JP2001030508A - Ink-jet recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To eliminate wasteful ink consumption by restraining ink scattering to a minimum level at the time of wiping a recording head, eliminating ink color mixture, ink staining of a platen, and ink staining of the inside of the device, and collecting both of ink to be discharged from an ejection outlet and ink to be wiped. SOLUTION: A recovery tub part 14 having a cap 11 at an opening part, for receiving an ink discharged from a recording head 10 at the time of a recovery operation, and a scattering protection wall means 47 for collecting a scattered ink at the time of wiping an ejection outlet surface 88 by an elastic blade 15 are provided in the vicinity of the recording head 10. A discharged ink collecting room 41 and a scattered ink collecting room 42 are provided inside the recovery tub part 14.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus which performs recording by discharging ink from recording means.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A recording apparatus having functions such as a printer, a copying machine, a facsimile or the like, or a recording apparatus used as an output apparatus such as a composite electronic apparatus including a computer or a word processor, or a workstation is provided with image information (recording information). Is configured to record an image (including characters and symbols) on a recording medium (recording material) such as paper, cloth, plastic sheet, OHP sheet, or the like. The recording apparatus can be classified into an ink jet type, a wire dot type, a thermal type, a laser beam type and the like according to a recording method.

In a serial type recording apparatus that performs recording while performing main scanning in a direction intersecting with the transport direction of the recording medium (paper feeding direction, sub-scanning direction), a carriage that moves in the main scanning direction along the recording medium is mounted on a carriage. An image is formed (recorded) by the mounted recording means (recording head), a predetermined amount of paper is fed (pitch conveyance as sub-scanning) after one line of image formation is completed, and then the recording medium stopped again. By repeating the operation of recording (main scanning) the next row of image, the recording of the entire recording medium is performed.
On the other hand, in a line-type printing apparatus that performs printing only in the sub-scanning direction in the transport direction of a printing medium (such as printing paper), the printing medium is set at a predetermined printing position, and printing is performed for one line at a time. By performing a predetermined amount of paper feed (pitch feed) and repeating the operation of collectively recording the next line, the entire recording medium is recorded.

Among them, an ink-jet type recording apparatus (ink-jet recording apparatus) performs recording by discharging ink from a recording head (recording means) to a recording medium. High-definition images can be recorded at high speed, recording can be performed on plain paper without requiring special processing, running costs are low, non-impact methods reduce noise, and various types of ink can be used. (For example, it is easy to form a color image using (for example, color ink)).

As an energy generating element for generating energy used for discharging ink from a discharge port of an ink jet recording head, an element using an electromechanical transducer such as a piezo element, or heating by irradiating an electromagnetic wave such as a laser. Then, an ink droplet is ejected by the heat generation function, or a liquid is heated by an electrothermal converter having a heat generating resistor. Among them, an ink jet type recording head that discharges ink as droplets by using thermal energy can perform high-resolution recording because discharge ports can be arranged at high density. In particular, among them, a recording head using an electrothermal transducer element as an energy generating element can be easily miniaturized, and IC technology and micro-machining technology, which are remarkable in recent advances in technology in the field of semiconductors and remarkable improvement in reliability. This is advantageous because the advantages of the above can be fully utilized, high-density mounting is easy, and the manufacturing cost is low.

There are various requirements for the material of the recording medium. In recent years, developments have been made to meet these requirements, and paper (including thin paper and processed paper) which is a general recording medium has been developed.
In addition to paper and resin thin plates (OHP and the like), recording devices using cloth, leather, nonwoven fabric, metal, or the like as a recording medium have come to be used.

In the ink jet recording apparatus,
Since printing is performed by discharging ink droplets from the discharge ports of the recording means, the state of the discharge ports greatly affects the recording quality (image quality). Therefore, for example, in addition to covering the ejection port with a cap member having a high hermeticity in order to prevent the ink inside the ejection port from thickening and fixing due to natural evaporation of the ink,
When the ejection failure (including non-ejection) occurs due to the increase in the viscosity of the ink in the ejection port or the bubbles generated in the ejection port, the ink in the ejection port is refreshed by discharging the ink from the ejection port using a pressing unit or a suction unit ( (Recovery) is performed. In the case of an ink jet recording apparatus, it is effective to circulate the ink around the recording head by a so-called recovery mechanism in order to prevent ink ejection instability due to being left for a long period of time. In general, the process is performed by contacting the ink ejection unit of the head.

FIGS. 8 to 10 are partial sectional views showing a conventional structure and operation of such a recovery mechanism. FIG. 8 shows a state at the time of capping in which an ink discharge portion is covered with a cap, and FIG. FIG. 10 shows a state where the surface is being wiped and cleaned (wiping) with an elastic blade, and FIG. 10 shows a state immediately after the wiping operation of FIG. 9 is executed. In addition, FIG.
FIG. 10 shows a plurality of (two) recording units 10 in which the ink jet recording apparatus performs recording using different inks, and a plurality (2) of recording units independently provided for each of these recording units.
) Recovery mechanism.

In FIG. 8 to FIG. 10, an ink absorber 12 is provided inside a cap 11 for capping a recording head (recording means) 10, and a discharge port surface 88 of the recording head 10 is provided at a predetermined interval during capping. It is arranged so as to be close to and facing. By arranging the ink absorber 12 in this manner, it is possible to absorb and hold the ink discharged during the ink circulation by the pressure control of the ink system in the recording head 10 at the time of preliminary ejection (at the time of pressurized ejection). In addition, the large ink droplets 13 attached to the discharge port surface 88 by ink mist or condensation can be captured and absorbed by the ink absorber 12 by setting the capping state shown in FIG. The absorbed ink is discharged by a pump or the like from a discharge port provided at an end of the ink absorber 12.

The recovery mechanism includes a recovery tub section 14 and an elastic blade 15. The cap 11 is formed of a rubber-like elastic body fixed around the upper end opening of the recovery tub 14. The peripheral portion (lip portion) of the cap 11 abuts (presses and joins) to the ejection port surface 88 of the recording head 10 and is elastically bent, so that the area of the ejection port 89 and the inside of the recovery tub section 14 are formed. Is configured to be sealed.
The elastic blade 15 is moved in parallel with the recovery tub portion 14 (the ink absorber 12 therein) in the right direction in the drawing to wipe the discharge port surface 88 after the cap 11 is detached as shown in FIG. Cleaning (wiping)
It is configured to remove (clean) the minute ink droplets 13 attached to the discharge port surface 88.

An ink absorber 16 is provided at a position on the right side of the recording head 10 in the drawing. The ink absorber 16 is for removing (cleaning) the ink droplets 13 transferred to the elastic blade 15 by wiping the ejection port surface 88 by the elastic blade 15. Further, ink absorbers 17 are also provided on both side surfaces (left and right side surfaces in the figure) of the recording head 10. When the elastic blade 15 returns to the original shape from the elastic deformation state, the ink droplet 13 attached to the elastic blade may be scattered, and the ink absorber 17 captures and absorbs the scattered ink droplet. This is to minimize scattered ink droplets. 8 to 10, reference numeral 18 denotes a recovery frame for guiding and supporting the recovery tub unit 14, and reference numeral 19 denotes a movement between the recording position (down position) and the retreat position (up position) of the recording head 10. An opening formed in the recovery frame 18 for allowing, a recording medium (recording paper) 20 and a recording surface of the recording medium 20 are respectively shown.

[0012]

However, FIGS.
In the recovery mechanism and the recovery sequence of the conventional ink jet printing apparatus described with reference to FIG. 10, since the ejection opening face 88 of the print head 10 is cleaned by the elastic blade 15 as described above, there are the following inconveniences. That is, first, even if the scattering of the ink droplets 13 wiped (wiped off) by the elastic blade 15 can be minimized, it is very difficult to reduce the scattering to zero. The harmful effects of ink droplets, such as color mixing of ink between adjacent recording heads 10 and 10, ink contamination on a platen facing the recording head 10, and ink contamination inside the recording apparatus remain as before. Up to. Second, the recording head 10
After the ink droplets 13 wiped from the discharge port surface 88 are collected by the ink absorber 16, there is no other way than to evaporate and discard the ink droplets. There is a disadvantage that the ink absorber 16 is saturated with the ink and the ink falls onto the recording medium 20 during recording.

The present invention has been made in view of such a technical problem, and an object of the present invention is to minimize scattering of ink droplets when wiping a discharge port surface with an elastic blade. It is possible to eliminate the harmful effects of ink droplets such as color mixture between different inks adjacent to each other due to scattered ink, ink contamination on a platen, and ink contamination inside a recording apparatus. Because ink can be collected, consumption of waste ink used for other than printing can be reduced or eliminated, and ink drops on the printing medium or platen during printing due to saturation of the ink absorber should be prevented. It is an object of the present invention to provide an ink jet recording apparatus capable of performing the above.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink jet recording apparatus for ejecting ink from a recording means to perform recording on a recording medium. An elastic blade for wiping the discharge port surface of the recording means, a recovery tub part having a function of receiving ink discharged from the recording means during a recovery operation and having the cap attached to an opening, And a scattering prevention wall means disposed in the vicinity of the recording means for collecting or preventing the flying ink droplets on the ejection port surface.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect, a configuration is also provided in which the scattered ink collected by the scatter prevention wall means is guided into the recovery tub portion. A configuration for recycling the ink collected in the recovery tub unit and the ink discharged from the discharge port and received by the recovery tub unit during the recovery operation, wherein the recovery tub unit is connected to an independent or independent ink collection chamber. A configuration having a scattered ink recovery chamber, a configuration in which the elastic blade is disposed between the ink recovery chamber and the scattered ink recovery chamber of the recovery tub portion, or a recovery frame supporting the recovery tub portion, An ink absorber made of an elastic material is provided for cleaning unwiped ink adhering to the edge of the discharge port surface by the wiping operation of the elastic blade using the movement of the recording means. With formed, it is to achieve a more efficient purpose.

Another object of the present invention (claim 7) is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus for recording on a recording medium by discharging ink from a recording means, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object. A covering cap, having a function of receiving ink discharged from the recording means during the recovery operation, and a recovery tub portion having the cap mounted on the opening, and a recovery frame supporting the recovery tub portion,
A shutter is provided between the recovery frame and the recording medium transport unit, the shutter being opened and closed between recording and non-recording in conjunction with the movement of the recording unit.

[0017]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an embodiment of an ink jet recording apparatus suitable for applying the present invention. In FIG. 1, the ink in the ink tank 30 of the ink jet recording apparatus rotates a pressure pump 31 and a suction pump 32 in a counterclockwise direction (CCW) to thereby rotate the one-way valve 33, the air buffer 34 and the pressurized liquid. The sub tank 35 is replenished and supplied through a pump 31. The sub tank 35 is further supplied to the recording head (recording unit) 1 through the suction pump 32 and the air buffer 36.
0. The overflow ink from the sub-tank 35 passes through the ink flow path to the ink tank 30.
Returned to

When the pressure pump 31 and the suction pump 32 are rotated clockwise (CW), the ink stored in the sub-tank 35 is
1, the air buffer 34, and the one-way valve 37, and flow into the recording head 10. The ink circulated inside the recording head 10 is returned to the sub tank 35 again through the air buffer 36 and the suction pump 32. On the other hand, discharge (or discharge) from the discharge port 89 of the recording head 10
The collected ink is temporarily stored in the recovery tub unit 14 and returned to the sub tank 35 through the filter 39 by the recycle pump 38.

The recording head (recording head) 10 has a length that covers the entire width or a part of a recording medium (recording paper) 20, and is a line type recording in which a number of discharge ports are arranged in the length direction. Means. Therefore, the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a recording medium (recording paper) 20.
Is a line type recording apparatus that performs recording only by sub-scanning in the transport direction, sets the recording medium 20 at a predetermined recording position, collectively records one line, and then feeds a predetermined amount of paper (pitch). The recording is performed on the entire recording medium 20 by repeating the operation of performing (feeding) and recording the next line all at once.

The recording means (recording head) 10 is an ink jet recording head that selectively discharges ink from a plurality of discharge ports to record by applying energy according to a recording signal. The recording head 10
Is an ink-jet recording means for discharging ink using thermal energy, which comprises an electrothermal converter for generating thermal energy. Further, the ink jet recording means 10 discharges ink from the discharge ports by utilizing the pressure change generated by the growth and shrinkage of bubbles caused by film boiling caused by the heat energy applied by the electrothermal transducer, thereby performing recording. Things. The electrothermal transducer is provided corresponding to each of the ejection ports, and discharges ink from the corresponding ejection port by applying a pulse voltage to the corresponding electrothermal transducer in accordance with a recording signal.

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view schematically showing the structure of the ink ejection section of the recording head 10. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, a plurality of electrothermal transducers 82 are formed on a substrate (base plate) 81 of the recording head 10 by a manufacturing process (thin film forming method or the like) similar to that of a semiconductor with a layer of a thin film 83 interposed therebetween.
And wirings corresponding thereto. As shown, the electrothermal transducers 82 are arranged at positions corresponding to the respective discharge ports 89 and liquid paths 86. On the substrate (base plate) 81 (the thin film 83 on the substrate 81)
A liquid path forming member 84 having a plurality of liquid path walls 84A formed in parallel on a lower surface at predetermined intervals is joined to (upper part). Further, a top plate 8 is provided on the upper surface of the liquid path forming member 84.
5 are joined.

A liquid passage 86 is formed between the liquid passage walls 84A. The liquid passage forming member 84 has the electrothermal transducers 82 disposed at predetermined positions inside the liquid passages 86. It is positioned and joined in such a positional relationship. Each liquid passage wall 8
4A has a predetermined length, and the rear end of each liquid path 86 communicates with a common liquid chamber 87 formed between the liquid path forming member 84 and the substrate (base plate) 81 (or thin film 83). are doing. On the other hand, the other end (front end) of each liquid path 86 is opened at the discharge port surface (the front surface on which a plurality of discharge ports 89 are arranged) 88 of the recording head 10, and the discharge ports 89 are formed by the respective openings. Have been.

In this manner, the electrothermal converter 8 such as a heating resistor is provided.
The ink jet recording head 10 is configured to energize (apply pulse voltage) 2 to generate heat, thereby causing the ink in the liquid path 86 to boil, and ejecting ink droplets from the ejection port 89 by a change in pressure at that time. ing. The recording head 10 is mounted so that the arrangement direction of the plurality of discharge ports 89 crosses (substantially perpendicularly intersects) with the transport direction of the recording medium (recording paper or the like). The distance) is set to, for example, about 0.3 to 2.0 mm.

FIGS. 3 to 6 are partial longitudinal sectional views showing the structure and operation of a recovery mechanism of an embodiment of the ink jet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied. FIG. FIG.
5 shows a state in which the discharge port surface is wiped and cleaned (wiping) with an elastic blade. FIG. 5 shows a state in which ink droplets are scattered immediately after the wiping operation in FIG. 4 is performed. A state in which the recording means is further moved up and down to wipe off ink droplets adhered to the recording means will be described later. FIGS. 3 to 6 show a plurality of (two or more) recording units in which the ink jet recording apparatus performs recording using different inks, and a plurality of (2) units independently provided for each of these recording units. (Or more) recovery mechanisms.

The state shown in FIG. 3 is the capping position during recovery of the recording head during non-recording or during standby, and is in this position (state) except during normal recording and wiping. In FIGS. 3 to 6, a recovery tub unit 14 that is movable in the horizontal direction is provided for each recording unit (recording head) 10. These multiple recovery tub units 14
Are formed by an integrated multi-chamber structure corresponding to multi-color ink. Inside each recovery tub unit 14, an ink collection chamber 4 is provided.
1 and a scattered ink recovery chamber (wipe droplet recovery chamber) 42 are formed.
4 is attached. The ink recovery chamber 41 is for receiving ink discharged from the discharge port 89 of the recording head 10, and a cap 11 made of a rubber-like elastic material is fixed to an upper end opening of the ink recovery chamber 41. In addition, an ink guide 43 is provided inside the ink recovery chamber 41.

The cap 11 has its peripheral edge (lip) abutted (pressed) on the ejection port surface 88 of the recording head 10 and is elastically bent, so that the area of the ejection port 89 and the recovery tub section are provided. 14 is configured to hermetically seal the inside.
The ink droplet 44 discharged (discharged) from the discharge port 89 for the recovery of the recording head 10 is transferred to the ink guide 4.
3 and once collected in the ink recovery chamber 41, is suctioned and discharged by a pump through a discharge port provided at an end of the ink recovery chamber. In addition, the inside of the scattered ink recovery chamber (wipe droplet recovery chamber) 42 is filled with an ink absorber 45. In the illustrated example, the ink recovery chamber 41 and the wipe recovery chamber 42 are connected to a communication port 46.
, But this may be a separate room without communication. However, when the chambers are independent, it is necessary to individually suction them by a pump or the like.

In the vicinity of the side of each recording head 10, the ejection port face 8 flipped by the elastic blade 15 is provided.
A scattering prevention wall means 47 for collecting or preventing the ink droplets on the ink droplets 8 is provided. Each scattering protection wall means 47
Has a structure in which an ink absorber 49 is attached to the surface of the frame member 48 on the recording head 10 side. Therefore, when the recovery tub unit 14 is at the capping position shown in FIG. 3, each of the scattering prevention wall means 47 contacts the ink absorber 49 with the ink absorber 45 in the scattered ink recovery chamber 42 of the recovery tub unit. The arrangement configuration is as follows. That is, the wiping droplets (the ink droplets scattered by the wiping operation of the elastic blade 15) collected by the ink absorber 49 of the scattering prevention wall means 47 are applied to the ink absorber 45 in the scattered ink collecting chamber 42 of the recovery tub unit 14. It is configured to move to.

When the recovery tub 14 of this embodiment in which the ink recovery chamber 41 and the wipe drop recovery chamber 42 are communicated with each other through the communication port 46 is used, the suction resistance in the ink absorption chamber 41 causes the wipe resistance to decrease. The structure is smaller than the suction resistance in the droplet collection chamber 42, and both the ink discharged from the discharge port 89 and the ink droplets scattered by the elastic blade 15 can be suctioned and discharged from the recovery tub 14 by a common suction pump. It is configured as follows. Also, in FIGS.
Is a recovery frame for guiding and supporting the recovery tub unit 14,
Reference numeral 19 denotes an opening formed in the recovery frame 18 to allow the recording head 10 to move between a recording position (down position) and a retreat position (up position), 20 denotes a recording medium (recording paper), Reference numeral 21 denotes a recording surface of the recording medium 20. Reference numeral 50 in FIGS. 3 to 6 denotes an ink absorber disposed around the opening 19 of the recovery frame 18. The ink absorber 50 is used for wiping and removing scattered ink droplets attached to the recording head 10 by utilizing movement between the recording position of the recording head 10 and a recovery (capping or wiping) position, as described later. Things.

Next, with reference to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the respective positions and operating states of the recovery tub unit 14 and the scattering prevention wall means 37 during wiping will be described. When the recording head 10 rises from the capping position in FIG. 3 by a predetermined height, the recovery tub unit 14 once moves leftward by a predetermined distance, and the recording head 10 lowers again to the illustrated recovery (capping or wiping) position. Come. Therefore, recovery tub part 14
Is moved to the right in the figure, whereby the elastic blade 1 is moved.
5 is performed for wiping and cleaning (wiping) the discharge port surface 88. Ink 1 scraped by elastic blade 15
3 is repelled by the elastic force of the blade when the elastic blade comes off (passes through the discharge port surface). The ejected ink becomes scattered ink as shown in FIG. 5, a part of which flies into the ink recovery chamber 41, and another part flies toward the ink absorber 49 of the scattering prevention wall means 47. . The ejected ink is collected by the ink collection chamber 41 and the scattering prevention wall means 47, so that the ink is prevented from scattering into the recording apparatus and dropping onto the recording medium, thereby preventing the ink from being contaminated. You.

The recovery tub 14 is provided with the elastic blade 1
5 further moves rightward after passing through the discharge port surface 88,
As shown in FIG. 5, the elastic blade 15 is
7 reaches the position where it comes into contact with the ink absorber 49. In the state of FIG. 5, the remaining ink droplets attached near the tip of the elastic blade 15 are transferred to the ink absorber 49. As described above, almost all of the ink raked by the elastic blade 15 can be collected. After ending the series of wiping operations described above, an operation is performed to return to the capping state in FIG. 3 or to enter a recording operation state as described in FIG. When returning to the capping state in FIG. 3, the recording head 10 is raised from the state in FIG. 5 to position the recovery tub unit 14 to the left, and the recording head is lowered to bring the discharge port surface 88 into contact with the cap 11. This returns to the capping position in FIG.

On the other hand, when entering the state of the recording operation, FIG.
From this state, the scattering prevention wall means 47 is raised, and the recovery tub unit 14 is further moved to the right, so that the state shown by the solid line in FIG. The recording medium 20 is shifted to a recordable state in which the recording medium 21 faces the recording surface 21 of the recording medium 20 at a predetermined gap. However, even in the state shown in FIG. 6, there is a possibility that the ink 13 raked by the elastic blade 15 may remain as an ink droplet 51 at the lower end corner of the side surface of the recording head 10, and the recording head 10 is moved to the recording position. When moving, this residual ink 5
1 may fall on the recording surface 21 and cause ink contamination.

Therefore, by disposing the ink absorber 50 around the opening 19 of the recovery frame 18 for guiding and supporting the recovery tub 14, the ink droplets (remaining ink) 51 are wiped off when the recording head 10 is lowered. Configured to remove. Thereafter, the recording head 10 moves to the recording medium 2
It is lowered to the recording position opposing at a predetermined gap with 0,
Recordable. By the above series of operations, ink (wipe droplets) collected by the wiping operation
Is recovered reliably and effectively.

In the embodiment described above with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6, the scattered ink adhered and absorbed by the ink absorber 49 of the scatter prevention wall means 47 is collected by the ink absorber 4.
The ink falls into and penetrates into the ink absorber 45 that comes into contact with the tub 9, and is guided (transferred) into the scattered ink recovery chamber (wipe drop recovery chamber) 42 of the recovery tub 14, and the ink recovery chamber of the recovery tub 14 Due to the pump suction force acting on 41 or the pump suction force acting independently on the wipe drop collection chamber 42, it is sucked (derived) from the recovery tub 14 to the outside. Then, the scattered ink collected in the recovery tub unit 14 via the scatter prevention wall means 47 and the ink collection chamber 41 of the recovery tub unit 14 which is discharged (discharged or sucked) from the discharge port 89 during the recovery operation. The ink received in the sub tank 35 or the ink tank 30 is recycled through the recycle pump 38 (FIG. 1) and the filter 39 (FIG. 1).

As is clear from the above description, the ink recovery chamber 41 formed by partitioning in the recovery tub section 14.
And the scattered ink recovery chamber (wipe drop recovery chamber) 42
Depending on the presence or absence of the communication port 46, a communicating or independent ink collecting chamber and a scattered ink collecting chamber are formed. Then, the ink collection chamber 41 of the recovery tub unit 14
The elastic blade 15 is disposed between the elastic blade 15 and the scattered ink collecting chamber 42. The recovery frame 18 that guides and supports the recovery tub unit 14 has the wiping remaining ink 51 (see FIG. 4) that is raked and adhered to the edge of the discharge port surface 88 by the wiping operation (wiping operation) of the elastic blade 15. An ink absorber 50 made of an elastic material for cleaning (wiping in this embodiment) using the movement of the recording means 10 is provided.

Therefore, according to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, in the ink jet recording apparatus which discharges ink from the recording means and performs recording on the recording medium, the recording means 10 is used when recording is not performed.
A cap 11 for covering the ink discharge portion of the recording means, an elastic blade 15 for wiping the discharge port surface 88 of the recording means, and a function for receiving ink discharged from the recording means 10 during the recovery operation, and the cap 11 is attached to the opening. A recovery tub 14, a scattering prevention wall means 47 disposed in the vicinity of the recording means 10 to collect or prevent ink droplets on the ejection opening face 88 which has been flipped off by the elastic blade 15, , The scattering of ink droplets when wiping the ejection opening surface 88 by the elastic blade 15 can be minimized, color mixing between different inks adjacent to each other due to the scattered ink, and It is possible to eliminate the harmful effects of ink droplets such as ink contamination and ink contamination inside the recording apparatus. Can reduce or eliminate wasteful consumption of ink used in addition to the recording from allowing reuse recovered and recorded or the like, the ink absorbing member 4
There is provided an ink jet recording apparatus capable of preventing a drop of an ink droplet on a recording medium 20 or a platen during recording due to saturation of 9, 45.

FIG. 7 is a partial longitudinal sectional view showing another example of the structure of the recovery mechanism of one embodiment of the ink jet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 7 shows a state in which the recording means is further moved up and down after the wiping operation of the recovery mechanism according to another embodiment to wipe off the ink droplets adhered to the recording means, and corresponds to FIG. 6 of the above embodiment. FIG. In FIG. 7, between the recovery frame 18 for guiding and supporting the recovery tub unit 14 and the recording surface 21 of the recording medium 20 fed to the recording unit, the recording position of the recording means (recording head) 10 (the descending position shown in the drawing). ) And a recovery position (a raised position shown in the figure), a shutter 55 (or 56) for opening and closing the opening 19 of the recovery plate 18 between recording and non-recording is provided in conjunction with movement (forward / backward movement). ing. The shutter 55 indicated by a solid line indicates a recordable shutter open position,
A shutter 56 indicated by a dashed line indicates a closed position in a non-recording state. The non-recording state refers to all states in which the recording head 10 is at a position other than the recording position.

The opening and closing operation of the shutter 55 is preferably performed by automatically sliding the shutter in conjunction with the vertical movement of the recording head 10. Further, in an ink jet recording apparatus using a plurality of recording heads 10 using different inks, the shutter 55 may be provided independently for each recording head 10, or may be integrated into each recording head 10. May be used. The recovery mechanism of FIG. 7 differs from the embodiment of FIGS. 3 to 6 in having the shutter 55 described above, and has substantially the same configuration in other respects. The same reference numerals are used, and their detailed description is omitted.

According to the configuration shown in FIG. 7, the cap 11 covers the ink discharge portion of the recording means 10 during non-recording, and has a function of receiving ink discharged from the recording means 10 during the recovery operation. A recovery tub 14 having the recovery tub 11 mounted thereon; and a recovery frame 18 for supporting the recovery tub 14, and recording between the recovery frame 18 and the recording medium transport unit in conjunction with the advance / retreat operation of the recording unit 10. An ink jet recording apparatus is provided with a shutter 55 that opens and closes at the time of non-recording. And FIG.
According to the embodiment, in addition to the same operation and effect as those of the embodiment of FIGS. 3 to 6, the ink raked by the elastic blade 15 is more reliably prevented from dropping onto the recording surface of the recording medium 20. The effect is obtained.

In the above embodiment, an ink jet recording apparatus of a line recording system in which recording is performed only by sub-scanning using a line type recording means having a length covering the entire width or a part of the recording material is described as an example. Although the present invention has been described,
The present invention can be similarly applied to a serial recording type ink jet recording apparatus which performs recording while moving the recording means relative to the recording material, and can achieve the same effect. Also, the present invention provides a recording apparatus that performs recording using one recording unit, a color recording apparatus that uses a plurality of recording units that perform recording with inks of different colors, or a printing apparatus that uses a plurality of recording units that perform recording with the same color at different densities. Key recording device,
Furthermore, in the case of a recording device combining these,
It can be applied similarly and can achieve the same effect.

Further, the present invention provides a configuration using a replaceable head cartridge in which a recording head and an ink tank are integrated, a configuration in which the recording head and the ink tank are separated, and the space between them is connected by an ink supply tube or the like. The present invention can be similarly applied to any arrangement of the recording head and the ink tank, and the same effect can be obtained. In addition, the present invention can be applied to an ink jet recording apparatus using, for example, a recording means using an electromechanical transducer such as a piezo element. An excellent effect is obtained in an ink jet recording apparatus using the recording means. According to such a method, it is possible to achieve higher density and higher definition of recording.

[0041]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention (claim 1), in an ink jet recording apparatus for recording on a recording medium by discharging ink from the recording means, the ink of the recording means is used during non-recording. A cap that covers the ejection unit, an elastic blade that wipes the ejection port surface of the recording unit, a recovery tub unit that has a function of receiving ink discharged from the recording unit during a recovery operation, and has the cap attached to the opening, Scattering protection wall means disposed in the vicinity of the recording means for collecting or preventing ink droplets on the ejection port surface which has been flipped off by the elastic blade. Splashing of ink droplets when wiping the ejection port surface can be minimized, and color mixing between adjacent inks due to Of ink droplets and ink droplets inside the recording device, and the ink wiping from the ejection port surface can be collected. The present invention provides an ink jet recording apparatus capable of reducing or eliminating ink droplets and preventing dropping of ink droplets on a recording medium or a platen during recording due to saturation of an ink absorber.

According to the second to sixth aspects of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect, a configuration in which the scattered ink collected by the scatter prevention wall means is guided into the inside of the recovery tub portion, A means for recycling the ink collected in the recovery tub unit via the means and the ink discharged from the discharge port during the recovery operation and received by the recovery tub unit, wherein the recovery tub unit is capable of communicating or independent ink recovery; A configuration having a chamber and a scattered ink recovery chamber, a configuration in which the elastic blade is disposed between the ink recovery chamber and the scattered ink recovery chamber of the recovery trough, or a recovery frame that supports the recovery trough. An ink absorber made of an elastic material for cleaning remaining ink adhered to the edge of the discharge port surface by the wiping operation of the elastic blade by utilizing the movement of the recording means. Since the configuration and the to, it is possible to achieve the above effects more efficiently.

According to another aspect of the present invention (claim 7), in an ink jet recording apparatus for recording on a recording medium by discharging ink from a recording means, a cap for covering an ink discharge portion of the recording means during non-recording is provided. A recovery tub having a function of receiving ink discharged from the recording means during operation and having the cap attached to the opening, and a recovery frame supporting the recovery tub; And a shutter that opens and closes during recording and non-recording in conjunction with the movement of the recording means between the recording unit and the recording unit, so that the scattering of ink droplets when wiping the ejection port surface by the elastic blade is minimized. Can be suppressed to
Color mixing between different inks adjacent to each other due to scattered ink,
An ink jet recording apparatus is provided which can eliminate various inconveniences caused by ink contaminated by an elastic blade, such as ink contamination on a platen and ink inside the recording apparatus.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an embodiment of an inkjet recording apparatus suitable for applying the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway perspective view schematically showing a structure of an ink discharge unit of a recording unit in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a partial longitudinal sectional view showing a capping state of a recovery mechanism of an embodiment of the ink jet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 4 is a partial longitudinal sectional view showing a state of a wiping operation (at the time of wiping and cleaning) of the recovery mechanism of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view showing a scattered state of ink droplets immediately after the wiping operation of the recovery mechanism of FIG. 3;

6 is a partial longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which ink droplets adhered to the recording means are wiped by using the movement of the recording means after the wiping operation of the recovery mechanism of FIG. 3 is completed.

FIG. 7 illustrates a state in which the ink droplets adhered to the recording unit are wiped using the movement of the recording unit after the wiping operation of another configuration example of the recovery mechanism of the embodiment of the ink jet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied. It is a partial longitudinal section.

FIG. 8 is a partial longitudinal sectional view showing a capping state of a conventional recovery mechanism of the ink jet recording apparatus.

9 is a partial longitudinal sectional view showing a state of the wiping operation (at the time of wiping and cleaning) of the recovery mechanism of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which ink droplets are scattered immediately after the wiping operation of the recovery mechanism in FIG. 8;

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 recording means (recording head) 11 cap 13 raked ink on discharge port surface 14 recovery tub 15 elastic blade 18 recovery frame 19 opening 20 recording medium (recording paper etc.) 21 recording surface 30 ink tank 31 pressure pump 32 suction Pump 35 Sub-tank 38 Recycle pump 41 Ink recovery chamber 42 Scattered ink recovery chamber (wipe liquid recovery chamber) 43 Ink guide 45 Ink absorber (scattered ink recovery chamber) 46 Communication port 47 Splash protection wall means 49 Ink absorber (scatter protection wall) Means) 50 Ink absorber (recovery frame) 55 Shutter

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. An ink jet recording apparatus for recording on a recording medium by discharging ink from a recording means, wherein a cap for covering an ink discharge portion of the recording means during non-recording, and an elastic blade for wiping an ejection opening surface of the recording means. A recovery tub having a function of receiving ink discharged from the recording means at the time of a recovery operation and having the cap attached to the opening, and collecting or recovering ink droplets on the discharge port surface which has been flipped off by the elastic blade. An ink jet recording apparatus, comprising: scattering prevention wall means disposed near the recording means for preventing scattering. 2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the scattered ink collected by the scatter prevention wall is guided into the recovery tub. 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the ink collected in the recovery tub portion via the scattering prevention wall means and the ink discharged from the ejection port and received by the recovery tub portion during the recovery operation are recycled. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1. 4. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recovery tub has a communication or independent ink collection chamber and a scattered ink collection chamber. 5. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the elastic blade is disposed between the ink collecting chamber and the scattered ink collecting chamber of the recovery tub. 6. An elasticity for cleaning a recovery frame supporting the recovery tub portion by using a movement of a recording means to remove unwiped ink adhered to an edge of the discharge port surface by a wiping operation of the elastic blade. The ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein an ink absorber made of a material is provided. 7. An ink jet recording apparatus which discharges ink from a recording unit to perform recording on a recording medium, and receives a cap covering an ink ejection portion of the recording unit during non-recording and ink discharged from the recording unit during a recovery operation. A recovery tub having a function and having the cap attached to the opening, and a recovery frame supporting the recovery tub, comprising a recovery tub between the recovery frame and the recording medium transport unit. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising a shutter that opens and closes in conjunction with recording and non-recording in conjunction with each other. 8. The ink jet recording device according to claim 1, wherein said recording device is an ink jet recording device having an electrothermal converter for generating thermal energy used for discharging ink. The inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims. 9. An ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said recording means discharges the ink from a discharge port using film boiling generated in the ink by thermal energy generated by the electrothermal transducer. .