JP2006001273A - Inkjet recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inkjet recording apparatus having a simple and inexpensive structure in which the relative positions of a recording means and a wiper can be appropriately controlled when a discharge outlet surface is to be wiped, and the surface can be reliably wiped even when, for example, a protrusion is formed on the discharge outlet surface. <P>SOLUTION: When the discharge outlet surface 81 is to be wiped, a wiper holder 18 abuts on a carriage 6 or a recording means 3, thereby positioning the relative positions of wipers 8 and 9 with respect to the carriage 6 or the recording means 3 in a direction perpendicular to the discharge outlet surface 81, and the relative position of the discharge outlet surface 81 in the direction of discharge outlet arrays 3c and 3d. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording by discharging ink from a recording means mounted on a reciprocating carriage to a recording material.

  In a serial scan type recording apparatus that performs main scanning in a direction crossing a direction in which a recording material such as recording paper or a plastic thin plate is conveyed through a recording unit, recording means (recording) mounted on a carriage that moves along the recording material By repeating the operation of recording an image by the head), feeding a predetermined amount of paper after completing the recording of one line, and then recording the image of the next line on the recording material stopped again, Recording of the entire recording material is performed. Among them, an ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording by discharging ink from the recording means can easily make the recording means compact, can record high-definition images at high speed, and requires special processing on plain paper. Can be recorded without. In addition, since the running cost is low, the non-impact method has low noise, and it is easy to record a color image using multicolor inks.

  In the ink jet recording apparatus, when the ink in the ink tank runs out due to recording, the ink tank is newly replaced, and the flow path to the ink ejection unit is filled with ink again. Further, in the ink jet recording apparatus, it is necessary to perform a recovery process for removing foreign matters such as fixed ink and bubbles in the vicinity of the ejection port of the recording means. That is, for the purpose of stabilizing the ink ejection operation by the recording means and obtaining good image quality, it is generally performed to mount a recovery mechanism section (cleaning mechanism section) for maintaining and recovering the ink ejection performance of the recording means. Yes. This recovery mechanism usually sucks the thickened ink in the discharge port and the waste ink in the cap by introducing a negative pressure into the cap to cover the discharge port in close contact with the discharge port surface of the recording means. For example, a wiping means for wiping and cleaning ink adhering to the discharge port surface with a wiper.

  12 is a front view showing a cap opening state of a conventional recovery mechanism section, FIG. 13 is a front view partially showing a capping state of the recovery mechanism section of FIG. 12, and FIG. 14 is a recovery view of FIG. It is a front view which shows the state which fixed the cap slider (sliding member) with the lock lever in the mechanism part. 12 to 14, a carriage 126 mounted with a recording head 123 and moving along a recording material is movably guided and supported by guide rails 101 a and 101 b installed on the chassis 101 of the apparatus main body. A part of the timing belt 103 is connected to the carriage 126. The carriage 126 is reciprocated by transmitting the drive of the carriage motor 102 fixed to the chassis 101 via the timing belt 103.

  On the base side of the apparatus main body, a recovery mechanism unit 108 is disposed at a position facing the recording head 123 mounted on the carriage 126. The recovery mechanism unit 108 is provided with a cap 104 for covering the discharge port surface 125 of the recording means. The cap 104 prevents sticking and thickening of the ink near the ejection port in the recording standby state, and sucks ink from the ejection port by a negative pressure introduced from a negative pressure generation source such as a pump. Recover clog by suction. The cap 104 is formed of a rubber material having elasticity. The cap 104 is held by the cap holder 105. The cap holder 105 is mounted so as to be slidable in the vertical direction with respect to the cap slider 106. A cap spring 107 is mounted between the cap holder 105 and the cap slider 106.

  The shaft portion 106a of the cap slider 106 is guided and supported so as to be movable along a cam surface (shown by a broken line) provided on the base portion of the apparatus main body. The cap slider 106 is provided with an abutting portion that can come into contact with the side surface of the carriage 126, and after the carriage 126 has entered the recovery mechanism portion 108 and has come into contact with the abutting portion, the cap slider 106 is moved to the carriage. It can move following the movement of 126. A lock lever 111 for fixing the cap slider at a predetermined position is attached to the cap slider 106. A lock lever spring 109 is stretched between the end of the lock lever 111 and the apparatus main body side. When the carriage 126 is not positioned at the recovery mechanism portion 108, the cap slider 106 is held at a predetermined standby position by the action of the lock lever spring 109.

  In the recovery mechanism unit 108 having the above-described configuration, when the carriage 126 enters the recovery mechanism unit, the side surface of the carriage 126 abuts against the abutting portion of the cap slider 106, and the cap slider 106 follows the movement of the carriage 126. Can move (slide) in the same way. When the carriage 126 further enters the back of the recovery mechanism section 108, the cap slider 106 gradually rises to the recording means side by the action of the cam surface (shown by a broken line) on the apparatus main body side. Then, the cap 104 comes into contact with the ejection port surface 125 of the recording head 123 and enters a capping state. In this capping state, the spring pressure of the cap spring 107 acts and the cap 104 comes into close contact with the discharge port surface of the recording head. By waiting in such a capping state, the discharge port and the discharge port surface of the recording head 123 can be protected.

  A suction tube 110 is connected to the cap 104 via a cap holder 105, and the other end of the suction tube 110 is connected to a suction pump. Therefore, the ink can be sucked from the discharge port by the negative pressure generated in the cap 104 by operating the suction pump in the capped state. This ink suction is a suction recovery process for eliminating clogging of the ejection port, and is one of the main functions of the recovery mechanism unit 108.

  Next, when the carriage 6 reverses the moving direction and moves in the direction of retreating from the recovery mechanism unit 108, the cap 104 is gradually retreated from the discharge port surface while the cap slider 106 moves in synchronization with the carriage 126. The cap is released. Before the carriage 126 starts to reversely move, the lock lever 111 receives the rotational force in the clockwise direction shown in FIG. 14 by the action of the lock lever spring 109 around the shaft 106a of the cap slider 106. Therefore, at the position shown in FIG. The front end of the lock lever is locked by the fixed locking portion, and is held at that position and stopped. When the carriage 126 further moves in the retracting direction while the lock lever 111 is locked, the cap slider 106 holding the lock lever 111 with the shaft portion 106a is also held on the apparatus main body side, and the cap slider 106 And the carriage 126 are released from synchronization, and only the carriage 126 starts moving toward the recording area.

  The cap slider 106 is equipped with a wiper 112 for wiping the discharge port surface. The tip of the wiper 112 is disposed at a position in contact with the discharge port surface in the state shown in FIG. For this reason, when the carriage 126 further moves in the retracting direction, each ejection port array provided on the ejection port surface is sequentially wiped by the wiper 112, and foreign matters such as ink adhering to the periphery of the ejection port can be wiped off. . The wiper 112 is formed of a plate-like member such as an elastic rubber material. When the carriage 126 moves to a position where the wiping by the wiper 112 is completed, the release portion 126a provided on the carriage comes into contact with the tip of the lock lever 111 and pushes down the lock lever in the counterclockwise direction in the drawing, so that the lock lever 111 and the base The latching of the part with the latching part is released. Then, the spring force of the lock lever spring 109 acts on the cap slider 106 again, and the cap slider 106 is held when it moves to the standby position shown in FIG.

  In Patent Document 1, a wiper holder that holds a wiper is mounted with one end as a rotation shaft, and the other end is biased by a spring. When the carriage comes into contact with this wiper holder, the amount of penetration of the wiper into the discharge port surface A mechanism that keeps the (overlapping amount, interference depth) constant is used.

In the configuration described in FIG. 3 and FIG. 11 of Patent Document 2, when the carriage moves to the recovery mechanism, the wiper holder is moved in the direction of entering the discharge port surface by the follow-up movement of the cap slider. ing. The abutting portion provided with the cap holder abuts on the carriage so that the amount of penetration of the wiper during wiping is kept constant. As described above, the recording head cleaning process can be performed by the movement of the carriage and the operation of the recovery mechanism.
JP-A-6-91887 JP 2000-15832 A

  However, in the above-described prior art, when a convex portion (a raised portion) or a concave portion that cannot be avoided by the manufacturing method or the internal structure is formed at the end portion of each ejection port array of the recording unit, the wiper has these convex portions. There is a technical problem that the wiping performance is hindered by getting on the part or being caught in the concave part, and cannot be sufficiently cleaned.

  FIG. 15 is a front view showing the relative positional relationship between the wiper and the recording means when the recording mechanism (carriage unit) is held in an inclined state in a conventional ink jet recording apparatus. FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the configuration and arrangement of the wiper when wiping the ejection port arrays and their convex portions of the recording means, and FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating the wiper mounted on the color ejection port portion of the ejection port surface of the recording means. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which wipes avoiding a convex part. With reference to these drawings, a wiping operation in the case where a convex portion exists on the discharge port surface of the recording means will be described. 15 to 17, a color ejection port array 123a and a black ejection port array 123b are formed on the ejection port surface 125 of the recording head 123, and are manufactured at the ends of the ejection port arrays 123a and 123b for manufacturing purposes. A convex portion 128 is formed. As shown in FIG. 16, the recovery mechanism section is provided with wipers 112a and 112b corresponding to the discharge port arrays 123a and 123b, respectively.

  The color discharge port array 123a will be described as follows. As shown in FIG. 17, the wiper 112a is provided with a cutout portion so as to avoid the convex portion 128. The reason is that when the wiper 112a rides on the convex portion 128 as shown in FIG. 17B, a space (gap) is generated between the discharge port surface 125 and the wiper 112a, and appropriate wiping is impossible. Because it becomes. In such a recording head 123, the relative relationship between the discharge port surface 125 and the wiper 112a is such that the wiping portion of the wiper 112a does not ride on the convex portion 128 and the entire region of the discharge port row 123a can be wiped off reliably. It is necessary to correct the position with high accuracy. However, in the conventional wiping mechanism shown in FIGS. 12 to 14, the relative positional relationship between the carriage unit 126 including the recording unit and the wiper 112 depends on the dimensions and assembly accuracy of each component in all directions. Therefore, in order to wipe the entire region of the discharge port array 123a without the wiper 112a riding on the convex portion 128 of the discharge port surface 125, it is necessary to improve the accuracy of each of these components, which is a factor in increasing the cost. It was.

  Further, in the configuration shown in Patent Document 1, when the position of the recording head varies in the paper thickness direction, or as shown in FIG. In a recording apparatus having a paper gap adjusting mechanism that changes the distance of the paper, it is impossible to maintain parallelism on the contact surface between the wiper 112 and the ejection port surface 125 of the recording head 123. Further, when the convex portion 128 is formed on the discharge port surface of the recording head, the wiper 112 rides on the convex portion 128, and the discharge port surface 125 of the recording head 123 cannot be sufficiently wiped. End up. In the configuration shown in Patent Document 2 as well, the relative position between the recording head and the wiper is uniformly restricted only in the direction in which the wiper enters, and the relative position in the arrangement direction of the ejection port array depends on the accuracy of each component and the attachment. The configuration depends on accuracy. For this reason, the deterioration of the assembly accuracy due to the integration error of the component accuracy is unavoidable, and if it is attempted to reduce the accuracy deterioration, a large cost increase occurs.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording on a recording material by discharging ink, a recording mechanism section that moves by mounting recording means, and follows the movement of the recording mechanism section. A movable slide member, a wiper for wiping the discharge port surface of the recording means, and a wiper mounted on the slide member so as to be displaceable in a direction intersecting the discharge port surface and holding the wiper A relative position between the wiper and the discharge port surface in a direction intersecting the discharge port surface when the wiper holder contacts the recording mechanism when wiping the discharge port surface. It is characterized by positioning.

  According to the present invention, the wiper holder abuts against the carriage or the recording means, and the relative position in the direction perpendicular to the discharge port surface between the wiper and the carriage or the recording means is determined. Thus, when wiping the discharge port surface, the relative position between the recording means and the wiper can be restricted to an appropriate position, and even when a convex portion is formed on the discharge port surface, it is possible to reliably wipe. An inkjet recording apparatus is provided.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the same reference numerals denote the same or corresponding parts throughout the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an ink jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The illustrated inkjet recording apparatus includes a paper feeding unit 201 for supplying a recording material such as recording paper into the apparatus main body, and a conveyance unit for feeding the recording material through the apparatus main body (recording unit or the like). 202, a recording mechanism unit (carriage unit) 203 that records an image (including characters and symbols) on a recording material based on the image information, and an image quality formed by the recording mechanism unit 203 is maintained and recovered. A recovery mechanism section (cleaning mechanism section) 204 is provided.

  The recording materials stacked on the sheet feeding unit 201 are separated one by one by a sheet feeding roller driven by a sheet feeding motor, and are sent out to the conveying unit 202. The recording material sent to the conveyance unit 202 is conveyed through the recording unit by a conveyance roller 221 driven by a conveyance motor and a pinch roller 222 pressed by the conveyance roller, and an image is recorded by the recording mechanism unit 203 therebetween. The The recorded recording material is discharged out of the apparatus main body by a discharge roller 223 driven in conjunction with the transport roller 221 and a spur cooperating with the discharge roller.

  The recording mechanism unit 203 includes a carriage 6 that is guided and supported inside the apparatus main body so as to be reciprocally movable in the main scanning direction, and a recording unit 3 mounted on the carriage. That is, the carriage 6 on which the recording unit 3 is mounted is guided and supported so as to be reciprocally movable along a guide rail installed in the apparatus main body. The carriage 6 is reciprocated along the guide rail when the driving force of the carriage motor is transmitted via the carriage belt 224. Recording is performed for one line by driving the recording means 3 in synchronization with the movement of the carriage 6, and after recording for one line, the recording material is conveyed by a predetermined pitch, and thereafter, the recording material is repeated. The entire record is made.

  The recovery mechanism unit (cleaning mechanism unit) 204 is for maintaining and recovering the recording quality to a good state by eliminating clogging of the recording unit 3 and the like, for sucking or discharging ink from the discharge port. It comprises a pump means, a cap means for covering the discharge port, and a wiping means for wiping and cleaning the discharge port surface. The recording unit 3 is an ink jet recording unit that discharges ink using thermal energy, and includes an electrothermal converter for generating thermal energy. Further, the recording means 3 causes film boiling in the ink by the thermal energy applied by the electrothermal transducer, and ejects ink from the ejection port using pressure change due to bubble growth and contraction that occurs at that time, It is for recording. The electrothermal converter is disposed corresponding to each of the plurality of discharge ports, and by applying a pulse voltage to the corresponding electrothermal converter according to the recording information (recording signal), the corresponding discharge port Ink is ejected.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the recording means 3 as viewed from the discharge port surface side. On the ejection port surface 81 of the recording means 3 in the present embodiment, a color (for example, cyan, magenta, yellow) ejection port array 3c and a black ejection port array 3d are formed. That is, a plurality of discharge ports are arranged at a predetermined pitch on the discharge port surface 81 facing a recording material such as a recording sheet with a predetermined distance (for example, about 0.2 mm to about 2.0 mm). A plurality of the discharge port arrays 3c and 3d are formed, and an electrothermal converter (heat generation) for generating ink discharge energy along the wall surface of each liquid path that communicates the common liquid chamber and each discharge port. Resistors etc. are provided. The recording means is mounted on the carriage 6 in such a positional relationship that the discharge ports are arranged in a direction intersecting with the main scanning direction (movement direction of the carriage 6). In this way, the corresponding electrothermal transducer is driven based on the image signal or the ejection signal, the ink in the liquid passage is boiled, and ink droplets are ejected from the ejection port by the pressure generated at that time, and recording is performed.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the recording mechanism 203 formed by mounting the recording means 3 on the carriage 6 as viewed from the discharge port surface side of the recording means. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which the cap 1 and the wipers 8 and 9 are incorporated in the slide member 7 in the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the wiper holder 18 to which the wipers 8 and 9 are mounted as viewed from the outside.

  In FIG. 4, the cap holder 2 to which the cap 1 is fixed is held by the cap spring 4 so as to be movable up and down with respect to the slide member 7. A suction tube 14 communicating with the cap 1 is connected to the cap holder 2, and the other end of the tube 14 is connected to a pump as a negative pressure generation source. By operating the pump while the recording means 3 is capped with the cap 1, negative pressure can be introduced into the cap 1 through the tube 14, and ink can be sucked from the ejection port of the recording means 3. A wiper holder 18 is held at one end of the slide member 7 while being urged upward by a wiper holder spring 21. Further, the wiper holder 18 is held by the wiper holder slide spring 22 in a state in which the wipers 8 and 9 can be displaced in the longitudinal direction with respect to the slide member 7. A color wiper 8 and a black wiper 9 are positioned and fixed to the wiper holder 18 by a stopper 20 via a spacer 19.

  6 is a side view showing the positional relationship with the carriage when the slide member is in the standby position in the recovery mechanism portion of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a view when the slide member is in the wiping position in the recovery mechanism portion of FIG. It is a side view which shows the positional relationship with a carriage. FIG. 8 is a side view showing the positional relationship with the carriage when the slide member is pushed deeper than the capping position in the recovery mechanism portion of FIG. 9 is a front view showing the positional relationship with the carriage when the slide member is in the standby position in the recovery mechanism portion of the present invention as seen from the front side of the recording apparatus, and FIG. 10 is a slide view in the recovery mechanism portion of FIG. FIG. 3 is a front view showing a positional relationship with a carriage when a member is pushed to a lock trigger position by the carriage as viewed from the front side of the recording apparatus. FIG. 11 is a front view showing the positional relationship between the slide mechanism and the carriage when the slide member is fixed to the base portion by the lock lever and starts to separate from the carriage in the recovery mechanism section of FIG.

  6 to 11, the slide member 7 is connected (coupled) by a base portion 13 of the apparatus main body and a slider spring 15. In addition, projecting portions (shaft portions) 7b projecting in a bar shape are provided at four positions on the side surface of the slide member 7, and these projecting portions 7b are provided on the base portion 13 for controlling the slide member. The cam surfaces 13a and 13b are placed (contacted). That is, the slide member 7 can move in the carriage movement direction while the vertical position is controlled along the cam surfaces 13a and 13b in a state where the protrusions 7b are brought into contact with the cam surfaces 13a and 13b by the slider spring 15. It is attached to. In addition, cam surfaces 13a and 13b of the base portion are formed at the tip ends of some of the four protruding portions 7b (two protruding portions upstream in the recording material conveyance direction in the illustrated example). A concave portion (groove portion) for positioning the slide member 7 in the discharge port array direction by sandwiching the rib portion is formed.

  The slide member 7 is provided with an abutting portion 7a against which the carriage 6 (which may be the recording means 3) that has entered the recovery mechanism portion 204 abuts. When the carriage 6 moves and the side surface of the carriage 6 comes into contact with the abutting portion 7a, the slide member 7 similarly moves following the entry of the carriage 6 into the recovery mechanism portion 204. A lock lever 16 is incorporated in the slide member 7 so as to be slidable in the carriage movement direction with respect to one of the four protruding portions 7b. One end of the lock lever 16 is connected (coupled) to the base portion 13 by a lock lever spring 17. The base portion 13 is provided with a cam portion 13 b that can abut (engage) with a cam surface 16 b formed at one end of the lock lever 16.

  Thus, the lock lever 16 is held in a state of being sandwiched between the slide member 7 and the base portion 13 of the recording apparatus. Detailed operation of the lock lever 16 will be described later. In FIG. 3, a carriage cover 5 is fixedly attached to the carriage 6. The carriage cover 5 protects a carriage substrate (not shown) and holds the recording unit 3. Further, the carriage 6 and the carriage cover 5 are provided with contact portions (sliding surfaces) 5a, 5b, 6a slidably contactable with the contact portions (contact surfaces) 18a, 18b, 18c of the wiper holder 18. Is provided over the entire moving direction of the carriage 6.

  Next, a specific wiping operation of the recovery mechanism unit 204 in the present embodiment will be described. When the carriage 6 and the recording unit 3 are in a position where they do not enter the recovery mechanism unit 204 (for example, the position shown in FIG. 9), the carriage 6 and the recording unit 3 and the wipers 8 and 9 are separated from each other with a predetermined clearance in the vertical direction. And will not abut. FIG. 6 shows this state when viewed from the direction crossing the ejection port array of the recording means 3 (on the left side of the recording apparatus). In order to perform the wiping operation of the recording unit 3 by moving the carriage 6 from this state, the carriage 6 gradually starts moving toward the recovery mechanism unit 204 side.

  As shown in FIG. 9, when the carriage 6 enters the recovery mechanism portion 204 in order to perform the recovery process (cleaning operation) of the recording unit 3, the side surface of the carriage 6 contacts the abutting portion 7 a of the slide member 7. From the position where the movement is started, the slide member 7 follows the movement of the carriage 6 and starts moving. Then, as shown in FIG. 10, when the slide member 7 starts following movement, the entire slide member 7 moves in the right direction in the drawing along the slide member control cam surface 13 a provided in the base portion 13 and gradually. Then, it moves upward also toward the recording means 3.

  When the slide member 7 moves, the lock lever 16 incorporated in the protrusion 7 b of the slide member 7 is brought into contact with the side surface of the cam-shaped cutout groove 16 a provided in the lock lever 16. From the start (FIG. 10), the lock lever 16 also starts moving following the movement of the slide member 7. That is, the lock lever 16 starts synchronous movement with a slight time difference from the movement of the slide member 7 due to the action of the notch groove 16a. The base portion 13 of the recording apparatus is provided with a cam portion 13b for the lock lever 16, in addition to the cam surface 13a on which the protruding portion 7b of the slide member 7 slides.

  The distal end of the lock lever 16 is connected to the spring hooking portion of the base portion 13 via the lock lever spring 17. Accordingly, the lock lever 16 is given a predetermined urging force in the counterclockwise direction of the drawing around the connected protruding portion 7b. Therefore, the cam portion 16b at the tip end of the lock lever 16 can move in the moving direction of the carriage 6 in a state where it is always in contact with the cam portion 13b. At this time, the wipers 8 and 9 are separated from the carriage 6 by a certain distance in the main scanning direction, and the carriage 6 and the wipers 8 and 9 do not contact in the capping state.

  When the carriage 6 moves to a capping position as shown in FIGS. 7 and 10, the wiper holder 18 has a contact surface 18a on the sliding surface 5a of the carriage cover and a contact surface 18c on the sliding surface 6a of the carriage 6. In the opposite direction (downward direction in the figure) to the urging force of the wiper holder spring 21. Further, as the carriage 6 moves to the recovery mechanism unit 204, the wiper holder 18 moves toward the upstream side in the transport direction of the recording apparatus by the slant surface 18d of the wiper holder 18 gradually coming into contact with the portion of the carriage cover 5. . In the capping position as shown in FIG. 10, the sliding surface 5b of the carriage cover 5 and the contact surface 18b of the wiper holder 18 are in contact with each other in a pressed state, so that the direction intersecting the carriage movement direction (the discharge port array The relative positions of the wipers 8 and 9 and the recording means 3 in the direction) are determined.

  When the carriage 6 starts moving further from the capping position to the back side of the recovery mechanism section 204 (the lock trigger position shown in FIG. 10), the protruding portion 7b of the slide member 7 (the slider shaft portion 7b on the left side in the figure on the lock lever 16 side). Moves along the slide groove 16a of the lock lever 16 and then comes into contact with the stopper portion. Then, the lock lever 16 moves (slides) in the right direction in the figure following the slide member 7 against the lock lever spring 17 connected between the tip end portion 16b and the base portion 13. By the movement of the lock lever 16, the cam surface 16b provided at the tip end portion gets over the cam portion 13b as shown in FIG. 10, and then engages with the cam portion 13b as shown in FIG. Accordingly, the lock lever 16 is fixed to the relative position shown in FIG. 11 with respect to the slide member 7 by the action of the lock lever spring 17.

  Next, when the carriage 6 reverses the moving direction at the innermost part of the recovery mechanism unit 204 and starts moving in the direction of retracting from the recovery mechanism unit 204 (the leftward direction in the drawing), the slide member 7 is moved by the action of the slide member spring 15. While following the carriage 6, the protrusion 7b moves to the left in the figure along the cam surface 13a. When the carriage 6 further moves in the return direction, the slide member 7 moves downward according to the shape of the cam surface 13a, so that the lock lever 16 moves from the lock position locked to the cam portion 13b as shown in FIG. It is kept in a state where it cannot. Therefore, the projecting portion 7b of the slide member 7 is held at a midway position on the cam surface 13a by the lock lever 16, and the slide member 7 starts to be separated from the carriage 6 when reaching the position.

  When the separation between the slide member 7 and the carriage 6 is started, the contact surfaces 18a and 18c of the wiper holder 18 still contact and slide against the slide surfaces 5a and 6a on the carriage 6 side as shown in FIG. Therefore, the relative positions of the wipers 8 and 9 and the discharge port surface 81 in the intrusion amount direction are kept constant as they are. On the other hand, since the contact surface 18b of the wiper holder 18 contacts the sliding surface 5b on the carriage 6 side (carriage cover 5) at this time, the wipers 8 and 9 and the discharge ports are also provided in the direction of the discharge port arrays 3c and 3d. The relative position with respect to the surface 81 is positioned in a predetermined correction position relationship. That is, the positions of the wipers 8 and 9 are corrected to the optimum positions for performing the wiping operation. When the carriage 6 further moves in the return direction (the leftward direction in the figure), the contact surfaces 18a, 18b, and 18c of the wiper holder 18 are moved to the sliding surfaces 5a, 5b, and 6a on the recording mechanism unit 203 side. Sliding while maintaining the relative position in the optimum state, the ejection port arrays 3 c and 3 d on the ejection port surface 81 pass through the wipers 8 and 9.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 14, the discharge port surface 81 is wiped under the optimum conditions by the wipers 8 and 9, and the ink adhered to the periphery of the discharge port arrays 3c and 3d after the suction recovery process or the like Foreign matter such as dust is removed. That is, the wiper holder 18 in the present embodiment acts on the recording mechanism unit 203 that moves relative to the recovery mechanism unit 204, and the wiper 8 in both directions of entering the recording unit 3 and the direction of the discharge port array, The wiping of the discharge port surface 81 can be performed while maintaining the state where the relative position between the nozzle 9 and the discharge port surface 81 is properly positioned. Therefore, even when the protrusion 3e is present on the discharge port surface 81, the relative position between the recording means and the wiper can be restricted to an appropriate position when wiping the discharge port surface with a simple and inexpensive configuration. The discharge port surface can be reliably wiped.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 15, even when the carriage is rotatably supported around the guide shaft in order to adjust the gap between the ejection port surface and the recording material, the contact portions 18a and 18c are recorded. By contacting the mechanism portion 203, the relative position in the wiper intrusion amount direction can be corrected and the parallelism of the wiper with respect to the discharge port surface 81 can be maintained. Further, with respect to the relative position of the wiper in the discharge port array direction, the contact portion 18b is in contact with and slides on the sliding surface 5b of the recording mechanism portion 203, so that the discharge port surface 81 is always provided regardless of the posture of the carriage 6. Wiping of the discharge port surface 81 can be executed in a state where the relative position between the wiper 8 and the wipers 8 and 9 is positioned at the optimum position.

  When the carriage 6 further moves in the return direction after wiping, the lock lever releasing projection 5c provided on the carriage unit 203 presses the tip 16c of the lock lever 16, and the lock lever 16 Is pivoted counterclockwise in FIG. 14 around the protruding portion 7b of the slide member 7, so that the locking of the lock lever 16 (the locking of the cam surface 16b and the vertical surface of the cam portion 13b) is released. The Thus, the slide member 7 can be returned to the position where the cap 1 is completely retracted from the recording means 3 (the position before the carriage 6 enters as shown in FIG. 9).

  In this embodiment, when the suction recovery process is not performed, the capping for preventing the discharge port portion of the recording unit 3 from drying is performed, and then the recording operation is performed without performing the wiping operation. First, from the state where the slide member 7 is pushed to the capping position (FIG. 10) by the recording mechanism unit (carriage unit) 203, the moving direction is reversed and the recording mechanism unit 203 is moved away from the recovery mechanism unit 204. By doing so, the cam portion 16b of the lock lever 16 is retracted without being locked to the cam portion 13b of the base portion 13. Therefore, the slide member 7 follows the carriage 6 and moves to the position shown in FIG. Therefore, the wiping operation can be selectively switched between execution and non-execution according to the position where the carriage 6 pushes the slide member 7.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the recording unit 3 that discharges ink to perform recording on the recording material, the carriage 6 that moves by mounting the recording unit, and the slide that can move following the movement of the carriage. A member 7 and a wiper holder that holds wipers 8 and 9 for wiping the discharge port surface 81 and is mounted on the slide member 7 so as to be displaceable in a direction perpendicular to the discharge port surface. When the wiper holder 18 is in contact with the carriage 6 or the recording means 3, the relative position of the wipers 8, 9 and the carriage 6 or the recording means 3 in the direction perpendicular to the discharge port surface is positioned. It is configured. Further, the wiper holder 18 is mounted on the slide member 7 so as to be displaceable also in the direction of the discharge port arrays 3c and 3d provided on the discharge port surface 81. When wiping the discharge port surface 81, the wiper holder 18 is attached to the carriage 6 or By abutting against the recording means 3, the relative positions of the wipers 8, 9 and the carriage or the recording means in the direction of the ejection port arrays 3c, 3d are determined.

  In the present embodiment, after the cap 1 is brought into close contact with the discharge port surface 81 by the movement of the carriage 6, the lock lever is locked and stopped by the slide member 7 at a position where the carriage 6 is further moved in the same direction. 16 and the cam member 13b, 16b and the like, and the slide member 7 is reversed from the stop position, and the recording means 3 passes the wipers 8 and 9, and the carriage 6 and the slide member 7 are locked. And a slide member releasing means (protruding portion 5c, tip portion 6c, lock lever 16 and the like) for releasing. Further, in the present embodiment, the carriage 6 further enters from the capping position where the cap 1 is in close contact with the discharge port surface 81, and the slide member locking means (lock lever 16, cam portions 13b, 16b, etc.) is locked. Whether or not to wipe the discharge port surface 81 by the wipers 8 and 9 can be selectively switched depending on whether or not the movement is performed.

  Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the wiper holder 18 is in contact with a part of the recording mechanism unit 203 configured to be movable by mounting the recording unit 3 on the carriage 6, thereby crossing the discharge port surface 81. Since the relative position between the wipers 8 and 9 and the recording means is positioned, the relative position between the recording means 3 and the wipers 8 and 9 is set to an appropriate position when wiping the discharge port surface 81 with a simple and inexpensive configuration. There is provided an ink jet recording apparatus that can be regulated and that can be wiped reliably even when the convex portion 3e is formed on the discharge port surface 81. In the recording mechanism unit 203 in the above-described embodiment, the carriage 6 and the carriage cover 5 are separate parts, and the sliding surfaces 5a, 5b, and 6a for positioning the wiper holder 18 are provided respectively. The sliding surface may be appropriately provided on either the carriage 6 or the carriage cover 5, and may be appropriately provided on the recording means 3 mounted on the carriage 6. Further, when the carriage cover 5 is not provided, either the carriage 6 or the recording unit 3 may be appropriately selected and provided as the portion where the sliding surface is provided.

  Since the carriage cover 5 is fixed to the carriage 6, the carriage cover 5 as a part for providing the sliding surface, the members attached to the carriage cover 5, and the members attached to the carriage 6 are all It is included in “carriage”. Accordingly, in the present application, the “carriage” in the case where the portion where the contact portion (sliding surface) is provided is not limited to the carriage 6 and the carriage cover 5, but all of the recording mechanism portion (carriage unit) 203. It has a concept including members. The present invention can be applied in the same manner regardless of the configuration of the recording mechanism unit 203, and has the same effect.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the recording unit 3 is an ink jet recording unit that records using four colors of ink is shown. However, the present invention includes a single recording unit that records in a single color or a plurality of colors. Inkjet recording apparatus used, inkjet recording apparatus using a plurality of recording means for recording with different color inks, or gradation recording apparatus using a plurality of recording means for recording with the same color and different densities, and a combination of these The present invention can be applied in the same manner to the ink jet recording apparatus, and the same effect can be achieved.

  The present invention also includes a recording unit including a configuration using a replaceable ink cartridge in which the recording unit and the ink tank are integrated, a configuration in which the recording unit and the ink tank are separated, and a connection between them is made with an ink supply tube or the like. The present invention can be similarly applied to any arrangement of the ink tank, and the same effect can be obtained. The present invention can be applied to an ink jet recording apparatus, for example, a case where a recording unit using an electromechanical transducer such as a piezo element is used. This provides an excellent effect in an ink jet recording apparatus that uses a recording unit that ejects ink. This is because such a system can achieve higher recording density and higher definition.

1 is a perspective view of an ink jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is the perspective view which looked at the recording means from the discharge port surface side. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a recording mechanism portion configured by mounting a recording unit on a carriage as viewed from the discharge port surface side. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which a cap, a wiper, and the like are incorporated in the slide member of the ink jet recording apparatus of the invention. It is the perspective view which looked at the wiper holder in Drawing 4 from the outside. It is a side view which shows the positional relationship with a carriage when a slide member exists in a standby position in the recovery mechanism part of this invention. FIG. 7 is a side view showing the positional relationship with the carriage when the slide member is in the wiping position in the recovery mechanism section of FIG. 6. FIG. 7 is a side view showing a positional relationship with the carriage when the slide member is pushed inward from the capping position in the recovery mechanism section of FIG. 6. It is a front view which shows the positional relationship with a carriage when a slide member exists in a standby position in the recovery mechanism part of this invention. FIG. 10 is a front view showing a positional relationship with the carriage when the slide member is pushed to the lock trigger position by the carriage in the recovery mechanism section of FIG. 9. FIG. 10 is a front view showing a positional relationship between the slide member and the carriage when the slide member is fixed to the base portion by a lock lever in the recovery mechanism portion of FIG. It is a front view which shows the cap open state of the conventional recovery mechanism part. FIG. 13 is a front view showing the capping state of the recovery mechanism portion of FIG. It is a front view which shows the state which fixed the slide member with the lock lever in the recovery mechanism part of FIG. It is a front view which shows the relative positional relationship of a wiper and a recording means when a recording mechanism part is hold | maintained in the inclined state in the conventional inkjet recording device. It is explanatory drawing which illustrates the structure and arrangement | positioning of a wiper when wiping each discharge port row | line | column of a recording means and those convex parts. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state where the wiper performs wiping while avoiding the convex portion of the color discharge port portion of the discharge port surface of the recording unit.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cap 2 Cap holder 3 Recording means (recording head)
3c Color discharge port array 3d Black discharge port array 3e Convex part 4 Cap spring 5 Carriage cover 5a Contact part (sliding surface)
5b Contact part (sliding surface)
5c Protruding part 6 Carriage 6a Contact part (sliding surface)
7 Slide member 7a Abutting part 7b Protruding part (shaft part)
8 Wiper for Color Ejection Port 9 Wiper for Black Ejection Port 10 Carriage Motor 11 Timing Belt 12 Encoder Film 13 Recording Device Base 13a Cam Surface (Cam)
13b Cam portion 14 Suction tube 15 Slide member spring 16 Lock lever 17 Lock lever spring 18 Wiper holder 18a Contact portion (contact surface)
18b Contact part (contact surface)
18c Contact part (contact surface)
18d Slope 19 Spacer 20 Stopper 21 Wiper holder spring 22 Wiper holder slide spring 81 Discharge port surface 201 Paper feeding unit 202 Conveying unit 203 Recording mechanism unit (carriage unit)
204 Recovery mechanism (cleaning mechanism)
221 Conveying roller 222 Pinch roller 223 Discharging roller

Claims (5)

In an ink jet recording apparatus for recording on a recording material by discharging ink,
A recording mechanism that moves by loading recording means;
A slide member movable following the movement of the recording mechanism,
A wiper for wiping the discharge port surface of the recording means;
A wiper holder mounted on the slide member so as to be displaceable in a direction intersecting the discharge port surface, and holding the wiper,
When the wiper surface is wiped, the wiper holder is in contact with the recording mechanism, thereby positioning the relative position of the wiper and the discharge port surface in a direction intersecting the discharge port surface. An ink jet recording apparatus.   The wiper holder is mounted on the slide member so as to be displaceable in the direction of the discharge port array provided on the discharge port surface, and the wiper holder contacts the recording mechanism when wiping the discharge port surface. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a relative position between the wiper and the ejection port surface in the direction of the ejection port array is positioned.   The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the slide member holds a cap for covering the discharge port array.   Locking means for locking and stopping the slide mechanism at a position where the recording mechanism is moved in the same direction after the cap is brought into close contact with the discharge port surface by movement of the recording mechanism; 4. The release means for releasing the locking between the recording mechanism and the slide member when the slide member is reversed from the stop position and the recording means passes through the wiper. Inkjet recording apparatus. 5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein whether or not to wipe the discharge port surface can be selectively switched depending on whether or not the recording mechanism moves to a position where the locking means is locked. The ink jet recording apparatus described.

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