JP2005028707A - Inkjet printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inkjet printer which enables a nozzle surface to be covered with a cap member even if a recording head is not moved, and which suppresses complication of a mechanism for moisture retention of the nozzle surface and relative displacement between the recording head and a recording medium. <P>SOLUTION: This inkjet printer is equipped with the line-head type recording head for ejecting ink from a nozzle, a carrier device for carrying the recording medium on a supporting member by turning the supporting member, and the cap member for covering the nozzle surface by moving in such a manner as to be brought into contact with/separated from the nozzle surface in a position to face the nozzle surface via the supporting member. The inkjet printer is also equipped with a receding mechanism for making the supporting member recede from the position to face the nozzle surface so that the cap member can cover the nozzle surface. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an ink jet printer, and more particularly to an ink jet printer capable of capping a recording head.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In general, inkjet printers are used in many cases because the noise during printing is relatively low and the printing quality is good. In this ink jet printer, a nozzle for ejecting ink onto a recording medium is provided on one surface (nozzle surface) of the recording head. However, if the nozzle is clogged due to the fixing of the ink, a clear image cannot be recorded. In the standby state, the nozzle surface is covered with a cap member for moisture retention.
[0003]
Here, the ink jet printer includes a transport device that transports the recording medium so as to face the nozzle surface. The transport device is provided with a support member that supports the recording medium below the recording head, and the recording medium is transported as the support member is driven. Thus, when the support member is disposed below the recording head, for example, when a line head type recording head is applied to an inkjet printer, the position facing the nozzle surface of the fixed recording head. Since it is difficult to provide a cap member, the cap member is previously arranged at a position different from the position facing the nozzle surface. In the standby state, the recording head moves to a position where the nozzle surface and the cap member face each other, so that the cap member covers the nozzle surface and maintains a moisturizing state (see, for example, Patent Document 1). ).
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-179759
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the case of an ink jet printer as described in Patent Document 1, the recording head must be moved. However, since the substrate and piping connected to the recording head must be moved together, it is complicated. It was a mechanism. In particular, since the recording head is moved each time moisture is retained, misalignment accumulates over the long term, and the relative positional relationship between the recording head and the recording medium may change.
[0006]
The problem of the present invention is that the nozzle surface can be covered by the cap member even if the recording head does not move, the mechanism for moisturizing the nozzle surface is complicated, and the relative relationship between the recording head and the recording medium. It is to suppress positional deviation.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
An ink jet printer according to claim 1 is provided.
A recording head of a line head type having a nozzle surface on which a plurality of nozzles are arranged, and discharging ink from the nozzles;
A transport device that supports a recording medium at a position facing the nozzle surface, and transports the recording medium on the support member by rotating the support member;
A cap member that moves toward and away from the nozzle surface at a position facing the nozzle surface via the support member and covers the nozzle surface;
And a retracting mechanism for retracting the support member from a position facing the nozzle surface so that the cap member can cover the nozzle surface.
[0008]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the support member disposed at the position facing the nozzle surface is retracted from the position by the retracting mechanism, the recording head and the cap member can be directly opposed to each other. In this case, the cap member can approach the recording head until the nozzle surface is covered. In other words, since the recording head does not operate when the nozzle surface is covered with the cap member, the mechanism for keeping the nozzle surface moisturized and the relative displacement between the recording head and the recording medium are suppressed. Can do.
[0009]
The invention according to claim 2 is the ink jet printer according to claim 1,
The retraction mechanism is characterized in that the support member is moved in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the recording medium to retreat from a position facing the nozzle surface.
[0010]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, the retracting mechanism moves the support member in a direction orthogonal to the recording medium conveyance direction, so the retracting operation of the support member can be simplified. For this reason, the structure of the retracting mechanism itself can be simplified.
[0011]
The invention according to claim 3 is the inkjet printer according to claim 1 or 2,
The support member is an annular belt;
The transport device includes an electrostatic adsorption mechanism that electrostatically adsorbs a recording medium to the support member.
[0012]
According to the invention described in claim 3, since the recording medium is electrostatically attracted to the support member by the electrostatic attracting mechanism, the recording medium can be stably conveyed while maintaining the flatness.
[0013]
Invention of Claim 4 is an inkjet printer as described in any one of Claims 1-3,
The cap member includes a suction mechanism that sucks ink adhering to the nozzle surface and ink in the nozzle when the nozzle surface is covered.
[0014]
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the cap member is provided with a suction mechanism, ink can be sucked if the cap member covers the nozzle surface, so there is no need to provide a separate cap for suction, and the apparatus can be made compact. Can be
[0015]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of an ink jet printer according to the present invention. A storage tray 3 for storing a plurality of recording media 2 in a stacked manner is provided below the interior of the ink jet printer 1. A take-out device 5 is provided above one end of the storage tray 3 to take out the recording medium 2 on which an image is to be recorded from the storage tray 3 one by one. As the recording medium 2, a cut sheet-shaped recording medium 2 made of various papers such as plain paper, recycled paper, glossy paper, various fabrics, various non-woven fabrics, and resins can be used.
[0016]
A conveying device 4 that conveys the recording medium 2 is disposed above the storage tray 3. A support member 41 formed of an annular belt is stretched around the transport device 4 by two tension rollers 42 so as to be rotatable. The support member 41 rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the tension roller 42.
[0017]
Further, the conveying device 4 includes a tension roller 42 in a state where the supporting member 41 is stretched so that the supporting member 41 moves in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction X and retracts from a position facing the nozzle surface. A retraction mechanism 52 (see FIG. 2) that moves horizontally is provided.
The transport device 4 is rotatably provided with a pressing roller 43 that presses the support member 41 at a position where the support member 41 and the recording medium 2 start contact with each other in order to transport the recording medium 2 in a planar shape. ing. Then, by applying a voltage between the support member 41 and the pressing roller 43, charges are induced in the recording medium 2 that is a dielectric and the dielectric layer of the support member 41, and the recording medium 2 is placed on the outer periphery of the support member 41. It is comprised so that it may carry out electrostatic attraction. Thus, in the present embodiment, the support member 41 and the pressing roller 43 function as an electrostatic adsorption mechanism. By the operation of the electrostatic adsorption mechanism, the recording medium 2 is supported on the support member 41 in a planar shape. After that, if the tension roller 42 is driven to rotate, the support member 41 rotates to move the recording medium 2 in the horizontal direction. It is designed to be transported. A cleaning unit (not shown) for cleaning the surface of the support member 41 where the recording medium 2 is separated is provided on the upstream side of the pressing roller 43 in the rotation direction of the support member 41.
[0018]
A discharge tray 9 for discharging the recording medium 2 on which an image is recorded is provided on the side of the ink jet printer 1.
Inside the inkjet printer 1, the recording medium 2 supplied from the storage tray 3 is conveyed to the support member 41, and is discharged from the support member 41 after the recording medium 2 is conveyed along the peripheral surface of the support member 41. A transport path 10 for discharging to the tray 9 is provided. A plurality of pairs of transport rollers 11, 11... For transporting the recording medium 2 in the transport direction X are provided at predetermined positions on the transport path 10.
[0019]
Further, a plurality of line head type recording heads 12 extending in the entire width of the support member 41 are arranged along the transport direction X in the vicinity of the upper portion of the support member 41. The plurality of recording heads 12 eject inks of black, cyan, magenta, and yellow, respectively. The nozzle surface of the recording head 12 faces the support member 41, and a plurality of nozzles (not shown) for ejecting ink toward the recording medium 2 are arranged on the nozzle surface of the recording head 12 in the transport direction. They are arranged along a direction orthogonal to X.
[0020]
A plurality of cap members 45 covering the nozzle surfaces are provided below the recording heads 12 so as to face each other with the support member 41 interposed therebetween. A suction pump 46 (see FIG. 2) is connected to the cap member 45 via a pipe (not shown), and if the suction pump 46 is driven when the cap member 45 covers the nozzle surface, the nozzle surface and the inside of the nozzle The ink can be removed by suction together with dirt. That is, the piping and the suction pump 46 function as a suction mechanism in the present invention.
[0021]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a main control configuration of the ink jet printer 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the inkjet printer 1 is provided with a control device 50 that controls each drive unit. The control device 50 includes a tension roller drive source 51, which is a drive source of the tension roller 42, a retraction mechanism 52, a lifting mechanism 47 that moves the cap member 45 up and down, and moves it toward and away from the nozzle surface, and a pressure roller 43. The pressure roller drive source 53, the take-out device 5, the suction pump 46, the recording head 12, and the storage unit 54 are electrically connected. In addition to the above, the drive unit of the inkjet printer 1 is connected to the control device 50. The control device 50 controls various devices in accordance with a control program and control data written in the storage unit 54.
[0022]
Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
First, when image information is sent to the inkjet printer 1, the control device 50 operates the take-out device 5 to take out the uppermost recording medium 2 stored in the storage tray 3 and rotate the transport roller 11. The taken out recording medium 2 is conveyed.
[0023]
When the recording medium 2 reaches the pressing roller 43, the control device 50 controls the pressing roller driving source 53 to drive the pressing roller 43 and press the recording medium 2 from the front end portion to the peripheral surface of the support member 41. At the same time, the tension roller drive source 51 is controlled to drive the tension roller 42. With this drive, the support member 41 rotates and transports the recording medium 2 in the transport direction X. When the recording medium 2 is sent to the position of the recording head 12 by conveyance, the control device 50 causes the recording head 2 to sequentially eject ink from the recording head 12. When image recording on one recording medium 2 is completed and each recording head 12 and the support member 41 are directly opposed to each other, the control device 50 ejects ink directly from each recording head 12 onto the support member 41. As described above, each recording head 12 is controlled to perform so-called preliminary ejection to renew the ink in the nozzles of each recording head 12 and prevent nozzle clogging. The ink that has landed on the support member 41 by the preliminary ejection is cleaned by the cleaning unit when the support member 41 rotates, so that the subsequent recording medium 2 is prevented from being stained by the preliminary ejected ink.
[0024]
When the image recording is completed, the control device 50 controls the tension roller driving source 51 to stop the tension roller 42. Based on this stop, the control device 50 puts the inkjet printer 1 into a standby state as shown in FIG. More specifically, after the rotation of the support member 41 stops, the control device 50 controls the retracting mechanism 52 to move the tensioning roller 42 horizontally, so that the tensioning roller 41 and the nozzle surface of the recording head 12 are moved. Retreat from the opposite position. Accordingly, there is no obstacle between the nozzle surface of the recording head 12 and the cap member 45, so that the cap member 45 can cover the nozzle surface.
[0025]
And the control apparatus 50 controls the raising / lowering mechanism 47, raises the cap member 45 until the cap member 45 and the nozzle surface closely_contact | adhere, and maintains the moisture retention of a nozzle surface. Here, when the cap member 45 is in a state of covering the nozzle surface, the control device 50 controls the suction pump 46 to make the space inside the cap member 45 a negative pressure so that the ink on the nozzle surface and the nozzle is discharged. The ink is sucked to perform so-called ink suction. That is, since the cap member 45 functions as a suction cap, there is no need to provide a separate suction cap, and the apparatus can be downsized.
[0026]
Thereafter, when it is time to perform image recording again, the control device 50 controls the elevating mechanism 47 to lower the cap member 45 to the initial position. Then, the control device 50 controls the retracting mechanism 52 to move the tension roller 42 horizontally until the support member 41 faces the nozzle surface of the recording head 12 as shown in FIG. Return to the state where recording can be performed.
[0027]
As described above, according to the ink jet printer 1 of the present embodiment, the support member 41 disposed at the position facing the nozzle surface is retracted from the position by the retracting mechanism 52, so the recording head 12 and the cap member 45 can be directly opposed. In this case, the cap member 45 can approach the recording head 12 until it covers the nozzle surface. That is, since the recording head 12 does not operate when the nozzle surface is covered by the cap member 45, the mechanism for keeping the nozzle surface moist is complicated, and the relative positional deviation between the recording head 12 and the recording medium 2 is increased. Can be suppressed.
Further, since the retracting mechanism 52 moves the support member 42 in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction X of the recording medium 2, the retracting operation of the support member 42 can be simplified.
For this reason, the structure of the retracting mechanism 52 itself can be simplified.
Furthermore, since the recording medium 2 is electrostatically attracted to the support member 42 by the electrostatic attracting mechanism, the recording medium 2 can be stably conveyed while maintaining the flatness.
It is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and can be modified as appropriate.
[0028]
【The invention's effect】
According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the support member disposed at the position facing the nozzle surface is retracted from the position by the retracting mechanism, the recording head and the cap member can be directly opposed to each other. In this case, the cap member can approach the recording head until the nozzle surface is covered. In other words, since the recording head does not operate when the nozzle surface is covered with the cap member, the mechanism for keeping the nozzle surface moisturized and the relative displacement between the recording head and the recording medium are suppressed. Can do.
[0029]
According to the invention described in claim 2, the retracting operation of the support member can be simplified. For this reason, the structure of the retracting mechanism itself can be simplified.
According to invention of Claim 3, it can convey stably in the state which maintained flatness.
According to the invention described in claim 4, it is not necessary to separately provide a suction cap, and the apparatus can be miniaturized.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an inkjet printer according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a main control portion of the ink jet printer of FIG.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a standby state in the ink jet printer of FIG. 1;
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inkjet printer 2 Recording medium 4 Conveying device 12 Recording head 41 Support member 45 Cap member 46 Suction pump (suction mechanism)
50 Control device 52 Retraction mechanism

Claims (4)

A recording head of a line head type having a nozzle surface on which a plurality of nozzles are arranged, and discharging ink from the nozzles;
A transport device that supports a recording medium at a position facing the nozzle surface, and transports the recording medium on the support member by rotating the support member;
A cap member that moves toward and away from the nozzle surface at a position facing the nozzle surface via the support member and covers the nozzle surface;
An ink jet printer comprising: a retracting mechanism for retracting the support member from a position facing the nozzle surface so that the cap member can cover the nozzle surface. The inkjet printer according to claim 1.
The retraction mechanism moves the support member in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the recording medium to retreat from a position facing the nozzle surface. The inkjet printer according to claim 1 or 2,
The support member is an annular belt;
The conveyance device is an ink jet printer including an electrostatic adsorption mechanism for electrostatically adsorbing a recording medium to the support member. In the inkjet printer as described in any one of Claims 1-3,
The ink jet printer, wherein the cap member includes a suction mechanism that sucks ink adhering to the nozzle surface or ink in the nozzle when the nozzle surface is covered.

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