JP2001158106A - Ink jet recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ink jet recorder which can exhibit ejection stability while preventing clogging of nozzles. SOLUTION: The ink jet recorder 10 comprises ink outlets 30, a nozzle face 26 provided with the ink outlets 30, a member 24 for supplying sealing liquid 36 to the nozzle face 26, and a sealing liquid regulation member 22 supported movably relative to the nozzle face 26. The ink jet recorder 10 has a first mode (Fig. 1(a)) for moving the sealing liquid regulation member 22 relatively while keeping a first distance in the normal direction of the nozzle face 26 to remove the sealing liquid 36 supplied onto the nozzle face 26, and a second mode (Fig. 1(b)) for moving the sealing liquid regulation member 22 relatively while keeping a second distance in the normal direction of the nozzle face 26 to supply the sealing liquid 36 onto the nozzle face 26.

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 for performing printing by discharging droplets such as ink drops on a surface to be printed.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional ink jet recording apparatus, it is a major problem to prevent nozzle clogging due to drying and thickening of ink during non-operation. Various ink materials have been developed to solve this problem, but it is still difficult to reduce evaporation of the ink solvent. In a commercially available ink jet recording apparatus, at the time of non-printing or during a long period of non-operation, the nozzle is shielded from outside air by a capping means made of resin or the like to delay the drying of the ink. However, this capping means
In order to more effectively increase the airtightness of the nozzle, complicated procedures and devices are required. Also, with this capping means, the nozzle cannot be completely shielded from the air, and during storage, the drying and thickening of the ink inside the nozzle gradually progress, which may cause nozzle clogging. is there.

In a commercially available ink jet recording apparatus, various maintenance operations are required in order to eliminate nozzle clogging due to long-term suspension, and various members are attached accordingly. For example, in a case where the clogging of the nozzle is eliminated by a vacuum operation in which the clogging in the nozzle is pulled out from the outside of the nozzle by negative pressure, a pump and a waste ink absorber are required in the apparatus. as a result,
The equipment is becoming more complicated and larger, increasing the cost of the equipment.
Further, since the nozzle surfaces are collectively made to have a negative pressure, a large amount of ink is also sucked out from nozzles where no clogging occurs and discarded, thereby increasing running costs. In addition, in the case where nozzle clogging is eliminated by repeating the dummy jet operation and the wiping operation, a mechanism for moving the head to the maintenance position or pressing a member such as a blade against the head surface and performing a sliding movement is required, The equipment becomes complicated and the cost increases. In addition, after long-term suspension of the inkjet recording device, maintenance operations are performed by combining these operations before printing, and waiting time before printing and noise due to maintenance operations also occur, giving disadvantage to users. I have.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 52-104130 discloses a method for avoiding the problem caused by clogging after a long period of suspension by using a seal liquid insoluble in ink and a means for forming a film of the seal liquid. A method is disclosed to seal the ink from air and prevent drying of the ink. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 49-115548 discloses that a seal liquid and a wetting mechanism are used to seal an ink discharge port when a printing apparatus is not operating, and to supply a seal liquid by a switch provided in a seal liquid supply path during operation. A method for stopping the operation is disclosed. However, in these methods, since the sealing state of the sealing liquid is broken by discharging the ink from the discharge port, there is a disadvantage that the resistance of ink discharge at the start of discharge is high. When the temperature of the environment in which the printing apparatus is used becomes low, the viscosity of the seal liquid may increase, and in the worst case, there is a problem that ink cannot be ejected.

Further, in the means for forming a film of the sealing liquid and the wetting mechanism, the sealing liquid is re-supplied to the discharge port by utilizing the capillary force and the spread of the wetting. However, the sealing liquid cannot be re-supplied positively. After the end of the ejection, the sealing of the ejection port with the sealing liquid may be insufficient. Also, when the environmental temperature decreases, the viscosity of the sealing liquid increases, and the time required for re-supply of the sealing liquid increases, and during that time,
The ink located at the ink ejection port is exposed to air. As a result, the ink dries, the ejection performance changes, and the diameter of the ink droplet and the ejection direction vary,
The image quality of the formed image is degraded. Further, when the seal liquid is supplied by the supply pipe, if air or foreign matter enters the supply pipe or the minute gap, the seal liquid cannot be supplied, and in the worst case, the discharge port is clogged due to ink drying.

[0006]

As described above, in the ink jet recording head of the type in which the nozzle is sealed by the seal liquid, conventionally, when the ink droplet is ejected from the ejection port, the seal liquid is blown together with the ink. Since the sealing state of the ink discharge port is released, the resistance of the seal liquid at the start of discharge is high, and the ink cannot be discharged in the worst case, such as when the viscosity of the seal liquid increases due to an environment change. are doing. In general, many non-volatile liquids having a low vapor pressure have a high kinematic viscosity due to a large molecular weight. Therefore, it is desirable to select a seal liquid having a high kinematic viscosity in order to make the seal liquid non-volatile for a longer period of time and maintain the sealing performance against clogging. Therefore, in order to adopt a specification that prevents clogging for a longer period of time, a sealing liquid having a high kinematic viscosity must be used, or the thickness of the sealing liquid must be increased, and the discharge resistance further increases. As a result, it becomes difficult to achieve both clogging prevention performance and discharge performance.

Further, in a configuration in which capillary force and wet spreading are used for re-supply of the sealing liquid after the end of discharge, the re-supply performance of the sealing liquid depends on the physical properties of the sealing liquid, the shape around the discharge port, and the wettability. In some cases, it may not be possible to quickly resupply the sealing liquid. In particular, when the environmental temperature decreases and the viscosity of the seal liquid increases, it takes time until the amount of the seal liquid necessary to sufficiently seal the ink discharge ports is resupplied. There are cases. Further, as described above, in order to adopt a specification that prevents clogging for a longer period of time, even when a seal liquid having a high kinematic viscosity is used, it takes time to re-supply after the end of discharge. . If the time required for re-supply is prolonged, and if the ink discharge port cannot be reliably sealed, a change or variation in the discharge performance due to ink drying may occur, which may cause a deterioration in the quality of the formed image. In the worst case, re-supply cannot be performed, and clogging of the discharge port occurs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and has as its object to stably discharge a nozzle in a system in which a nozzle is sealed with a sealing liquid even if the surrounding environment changes. An object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus capable of preventing clogging of nozzles, and further, having a high degree of freedom in designing to a specification for preventing clogging for a longer period of time. . Another object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus in which a nozzle is sealed with a sealing liquid, the discharge port can be reliably sealed after the discharge, and the image quality hardly deteriorates due to defective re-supply.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink jet recording apparatus for supplying an ink discharge port, a nozzle surface provided with the ink discharge port, and a seal liquid to the nozzle surface. Seal liquid supply member, a seal liquid regulating member supported movably relative to the nozzle surface, and the seal liquid regulating member,
Keeping a first distance in the direction perpendicular to the nozzle surface,
A first mode of relatively moving and removing the sealing liquid supplied on the nozzle surface, and a relatively moving while maintaining the sealing liquid regulating member at a second distance in a direction perpendicular to the nozzle surface. And a second mode for supplying a sealing liquid onto the nozzle surface.

In the ink jet recording apparatus according to the first aspect,
Prior to ink ejection, in a first mode, the sealing liquid is removed from the front of the ink ejection port. For this reason, even in a low temperature environment in which the viscosity of the sealing liquid increases, a discharge failure hardly occurs, and a clear image can be printed. Also,
In the ink jet recording apparatus according to the first aspect, before the head enters the standby state, the seal liquid is supplied in the second mode, and the ink discharge ports are sealed by the seal liquid. Clogging due to drying of the ink hardly occurs. Therefore, the discharge operation can be performed immediately when needed, and the maintenance process after a long-term suspension can be reduced or omitted. Furthermore, since the thickness of the seal liquid is regulated by the seal liquid regulating member when the seal liquid is supplied, the seal liquid can be reliably re-supplied after the end of the discharge, and ink drying due to a defective seal is unlikely to occur.

Further, since the sealing liquid is removed from the nozzle surface at the time of ink discharge and is reliably re-supplied after the end of the ink discharge, the thickness of the sealing liquid to be arranged can be increased, or a high-viscosity sealing liquid material can be selected. Even so, it is possible to achieve both the performance against clogging and the discharge performance, and it is possible to design an ink jet recording apparatus that prevents clogging for a longer period of time. Furthermore, with a simple configuration,
It can achieve both sealing liquid removal performance and high-precision volume control performance. The seal liquid removed in the first mode and the seal liquid whose amount is regulated in the second mode can be recovered, and the seal liquid can be used efficiently.

It is preferable that the second distance is longer than the first distance. Preferably, the second distance is variable. Further, it is preferable that the seal liquid supply member and the seal liquid regulating member are arranged so as to act on the nozzle surface in this order.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink jet recording apparatus, comprising: an ink discharge port; a nozzle surface provided with the ink discharge port; and a seal liquid supply member capable of supplying a seal liquid to the nozzle surface. And a sealing liquid regulating member supported so as to be relatively movable with respect to the nozzle surface, wherein the sealing liquid regulating member is relatively in contact with the nozzle surface with respect to the nozzle surface. Removing the sealing liquid on the nozzle surface by moving;
In addition, the seal liquid on the nozzle surface is regulated to a predetermined film thickness by moving relatively to the nozzle surface while being separated from the nozzle surface.

In the ink jet recording apparatus according to a fifth aspect,
Before discharging the ink from the ink discharge port, the seal liquid regulating member moves relative to the nozzle surface while contacting the nozzle surface, and the seal liquid on the nozzle surface is removed. Further, before the head enters a resting state, the sealing liquid is supplied by the sealing liquid supply member, and the sealing liquid regulating member moves relatively to the nozzle surface in a state where the sealing liquid regulating member is separated from the nozzle surface. Above, a sealing liquid is supplied. Therefore, the ejection stability is good when ink is ejected, and clogging of the ink can be prevented during pause.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink jet recording apparatus, comprising: an ink ejection port; a nozzle surface provided with the ink ejection port; and a seal liquid supply member capable of supplying a seal liquid to the nozzle surface. And a seal liquid regulating member supported to be relatively movable with respect to the nozzle surface, and a separation distance adjustment capable of adjusting a separation distance between the seal liquid restriction member and the nozzle surface in a direction perpendicular to the nozzle surface. Means, wherein the separation distance adjusting means includes a first position at which the seal liquid regulating member is at least in contact with the nozzle surface, and a second position which is at least separated from the nozzle surface.
It can be arranged at the position of.

In the ink jet recording apparatus according to the sixth aspect,
Before the ink is ejected from the ink ejection port, the seal liquid regulating member is maintained at the first position at least in contact with the nozzle surface by the separation distance adjusting means, and is relatively in contact with the nozzle surface while being in contact with the nozzle surface. It moves and the sealing liquid on the nozzle surface is removed. Further, before the head enters the rest state, the seal liquid regulating member is maintained at the first position at least separated from the nozzle surface, moves relatively to the nozzle surface while separating from the nozzle surface, and supplies the seal liquid. The member controls the thickness of the seal liquid supplied to the nozzle surface. Therefore, the ejection stability is good when ink is ejected, and clogging of the ink can be prevented during pause.

It is preferable that the separation distance adjusting means can arrange the seal liquid regulating member at a third position between a first position and a second position. Further, the separation distance adjusting means, by inserting a spacer having a predetermined thickness between the seal liquid regulating member and the nozzle surface,
Means that enable the seal liquid regulating member to be arranged at the second position may be used.

In the ink jet recording apparatus, it is preferable that the surface energy of the sealing liquid supplied by the sealing liquid supply member is less than the surface energy of the nozzle surface. Further, it is preferable that the nozzle surface has regions where the surface energies are different from each other, and the surface energy of the peripheral portion surrounding the ink discharge port of the nozzle surface is less than the surface energy of the sealing liquid supplied by the sealing liquid supply member. . Further, the peripheral portion of the nozzle surface may be formed in a convex shape.

[0019]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the ink jet recording apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged schematic diagram of the head 12. FIG. 1 schematically shows the operations of the first mode and the second mode of the inkjet recording apparatus 10 of the present embodiment.

FIG. 2 shows an ink jet printer according to the present embodiment.
The recording device 10 includes an inkjet recording head 12 and an image
Ejecting means (non-
(Not shown) and a control means 14 for controlling the
Moving means 16 for moving the paper 12 and conveying the recording paper 20
Transport means 18 for performing the operation. The moving means 16
A carriage 16a on which the head 12 is mounted, and an ink cartridge.
Fixed to an outer frame (not shown) of the jet recording apparatus 10.
At the same time, the carriage portion 16a is moved by an arrow x in the drawing. ₁-X_TwoOne
A carriage shaft 16b movably supporting the carriage shaft 16b;
Move the carriage 16a to the arrow x.₁-X_TwoKey to move in the direction
And a carriage feed belt 16c. Transport
The means 18 rotatably controls the ink jet recording apparatus 10.
Paper feed roller 18a supported by an outer frame (not shown)
And a paper feed shaft (not shown).

The ink jet recording apparatus 10 includes a head 1
2 has a standby mode located in the standby area (S1) and a print mode located in the print area (S3). Head 1
Reference numeral 2 denotes an ink discharge port 30 on the nozzle surface 26 of the nozzle plate 28.
And an ejection chamber 34 in which the ink ejection means 32 is provided. The ink ejection chamber 34 is provided with an ink tank 3 and an ink supply path (neither shown) outside the head 12 by an action caused by, for example, a capillary force or a pressure difference.
8 are supplied. When the inkjet recording apparatus is in the standby mode, that is, when the head 12 is located in the region S1, the sealing liquid 36 is located on the nozzle surface 26, and the ink 38 exposed at the ejection port 30 is in a sealed state. (FIG. 2B). On the other hand, when the inkjet recording apparatus is in the print mode, that is, when the head 12 is in the region S3
, The seal liquid 36 is hardly located on the nozzle surface 26 (FIG. 2A).

Incidentally, the ink jet recording apparatus 10 may shift to the standby mode at the end of a series of printing operations (at the end of the printing mode), or may shift to the standby mode after the printing on the entire recording sheet is completed. You may transition. Alternatively, the mode may be shifted to the standby mode after a non-printing state for a predetermined time or after the power switch is turned off. The head 12 may be controlled so as to be located in the area S1 in addition to the standby mode. For example, the area S1 may be set as a data waiting position in the print mode, or a series of maintenance may be performed in the area S1. Means may be provided as an area for performing head maintenance. Alternatively, the standby area S1 is the area S2 or the area S
3 may be used.

Further, the ink jet recording apparatus 10
When shifting from the standby mode to the print mode, the nozzle face 26
(A) in the first mode in which the seal liquid 36 located in the second position is removed. On the other hand, when the mode shifts from the print mode to the standby mode, the second mode in which the seal liquid 36 is supplied onto the nozzle surface 26 is provided. Mode (FIG. 1B). The first mode and the second mode are executed by the seal liquid regulating member 22 and the seal liquid supply member 24 arranged in the intermediate area S2 located between the print area S3 and the standby area S1. The seal liquid regulating member 22 and the seal liquid supply member 24 are supported by the stages 23 and 25 so as to be movable in the directions of arrows y1-y2 in the drawing (perpendicular to the nozzle surface 26 of the head 12).
The distance between the end surface 22a and the seal liquid supply member 24a and the nozzle surface 26 can be adjusted.

The operation of the seal liquid regulating member 22 and the seal liquid supply member 24 in the first mode will be described with reference to FIG. In the first mode, the head 12 passes through the area S2 from the area S1 toward the area S3 (in the direction of the arrow x2). That is, the seal liquid regulating member 22 and the seal liquid supply member 24 move the arrow
Move relatively in the direction. In the first mode, the sealing liquid restricting member 22 is connected to the end surface 2 of the sealing liquid restricting member 22.
It is held at a position where the distance between the nozzle 2a and the nozzle surface 26 becomes zero. On the other hand, the sealing liquid supply member 24 is held at a position where at least the end surface 24 a comes into contact with the sealing liquid 36 originally located on the nozzle surface 26. Therefore, when the head 12 passes through the region S2, the end surface 22a of the sealing liquid regulating member 22 relatively moves in the direction of the arrow x1 while making surface contact with the nozzle surface 26, and is originally located on the nozzle surface 26. The sealing liquid 36 and the sealing liquid 36 supplied from the sealing liquid supply member 24 are removed (FIGS. 4A and 4B). The sealing liquid 36 removed from the nozzle surface 26 is applied to the sealing liquid regulating member 22
It is absorbed by the seal liquid supply member 24 located downstream in the relative movement direction x1 (FIG. 4C). If the sealing liquid supply member 24 cannot absorb the sealing liquid 36, a separate absorber may be provided to absorb the excess sealing liquid, as described later, or preferably, the sealing liquid may be sealed as described later. By changing the volume of the liquid supply member 24, the collection efficiency can be improved. The head 12 from which the sealing liquid 36 has been removed thereafter reaches the region S3 (FIG. 4).
(D)) Then, the inkjet recording apparatus 10 shifts from the first mode to the print mode.

Thereafter, the head 12 is moved by the moving means 16 to the area S3 where the recording paper 20 conveyed by the conveying means 20 and the nozzle surface 16 face each other. From the driving unit 14, the ejection unit 32 disposed inside the head 12
The ejection means 32 supplies energy to the ink 38 in accordance with the input signal, and ejects the ink 38 from a desired ink ejection port 30. The ejected ink droplet lands on the recording paper 20 to form an image on the recording paper 20.

The operation of the seal liquid regulating member 22 and the seal liquid supply member 24 in the second mode will be described with reference to FIG. When the print mode ends, the inkjet recording head 12 shifts to the second mode. Simultaneously with the end of the print mode, the head 12 moves in the direction of the arrow x1, and returns from the area S3 to the area S1. Then, it moves in the arrow x2 direction and passes through the area S2. That is, the end surface 2 of the seal liquid regulating member 22 and the seal liquid supply member 24.
4a moves relatively parallel to the nozzle surface 26 in the direction of the arrow x1 (FIG. 5A). In the second mode,
The seal liquid regulating member 22 is held at a position where the end surface 22a of the seal liquid regulating member 22 and the nozzle surface 26 are separated by a distance L2. On the other hand, the end surface 24 a of the sealing liquid supply member 24 is held at a position in contact with the nozzle surface 26. Therefore, when the head 12 passes through the region S2 in the direction of the arrow x1, the end surface 24a of the sealing liquid supply member 24 comes into contact with the nozzle surface 26 in advance, and the excess sealing liquid 36 is supplied to the nozzle surface 26. (FIG. 5 (b)). Nozzle surface 2
Thereafter, the sealing liquid 36 supplied to 6 comes into contact with the end surface 22a of the sealing liquid restricting member 22 that moves relatively at a position separated by a distance L2 from the nozzle surface 26, and the layer thickness is regulated ( FIG. 5 (c)). Excess seal liquid 36 removed from the nozzle surface 26 is absorbed by the preceding seal liquid supply member 24 (FIGS. 5D to 5E).
If the seal liquid supply member 24 cannot absorb the seal liquid 36, an extra absorber may be installed to absorb the excess seal liquid as described later, or the seal liquid supply member may be absorbed as described later. It is preferable to change the volume of 24 to improve the collection efficiency. The seal liquid regulating member 22 and the seal liquid supply member 24 are again disposed at a position separated from the nozzle surface 26 (a position separated from the distance L2), and the head 12 moves again in the direction of the arrow x1, and moves to the region 1. Return. The inkjet recording device shifts to the standby mode.

The ink jet recording apparatus 1 of the present embodiment
0 is the first during transition from standby mode to print mode.
In this mode, the seal liquid 36 sealing the ink discharge port 30 is removed, so that in the print mode, stable ink discharge is possible and the quality of the formed image can be improved. On the other hand, when shifting from the print mode to the standby mode, the seal liquid is stably supplied to the nozzle surface 26 by the second mode, so that the sealability of the ink discharge ports 30 is good in the standby mode. .

FIGS. 1 to 5 show one ink ejection port 30.
Although only the ink ejection port 30 is shown, a plurality of ink ejection ports 30 may be provided on the nozzle surface 26. Although FIGS. 2 to 5 show drawings in which the ink ejection ports 30 are arranged in the downward direction, the ink ejection direction, that is, the arrangement direction of the recording head can be appropriately selected as desired. Generally, ink droplets are ejected in the direction of gravity (downward).

The ink ejection means 32 usable in the present embodiment includes ink ejection means used in a conventional ink jet recording head, for example, a pressurizing method.
Ink jetting means such as a continuous flow method and an electrostatic suction method can be widely used, and a method of concentrating acoustic waves, pressure waves, and the like can also be used. A thermal ink jet system or a piezoelectric system can be used as a pressurizing system discharging unit.

Ink 3 usable in the present embodiment
8 can be appropriately selected according to the ejection method.
For example, a known aqueous dye ink or aqueous pigment ink for inkjet can be used.

The seal liquid 36 usable in the present embodiment has a function of sealing the ink discharge port 30 and shielding the ink 38 from air. The seal liquid 36 having such a function contains at least a component insoluble in the ink, is incompatible with the ink, and does not spontaneously emulsify with the ink.

In order for the sealing liquid 36 and the ink 38 to be incompatible, specifically, the ink 3
0.1% by weight at room temperature (25 ° C)
It is preferred that:

Further, it is preferable that the sealing liquid 36 is non-volatile because it does not evaporate while the head 12 is at rest, and the sealing liquid 36 does not change the sealing state of the ink discharge ports 30. Specifically, non-volatile means that the vapor pressure at room temperature is 0.1 mmHg or less.

The kinematic viscosity of the sealing liquid 36 is determined by setting the period for preventing clogging, the diameter of the ejection means 32, the diameter of the ink ejection port 30,
The ejection frequency of the recording head 12, the film thickness of the seal liquid 36,
A design specification such as a method of disposing the sealing liquid 36 can be appropriately selected, and the kinematic viscosity can be widely used from a low viscosity to a high viscosity. However, in general, many non-volatile liquids having a low vapor pressure have a high kinematic viscosity due to a large molecular weight. Therefore, in order to maintain the sealing performance against clogging of the ink ejection port 30 without evaporating for a longer period of time, it is desirable to use a material having a high kinematic viscosity as the sealing liquid 36. On the other hand, considering the viscous resistance of the removal (the first mode) by the sealing liquid regulating member 22 and the regulation of the amount of the sealing liquid 36 (the second mode), a material having a low kinematic viscosity is preferably used as the sealing liquid 36. desirable. Considering these, it is desirable to use a material having a kinematic viscosity of 1 to 1000 mm ² / s at room temperature as the seal liquid 36.

The surface tension of the sealing liquid 36 is
(Or a recording device equipped with the same), it is preferably 15 to 70 mN / m.
/ M or less.
Is preferably smaller than the surface tension.

As the seal liquid 36, a material originally having the above-mentioned preferable range of properties can be used alone, or a plurality of materials can be mixed to adjust the viscosity, surface tension, etc. to the above-mentioned preferable ranges. Is also good.

When an aqueous ink is used as the ink 38, an organic solvent or oil that is liquid at normal temperature can be used as the seal liquid 36. For example, octane, nonane, tetradecane, hydrocarbons such as dodecane, oleic acid, higher fatty acids such as linoleic acid, n-decanol,
Water-insoluble alcohols such as dimethylbutanol, and plasticizers such as dibutyl phthalate and dibutyl maleate can be used. Alternatively, vegetable oil, mineral oil, silicone oil, fluorine oil and the like can be used. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more as long as they can be mixed uniformly.

In the present embodiment, the ink ejection port 30
The film thickness of the seal liquid 36 for sealing is appropriately set in accordance with design specifications such as the period for maintaining the sealing performance, the ejection means, the diameter of the ink ejection port 30, the ejection frequency of the recording head 12, and the kinematic viscosity of the seal liquid 36. It is possible. However, considering the sealing performance against clogging and the viscous resistance when the sealing liquid regulating member 22 rubs against the sealing liquid 36 in the first mode, the layer thickness of the sealing liquid is 5 μm or more and 500 μm or more.
μm or less, and more preferably 5 μm or more and 200 μm or less. The film thickness of the sealing liquid 36 is
It can be set by the separation distance L2 between the end face 22a of the seal liquid regulating member 22 and the nozzle face 26 in the second mode in the direction perpendicular to the nozzle face 26.

The flat nozzle surface 26 facilitates the removal of the seal liquid 36 by the seal liquid regulating member 22 in the first mode, and the regulation of the film thickness of the seal liquid 36 in the second mode. This is preferable because the film thickness of the sealing liquid 36 becomes more uniform. Specifically, the flatness of the nozzle surface 26 is preferably 0.5 to 5 μm, and the surface roughness Ra is preferably 0.1 to 2 μm.

At least the ink discharge ports 3 on the nozzle surface 26
It is preferable that the periphery of 0 is made of a material having a sealing liquid property (a property that the sealing liquid is easily wetted and spread). For example, the nozzle plate 28 may be made of a material having a lyophilic property, or a layer made of a material having a lyophilic property may be formed on part or all of the surface of the nozzle plate 28. In addition, nozzle plate 2
The surface of No. 8 may be subjected to a surface treatment so that a part or all of the nozzle surface 26 is made to be a liquid-seal-friendly property.

When the surface energy of the nozzle surface 26 is E1 and the surface energy of the sealing liquid 36 is Es, Es ≦ E
When the material of the combination that becomes 1 is selected, the sealing liquid 3
The wettability of the nozzle surface 26 with respect to the nozzle surface 6 is increased, and the liquid crystal becomes liquid-seal-friendly (adhesion is improved, and it is difficult to repel the seal liquid). Specifically, the critical surface tension γ of the nozzle surface 26
It is preferable to select and use a combination of materials in which 1 and the surface tension γs of the sealing liquid 36 satisfy γs ≦ γ1. When silicone oil is selected as the sealing liquid 36, various metal materials (Ni, A
l, Au, stainless steel, etc.), inorganic materials (silicon single crystal substrate), or organic materials (polyamide resin, polyimide resin, polyethylene terephthalate resin, etc.) can be used.

As shown in FIG. 6, the nozzle surface is formed of a nozzle surface 26 'having a liquid-repellent sealing region 26b at the periphery so as to surround the region 26a in which the ink discharge ports 30 are formed. It is preferred that Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the nozzle surface has a convex enclosing area 26d (for example, the peripheral portion of the nozzle surface 26 of the head 12) other than the area 26c that comes into contact with the seal liquid regulating member 22 in the first mode. Preferably, the nozzle surface 26 '' is provided with If the nozzle surfaces are the nozzle surface 26 'and the nozzle surface 26'', the surface energy of the ink-repellent region 26b and the convex portions 26c
Height can be appropriately set according to the area of the nozzle surface, the surface tension of the sealing liquid, the film thickness of the sealing liquid disposed on the nozzle surface, and the like, when an unexpected impact is given to the head 12, or Even when the seal liquid 36 vibrates when the head 12 is moved by the moving means 16, the seal liquid 36 is less likely to move from the nozzle surface 26, and
Sealing performance can be further maintained. Further, it is possible to prevent the sealing liquid 36 from scattering and contaminating the inside of the inkjet recording apparatus 10. In particular, when the area 26b having the seal-repellent liquid property is formed, the surplus seal liquid 36 removed from the nozzle surface 26 'in the first mode and the second mode is used for the seal liquid supply member 2
4 is more preferred because it can be further absorbed. still,
6 and 7 show the nozzle face 26 'and the nozzle face 2
6A is a top view showing a state in which the sealing liquid regulating member 22 and the sealing liquid supply member 24 face each other when passing through a region S2, and a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA ′.

At the nozzle surfaces 26 'and 26'',
The smaller the area of the region 26a and the region 26c which are the regions for holding the respective seal liquids, the smaller the supply / removal amount of the seal liquid 36 can be. As a result, the sealing liquid regulating member 22 and the sealing liquid supplying member 24
And the capacity of the storage portion for the seal liquid 36 can be reduced, and the inkjet recording apparatus 10 can be further downsized.
When the nozzle surface 26 '' is used, in the first and second modes, after the seal liquid regulating member 22 and the seal liquid supply member 24 are caused to act only inside the region 26c, the height of the convex portion is increased. It is also preferable to make relative movement at a distance longer than that. When the seal liquid regulating member 22 and the seal liquid supply member 24 are operated in this way, when the first mode and the second mode end, the area 26
This is preferable because scattering of the sealing liquid 36 due to the contact of the sealing liquid regulating member 22 and the sealing liquid supply member 24 with the convex portion c is unlikely to occur. As a result, contamination inside the ink jet recording apparatus 10 can be further prevented, which is preferable. The convex enclosure 26d can be formed by bonding a material constituting the convex portion, etching the concave portion, forming a concave portion by electric discharge machining, or the like. The liquid-repellent seal region 26b is formed by applying a liquid-repellent seal material and curing thereafter, or after forming the surface of the nozzle plate 28 with the seal-repellent material, the region 26a is subjected to a parent seal process by roughening or the like. Can be formed.

As shown in FIG. 6, in the case where the liquid-repellent seal region 26a and the liquid-repellent seal region 26b are formed on the nozzle surface, the surface energy E of the liquid-repellent seal region 26b is obtained.
2. The surface energy Es of the sealing liquid 36 is E2 <Es
It is preferable to select a combination of the following materials, since the wettability of the seal repellent liquid region 26b with the seal liquid 36 is reduced. Specifically, the liquid-repellent sealing liquid region 26b
Critical surface tension γ2 and the surface tension γs of the seal liquid are
It is preferable to select and use a combination of materials satisfying γ2 <γs. When silicone oil is selected as the sealing liquid 36, various fluorine resins such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkylvinyl ether copolymer (PFA) may be used as the material of the sealing liquid repellent region 26b. Can be used.

The sealing liquid regulating member 22 that can be used in the present embodiment preferably has a flat end face 22a. It is preferable that this surface is opposed to the nozzle surface 26 in parallel. As a material of the seal liquid regulating member 22, an elastic member which is not affected by the seal liquid 36 is preferable. If the sealing liquid regulating member 22 is made of a sealing liquid repellent material, the sealing liquid 36 is less likely to wet the surface of the sealing liquid regulating member 22 in the first and second modes, and is contaminated by the sealing liquid 36. It is preferable because it is difficult.
Although it depends on the kinematic viscosity and surface tension of the sealing liquid 36 used, the material of the nozzle surface 26, and the like, the adhesion and removal performance with the nozzle surface 26 in the first mode, and the rigidity (sealing liquid 36 Considering the rigidity for regulating the film thickness of the sealing liquid, the sealing liquid regulating member 22 preferably has the following size and properties. The rubber hardness of the sealing liquid regulating member 22 is 30 to 80 (JIS
Hardness), the ratio of the length in the longitudinal direction (length in the y1-y2 direction) to the thickness (length in the x1-x2 direction) is 5: 1 to 50:
1. The thickness of the portion facing the nozzle surface 26 (the end surface 22a) is 0.5 to 2 mm, and the portion facing the nozzle surface 26 (the end surface 22a).
It is preferable that the surface roughness Ra of a) is 0.1 to 5 μm and the edge shape of the contact portion is 90 ° ± 10 °.

As a material of the sealing liquid regulating member 22,
Examples include urethane rubber, silicone rubber, and ethylene propylene rubber (EPDM). Further, a resin layer having liquid repellency for sealing may be formed on the surface. Such a seal liquid regulating member 22 can be manufactured by applying a coating liquid containing a seal repellent liquid material or a material exhibiting seal repellent liquid property by curing to the seal liquid regulating member and curing.

As shown in FIG. 8, the sealing liquid supply member 24 has an end 24b in the direction of arrow y2 in contact with the storage portion 40 of the sealing liquid 36, and extends from the end 24b to an end surface 24a in the direction of arrow y1. , Is filled with the sealing liquid 36 (FIG. 8).
(A)). In the first mode or the second mode, when the end surface 24a of the sealing liquid supply member 24 comes into contact with the nozzle surface 26 (FIG. 8B), the sealing liquid 36 held on the end surface 24a is The seal liquid 36 is designed to move to the nozzle surface 26 due to the affinity with the nozzle surface 26 (FIG. 8C), and to be replenished from the storage unit 40 by the moved amount (FIG. 8D). . The end face 24a is formed by the capillary force of the material forming the end face 24a, the capillary force of the material forming the inside of the sealing liquid supply member 24, the static pressure or the head pressure in the storage section 40, or the storage section. The sealing liquid 36 is held by, for example, balancing with the capillary force of the porous body disposed in the inside 40.
For example, by capillary force, the end face 24 a
In order to fill (hold) the sealing liquid up to the height h from the liquid surface of the sealing liquid 36 in the storage unit 40 to the end surface 24a, the pore diameter of the sealing liquid supply member 24 (average hole system, Capillary diameter) d, surface tension γs of the sealing liquid, contact angle θ between the supply member and the sealing liquid, and sealing liquid density ρ
In the case of gravitational acceleration g, the sealing liquid supply member 24 may be designed so that the following relational expression holds. d <2γ cos θ / ρgh

When the first mode and the second mode are completed and the sealing liquid supply member 24 is separated from the nozzle surface 26, the excess sealing liquid 36 removed from the nozzle surface 26 by the sealing liquid regulating member 22 is removed. Seal liquid supply member 24
Or a part thereof is also absorbed by an absorber described later, and the seal liquid 36 is held at the equilibrium position.

The sealing liquid supply member 24 is
Is made of a material that can hold at least the sealing liquid. Examples of the material capable of holding the sealing liquid include a porous body of continuous cells, a fiber, a bundle of capillaries, and the like. Depending on the kinematic viscosity and surface tension of the sealing liquid 36, the material of the nozzle surface 26, etc., part or all of the sealing liquid supply member 24 is made of a porous material in that the supply and recovery performance of the sealing liquid 36 is improved. It is preferred to configure. As for the thickness of the end face 24a, the thickness in the direction of the arrow x1-x2 is preferably 1 to 5 mm.

As the porous body, a resin porous body produced by stretching, rolling, foaming or the like is desirable. It is preferable to use a material having an average pore diameter of 1 to 1000 μm and a porosity of 30 to 98%, depending on the material of the porous body and the production method. Further, in order to more effectively switch the supply / recovery function of the sealing liquid due to the volume change, the sealing liquid supply member 24 is desirably an elastically deformable member. If the pressure required for the elastic deformation is large, the nozzle surface may be damaged. Therefore, the elastic modulus is preferably 100 MPa or less.
As specific examples of the porous body, a so-called foam such as a fluororesin porous body produced by stretching and rolling, a polyolefin resin porous body, a polyurethane foam produced to have open cells by foaming, a polyethylene foam, a polystyrene foam, and the like. Foam rubbers may be mentioned.

It is preferable that the sealing liquid supply member 24 is made of an ink-repellent material because it is difficult for ink to adhere to the sealing liquid supply member and troubles such as defective sealing liquid supply hardly occur. Further, the sealing liquid supply member 24
It is preferable that the material is ink repellent and porous. Examples of the ink repellent material include a porous fluororesin, a polyolefin resin, and a polyethylene foam. Alternatively, the surface of a porous resin or a foam may be coated with a fluororesin or the like to make it ink-repellent. Further, the seal liquid supply member 24 may have a configuration having a support and a layer made of a porous and / or ink repellent material on the surface thereof. Such a configuration is preferable because the rigidity of the seal liquid supply member 24 is improved, and the accuracy at the time of contact with the nozzle surface 26 is improved.

When the volume of the sealing liquid supply member 24 is reduced in the second mode (supply mode), the sealing liquid 36 is pushed out, and at the end of the second mode, the volume is increased to absorb the sealing liquid 36. , Sealing liquid supply member 24
This is preferable because the supply / recovery function of the can be more effectively switched. Further, the sealing liquid supply member 24 is connected to the nozzle surface 26.
, The volume of the sealing liquid supply member 24 is reduced, and the volume is increased (restored to the original volume) by bringing the sealing liquid supply member 24 out of contact with the nozzle surface 26. This is preferable because the supply / recovery function of the liquid supply member 24 can be switched.

If the seal liquid supply member 24 cannot collect the excess seal liquid 36, the nozzle surface 26
Is installed in the end region of the sealing liquid 36, and the absorbing liquid cannot be completely recovered by the sealing liquid supply member 24.
May be absorbed. If an absorber is separately provided, contamination by the seal liquid 36 inside the ink jet recording apparatus 10 can be further prevented. Further, when the seal liquid supply member 24 and the seal liquid regulating member 22 become dirty,
May be used for cleaning.

In the present embodiment, in the first mode, the seal liquid regulating member 22 is held at a position where the separation distance L1 between the end surface 22a and the nozzle surface 26 becomes zero. Is moved relative to the nozzle surface 26 in parallel with the nozzle surface 26, but is not limited to this. Seal liquid 3
Any distance may be used as long as the distance can be removed. L1 is preferably set to 5 μm or less. Further, as shown in FIGS. 9A to 9E, L1 is set to a negative value, and in the first mode, the sealing liquid regulating member 22 is brought into contact with the nozzle surface 26 while being in contact with the nozzle surface 26. Move to seal liquid 36
May be removed from the nozzle surface 26. Although it depends on the material, thickness, hardness and the like of the regulating member 22, for example, in order to abut the rubber regulating member 22 to remove the sealing liquid, it is more preferable that −2 mm ≦ L1 ≦ 5 μm. Note that L1 in the abutting state is calculated from the length of the sealing liquid regulating member in the abutting state in the direction of arrow y1-y2.
It can be obtained by subtracting the original length of the seal liquid regulating member 22 in the direction of the arrow y1-y2.

In the first mode, the higher the adhesion of the sealing liquid regulating member 22 to the nozzle surface 26, the more preferably the sealing liquid 36 can be completely removed, and the more stable the ejection stability in the printing mode is. The nozzle surface 26 of the sealing liquid regulating member 22 in the first mode
Is preferably 5 to 50 g / cm. Further, it is preferable that the edge of the seal liquid regulating member 22 abuts on the nozzle surface 26. Since the amount of the seal liquid 36 remaining on the nozzle surface 26 can be reduced at the start of the discharge in the print mode, the amount of the seal liquid 36 flying along with the ink on the recording paper 20 can be reduced, and the image density of the recording start portion can be reduced. Can be reduced, and the formed image can have higher image quality.

In the present embodiment, in the second mode, the seal liquid regulating member 22 is held at a position where the separation distance L2 between the end surface 22a and the nozzle surface 26 is set, and the seal liquid regulating member 22 is It is relatively moved parallel to the surface 26. L2 is not particularly limited, but is preferably 5 to 500 μm, considering that it substantially corresponds to the film thickness of the seal liquid 36 in the standby mode.
More preferably, it is 00 μm. L2 is at least
Set larger than L1.

In this embodiment, the sealing liquid regulating member 2
And a separation distance adjusting means for adjusting a separation distance between the nozzle 2 and the nozzle surface 26 in the perpendicular direction. The separation distance adjusting means,
The sealing liquid regulating member 22 is a means that can be disposed at a first position at least in contact with the nozzle surface 26 and at a second position at least separated from the nozzle surface 26. Examples of such means include a cam-type distance adjusting means and a distance adjusting means using a drive solenoid. The cam-type distance adjusting means includes, for example, a seal liquid regulating member 22 when not in operation.
a is disposed at a position separated from the nozzle surface 26 by a distance L2, and in operation, the cam rotates to position the end surface 22a of the seal liquid regulating member 22 at a position at least in contact with the nozzle surface 26. Means. In the distance adjusting means using the drive solenoid, for example, when the seal liquid regulating member 22a is not operated, the distance between the seal liquid regulating member 22a and the nozzle
This is a means for disposing the end surface 22a of the seal liquid regulating member 22 at least at a position where the end surface 22a comes into contact with the nozzle surface 26 by moving the drive solenoid upward during operation. .

The separation distance adjusting means is means for adjusting the separation distance by inserting a tracking roll or a spacer between the nozzle surface 26 and the end surface 22a of the sealing liquid regulating member 22. You may. It is preferable that the separation distance adjusting means has a configuration using a tracking roll or a spacer, since the separation distance can be precisely adjusted with a simpler configuration.

FIG. 10 shows the distance adjusting means.
Nozzle surface 26 and end surface 22a of seal liquid regulating member 22
An embodiment using a means for adjusting the separation distance by inserting a spacer portion 42a of the spacer member 42 between the above and the above is shown. In the spacer member 42, a support portion 42b is supported so that the spacer portion 42a can be inserted between the nozzle surface 26 and the end surface 22a of the seal liquid regulating member 22. When shifting to the second mode, the spacer portion 42a
Is inserted between the sealing liquid regulating member 22a and the nozzle surface 26, and the end surface 22a of the sealing liquid regulating member 22 is separated from the nozzle surface 26 by a distance L2. When the sealing liquid supply member 24 and the sealing liquid regulating member 22 are moved in the x2 direction relative to the nozzle surface, the nozzle surface 2
In 6, the seal liquid 36 is supplied from the seal liquid supply member 24, and the film thickness is regulated by the end surface 22 a of the seal liquid regulating member 22 that moves at a distance L 2. The spacer member 42 can be composed of, for example, a metal plate, a resin plate, or the like.

In the second mode, it is preferable that the separation distance can be finely adjusted, because the seal liquid film thickness can be set according to the printing specifications, the temperature and humidity, the storage period, and the like. For example, when the standby mode is short, the separation distance in the second mode is set to L3 (L1 <L3 <L2), and the film thickness of the seal liquid 36 can be reduced. Since the standby mode is short-term, the sealing property of the seal liquid 36 is not impaired, the amount of the seal liquid to be removed in the first mode can be reduced, and the recovery efficiency of the seal liquid 36 is improved, which is preferable. Further, since the storage section 40 can be downsized, the downsizing of the ink jet recording apparatus 10 can be facilitated as a result.

In the second mode, as the separation distance adjusting means capable of finely adjusting the separation distance, as shown in FIG. 11, a spacer member 42c having a height different from that of the spacer member 42a is provided on the spacer member 42. Spacer member 42 'having
Is inserted between the end surface 22a of the sealing liquid regulating member 22 and the nozzle surface 26 to adjust the separation distance. Spacer member 42 '
The support portion 42c is supported so that it can be inserted between the end surface 22a of the seal liquid regulating member 22 and the nozzle surface 26. For example, when the environmental temperature is lower than T ° C., the second
In this mode, only the spacer portion 42c is inserted between the sealing liquid regulating member 22a and the nozzle surface 26 by a signal input from the drive control means (not shown), and the end surface 22a of the sealing liquid regulating member 22 is moved. And the nozzle surface 26
If the environmental mode is shifted to the second mode when the environmental temperature is equal to or higher than T ° C., the spacer member 42 is separated by a signal input from a drive control unit (not shown). Is inserted between the sealing liquid regulating member 22a and the nozzle surface 26 up to the spacer portion 42a, and the end surface 22a and the nozzle surface 26 of the sealing liquid regulating member 22
The drive control may be performed so as to be separated by the distance L2 (FIG. 11B). In this way, when the environmental temperature is high, the film thickness of the sealing liquid is increased to suppress the evaporation of water from the ink,
The effect of preventing clogging can be further improved. In the separation distance adjusting means, the spacer member 4 is adjusted according to the environmental temperature.
An example in which the 2 ′ is drive-controlled has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, drive control may be performed according to the environmental humidity. Also,
When turning off the power switch, increase the thickness of the seal liquid,
Control may be performed so as to more effectively prevent clogging during long-term suspension.

In this embodiment, the sealing liquid regulating member 2
The relative movement of the head 12 with respect to the nozzle surface 26 is constituted by the movement of the head 12 in the x1-x2 direction by the moving means 16, but is not limited to this structure.
The operation of the conveying means 18 for conveying 0 may be used. The speed at the time of relative movement may be optimized and determined according to the film thickness to be set, the kinematic viscosity and surface tension of the seal liquid 36, and the material of the nozzle surface 26. Generally, 0.5 to 100
cm / m is preferred. When the operation of the moving means 16 is used, in the second mode, the seal liquid 36 is used.
When the viscosity of the liquid is low or when the film thickness of the sealing liquid 36 is large, it is preferable to set the moving speed of the carriage high. When the moving speed is increased, the seal liquid 36 flows from the gap between the seal liquid restricting member 22 and the nozzle surface 26 during the relative movement, and the seal liquid in the region where the film thickness is regulated by the seal liquid restricting member 22. 36 film thickness,
It is possible to prevent the film thickness of the sealing liquid 36 before being regulated from averaging, and to precisely regulate the amount of the sealing liquid.

FIG. 2 shows a configuration in which the seal liquid supply member 24 is disposed on the standby area S1 side and the seal liquid regulating member 22 is disposed on the print area S3 side. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The regulating member 22 may have a configuration in which the sealing liquid supply member 24 is disposed on the area S3 side. In the case of this configuration, in the first and second modes, the head 12 is moved from the area S3 side to the area S1 side (arrow x in the drawing).
(In one direction) to supply and remove the sealing liquid 36 in each mode. Further, the region S2 does not necessarily need to be located between the region S1 and the region S3, and may be any position.

In this embodiment, the sealing liquid regulating member 2
2 before moving relative to the nozzle surface 26,
The sealing liquid supply member 24 is moved relative to the nozzle surface 26 in the same direction. In the second mode, it is preferable that the seal liquid supply member 24 and the seal liquid regulating member 22 are arranged so as to act on (for example, contact) the nozzle surface in this order. Further, the seal liquid regulating member 22 and the seal liquid supply member 24 can be disposed adjacent to each other in contact with each other, or can be disposed adjacent to each other with a distance of 5 mm or less.

It is preferable that the seal liquid regulating member 22 and the seal liquid supply member 24 be separated from the head 12 in the print mode and the standby mode. It is possible to prevent the seal liquid film from being destroyed due to unexpected head movement or the like, and as a result, it is possible to further prevent ink drying due to poor sealing.

[0066]

EXAMPLES The present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the following Examples, but it should not be construed that the present invention is limited thereto. Example 1 An ink jet recording apparatus 10 having the structure shown in FIG. 2 was used. The ink 38 used is 60% by weight of water,
38% by weight of diethylene glycol and 2% by weight of dye
Kinematic viscosity 2.0 mm ² / s, surface tension 40 mN /
m, specific gravity 1.06. As the sealing liquid 36 used, a liquid prepared by mixing a plurality of types of silicone oils (kinematic viscosity 30 mm ² / s, surface tension γs = 20.
8 mN / m, specific gravity 1.0). This sealing liquid 3
The vapor pressure of No. 6 at 25 ° C. was 0.1 mmHg or less, and there was no compatibility with the ink 38 used.

The nozzle plate 28 is 6 mm wide and 12 m long.
A 50 m thick nickel plate was used. The flatness is 3 μm. The interfacial tension γ of the nozzle surface was 800 mN / m. Thirty-two ink ejection ports 30 having a diameter of 30 μm are arranged in the longitudinal direction (direction of 12 mm) of the nozzle plate 28 at a pitch of 1
It was formed by arranging 67 μm in one line. Perforation was performed by laser processing. A transparent fluororesin solution is applied to an area having a peripheral edge width of 1 mm of the nozzle surface 26 of the nozzle plate 28,
After drying, the resin was cured by being left for 1 hour while being heated to 150 ° C., to form a liquid-repellent sealing liquid layer surrounding the rows of the ink discharge ports 30 on the nozzle surface 26.

The discharging means 3 arranged inside the head 12
Reference numeral 2 denotes a thermal inkjet system, which is configured by providing a heater on the bottom of the discharge chamber 34. The heater is configured by laminating a protective layer made of tantalum on a heating element layer made of polycrystalline silicon. The heater is wired so that a predetermined signal is applied to the heater at a timing corresponding to the image signal by signal applying means (not shown).

The seal liquid regulating member 22 is made of ethylene propylene rubber (EP) having a rubber hardness of 60 (JIS hardness).
DM). This blade has a free length of 1
0 mm, thickness 1 mm, end face 2 facing nozzle face 26
The surface roughness Ra of 2a was 0.5 μm. The width was 12 mm in accordance with the longitudinal direction of the nozzle surface 26 (the arrangement direction of the ink ejection ports 30). The edge formed an angle of 90 degrees. As the sealing liquid supply member 24, a SUS plate having a thickness of 0.2 mm is supported on both ends in the thickness direction (excluding 1 mm on the side close to the nozzle surface). Polyethylene foam (average pore diameter 500 μm, porosity 95%, Elastic modulus 2
00 kPa). This polyethylene foam is
The free length was 10 mm and the thickness was 4 mm. The end was located in a sealing liquid storage section (not shown), and the sealing liquid 36 was held on the end face 24 a facing the nozzle face 26 by capillary force.

The seal liquid supply member 24 and the seal liquid supply member 24 are moved in a direction parallel to the nozzle surface 26 and perpendicular to the row direction of the ink discharge ports 30 by the moving means 16 for moving the head in the directions of the arrows x1-x2. And relatively moved. The moving speed was 3 cm / s. The distance between the seal liquid regulating member 22 and the seal liquid supply member 24 was maintained at 0.5 mm. The seal liquid supply member 24 and the seal liquid regulating member 22 are located away from the region S3 and adjacent to the region S1, which is the head standby position (position when the power is off) in the carriage moving direction, from the head standby position side. Were arranged in the order of

The sealing liquid regulating member 22 is
, And can be moved by the stage 23 in the direction perpendicular to the nozzle surface 26 (the direction of the arrow y1-y2). The stage 23 has a configuration in which the regulating member 22 is moved in the direction of arrow y1 by a cam mechanism (not shown), and the cam pushes up the stage 23 in accordance with the mode of the inkjet recording apparatus 10. The sealing liquid supply member 24 was also attached to another stage 25, and was configured to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the nozzle surface 26. Recording device 10
Is in the print mode or the standby mode, the regulating member 22 and the supply member 24 are both moved from the nozzle surface 26 in the y2 direction by 2c.
It was waiting at a position separated by m. The regulating member 22 is the first
The supply member 24 moves to the first position in the second mode and to the second distance in the second mode, and the supply member 24 moves to the position where the end surface 24a facing the nozzle surface 26 contacts the nozzle surface 26 in either mode ( (Distance 0 mm).

Removal Mode The initial position of the head 12 is set as the standby position of the area S1. In the first mode, the stage 25 of the regulating member 22 has moved the regulating member 22 to the nozzle surface 26 side. Control member 2
The end face 22a of No. 2 was held at -1 mm from the nozzle face 26. The head 12 is moved from the standby position to the printing position by the moving means 16, and the end surface 24 a of the supply member 24 is moved.
, And then contacted the end surface 22a of the regulating member 22. The restricting member 22 deformed and abutted on the nozzle surface 26 at the edge. The contact pressure at this time was 10 g / cm. The sealing liquid 36 on the nozzle surface 26 is
Thus, the collected sealing liquid 36 was constantly in contact with the end surface 24a of the supply member 24. When the nozzle surface 26 and the regulating member 22 were separated, the regulating member 22 returned to its original shape due to elasticity. At the same time, the collected sealing liquid 36 also separates from the nozzle surface 26, and the sealing liquid 36 remains in contact with the end surface 24a of the supply member 24, and the supply member 24 and the nozzle surface 26 are not in contact. The sealing liquid 36 is supplied to the end surface 2 of the supply member 24.
4a was collected inside the supply member 24.

Supply mode The head 12 was returned to the standby position in the area S1 again. The stage 23 of the regulating member 22 moves the regulating member 22 to the ejection surface side. Between the nozzle face 26 and the end face 22a of the regulating member 22, a spacer member 42 made of a fluororesin film and having a thickness of 20 μm as shown in FIG. 10 was inserted. The support portion 42b of the spacer member 42 was supported by the frame, and only the spacer portion 42a was in contact with the end surface 22a. In modes other than supply mode,
The spacer member 42 extends in the width direction of the regulating member 22 (the discharge port 3
(In the row direction of 0), but in the supply mode, it is arranged by a cam mechanism (not shown) so as to come into contact with the area of 1 mm at both ends of the regulating member 22.

The end surface 22 a of the regulating member 22 was held at a distance of 20 μm from the nozzle surface 26 by a spacer member 42. The head 12 is moved by the moving means 16 (from the standby position to the printing position), and the nozzle surface 26 is supplied with the sealing liquid 36 from the supply member 24, and
The supplied sealing liquid 36 is applied to the end surface 2 of the regulating member 22.
2a was in contact with the nozzle surface 26 at a distance of 20 μm. The thickness of the sealing liquid 36 was regulated by the regulating member 22 to a thickness of 20 μm, and was left on the nozzle surface 26. Excess seal liquid 36 was collected on the supply member 22 side by the relative movement of the regulating member 22. When the nozzle surface 26 and the regulating member 22 were separated in the carriage direction, the collected sealing liquid 36 was in contact with the end surface 24a of the supply member 24 and was absorbed by the supply member 24.

After the above-mentioned removal mode, at room temperature (air temperature 25 ° C.,
In a room with a relative humidity of 50%), a predetermined print pattern was printed on recording paper. When an image was printed in a room at room temperature (25 ° C. and 50% relative humidity), and the printed image was observed with the naked eye, a clear image was recorded without any printing defects such as blurring. After the printing, the seal liquid 36 was supplied again to the head 12 in the supply mode.

Only the first part of the printing start is the sealing liquid 36.
Was discharged together with the ink 38, so that a slight decrease in density was observed, but this was only a small part of the entire image, and there was almost no problem in image quality. If 10 dots of ink ejection at the start of printing are received on the absorber and are not used for printing (by performing idle ejection), this density reduction does not occur, and high quality printing can be obtained over the entire surface. Was.

In the supply mode, the head 12 having the sealing liquid 36 disposed on the nozzle surface 26 was left under a low-temperature environment (5 ° C., 30% relative humidity) for 24 hours. Thereafter, a printing test was performed in this low temperature environment. After removing the seal liquid 36 in the removal mode, a predetermined print pattern was printed on the recording paper. After the printing, the seal liquid was supplied again to the head in the supply mode. When the state of re-supply was observed with the cover of the apparatus removed, the seal liquid film was promptly placed on the ejection surface by the supply mode. When the print test was repeated intermittently every hour, no discharge occurred at the start of discharge and no discharge failure occurred due to a defective seal at the end of print, and clear printing was possible as in the previous test. Observation of the printed image with the naked eye revealed no difference from the printing test at room temperature, and a clear image was recorded.

According to the supply mode, the head 12 having the sealing liquid 36 disposed on the nozzle surface 26 is heated to the temperature 25
After leaving in an environment of 30 ° C. and a relative humidity of 30% for 30 days, a print test was performed and an output image was observed without performing any ordinary maintenance operation of the inkjet recording apparatus. No ejection failure due to clogging occurred in the ink ejection port 30, and the printed image had no disturbance of dots, and a clear image was recorded as before leaving. A print test was performed after the head 12 was left under the same conditions for 30 days without performing the supply mode. However, clogging occurred in more than half of the ink discharge ports 30, and only a partial Could not print.

[Embodiment 2] In Embodiment 1, a spacer member 4 shown in FIG.
An ink jet recording apparatus having the same configuration as in Example 1 was used except that 2 ′ was used. -Supply mode The spacer member 42 'includes a spacer portion 42c made of a fluororesin film having a thickness of 20 µm, a spacer portion 42a made of a fluororesin film having a thickness of 80 µm, and a support portion 4
2b. The support portion 42b is supported by a frame, and only the spacer portion 42c or only the spacer portion 42c and the spacer portion 42a can be inserted into the end surface 22a and the nozzle surface 26 of the regulating member 22. In the mode other than the supply mode, the spacer member 42 'has been retracted in the width direction of the regulating member 22 (the row direction of the ink ejection ports 30). In the supply mode, however, the spacer portion 42c is moved by the cam mechanism (not shown). Only the regulating member 2
2 was inserted at the position of 1 mm at both ends. Further, by the rotation of the cam, the spacer portion 42a is also inserted between the end surface 22a of the regulating member 22 and the nozzle surface 26. The regulating member 22 is configured such that the end surface 22a of the regulating member 22 is 80 μm from the nozzle surface 26. Held in a spaced position. At this time, the 1 mm width in which the spacer portion 42c is inserted corresponds to the regulating member 2
The distance between No. 2 and the nozzle surface was 60 μm, but in only a part of the whole, the film thickness after regulation was averaged to approximately 80 μm.

The case where the supply mode is executed by inserting the spacer portion 42c of the spacer member 42 '
When the supply mode was performed by inserting 2a, the head was stored for a long period of time for each of them, and the ejection performance after storage was evaluated. In the former, the film thickness of the sealing liquid 36 was about 20 μm. After printing for 90 days in an environment at a temperature of 20 ° C. and a relative humidity of 30%, when printing was performed, slight printing position variation (5 μm in standard deviation) occurred only in the printing dots at the start of printing. Only a small part, and there was no problem in image quality. On the other hand, in the latter, the film thickness of the sealing liquid 36 was 80 μm. After printing for 90 days in an environment at a temperature of 20 ° C. and a relative humidity of 30%, printing was performed. As a result, no change was observed in the positional variation at the start of ejection over the entire printing surface, and the stability of image quality was further improved.

[0081]

As described above, according to the present invention, clogging does not occur even after a long period of rest, and the sealing liquid at the discharge port is removed before the start of discharging, so that the viscosity of the sealing liquid increases. Discharge failure does not occur even in a low temperature environment
A clear image can be printed. Further, according to the present invention, since the seal liquid is removed at the time of discharge, even when the seal liquid is thickened during long-term storage or when a high-viscosity seal liquid is used, both the performance of preventing clogging and the discharge performance are compatible. Becomes possible. In addition, since clogging does not occur even after a long-term suspension, it is possible to immediately perform an ink ejection operation when necessary, and the maintenance process after a long-term suspension can be reduced or omitted. As a result, it is possible to reduce the size and cost of the recording apparatus, reduce the waiting time before printing and the noise due to maintenance, which have been caused by maintenance after a long pause, and reduce the running cost due to the disposal of a large amount of ink. It is also possible to suppress the rise.

Further, since the supply member and the regulating member are relatively moved to the discharge surface and supplied, the seal liquid can be reliably supplied again after the end of the ink discharge. Even if the viscosity of the seal liquid increases due to a decrease in the environmental temperature, the seal liquid can be supplied to the ink surface of the discharge port, and the discharge performance does not change or vary due to ink drying. No image quality degradation occurs. In addition, in order to adopt a specification that prevents clogging for a longer period of time, a sealing liquid having a high kinematic viscosity can be used. The recording device can be designed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation of a first mode and a second mode of the inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of an embodiment of the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view showing a configuration of a head used in the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation of a first mode of the inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation of a second mode of the inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an example of a top view of a head used in the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention and a cross-sectional view along AA '.

FIG. 7 is an example of a top view of a head used in the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention and a cross-sectional view along AA '.

FIG. 8 is a view showing an example of a sealing liquid supply member used in the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating another example of the operation of the first mode of the inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a top view and a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line AA ′ of another configuration example of the inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the positional relationship of various members of the inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention in a second mode.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Ink-jet recording apparatus 12 Ink-jet recording head 14 Control means 16 Moving means 16a Carriage part 16b Carriage shaft 16c Belt 18 Transport means 18a Roller 20 Recording paper 22 Seal liquid regulating member 22a End surface 23 Stage 24 Seal liquid supply member 24b End surface Reference numeral 25 Stage 26 Nozzle surface 28 Nozzle plate 30 Ink ejection port 32 Ink ejection means 34 Ejection chamber 36 Seal liquid 38 Ink 40 Storage unit 42 Spacer member L1 First distance L2 Second distance

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Susumu Hirata 430 Green Tech Nakai, Nakai-cho, Ashigara-gun, Kanagawa Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Hiroaki Sato 430 Sakai Nakai-cho, Nakai-machi, Ashigara-gun, Kanagawa Fuji Xerox Inside (72) Inventor Yuji Suemitsu 430 Green Tech Nakai, Nakaicho, Kanagawa Prefecture, Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. Within Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Megumi Hasebe 430 Green Tech Nakai, Nakaicho, Ashigara, Gunagawa, Kanagawa Prefecture Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. 72) Inventor Tetsu Mohri 430 Green Tech Nakai, Nakai-cho, Ashigarakami-gun, Kanagawa Prefecture Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. F term (reference) 2C056 EA16 EA17 FA10 HA03 HA24 JA24 JB04 JB08

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. An ink discharge port, a nozzle surface provided with the ink discharge port, a seal liquid supply member capable of supplying a seal liquid to the nozzle surface, and a movable member relative to the nozzle surface. The supported seal liquid restricting member and the seal liquid restricting member are relatively moved while maintaining a first distance in a direction perpendicular to the nozzle surface to remove the seal liquid supplied on the nozzle surface. A first mode, and a second mode in which the seal liquid regulating member is relatively moved while maintaining the seal liquid regulating member at a second distance in a direction perpendicular to the nozzle surface to supply the seal liquid onto the nozzle surface. Ink jet recording device having. 2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second distance is longer than the first distance. 3. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the second distance is variable. 4. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the seal liquid supply member and the seal liquid regulating member are arranged to act on the nozzle surface in this order. 5. An ink discharge port, a nozzle surface provided with the ink discharge port, a seal liquid supply member capable of supplying a seal liquid to the nozzle surface, and a movable member relative to the nozzle surface. A sealing liquid regulating member supported, wherein the sealing liquid regulating member removes the sealing liquid on the nozzle surface by relatively moving with respect to the nozzle surface in a state in contact with the nozzle surface. And an ink jet recording apparatus that regulates a seal liquid on the nozzle surface to a predetermined film thickness by moving relatively to the nozzle surface while being separated from the nozzle surface. 6. An ink discharge port, a nozzle surface provided with the ink discharge port, a seal liquid supply member capable of supplying a seal liquid to the nozzle surface, and a movable member relative to the nozzle surface. A supported seal liquid regulating member, and a separation distance adjusting unit capable of adjusting a separation distance between the seal liquid regulating member and the nozzle surface in a direction perpendicular to the nozzle surface; and An ink jet recording apparatus wherein a seal liquid regulating member can be arranged at a first position at least in contact with the nozzle surface and at a second position at least separated from the nozzle surface. 7. The inkjet recording according to claim 6, wherein the separation distance adjusting means is means capable of disposing the seal liquid regulating member at a third position between the first position and the second position. apparatus. 8. A separation distance adjusting means inserts a spacer having a predetermined thickness between the seal liquid restricting member and the nozzle surface, thereby causing the seal liquid restricting member to move to the second position.
7. A means which can be arranged at the position of (6).
Or the inkjet recording device according to claim 7. 9. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the surface energy of the sealing liquid supplied by the sealing liquid supply member is less than the surface energy of the nozzle surface. 10. The nozzle surface has a region where the surface energy is different from each other, and the surface energy of a peripheral portion surrounding the ink discharge port of the nozzle surface is less than the surface energy of the sealing liquid supplied by the sealing liquid supply member. An ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 9. 11. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a peripheral portion of the nozzle surface has a convex shape.