JP2002036578A - Ink jet recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ink jet recording apparatus having a maintenance part, having simple constitution not bringing about the scaling-up or cost increase of the apparatus and enhanced in operational stability by reducing and equalizing the sum total of torques or other load applied to a rotary cam. SOLUTION: The ink jet recording apparatus has a multistage rotary cam having a plurality of cam followers following the respective cams of the multistage rotary cam, an energizing means for bringing the cam followers into contact with the surfaces of the respective cams and a plurality of maintenance means cooperating with the cam followers to perform maintenance operation or maintenance preparation operation or a maintenance preparation means. At least two cam followers cooperating with the maintenance means or maintenance preparation means are operated so as to mutually negate the respective torques exerted on the multistage rotary cam.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet apparatus having a recording means for discharging ink onto a recording medium to perform recording, and a maintenance means for performing maintenance by contacting or separating from a discharge port surface of the recording means. It relates to a recording device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Among the recording methods of printers and the like, an ink jet recording method of discharging ink from a discharge port (nozzle) to perform recording on recording paper is a low-noise, non-impact recording method and a high-density and high-speed recording method. Since it can operate, it has been widely adopted in recent years.

A general ink jet recording apparatus includes a driving unit for driving a carrier on which an ink jet head is mounted, a conveying unit for conveying a recording sheet, and a control unit for controlling these. In addition, in order to generate energy for discharging ink from the nozzles of the inkjet head, an ink is applied to the ink using an electromechanical transducer such as a piezo element, or an electromagnetic wave such as a laser is irradiated to generate heat to generate heat. There is a foaming type, and a type in which a liquid is heated and foamed by an electrothermal transducer element having a heating resistor. Among them, an ink jet recording apparatus of the type in which ink droplets are ejected by using thermal energy can perform high-resolution recording because nozzles can be arranged at a high density. In particular, ink jet heads using electrothermal transducer elements as energy generating elements can be easily miniaturized, and by applying IC technology and micromachining technology, which have recently made remarkable progress in technology and improved reliability in the semiconductor manufacturing field. By making full use of the advantages, high-density mounting can be easily performed, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

In such an ink jet recording apparatus, in order to prevent a printing defect due to nozzle clogging,
A maintenance unit for head recovery and protection is provided.

[0005] In order to protect the head and prevent the nozzle from drying, the maintenance section is provided with a cap means for covering the nozzle surface, and an ink-jet head by sucking ink from the nozzle by a suction pump through the cap when the cap is in use. And maintenance means such as suction means for sucking / discharging high-viscosity ink inside the ink supply flow path, fine dust and bubbles in the ink liquid together with the ink from the nozzle tip, and wiper means for wiping the nozzle surface of the head with a blade. And maintenance preparation means such as lock means for fixing the head at a predetermined position for maintenance.

[0006] With the recent increase in the density of ink jet heads, the number of rows of nozzles and the diversification of inks have been increasing, and maintenance of such heads also requires various operations. Therefore, in the maintenance part, since the accuracy of the opening and closing operation and the suction operation of the cap and the reliability of the control are required, a rotating cam mechanism that can easily perform a complicated operation is often used as a control mechanism. I have.

[0007]

However, in the rotary cam mechanism as described above, various maintenance operations are performed by one rotation of the rotary cam (more than one rotation further complicates).
Therefore, the angle assigned to one maintenance operation is reduced, and the cam surface is steeply inclined. As a result, when the driving torque and noise required to drive the rotating cam increase, or when the rotating cam is driven by a motor having a small holding force, the cam follower exerts a pressing force on the rotating cam to prevent the cam from moving forward (over). The position of the cam cannot be accurately controlled due to run phenomenon) or backward movement. Further, since the maintenance unit performs opening / closing operation of the cap and suction operation of the pump, it is preferable that the maintenance unit be configured to be able to arbitrarily perform the two operations by switching between one-way drive transmission means (one-way clutch) and forward / reverse rotation of the motor. However, when the rotating cam is driven by the one-way clutch, there is almost no holding force of the rotating cam in the forward direction of the cam, so that the cam overrun phenomenon is more likely to occur.

In order to solve such a problem, the cam follower has a substantially lower cam shape so that the cam follower does not exert a force that causes the cam to overrun. In this case, the cam follower does not apply a force against the lowering of the cam follower while the cam follower is moving down, so that it is not possible to control the cam to stop while the cam follower is moving down. There is also a problem that a loud impact sound is generated when the cam follower drops rapidly.

Further, by applying a sliding brake for suppressing the rotation of the cam due to the pressing action of the friction pad, etc., the overrun phenomenon can be prevented. In that case, however, a relatively large braking force needs to be applied. The cam is deformed or broken, and the driving torque required by the driving source is further increased. If a normal gear transmission mechanism is used instead of the one-way drive transmission means and driven by a drive source having a holding function such as a stepping motor, overrun of the cam can be prevented, but the drive source is always connected. Therefore, different control cannot be performed for the forward rotation and the reverse rotation.

Therefore, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-138829, there is a technique for adding a brake cam and a brake cam follower to a rotating cam to reduce the total torque (or rotating moment) applied to the rotating cam. It has been devised. However, in this case, a dedicated member and a space are required only to reduce the total torque applied to the rotary cam, which leads to an increase in the size and cost of the apparatus. Furthermore, since the load of the brake cam follower is newly applied to the rotating cam, even if the total torque applied to the rotating cam can be reduced, the force acting on the support of the cam shaft, the frictional force due to the sliding between the cam surface and the cam follower, etc. This leads to deformation and breakage of the rotating cam and an increase in required driving torque of the driving source.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above technical problems, and has a simple structure that does not cause an increase in the size of the apparatus and an increase in cost. It is an object of the present invention to provide an ink jet recording apparatus having a maintenance unit in which operation stability is improved by reducing and equalizing other loads.

[0012]

The present invention can solve the above-mentioned problems by providing the following constitution.

(1) A multi-stage rotary cam having a plurality of cams on the same axis, a plurality of cam followers following the respective cams of the multi-stage rotary cam, and a bias for bringing the cam followers into contact with respective cam surfaces. Means, and a plurality of maintenance means for performing a maintenance operation or a maintenance preparation operation for the recording means in conjunction with each of the cam followers, or a maintenance preparation means,
Alternatively, at least two cam followers interlocked with maintenance preparation means operate so as to cancel each torque applied to the multi-stage rotating cam with each other.

(2) One of the respective torques that cancel each other out is such that at least one cam follower linked to the maintenance means or the maintenance preparation means performs a maintenance operation or an operation unrelated to the maintenance preparation operation. (1) wherein the cam follower is a torque applied to the multi-stage rotary cam.
3. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1.

(3) The maintenance means or the maintenance preparation means operating so as to cancel each other is a cap means which comes into contact with or separates from the discharge port surface of the recording means, and the blade is wiped on the discharge port surface of the recording means. The ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of (1) and (2), wherein the ink jet recording apparatus includes at least two of a wiper unit that separates and a lock unit that fixes the reciprocally movable recording unit at a predetermined position. .

(4) While any one of the cap means, the wiper means, and the lock means is moving while charging the urging means, at least one of the other moves while opening the urging means. The ink jet recording apparatus according to the item (3), wherein:

(5) The cap means and the lock means move forward and backward in the same manner with respect to the recording means, and while one is moving while charging the urging means, the other opens the urging means. The inkjet recording apparatus according to the above (4), wherein the inkjet recording apparatus moves while moving.

(6) The cap means and the wiper means move in opposite directions with respect to the recording means, and while one is moving while charging the urging means, the other opens the urging means. The inkjet recording apparatus according to the above (4), wherein the inkjet recording apparatus moves while moving.

(7) An opening / closing valve for closing or opening the space inside the cap at the time of capping is provided, and the opening / closing of the opening / closing valve is controlled by the rotation angle of the multi-stage rotary cam while the capping state is maintained. (1)-(6)
The inkjet recording device according to any one of the above.

(8) The inkjet recording according to any one of (1) to (7), wherein the multi-stage rotary cam is driven and transmitted via a one-way clutch, and is controlled to rotate in only one direction. apparatus.

(9) The ink jet recording apparatus as described in (8) above, wherein the suction means for performing suction recovery of the recording means is driven by driving in the reverse direction of the drive transmission.

(10) The suction means is a tube pump for moving the elastic tube connected to the cap while pressing the elastic tube with a roller. When the rotary cam rotates in the forward direction, the pressing action of the roller is released, and The ink jet recording apparatus according to the item (9), wherein the tube pump does not work.

(11) The ink jet recording apparatus as described in any one of (1) to (10) above, wherein the multi-stage rotary cam is driven by a stepping motor and rotation is controlled.

[0024]

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

In the drawings, the same reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a main part of an ink jet recording apparatus provided with a recovery unit (maintenance unit) according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a recovery unit mounted on the ink jet recording apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic exploded perspective view showing the internal structure of a recovery unit mounted on the ink jet recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a drive of the recovery unit according to the present invention. FIG. 5 is a partially cut-away side view schematically showing the configuration of a gear train, FIG. 5 is a longitudinal side view showing a state immediately after the drive transmission by the pump gear to the suction unit of the recovery unit according to the present invention is released, and FIG. FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional side view showing a state immediately before transmission of drive by a pump gear to a suction unit of a recovery unit according to the present invention. 8 is a vertical sectional side view showing a suction operation state, and FIG. 8 shows a state immediately after the drive transmission by the pump gear is released when the pressure roller is pressing the tube against the suction means of the recovery unit according to the present invention. FIG. 9 is a vertical sectional side view showing a state immediately before the transmission of the drive by the pump gear to the suction unit of the recovery unit shown in FIG. 8, and FIG. 10 is a vertical side view showing the state of the suction unit of the recovery unit shown in FIG. FIG. 11 is a longitudinal side view showing a state in which drive transmission is performed by a pump gear and the pressure roller is in a released state.
FIG. 12 is a schematic perspective view showing a state where both the Bk and Color side valves of the atmosphere communication valve constituting the capping means of the recovery unit according to the present invention are closed (cap closed state). FIG. 12 is a capping means shown in FIG. FIG. 13 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which both of the atmospheric communication valves constituting the valve are in an open state (empty suction, colloidal removal state).
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a state (Bk suction state) in which the Color-side valve is open and the Bk-side valve is closed (Bk suction state) among the atmosphere communication valves constituting the capping means shown in FIG.
4 is a schematic perspective view showing a state where the valve on the Bk side is open and the valve on the Color side is closed (color suction state) among the atmosphere communication valves constituting the capping means shown in FIG. 11, and FIG. The pressurizing roller constituting the suction means (suction pump) of the recovery unit according to the present invention is in a released state,
FIG. 16 is a vertical sectional side view showing a state in which the drive transmission by the pump gear is released. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a suction unit (suction pump) shown in FIG. FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic timing chart at the time of a suction mode selection operation of the cap of the capping means and the atmosphere communication valve and the suction means constituting the recovery unit according to the present invention. 18 is a flowchart showing a general suction recovery operation sequence of the recovery unit according to the present invention, and FIG. 19 is a view showing the structure of an ink discharge unit (one discharge port array) of the recording means (recording head) 3 shown in FIG. FIG. 20 is a schematic perspective view showing a usage example of a cam constituting a recovery unit according to the present invention, and FIG. 21 is a schematic perspective view showing a recovery unit according to the present invention. FIG. 22 is a schematic perspective view showing a cap closed state of the unit, and FIG. 22 is a schematic perspective view showing a configuration (cap closed state) of capping means, wiping means, a CR lock lever and a cam of the recovery unit according to the present invention. 23 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration (cap closed state) of capping means, wiping means, CR lock lever and cam of the recovery unit according to the present invention, and FIG. 24 is a wiping means and cam of the recovery unit according to the present invention. 25 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration (wiping start position), FIG. 25 is a longitudinal sectional side view showing the configuration of a cam and a brake spring of the recovery unit according to the present invention, and FIG. 26 is a cam of the recovery unit according to the present invention. FIG. 27 is a timing chart explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the rotational position and the operation. FIG. 27 shows the rotational position and the cam of the recovery unit according to the present invention. Ku explanatory diagram showing the relationship between torque, FIG. 28, cam diagram showing the rotational position and the operation of the cam of the cam of the recovery unit according to a second embodiment of another embodiment according to the present invention (timing chart),
FIG. 29 is a cam diagram (timing chart) showing the cam rotation position and cam operation of the recovery unit according to the third embodiment in another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 30 is another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a relationship between a rotational position of a cam of the recovery unit and a torque acting on the cam according to the third embodiment in the embodiment.

1 to 3, an ink jet recording apparatus 1 includes a drive motor M1 as a carriage drive source,
Carriage 2 on which inkjet recording head 3 is mounted
A transmission mechanism 4 for reciprocating the carriage 2 in the direction of the arrow A by the drive motor M1, and a paper feed mechanism (paper feed mechanism) 5 for transporting (feeding) recording paper P as a recording medium.
And a recovery device (recovery unit) 10 for maintaining the discharge port surface and the discharge ports in order to perform the discharge recovery process of the recording head 3. In such an ink jet recording apparatus 1, the recording paper P is fed by the paper feed mechanism 5, and predetermined recording is performed on the recording paper P by the recording head 3. The ink jet cartridge 6 mounted on the carriage 2 is detachably held (mounted) on the carriage 2 on which the recording head 3 is mounted. The ink contained in the inkjet cartridge 6 is supplied to the recording head 3. In this case, the carriage 2 and the recording head 3 are configured such that the joint surfaces of the two members are appropriately brought into contact with each other so that required electrical connection can be achieved and maintained. The recording head 3 is an ink jet recording head that selectively discharges ink from a plurality of discharge ports to perform recording by applying energy according to a recording signal. The recording head 3 is an ink jet recording unit that discharges ink by using thermal energy, and includes an electrothermal converter 52 (see FIG. 19) for generating thermal energy. Further, the recording head 3 uses the pressure change generated by the growth and shrinkage of bubbles due to film boiling caused by the heat energy applied by the electrothermal transducer, and the discharge port 49 is used.
The recording is performed by discharging ink from FIG. The electrothermal transducers 52 are provided corresponding to the respective ejection ports 49, and eject ink from the corresponding ejection ports 49 by applying a pulse voltage to the corresponding electrothermal transducer 52 in accordance with a recording signal. Things.

In FIG. 19, a recording medium (recording paper, etc.)
P and a predetermined gap (for example, about 0.3 to 2.0 mm)
A plurality of discharge ports 49 are formed at a predetermined pitch on the discharge port face 23 facing the discharge port 23, and the common liquid chamber 50 and each discharge port 4 are formed.
An electrothermal converter (heating resistor, etc.) 52 for generating energy for ink ejection is provided along the wall surface of each liquid path 51 communicating with the fluid path 9. The recording head 3 is guided and supported in such a positional relationship that the discharge ports 49 are arranged in a direction intersecting with the main scanning movement direction (in this embodiment, the movement direction arrow A of the carriage 2 mounted on the carriage 2: FIG. 1). Have been. Thus, the corresponding electrothermal transducer 52 is driven based on the image signal or the ejection signal (pulse voltage is applied).
Then, a recording unit (recording head) 3 is configured to cause the ink in the liquid path 51 to film boil and discharge the ink droplets from the discharge port 49 by the pressure generated at that time.

In FIG. 1, the carriage 2 is connected to a part of a drive belt 7 of a transmission mechanism 4 for transmitting a driving force of a drive motor M1 serving as a carriage drive source. And is mounted so as to be driven by the drive motor M1. Therefore, the carriage 2 reciprocates along the guide shaft 13 by the forward and reverse rotation of the drive motor M1. 8 is an arrow A of the carriage 2.
This scale indicates the absolute position in the direction. In this embodiment, a black bar printed on a transparent PET film at a required pitch is used.
And the other is supported by a leaf spring (not shown).
In the illustrated ink jet recording apparatus 1, a platen (not shown) is provided to face a discharge port surface of the recording head 3 where discharge ports (not shown) are formed, and the recording head 3 is driven by a driving force of a driving motor M1. At the same time as the mounted carriage 2 is driven to reciprocate, a recording signal is applied to the recording head 3 to eject ink, thereby performing recording over the entire width of the recording paper P as a recording medium conveyed on the platen.

Reference numeral 14 denotes a conveyance roller driven by a conveyance motor M2 for conveying the recording sheet. Reference numeral 15 denotes a pinch roller for bringing the recording sheet into contact with the conveyance roller 14 by a spring (not shown). It is a pinch roller holder that freely supports.

Reference numeral 17 denotes a conveying roller gear fixed to one end of the conveying roller 14;
The transport roller 14 is driven by the rotation of the transport motor M2 transmitted through the intermediate gear 18 to the transport roller 14. Reference numeral 19 denotes a discharge roller gear fixed to a discharge roller (not shown) for discharging a recording sheet on which an image has been formed by the recording head 3 to the outside of the recording apparatus. The discharge roller gear 19 is transmitted to the discharge roller gear 19 via the intermediate gear 18. The discharge roller is driven by the rotation of the transport motor M2. Reference numeral 21 denotes a spur roller that presses the recording sheet against the discharge roller by a spring (not shown), and reference numeral 22 denotes a spur holder that rotatably supports the spur roller 21.

Further, in such an ink jet recording apparatus 1, a desired position (for example, a position corresponding to the home position) outside the range of reciprocation (out of the recording area) for the recording operation of the carriage 2 on which the recording head 3 is mounted. )
A recovery device for recovering the ejection failure of the recording head 3 is provided. Such a recovery device generally includes a capping unit 11 for capping the discharge port surface of the recording head 3 and a wiping unit (or wiper unit) 12 for cleaning the discharge port surface of the recording head 3. In cooperation with the capping of the ejection port surface by the capping unit 11, ink is forcibly discharged from the ejection port by a suction unit (not shown) (not shown) in the recovery device, whereby the ink flow path of the recording head 3 is removed. Ejection recovery processing, such as removing thickened ink, bubbles, and the like. In addition, by capping the ejection opening surface of the recording head 3 during non-recording or the like, the recording head 3 can be protected and ink can be prevented from drying. The wiping unit 12 is arranged near the capping unit 11 and wipes ink droplets adhered to the ejection opening surface of the recording head 3. The capping unit 11 and the wiping unit 12 can keep the recording head 3 in a normal state.

Referring to FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the structure of the recovery unit according to the present invention will be described.

The recovery unit 10 includes a suction means 48, a capping means 11, and a wiping means 12 as recovery means for failure of the recording head 3 to be discharged.

The suction means 48 uses the inner surface of the arc portion of the recovery base 20 as a guide surface, arranges two suction tubes 32 in parallel along the arc surface, and presses the suction tubes 32 with a pressure spring (not shown). During a suction operation of the pressure roller 33 for generating a negative pressure in the suction tube 32, the suction roller 32 is pressed toward the side that presses the suction tube 32.
The pressure roller holder 31 is provided with an elongated hole-shaped evacuation portion so as to be able to be retracted from the pressure roller holder 31. I have. In this embodiment, since the arc surface of the recovery base 20 that guides the suction tube 32 has a semicircular shape, the pressure roller 33 is arranged by two pressure rollers 33 so as to face each other by 180 degrees. When the pressure roller is separated from the state of pressing the suction tube 32, the other pressure roller 33 presses the suction tube 32, so that the two pressure rollers 33 are continuously rotated. This makes it possible to continuously perform the suction operation while maintaining the negative pressure in the suction tube. Further, when the guide shape is substantially circular, the same effect can be obtained with one press roller.
Further, even if the guide shape is a semicircular shape, the suction operation can be performed continuously as long as there are two or more pressure rollers. The pressure roller holder 31 is supported by the pressure roller holder guide 30 so as to be rotatable in the radial direction of the arc guide surface of the recovery base 20, and functions to press and retract the pressure roller 33 with respect to the suction tube 32. The pressure roller holder guide 30 has shafts at both ends, and is supported at the center of the arc of the semi-circular guide surface provided with the suction tube 32 of the recovery base 20. It is arranged rotatably to transmit the drive. The driving force from the PG motor M3 is transmitted to the suction means 48 through the PG gear 124 and the pump gear 27, and the rotation of the pressure roller holder guide 30 is connected to the pump gear 27.
And a pump gear trigger boss 41 arranged on one end surface of the pressure roller holder guide 30 is provided with a pump gear 27.
The rotation is transmitted when it comes into contact with the pump gear trigger ribs 42a, 42b.

Here, the shape of the pump gear 27 will be described. The pump gear 27 has two ribs inside (a pump gear trigger rib a42a and a pump gear trigger rib b42b), and a space is provided on a side surface thereof and enters the space. The boss (pump gear trigger boss 41) and the ribs are in contact with each other so that the driving force is transmitted to the suction means 48 side. The suction means 48 is directly connected to the rotational drive of the PG motor M3. The suction means 48 performs a suction operation when the PG motor M3 rotates in one direction (hereinafter, forward rotation), and a pressure roller when it rotates in the reverse direction (hereinafter, reverse rotation). The configuration is such that the function of moving the suction tube 33 from the pressed state to the suction tube 32 in the release direction is obtained.

The capping means 11 includes a cap 35 which is in contact with the discharge port surface of the recording head 3 and a cap absorber for efficiently sucking ink discharged from the discharge port surface of the recording head 3 as shown in FIG. And a cap holder 36 that supports the cap and presses the cap 35 against the ejection port surface of the recording head 3 by a cap spring (not shown).
And a cap base 3 that supports a cap spring that applies cap pressure to the cap holder 36 with a cap spring (not shown), and supports the cap holder 36 slidably in the vertical direction.
4 and the cap 35 in contact with the ejection opening face of the recording head 3;
Capping means elevating lever 37 serving as an arm member for separating, and cap means elevating lever biasing spring 3 for bringing capping means elevating lever 37 into contact with cam 38
9, an air communication tube 45 connecting the cap 35 and the air communication hole 47 provided in the cap base 34 shown in FIGS. 11 to 14, and opening and closing the air communication hole 47 to create a sealed state inside the cap 35, It is constituted by atmospheric communication valves 46a and 46b which can be opened. The suction tube 32 forming the suction means 48 is connected to the capping means 11 at a joint portion provided on the cap holder 36, and while the cap means is in contact with the ejection port surface of the recording head 3, A negative pressure is applied to the inside of the cap 35 by a suction operation so that the ink can be sucked from the recording head 3. In this embodiment, Bk ink and Col
or the ink is sucked by the separate suction tubes 32, so that two closed spaces of the cap 35, two cap absorbers 44 are adjusted to the closed space, two air communication tubes 45, and the air communication valve 46 a , 46b are arranged.

An elevating operation for bringing the capping means 11 into contact with the recording head 3 and the atmosphere communication valves 46a, 46
The opening / closing operation of b is performed by driving the PG motor M3 with the PG gear 2
25, via the PG gears 326 and the like, engages with the cam 38 which performs the raising / lowering operation of the capping means 11 and the opening / closing operation of the atmosphere communication valves 46a and 46b, so that the driving force from the PG motor M3 is cam 38, and receives a driving force via a one-way clutch gear 28 which does not transmit the drive to the cam 38 when idling when rotating in the other direction.

The cam 38 is connected to the capping means 1 described above.
In addition to the operation of the recording head 3, the recording head 3 and the capping unit 1 constituting the recovery unit 10 according to the present invention during the operation of driving the wiping unit 12 and the recovery operation of the recording head 3.
It is also configured to control the raising and lowering operation of the CR lock lever 29 provided as a positioning with respect to the first position. In the operation of each unit described above, the rotation of the cam 38 is determined by the cam position detection sensor flag provided on the cam 38 and the cam position detection sensor 40, and each unit is controlled.

Here, the present invention is directed to a capping means for driving a suction means for performing suction recovery by driving a motor in one direction, and bringing a cap into contact with or separating from a discharge port surface of a recording means by driving in a reverse direction. The present invention relates to a recovery device (recovery unit) of an ink jet recording apparatus in which both a capping unit and a wiping unit for wiping an ejection port surface are driven by a cam having a position detection flag on the same axis and a cam phase detection unit. In addition to the above, it further includes a characteristic configuration as described below.

Next, the suction recovery mode of the recovery unit of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

When performing the suction recovery operation of the recording head 3 by the recovery unit according to the present invention, the suction recovery is performed according to the sequence shown in the flowchart of FIG. Figure 1
The flow shown in FIG. 8 shows a general suction recovery operation of the recovery unit according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, the details of the suction recovery mode in this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

When the suction recovery operation command is issued, the position of the cam 38 constituting the recovery unit is detected by the cam position detection sensor 40 (S1), and the capping means 11 is operated.
And the position of the wiping means 12 and the like. When the recording head 3 is not in the suction recovery operation position,
After the cam position detection sensor 40 confirms that the recording head 3 and the capping means 11 and the wiping means 12 constituting the recovery unit do not interfere with each other, the recording head 3 is driven by the transmission mechanism 4 shown in FIG. To move to the suction recovery operation position. Thereafter, the capping means 11 is brought into contact with the discharge port surface of the recording head 3 by rotating the cam 38 in order to execute the suction recovery operation by driving the cam 38 by driving the PG motor. P at that time
The rotation direction of the G motor M3 is the rotation direction R shown in FIGS.
Therefore, the pressure roller 33 of the suction means 48 is arranged at a position separated from the suction tube 32 as shown in FIG.
The inside of the cap 35 is communicated with the atmosphere, and
Even if is rotated, the ink remaining in the suction tube 32 flows backward in the cap 35 or a positive pressure is applied in the cap 35 so as not to damage the ejection port of the recording head 3. After the cap 35 is brought into contact with the discharge port surface of the recording head 3, the PG motor M 3 is pressed by the suction means 48 in order to once press the pressure roller 33 constituting the suction means 48 against the suction tube 32 in preparation for the suction recovery operation.
Gives a drive in the direction of rotation in the rotation direction L (FIGS.
7). At this time, since the capping unit 11 is in contact with the discharge port surface of the recording head 3, the cap 35 is used to prevent an unnecessary negative pressure from being applied inside the cap 35 when the suction unit 48 rotates in the rotation direction R. Is brought into contact with the recording head 3, the rotation of the cam 38 causes the air communication valve 46 to rotate.
a and 46b are left open. The pump gear 27 rotates from the state shown in FIG. 5 by the driving of the PG motor M3 to the state shown in FIG.
By continuing the rotation, the pump gear trigger boss 4 disposed on the end face on the side where the pump gear 27 is pivotally supported on the shaft of the pressure roller holder guide 30 constituting the suction means 48.
1 contacts the pump gear trigger rib b42b provided inside the pump gear 27 to transmit the rotational force to the suction means 48, and rotates the suction means 48 in the rotation direction L as shown in FIG. Is pressed against the suction tube 32. (Refer to FIGS. 15 and 16.) This operation enables the stable suction recovery operation regardless of the position of the pressure roller 33 when the suction recovery operation command is input.
Is pressed against the suction tube 32 so that the pressure roller 33 presses the suction tube 32 to suppress the crushing amount of the suction tube 32 in the insensitive region, that is, the variation in the ink suction amount. . By performing the above-described operation, even if the pressure roller sensor required for detecting the position of the pressure roller 33 is not provided, the variation in the ink suction amount is reduced, and a stable suction recovery operation becomes possible (S2).
~ S7).

Next, after the pressure roller 33 is pressed against the suction tube 32, the recovery unit of this embodiment selects the suction mode (S8). The suction mode is selected by opening and closing the air communication valves 46a and 46b constituting the capping means 11 while the cap 35 is in contact with the recording head 3, thereby making the inside of the cap 35 a sealed state or an air communication state.
This is performed by applying a negative pressure to the inside of the cap 35, which is a closed space, by the suction rotation operation of the suction means 48 and controlling the cap on the side from which ink is discharged from the recording head 3. As shown in FIGS. 11 to 14, the atmosphere communication valves 46a,
By opening and closing the atmosphere communication hole 47 depending on the position of 6b, the sealing opening inside the cap 35 is controlled. FIG. 11 shows the position of the valve in the capping state for protecting the discharge port surface of the recording head 3, and FIG. 12 shows the inside of the cap 35 communicating with the atmosphere and the cap 35 when preparing for the suction recovery operation.
FIG. 13 shows the position of the valve in the Bk ink suction state of the recovery unit according to the present embodiment, and FIG.
r shows the position of the valve in the ink suction state. The operation of the valve described above is also performed by the PG provided in the recovery unit in this embodiment.
Since the operation is performed by one driving source of the motor M3, the air communication valve must be selected and the suction mode must be selected without changing the state of the pressurizing roller 33 prepared in preparation for the suction recovery operation.
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 17, while the capping unit 11 is in contact with the recording head 3, the cam 38 is rotated via the one-way clutch gear 28 by the driving of the PG motor M3 to operate the atmosphere communication valves 46a and 46b. At this time, the pump gear trigger rib 42 provided on the pump gear 27
The pump gear trigger boss 41 provided on the end face of the pressure roller holder guide 30 constituting the suction means 48
, So that the driving force of the PG motor M3 is not transmitted to the suction means 48 side. That is, the PG motor M3
When the suction mode is selected (shaded area in FIG. 17) while the drive is being transmitted to the cam 38 side, the transmission to the suction means 48 is released. Therefore, the pump gear trigger ribs 42a, 4
The interval of 2b is a shaded area shown in FIG. 17 in consideration of the rotation angle of the cam 38, the reduction ratio of the gear transmitted from the PG motor M3 to the suction means 48, and the reduction ratio of the gear transmitted to the cam 38 in the suction mode selection area. The interval is set so that the driving force of the PG motor M3 is not transmitted to the suction means 48 side. In this embodiment, two ribs of the pump gear 27 are necessary for the number of suction modes, but the number of pump gear trigger ribs provided on the pump gear 27 depends on the number of suction modes, the gear reduction ratio, and the rotation amount of the cam 38. May be one. Further, in the explanatory view of the present embodiment, the space formed in the pump gear 27 is formed as a penetrating space. However, a space formed by the trigger rib is formed in a shape in which one side of the pump gear 27 is closed, that is, a lightened shape of the gear. Is also good.

After selecting the suction mode, the PG motor M
3 so that the suction recovery operation is performed by the driving of the suction means 4.
A suction recovery operation is performed in which the motor is rotated in a direction in which a driving force is applied to the side 8 to suction a predetermined amount of ink. After that, the discharged ink collected and sucked in the cap 35 is removed from the cap 3.
In order to discharge the air from inside 5, the air communication valves 46a and 46b are opened by the rotation of the cam 38 as shown in FIG. If the drive is transmitted to the suction means 48 during the opening operation of the atmosphere communication valve, the pressurizing roller 33 is moved to the suction tube 32.
Rotates in the direction in which the ink flows back into the cap 35, and damages the recording head 3 due to the ink backflow. However, even during the above-described opening operation, the pump gear trigger ribs 42a and 42b of the pump gear 27 remain The suction roller 48 is configured to rotate to the side away from the contact with the pump gear trigger boss 41 on the pressure roller holder guide 30, so that the suction means 48 does not rotate, and no trouble occurs due to the ink backflow. . The atmosphere communication valve 46
After the states a and b, the suction unit 48 performs an idle suction operation in which the drive in the direction of the suction recovery operation is transmitted from the PG motor M3 to discharge the ink in the cap 35 to the outside of the recovery unit 10 (S8 to S12). ), The general suction recovery operation ends. The above-described general suction recovery operation is performed in the single suction mode of Bk ink,
This is a basic control of an ink independent suction mode and a continuous suction mode of Bk and Color inks. By combining this suction recovery operation, various suction modes are supported.

Next, capping means 11 (maintenance means), wiping means 12 (maintenance means)
A configuration in which the CR lock lever 29 (maintenance preparation means) moves forward and backward with respect to the recording means 3 in conjunction with the rotation of the cam 38 will be described with reference to FIGS.

The cam 38 is a multi-stage rotary cam having a plurality of cams having the outer peripheral surface as the cam surface as shown in FIG. The cam 38 is rotatably supported at both ends by the recovery base 20 and is driven to rotate in the direction of arrow C via a one-way clutch gear 28 having a built-in one-way clutch. Further, the cam position detection sensor 40, which is a transmission type optical sensor, is shielded by a light shielding plate portion 38a of the cam 38, and the absolute position of the cam 38 is detected to recover the motor (PG motor).
By driving M3 to a predetermined value, the cam position is controlled.

The capping means elevating lever 37 has a shaft portion 37a swingably supported by the recovery base 20.
Further, one end of the cap base is urged by a spring 39 for urging the cap means which is supported by the recovery base 20, so that the cam follower portion 37b of the capping means elevating lever 37 always comes into contact with the cap cam portion 38b of the cam 38 and follows the cam surface. It is configured like this. On the other hand, the cap base 34 of the capping means 11 is supported by the recovery base 20 so as to be able to slide up and down while maintaining the posture. And cam 38
When the capping means elevating lever 37 swings by
When the cap base 34 connected to the tip portion 37c of the capping unit elevating lever 37 is linked, the entire capping unit 11 moves forward and backward with respect to the recording unit 3. still,
The urging direction of the cap means raising / lowering lever urging spring 39 is the direction in which the capping means 11 is retracted from the recording means 3.

The CR lock lever 29 has a shaft portion 29a swingably supported by the recovery base 20. Further, a CR lock lever spring 5 having one end supported by the recovery base 20 is provided.
The cam follower portion 29b of the CR lock lever 29 is always in contact with the CR lock cam portion 38c of the cam 38 and follows the cam surface. When the CR lock lever 29 swings by the cam 38, the lock pin portion 29c of the CR lock lever 29 advances and retreats with respect to the recording means 3. The biasing direction of the CR lock lever spring 53 is a direction in which the lock pin portion 29c of the CR lock lever 29 enters the recording means 3. When the carriage 2 on which the recording means 3 is mounted enters the maintenance position (the position shown in FIG. 21) and stops, when the lock pin 29c of the CR lock lever 29 is raised, the carriage 2 is fitted into the hole of the carriage 2 and the carriage 2 is fixed. I do.

The blade lever 57 for operating the wiping means 12 is supported by the recovery base 20 so as to be able to reciprocate in the direction of arrow W. A blade holder 55 for holding the blade 54 of the wiping unit 12 is also supported by the recovery base 20 so as to be able to reciprocate in the direction of arrow W.
The blade holder 55 is urged in the retreating direction with respect to the recording unit 3 by a blade holder spring 58 whose one end is supported by the recovery base 20. An intermediate gear 56 is rotatably provided on a shaft portion 57a protruding from the blade lever 57. The intermediate gear 56 is a two-step speed increasing gear. The small diameter gear meshes with the rack portion 20 a of the recovery base 20, and the large diameter gear meshes with the rack portion 55 a on the back surface of the blade holder 55. FIG. 24 shows the arrangement of the retracted position of the wiping unit 12 with respect to the recording unit 3. With such a configuration, when the cam 38 rotates, the wipe cam portion 38 d of the cam 38 is moved to the cam follower portion 5 of the blade lever 57.
7b, and pushes out the blade lever 57 in a direction to enter the recording means 3. With the movement of the blade lever 57, the intermediate gear 56 rotates to increase the speed of the blade holder 55 and move the blade holder 55 in a direction to enter the recording means 3. When the cam 38 further rotates, the blade holder spring 58
The cam follower portion 57b of the blade lever 57 follows the wipe cam portion 38d of the cam 38 to return the blade holder 55 to the retracted position. Thereafter, when the cam 38 rotates, the wipe cam portion 38d of the cam 38 is once separated from the cam follower portion 57b of the blade lever 57 and does not come into contact with the position shown in FIG. Also, as shown in FIG. 25, a brake spring 59, which is a coil spring, is arranged on the same axis as the cam 38 so that the inner diameter surface contacts both the cylindrical portion 38e of the cam 38 and the cylindrical portion 20b of the recovery base 20. The brake spring 59 slightly tightens both the cylindrical portion 38e and the cylindrical portion 20b. Further, the brake spring 59 has a winding direction in which the cam 38 is loosened when the cam 38 rotates in the direction of arrow C. With such a configuration, when the cam 38 rotates in the direction of arrow C, a slight holding force due to the friction of the brake spring 59 is applied to the cam 38.

Next, the operation in which the capping means 11, the wiping means 12, the CR lock lever 29 and the like advance and retreat in conjunction with the rotation of the cam 38 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG.
FIG. 4 is a timing chart explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the rotation position of the cam and the operation of the recovery unit according to the present invention. From now on, the operation of each maintenance means and maintenance preparation means with respect to the rotation position of the cam, the stop position of the cam, and the cam shape Etc. can be read. The horizontal axis shows the rotation position of the cam, 0 °
Is a HP (home position), which is a protective capping position for preventing and protecting the ejection surface of the recording unit 3 from drying. The vertical axis represents the state of each means. Also, the cam diameter at which each cam follower abuts is shown.

A to h indicate the stop positions of the cam 38, respectively: a: recovery system HP (valve closed): protective capping position b: pump colloidal removal (valve open) c: Bk suction (Col valve open) d : Color suction (Bk valve open) e: Empty suction (Bk, Col valve open) f: CR retraction lock release position: Printing position (preliminary discharge to cap) g: CR retraction position after wiping h: CR entry lock position is there.

A to e are the same as those described with reference to FIG.
Same as E). f to h are positions at which all of the maintenance means and the maintenance preparation means which allow the carriage 2 to move forward and backward with respect to the recovery unit 10 are retracted,
At this position, the carriage 2 is controlled to move forward and backward. f denotes a CR retraction lock release position, and the cap is supported with a slight gap from the recording means 3. At this position, the carriage 2 retracts after the cap is closed / sucked, performs printing, performs preliminary ejection into the cap during printing, or enters the carriage 2 for wiping.

The forward and backward movements of the capping means 11 and the CR lock lever 29 are substantially the same across f. The wiping unit 12 starts operating after the capping unit 11 is completely lowered. Wiping is performed when the carriage 2 is at the maintenance position when the cam 38 rotates between f and g. After wiping is performed in the forward movement of the wiping means 12, the cam 38 stops at the position of g, and at this time, the carriage 2 retreats. Between g and h, the carriage 2 is retracted, and during this time, the wiping unit 12 returns to the retracted position. Further, the advancing / retreating operations of the wiping means 12 and the CR lock lever 29 with the g in between are substantially the same.
The lock lever 29 rises again, but the amount of rise is only further reduced from the retracted position of f.
The R lock lever 29 is retracted with respect to the recording means 3. Then, before the cap is closed or sucked, the carriage 2 enters at h. Thereafter, when the cam rotates, the CR lock lever 29 fixes the carriage 2 so that the recording unit 3 does not shift when the cap is closed or suction is performed. Further, the forward / backward movements of the capping means 11 and the CR lock lever 29 immediately after h are substantially the same.

Next, the torque exerted on the cam 38 by the capping means 11, the wiping means 12, the CR lock lever 29 and the like will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 27 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the rotational position of the cam of the recovery unit according to the present invention and the torque acting on the cam.

The abscissa indicates the rotational position of the cam, the ordinate indicates the torque acting on the cam, and the plus indicates the rotation of the cam 38 (in the direction of arrow C) and the direction in which the one-way clutch slides. The torque acting on the cam 38 is generated when each cam follower moves forward and backward. That is, a minus torque is generated when each cam follower moves and each biasing means is charged, and a plus torque is generated when each biasing means is opened. Cam 3 by each cam follower as shown in FIG.
The sum of the torques acting on the cam 8 is actually the torque acting on the cam 38. As shown in FIG. 27, each of the torques is generated by the CR lock lever 29 which generates a torque in a direction substantially opposite to the torque by the capping means 11 and the wiping means 12. Each torque by the cam follower is canceled out, and the total torque actually applied to the cam 38 becomes significantly smaller than each torque by each cam follower. The friction torque by the brake spring 59 is shown near the line representing the total torque. If the total torque is smaller than the friction torque by the brake spring 59, the cam 38 can be stopped at that position.
Even when the cam 38 is rotating, an overrun occurs in the direction of arrow C, or when the drive during suction is rotating in the reverse direction, the cam 38 rotates in the direction opposite to the arrow C, making it impossible to control accurately. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 27, the cam 38 can be reliably stopped even if the friction torque by the brake spring 59 is slight, and the overrun phenomenon and the backward movement do not occur.

Further, in this embodiment, in order to increase the holding force of the rotating cam 38, the friction in the loose rotation direction of the inner diameter surface of the tightened coil spring such as the brake spring 59 is used. Even if the surface changes, a stable friction holding force can be obtained. In addition, the recovery unit of the present embodiment drives the suction unit that performs suction recovery by driving the motor in one direction, and the capping unit or the capping unit that causes the cap to contact and separate from the discharge port surface of the recording unit by driving in the opposite direction. Both the capping unit and the wiping unit for wiping the discharge port surface can be driven by a cam having a flag for position detection on the same axis and a cam phase detecting unit, and can be used for a recovery operation related to maintenance of the recording head. On the other hand, a self-contained recovery unit can be provided.

In the above-described embodiment, in the total torque acting on the cam 38, the torque by the capping means 11, the wiping means 12, and the CR lock lever 29 slightly remains, but it is possible to completely cancel the torque. good.
Further, in the above embodiments, the serial recording type ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording while moving the recording unit relative to the recording medium has been described as an example. The present invention can be similarly applied to a line recording type ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording only by sub-scanning using a line type recording unit having a covered length, and can achieve the same effect. Further, the present invention provides a printing apparatus using one printing unit, a color printing apparatus using a plurality of printing units printing with inks of different colors, or a gray scale using a plurality of printing units printing the same color at different densities. The present invention can be similarly applied to a recording apparatus and a recording apparatus in which these are combined, and can achieve the same effect. Still further, the present invention provides a recording head including a configuration using a replaceable ink cartridge in which a recording head and an ink tank are integrated, a configuration in which the recording head and the ink tank are separated, and a space between the recording head and the ink tank is connected by an ink supply tube or the like. The present invention can be similarly applied to any arrangement of the ink tank and the ink tank, and the same effect can be obtained.

The present invention can be applied to a case where the ink jet recording apparatus uses a recording means using an electromechanical transducer such as a piezo element.
In particular, the present invention brings about an excellent effect in an ink jet recording apparatus using a recording means of a method of discharging ink by using thermal energy. This is because according to such a method, it is possible to achieve higher density and higher definition of recording.

(Other Embodiment) FIG. 28 shows a second embodiment as another embodiment according to the present invention. FIG. 28 is a cam diagram (timing chart) showing the rotation position and operation of the cam of the recovery unit according to the second embodiment. The portions indicated by * in FIG. 28 are different from the first embodiment in the above-described embodiment, and the CR lock lever 29 can be further raised in a state where the CR lock lever locks and fits the carriage 2. And two air communication valves 46a, 46b
Is slightly moved up and down in accordance with the above operation, the torque acting on the cam 38 by the two atmospheric communication valves 46a and 46b is canceled by the torque acting on the cam 38 by the CR lock lever 29. With this configuration, the total torque acting on the cam 38 can be completely eliminated.

FIG. 29 shows a third embodiment as another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 29 is a cam diagram (timing chart) showing the rotation position and operation of the cam of the recovery unit according to the third embodiment. In the first embodiment of the above-described embodiment, the torque by the capping unit 11 and the wiping unit 12 is canceled by the torque by the CR lock lever 29, but the third embodiment according to the present invention employs C
Even in the configuration in which the R lock lever 29 does not exist, the capping unit 11 and the wiping unit 12 perform the reciprocating operations in substantially opposite directions at substantially the same timing, so that the torque by the capping unit 11 can be canceled by the torque by the wiping unit 12. FIG. 30 is an explanatory view showing the relationship between the rotational position of the cam of the recovery unit and the torque acting on the cam according to the third embodiment. As shown in FIG. 30, the total torque acting on the cam is reduced or eliminated. Can be. The maintenance means or the maintenance preparation means that cancel each other as described above are not limited to those according to the present embodiment, but can be widely applied.

[0063]

As described above, the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention comprises a multi-stage rotary cam having a plurality of cams on the same axis, a plurality of cam followers following each of the multi-stage rotary cams, and Biasing means for bringing the cam followers into contact with the respective cam surfaces; and a plurality of maintenance means or maintenance preparation means for performing a maintenance operation or a maintenance preparation operation on the recording means in conjunction with each of the cam followers. At least two cam followers interlocked with the maintenance preparation means operate so as to negate each other the torque applied to the multi-stage rotary cam.

In such a configuration, the total sum of the torques applied to the rotating cams is reduced and the torques are made uniform, so that the rotating cams can be accurately rotated without overrunning or backward movement. The position of the cam can be controlled. In addition, since the torque can be reduced only by the cam follower and biasing means necessary for operation, the rotating cam and the drive source can be driven without increasing the force acting on the cam shaft support or the frictional force due to the sliding between the cam surface and the cam follower. Can be reduced. As a result, it is possible to provide an ink jet recording apparatus having a maintenance section with a simple configuration, which can improve the operation stability, reduce the size of the apparatus, and reduce the cost.

Further, one of the torques canceling each other is 1
The portion may be a torque that the cam follower applies to the multi-stage rotary cam when at least one cam follower interlocked with the maintenance means or the maintenance preparation means performs an operation unrelated to the maintenance or maintenance preparation operation. In such a configuration,
When the irrelevant operation is performed, another maintenance operation or maintenance preparation operation is performed. Therefore, the degree of freedom is high, the cam area of one-rotation control is effectively used, and the maintenance operation or the maintenance operation is performed at a timing with higher safety and stability. A maintenance preparation operation can be performed.

Then, the maintenance means or the maintenance preparation means which operate so as to cancel each other, cap means which comes into contact with or separates from the discharge port surface of the recording means, and wipes and separates the blade from the discharge port surface of the recording means. At least two of the wiping means and the lock means for fixing the reciprocally movable recording means at a predetermined position may be used. In such a configuration, the maintenance means or the maintenance preparation means which is relatively necessary for the recording means and has a relatively large torque applied to the rotating cam, and which relatively easily matches the timing of the advance and retreat movement with respect to the recording means. If the present invention is implemented, the above effects can be obtained efficiently.

Further, while any one of the cap means, the wiping means and the locking means is moving while charging the urging means, at least one of the remaining means moves while opening the urging means. Is also good. Further, the cap means and the lock means move forward and backward with respect to the recording means in the same manner, and while one moves while charging the urging means, the other moves while opening the urging means. May be. Then, the cap unit and the wiping unit perform opposite reciprocating movements with respect to the recording unit,
While one is moving while charging the urging means, the other may move while opening the urging means. Further, an opening / closing valve for closing or opening the space inside the cap at the time of capping may be provided, and the opening / closing of the opening / closing valve may be controlled in the capping state by the rotation angle of the multi-stage rotary cam. Further, the multi-stage rotary cam may be driven and transmitted via a one-way clutch, and may be controlled to rotate in only one direction. Then, a suction unit that performs suction recovery of the recording unit may be driven by driving in the reverse direction of the drive transmission. Also,
The suction means is a tube pump which moves the elastic tube connected to the cap while pressing the roller with a roller. In the forward drive in which the rotary cam rotates, the pressing of the roller is released and the pump may not operate. .

Further, the multi-stage rotary cam may be driven by a stepping motor to control the rotation. According to these configurations, the above effects can be obtained in a more specific efficient configuration or a configuration in which the effects of the present invention are highly necessary.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the main configuration of an ink jet recording apparatus provided with a recovery unit (maintenance unit) according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a main configuration of a recovery unit mounted on the inkjet recording apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic exploded perspective view showing the internal structure of a recovery unit mounted on the inkjet recording apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a partially cut-away side view schematically showing a configuration of a drive gear train of the recovery unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional side view showing a state immediately after the drive transmission by the pump gear to the suction unit of the recovery unit according to the present invention is released.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional side view showing a state immediately before drive transmission by a pump gear to a suction unit of a recovery unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional side view showing a suction operation state in which a drive transmission is performed by a pump gear to a suction unit of the recovery unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional side view showing a state immediately after the drive transmission by the pump gear is released with the pressure roller pressing the tube against the suction unit of the recovery unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional side view showing a state immediately before drive transmission by a pump gear to a suction unit of the recovery unit shown in FIG. 8;

10 is a longitudinal side view showing a state in which drive transmission by a pump gear is performed to a suction unit of the recovery unit shown in FIG. 9 and a pressure roller is in a released state.

FIG. 11 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which both the Bk and Color side valves of the atmosphere communication valve constituting the capping means of the recovery unit according to the present invention are closed (cap closed state).

FIG. 12 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which both of the atmospheric communication valves constituting the capping unit shown in FIG. 11 are in an open state (empty suction, colloidal removal state).

13 is a schematic perspective view showing a state (Bk suction state) in which the Color side valve is open and the Bk side valve is closed among the atmosphere communication valves constituting the capping means shown in FIG. 11;

FIG. 14 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which a valve on the Bk side is open and a valve on the Color side is closed (a color suction state) among the atmospheric communication valves constituting the capping means shown in FIG. 11;

FIG. 15 is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing a state in which a pressure roller constituting a suction unit (suction pump) of the recovery unit according to the present invention is in a released state and drive transmission by a pump gear is released.

FIG. 16 is a longitudinal sectional side view showing a state in which the suction means (suction pump) shown in FIG. 15 receives drive transmission by a pump gear and presses a pressure roller constituting the suction means against a tube;

FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic timing chart at the time of a suction mode selecting operation of the cap of the capping means and the atmosphere communication valve and the suction means constituting the recovery unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing a general suction recovery operation sequence of the recovery unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a partial perspective view schematically showing a structure of an ink ejection unit (one ejection port array) of the recording unit (recording head) 3 shown in FIG.

FIG. 20 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of use of a cam constituting the recovery unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a schematic perspective view showing a cap closed state of the recovery unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a schematic perspective view showing a configuration (cap closed state) of capping means, wiping means, a CR lock lever and a cam of the recovery unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a schematic perspective view showing a configuration (cap closed state) of a cam follower and a cam of a capping unit, a wiping unit, and a CR lock lever of the recovery unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 24 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration (wiping start position) of the wiping means and the cam of the recovery unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 25 is a longitudinal sectional side view showing a configuration of a cam and a brake spring of the recovery unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 26 is an explanatory timing chart showing the relationship between the rotational position of the cam and the operation of the recovery unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 27 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the rotational position of the cam and the torque applied to the cam of the recovery unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 28 is a cam diagram (timing chart) showing the cam rotation position and cam operation of the recovery unit according to the second embodiment in another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 29 is a cam diagram (timing chart) showing the rotational position of the cam and the operation of the cam of the recovery unit according to the third embodiment in another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 30 is an explanatory view showing the relationship between the rotational position of the cam of the recovery unit and the torque acting on the cam according to the third embodiment in another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ink-jet recording apparatus 2 Carriage 3 Recording means (recording head) 4 Power transmission mechanism 5 Paper supply mechanism 6 Ink-jet cartridge 7 Drive belt 8 Scale 9 Chassis 10 Recovery device (Recovery unit) 11 Capping means 12 Wiping means 13 Guide shaft 14 Transport roller 15 Pinch roller 16 Pinch roller holder 17 Transport roller gear 18 Intermediate gear 19 Discharge roller gear 20 Recovery base 21 Spur roller 22 Spur holder 23 Discharge port 24 PG gear 1 25 PG gear 2 26 PG gear 3 27 Pump gear 28 One-way clutch gear 29 CR lock lever Reference Signs List 30 pressure roller holder guide 31 pressure roller holder 32 suction tube 33 pressure roller 34 cap base 35 cap 36 cap holder 37 capping means Lifting lever 38 Cam 39 Cap means Lifting lever biasing spring 40 Cam position detection sensor 41 Pump gear trigger boss 42a Pump gear trigger rib a 42b Pump gear trigger rib b 43 Pressurized roller pressure contact point 44 Cap absorber 45 Atmosphere communication tube 46a Atmosphere Communication valve a 46b Atmosphere communication valve b 47 Atmosphere communication hole 48 Suction means (suction pump) 49 Discharge port 50 Common liquid chamber 51 Liquid path 52 Electrothermal converter 53 CR lock lever spring 54 Blade 55 Blade holder 56 Intermediate gear 57 Blade lever 58 Blade holder spring 59 Brake spring A Carriage scanning direction L Tube pump roller pressurizing rotation direction M1 Carriage drive source M2 Transport motor M3 Recovery motor (PG motor) P Recording medium R Tube pump roller releasing rotation direction

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A multi-stage rotary cam having a plurality of cams on the same axis, a plurality of cam followers following each of the multi-stage rotary cams, and a biasing means for bringing the cam followers into contact with respective cam surfaces. And a plurality of maintenance means or maintenance preparation means for performing a maintenance operation or a maintenance preparation operation on the recording means in conjunction with each of the cam followers, and at least two of the maintenance means or the maintenance preparation means interlocked with the maintenance means. An ink jet recording apparatus characterized in that two cam followers operate so as to negate each torque exerted on the multi-stage rotating cam. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein one of the respective torques canceling each other is performed by a maintenance unit or at least one cam follower interlocking with the maintenance preparation unit performing a maintenance operation or an operation unrelated to the maintenance preparation operation. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cam follower is a torque applied to the multi-stage rotating cam. 3. A maintenance means or a maintenance preparation means which operates so as to cancel each other, a cap means which comes into contact with or separates from a discharge port surface of a recording means, and a blade which wipes / blades a discharge port surface of the recording means. 3. An ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said ink jet recording apparatus is at least two of a wiper means for separating said recording means and a lock means for fixing said reciprocally movable recording means at a predetermined position. 4. When at least one of said cap means, said wiper means and said lock means is moving while charging said urging means, at least one of said remaining means moves while opening said urging means. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein: 5. The cap means and the lock means similarly move forward and backward with respect to the recording means, and while one is moving while charging the urging means, the other releases the urging means. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the inkjet recording apparatus moves while moving. 6. The recording and reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said cap means and said wiper means move in opposite directions with respect to said recording means. One of said cap means and said wiper means is moving while charging said urging means. 5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the apparatus moves while moving.
3. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1. 7. An on-off valve for closing or opening the internal space of the cap at the time of capping, wherein opening and closing of the on-off valve is controlled by a rotation angle of the multi-stage rotary cam while the capping state is maintained. An ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6. 8. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the multi-stage rotary cam is driven and transmitted via a one-way clutch, and is controlled to rotate only in one direction. 9. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a suction unit that performs suction recovery of the recording unit is driven by driving in the reverse direction of the drive transmission. 10. The suction means is a tube pump for moving an elastic tube connected to a cap while pressing the elastic tube with a roller. When the rotary cam rotates in a forward direction, the pressing action of the roller is released and the tube is released. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the pump does not work. 11. An ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said multi-stage rotary cam is driven by a stepping motor and rotation is controlled.