JP2002200763A - Wiping device for ink jet recording head, maintenance device for ink jet recording head, and ink jet recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a wiping device for an ink jet recording head which can reciprocate a wiping member without reversing a rotational driving source, a maintenance device for an ink jet recording head with the wiping device and an ink jet recorder with the maintenance device. SOLUTION: There are constituted two cases in which the rotation of a gear shaft 44 acts from a first sector gear 74 to a pinion 86 via a small gear 82 and a large gear 84, and the gear shaft 44 rotates further to act from a second sector gear 76 to the pinion 86 via an idler gear 88, the small gear 82 and the large gear 84, respectively. A rotation direction of the pinion 86 is converted by interposing an odd number of idler gears 88. Accordingly, a wiper blade-holding plate 70 can be reciprocated by the rotation of the gear shaft 44 in a single direction.

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 head wiping device, an ink jet recording head maintenance device, and an ink jet recording device, and more particularly, to an ink jet recording head for ejecting ink droplets to a recording medium based on image information. The present invention relates to an inkjet recording head wiping device for wiping an ejection surface, an inkjet recording head maintenance device including the inkjet recording head wiping device, and an inkjet recording device including the inkjet recording head maintenance device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an ink jet recording apparatus for recording an image by discharging ink droplets from an ink discharge port of an ink jet recording head onto a recording medium such as paper based on image information, a blade is arranged along an ink discharge surface of the ink jet recording head. Is moved to remove (wiping) foreign matter attached to the ink ejection surface.

For example, in a cleaning mechanism described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 6-270408, as shown in FIG. 10, when a pinion 312 and a rack 314 are engaged with each other, a transport roller 318 and a pinion 320 are driven by a paper feed motor 316. When the pinion 322 rotates through
Since the pinion 312 also rotates, the blade holder 32
4 moves linearly, and the blade 326 cleans the ink discharge section 328. And the pinion 31
The reversal of 2 causes the blade 326 to return to its original position.

However, in this configuration, the paper feed motor 31
Since 6 to pinion 312 are always directly connected,
To rotate the pinion 312 in reverse, the paper feed motor 3
There is a need to reverse 16 itself.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-described circumstances, and an ink jet recording head wiping apparatus capable of reciprocating a wiping member without reversing a rotational drive source, and an ink jet recording head wiping apparatus. It is an object to obtain an ink jet recording head maintenance device provided with the device and an ink jet recording device provided with the ink jet recording head maintenance device.

[0006]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, ink is ejected by reciprocating along an operating shaft which rotates by receiving a driving force from a rotary driving source and an ink ejection surface of an ink jet recording head. A wiping member for wiping a surface and a switching mechanism for transmitting rotation of the operating shaft in one direction by switching between a forward operation and a return operation of the wiping member are provided.

That is, when the operating shaft is rotated by receiving the driving force from the rotary drive source, the switching mechanism switches the rotation of the operating shaft in one direction between the forward operation and the return operation of the wiping member. The wiping member reciprocates to remove foreign substances adhering to the ink ejection surface of the inkjet recording head and to return to the initial position.

As described above, since the wiping member is moved forward and backward by rotating the operating shaft in one direction, there is no need to reverse the rotation drive source. Therefore, the control of the rotary drive source is simplified. Further, by making the rotary drive source reversely rotatable and driving other devices and members at the time of reverse rotation, it is possible to drive a plurality of devices or members with a smaller number of drive sources.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the switching mechanism includes a first operating gear and a second operating gear provided on the operating shaft;
A first driven gear that meshes with an operation gear and transmits rotation of the operation shaft to the wiping member; and a state in which the first operation gear and the first driven gear are not meshed with each other. An odd number of second driven gears that mesh with both of the driven gears and transmit the rotation of the operating shaft to the wiping member.

Therefore, the rotation of the operating shaft is transmitted from the first operating gear to the wiping member via the first driven gear, and the rotation of the operating shaft is transmitted from the second operating gear via the second driven gear to the first driven gear. Transmitted to the wiping member via
At least two cases exist. Since the number of the second driven gears is odd, the rotation direction of the first driven gears in the former case and the latter case is opposite to the rotation of the rotary drive source in the same direction. Therefore, the direction of movement of the wiping member is opposite between the former case and the latter case.

As described above, the switching mechanism can be constituted only by providing the first operating gear, the second operating gear, the first driven gear and the second driven gear, and no complicated mechanism or device other than these is required. In addition, the configuration of the inkjet recording head wiping device can be simplified.

The number of the second driven gears is not particularly limited as long as it is an odd number. However, it is preferable that the number of the second driven gears is one because the configuration can be simplified most.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, a rack provided along the reciprocating direction of the wiping member, a pinion meshing with the rack, and a large gear meshing with the pinion. And having
The first operating gear is a first toothless gear provided on the operating shaft and partially provided with teeth in a circumferential direction, and the second operating gear is different from the first toothless gear on the operating shaft. A second toothless gear partially provided with teeth at a circumferential position different from that of the first toothless gear provided at an axial position, wherein the first driven gear is provided coaxially with the large gear and the first toothless gear; A small gear that meshes with the toothless gear; and the second driven gear is an odd number of idler gears provided on a different axis from the large gear and meshing with the small gear and the second toothless gear. I do.

Accordingly, the rotation of the operating shaft is transmitted from the first toothless gear to the small gear and further transmitted from the large gear to the rack via the pinion, and when the rotation of the operating shaft is transmitted from the second toothless gear to the small gear via the idler gear. There are two cases: the transmission to the gear and the transmission from the large gear to the rack via the pinion. In the latter case, since the odd number of idler gears are interposed, the rotation direction of the small gear is opposite to that in the former case. Accordingly, the moving direction of the wiping member is also opposite in the former case and the latter case.

As described above, the moving direction of the wiping member can be switched by merely interposing the idler gear in the torque transmitting system from the operating shaft to the pinion.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect of the present invention, the engagement between the rack and the pinion is temporarily stopped when the switching mechanism switches between the forward operation and the return operation of the wiping member. And a disengagement releasing means for releasing.

When the engagement between the rack and the pinion is released, the pinion idles, and the wiping member does not move even if the pinion rotates. For this reason, the wiping member does not move in a useless range, and the moving area is small, so that the size of the inkjet recording head wiping device can be reduced.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an urging means for urging at least one of the rack and the pinion in a direction in which the rack and the pinion engage with each other. .

Therefore, since the rack is located in the vicinity of the pinion, when the wiping member moves to the next operation (from the forward operation to the return operation or from the return operation to the forward operation), the operation moves to the next operation without any unnecessary operation. be able to.

Further, when the rotation direction of the pinion is changed (when the wiping member moves to the next operation), the rack and the pinion can be reliably engaged early.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth or fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fixing means for fixing the wiping member at a predetermined position, and the fixing force of the fixing means is such that the wiping is performed. It is characterized in that the driving force is set smaller than the reciprocating driving force acting on the member.

Accordingly, the wiping member is securely fixed at the predetermined position by the fixing means, and does not accidentally shift.

Also, the fixing force of the fixing means is set smaller than the reciprocating driving force acting on the wiping member. Therefore, when the driving force of the rotary driving means is received, the fixing force of the fixing means causes the wiping member to rotate. Is not restricted, and the wiping member moves reliably.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the third to sixth aspects, each of the small gear and the idler gear has a first toothless gear and a second toothless gear. A sharp portion for improving the engagement with the gear is formed.

As a result, the meshing between the small gear and the first toothless gear and the meshing between the idler gear and the second toothless gear are improved, so that the rotational force of the rotary drive source can be more reliably transmitted to the rack. The wiping member can be moved.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, the ink jet recording head wiping device according to any one of the first to seventh aspects is brought into contact with the ink jet recording head so as to surround the ink discharge port of the ink jet recording head. And a cap member, wherein the operating shaft is capable of moving the cap member toward and away from the inkjet recording head by a rotational driving force from the rotational driving source.

Since the ink jet recording head wiping device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is provided, the wiping member is switched between forward operation and return operation by one-way rotation of the rotary drive source and reciprocated. The foreign matter adhering to the ink ejection surface of the inkjet recording head can be removed by moving (wiping).

Since the wiping member is reciprocated only by rotating the rotary drive source in one direction, other devices and members can be driven by using the rotary drive force when the rotary drive source is reversed. For example, if the pump for ink suction is driven by the reverse rotation of the rotary drive source,
Compared to a configuration having individual drive sources, the number of drive sources can be reduced, and the structure of the inkjet recording head maintenance device can be simplified.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink jet recording head for discharging an ink droplet onto a recording medium in accordance with image information to record an image, and an ink jet recording head maintenance device according to the eighth aspect. It is characterized by the following.

An ink droplet corresponding to image information is ejected from an ink jet recording head onto a recording medium, and an image can be recorded on the recording medium.

An ink jet recording head maintenance device constituting the ink jet recording device is described in claim 1
Since the inkjet recording head wiping device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is provided, the wiping member is switched back and forth (wiping) by switching between a forward operation and a return operation by one-way rotation of a rotary drive source. Foreign matter adhering to the ink ejection surface of the ink jet recording head can be removed.

Further, since the wiping member is reciprocated only by rotation in one direction of the rotary drive source, for example, a pump for ink suction can be driven by using the rotary drive force when the rotary drive source is reversed. Compared to a configuration having individual drive sources, the number of drive sources can be reduced, and the structure of the inkjet recording head maintenance device can be simplified.
Therefore, the structure of the ink jet recording apparatus can be simplified.

[0033]

FIG. 1 shows an ink jet recording apparatus 12 having an ink jet recording head maintenance device (hereinafter abbreviated as a maintenance device) 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention in the vicinity of a recording head carriage 14 thereof. Is shown enlarged. 2 and 3 show the maintenance device 20. 4 to 8 show the wiping device 10 of the present invention, which constitutes the maintenance device 20.

As shown in FIG. 1, the ink jet recording apparatus 12 includes a recording medium transport member 16 for transporting a recording medium P (for example, paper) in a fixed direction, and a recording medium P.
And a set of guide members 18 provided along the direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the recording medium P, facing the transport path of the recording medium P. The recording head carriage 14 is supported by these guide members 18. A maintenance device 20 is disposed below the guide member 18 and adjacent to the conveyance path of the recording medium P, and performs maintenance operations such as capping and ink suction on the recording head carriage 14. This maintenance operation is controlled by a control circuit (not shown) so as to be performed under predetermined conditions and timing.

A home position of the recording head carriage 14 is set at a position facing the maintenance device 20, and this position is detected by a position sensor 22. The recording head carriage 14, the recording medium transport member 16, the guide member 18, the maintenance device 20 and the position sensor 22 are held in a main body housing 24. Image information is sent to the recording head carriage 14 through signal lines formed on the flexible substrate.

In the drawings, the direction of movement of the recording head carriage 14 (main scanning direction) is indicated by an arrow M, and the direction of movement of the recording medium P (sub-scanning direction) is indicated by an arrow S.

The recording head carriage 14 is composed of a carriage frame 26 movably disposed along the guide member 18 and a recording head unit 28 housed in a predetermined housing portion of the carriage 26. . FIG.
To the recording head unit 28 as schematically shown in FIG.
Has a nozzle 33 inside and an ink ejection surface 35.
The recording head unit 3 having an ink ejection port 37 for ejecting ink in the nozzle 33 formed on the lower surface of the recording head unit 32.
2 (in FIGS. 4 to 8, for convenience of illustration,
Although only one nozzle 33 and one ink ejection port 37 are shown, a general recording head unit 28 has a plurality of nozzles 33 and ink ejection ports 37).

Above the recording head section 32, a sub-ink tank 3 for supplying ink to each recording head section 32 is provided.
0 (see FIG. 1), and the sub ink tank 3
0 and the recording head unit 32 constitute a recording head unit 28. The number of sub ink tanks 30 corresponds to the number of recording head units 28, and is four in the present embodiment. Therefore, ink of a different color (for example, black (Bk), yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C)) is supplied to the recording head unit 28 for each sub-ink tank 30, and ink droplets are ejected. By doing so, it is possible to record a full-color image. Then, as shown in FIG. 1, the ink jet recording apparatus 12 of the present embodiment conveys the recording medium P by the recording medium conveying member 16 and moves the recording head carriage 14 back and forth to form the ink according to the image information. The droplet is ejected, and an image is recorded on the recording medium P.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the maintenance device 20 has a housing 34 arranged below the home position. A motor 36 is arranged in the housing 34. A swing arm 38 is pivotally supported on the side wall of the housing 34 such that the swing arm 38 can swing about one end thereof. The rotational driving force of the motor 36 acts on one end of the swing arm 38.
6 rotates forward, the swing arm 38 swings in the direction indicated by the arrow S in FIG. 2, and as shown by the solid line, the output gear 40 provided at the other end of the swing arm 38 is connected to the cam drive gear train. Meshes with 42. Thus, the rotational driving force of the motor 36 acts on the cam drive gear train 42. Further, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 8, the rotational driving force is applied to a plurality of cams (not shown).
And a camshaft 44 having gears. The cam and gear of the camshaft 44 are connected to a cap holder 48, a valve 58, and a wiper blade holding plate 7 described later.
For each rotation of the camshaft 44, each operation is assigned to each angle so that 0 is moved up and down, opened and closed, and reciprocated at predetermined timings. The rotation angle of the camshaft 44 is detected by a photo sensor (not shown), and a control circuit controls the rotation amount (rotation angle) of the camshaft 44 based on this information.

On the other hand, when the motor 36 rotates in the reverse direction, the swing arm 38 swings in the direction opposite to the arrow S, and as shown by a two-dot chain line, the output gear 40
, The rotational driving force of the motor 36 acts on the pump driving gear train 46.

The rotation of the motor (forward rotation and reverse rotation)
The recovery operation to the recording head unit 28 by the maintenance device 20 is controlled by a control circuit (not shown),
The image recording operation (ink droplet ejection, main scanning, and sub-scanning) is not performed simultaneously.

A cap holder 48 is provided at the top of the housing 34 so as to be able to move up and down.
In accordance with the rotation angle, a force for raising and lowering acts from a cam (not shown) via a link mechanism (not shown). On this cap holder 48, four caps 50 corresponding to each of the recording head sections 32 are arranged. These caps 50 are formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape whose upper part is opened. When the cap holder 48 is raised when the recording head carriage 14 is at the home position, the corresponding recording head 3
For every two, the ink jet printer is in close contact with the ink ejection surface 35 so as to surround the ink ejection port 37. Thereby, the ink ejection port 3
Inadvertent drying of the ink from the nozzle 7 and the intrusion of foreign matter are prevented, and the recording head unit 28 is maintained in an optimal state for ejecting ink droplets.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a specific one of the four caps 50 (in this embodiment,
An upper end of FIG. 2 and an upper end of FIG. 3) have one end of a tube 52 connected to the bottom thereof, and serve as an ink suction cap 50B. Also, the tube 52
Is made of a flexible material that is resistant to ink, so that the whole can be curved into a desired shape or partially crushed so that the inside is closed and the flow of fluid can be blocked. It has become.

A valve 58 is provided in the middle of the tube 52, and a pump 62 driven by a rotational driving force from a pump driving gear train 46 is provided at the other end of the valve 58.
Is arranged. The opening and closing of the valve 58 and the driving / stopping of the pump 60 are performed at a predetermined timing according to the rotation angle of the camshaft 44, so that ink can be sucked from the ink suction cap 50B.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 to 8, a shaft 68 is extended over the housing 34 along a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the recording head carriage 14 moves. The wiper blade holding plate 70 is disposed so as to be movable along the line. The wiper blade holding plate 70 has four wiper blades 7 corresponding to the respective ink ejection surfaces 35 of the recording head unit 32.
2 are installed.

As shown in detail in FIGS. 4 to 8, the camshaft 44 is provided with a first toothless gear 74 and a second toothless gear 76 having teeth formed only partially in the circumferential direction. I have. The first tooth-missing gear 74 and the second tooth-missing gear 76 are arranged at different positions in the axial direction of the camshaft 44 (see FIG. 2), and in the circumferential direction so that the teeth do not overlap when viewed in the axial direction. It is staggered by a certain amount. Further, the second toothless gear 76 has a smaller diameter than the first toothless gear 74.

First tooth missing gear 74 and second tooth missing gear 7
A pressing portion 78 swelling from the vicinity of the outer periphery toward the tip end in the rotational direction (the direction of the arrow R1) is formed in each of the members 6. The pressing portion 78 is engaged with the small gear 8 at the first stage when the first toothless gear 74 and the second toothless gear 76 respectively mesh with a small gear 82 or an idler gear 88 described later.
2 or the teeth of the idler gear 88 are pressed to rotate the small gear 82 or the idler gear 88 positively. This allows
Poor meshing between the first toothless gear 74 and the small gear 82 and between the second toothless gear 76 and the idler gear 88 are prevented,
You will surely engage.

A gear shaft 80 extends around the housing 34 in parallel with the cam shaft 44. Although the gear shaft 80 meshes with the first toothless gear 74 as shown in FIG. 5, a gap may be formed between the gearshaft 80 and the second toothless gear 76 as shown in FIG. 6 or FIG. A small gear 82 of such a position and size as does not exist is attached.

Further, the gear shaft 80 is provided at a position where it does not mesh with any of the first tooth lacking gear 74 and the second tooth lacking gear 76 (in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. (Position between two toothless gears 76)
, A large gear 84 having a larger diameter than the small gear 82 is attached. The large gear 84 meshes with a pinion 86 disposed above the large gear 84. Therefore, when the small gear 82 rotates, the large gear 84 also rotates via the gear shaft 80, and the pinion 86 also rotates.

Below the small gear 82, a gear shaft 80
One idler gear 88 so as to be rotatable about an axis parallel to
Are arranged and mesh with the small gear 82. The idler gear 88 does not engage with the first tooth lacking gear 74 even when the camshaft 44 rotates in the direction of the arrow R1 (see FIG. 6). When the camshaft 44 further rotates after the missing gear 74 has passed the vicinity, the position and the shape are such that the second toothless gear 76 meshes (see FIG. 7). For this reason,
The rotation of the camshaft 44 is transmitted to the pinion 86 via the first toothless gear 78, the small gear 82, and the large gear 84, and the rotation of the camshaft 44 is the idler gear 86, the first toothless gear 78, the small gear 82, and the large gear 84. Are transmitted to the pinion 86 via the... The latter, that is, the rotational direction of the rotational movement transmitted from the second toothless gear 76 to the idler gear 88, the small gear 82, and the large gear 84 is the former, that is, the first toothless gear 74.
From the small gear 82 (without passing through the idler gear 88).
And the rotational direction of the rotational motion transmitted to the large gear 84 is opposite to the rotational direction. Hereinafter, the rotation of the pinion 86 transmitted from the first gear lacking gear 74 via the small gear 82 and the large gear 84 is set to forward rotation, and the rotation of the pinion 86 from the second gear lacking gear 76 via the idler gear 88, the small gear 82 and the large gear 84. The transmitted pinion 86
Is referred to as reverse rotation.

As shown in detail in FIG.
Each of the teeth of the second gear 2 and the idler gear 88 is formed so as to be sharper toward the cutting edge as compared with a general gear tooth 88G (shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 9).
8S (in FIG. 9, the idler gear 88 is taken as an example, but the point that a sharp portion is formed in each tooth is the same in the idler gear 88 and the small gear 82). Thus, by making each tooth of the small gear 82 and the idler gear 88 sharp, the first tooth lacking gear 74 and the second tooth missing gear 76
Prevents poor meshing when the teeth of the small gear
2 and the idler gear 88 are surely rotated.

At the lower part of the wiper blade holding plate 70,
A rack 90 parallel to the shaft 68 is formed integrally with the wiper blade holding plate 70.
It is in mesh with the pinion 86. Therefore, the pinion 86
Is rotated by the rack 90 into a linear motion in a direction along the shaft 68, and the wiper blade holding plate 70 moves along the shaft 68. The length of the rack 90 is such that when the wiper blade 72 moves from the initial position shown in FIG. 4 (forward operation), the ink ejection surface 35 is wiped (see FIG. 5), and the ink is ejected as shown in FIG. The rear side of the surface 35 (the left side in FIGS. 4 to 8)
And a sufficient length to reach the predetermined position. The number of teeth of the rack 90 is determined by the number of rotating teeth of the pinion 86 due to the rotational motion acting on the pinion 86 from the first toothless gear 74 via the small gear 82 and the large gear 84, and the number of teeth from the second toothless gear 76 to the idler gear. The number of rotating teeth of the pinion 86 due to the rotational movement acting on the pinion 86 via the small gear 82 and the large gear 84 is set to be smaller. Therefore, when the wiper blade holding plate 70 moves forward (moves in the direction of arrow A) by the forward rotation of the pinion 86, the engagement between the rack 90 and the pinion 86 is canceled with the wiper blade 72 reaching the predetermined position, and the pinion 86 is released. 86 continues to rotate in the forward direction, so that it idles in the forward direction. Similarly, when the wiper blade holding plate 70 returns (moves in the direction opposite to the arrow A) due to the reverse rotation of the pinion 86, the engagement between the rack 90 and the pinion 86 is canceled with the wiper blade 72 at the initial position. As the pinion 86 continues to rotate in the reverse direction,
Idling in the opposite direction. This substantially constitutes the mesh release means of the present invention.

On the front wall 34F of the housing 34, a front absorber 92 is provided. A rear absorber 94 is provided on the rear end side of the shaft 68. The front absorber 92 and the rear absorber 94 each include a slider 96 that can move in the longitudinal direction of the shaft 68 and a coil spring 98 that urges the slider toward the center in the front-rear direction of the housing 34 of the shaft 68. . When the wiper blade holding plate 70 moves forward by the forward rotation of the pinion 86 and reaches a predetermined position on the rear side, the wiper blade holding plate 70 contacts the slider 96 of the rear absorber 94 as shown in FIG. , The movement (forward operation) of the wiper blade holding plate 70 is restricted.
In this state, since the pinion 86 runs idle, the wiper blade holding plate 70 does not excessively press the slider 96. Further, since the wiper blade holding plate 70 receives the elastic force from the coil spring 98, the rack 90 is always maintained at a position adjacent to the pinion 86 (a position where the pinion 86 can be engaged) without being largely separated from the pinion 86. It is supposed to be. Similarly, when the wiper blade holding plate 70 moves backward by the reverse rotation of the pinion 86 and reaches the initial position, the wiper blade holding plate 70 contacts the slider 96 of the front absorber 92 as shown in FIG. , The movement (return operation) of the wiper blade holding plate 70 is restricted. Even in this state, since the pinion 86 runs idle, the wiper blade holding plate 70 does not excessively press the slider 96. Further, since the wiper blade holding plate 70 receives the elastic force from the coil spring 98, the rack 90 is always maintained at a position adjacent to the pinion 86 (a position where the pinion 86 can be engaged) without being largely separated from the pinion 86. It is supposed to be.

A stopper 100 constituted by a leaf spring is attached to the housing 34 below the front absorber 92. In the stopper 100,
An engaging portion 100F bent upward is formed. Correspondingly, an engagement recess 70H with which the engagement portion 100F engages is formed on the bottom surface of the wiper blade holding plate 70. Since the position of the engagement concave portion 70H is a position where the engagement portion 100F is engaged when the wiper blade holding plate 70 is at the initial position as shown in FIG.
By this engagement, the wiper blade holding plate 70 is fixed at the initial maintenance, and does not move carelessly. In addition,
The shape and physical properties of the stopper 100 are determined so that the engaging force of the engaging portion 100F is smaller than the moving force acting on the wiper blade holding plate 70 due to the rotation of the pinion 86. Further, even when the engaging portion 100F is engaged with the engaging concave portion 70H, the wiper blade holding plate 70 can be moved within a certain range by the elastic force from the coil spring 96 of the front absorber 92. 100 and the shape and position of the engagement recess 70H are determined.

Above the rear absorber 94, a blower 102 is provided. The blotter 102 is made of a material capable of absorbing ink (for example, a porous sponge or the like).
And the wiper blade holding plate 7
In the middle of the movement of 0, it is provided at a height where the vicinity of the tip of the wiper blade 72 contacts. When the wiper blade 72 comes into contact with the blower 102, the wiper blade 7
2 is absorbed and the wiper blade 72
Is maintained.

Next, the operation of the ink jet recording apparatus 12 and the maintenance apparatus 20 of this embodiment will be described.

The recording head unit 28 according to the image information
While ejecting ink droplets from the recording head carriage 1
4 moves in the main scanning direction and the recording medium P moves in the sub-scanning direction, whereby an image is recorded on the recording medium P. At this time, as shown in FIG.
Since 0 is in the initial position, it does not affect image recording. Moreover, since the engaging portion 100F of the stopper 100 is engaged with the engaging concave portion 70H and the wiper blade holding plate 70 is fixed at the initial position, the wiper blade holding plate 70 may be inadvertently moved. Nor.

When the recording head unit 28 enters a predetermined state requiring maintenance, a control circuit (not shown) moves the recording head carriage 14 to the home position. The control circuit (not shown) includes the motor 3
Turn 6 forward. Since the swing arm 38 swings in the direction of arrow S in FIG. 2, the rotational driving force of the motor 36 rotates the camshaft 44 via the cam drive gear train 42. As a result, first, as shown in FIG.
4 meshes with the small gear 82, the pinion 86 rotates forward, and the wiper blade holding plate 70
The force to move forward acts. Since the engaging force of the engaging portion 100F is set smaller than the moving force acting on the wiper blade holding plate 70 due to the rotation of the pinion 86, this engagement is released, and the wiper blade holding plate 70
Works forward. The wiper blade 72 slides while contacting the ink ejection surface of the corresponding recording head unit 32 to wipe the ink ejection surface 35, so that ink, foreign matter, and the like attached to the ink ejection surface 35 are removed.

As shown in FIG. 6, when the wiper blade holding plate 70 reaches a predetermined position on the rear side, the blower 102
The wiper blade 72 comes into contact with the wiper blade 7
Since the ink adhering to 2 is absorbed, the ability of the wiper blade 72 to remove ink is maintained.

Further, the wiper blade holding plate 70 comes into contact with the rear absorber 94, and the coil spring 98 of the rear absorber 94 is compressed. At this time, the engagement between the rack 90 and the pinion 86 is released, and the pinion 8
Since 6 is idle, the wiper blade holding plate 70 does not move more than necessary. Therefore, it is not necessary to secure a wide moving area of the wiper blade holding plate 70,
The maintenance device 20 can be reduced in size, and the inkjet recording device 12 can also be reduced in size. Also, receiving the elastic force from the coil spring 98 of the rear absorber 94,
The rack 90 is always maintained at a position adjacent to the pinion 86 (a position where the rack 90 can be engaged).

When the camshaft 44 further rotates, the meshing between the first toothless gear 74 and the small gear 82 is released, but the second toothless gear 76 meshes with the idler gear 88 as shown in FIG. , The pinion 86 rotates in the reverse direction. Since the rack 90 is always maintained at a position adjacent to the pinion 86 (a position where the rack 90 can be engaged),
By the reverse rotation of the pinion 86, the wiper blade holding plate 70 is reliably engaged with the rack 90 from the initial stage of the reverse rotation to perform the return operation. As shown in FIG. 8, when the wiper blade holding plate 70 returns to the initial position, the wiper blade holding plate 70 contacts the front absorber 92, and the coil spring 98 of the front absorber 92 is compressed.
At this time, the engagement between the rack 90 and the pinion 86 has been released, and the pinion 86 idles, so that the wiper blade holding plate 70 does not move more than necessary, and the maintenance device 20 and the inkjet recording device 12 It can be downsized. Further, the rack 90 is always maintained at a position adjacent to the pinion 86 (a position where the rack 90 can be engaged) by receiving the elastic force from the coil spring 98 of the front absorber 92. Therefore, when the wiping operation is started next time, the pinion 86 surely meshes with the rack 90, and the wiper blade holding plate 70 moves forward.

After the wiping operation is completed in this manner, the cam shaft 44 is further rotated by the forward rotation of the motor 36.
When the is rotated, the cap holder 48 is raised, and as shown in FIG. 4, the cap 50 comes into contact with and closely adheres to the ink ejection surface 35 of the recording head unit 32. Accordingly, the periphery of the nozzle 33 (ink ejection port 37) of the recording head unit 32 is sealed, so that careless drying of the ink from the recording head unit 28 and entry of foreign matter are prevented.

When the camshaft 44 is further rotated by the forward rotation of the motor 36, the valve 58 is closed. As a result, the tube 52 is blocked at the intermediate portion, and the fluid does not flow inside.

With the tube 52 disconnected in this manner, a control circuit (not shown) causes the motor 36 to rotate in the reverse direction.
As shown in FIG. 2, the swing arm 38 swings in the direction opposite to the arrow S, and the rotational driving force of the motor 36 is transmitted to the pump 62 through the gear train 46 for pump driving.
Is driven. When the drive of the pump 62 reaches a predetermined time, the control circuit causes the motor 36 to rotate forward again.
Thereby, the swing arm 38 swings in the direction of arrow S in FIG. 2, and the driving of the pump 62 is stopped. Next, the camshaft 44 rotates, and the valve 58 is opened. As a result, the negative pressure acts on the ink suction cap 50 </ b> B.
Inside), ink can be sucked. The sucked ink is discharged to a discharge ink tank (not shown) provided at the other end of the tube 54 as discharge ink.

Finally, when the motor 36 further rotates forward, the cap holder 48 is lowered, so that the cap 50 is separated from the recording head unit 28. Of course, in order to constantly prevent drying of the ink from the recording head unit 28 and mixing of foreign matter, the cap holder 48 is not lowered and the cap 50 is kept in close contact with the recording head unit 28. Is also good.

In this embodiment, a plurality of caps 5
0, ink can be sucked only from the recording head unit 28 corresponding to the specific ink suction cap 50B. Accordingly, the recording head carriage 28 is moved by a predetermined amount in the direction in which the caps 50 are arranged (main scanning direction), and the recording head unit 28 to which ink is to be sucked.
Is positioned above the ink suction cap 50B, ink can be sucked from all the recording head units 28. Of course, all of the caps 50 are ink suction caps 50B, and the recording head carriage 1
4 without moving all the recording head units 28
May be made to be able to suck ink.

As described above, in the ink suction device 10 (maintenance device 20) of the present embodiment, the pinion is formed by the first toothless gear 74 attached to the camshaft 68 via the small gear 82 and the large gear 84. A rotation drive system for rotating the gear 86 forward, and a second toothless gear 76 also attached to the camshaft 68 to the idler gear 8
8, a rotation drive system that reverses the pinion 86 via the small gear 82 and the large gear 84. Therefore, it is necessary to change the rotation direction of the motor 36 in order to switch the forward rotation and the reverse rotation of the pinion 86 (that is, to switch the forward operation and the backward operation of the wiper blade 72 (wiper blade holding plate 70)). Instead, only one direction rotation is required, and control becomes easy. Further, as described above, it is also possible to drive other devices and members by using the reverse rotation of the motor 36 (the pump 62 is driven in the above example), so that the motor (rotation Driving sources) can be reduced.

It should be noted that the number of idler gears 88 is not limited to one, but in order to reverse the pinion 86 as described above, it is necessary to have an odd number. It is preferable to use one as in this embodiment because the number of parts is reduced and the configuration can be simplified.

The inkjet recording head wiping device 10 of the present invention is not necessarily a maintenance device 20.
Need not be incorporated in the maintenance device 20
It may be provided separately from the inkjet recording apparatus 12.

[0070]

According to the first aspect of the invention, the ink ejection surface is wiped by reciprocating along the operating shaft that rotates by receiving the driving force from the rotary drive source and the ink ejection surface of the ink jet recording head. A wiping member, and a switching mechanism for transmitting the rotation of the operating shaft in one direction by switching between the forward operation and the backward operation of the wiping member, so that there is no need to reverse the rotation drive source, and the rotation drive source is not required. Control becomes simple.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the switching mechanism includes a first operating gear and a second operating gear provided on the operating shaft;
A first driven gear that meshes with an operation gear and transmits rotation of the operation shaft to the wiping member; and a state in which the first operation gear and the first driven gear are not meshed with each other. Since there are an odd number of second driven gears that mesh with both the driven gears and transmit the rotation of the operating shaft to the wiping member, the configuration of the inkjet recording head wiping device can be simplified.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the invention, a rack provided along the reciprocating movement direction of the wiping member, a pinion meshing with the rack, and a large gear meshing with the pinion. And having
The first operating gear is a first toothless gear provided on the operating shaft and partially provided with teeth in a circumferential direction, and the second operating gear is different from the first toothless gear on the operating shaft. A second toothless gear partially provided with teeth at a circumferential position different from that of the first toothless gear provided at an axial position, wherein the first driven gear is provided coaxially with the large gear and the first toothless gear; Since the second driven gear is an odd number of idler gears provided on a different axis from the large gear and meshing with the small gear and the second toothless gear, the second driven gear is substantially a small gear that meshes with the toothless gear. It is possible to switch the moving direction of the wiping member only by interposing the idler gear in the motor.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect of the invention, when the switching mechanism switches between the forward operation and the return operation of the wiping member, the engagement between the rack and the pinion is temporarily stopped. Since there is provided an engagement canceling means for canceling, the size of the ink jet recording head wiping device can be reduced.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided an urging means for urging at least one of the rack and the pinion in a direction in which the rack and the pinion engage with each other. It is possible to shift to the next operation without performing useless operation.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in accordance with the fourth or fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fixing means for fixing the wiping member at a predetermined position, and the fixing force of the fixing means is such that the wiping is performed. Since the driving force of the reciprocating movement acting on the member is set to be smaller, it is possible to prevent the wiping member from being inadvertently displaced.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the third to sixth aspects, each of the teeth of the small gear and the idler gear has a first toothless gear and a second toothless gear. Since the sharp portion for improving the meshing with the gear is formed, the rotational force of the rotary drive source can be more reliably transmitted to the rack, and the wiping member can be moved.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, the ink jet recording head wiping device according to any one of the first to seventh aspects is brought into contact with the ink jet recording head so as to surround the ink discharge port of the ink jet recording head. And a cap member, wherein the operating shaft is capable of moving the cap member toward and away from the ink jet recording head by a rotational driving force from the rotational driving source. Can be simplified.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink jet recording head for discharging an ink droplet onto a recording medium in accordance with image information to perform image recording, and an ink jet recording head maintenance device according to the eighth aspect. Therefore, the structure of the ink jet recording apparatus can be simplified.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a recording head carriage of an ink jet recording apparatus provided with an ink jet recording head maintenance device according to an embodiment of the present invention and the vicinity thereof.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing an inkjet recording head maintenance device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view showing an inkjet recording head maintenance device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic side view showing a wiping device of the inkjet recording head maintenance device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic side view showing a wiping device of the inkjet recording head maintenance device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic side view showing a wiping device of the inkjet recording head maintenance device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic side view showing a wiping device of the inkjet recording head maintenance device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic side view showing a wiping device of the inkjet recording head maintenance device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged side view showing an idler gear included in the wiping device of the inkjet recording head maintenance device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating a conventional cleaning mechanism for an inkjet recording head.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference Signs List 10 wiping device 12 inkjet recording device 14 recording head carriage 18 guide member 20 maintenance device 44 (operating shaft) 70 (wiping member) 74 first toothless gear (first operating gear, switching mechanism) 76 second toothless gear (secondary gear) 82 Small gear (first driven gear, switching mechanism) 84 Large gear (switching mechanism) 86 Pinion (switching mechanism) 88 Idler gear (second driven gear, switching mechanism) 88S Sharp part 90 Rack (switching) Mechanism) 92 front absorber (biasing means) 94 rear absorber (biasing means) 100 stopper (fixing means)

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Takaaki Sekiyama 2274 Hongo, Ebina-shi, Kanagawa Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. In-house F-term (reference) 2C056 EA16 EA17 JA04 JB04 JB08

Claims (9)

[Claims] An operating shaft that rotates by receiving a driving force from a rotary drive source; a wiping member that reciprocates along an ink ejection surface of an ink jet recording head and wipes an ink ejection surface; A switching mechanism for switching and transmitting the rotation in the direction between the forward operation and the return operation of the wiping member, and a switching mechanism for transmitting the rotation. A first operating gear and a second operating gear provided on the operating shaft; and a first mechanism for transmitting rotation of the operating shaft to the wiping member by meshing with the first operating gear. In a state where the driven gear is not meshed with the first operating gear and the first driven gear, the driven gear meshes with both the second operating gear and the first driven gear to transmit the rotation of the operating shaft to the wiping member. The inkjet recording head wiping apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an odd number of second driven gears. 3. A rack provided along a reciprocating movement direction of the wiping member, a pinion that meshes with the rack, and a large gear that meshes with the pinion, wherein the first operating gear has the operating shaft. A first toothless gear partially provided with teeth in a circumferential direction, wherein the second operating gear is provided on the operating shaft at an axial position different from that of the first toothless gear; A second toothless gear partially provided with teeth at circumferential positions different from the gear, wherein the first driven gear is a small gear provided coaxially with the large gear and meshing with the first toothless gear; 3. The ink jet recording head according to claim 2, wherein the second driven gear is an odd number of idler gears provided on a shaft different from the large gear and meshing with the small gear and the second toothless gear. Wiping equipment . 4. An engagement releasing means for temporarily releasing the engagement between the rack and the pinion when the switching mechanism switches between the forward operation and the return operation of the wiping member. 3. The ink jet recording head wiping device according to item 2. 5. The ink jet recording head wiping device according to claim 4, further comprising: urging means for urging at least one of the rack and the pinion in a direction in which the rack and the pinion engage with each other. 6. A fixing device for fixing the wiping member at a predetermined position, wherein a fixing force of the fixing device is set smaller than a reciprocating driving force acting on the wiping member. The inkjet recording head wiping device according to claim 4 or 5, wherein 7. The small gear and the idler gear, each of which has a sharp portion for improving engagement with the first toothless gear and the second toothless gear. An inkjet recording head wiping device according to claim 6. 8. An ink jet recording head wiping device according to claim 1, further comprising: a cap member which comes into contact with the ink jet recording head so as to surround an ink ejection port of the ink jet recording head. An ink jet recording head maintenance device, wherein the operating shaft is capable of moving the cap member toward and away from the ink jet recording head by a rotational driving force from the rotational driving source. 9. An ink jet recording head comprising: an ink jet recording head for discharging an ink droplet onto a recording medium in accordance with image information to perform image recording; and an ink jet recording head maintenance device according to claim 8. apparatus.