member.