JP2002331672A - Ink jet unit and recovery system unit for use therein - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance the wiping performance by reducing the moving load when a wiper passes through a wiper cleaner and increasing the quantity of ink transferred from the wiper to the wiper cleaner thereby reducing the quantity of ink remaining on the wiper after passing through the wiper cleaner. SOLUTION: Abutting faces 21a and 22a of a wiper cleaner 22 and a wiper 21 are inclined by specified angles (β, α) in the widthwise direction and the depthwise direction of the wiper and inclination in the depthwise direction (angle α) is set in such a direction as the inclination angle increases when the wiper is deformed through contact.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet apparatus for discharging ink from an ink jet head, and a recovery unit of the ink jet head used in the ink jet apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A recording device having functions such as a printer, a copying machine, and a facsimile, or a recording device used as an output device such as a composite electronic device including a computer or a word processor, or a workstation, is based on paper based on the recording information. An image (including characters and symbols) is recorded on a recording medium (recording material) such as a cloth, a plastic sheet, and an OHP sheet. The recording apparatus can be classified into an ink jet type, a wire dot type, a thermal type, a laser beam type and the like according to a recording method.

[0003] In a serial type recording apparatus that performs recording while performing main scanning in a direction crossing the recording medium conveyance direction (paper feeding direction and sub-scanning direction), a recording means mounted on a carriage that moves along the recording medium. An image is recorded (main scanning) by a (recording head), a predetermined amount of paper is fed (pitch conveyance as a sub-scanning) after printing of one line is completed, and then the next recording medium is stopped again. By repeating the operation of printing (main scanning) the image of the row, the printing of the entire printing medium is performed. On the other hand, in a line type printing apparatus that performs printing only by sub-scanning in the transport direction of a printing medium (recording material), the printing medium is set at a predetermined printing position, and printing is performed for one line at a time. By performing a predetermined amount of paper feed (pitch feed) and repeating the operation of collectively recording the next line, the entire recording medium is recorded.

Among them, an ink jet type recording apparatus (ink jet apparatus) performs recording by discharging ink from a recording means (ink jet head) to a recording medium, so that the recording means can be easily made compact and high definition. High-speed images, can be recorded on plain paper without the need for special processing, running costs are low, and the non-impact method produces less noise. For example, it has an advantage that it is easy to record a color image using a color ink). In addition, in an ink jet apparatus (ink jet recording apparatus), there are various demands for a material of a recording medium (recording material). In recent years, developments in response to these demands have been advanced, and paper (thin paper) which is a normal recording medium has been developed. In addition to a recording device that uses cloth, leather, nonwoven fabric, metal, or the like as a recording medium, a recording medium is also used in addition to a resin thin plate (including OHP).

[0005] The ink jet apparatus is configured to perform printing by ejecting ink supplied to an ink jet head toward a recording medium such as paper by heating or vibration, and currently moves along the recording medium. 2. Description of the Related Art A serial type ink jet apparatus that performs recording using an ink jet head mounted on a carrier that performs printing is widely used.

In the above-mentioned ink jet apparatus, a recovery system unit for automatically performing maintenance of the ink jet head is used. In general, the recovery system unit includes a pump mechanism for forcibly sucking out the ink which has been solidified at the ejection port of the inkjet head to the outside of the head when the inkjet apparatus has been stopped for a long time, and a discharge port surface of the inkjet head. A wiping mechanism (cleaning mechanism) for wiping and removing attached ink, dust, and the like.

In the wiping mechanism, a wiper made of a rubber-like elastic material blade is rubbed against the discharge port surface of the ink jet head to wipe off ink and dust on the discharge port surface to clean it. In this wiping mechanism, a wiper cleaner is provided for the purpose of maintaining and recovering the wiping performance of the wiper by removing (cleaning) ink or the like that has been wiped and transferred from the discharge port surface and adhered to the wiper. Has been done. The wiper cleaner is arranged so that the wiper comes into contact with the wiper cleaner after passing through the discharger surface while rubbing the discharge opening surface of the ink jet head. Is wiped off with the wiper cleaner.

[0008]

However, in the recovery system unit provided with the wiper cleaner of the conventional ink jet apparatus, the contact surface of the wiper cleaner with the wiper is generally in the width direction and the vertical direction of the wiper. In the direction, the wiper is arranged so as to be parallel to the contact surface of the wiper, so that the wiper after wiping the ejection opening surface of the inkjet head is always planar or linear while the wiper contacts the wiper cleaner. Abutment via a region having a shape (a band shape having a predetermined width), and therefore, a technical problem that a moving load (sliding load) when the wiper passes through the wiper cleaner is increased, and also, the wiper is moved from the wiper cleaner to the wiper cleaner. It is difficult to increase the amount of ink transferred to the Ink remainder had a technical problem that tends to occur on the over.

The present invention has been made in view of such technical problems, and an object of the present invention is to significantly reduce a moving load (sliding load) when a wiper passes through a wiper cleaner. In addition, by increasing the amount of ink transferred from the wiper to the wiper cleaner, the amount of ink remaining on the wiper after passing can be significantly reduced, and the recovery process by wiping the inkjet head can be performed efficiently. And a recovery system unit for an inkjet head used in the inkjet apparatus.

[0010]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink jet apparatus comprising: an ink jet head having an ejection port provided with an ejection port for ejecting ink; A wiper that contacts and wipes the discharge port surface, and a wiper cleaner that contacts the wiper and cleans the wiper, wherein the surfaces of the wiper and the wiper cleaner that contact each other, It is characterized in that the wiper is inclined with respect to each other in both the width direction and the depth direction.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recovery system unit for use in an ink jet apparatus.
A wiper that abuts the ejection opening surface of the inkjet head having an ejection opening surface provided with an ejection opening that ejects ink and wipes the ejection opening surface, and a wiper cleaner that contacts the wiper and cleans the wiper ,
And the surfaces of the wiper and the wiper cleaner that are in contact with each other are inclined with each other in both the width direction and the depth direction of the wiper.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an ink jet apparatus suitable for applying the present invention. In FIG. 1, a carrier 1 includes a chassis 3
Are guided and supported so as to be able to reciprocate along the guide shaft 2 and the guide rail 4 held by the guide rail. The carrier 1 is supported so as to be able to reciprocate at the same time, facing the LF (line feed) roller 5 and the platen 6 held by the chassis 3. An ink jet head 7 as a recording unit is mounted on the carrier 1. Also,
The carrier 1 reciprocates along the guide shaft 2 by transmitting the driving force of the carrier motor 8 via the belt 9.

A recording paper 10 as a recording medium is held and held between an LF roller 5 and a pinch roller 11 and between a paper discharge roller 12 and a paper discharge auxiliary roller 13 in an ink jet apparatus (recording apparatus). ing. Then, when the LF roller 5 is driven to rotate, the recording paper 10 is conveyed (paper feed) in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the LF roller 5 by the frictional force generated between each pair of rollers described above. During recording (printing, printing), the carrier 1 is driven so as to move at a constant speed after being accelerated from a stopped state. In this constant speed state, the recording paper 10 is driven by driving the inkjet head 7 in accordance with the recording data sent into the printing apparatus (recording apparatus).
Recording (printing, printing) is performed by ejecting ink from the ejection port toward. After one line of recording is performed while the head 1 is moved at a constant speed by the carrier 1, the carrier 1 is decelerated and stopped.

When the recording for one line is completed, L
By rotating and driving the F-roller 5 by a predetermined amount, the paper is fed (conveyed) to a position where the next line of the recording paper 10 on which the next line is recorded opposes the head 7, and the paper feeding up to the next line is completed. Thereafter, the carrier 1 is moved again, and the head 7 is driven based on the recording data, thereby recording the next row (line). By repeating the above-described recording and paper feeding (conveyance), recording on the entire recording paper 10 is performed. When the recording on the entire recording paper 10 is completed, the recording paper 10 is discharged to the outside of the printing apparatus by the conveying force of the paper discharge roller 12, and the predetermined printing operation is completed.

This type of ink jet apparatus (ink jet printing apparatus, ink jet recording apparatus) is provided with a recovery system unit 14 for automatically performing maintenance of the ink jet head 7. Normally, the recovery unit 14 is an ink (fixed ink, thickened ink) that has almost solidified at the ejection port when the inkjet device (printing device) has been stopped for a long time.
A pump mechanism (suction recovery means) for forcibly discharging (sucking) the ink from the discharge port to the outside, and a wiping mechanism for wiping and removing deposits such as ink adhered to the discharge port surface (wiping). Have.

The ink-jet head 7 as a recording means is an ink-jet head for discharging ink using thermal energy, and is provided with an electrothermal converter for generating thermal energy. Further, the ink jet head 7 causes film boiling in the ink by the thermal energy applied by the electrothermal transducer, and discharges the ink from the discharge port by utilizing the pressure change due to the growth and shrinkage of the bubble generated at that time. Recording (printing).

FIG. 8 is a partial perspective view schematically showing the structure of the ink ejection section of the ink jet head 7. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 8, a plurality of discharge ports 82 are disposed at a predetermined pitch on a discharge port surface 7a facing a recording medium such as recording paper with a predetermined gap (for example, about 0.2 to about 2.0 mm). Are formed, and each liquid path 8 communicates the common liquid chamber 83 and each discharge port 82.
An electrothermal converter (heating resistor, etc.) 85 for generating energy for ink ejection is provided along the wall surface of No. 4. The head 7 is mounted on the carrier 1 such that the ejection openings 82 are arranged in a direction crossing the main scanning direction (the moving direction of the head and the carrier). In this manner, the corresponding electrothermal transducer 85 is driven (energized) based on the image signal or the ejection signal to cause the ink in the liquid path 84 to boil, and the ejection port 8 is formed by the pressure generated at that time.
Recording means (ink-jet head) for discharging ink from the ink jet head 2 is constituted.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing the structure of the recovery system unit 14 of one embodiment of the ink jet apparatus to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the cap 15 of the recovery system unit 14 is in contact with the discharge port surface 7a of the ink jet head 7 (capping state). In FIG. 2, a cap 15 is supported in a state where it is positioned and fixed to a cap holder 16, and the cap holder 16 can be selectively moved in the vertical direction shown in the figure by driving means (not shown). A capping state in which the cap 15 seals the ejection port surface 7a of the inkjet head 7 and an open state in which the cap 15 separates from the ejection port surface 7a can be taken.

A tube 17 is connected to the cap 15, and the tube 17 is crawled through a suction pump (pump mechanism) composed of a tube pump as described below. That is, the disk-shaped roller holder 18 constituting the tube pump is supported by a shaft rotatable around its rotating shaft 18a, and is driven inside the pump base 20 by a driving means (recovery system motor or the like) (not shown). It is driven to rotate in the direction of the arrow in the figure. The tube 17 is crawled along a semicircular dome-shaped inner wall of the pump base 20. One end of the tube 17 communicates with the inside of the cap 15 through a through hole formed in the cap holder 16.

The roller holder 18 has a pair of (two)
The pressure rollers 19a and 19b are rotatably supported on the shaft,
The roller holder 18 is attached to the pump base 20 by the shaft 18.
It is rotatably supported via a. When the roller holder 18 is rotated in the direction shown by the arrow in a state in which the cap 15 is in close contact with the discharge port surface 7a of the head 7 (capping state) as shown in FIG. 2, one pressure roller 19a crushes the tube 17. In this state (while the hole of the tube 17 is closed), it moves while rotating along the tube 17. That is, the tube 17 is crushed and pressed by the pressure roller 19a.

Therefore, the pressure roller 1 of the tube 17 is
Negative pressure is generated inside the cap 15 side from 9a, and the negative pressure acts on the inside of the cap 15, and the sealed portion between the head 7 and the cap 15 is in a negative pressure state. The ink is sucked (sucked out) from the ejection port 82 of the head 7 by the negative pressure, and the sucked ink is applied to the pressure roller 19a.
With the movement of the tube 17, the gas flows along the inside of the tube 17 and is finally discharged to the outside from the other end of the tube 17.

The pressure roller 19a is connected to the pump base 20.
When the tube 17 comes out of the semicircular dome portion, the tube 17 is not crushed. At this time, another pressure roller 19b starts crushing the tube 17, and the above-described pressure is applied with the rotation of the roller holder 18. Since the tube 17 is squeezed as in the case of the roller 19a,
And a negative pressure is continuously generated in the head 7.
Can be continuously sucked from the ink. Head 1
The ink sucked from the nozzle 7 flows through the tube 17 and is finally discharged to a waste ink reservoir (not shown) connected to the other end of the tube 17 (the end on the outlet side of the tube pump). Collected in the ink reservoir. With the above configuration, a capping mechanism that seals the ejection port of the inkjet head 7 during non-recording and a suction mechanism (pump mechanism, suction recovery unit) that suctions ink from the ejection port using the capping mechanism are provided.

The recovery system unit 14 is provided with a wiping mechanism described below. In FIG.
A wiper 21 for wiping the discharge port surface 7a of the ink jet head 7 is held by a wiper holder 23, and the wiper holder 23 is guided and supported so as to be able to reciprocate in the horizontal direction in the direction of the double arrow in the drawing. The wiper 21 is usually formed of an elastic body such as rubber,
It is held at such a height that it overlaps the discharge port surface 7a of the head 7 by a predetermined amount in the vertical direction in the figure. FIG.
FIG. 4 is a side view showing a wiping mechanism of the recovery system unit 14, and FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged side view showing a state where a wiper is in contact with a wiper cleaner in the wiping mechanism of FIG.

3 and 4, after the ink in the head 7 is sucked by the suction mechanism (a suction recovery operation is performed), and the cap 15 is separated from the discharge port surface 7a, the wiper holder 23 is moved to the position shown in FIG. When the wiper 21 is moved in the direction of the arrow (to the left in the drawing), the wiper 21 comes into contact with the discharge port surface 7a and performs wiping (wiping and cleaning) while rubbing the discharge port surface 7a. FIG. 7 is a side view showing a state in which the wiper 21 is in contact with the discharge port surface of the inkjet head 7, and the wiper 21 passes through the discharge port surface 7a in an elastically deformed state as shown in FIG. By this operation, after the suction operation (after the suction recovery operation), the ink remaining on the discharge port surface 7a is wiped off and removed. Foreign matter such as ink remaining on the discharge port surface 7a hinders normal ink discharge and causes a reduction in recording quality. However, the wiping mechanism described above wipes the discharge port surface 7a to clean the discharge port surface 7a. A decrease in ink ejection performance during recording is prevented, thereby preventing a decrease in recording (print) quality.

3 and 4, the wiper 21 comes into contact with the wiper cleaner 22 after passing through the discharge port surface 7a while wiping. When the wiper 21 contacts the wiper cleaner 22, the removal wiping operation causes the contact surface 21a of the wiper 21 to move from the discharge port surface 7a.
Is transferred to the contact surface 22a of the wiper cleaner 22. As a result, the wiper 21 itself is cleaned, and the wiper 2
A decrease in the wiping function due to the attached ink on the first surface is prevented. That is, cleaning of the wiper 21 (wiper cleaning) is performed following the wiping of the discharge port surface 7a. Wiper 21 is Wiper Cleaner 2
After passing through 2, the inkjet head 7 is retracted,
In this state, the wiper 21 (wiper holder 23) is moved rightward in the drawing to return to the original position, and a series of operations of the wiping mechanism (including the wiper cleaning operation) is completed.

3 and 4, the contact surface 22a of the wiper cleaner 22 with the wiper 21 has an angle α with respect to the contact surface 21a of the wiper 21 when viewed from the side.
Are formed so as to contact at an angle of. Also,
The inclination direction in this case is such that when the wiper 21 advances while abutting on the wiper cleaner 22 (moves leftward in FIG. 4), the wiper 21 is bent (to the bent posture in FIG. 7). (Similar posture) in the direction in which the contact angle α increases. That is, when the wiper 21 advances while making contact with the wiper 21, the angle between the contact surfaces 21a and 22a (the contact angle α) is further increased by setting the wiper to the upward posture in the drawing. I have.

Further, the contact surface 22a of the wiper cleaner 22 with the wiper 21 is formed so as to be inclined and contact the contact surface 21a of the wiper 21 at a predetermined angle when viewed from above. ing. FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a state where the wiper 21 and the wiper cleaner 22 of the wiping mechanism of the recovery system unit 14 are separated from each other. FIG. 6 shows a state where the wiper 21 moves from the state of FIG. It is a top view which shows the state at the time of contact. 5 and 6, the wiper cleaner 2
The contact surface 22a of the wiper 21 with the wiper 21 as shown in FIG.
It is formed so as to contact with a at an angle of β.

In the embodiment described above with reference to FIGS. 2 to 6, the recovery system unit 14 of the ink jet head used in the ink jet apparatus for discharging ink from the ink jet head 7 is provided on the discharge port surface 7 a of the ink jet head 7. A wiper 21 that comes into contact with a predetermined overlap amount, a driving unit (for example, a driving unit including a recovery motor and a cam mechanism) for moving the wiper in parallel with the ejection opening surface 7a of the inkjet head, A wiper cleaner 22 disposed so that the wiper 21 comes into contact with the wiper 21 after passing through the discharge port surface of the inkjet head 7, and a contact surface 22 a of the wiper cleaner 22 with the wiper 21 is The wiper in either the width direction or the depth direction. (In the width direction angle beta, in the vertical direction angle alpha) those against contact surface 21a by a predetermined angle of being configured as inclined.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the inclination of the contact surface 22a of the wiper cleaner 22 with the wiper 21 in the depth direction of the wiper is determined by the contact angle when the wiper is deformed by the contact. 4 is configured to be inclined in a direction in which the inclination angle α) increases.

According to such a configuration, when the wiper 21 passes through the wiper cleaner 22, when viewed from the side as shown in FIG. 4, the contact surface 21a of the wiper 21
The remaining ink is collected in the direction of the upward arrow shown in FIG. 6, while it is collected in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 6 when viewed from above. for that reason,
At the moment when the wiper 21 passes through the wiper cleaner 22 (the moment immediately before leaving), the ink thus collected is collected in a very small area in the contact surface 21a of the wiper 21.

The ink collected as described above is transferred to the wiper cleaner 22 at the moment when the wiper 21 passes through the wiper cleaner 22.
After passing through the wiper cleaner 22, little ink remains on the wiper 21. Therefore, the amount of ink transferred from the wiper 21 to the wiper cleaner 22 can be effectively increased, and the amount of ink remaining on the wiper after the wiper 21 has passed through the wiper cleaner 22 (the amount of ink adhering) is greatly reduced. Can be reduced.

When viewed from the side as shown in FIG.
6, the wiper 21 does not come into contact with the wiper cleaner 22 in a plane even when viewed from the upper surface direction, and the contact surface 21a of the wiper and the contact surface 22a of the wiper cleaner 22 at the moment are removed. Since the contact area can be reduced to a state close to a point, the wiper 21
The friction (sliding resistance) generated between the wiper and the wiper cleaner 22 can be greatly reduced, and the moving load of the wiper 21 can be greatly reduced. That is, according to the above-described embodiment, the moving load (sliding load) when the wiper 21 passes through the wiper cleaner 22 is significantly reduced, and the remaining ink on the wiper 21 after passing is greatly reduced. Thus, an ink jet device capable of efficiently performing a recovery process by wiping the ink jet head 7 and a recovery unit 14 of the ink jet head used in the ink jet device are provided.

According to the ink jet apparatus and the recovery system unit 14 used in the ink jet apparatus according to the embodiment described above,
Discharge port surface 7a provided with discharge ports 82 for discharging ink
A wiper 21 that abuts on the discharge port surface of the inkjet head 7 and wipes the discharge port surface; and a wiper cleaner 22 that contacts the wiper and cleans the wiper. The wiper and the wiper Since the surfaces of the cleaner that are in contact with each other are configured to be inclined with each other in both the width direction and the depth direction of the wiper 21, the contact area of the wiper 21 with the wiper cleaner 22 is reduced. By reducing the size of the wiper to a point close to the point, the friction between the wiper and the wiper cleaner can be significantly reduced, and the amount of ink transferred from the wiper 21 to the wiper cleaner 22 can be increased. When the moving load (sliding load) when passing through the cleaner is greatly reduced Moni, it is possible to greatly reduce the ink remaining on the wiper after passing through a recovery system unit used in the ink jet apparatus and the apparatus of the recovery process by wiping the inkjet head can be carried out efficiently is provided.

Further, according to the above-described embodiment, the inclination α in the depth direction of the wiper 21 is such that when the wiper abuts on the wiper cleaner 22 and is deformed, the inclination angle increases in the direction in which the inclination angle increases. Is composed,
An ink jet apparatus capable of achieving the above effects more efficiently and a recovery system unit used for the apparatus are provided.

In the above embodiment, a serial type ink jet apparatus for performing recording while moving an ink jet head as a recording means in the main scanning direction has been described as an example. The present invention can be similarly applied to the case of a line type ink jet apparatus that records only by sub-scanning using a line type ink jet head having a length covering a part thereof, and can achieve the same effect. .

Further, the present invention can be freely implemented regardless of the number of ink jet heads. In addition to an ink jet device using one head, an ink jet device using a plurality of heads, or different densities of the same color. The present invention can be similarly applied to an inkjet apparatus for gradation recording using a plurality of heads using the same ink, and an inkjet apparatus combining these, and can achieve the same effect. . Furthermore, the present invention provides a configuration using a replaceable head cartridge that integrates an inkjet head and an ink tank, and separates the inkjet head and the ink tank,
The same configuration can be applied to any arrangement of the ink jet head and the ink tank, such as a configuration in which the connection is made by an ink supply tube or the like, and the same effect can be obtained.

The present invention can be applied to an ink-jet apparatus using an ink-jet head using an electromechanical transducer such as a piezo element. In particular, the present invention uses a thermal energy to eject ink. An excellent effect is obtained in an ink jet apparatus using an ink jet head of the following method. According to such a method, it is possible to achieve higher density and higher definition of printing (printing).

[0038]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink jet head having an ejection port surface provided with ejection ports for ejecting ink. A wiper that contacts and wipes the discharge port surface, and a wiper cleaner that contacts the wiper and cleans the wiper,
Since the surfaces of the wiper and the wiper cleaner that are in contact with each other are inclined with each other in both the width direction and the depth direction of the wiper, the contact area of the wiper with the wiper cleaner is reduced. By reducing it to a point close to the point, the friction between the wiper and the wiper cleaner is greatly reduced,
It is possible to increase the amount of ink transferred from the wiper to the wiper cleaner, thereby greatly reducing the moving load (sliding load) when the wiper passes through the wiper cleaner, and reducing the ink on the wiper after passing the wiper cleaner. There is provided an ink jet apparatus capable of greatly reducing the remainder and efficiently performing a recovery process by wiping an ink jet head.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect, the inclination of the wiper in the depth direction is such that when the wiper abuts on the wiper cleaner and deforms. A configuration in which the angle of inclination is inclined in a direction in which the angle of inclination is increased, a configuration in which the inkjet head includes an electrothermal converter that generates thermal energy used for discharging ink, or the inkjet head is Since the ink is ejected from the ejection port using the film boiling generated in the ink by the heat energy generated by the electrothermal transducer,
An ink jet device that can achieve the above effects more efficiently is provided.

According to the invention relating to the recovery system unit used in the ink jet apparatus according to the fifth aspect, the discharge port of the ink jet head having the discharge port surface provided with the discharge port for discharging ink is brought into contact with the discharge port surface. A wiper for wiping the surface, and a wiper cleaner for contacting the wiper to clean the wiper, wherein the surfaces of the wiper and the wiper cleaner that are in contact with each other are in the width direction of the wiper and Since it is configured to be inclined to each other in any direction of the depth direction, by reducing the contact area of the wiper with the wiper cleaner to a state close to a point, the friction between the wiper and the wiper cleaner is greatly reduced. , It is possible to increase the amount of ink transferred from the wiper to the wiper cleaner, Therefore, the moving load (sliding load) when the wiper passes through the wiper cleaner can be greatly reduced, and the remaining ink on the wiper after passing can be greatly reduced. Provided is a recovery system unit for an ink jet head used in an ink jet device that can be efficiently performed.

According to the invention relating to the recovery system unit used in the ink jet apparatus of claim 6, in addition to the constitution of claim 5, the inclination of the wiper in the depth direction is such that the wiper comes into contact with the wiper cleaner. Since the inclination is increased in a direction in which the inclination angle increases when deformed, a recovery system unit of an inkjet head used in an inkjet apparatus that can achieve the above-described effects more efficiently is provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an inkjet apparatus suitable for applying the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing a recovery system unit of an embodiment of the inkjet apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 3 is a side view illustrating a wiping mechanism of a recovery unit of the ink jet apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a partially enlarged side view showing a state in which a wiper is in contact with a wiper cleaner in the wiping mechanism of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a state where the wiper and the wiper cleaner of the wiping mechanism of the recovery system unit of the embodiment of the ink jet apparatus to which the present invention is applied are separated.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a state in which a wiper of a wiping mechanism of a recovery unit of the ink jet apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is in contact with a wiper cleaner;

FIG. 7 is a side view illustrating a state where a wiper of a wiping mechanism of a recovery system unit of the embodiment of the ink jet apparatus to which the present invention is applied comes into contact with a discharge port surface of the ink jet head.

FIG. 8 is a partial perspective view schematically showing a structure of an ink ejection unit of the inkjet head in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Carrier 2 Guide shaft 3 Chassis 4 Guide rail 5 LF (line feed) roller 6 Platen 7 Ink jet head (recording means, recording head, print head) 7a Discharge port surface 8 Carrier motor 9 Belt 10 Recording medium (recording paper) 11 Pinch Roller 12 Discharge roller 14 Recovery unit 14 Paper feed unit 15 Cap 16 Cap holder 17 Tube 18 Roller holder 19a Pressure roller 19b Pressure roller 20 Pump base 21 Wiper 21a Contact surface 22 Wiper cleaner 22a Contact surface 23 Wiper holder 82 Discharge port 84 Liquid path 85 Electrothermal converter

Claims (6)

[Claims] An ink jet head having an ejection port surface provided with an ejection port for ejecting ink, a wiper that contacts the ejection port surface and wipes the ejection port surface, and a wiper that contacts the wiper and wipes the ejection port surface. A wiper cleaner to be cleaned, wherein surfaces of the wiper and the wiper cleaner that are in contact with each other are inclined with each other in any of the width direction and the depth direction of the wiper. Inkjet device. 2. The inclination according to claim 1, wherein the inclination in the depth direction of the wiper is a direction in which the inclination angle increases when the wiper abuts on the wiper cleaner and deforms. Ink jet device. 3. The ink jet head according to claim 1, further comprising an electrothermal transducer for generating thermal energy used for discharging ink.
An inkjet device according to item 1. 4. The ink-jet apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the ink-jet head discharges the ink from a discharge port using film boiling generated in the ink by thermal energy generated by the electrothermal transducer. 5. A wiper for wiping said discharge port surface by contacting said discharge port surface of an ink jet head having a discharge port surface provided with a discharge port for discharging ink, and said wiper contacting said wiper. A wiper cleaner to be cleaned, wherein surfaces of the wiper and the wiper cleaner that are in contact with each other are inclined with each other in any of the width direction and the depth direction of the wiper. A recovery unit used in an inkjet apparatus. 6. The inclination according to claim 5, wherein the inclination in the depth direction of the wiper is an inclination in a direction in which the inclination angle increases when the wiper abuts on the wiper cleaner and deforms. Recovery unit for inkjet equipment.