JP2003266742A - Ink jet recorder and method for controlling maintenance of recording head in ink jet recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ink jet recorder in which maintenance operation can be carried out more reliably after replacing an ink cartridge. <P>SOLUTION: When a decision is made that an ink cartridge is replaced (step S11), replacement cleaning A is performed automatically (step S12). When a decision is made subsequently that a print instruction exists (step S13), replacement cleaning B is performed automatically (step S14) before print operation is started (step S15). Consequently, residual bubble absorption effect is exhibited effectively by deaerating ink after the replacement cleaning A is performed and residual bubble discharging effect can be promoted by performing the replacement cleaning B subsequently. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a recording apparatus equipped with an ink jet recording head which is mounted on a reciprocating carriage and discharges ink droplets corresponding to print data, and more particularly, replacement of an ink cartridge. The present invention relates to an inkjet recording apparatus capable of reliably performing a maintenance operation performed later and a maintenance control method for a recording head in the apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, a serial printing type ink jet recording apparatus includes an ink jet recording head mounted on a carriage and moving in a main scanning direction,
A paper feed unit that conveys the recording paper in the sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction is provided, and printing is performed on the recording paper by ejecting ink droplets from the recording head based on the printing operation.

The ink jet type recording head provided in the above-mentioned recording apparatus prints by ejecting the ink pressurized in the pressure generating chamber as ink droplets from the nozzle openings onto the recording paper, so that the ink solvent from the nozzle openings is discharged. There is a problem in that the viscosity of the ink increases due to the evaporation of the ink and the solidification of the ink causes clogging of the nozzle openings, resulting in defective printing. Further, when the ink cartridge is replaced, there is also a problem that bubbles are introduced into the ink flow path as a result of the replacement operation, which causes a printing defect called dot omission.

For this reason, this type of ink jet recording apparatus is provided with capping means for sealing the nozzle forming surface of the recording head during non-printing. The capping unit functions as a lid that prevents the ink in the nozzle openings of the recording head from drying when the recording apparatus is at rest.

When the nozzle opening in the recording head is clogged, or when air bubbles enter the ink flow path when the ink cartridge is replaced, the nozzle forming surface is sealed by the capping means and sucked. It also has a maintenance function of suctioning and discharging ink from the nozzle openings by negative pressure from the pump, thereby clogging the nozzle openings or discharging bubbles from the ink flow path.

The forcible ink suction / ejection process for eliminating the clogging of the recording head is called a cleaning operation, and is executed, for example, when the user recognizes a printing defect and operates the cleaning command switch. To be done.
The maintenance operation in this case is called manual cleaning. Even when the ink cartridge is replaced, the ink suction / discharge processing is automatically executed in order to discharge the air bubbles that have entered the ink flow path.
Ink suction / discharge processing executed in this case is called replacement cleaning.

[0007]

By the way, when the above-mentioned ink cartridge is replaced with a new one, an annular rubber member arranged at the ink outlet of the ink cartridge surrounds the hollow ink supply needle. As a result, a large amount of air bubbles may intrude into the ink flow path because of the bonded state. Therefore, the replacement cleaning that is automatically performed to discharge the bubbles that have entered the ink flow path involves a stronger ink discharging operation than the manual cleaning described above.

In such replacement cleaning, the suction pump is driven while the recording head is capped by the capping means, and a relatively large amount of ink is discharged from the nozzle opening of the recording head. Then, by moving the recording head to the print area side, the capping state is released, and the suction pump is driven again in this state, whereby the ink discharged into the capping means is sent to the waste liquid tank. Further, the suction pump is driven again while the recording head is capped by the capping means, so that the ink is sucked and discharged a second time.

As described above, in the conventional replacement cleaning, the process of sucking and discharging the ink from the recording head is performed twice to discharge the bubbles that have entered the ink flow path. However, although the process of sucking and discharging the ink from the recording head has been performed twice, it is difficult to sufficiently discharge the bubbles that have entered the ink flow path, and the dot omission described above may occur.

In such a case, it is necessary to take measures such as executing manual cleaning.
Therefore, the cleaning operation described above consumes a large amount of ink in the ink cartridge,
This causes the user to be burdened with running costs.

On the other hand, in the above-mentioned ink cartridge,
At the time of providing to the user, the deaerated ink in a sufficiently deaerated state is enclosed. This is so that even if some bubbles are present in the ink flow path, the degassed ink can dissolve and absorb these bubbles.
However, in the above-mentioned exchange cleaning which is performed immediately after the exchange of the ink cartridge, the action is continuously performed although the ink is sucked and discharged twice, so that the action of the deaerated ink is sufficiently utilized. This is not possible, and as a result, printing defects such as missing dots still remain.

The present invention has been made based on the above technical point of view, and it is possible to sufficiently reduce the degree of occurrence of printing defects by performing replacement cleaning by making use of the above-mentioned characteristics of deaeration ink. It is an object of the present invention to provide an ink jet recording apparatus capable of performing the above and a method of controlling maintenance of a recording head in the apparatus.

[0013]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention made to achieve the above-mentioned object is mounted on a carriage capable of reciprocating, and ink drops corresponding to print data are ejected. An ink jet recording head for discharging and a capping means for sealing the nozzle forming surface of the recording head and performing maintenance control for receiving negative pressure from a suction pump and sucking and discharging ink from the recording head are provided. In the case of the ink jet recording apparatus, the ink cartridge for supplying ink to the recording head is replaced,
The first maintenance operation of sucking and ejecting ink from the recording head is executed after the ink cartridge is replaced, and the ink is again sucked and ejected from the recording head when a print command is received after the execution of the first maintenance operation. It is characterized in that a control means for executing each of the second maintenance operations is provided.

In this case, it is desirable that the suction and discharge amount of ink by the first maintenance operation be controlled to be larger than the suction and discharge amount of ink by the second maintenance operation.

As the suction pump, a pump frame having a tube supporting surface for restricting the outer shape of the flexible tube in an arc shape, a pump wheel rotated by power from a driving source, and arranged on the pump wheel. It is possible to suitably use a tube pump that generates pressure by deforming the flexible tube by pressure by the roller, and the driving speed of the pump wheel in the first maintenance operation is It is controlled to be higher than the drive speed of the pump wheel in the second maintenance operation.

Further, the recording apparatus is preferably provided with a driving force transmission mechanism for executing the driving operation of the paper feed roller for the recording paper and the driving operation of the tube pump by a single driving motor. Further, in a preferred embodiment, the capping means is configured to be capable of sealing the nozzle forming surface of the recording head by receiving a driving force accompanying the movement of the carriage.

On the other hand, the recording head maintenance control method according to the present invention includes an ink jet type recording head mounted on a carriage capable of reciprocating and ejecting ink droplets corresponding to print data, and the recording head. A recording head maintenance control method in an ink jet recording apparatus, which is provided with a capping unit that seals a nozzle formation surface and executes maintenance control that receives negative pressure from a suction pump to suck and discharge ink from the recording head. In a case where it is verified that the ink cartridge that supplies ink to the recording head has been replaced, a first maintenance step of receiving negative pressure from a suction pump and sucking and discharging the ink from the recording head is performed. , After receiving the first maintenance step, In case of verifying that is done a second maintenance step of again ink from the recording head by receiving negative pressure from a suction pump is sucked and discharged to sequentially execute.

According to the ink jet type recording apparatus adopting the above-mentioned recording head maintenance control method, when the ink cartridge is replaced, immediately after that, the first maintenance operation for sucking and discharging the ink from the recording head is automatically performed. To be executed. Then, after that, when the recording apparatus receives a print command, the second maintenance operation for sucking and discharging the ink from the recording head is automatically executed.

That is, when the ink cartridge is replaced, the probability that the printing operation will be executed immediately thereafter is not so high. Therefore, by performing the first maintenance after the replacement of the ink cartridge, the recording operation is performed. Most of the air bubbles that have entered the ink flow path to the head can be discharged by performing the first maintenance. By the time the next print operation command is received, the degassed ink enclosed in the newly replaced ink cartridge can dissolve the remaining bubbles and absorb a considerable amount.

Then, when the recording device subsequently receives a print command, the second maintenance operation is automatically executed. In this case, the bubbles left in the ink flow path act as deaeration ink. As a result, the bubbles are made smaller, and the bubbles can be effectively discharged by the second maintenance operation performed prior to the printing operation. Therefore, as described above, by separately performing the first maintenance operation and the second maintenance operation, it is possible to significantly reduce the occurrence of missing dots when the printing operation is performed.

Therefore, in the conventional replacement cleaning, dot omission is far caused by dividing the sequence in which the ink is continuously sucked and discharged twice twice into, for example, the above-mentioned first and second maintenance operations. Can be reduced to According to this, since the maintenance is insufficient due to the execution of the conventional replacement cleaning, the waste of ink can be significantly suppressed as compared with the case where the manual cleaning is further executed.

[0022]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, an ink jet type recording apparatus according to the present invention will be described based on the embodiments shown in the drawings. First, FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 mainly show the configuration of a capping means in an ink jet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied. Note that FIG. 1 shows the apparatus as viewed from the top, and FIGS. 2 and 3 show the apparatus as viewed from the side, showing a non-capping state and a capping state, respectively.

Reference numeral 1 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is a carriage, and the carriage 1 is constructed so that it is guided by a guide rod 2 and moves parallel to the paper guide plate 3 so as to face it. The carriage 1 is connected to a part of a timing belt that is reciprocally driven by a carriage motor, which will be described later, and is configured to reciprocate along the guide rod 2.

A recording head 5 is mounted on the lower side surface of the carriage 1 so as to face the recording paper 4 mounted on the upper surface of the paper guide plate 3, and ink to be described later is attached to the recording head 5. Ink from the cartridge is supplied. Then, the recording head 5 corresponds to the print data.
More ink droplets are ejected, which allows printing on the recording paper 4.

The capping means 6 capable of sealing the nozzle forming surface of the recording head 5 is arranged in the non-printing area (home position) at the end of the recording apparatus, and is provided on the nozzle forming surface of the recording head 5. It has a cap member 7 of a size that can be sealed with a sealed space, has a function of sealing the nozzle forming surface of the recording head 5 during non-printing to prevent the ink in the nozzle openings from drying, and a suction pump described later during the cleaning operation. It has a function of forcibly discharging the ink from the recording head 5 in response to a negative pressure.

As shown in FIG. 1, an ink discharge port 7a is formed in the inner bottom portion of the cap member 7 arranged in the capping means 6, and a tube (not shown) is formed in the ink discharge port 7a. One end is connected, and this tube constitutes a part of a tube pump as a suction pump described later. With this configuration, the cap member 7 seals the nozzle forming surface of the recording head 5 during non-printing, and when a cleaning command is received, a negative pressure by the suction pump is applied to the internal space of the capping means. Ink can be forcibly discharged from the recording head 5. An ink absorbing sheet 8 is housed in the cap member 7 so that the sucked ink can be temporarily held.

The cap member 7 is made of an elastic material such as elastomer, and is integrally molded with the square cap holder 9 by means such as a two-color molding method. Further, flat plate-shaped spring receiving portions 9a are horizontally formed on both side walls of the cap holder 9 in the longitudinal direction. Then, the cap holder 9 is mounted on a slider 10 that constitutes an elevating mechanism, and is biased toward the recording head 5 side by a pair of left and right compression springs 11 interposed between the slider 10 and the spring receiving portion 9a. It is installed in the state.

Engaging portions 9b are formed on both sides of the center and the other end of the cap holder 9, and these three engaging portions 9b are formed on the slider 10, respectively. By being locked at three points by the locking member 10a, the cap holder 9 is mounted on the slider 10 with its movement in the upward direction, that is, toward the recording head 5 side being restricted by a predetermined amount or more.

A pair of slots 12 are formed in the bottom of the slider 10 in a substantially horizontal direction. Each slot 12 is rotatably attached to a frame 13. A pair of horizontal shafts 15 arranged on the free end side of the arm 14 are housed so as to be movable. As a result, the slider 10 can stand up to the frame 13 via the arm 14 with an arcuate locus.

Guide pieces 10b are formed on both sides of the end of the slider 10 on the non-printing area side, and the pair of guide pieces 10b are formed in a pair of guide grooves 16 formed in the frame 13. Is configured to be supported by. The guide groove 16 has a low portion 16a formed at one end and a horizontal high portion 16b formed at the other end,
Further, it is constituted by an inclined portion 16c connecting these, and these three regions are formed so as to communicate with each other.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the other end of a tension spring 17 having one end fixed to the frame 13 is fixed to one guide piece 10b.
By the action of 7, the slider 10 is urged so as to be positioned in the printing area direction and in the direction away from the recording head 5, that is, in the present embodiment.

Then, as shown in FIG. 2, when the carriage 1 moves directly above the capping means 6, the carriage 1
The engaging portion 1a arranged on the slider 10 abuts on the engaged portion 10c formed so as to stand upright on the slider 10, thereby resisting the tensile force of the spring 17 as shown in FIG.
0 rises through the arm 14. Also, the slider 1
Since the guide piece 10b formed at 0 rises up the guide groove 16, the cap member 7 formed integrally with the cap holder 9 seals the nozzle forming surface of the recording head 5 arranged on the carriage 1. Is done like this.

At this time, as the slider 10 rises, the upper end portion of the cap member 7, that is, the seal surface comes into contact with the nozzle forming surface of the recording head 5, and the slider 1 is further moved.
As the pressure rises by 0, the cap member 7 receives the contraction action of the compression spring 11 and acts to seal the entire nozzle forming surface of the recording head 5.

When the carriage 1 moves to the printing area side, the engaged portion 10c arranged on the slider 10
The contact of the engaging portion 1a on the carriage 1 side with respect to is released,
The slider 10 is brought into the state shown in FIG. 2 by the pulling force of the spring 17, whereby the sealing of the nozzle forming surface of the recording head 5 by the cap member 7 is released.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1 or 3, on the print area side adjacent to the capping means 6, the carriage 1
Cleaner lever 20 provided with, for example, a rubber wiping member 21 for wiping the nozzle forming surface of the recording head 5 mounted on the carriage 1 with the movement of the
Are arranged. The cleaner lever 20 is moved in a horizontal direction as described later so that the wiping member 21 can be set to a set state where the wiping member 21 is advanced to a wiping position on the movement path of the recording head 5 or a retracted reset state. .

Therefore, during the cleaning operation, the wiping member 21 of the recording head 5 removes dust and paper dust adhering to the nozzle forming surface before the ink suction, and after the ink suction. The ink adhering to the nozzle forming surface is wiped off.

In this case, as will be described in detail later, in this embodiment, the movement of the cleaner lever 20 for holding the wiping member 21 and the pump for sucking the internal space of the capping means to a negative pressure are The driving force of a paper feed motor, which will be described later, that conveys the recording paper 4 on the guide plate 3 is used. The wiping member 21 is configured to advance to the moving path of the recording head in accordance with the driving of the suction pump and to be set.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are plan views showing the construction of the driving force transmitting means for the recording paper feeding / discharging mechanism and the suction pump, and the horizontal moving mechanism of the wiping member 21, which are equipped in the recording apparatus. Is. First, FIG.
Reference numeral 31 indicates a paper feed roller. A gear 32 is attached to one end of the paper feed roller 31 and is driven by a pinion 34 arranged on the drive shaft of the paper feed motor 33 via an idler gear 35. It is configured to be.

A gear 37 is attached to one end of the paper feed roller drive shaft 36, and engages with the gear 32 via a moving gear 38 constituting a clutch mechanism to apply power to a cut sheet feeder (not shown). The recording sheet is transmitted and the recording sheet is fed (loaded).

The moving gear 38 constituting the clutch mechanism.
Is normally held by a spring (not shown) apart from both gears 32 and 37 as shown in FIG. 4, and is pressed by the carriage 1 moving to the end opposite to the home position in the axial direction, that is, arrow A. The direction of the gear 3
The meshes of the two are connected to each other by interposing 2, 37.

On the other hand, a paper discharge roller 41 is configured to be rotationally driven from the pinion 34 attached to the drive shaft of the paper feed motor 33 via an idler gear 39 and a paper discharge roller gear 40. A gear 42 attached to the other end of the roller 41 is configured to drive a tube pump 50 or the like as a suction pump shown in an enlarged sectional view in FIG.

That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the drive shaft 43 of the tube pump 50 is provided with a driven gear 45 that meshes with a gear 42 attached to the other end of the paper discharge roller 41 via an idler gear 44. . Then, in the tube pump 50, the drive shaft 43 is, for example, a support substrate 4 made of metal.
The drive shaft 43 is assembled so as to be axially supported by the drive shaft 6, and the end portion of the drive shaft 43 penetrates the support substrate 46 and projects to the other surface side of the support substrate. The driven gear 45 mounted on the end of the drive shaft 43 protruding to the other surface of the support substrate is mounted on the drive shaft 43 by a mounting screw 47 screwed axially at the end. There is.

A gear 42, an idler gear 44, and the idler gear 4 mounted on the other end of the paper discharge roller 41.
The driven gear 45 that drives the drive shaft 43 by meshing with
The tube pump 5 is arranged on one side of the support substrate 46.
0 and the wiping member 21 and its advancing / retreating drive mechanism, which will be described later, are mounted on the other side surface of the support substrate 46.

6 to 8 show an embodiment of the tube pump 50 as a suction pump loaded in the recording apparatus. 6 shows a state in which the pump is driven in the forward direction to execute the pump action, and FIGS. 7 and 8 show a case in which the pump is driven in the reverse direction to be in the release state. 8 shows the cutting line BB in FIG. 5 as viewed in the direction of the arrow. Therefore, in FIG. 5, representative portions corresponding to the respective portions described below based on FIGS. 6 to 8 are indicated by the same reference numerals.

This tube pump has a relatively simple structure and can be easily miniaturized. Moreover, it has a characteristic that it does not cause contamination in a mechanism part for sucking and discharging ink, and is suitably used for this type of ink jet recording apparatus. To be done. The tube pump 50 includes a flexible tube 5
1, a pump frame 53 having a tube support surface 52 that regulates the outer shape of the arc, a pump wheel 54 that is rotated by a drive shaft 43 that receives power from the paper feed motor 33, and an axis of the pump wheel 54. Mounted on a pair of roller support grooves 54a, 54b that are formed with a radial gradient between the direction and the outer circumferential direction so as to be movable and rotatable in the longitudinal direction of the support grooves 54a, 54b. Rollers 55a and 55b are provided.

In such a tube pump, as shown in FIG. 6, by rotating the pump wheel 54 in the forward direction (direction of arrow C), the rollers 55a and 55b are rotated.
Moves in the outer peripheral direction of the roller support grooves 54a and 54b,
A state in which the tubes 51 are sequentially crushed (meshed state)
Then, a pressure is generated in the tube to give a negative pressure to the capping means 6. Thus, the ink is forcibly sucked and discharged from the recording head by the negative pressure, and the ink discharged into the capping means is further sucked and sent to the waste liquid tank described later.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, by rotating the pump wheel 54 in the opposite direction (the direction of arrow D), the rollers 55a and 55b are rotated by the roller support grooves 54a and
The roller 54 is moved in the inner peripheral direction of 54b, whereby the roller maintains a release state in which it slightly contacts the tube, and it is possible to prevent a failure such as sticking of the tube from occurring.

On the other hand, a pair of L-shaped locking grooves 56a, 56b are provided in the pump frame 53 at a position facing the tube supporting surface 52, and the locking grooves 56a, 56b are provided by the locking grooves 56a, 56b. , A pair of guide members 57a, 5
7b and the damper member 58 are attached. Each of the guide members 57a, 57b is made of a flexible elastic material such as rubber, and comes into contact with the rollers 55a, 55b as the pump wheel 54 rotates to support the rollers in the supporting grooves 54a, 54b. It acts so as to guide in the rotation backward direction.

That is, as shown in FIG. 6, when the wheel 54 is driven to rotate normally, the rollers 55a and 55b are pushed back by the guide members 57a and 57b made of a flexible elastic material in the rotational direction of the wheel 54. Accordingly, the rollers 55a and 55b are moved in the outer peripheral directions of the roller support grooves 54a and 54b, respectively. Therefore,
The tube 51 is brought into a meshed state in which it is squeezed by each roller in sequence, thereby improving the reliability of the driving action of the pump.

When the wheel 54 is driven in the reverse direction as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the rollers 55a and 55b come into contact with the guide members 57a and 57b made of a flexible elastic material and are pushed back. In other words, as shown in FIG. 8, the roller 55a moves while tilting the guide member 57a as the wheel 54 rotates, which moves the roller 55a in the axial direction of the roller support groove 54a. As a result, the crushing action of the tube 51 is released and the tube 51 is brought into the release state.

The damper member 58 is also made of a flexible elastic material such as rubber so as to form a substantially arc shape. Then, it is arranged at a position facing the tube supporting surface 52 in the frame 53, and both ends thereof are formed in a wedge shape. By using such a damper member 58, the rollers 55a, 5
5b is always in contact with the damper member 58 even if it is out of the contact area with the tube 51.
Free movement of the roller in the roller support groove is restricted.

In other words, at the moment when the deformation of the guide members 57a and 57b is restored due to the movement of the roller, the action of the roller being repelled by the guide member and colliding with the end portion in the roller supporting groove is The damper member 58 prevents the noise (impact sound) generated by the damper member 58.

Next, FIGS. 9 and 10 mainly describe a drive mechanism for moving the wiping member 21 forward and backward in the horizontal direction. FIG. 9 shows the wiping member 21 retracted from the moving path of the recording head. FIG. 10 shows a reset state, and FIG. 10 shows a set state in which the wiping member 21 is advanced to the moving path of the recording head. 9 and 10 are shown in a perspective view from the right side (the side of the tube pump 50) in FIG. 5, and in FIG. 5, they correspond to the respective units described below based on FIGS. 9 to 10. Representative parts are indicated by the same reference numerals.

First, as shown in FIG. 5, a rotary plate 61 that is rotationally driven integrally with the drive shaft 43 is disposed between the support substrate 46 and the tube pump 50. A cleaner cam 63 arranged so as to be pressed against the rotary plate 61 by a coil-shaped compression spring 62 is attached to the drive shaft 43 so as to be freely rotatable. That is, the rotary plate 61 and the cleaner cam 63
Is a friction clutch, and the cleaner cam 63 is driven by the rotation of the rotary plate 61.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the cleaner cam 63 is integrally formed with a drive arm 63a, and the end of the drive arm 63a is cylindrically driven so as to project in the horizontal direction. The pin 63b is formed. In addition, the wiping member 21 is attached to the cleaner lever 2 by a pair of claw portions 20a formed on the cleaner lever 20.
0, and is supported on the top of the cleaner lever 20 in an upright state. A cylindrical slide pin 20b is formed at an upper end portion of the cleaner lever 20 so as to project in the horizontal direction, and a groove portion 20c is horizontally formed at a lower portion of the cleaner lever 20. .

A groove portion 53a is formed in the horizontal direction in the upper portion of the pump frame 53 integrally with the pump frame, and a tip end of a support arm portion 53b formed extending to the pump frame 53 is formed. A cylindrical slide pin 53c is formed so as to project in the horizontal direction.

Then, the slide pin 20b formed on the cleaner lever 20 is engaged with the groove 53a formed on the upper portion of the pump frame, and the cleaner lever 2 is used.
When the slide pin 63c formed integrally with the pump frame 53 is engaged with the groove portion 20c formed in the lower portion of 0, the cleaner lever 20 can be moved horizontally with respect to the pump frame 53. It is supported. Further, the drive pin 63b formed integrally with the cleaner cam 63 is configured so as to be able to enter the groove hole 20d formed in the cleaner lever 20 in the vertical direction and slide in the groove hole 20d. There is.

Therefore, the drive pin 63b, which is driven with an arc locus through the friction clutch formed by the rotary plate 61 and the cleaner cam 63, slides in the slot 20d formed in the cleaner lever 20 in the vertical direction, This acts to move the cleaner lever 20 in the horizontal direction.

In this embodiment, the tube pump 50 is rotated by rotating the paper feed motor 33 in one direction.
The pump action is executed. At this time, the cleaner cam 63 via the friction clutch is rotated to the right as shown in FIG. 10, and as a result, the wiping member 21 is brought into the movement path of the recording head 5 and is set. This allows
The nozzle forming surface can be wiped as the recording head moves in the main scanning direction.

Further, the tube pump 50 is released by the rotation of the paper feed motor 33 in the other direction, and at this time, the cleaner cam 63 through the friction clutch is used.
Is rotated counterclockwise as shown in FIG. 9, and as a result, the wiping member 21 is brought into a reset state in which it is retracted from the movement path of the recording head 5.

Next, FIG. 11 shows an example of a control circuit mounted on the recording apparatus having the above-mentioned structure. Note that, in FIG. 11, parts corresponding to the parts already described are indicated by the same reference numerals. As shown in FIG. 11, a black ink cartridge 81 and a color ink cartridge 82 are removably mounted on the carriage 1, and each ink is supplied to the recording head 5 from each of the cartridges 81 and 82.

The carriage 1 is driven by the carriage motor 83 to be reciprocally driven by being guided by the guide rod 2 via the timing belt. Further, the tube pump 50 described above is connected to the capping means 6, and the tube pump 50
The discharge side of is connected to the waste liquid tank 84.

Reference numeral 85 shown in FIG. 11 is a print control means. The print control means 85 generates bit map data based on print data from a host computer (not shown), and drives the head based on the bit map data. It has a function of causing the recording head 5 mounted on the carriage 1 to eject ink droplets by generating a drive signal by the means 86. The head drive unit 86 is also configured to receive a flushing command signal from the flushing control unit 87 and output a drive signal for flushing operation to the recording head 5 in addition to the drive signal based on the print data. .

Reference numeral 88 is a cleaning control means,
The cleaning control unit 88 has a function of executing a manual cleaning operation in response to a command signal from the cleaning command detection unit 90 when the cleaning command switch 89 arranged on the operation panel of the apparatus is turned on. There is. The cleaning control unit 88 also has a function of executing a manual cleaning operation even when a cleaning command is received on the utility of a printer driver (not shown) mounted on the host computer.

In this case, the cleaning control means 88 is
Through the central control means 91, the pump drive means 93 is controlled based on the cleaning program stored in the cleaning sequence control means 92, and the paper feed motor 33 is activated to drive the tube pump 50 and the like. Controlled. At this time, the central control means 91 sends a command to the carriage drive means 94, and the carriage drive means 94 sends a control signal to the carriage motor control means 95.

In this case, the carriage driving means 94 is adapted to obtain the position information signal from the encoder 95 for detecting the position of the carriage and control the transfer position of the carriage 1 based on the above-mentioned cleaning program. Further, an ink cartridge attachment / detachment detection means 97 for detecting attachment / detachment of an ink cartridge to / from the carriage 1 is provided, and an output from the ink cartridge attachment / detachment detection means 97 is sent to the central control means 91. As will be described later, replacement cleaning accompanying the replacement of the ink cartridge is automatically executed.

Next, a maintenance (cleaning) control method of the recording head according to the present invention, which is performed by the ink jet recording apparatus having the above-mentioned structure, will be described. The control sequence described below is
It is executed based on the cleaning program stored in the cleaning sequence control means 92 shown in FIG. 11, and the cleaning sequence control means 92 mainly performs the cleaning control means 88 and the carriage driving means 94.
By supplying a control signal to.

In the maintenance flow shown in FIG. 12, first, as shown in step S11, it is monitored whether or not the ink cartridge has been replaced. This is detected when the central control means 91 shown in FIG. 11 receives a control signal from the ink cartridge attachment / detachment detection means 97. Then, when it is determined in step S11 that the ink cartridge has been replaced (Yes), the central control means 91 reads the cleaning program stored in the cleaning sequence control means 92, and step S12.
The replacement cleaning A (first maintenance operation) is executed as shown in FIG. The replacement cleaning A will be described in detail later.

After the replacement cleaning A shown in step S12 is executed, it is monitored whether or not there is a print command as shown in step S13. This is shown in FIG.
The central control means 91 shown in FIG. 2 monitors the status of the print control means 85. Here, after the ink cartridge is replaced, if there is no print command (No), the printer stands by as it is. When the print command arrives (Yes), the replacement cleaning B (second maintenance operation) shown in step S14 is executed.

Also in this case, the central control means 91 reads the cleaning program stored in the cleaning sequence control means 92 and executes the replacement cleaning B as shown in step S14. The replacement cleaning B will be described in detail later. Then, when the replacement cleaning B is completed, the printing operation shown in step S15 is executed, and the replacement cleaning operation is completed.

The above-mentioned printing operation is performed by the central control means 9 when the replacement cleaning B sequence is completed.
1 to send a command to the print control means 85, whereby the print control means 85 is executed by sending bit map data to the head drive means 86.

FIG. 13 shows an operation flow of the above-mentioned exchange cleaning A. When performing the replacement cleaning A, as shown in step S21, an operation of moving the recording head to the home position is performed. This is done by a control signal being sent from the central control means 91 shown in FIG. 11 to the carriage drive means 94, and the carriage drive means 94 driving the carriage motor control means 95. As a result, the nozzle forming surface of the recording head 5 is sealed by the capping means 6.

Subsequently, as shown in step S22, the pump meshing operation is executed. This is the central control means 9
The cleaning control means 88 that has received the command from No. 1 is executed by operating the pump drive means 93.
That is, the pump driving means 93 drives the above-described paper feed motor 33, and the driving of this motor 33 gives a driving force to the tube pump 50 via the gear train shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

As a result, the rollers 55a and 55b of the tube pump 50 are brought into a pump meshing state in which the rollers 55a and 55b are in a position to crush the flexible tube. Along with this, the cleaner cam 63 is rotated via the rotary plate 61 that constitutes the friction clutch, and the wiping member 21 advances into the movement path of the recording head 5 and is in the wiper set state.

As the paper feed motor 33, a so-called pulse motor whose speed is controlled by the number of pulses is used. Then, in the case where the pump is brought into the meshing state as described above, the meshing operation is completed by rotating the pump wheel 54 almost once. That is, this can be executed by controlling the number of pulses supplied to the paper feed motor 33. Then, following the above-described meshing operation, the main ink suction operation is executed as shown in step S23.

In this step 23, a command signal is given to the cleaning control means 88 from the central control means 91 shown in FIG. 11, and the pump drive means 93 drives the motor 33 at high speed. As a result, the suction operation of the tube pump 50 is started. At this time, the rotation speed of the pump wheel 54 in the tube pump 50 is 3 to 4 rev /
It is done in sec.

Thereafter, the driving of the tube pump 50 is stopped, and as shown in step S24, a negative pressure release waiting process for waiting for a predetermined time is executed. The waiting time at this time is about 3 seconds. By executing the negative pressure release standby process, the negative pressure accumulated in the capping means causes about 0.15 g of ink of each color from the recording head.
It can be discharged to a degree. As a result, the internal space of the capping means approaches the atmospheric pressure.

Subsequently, as shown in step S25, the operation of moving the recording head to the wiping end position is executed. That is, the carriage driving unit 94 sends a control signal to the carriage motor control unit 95 while referring to the position information from the encoder 96, whereby the carriage is moved to a predetermined wiping end position. As a result, the nozzle forming surface of the recording head receives the sliding contact of the wiping member 21 in the set state, and the ink adhering to the nozzle forming surface is scraped off and cleaned.

Following this, as shown in step S26, an idle suction operation of ink is executed. This step S
In 26, by driving the tube pump 50 for a predetermined time, the ink discharged into the capping means 6 is discharged to the waste liquid tank 84 via the tube pump 50.

In step S27 following the above-mentioned empty ink suction operation, the paper feed motor 33 is rotated in the reverse direction by the control signal from the pump drive means 93, whereby the roller 55 constituting the tube pump 50 is rotated.
a and 55b are in a release state in which the crushed state of the flexible tube is released. At the same time, the wiping member 21, which has advanced to the moving path of the recording head and is in the set state, retracts from the moving path of the recording head to the reset state.

Then, the carriage motor 83 is driven based on the command from the central control means 91, and step S
As shown at 28, the recording head moves to the home position where the capping means is arranged. As a result, the nozzle forming surface of the recording head is sealed by the capping means, and the replacement cleaning A is completed in this state.

On the other hand, FIG. 14 shows an operation flow of the above-mentioned replacement cleaning B. In the operation flow of the replacement cleaning B, an ink suction sequence that is substantially the same as the operation flow of the replacement cleaning A described above is executed. The difference is that the steps of the main ink suction operation and the negative pressure release standby process in steps S23 and S24 in the replacement cleaning A are replaced with the ink minute suction operation in step S33 in the replacement cleaning B.

That is, in the ink micro suction operation shown in step S33, the tube pump 5 described above is used.
The rotational speed of the pump wheel 54 at 0 is 1.5 to 3
Rev / sec. As a result, about 0.03 g of each color ink can be discharged from the recording head. Then, the other control steps are almost the same as the operation of the replacement cleaning A described above.

That is, in the exchange cleaning B described above, the amount of ink suction is set to be small. This is left in the ink flow path by the action of the degassed ink by the newly mounted ink cartridge until the print command is waited for and the replacement cleaning B is executed after the replacement cleaning A has already been executed. This is because the degree of reduction of bubbles is large. In other words,
Due to the action of the above-described degassing ink, the residual air bubbles are dissolved and absorbed to a large extent, so that it is possible to effectively suppress printing defects such as missing dots even with a smaller ink suction amount. .

[0085]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the ink jet type recording apparatus adopting the maintenance control method according to the present invention, the first maintenance operation is automatically executed when the ink cartridge is replaced. Since the second maintenance operation is automatically executed when the print command is received, it is possible to effectively utilize the effect of absorbing the residual bubbles by the degassed ink after the execution of the first maintenance operation. As a result, it is possible to prevent printing defects such as missing dots.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view mainly showing the configuration of a capping unit in an inkjet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing the configuration of the capping means shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing a state in which the recording head is capped by a capping means from the state shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a configuration of a recording sheet feeding / discharging mechanism and a transmission unit that transmits a driving force to a suction pump or the like.

5 is a cross-sectional view mainly showing the configuration of a suction pump driven by the driving force obtained via the transmission means shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a driving state of the suction pump as seen in a direction of an arrow from a cutting line BB in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing a release state of the suction pump of the same.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view for explaining the action of the pair of guide members in the release state of the suction pump.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a reset state of the wiping member.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a set state of the wiping member.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing an example of a control circuit that executes the maintenance control method according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a maintenance operation performed by the present invention.

13 is a flowchart showing a first maintenance operation in the maintenance flow shown in FIG.

14 is a flowchart showing a second maintenance operation in the maintenance flow shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 carriage 4 Recording paper 5 recording head 6 Capping means 7 Cap member 20 cleaner lever 21 Wiping member 31 Paper feed roller 33 Paper feed motor 43 Pump drive shaft 50 Tube pump (suction pump) 51 flexible tube 52 Tube support surface 53 pump frame 54 pump wheels 55a, 55b rollers 81 black ink cartridge 82 color ink cartridge 83 Carriage motor

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An ink jet recording head mounted on a reciprocating carriage for ejecting ink droplets corresponding to print data, and a nozzle forming surface of the recording head is sealed, and a suction pump is used. An ink jet type recording apparatus comprising: a capping unit that executes a maintenance control for receiving and sucking negative pressure of ink from the recording head, wherein an ink cartridge that supplies ink to the recording head is replaced. In this case, the first maintenance operation for sucking and discharging the ink from the recording head is executed after the replacement of the ink cartridge, and the first maintenance operation is performed.
An inkjet recording apparatus comprising: a control unit that executes a second maintenance operation for sucking and ejecting ink again from the recording head when a print command is received after execution of the maintenance operation. 2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the suction / discharge amount of ink by the first maintenance operation is controlled to be larger than the suction / discharge amount of ink by the second maintenance operation. 3. The suction pump is arranged on the pump frame, a pump frame having a tube supporting surface for restricting an outer shape of a flexible tube in an arc shape, a pump wheel rotated by power from a driving source, and the pump wheel. A tube pump for generating pressure by deforming the flexible tube under pressure by the roller,
The drive speed of the pump wheel in the maintenance operation is
The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the ink jet recording apparatus is controlled to be higher than a drive speed of the pump wheel in the second maintenance operation. 4. The recording apparatus is provided with a drive force transmission mechanism that causes a single drive motor to execute the drive operation of the paper feed roller for the recording paper and the drive operation of the tube pump. 3. The ink jet recording apparatus according to item 3. 5. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the capping unit is configured to seal a nozzle forming surface of a recording head by receiving a driving force accompanying the movement of the carriage. 6. An ink jet recording head mounted on a reciprocally movable carriage and ejecting ink droplets corresponding to print data, and a nozzle forming surface of the recording head is sealed, and a suction pump is used. And a capping means for executing maintenance control for sucking and discharging ink from the recording head in response to the negative pressure of the recording head. When it is verified that the ink cartridge to be supplied has been replaced, a first maintenance step of receiving negative pressure from a suction pump to suck and discharge ink from the recording head, and a print command after execution of the first maintenance step If it is verified that the negative pressure from the suction pump is received, Second maintenance step and sequentially maintenance control method of the recording head adapted to perform a to sucking and discharging again the ink from the recording head.