JP2002187290A - Ink jet recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain an ink jet recording device with which various members can be arranged without making the whole device larger and more complicated. SOLUTION: Within a housing 16, an ink supplier 32 supplying ink from a side 26S of a sub ink tank 26 and a maintenance device 40 doing maintenance movement from a base 28B of an ink jet recording head 28 are installed in one side of a moving direction of a carriage 22. Furthermore, a main tank 34 and a discharge ink tank 42 are installed in the other side of the moving direction of the carriage 22. Opening the front panel 44 of a housing 10 makes it possible to exchange the main tank 34 and the discharge ink tank 42. A box-shaped tray 50 is overlapped downward the housing 16 and each tray 50 can be drawn to the same direction as the moving direction of the carriage 22.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus for discharging an ink droplet onto a recording medium based on image information and recording an image on the recording medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Various structures have been proposed for an ink jet recording apparatus for recording an image by discharging ink droplets onto a recording sheet material such as a recording sheet or an OHP sheet based on image information.

For example, an ink jet recording apparatus 110 (see Japanese Patent Publication No. 60-9903) shown in FIG. 6 has a head carriage 116 that carries an ink jet head 112 and an ink tank 114. When located at the replenishing position, ink drops from the base tank 118 by the ink replenishing device 120 and is replenished to the ink tank 114.

Incidentally, some ink jet recording apparatuses are provided with a maintenance means for performing a maintenance operation such as suction of extra ink and a dummy jet to the ink jet recording head when the ink jet recording head is in a non-image recording state. Has been proposed. The maintenance of the ink jet recording head is always maintained in an optimal state for discharging the ink droplets, so that a high quality image can be recorded.

However, there has been no specific proposal for an ink jet recording apparatus having an ink jet recording head and an ink tank on a carriage as shown in FIG. 6 and further having a maintenance means. Accordingly, the ink replenishing means (the ink replenishing device 1 in FIG. 6)
Depending on the arrangement of (20) and the maintenance means, there is a possibility that the ink jet recording apparatus may become large and complicated.

Further, no specific proposal has been made for an ink jet recording apparatus provided with a so-called box type tray for holding recording media in a stacked state as in a conventional laser printer.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an ink jet recording apparatus in which various members can be arranged without increasing the size and complexity of the apparatus in view of the above facts.

[0008]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink jet recording head capable of discharging ink droplets onto a recording medium based on image information, and an ink holding ink discharged from the ink jet recording head. A holding member, a carriage that integrally moves the ink jet recording head and the ink holding member in a predetermined direction, an ink replenishing unit that replenishes ink to the ink holding member from a side surface of the ink holding member, And a maintenance means for performing maintenance of the ink jet recording head from the bottom surface.

In this ink jet recording apparatus, the ink held by the ink holding member is ejected onto a recording medium by an ink jet recording head, and the ink jet recording head is moved in a predetermined direction by a carriage, whereby an image is recorded on the recording medium. Is done. Although the ink held by the ink holding member is consumed with the image recording,
Since the ink is supplied to the ink holding member by the ink supply means, the ink droplets can be continuously ejected from the ink jet recording head.

[0010] The ink jet recording head is maintained by a maintenance means. For this reason,
The inkjet recording head is maintained in an optimal state for ejecting ink droplets, and can record high-quality images.

In the present invention, the ink replenishing means replenishes the ink holding member with ink from a side surface of the ink holding member.
The maintenance unit is configured to maintain the inkjet recording head from the bottom of the inkjet recording head. Accordingly, the arrangement positions of the ink replenishing unit and the maintenance unit do not conflict with each other, so that the degree of freedom in the arrangement of the carriage, the ink replenishment unit and the maintenance unit is increased, and the configuration of the ink jet recording apparatus is simplified and the size is reduced Can be achieved.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the ink supply position of the carriage when the ink supply unit supplies ink to the ink holding member, and the maintenance unit is provided with the ink supply unit. The maintenance position of the carriage when performing maintenance on the inkjet recording head is the same as the maintenance position.

That is, in the first aspect of the present invention, the ink replenishment position and the maintenance position of the carriage may be different from each other. Further, the size of the ink jet recording apparatus can be reduced.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the invention, the ink replenishing means and the maintenance means are arranged on the same end in the moving direction of the carriage. It is characterized by being.

That is, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the ink replenishing means and the maintenance means may be arranged, for example, at different ends of the carriage in the moving direction. By arranging them on the same end side as described above, it is possible to save space and reduce the size of the inkjet recording apparatus.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect of the present invention, an ink storage means in which ink ejected from the ink jet recording head is stored in advance at the same end. It is characterized by being.

Therefore, the ink stored in the ink storage means in advance is supplied to the ink holding member by the ink supply means.

Further, by arranging the ink storing means on the same end side, that is, in the vicinity of the ink replenishing means and the maintenance means, it is possible to further save space and reduce the size of the ink jet recording apparatus. .

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the third or fourth aspect of the present invention, a discharge ink storing means for storing discharge ink discharged from the ink jet recording head is provided at the same end. Are arranged.

Therefore, the discharged ink generated by the maintenance of the maintenance means can be stored in the discharged ink storing means.

Further, the discharged ink storing means may be connected to the same end,
That is, by arranging it near the ink replenishing means and the maintenance means, it is possible to further save space and to reduce the size of the ink jet recording apparatus.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fifth aspects of the present invention, at least one of the ink supply means, the maintenance means, the ink storage means, and the discharged ink storage means is provided. A housing in which a plurality of units including an ink supply unit and a maintenance unit are disposed.

As described above, by arranging a plurality of units including at least the ink supply unit and the maintenance unit in the same housing, it is possible to further reduce the size of the ink jet recording apparatus.

Incidentally, the inventions according to the first to fourth aspects also include those having a configuration having no discharged ink storing means. In this case, the invention according to the sixth aspect is intended to It is sufficient that a plurality of units including at least the ink supply unit and the maintenance unit among the supply unit, the maintenance unit, and the ink storage unit are arranged in the housing.

Similarly, claim 1 to claim 3 and claim 5
The invention described in (1) also includes a configuration that does not have an ink storage unit. In this case, the invention described in claim 6 includes at least one of an ink supply unit, a maintenance unit, and a discharged ink storage unit. It is only necessary that a plurality of units including the ink supply unit and the maintenance unit are arranged in the housing.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the sixth aspect, at least one of the plurality of means is disposed in the housing in the vicinity of an outer peripheral portion when the housing is viewed in a plan view. The body can be opened and closed near the outer peripheral portion.

[0027] At least one of the plurality of means in the housing is arranged near the outer peripheral portion when the housing is viewed in plan. For this reason, replacement and inspection of these means are facilitated.

By opening and closing the housing, a plurality of means (ink supply means, maintenance means, ink storage means, and discharged ink storage means including at least the ink supply means and the maintenance means) disposed in the housing are provided. ) Can be easily replaced or inspected.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the sixth or seventh aspect, the opening and closing direction of the casing is the same as the moving direction of the carriage. .

As described above, by opening and closing the housing in the same direction as the moving direction of the carriage, it becomes easier to replace and inspect a plurality of means disposed in the housing.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the fifth to eighth aspects of the present invention, the discharged ink storing means is disposed below the maintenance means. I do.

Therefore, the discharged ink can be sent from the maintenance means to the discharged ink storing means by utilizing gravity.

[0033] According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, in the fifth aspect,
In the invention according to any one of the ninth to eleventh aspects, the discharged ink storing means has a shape which does not protrude outside the maintenance means when the discharged ink storing means is viewed in a plan view.

Thus, the size of the ink jet recording apparatus can be further reduced.

As a specific configuration for making the discharged ink storing means so as not to protrude outside the maintenance means as described above, for example, when the discharged ink storing means is viewed in a plan view, it has substantially the same size as the maintenance means. Alternatively, it may be formed smaller than the maintenance means.

According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect,
11. The invention according to claim 10, further comprising: a carriage holding member that movably holds the carriage; and an ink supply unit holding member that holds the ink supply unit, wherein the carriage holding member and the ink are provided. The replenishing means holding member is integrally formed.

By integrating the carriage holding member and the ink supply means holding member, the number of components can be reduced and the structure of the ink jet recording apparatus can be simplified.

The carriage holding member and the ink replenishing means holding member may be shared with the case according to the sixth aspect. In this case, the number of components is further reduced, and the ink jet recording apparatus is used. Can be simplified.

According to the twelfth aspect of the present invention,
12. The recording medium holding member according to claim 11, further comprising a recording medium holding member that is disposed below the maintenance unit and holds the recording medium before image recording.

A recording medium before image recording is held by a recording medium holding member, and an image can be recorded on the recording medium by sequentially transporting the recording medium. In particular, by making the recording medium holding member hold a plurality of recording media, images can be recorded continuously.

Since the recording medium holding member is disposed below the maintenance means, the size of the ink jet recording apparatus can be reduced.

According to the thirteenth aspect, in the seventh aspect,
12. The recording medium stacking member according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of recording medium holding members are stacked to constitute a recording medium stacking member, and the plurality of recording medium holding members can be pulled out in the same direction as the opening and closing direction of the housing. It is characterized by that.

Since a plurality of recording medium holding members are provided,
It is possible to hold different types of recording media for each recording medium holding member. Further, since the plurality of recording medium holding members are laminated to form a recording medium laminated member, the size of the ink jet recording apparatus can be reduced.

Further, since the plurality of recording medium holding members can be pulled out in the same direction as the opening / closing direction of the housing, the work of replenishing or replacing the recording medium with the recording medium holding member becomes easy.

[0045] According to the fourteenth aspect of the present invention, the fourth to fourth aspects are described.
In the invention according to claim 13, the ink storing means is arranged such that a liquid level of the ink stored in the ink storing means is at a position lower than the ink jet recording head, and the ink is stored from the ink storing means. A suction device for sucking and transferring ink to the ink holding member.

Since the liquid level of the ink stored in the ink storing means is lower than the ink jet recording head, it is possible to prevent the ink from leaking from the ink jet recording head carelessly.

Since the ink stored in the ink storing means is supplied to the ink holding member by the suction device, a predetermined amount of the ink can be reliably supplied in a short time.

According to the fifteenth aspect of the present invention, a recording medium loading means for holding a plurality of recording media in a stacked state in a housing, the recording medium being conveyed from the recording medium loading means, and based on image information. Image recording means for discharging ink droplets onto a recording medium.

Accordingly, a plurality of recording media stacked on the recording medium stacking means can be sequentially conveyed one by one to record an image.

Further, since the recording medium stacking means is disposed in the housing, the size of the ink jet recording apparatus can be reduced.

According to the invention of claim 16, in claim 15
In the invention described in (1), the recording means moves an ink jet recording head capable of discharging ink droplets onto a recording medium based on image information in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the recording medium while holding the ink jet recording head. Wherein the recording medium stacking means can be pulled out in a substantially horizontal direction.

Therefore, when the carriage moves, the ink jet recording head also moves, and the main scanning is performed. Further, the sub-scan is performed by conveying the recording medium. As described above, while the main scanning and the sub-scanning are performed, the ink droplets are ejected from the inkjet recording head to the recording medium, and the image is recorded.

Since the recording medium loading means can be pulled out in a substantially horizontal direction, it is possible to easily supply and exchange the recording medium.

The "substantially horizontal direction" includes a direction that is accurately set in the horizontal direction, and also includes a direction that is inclined within a range that does not make it difficult or impossible to pull out the recording medium stacking means. It is intention.

[0055]

1 to 5 show an ink jet recording apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The ink jet recording apparatus 10 has a recording apparatus main body 12 and a tray unit 14 disposed below the recording apparatus main body 12. The recording apparatus main body 12 and the tray unit 14 are respectively disposed in housings 16 and 18 disposed vertically. The housings 16 and 18 may be formed integrally, but those formed separately may be integrated in a later step.

A shaft 20 is arranged in the recording apparatus main body 12 along a direction indicated by an arrow M in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, and the shaft 20 is inserted through an insertion hole 24 of the carriage 22. The carriage 22 is moved (main scanning) along the longitudinal direction of the shaft 20 by a driving device (not shown).

The sub ink tank 2 is mounted on the carriage 22.
6 and an ink jet recording head 28 for discharging the ink stored in the sub ink tank 26 onto a recording sheet material 30 (see FIG. 2) in accordance with image information. The numbers of the sub ink tanks 26 and the ink jet recording heads 28 are not particularly limited, and may be, for example, one each. However, in the present embodiment, the number is four, and black (Bk), cyan (C), and magenta ( By associating each color of M) and yellow (Y), a so-called full-color image can be recorded. Also,
Sub ink tank 26 and inkjet recording head 28
Are the same number and correspond one-to-one.

Each of the sub ink tanks 26 is provided with an ink amount sensor (not shown) for detecting the amount of ink stored inside. When the amount of ink in the sub ink tank 26 decreases to a certain amount or less, the ink amount sensor sends this information to a control device (not shown).

An ink supply device 32 is disposed at one end of the carriage 22 in the moving direction, and a main ink tank 34 is disposed below the ink supply device 32. The ink used in the ink jet recording apparatus 10 is stored in the main ink tank 34 separately for each color, and the ink is supplied to the sub ink tank 26 by the ink supply device 32.

The position of the main ink tank 34 is such that the liquid level of the ink stored in the main ink tank 34 corresponds to the ink ejection surface (the bottom surface 28) of the ink jet recording head 28.
The predetermined position is set so as not to be higher than B). The main ink tank 34 is slidably supported by the support member (not shown) in the direction of arrow C1 (the same direction as the moving direction of the carriage 22, see FIG. 3) from the housing 16.

The ink supply device 32 is provided with ink supply units 36 corresponding to the respective sub-ink tanks 26. With the carriage 22 at the ink supply position (the position shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4), the specific ink supply unit 36 corresponding to the ink to be supplied moves forward toward the side surface 26S of the sub ink tank 26. And
The ink supply unit 36 and the sub ink tank 26 are connected.

The pump 38 is connected to the ink supply device 32.
When the pump 38 is driven in a state where the ink supply unit 36 and the sub ink tank 26 are connected, the ink in the specific main ink tank 34 is supplied to the corresponding sub ink tank by the ink supply unit 36. 26.

A maintenance device 40 is provided below the carriage 22 located at the ink supply position. The maintenance device 40 performs maintenance operations such as capping, dummy jet, and suction of excess ink from the bottom surface 28B side of the inkjet recording head 28.
By this maintenance operation, drying of the ink in the nozzles, clogging of the nozzles, and the like are eliminated, and the inkjet recording head 28 is always maintained in an optimal state for discharging the ink droplets. The position (maintenance position) of the carriage 22 when the maintenance operation of the inkjet recording head 28 is performed by the maintenance device 40 is the same as the ink supply position.

A discharge ink tank 42 is provided below the maintenance device 40. In the discharged ink tank 42, ink (discharged ink) discharged by the maintenance operation by the maintenance device 40 is stored. Further, when the ink jet recording apparatus 10 is viewed in a plan view (that is, when viewed from above), the discharged ink tank 42
It is formed in the same size as the maintenance device 40,
The shape does not protrude outside the maintenance device 40. Then, similarly to the main ink tank 34, the housing 16 is
To the direction of the arrow C2 (the same direction as the moving direction of the carriage 22, see FIG. 3).

The discharged ink tank 42 is provided with a discharged ink amount sensor (not shown) for detecting the amount of discharged ink stored inside. The discharged ink amount sensor detects that the discharged ink amount in the discharged ink tank 42 reaches a predetermined amount. This information is sent to a control device (not shown).

The housing 16 has a front panel 44 on the side where the above-described ink supply device 32, main ink tank 34, maintenance device 40, and discharge ink tank 42 are disposed, and is rotatable with respect to the housing 16. It is pivoted on. By rotating the front panel 44, the housing 16 can be opened from the front side, that is, in the same direction as the moving direction of the carriage 22, as shown in FIG.

An arm 68 is bridged between the front panel 44 and the housing 16 to limit the rotation of the front panel 44 to a certain range.

Further, on the front panel 44, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, opening / closing doors 46 and 48 are formed at positions corresponding to the main ink tank 34 and at positions corresponding to the discharged ink tank 42, respectively. ing. Front panel 4
When the opening and closing doors 46 and 48 are opened even when the shutter 4 is closed, the corresponding main ink tank 34 or discharge ink tank 42 can be taken out.

The tray unit 14 is provided in a housing 18 disposed below the housing 16. The tray unit 14 is configured by stacking a plurality of trays 50 in the vertical direction.
Are so-called box trays each formed in a substantially box shape. Each tray 50 is capable of accommodating, for example, a recording sheet material 30 of a specific size, and the inkjet recording apparatus 10 as a whole corresponds to the recording sheet material 30 of a plurality of sizes. Each tray 50 may store the recording sheet material 30 of the same size. Further, a plurality of recording sheet materials 30 can be stacked on each tray 50. Further, each tray 50 is slid in the same direction as the opening and closing direction of the front panel 44 (therefore, the same direction as the moving direction of the carriage 22) as shown by the arrow C3 in FIG. Can be pulled out.

The recording sheet material 30 on which an image is recorded by the ink jet recording apparatus 10 of the present embodiment is not particularly limited as long as ink droplets discharged from the ink jet recording head 28 can land thereon.
For example, a so-called OHP sheet or the like is included in the recording sheet material 30 in addition to a recording sheet generally used conventionally.

As shown in FIG. 2, the tray 50 is provided with a delivery roller 52 for taking out and loading the stacked recording sheet materials 30 one by one. Also, housing 1
6, a guide plate 54 for guiding the sent recording sheet material 30 to an image recording position by the inkjet recording head 28, and a transport roller 56 for transporting the recording sheet material 30 along the guide plate 54. Is provided. Accordingly, the recording paper is transported by the transport rollers 56 while being guided by the guide plates 54.
Then, while the ink jet recording head 28 ejects ink droplets, the carriage 22 moves to perform main scanning of the inkjet recording head 28, and further, the recording sheet material 30 is sent by the transport roller 56 and sub-scanned. Thus, a desired image is formed on the recording sheet material 30. The recording sheet on which the image has been recorded is further conveyed by a discharge roller 58 and discharged onto a discharge tray 62 provided in the housing 16.

A sub-tray 60 is provided between the housing 18 and the discharge tray 62 so as to be detachable from the housing 16. This sub-tray 60 also has tray 5
A delivery roller (not shown) similar to the delivery roller 0 is provided, and the loaded recording paper can be delivered.

As shown in FIG. 5, on the side surface 16S of the housing 16, there is provided a removal panel 64 for removing the jammed paper when the paper jam occurs in the recording apparatus main body 12. The removal panel 64 is connected to the housing 16.
The housing 16 is partially opened when rotated as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG.
This makes it possible to remove jammed paper from inside the recording apparatus main body 12.

In the housing 16, a manual feed tray 66 is provided above the removing panel 64. The manual feed tray 66 has a housing 1 similar to the removal panel 64.
6, the recording sheet material 30 is provided on the upper surface thereof by rotating as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG.
Can be placed.

The carriage 22, the ink jet recording head 28, the ink replenishing device 32 and the maintenance device 40 are controlled by a control device (not shown).

Next, the operation of the ink jet recording apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment will be described.

The ink jet recording apparatus 10 of the present embodiment
Now, as can be seen from FIGS. 1 to 4, the ink supply device 32, the maintenance device 40, the main ink tank 34
The discharge ink tank 42 is disposed in one housing 16, and all these members are disposed on one end side of the carriage 22 in the moving direction (front panel 44 side). Since these members are arranged close to each other, the space for arrangement is reduced as a whole, so that the inkjet recording apparatus 10 can be reduced in size.

Further, in the ink jet recording apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the carriage 22 and the ink replenishing device 32 are both held by the housing 16. Therefore, as compared with a configuration in which a member for holding the carriage 22 and a member for holding the ink replenishing device 32 are separately formed, the number of components is reduced, and
And the size and weight of the ink jet recording apparatus 10 can be further reduced.

In addition, in the ink jet recording apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the tray unit 14
And is arranged below the recording apparatus main body 12. Therefore, for example, the size of the inkjet recording apparatus 10 can be reduced as compared with a configuration in which one of the trays 50 is arranged on the side of the recording apparatus main body 12.

When an image is to be recorded on the recording sheet material 30, the recording sheet material 30 of a specific size for recording an image among the plurality of trays 50 (or sub-tray 60) is used.
The controller 50 selects the tray 50 (or the sub-tray 60) in which the recording sheet material 30 is stored, and the recording sheet material 30 is sent out by the sending roller 52. The fed recording sheet material 30 is guided by the guide plate 54 while being further conveyed by the conveying rollers 56, and reaches below the ink jet recording head 28 (image recording area). Here, the ink jet recording head 28 ejects ink droplets to the recording sheet material 30 in accordance with the image information, and
The main scanning is performed by the movement of No. 2. Each time one main scan is completed, the transport roller 56 (or the transport roller 56 and the discharge roller 58) transports the recording sheet material 30 by a predetermined amount, and performs sub-scan. By repeating these operations,
A desired image is recorded on the recording sheet material 30. Since a plurality of recording sheet materials 30 are stacked on each of the trays 50 (or the sub-tray 60), the recording sheet materials 30 are sequentially sent out, so that the recording sheet materials 30 are continuously fed to the plural recording sheet materials 30. Images can be recorded.

Since the liquid level of the ink stored in the main ink tank 34 is lower than the ink discharge surface (bottom surface 28B) of the ink jet recording head 28, the ink surface is inadvertently moved from the ink jet recording head 28. No ink leaks out.

Since the ink in the sub ink tank 26 is consumed by the image recording, when the ink amount sensor detects that the remaining amount of the ink in any one of the sub ink tanks 26 has been reduced to a certain amount. A control device (not shown) moves the carriage 22 to the ink supply position.

Next, the control device controls the ink supply device 32
Is driven to advance the ink supply unit 36 corresponding to the ink to be supplied toward the sub ink tank 26. Thus, the ink supply unit 36 is connected to the sub ink tank 26 from the side surface 26S. In this state, the control device drives the pump 38 to send ink from the main ink tank 34 to a specific sub-ink tank 26, and ink is supplied into the sub-ink tank 26. After the replenishment, the control device stops the drive of the pump 38 and further retracts the ink replenishment unit 36 which has been in the forward state to the initial position. Thus, the sub ink tank 26
By replenishing the ink, the image can be recorded on the recording sheet material 30 again.

The ink in the ink jet recording head 28 is solidified by drying, and
May be clogged. Therefore, the control device (not shown) drives the maintenance device 40 at regular intervals (or by a user's operation or the like), and performs a maintenance operation such as a dummy jet from the bottom surface 28B side of the inkjet recording head 28. By the maintenance operation, the inkjet recording head 28 is maintained in an optimal state for ejecting ink droplets.

As described above, in the ink jet recording apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the side surface 26S of the sub ink tank 26
The sub-ink tank 2 by the ink supply device 32 from the side.
6, and the maintenance operation is performed by the maintenance device 40 from the bottom surface 28B side of the ink jet recording head 28. For this reason, the arrangement position of the ink supply device 32 and the arrangement position of the maintenance device 40 do not conflict with each other, and the degree of freedom of these arrangements increases. Therefore, the structure of the ink jet recording apparatus 10 can be simplified and downsized. Will be possible.

The position of the carriage 22 when ink is supplied by the ink supply device 32 (ink supply position) and the position of the carriage 22 when the maintenance operation is performed by the maintenance device 40 (maintenance position). It is the same position. Therefore, it is possible to further reduce the size of the inkjet recording apparatus 10 as compared with a configuration in which these are arranged at different positions.

The ink discharged by the maintenance operation is stored in the discharged ink tank 42. Since the discharged ink tank 42 is disposed below the maintenance device 40, the ink can be sent to the discharged ink tank 42 using gravity without providing a device for sending the ink to the discharged ink tank 42.

When the discharged ink amount sensor detects that the discharged ink amount in the discharged ink tank 42 has reached a certain amount, the control device notifies the user of this (the notification is provided, for example, on the housing 16). It is possible to display the information on a display panel or the like (not shown), but the present invention is not limited thereto.

Here, in the ink jet recording apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, since the opening and closing door 48 is formed on the front panel 44, the opening and closing door 48 is opened, the discharged ink tank 42 is taken out of the housing 16, and the discharged ink is discharged. Can be discarded, or a new discharged ink tank 42 can be set. In particular, the opening / closing direction of the opening / closing door 48 depends on the carriage 2
2 is the same as the moving direction. The discharged ink tank 42 is located on the front side of the housing 16 (the front panel 4).
4 and its take-out direction is the same as the moving direction of the carriage 22, as indicated by an arrow C2 in FIG. With these, the front panel 44
The user is located on the side, and replacement of the discharged ink tank 42 can be easily performed.

From the viewpoint of facilitating removal and replacement of the discharged ink tank 42, the opening / closing door 48 does not necessarily have to be formed on the front panel 44. For example, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. , May be formed on the side surface 16S. In short, the position of the opening / closing door 48, the opening / closing direction of the housing 16 (which surface is opened), and the like may be appropriately set according to the position of the discharged ink tank 42. In this case, it is preferable to dispose the discharged ink tank 42 in the housing 16 in the vicinity of the outer periphery thereof, since it becomes easier to take out and replace the discharged ink tank 42 as compared with the configuration disposed inside.

When the replenishment of ink from the main ink tank 34 to the sub ink tank 26 is repeated, the ink in the main ink tank 34 runs out, so that the main ink tank 34 needs to be replaced. Also in this case, the opening and closing door 46 formed on the front panel 44 is opened, the main ink tank 34 is taken out, and a new main ink tank 3 is opened.
4 can be set. The opening and closing direction of the opening and closing door 46 is the same as the moving direction of the carriage 22.
The main ink tank 34 is arranged on the front side of the housing 16 (near the front panel 44), and its take-out direction is also the same as the direction of movement of the carriage 22, as indicated by arrow C1 in FIG. The main ink tank 3 is positioned by the user on the front panel 44 side.
4 can be easily replaced.

It is preferable that the main ink tank 34 be disposed near the outer periphery of the housing 16 in the same manner as the discharge ink tank 42, because the main ink tank 34 can be easily taken out or replaced.

Further, in the ink jet recording apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the front panel 44 can also be opened and closed as shown in FIG. Therefore, by opening the front panel 44, a substantial open area can be secured widely, and the replacement work of the main ink tank 34 and the discharge ink tank 42 can be performed more easily. In particular, when the replacement work of the main ink tank 34 and the replacement work of the discharge ink tank 42 are performed at the same time, or when the inside of the ink jet recording apparatus 10 is inspected together with the replacement work, the front panel 44 is opened. , Workability is improved.

By recording an image on the recording sheet material 30,
The recording sheet material 30 in the tray 50 is also consumed, but when refilling the tray 50 with a new recording sheet material 30, the tray 50 can be pulled out in the direction of arrow C3 in FIG. The drawing direction is the same as the moving direction of the carriage 22, that is, the front side (front side) of the ink jet recording apparatus 10, and can be drawn in the horizontal direction. Thereby, the recording sheet material 30
To the tray 50 can be easily performed.

As can be seen from the above description, in the ink jet recording apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the entire apparatus can be downsized and the structure of the apparatus can be simplified.

As described above, the ink jet recording apparatus 10
In order to reduce the size of the ink supply unit, the ink supply unit 32, the maintenance device 40, the main ink tank 3
4. It is not necessary that all of the discharged ink tanks 42 be disposed in the housing 16. In other words, it is sufficient that a plurality of these devices are arranged in the housing 16, but it is preferable that at least the ink supply unit 32 and the maintenance device 40 are arranged in the housing 16.

The direction in which the tray 50 is drawn out is not particularly limited. If the tray 50 is configured so as not to protrude outward from the recording apparatus main body 12 in a plan view, the size of the ink jet recording apparatus 10 can be reduced. It is. Accordingly, for example, the recording sheet material 3 on the tray 50 may be pulled out to the side surface 16S side of the housing 16 shown in FIG.
It is preferable because replenishment of 0 becomes easy.

[0099]

According to the present invention having the above-described structure, it is possible to obtain an ink jet recording apparatus in which various members can be arranged without increasing the size and complexity of the entire apparatus.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an ink jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic front view showing the internal configuration of the ink jet recording apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an ink jet recording apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an ink jet recording apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an ink jet recording apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic explanatory view showing a conventional ink jet recording apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 inkjet recording device 12 recording device main body (image recording means) 14 tray unit (recording medium laminated member) 16 housing (housing) 18 housing (housing) 22 carriage 26 sub ink tank (ink holding member) 26S (sub ink tank ) Side surface 28 Ink jet recording head 28B (Bottom surface of ink jet recording head) 30 Recording sheet material 32 Ink replenishing device (ink replenishing device) 34 Main ink tank (ink storing device) 36 Ink replenishing unit 38 Pump (suction device) 40 Maintenance Apparatus (maintenance means) 42 Discharged ink tank (discharged ink storage means) 46 Opening / closing door 48 Opening / closing door 50 Tray 52 Delivery roller 54 Guide plate 56 Discharge roller

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) B41J 29/13 (72) Inventor Kazuyuki Oda 2274 Hongo, Ebina-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. Ebina Works (72) Inventor Ichirou Tomikawa 2274 Hongo, Ebina-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. Takaaki Sekiyama 2274 Hongo, Ebina-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. 2274 Hongo Fuji Xerox Stock (72) Inventor Hisayuki Kinoshita 2274 Hongo, Ebina-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.Ebina Office F-term (reference) JC20 KB37 2C061 AQ05 BB12 CD08 CD14

Claims (16)

[Claims] An ink jet recording head capable of ejecting ink droplets onto a recording medium based on image information; an ink holding member for holding ink ejected from the ink jet recording head; an ink jet recording head and the ink holding member A carriage for integrally moving the inkjet recording head in a predetermined direction, an ink replenishing unit for replenishing the ink retaining member with ink from a side surface of the ink retaining member, and a maintenance unit for performing maintenance of the inkjet recording head from a bottom surface of the inkjet recording head. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: 2. An ink supply position of the carriage when the ink supply unit supplies ink to the ink holding member, and a maintenance position of the carriage when the maintenance unit performs maintenance on the ink jet recording head. 2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink jet recording apparatuses are located at the same position. 3. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink supply unit and the maintenance unit are arranged on the same end in the moving direction of the carriage. 4. An ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein an ink storage means for preliminarily storing ink ejected from said ink jet recording head is arranged on said same end side. 5. The discharge ink storing means for storing discharge ink discharged from the ink jet recording head on the same end side. Ink jet recording device. 6. A housing in which a plurality of units including at least an ink supply unit and a maintenance unit among the ink supply unit, the maintenance unit, the ink storage unit, and the discharged ink storage unit are provided. The ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein 7. In the housing, at least one of the plurality of means is arranged near an outer peripheral portion when the housing is viewed in a plan view, and the housing can be opened and closed near the outer peripheral portion. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 6, wherein 8. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 6, wherein an opening and closing direction of the housing is the same as a moving direction of the carriage. 9. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the discharged ink storing means is disposed below the maintenance means. 10. The discharge ink storing means according to claim 5, wherein said discharge ink storing means has a shape which does not protrude outside said maintenance means when viewed in plan. The inkjet recording device according to any one of the above. 11. A carriage holding member for movably holding the carriage, and an ink supply unit holding member for holding the ink supply unit, wherein the carriage holding member and the ink supply unit holding member are integrated. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inkjet recording apparatus is formed. 12. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a recording medium holding member that is disposed below the maintenance unit and holds the recording medium before image recording. 13. A recording medium laminated member is formed by laminating a plurality of recording medium holding members, and the plurality of recording medium holding members can be pulled out in the same direction as the opening and closing direction of the housing. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein: 14. The ink storing means is arranged so that the liquid level of the ink stored in the ink storing means is lower than the ink jet recording head. The ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 13, further comprising: a suction device that transfers ink to the ink holding member. 15. A recording medium loading means for holding a plurality of recording media in a stacked state in a housing, conveying the recording medium from the recording medium loading means, and discharging ink droplets onto the recording medium based on image information. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: 16. An ink jet recording head capable of discharging ink droplets onto a recording medium based on image information, wherein the recording means holds the ink jet recording head and moves the ink jet recording head in a direction intersecting with the transport direction of the recording medium. 16. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 15, comprising: a carriage; and wherein the recording medium stacking means can be pulled out in a substantially horizontal direction.