JP2002029039A - Ink jet recorder and method for ink jet recording - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently preliminarily discharge an ink without contributing to recording in order to eliminate thickening of the ink near a nozzle. SOLUTION: A platen 504 for supporting a medium 600 to be recorded to a position opposed to an ink discharging surface of a recording head 500 has a plurality of supports 700 disposed in alignment in a moving direction of the head 500. The supports 700 are disposed at a relatively near position from an end at an inside of the end of the medium 600 in a state in which the medium 600 is guided onto the platen 504, and disposed at a relatively separate from the end at the outside. Then, since the preliminary discharge can be conducted at a preliminarily discharging position 800 between the end of the medium 600 and the support 700 in addition to a position of a preliminary discharge receiver 507 without contaminating an upper surface of the support 700 of the platen 504, the preliminary discharge can be efficiently conducted.

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 and a recording method suitable for monochrome printing and color printing, and more particularly to performing full-surface recording (recording without margins) for recording over the entire surface of a recording medium. The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus and a recording method capable of performing the above.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An ink jet recording apparatus is an apparatus which performs recording by ejecting ink droplets by various methods and attaching the ink droplets to a recording medium such as recording paper. In particular, an ink jet recording apparatus that utilizes heat as energy for discharging droplets can easily arrange a plurality of ejection ports (nozzles) at a high density. It has an excellent feature that a high-quality image can be recorded, and a recording speed is increased and a formed image is easily colored as described later.

In general, this type of ink jet recording apparatus employs a serial recording method. In this recording method, first, a recording medium is conveyed onto a platen that is arranged to face a recording head that ejects ink droplets, and a recording position in the conveyance direction (sub-scanning direction) on the recording medium is determined. A sub-scanning step is performed. Thereafter, the recording head is serially scanned in a direction substantially perpendicular to the sub-scanning direction (main scanning direction), and the recording is performed by discharging ink onto the recording medium on the platen, and according to the recording width in the recording step. The sub-scanning step of intermittently transporting the recording medium is repeated to record an image in a desired recording range on the recording medium. The inkjet recording apparatus includes a recording unit that performs recording while performing main scanning, a transport unit that performs sub-scanning, and a control unit that controls these as described above.

This recording method is a method of performing recording by discharging ink onto a recording medium in accordance with a recording signal, and is widely used as a quiet recording method with low running cost.

Further, by using a recording head in which a large number of nozzles for ejecting ink are linearly arranged in the sub-scanning direction, a wide area corresponding to the number of nozzles can be obtained while the recording head scans once on a recording medium. The width can be recorded, and the recording operation can be speeded up. Further, an ink jet recording apparatus that forms a color image by overlapping ink droplets ejected from each recording head by using a plurality of recording heads mounted with inks of each color corresponding to a plurality of inks of the color. can do. The color of the ink used at this time is usually three primary colors of yellow (Y), cyan (C), and magenta (M), or four colors including black (K) among these three primary colors. Correspondingly, three or four types of recording heads and an ink cartridge for holding ink to be supplied to each recording head are mounted on the recording apparatus. In recent years, in order to enable recording of an ink cartridge holding four colors of ink and a recording head integrally, and to enable image recording of various colors, light yellow (PY) has been added to the four colors of YMCK. , Pale cyan (PC),
A product equipped with seven colors of ink to which light magenta (PM) is further added has been commercialized.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a conventional ink jet recording apparatus as described above. FIG. 6A is a plan sectional view,
FIG. 6B is a side sectional view.

This ink jet recording apparatus is provided with a paper feeding section on which a recording medium 1000 is placed on one side (the right side in FIG. 6). The loaded recording medium 100
Above 0, a pickup roller 1004 for separating and feeding the recording medium 1000 one by one is provided. A hopper arm 1011 that urges the recording medium 1000 upward so as to contact the recording medium 1000 when the pickup roller 1004 rotates is provided below. The hopper arm 1011 is provided so as to be rotatable around a support shaft, and an urging portion provided at one end thereof moves the elevating member 1012 provided in contact with the other end to the right and left in FIG. It is configured to move up and down by moving it.

[0008] As conveying means for conveying the recording medium 1000, an inlet conveying roller 1005, an outlet conveying roller 1008, and a discharge conveying roller 1009 are provided in order from the paper feeding section to the left side in FIG. In front of the entrance conveyance roller 1005, there is a pickup roller 1004
There is provided a separation pad 1014 for separating the uppermost sheet from the recording medium 1000 abutted by the above. A discharge tray 1007 for receiving the recording medium 1000 on which recording has been performed is provided at the exit of the discharge conveyance roller 1009.

An ink cartridge 1001 as recording means is mounted on a carriage unit 1003 and provided between the entrance conveyance roller 1005 and the exit conveyance roller 1008. The carriage unit 1003 is moved by the carriage moving belt 1006 to the recording medium 100.
It is possible to reciprocate in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of conveyance (arrow A in FIG. 6). A recording head 1002 for four colors of YMCK is integrally attached to the ink cartridge 1001.

[0010] The recording operation of this ink jet recording apparatus is performed as follows. First, the recording medium 1000
Is transported by a pickup roller 1004 and transported by an entrance transport roller 1005 to a recording position 1010 facing the recording head 1002. Next, while the print head 1002 is moved to perform main scanning, ink is ejected from the print head 1002 to perform printing for a plurality of lines. Next, after the recording medium is conveyed by an amount corresponding to the recording width in this recording, recording for a plurality of lines is performed again. In this manner, the recording in the desired recording range is performed by repeating the recording for a plurality of lines and the conveyance of the recording medium for the recording width.

Next, the configuration of a general ink cartridge 1001 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG.
8 shows an exploded perspective view of the ink cartridge 1001, and FIG. 8 shows a see-through enlarged view of the head unit 1023.

The ink cartridge 1001 is configured to be mountable on a carriage unit 1003, and has a cartridge body 1022 to which an ink tank 1021 for storing ink can be removably mounted. The cartridge body 1022 includes an ink guide 10
A head unit 1023 in which the recording head 1002 is incorporated is attached with the intermediary 20 therebetween. The head unit 1023 includes a nozzle 103 for discharging ink.
1 is provided in two rows, and a common liquid chamber 1030 communicating therewith is provided for each row.

Generally, foreign matter such as fine ink (mist) and paper powder generated in addition to the ejected droplets at the time of ink ejection and dust scattered in the air are attached to the nozzle 1031 of the ink cartridge 1001. And intrusion occur. The nozzle 1031 has a fine structure, and if such a foreign substance adheres or enters, the recorded image is disturbed due to a shift in the ink ejection direction, and further, non-ejection of ink occurs. There are cases. If the recording head 1002 is left unused for a long period of time, the ink near the nozzle 1031 evaporates and dries, and may thicken or solidify. For this reason, there is a case where disturbance of a recorded image or non-ejection of ink occurs. In addition, gas generated during the bubbling of the ink or invading from the outside may cause the common liquid chamber 1
030 may form bubbles to hinder the flow of ink. Therefore, in order to improve the reliability of image formation, a general inkjet recording apparatus performs a recovery operation. FIG. 9 shows a general configuration for performing a recovery operation.

The recovery operation may be performed automatically during the recording operation or in each operation mode, or may be performed manually by the user. The recovery operation is mainly classified into three types: recovery from preliminary discharge, recovery from suction, and recovery from blade wiping. A series of recovery operations are performed by combining these recovery operations.

Preliminary ejection recovery is performed by ejecting ink that does not contribute to recording, eliminating ink thickening in the nozzle 1031 of the recording head 1002, adjusting the meniscus after wiping in blade wiping recovery, and mixing ink by suction recovery. Is performed. Preliminary ejection is a nozzle 1 that is not used for ink ejection according to the recorded image.
031 and the nozzle 10
In order to prevent the occurrence of ink ejection failure due to thickening of the ink near 31, this is frequently performed particularly during a printing operation. In the preliminary ejection, the ejected ink is applied to the recording medium 10.
This is performed after the recording head 1002 is moved to a position facing the preliminary ejection receiver 1045 disposed at a position off the platen 1047 on the movement path so that the recording head 1002 does not adhere to the platen 1047. Preliminary ejection may be performed with the print head 1002 stopped or while moving. The pre-discharged ink is collected in a waste ink absorber 1041 built in the main body. The ejection conditions such as the number of times of preliminary ejection are determined by the print head 1002 at that time.
It is determined according to recovery conditions such as the temperature of the device and the history of the previous recovery operation.

In the preliminary ejection recovery, it is possible to eliminate the thickening of the ink which occurs in a relatively short time. It is difficult to sufficiently remove foreign substances such as dust adhered to the inside and bubbles generated in the common liquid chamber 1030. Therefore, in such a case, suction recovery and blade wiping recovery are performed.

The suction recovery is performed by covering the ink ejection surface of the recording head 1002 with a cap 1046 attached thereto, and
This is done by drawing ink from nozzles 1031 by a recovery pump 1040 connected to 046. The sucked ink is collected and absorbed by the waste ink absorber 1041. Due to the suction recovery, the nozzle 1031
Foreign matter and bubbles in the vicinity and in the common liquid chamber 1030 can be removed, and thickening of the ink due to standing for a long time can be eliminated. Note that each recording head 1002 is covered with a cap 1046 to prevent the ink near the nozzles 1031 from thickening except when the recording operation and the recovery operation are being performed.

The blade wiping recovery is performed by wiping the ink ejection surface by the blade 1043. The blade 1043 usually has a two-layer structure of an absorber 1043-2 that absorbs ink on the ink ejection surface and a rubber elastic body 1043-1 that has a stiffness for wiping the absorber. In the configuration shown in FIG. 9, two blades 1043 for wiping the two recording heads 1002 provided side by side are provided, and the two recording heads are wiped simultaneously. A removal member (not shown) is provided at an end of the blade 1043 in the wiping direction, and foreign matter removed from the ink ejection surface by wiping and attached to the blade 1043 is attached to the removal member and removed. . The ink adhering to the removing member is wiped off by an absorber provided below the removing member, and then spontaneously evaporates. By such a blade wiping recovery, it is possible to remove and clean foreign matter such as mist and excess ink and paper powder attached to the ink ejection surface.

[0019]

Since the pattern for ejecting ink differs depending on the image to be recorded, a specific nozzle is not used for a long time, and the ink in that nozzle may increase in viscosity. As described above, the preliminary ejection recovery is frequently performed during the printing operation. The preliminary ejection recovery is performed at time intervals appropriately determined according to the external environment, the type of ink, the head structure, and the like. It is necessary to return the print head 1002 to the preliminary ejection receiving position each time and then perform the preliminary ejection. Therefore, it takes a relatively long time to return to the preliminary ejection position, particularly when an image is formed in a relatively large range, and there is a problem that the throughput of the printing operation is reduced.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an ink jet recording apparatus and an ink jet recording method capable of efficiently performing the preliminary ejection recovery and improving the throughput of the recording operation.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus and an ink jet recording method capable of performing an entire recording on which an image is formed over the entire surface of a recording medium without soiling a platen. is there.

[0022]

In order to achieve the above object, an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention reciprocates a recording head which discharges ink and adheres to a recording medium to perform recording, and reciprocates the recording head. A moving mechanism, and a platen for supporting the recording medium at a position facing the ink ejection surface of the recording head, wherein a plurality of platens are arranged at intervals in the moving direction of the recording head; The recording medium has a support portion that contacts and supports the lower surface of the medium.

According to this configuration, when recording is performed by discharging ink from the recording head while moving the recording head, preliminary discharge for discharging ink without contributing to recording is performed by the recording head on the recording medium. At the positions outside the both ends in the moving direction. That is,
By performing the preliminary ejection at such a position, the ink ejected at the time of the preliminary ejection can pass through the gap between the supporting portions of the platen, and the upper surface of the supporting portion of the platen, that is, on the recording medium, Preliminary ejection can be performed without soiling the directly contacting portion. For this reason, the preliminary ejection can be performed more efficiently than the conventional inkjet recording apparatus that can perform the preliminary ejection only outside one end, and the throughput of the recording operation can be improved.

At this time, if the preliminary ejection position is set in accordance with the size of the recording medium, the preliminary ejection position is set at a relatively close appropriate position outside the end of the recording medium to efficiently perform the preliminary ejection. Discharge can be performed. Alternatively, there is provided a side regulating plate for restricting the movement of the recording medium by contacting the end of the recording medium in the recording head moving direction, and a sensor for detecting the position of the side regulating plate, which is determined by a signal from the sensor. The preliminary ejection position may be set according to the width of the recording medium.

Further, by performing recording by discharging ink over a larger area than the recording surface of the recording medium, blanking is caused in the entire recording in which recording is performed over the entire recording medium. And without polluting the platen. That is, by ejecting the ink over a range larger than the recording surface of the recording medium, the entire surface can be recorded even if the ink ejection position and the position of the recording medium are slightly shifted. Further, at this time, the ink ejected off the recording surface of the recording medium can pass through the gap between the support portions of the platen, and the support portion can be prevented from being stained.

Further, when the ink jet recording apparatus has a conveying means for conveying the recording medium in a direction substantially perpendicular to the moving direction of the recording head and determining a recording position in this direction, the platen is supported by the supporting portion. It is preferable that a platen home position for contacting and supporting the lower surface of the medium and a support portion be rotatably supported and provided at a retracted position located outside a recording area where the recording head can eject ink. . By doing so, the platen is rotated in accordance with the recording medium being conveyed onto the platen to the rotation position of the platen home position, and is rotated in accordance with the recording medium being conveyed from above the platen. When the support surface of the support portion is in the recording area, it can be always located below the recording medium, so that the upper surface of the support portion of the platen can be kept clean.

It is preferable that the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention has control means for performing recording control as described above.

If a tub capable of holding ink is provided below the platen and has an upper surface opening that opens over the recording area, the ink ejected from the pre-discharged ink and the recording medium is ejected. Ink can enter into the tub, and the inside of the recording device can be prevented from becoming dirty.

When supporting a recording medium of a recordable size, the support portion of the platen is located relatively close to the both ends inside the both ends of the recording medium in the moving direction of the recording head. On the outside, it is preferable to provide them at positions relatively distant from both ends. By arranging the support portion inside the both ends at a position relatively close to the both ends, the recording medium can be properly and properly supported on the platen. By arranging the support portion at a position relatively far from the both ends outside the both ends, a relatively large gap can be provided between the end portion of the recording medium and the support portion outside the end portion. it can. Therefore, it is easy to allow the pre-discharged ink and the ink discharged from the recording medium to pass through this gap, thereby preventing the platen from being stained.

The ink jet recording method according to the present invention comprises:
Guiding the recording medium onto a platen, which is arranged side by side at intervals in the direction of movement of the recording head and has a supporting portion that contacts and supports the lower surface of the recording medium; and A step of moving in one direction while facing the recording medium to guide it to a position opposite to a recording position on the recording medium, and a step of discharging ink from a recording head and attaching the ink to the recording position to perform recording. And a step of performing preliminary ejection for ejecting ink without contributing to recording at positions outside the both ends of the recording medium in the moving direction of the recording head.

Further, it is preferable that the method further includes a step of setting the preliminary ejection position in accordance with the input size of the recording medium. Alternatively, a step of detecting the position of a side regulating plate that restricts the movement of the recording medium by contacting the end of the recording medium in the moving direction of the recording head, and setting the preliminary ejection position to the detection position of the side regulating plate It is preferable to have a step of setting according to.

Further, in the ink jet recording method according to the present invention, a support portion for supporting a recording medium in contact with a lower surface of the recording medium, the plurality of recording media being arranged side by side in the moving direction of the recording head. Guiding the recording head to a position facing the recording position on the recording medium by moving the recording head in one direction with the recording head facing the recording medium, and discharging the ink from the recording head. A step of performing recording by attaching the ink to a recording position, wherein the ink is ejected over a range larger than the recording surface of the recording medium.

The method further comprises the step of transporting the recording medium in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the recording head moves, and determining the recording position in this direction. The recording head moving step and the recording and transporting steps are alternately repeated. When performing recording by rotating the platen to the platen home position as the recording medium is transported onto the platen, rotating the platen to the standby position as the recording medium is transported from the platen And the step of rotating the platen,
When the support surface of the support portion is in the recording area, it is preferable that the operation is performed so that the support portion is located below the recording medium.

[0034]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment) FIGS. 1 to 3 show schematic views of an ink jet recording apparatus according to a first embodiment. FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a recording unit and a recovery unit of the inkjet recording apparatus. 2A and 2B show the configuration of the entire ink jet recording apparatus. FIG.
(B) is a side sectional view. FIG. 3 shows an enlarged view of the platen 504.

On one side (right side in FIG. 2) of the ink jet recording apparatus, a plurality of recording mediums 600 are placed and set on a paper cassette. Above the loaded recording medium 600, the recording medium 60
A pickup roller (half moon roller) 601 for taking out and feeding 0 is provided. Pickup roller 6
01 is provided with a roller home position sensor 602 for detecting that it is at the rotational position of the roller home position. Even if the remaining number of the recording media 600 is reduced, the recording medium 6 is contacted with the recording medium 600 when the pickup roller 601 rotates, even when the remaining number of recording media 600 decreases.
A hopper arm 610 that urges 00 upward is provided. The hopper arm 610 is provided at one end thereof with a biasing portion that comes into contact with the recording medium 610. The biasing member 614 provided to the left of the opposite end is moved to the left and right. The force can be moved up and down. A separation pad 615 is provided on the left side of the pickup roller 601 to separate the uppermost sheet when the recording medium 600 is moved and hit by the pickup roller 601.

On the left side of the separation pad 615, there is a skew feeding roller 603, an entrance conveyance roller 604, and an exit conveyance roller 60.
8. A carry-out / conveyance roller 609 is provided in order, so that the recording medium 600 can be conveyed. The skew feeding roller 604 is provided slightly inclined with respect to the transport direction. At the entrance of the entrance conveyance roller 604, a skew feeding sensor 613 is provided on the entrance side and a conveyance sensor 612 is provided on the exit side as sensors for detecting that the recording medium 600 has reached the respective positions.

A recording section is provided between the entrance conveyance roller 604 and the exit conveyance roller 608. Above the recording unit, an ink cartridge 501 is provided mounted on a carriage unit 502. The carriage unit 502 can be moved by a carriage moving belt 503 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the transport direction of the recording medium 600. The ink cartridge 501 has a YMC
A recording head 500 for four colors of K and an ink tank are integrally incorporated. The recording head 500 and the ink tank are separated from each other for each color. In the recording head 500 of each color, 304 ejection ports are arranged in a line at a pitch of 600 dpi.

A platen 504 for supporting the recording medium 600 at an appropriate recording position is provided below the recording section. The platen 504 is a part of the recording medium 60 that is conveyed.
A plurality of support portions 700 that contact and support the lower surface of the recording head 500 are provided at intervals in the moving direction of the recording head 500. These supports are supported so as to rotate around the support shaft. That is, the platen 5
Reference numeral 04 denotes that the support unit 700 can be moved to a platen home position where the support unit is disposed in a recording area facing the ink ejection surface of the recording head 504 and a retract position where the support unit is disposed outside the recording area by rotating. It is configured as follows. Beside the platen 504, a platen home position sensor 619 for detecting that the platen 504 is at the rotation position of the platen home position is provided. Below the platen 504, a tub 617 having an upper surface opening extending over the recording area is provided, and a waste ink absorber 508 for absorbing ink is accommodated in the tub 617.

The ink jet recording apparatus of this embodiment has a business card size 702, a postcard size 703,
A standard recording medium 600 of A4 size 704 can be used. The support portion 700 of the platen 504 is arranged according to the size of the recording medium 600 to be used.
That is, the platen 504 is supported by the supporting portion 70 so that the recording medium 600 can be firmly supported at an appropriate position when the recording medium 600 of each fixed size is transported.
0 is located relatively near the inner end of both ends in the width direction of the recording medium. Further, the support portion 700 is configured so as not to be located relatively near the ends outside the both ends of the recording medium 600. That is,
For the business card size 702 and the postcard size 703, the support portion 700 is arranged at a position where a margin 701 is set outside from the end of the recording medium 600. For the A4 size 704, the support portion 700 is
Is not located outside the end of the.

Next, the recording operation of the ink jet recording apparatus will be described.

First, the lifting member 614 moves rightward in FIG. 2 to raise the recording medium 600. When the pickup roller 601 is rotated in this state, the recording medium 600
Is pressed against the separation pad 615, and the uppermost sheet is separated and fed.

Next, the oblique feed roller 603 rotates, and the recording medium 600 is conveyed leftward in FIG. On this occasion,
The entrance transport roller 604 does not rotate until a predetermined time has elapsed after the oblique feed sensor 613 detects that the leading end of the recording medium 600 has reached this position. As a result, the recording medium 600 is pressed against the entrance conveyance roller 604 to be straightened, and the skew is corrected. After that, the entrance conveyance roller 604 rotates and the recording medium 600
Is further transported. Then, the entrance conveyance roller 604 rotates until a predetermined time elapses after the conveyance sensor 612 detects that the leading end of the recording medium 600 has reached the position of the conveyance sensor 612, and the recording medium 600 is guided to the recording area. I will At this time, the platen 504 is rotated in accordance with the arrival of the recording medium 600, and is brought to the rotation position of the platen home position.

Next, the carriage unit 502 is scanned in a direction substantially perpendicular to the conveying direction, and ink is ejected from the recording head 500, thereby recording a plurality of lines. After that, the recording for a plurality of lines and the conveyance of the recording medium 600 for the recording width by this recording are repeated, and the recording in a predetermined recording area is performed.

Next, the configuration of the recovery mechanism of the recording section will be described. In a state where the recording head 500 is at the standby position, a blade 506 of blade wiping recovery means similar to the conventional example is provided at a position facing the recording head 500. Further, a cap 509 for covering the ink ejection surface of the recording head 500 to prevent the viscosity of the ink from increasing is provided.
Four are provided corresponding to the number of zeros. An ink tube extending to the waste ink absorber 508 is connected to the two caps 509, and a suction recovery pump 505 for sucking ink near the nozzles of the recording head 500 is provided in the middle of the two caps 509. At a position on the movement path of the recording head 500 that is off the conveyance path of the recording medium 600,
A preliminary ejection receiver 507 for receiving ink ejected when performing preliminary ejection recovery is provided.

The suction recovery and the blade wiping recovery are mainly performed when the recording head 500 has not been used for a relatively long time or after being used for a relatively long time. The recovery operation in this case will be described.

First, with the cap 509 covering the ink ejection surface of the recording head 500, the recovery pump 5
05 is activated, and ink near the nozzles of the recording head 500 is sucked out. The sucked ink is guided to and absorbed by the waste ink absorber 508. At this time, the recording head 50
Bubbles, foreign matter, and thickened ink within 0 are sucked out and removed. Next, the cap 509 is removed from the recording head 500, the blade 506 is abutted, and the ink on the ink ejection surface is wiped off. Thereafter, the recording head 500 is moved to a position facing the preliminary ejection receiver 507, and preliminary ejection is performed to adjust the meniscus. Thus, a series of recovery operations are performed, and the recording head 500 is made usable.

As described above, the preliminary ejection is also performed during a series of recovery operations before the start of printing. However, in order to eliminate the ink thickening near the nozzles that have not been used for a relatively long time in accordance with the printed image, It is appropriately performed during the recording operation, such as at the start of the recording operation, at the time of image formation, and at the time of paper discharge. Next, the preliminary ejection operation during this printing operation will be described.

The preliminary ejection at the start of the recording operation is performed by moving the recording head 500 to a position facing the preliminary ejection receiver 507 when a recording operation start signal is input. At this time, depending on the history of the previous recovery operation, a series of recovery operations including the aforementioned suction recovery and blade wiping recovery may be performed. That is, such a series of recovery operations are performed when they have not been performed for a relatively long time.

Preliminary ejection during image formation is repeated at predetermined time intervals determined according to the quality of the image and the size of the recording medium 600 until the image formation is completed. This preliminary discharge time interval measures the temperature with the in-machine temperature sensor and the inkjet head temperature sensor,
It is adjusted according to the measured temperature. Adjusting this interval
Each time the preliminary ejection recovery is performed, the temperature is measured and executed.

At this time, the preliminary discharge is performed in the preliminary discharge receiver 507.
In the present embodiment, in addition to the position, the preliminary ejection position 800 is set at a position outside the end of the recording medium 600 opposite to the preliminary ejection receiver 507, as shown in FIG. . That is, as described above, since the support portion 700 of the platen 504 is disposed at a position outside the end of the recording medium 600 by a margin 701, the preliminary ejection position 800 is supported by the recording medium 600. It can be set to a position between the unit 700. Pre-discharge position 800
Is set in this manner, the ink discharged at this position can enter the tub 617 and be absorbed by the waste ink absorber 508 without soiling the recording medium 600 and the support portion 700. Whether the preliminary ejection is performed at the preliminary ejection position 507 or the preliminary ejection position 800 depends on the timing at which the preliminary ejection is performed in accordance with the above-described time interval. To the original position during the back scan.

In this embodiment, the preliminary ejection position 800 is automatically set in accordance with the sheet size input at the start of the printing operation. The support portion 700 of the platen 504
As described above, the support portion 700 is configured not to overlap the preliminary ejection position 800. However, when the recording is performed on the recording medium 600 having a special size, for example, the preliminary ejection position 80 is not used.
When 0 becomes the position of the support portion 700, the preliminary ejection position 800 may be set further outside.

The preliminary ejection at the time of paper ejection is performed in order to eliminate and average the density difference of the ink in the nozzle caused by the difference in the ejection frequency of each nozzle in the image formation and the preliminary ejection performed during that time. This is performed by ejecting ink from nozzles that have been ejected less frequently. The preliminary discharge at this time is performed at the position of the preliminary discharge receiver 507.

In this embodiment, as described above, the preliminary ejection at the time of image formation is performed outside the both ends in the width direction of the recording medium 600 between the position of the preliminary ejection receiver 507 and the preliminary ejection position 800. Accordingly, the preliminary ejection operation can be performed efficiently, and the throughput of the recording operation can be improved.

Further, by using the ink jet recording apparatus of the present embodiment, it is possible to suitably perform the entire recording in which an image is formed over the entire surface of the recording medium 600. This will be described below.

When performing full-surface recording, a slight shift generally occurs between the position of the recording medium and the position at which an image is formed, depending on the conveyance accuracy of the recording medium and the movement accuracy of the recording head. When such a shift occurs, a margin is generated by the amount of the shift on the recording medium, and there is a problem that ink adheres to the platen and the recording medium is stained at the next recording. I will.

In the ink jet recording apparatus of this embodiment,
Since the support portion 700 of the platen 504 is configured not to be disposed near the outside of the end of the recording medium 600, even if the ink is ejected to a position slightly deviated from the recording medium 600, the support portion 700 is There is no contamination, and the recording medium 600 is not stained at the next recording. Therefore, by performing ink ejection so as to form an image one size larger than the recording medium 600, even if a slight displacement occurs, the image can be formed over the entire surface of the recording medium 600 without generating a blank portion. Can be recorded.

FIG. 3B shows a case where an image is formed on a recording medium 600 of, for example, a postcard size 703 by discharging ink over a longer recording range 705.
By performing ink ejection over such a recording range 705, an image can be recorded without generating a blank in the width direction of the recording medium 600. At this time, since no ink is ejected onto the support portion 700, the support portion 700 is not stained.

Also, in order to record an image at the front end and the rear end in the transport direction of the recording medium 600 without generating a margin, ink is applied so as to form an image slightly larger in this direction. It is desirable to discharge. Therefore, in this case, when the upper surface of the support unit 700 is in the recording area, the support unit 700 is always hidden below the recording medium 600.
The timing of rotating the platen 504 to the platen home position and the timing of the retreat position to match the conveyance of the recording medium 600,
It is possible to prevent the ink from adhering to the support portion 700. That is, the platen 504 is connected to the transport sensor 612.
The recording medium 600 is rotated to the rotation position of the platen home position after a predetermined time from the detection of the leading end of the recording medium 600, and is rotated to the rotation position of the retracted position after a certain time from the detection of the rear end of the recording medium 600. What should I do? By doing so, when ink is ejected at a position off the leading end or the trailing end of the recording medium 600, the support 700 of the platen 504 is
, Or outside the recording area, so that the discharged ink can enter the tub 617 and be absorbed by the waste ink absorber 508 without adhering to the support 700.

As described above, according to the present embodiment,
Preliminary ejection can be performed efficiently to improve the throughput of the printing operation, and the entire surface can be preferably printed without soiling the platen 504.

(Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIGS. 5A and 5B are schematic views of the ink jet recording apparatus of the present embodiment. FIG. 5A is a plan sectional view, and FIG. 5B is a side sectional view.
In the figure, the same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description is omitted.

The ink jet recording apparatus of the present embodiment has substantially the same configuration as that of the first embodiment except that a side regulating plate 900 is provided in the paper feeding section.

The side regulating plate 900 is connected to the recording medium 600.
Slidable in the direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the
In order to regulate the position of the recording medium 600 in the width direction, the recording medium 600 is manually slid so as to be in contact with the side surface thereof in accordance with the width of the recording medium 600. This ink jet recording apparatus is provided with a sensor for detecting the moving amount A of the side regulation plate 900 from the innermost position. In this embodiment, the preliminary ejection position 800 described in the first embodiment is determined by a signal from this sensor.

In the present embodiment, the side regulating plate 9
By determining the preliminary ejection position 800 based on the signal of the sensor that detects the movement amount of 00, it is possible to prevent the user from erroneously inputting the paper width and performing the preliminary ejection on the recording medium 600. .

The detection signal of this sensor may be sent to a host device that transmits the recorded image information, and the result may be reflected in the selection of the paper width by the driver of the host device so that the paper width is automatically determined. In this way, the user may incorrectly input the paper width and the support portion 7 of the platen 504
It is possible to prevent the ink from being ejected on the top of the image.

[0066]

As described above, according to the present invention, the use of a platen having a plurality of support portions arranged at intervals in the scanning direction of the recording head makes it possible to recover the preliminary ejection during image formation. This can be performed at both ends in the width direction of the recording medium, whereby the preliminary ejection recovery can be performed efficiently, and the throughput of the recording operation can be improved. Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to preferably perform the entire recording.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a recording unit and a recovery mechanism of an ink jet recording apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the entire ink jet recording apparatus of FIG. 1, in which an upper side is a plan sectional view and a lower side is a side sectional view.

3 is an enlarged view of a platen of the ink jet recording apparatus of FIG. 1; FIG. 3A shows a relationship between a position of a supporting portion and a size of a recording medium; FIG. Indicates the recording range.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a recording unit and a recovery mechanism of the ink jet recording apparatus of FIG. 1, showing a relationship between a width of a recording medium and a preliminary ejection position.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of an ink jet recording apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention, wherein a plan sectional view is shown on the upper side and a side sectional view is shown on the lower side.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing a conventional ink jet recording apparatus, in which an upper side is a plan sectional view and a lower side is a side sectional view.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing an ink cartridge of the ink jet recording apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged perspective view of a head unit of the ink cartridge of FIG. 7;

9 is a schematic diagram of a recording unit and a recovery mechanism of the ink jet recording apparatus of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 500 Recording head 501 Ink cartridge 502 Carriage unit 503 Carriage moving belt 504 Platen 505 Recovery pump 506 Blade 507 Predischarge receiver 508 Waste ink absorber 509 Cap 600 Recording medium 601 Pickup roller 602 Roller home position sensor 603 Slant feeding roller 604 Inlet conveyance Roller 608 Outlet transport roller 609 Discharge transport roller 610 Hopper arm 611 Discharge tray 612 Transport sensor 613 Skew feed sensor 614 Elevating member 615 Separation pad 617 Tub 619 Platen home position sensor 700 Support section 701 Margin 702 Business card size 703 Postcard size 704A 705 Recording range 800 Pre-discharge position 900 Side regulating plate 1000 Recording medium 1001 Ink cartridge 1002 Recording head 1003 Carriage unit 1004 Pickup roller 1005 Inlet conveyance roller 1006 Carriage moving belt 1007 Paper ejection tray 1008 Exit conveyance roller 1009 Ejection conveyance roller 1010 Recording position 1011 Hopper arm 1012 Elevating member 1014 Separation pad 1020 Ink guide 1021 Ink tank 1022 Cartridge main body 1023 Head unit 1030 Common liquid chamber 1031 Nozzle 1040 Recovery pump 1041 Waste ink absorber 1043 Blade 1043-1 Rubber member 1043-2 Absorber 1045 Pre-discharge receiver 1047 Platen

Claims (14)

[Claims] A recording head for ejecting ink to adhere to a recording medium to perform recording, a moving mechanism for reciprocating the recording head, and the recording head at a position facing an ink ejection surface of the recording head. A platen for supporting the medium, wherein a plurality of the platens are arranged side by side at intervals in the moving direction of the recording head, and a supporter for contacting and supporting the lower surface of the recording medium. Ink jet recording device having. 2. When performing recording by discharging ink from the recording head while moving the recording head, preliminary discharge for discharging the ink without contributing to recording is performed.
Control means for controlling the recording medium to be performed at positions outside both ends in the moving direction of the recording head,
The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1. 3. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control unit sets the preliminary ejection position according to a size of the recording medium. 4. A side regulating plate for restricting movement of the recording medium by contacting an end of the recording medium in the recording head moving direction, and a sensor for detecting a position of the side regulating plate. 3. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control means determines a width of the recording medium based on a signal of the sensor, and sets the preliminary ejection position accordingly. 5. The ink jet recording according to claim 1, wherein the recording head is controlled so as to discharge the ink over a wider range than a recording surface of the recording medium. apparatus. 6. A transport unit for transporting the recording medium in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of movement of the recording head to determine a recording position in this direction, wherein the platen includes A platen home position that contacts and supports the lower surface of the medium, and the support portion is rotatably supported at a retracted position that is located outside a recording area where the recording head can eject the ink. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 5. 7. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured such that when the recording head is in a recording area where the ink can be ejected, the supporting surface of the supporting unit is always positioned below the recording medium. The platen is rotated to the rotation position of the platen home position in accordance with the recording medium being conveyed onto the platen, and the platen is rotated in accordance with the recording medium being conveyed from above the platen. Control to be in the rotation position of the retracted position.
The inkjet recording head according to claim 6. 8. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a lower part of said platen has an upper surface opening which is open over a recording area where said recording head can discharge said ink, and a tub which can hold ink is arranged. Item 8. The inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of Items 1 to 7. 9. When the support portion of the platen supports the recording medium having a recordable size, inside the recording medium at both ends in the moving direction of the recording head,
It is arranged at a position relatively close to the both ends, and on the outside, it is arranged at a position relatively distant from the ends.
An ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1. 10. A recording medium is guided on a platen, which is arranged in a plurality at intervals in a moving direction of a recording head and has a support portion which contacts and supports a lower surface of the recording medium. Moving the recording head in one direction with the recording head facing the recording medium to guide the recording head to a position facing a recording position on the recording medium; and discharging ink from the recording head to discharge the ink. A step of performing recording by adhering to a recording position, and a step of performing preliminary discharge for discharging the ink without contributing to recording at a position outside of both ends of the recording medium in the moving direction of the recording head. Ink jet recording method. 11. The ink jet recording method according to claim 10, further comprising the step of setting the preliminary ejection position in accordance with the input size of the recording medium. 12. A step of detecting a position of a side regulating plate which is in contact with an end of the recording medium in a moving direction of the recording head and restricts movement of the recording medium; 11. The ink jet recording method according to claim 10, further comprising: setting according to a detection position of the side regulating plate. 13. A step of guiding a recording medium onto a platen having a plurality of support portions that are arranged side by side in the moving direction of the recording head and that are arranged in contact with and support the lower surface of the recording medium. Moving the recording head in one direction with the recording head facing the recording medium to guide the recording head to a position facing a recording position on the recording medium; and discharging ink from the recording head to the recording position. And printing the ink over a range larger than the recording surface of the recording medium. 14.
Item 6. The ink jet recording method according to item 1. 14. A method for transporting the recording medium in a direction substantially perpendicular to a moving direction of the recording head to determine a recording position in the direction, wherein the recording head moving step, the recording step, An inkjet recording method in which recording is performed by alternately repeating a transporting step, wherein the supporter moves the recording medium under the platen in accordance with the recording medium being transported onto the platen. Rotating the platen to a platen home position to support the recording medium, and in accordance with the recording medium being conveyed from above the platen, the supporting portion is in a plane range where the recording head can discharge the ink. Rotating the platen to a retracted position located outside a certain recording area, wherein the step of rotating the platen comprises: 14. The ink jet recording method according to claim 13, wherein the recording is performed so that the recording medium is always positioned below the recording medium when the recording medium is within a recording area which is a plane range in which ink can be ejected.