JP2006068994A - Inkjet recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent contamination in a tube-supply type inkjet printer due to bleeding of ink at a joint section between a head and a tube when the head is replaced in the inkjet printer. <P>SOLUTION: This inkjet recorder comprises a recovery means capable of performing a recovery operation for maintaining a recording head in a good ejection condition of ink, and a movement restriction means for blocking the movement of the recording head to a recovery operation position from the outside thereof in a predetermined condition. A valve for opening or closing an ink supply channel is provided on a carriage for bearing the recording head. The recorder has a means for opening the valve in a condition that the recording head is coupled to the carriage and closing it in a condition that the recording head is separated therefrom. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a tube supply type ink jet recording apparatus having a detachable head, and more particularly to an ink jet recording apparatus having an on-off valve for preventing a recording liquid from bleeding when the head is attached or detached.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, recording apparatuses that perform recording on recording media (hereinafter referred to as recording media) such as paper, cloth, plastic sheets, OHP sheets, and the like have various recording systems such as a wire dot system, a thermal system, and a thermal transfer system. Alternatively, it has been proposed as a form in which an ink jet recording head can be mounted.

  Among such recording apparatuses, an ink jet recording type recording apparatus (hereinafter referred to as an ink jet recording apparatus) that performs recording on recording paper by ejecting ink from ejection openings (nozzles) is a low-noise non-impact recording apparatus. A high-density and high-speed recording operation is possible, and recently this type of recording apparatus is almost all.

  In general, an ink jet recording apparatus includes a means for driving a carriage on which a recording head is mounted, a transport means for transporting recording paper, and a control means for controlling them.

  On the other hand, energy generating elements that generate energy to be used to eject ink from the ejection port of the recording head are those that use an electromechanical transducer such as a piezo element or heat generated by irradiating an electromagnetic wave such as a laser. There are those that discharge ink droplets by the action of heat generation, and those that heat a liquid by an electrothermal conversion element having a heating resistor.

  Among them, an ink jet recording type recording head that uses thermal energy to discharge ink as droplets can perform high-resolution recording because the discharge ports can be arranged at high density. Among them, a recording head using an electrothermal conversion element as an energy generating element can be easily reduced in size, and has the advantages of IC technology and micromachining technology that have been remarkably improved in technology and reliability in recent semiconductor fields. It is very advantageous because it can be fully utilized, high-density mounting is easy, and the manufacturing cost is low.

  As described above, the ink jet recording system is a very excellent recording system having a simple configuration, but there is a problem to be solved. One problem is clogging of the discharge outlet. There are mainly two causes of clogging. One is that the viscosity of the ink at the nozzle tip becomes high due to evaporation of the solvent from the ejection port, causing non-ejection. The other is that fine dust in the ink liquid enters the nozzle and causes non-ejection.

  Generally, clogging recovery processing means using pump means is provided as the above-mentioned problem processing means. There are two ways of interposing the pump means in the ink flow path system, one of which is between the nozzle and the ink tank, pressurizing the ink in the ink flow path system, and high-viscosity ink and fine dust in the nozzle and flow path. Alternatively, the bubbles in the ink liquid are discharged as waste ink from the nozzle tip and processed. The other is by sucking ink from the nozzle tip with a suction pump, so that the high-viscosity ink or fine dust in the head and the flow path for supplying ink to the head, or bubbles in the ink liquid, together with waste ink, the tip of the nozzle More suction processing. However, if the function of the head is not improved even by the above method, the head needs to be replaced.

When replacing the head, in the system having an ink tank in the head portion, there is no worry about liquid leakage even if the head is removed from the carriage and replaced.
JP 2002-248793 A

  However, when printing in large quantities such as large format printers, it is common to separate the ink storage chamber from the head and supply with a liquid flow path such as a tube. With this method, the tank can be made very large. Although there is a merit, when the head part is removed from the carriage and replaced, a part of the ink accumulated in the liquid flow path such as the tube leaks from the joint part of the head and the tube.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to the above-mentioned problems, and is intended to prevent contamination in the ink jet recording apparatus due to ink bleeding at the joint between the head and the tube when the head is replaced. It is aimed. In particular, the present invention provides a mechanism that reliably closes the supply valve on the head side while the head is left unplugged.

  However, various means have been proposed in the past, but when replacing the head, the mechanism is complicated, the reliability is low, or the cost is high. It was common to remove the head once and empty it before replacing the head.

  Using a recording head capable of ejecting ink from an ink ejection port, recording is performed on a recording medium by moving the recording head and ejecting ink from the ink ejection port, and at a predetermined recovery processing position, the recording head Recovery means capable of executing a recovery process for maintaining a good ink ejection state, and a movement restraining means capable of preventing movement of the recording head from outside the recovery process position to the recovery process position under a predetermined condition And an open / close valve that opens and closes an ink supply path on a carriage on which the print head is stacked, and opens the open / close valve in a state where the print head is coupled to the carriage, and And a means for closing the on-off valve when the recording head is separated.

  Note that the above configuration is summarized as follows.

  In an ink jet recording apparatus provided with means for moving a recording head and discharging ink from an ink discharge port to a recording medium and having means for recovering the recording head, a tube or the like on a carriage on which the recording head is stacked And an opening / closing valve for opening and closing the ink supply path, and a means for opening / closing the opening / closing valve by using a pressing force when the recording head attaching / detaching lever is opened or closed, or a recording head mounting pressure. It is characterized by doing.

  Since the present invention has the above-described configuration, when the above-described head is replaced, it is possible to prevent the ink jet recording apparatus from being smeared due to ink bleeding at the joint between the head and the tube. In particular, the supply valve on the head side can be reliably closed when the head is left unplugged.

  Hereinafter, specific examples will be described with reference to the drawings as embodiments of the present invention.

  In view of the present invention, embodiments will be described in detail. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the carriage of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the first embodiment, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the printer main body of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a plan view of the main part of the recording apparatus of FIG.

  In FIG. 2, reference numeral 56 denotes an ink jet recording apparatus main body. The recording head 4 as recording means is provided with a plurality of nozzle rows in a direction substantially orthogonal to the main scanning direction of arrows C and D on the surface facing a recording paper 51 as a recording medium. Different colors of ink are ejected.

  In the recording head 4, ink of each color is supplied from the ink tank 54 to the nozzle row of each ink color via the respective supply tube 55. The recording head 4 is placed on the carriage 7.

  The carriage 7 is supported so as to be capable of reciprocating in the main scanning directions indicated by arrows C and D along guide shafts 57 and guide rails that are parallel to each other and fixed to the frame 61 at both ends. The carriage 7 is reciprocated by a belt drive device (not shown) and a motor. In the vicinity of the moving range of the carriage 7, a transport roller 59 and a pinch roller (not shown) that abuts the transport roller 59 are provided. A detachable cassette 60 is attached to the front portion of the ink jet recording apparatus main body 56. The recording paper 51 is supplied from the cassette 60, reaches the recording position facing the recording head 4, and is sandwiched between the conveying roller 59 and a pinch roller (not shown), and the carriage 7 is rotated by the rotation of the conveying roller 59 and the pinch roller. Are transported in the sub-scanning direction indicated by an arrow Y orthogonal to the moving direction. The recording paper 51 on which an image is recorded by the recording head 4 is discharged to the paper discharge stacker 53.

  In FIG. 3, a head recovery means 62 is disposed at a position that can face the carriage 7 at a home position provided near the right end of the movement range of the carriage 7. The head recovery means 62 operates before and after the recording operation during the standby of the recording operation, or between recording for each line. The head recovery means 62 maintains ink ejection performance by preventing clogging of the recording head, and also performs operations such as capping, suction, and wiping.

  Next, FIG. 1 showing a sectional view of the carriage of the present invention will be described in detail. In the figure, a CR shaft 1 and a CR sub shaft 2 are fixed to a printer frame (not shown) provided in the ink jet main body.

  The carriage 7 is held on the two shafts via the bearing 3 so as to be slidable in the scanning direction. The carriage 7 is provided with a lever 14 for fixing the head 4 at a predetermined position so as to be rotatable about a rotation shaft 8. A head presser 15 is rotated under the lever 14 via the rotation shaft 9. A spring 11 is disposed between the head retainer 15 and the stopper 12 so as to be movable. The elasticity of the spring 11 causes the head retainer 15 to always press the head 4 downward, and the head 4 is brought into contact with the carriage 7. It is fixed. The tube 17 that supplies ink to the head 4 is connected to a tube 20 having extremely high elasticity through a joint (the tube 17 can be substituted), and is supplied to the head 4 through the ink inlet packing 16.

  The ink supply mechanism (not shown) to the head 4 are connected by a long tube and the inside is always filled with ink. However, the tube ends on both the ink supply side (supply valve) and the head side (by mounting the head) are closed. Ink does not leak out. Next, the carriage 7 is provided with a valve shaft 18 capable of opening and closing the flow path of the tube 20 urged by a spring 19. When the lever 14 is closed, that is, when the head 4 is mounted. Since the valve shaft 18 is urged upward by the spring 19, the flow path of the tube 20 is secured and there is no blocking of ink.

  FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the carriage of the first embodiment, showing a state in which the head 4 is removed and the lever 14 is opened. In the figure, a CR shaft 1 and a CR sub shaft 2 are fixed to a printer frame (not shown) provided in the ink jet main body. A carriage 7 is held on the above-described shaft via a bearing 3 so as to be slidable in the scanning direction. A lever 14 for fixing the head 4 at a predetermined position is provided on the carriage 7 so as to be rotatable about the rotation shaft 8. A head presser 15 is provided at the end of the lever 14 via the rotation shaft 9. The spring 11 is held so as to be biased.

  The tube 17 that supplies ink to the head 4 is connected to a tube 20 having extremely high elasticity through a joint, and is supplied to the head 4 through the ink inlet packing 16.

  Next, the carriage 7 is provided with a valve shaft 18 capable of blocking the flow path of the tube 20 in a state of being urged by a spring 19. When the lever 14 is opened, that is, when the head 4 is removed, The lever 14 pushes down the valve shaft 18, and the tip of the valve shaft 18 is in a state where the tube 20 is crushed, thereby blocking the ink flow path. With this structure, when the head 4 is replaced, the tube 20 is crushed by the valve shaft 18 so that ink does not leak out from the ink inlet packing 16 (the position where the ink inlet packing and the tube are crushed is very small). The ink is very difficult to remove, and the amount of ink is very small).

  FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the carriage of the first embodiment, showing a state in which the head is removed and the lever is closed. This state is when the printer is transported.

  6 and 7 are sectional views of the carriage of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the second embodiment. In the figure, a CR shaft 1 and a CR sub shaft 2 are fixed to a printer frame (not shown) provided in the ink jet printer main body.

  The carriage 7 is slidably held in the scanning direction on the shaft via a bearing (not shown). The carriage 7 is provided with a fixing mechanism (not shown) for fixing the head 4 at a predetermined position. A lever 21 is rotatably held on the carriage 7 via a shaft 22, and one end of the lever 21 is biased toward the carriage 7 by a spring 19.

  FIG. 6 shows a state where the carriage 7 has no head. At this time, the lever 21 is urged horizontally by the elastic force of the spring 19, and the tube 20 provided in the vicinity of the shaft 22 is crushed by the lever 21 to block the ink flow path (spring). A mechanism such as a gear may be used in addition to crushing the tube 20 by pressure).

  FIG. 7 shows a state where the head 4 is mounted on the carriage 7. Here, the end of the lever 21 which is not spring-biased is pushed by the housing of the head 4 so that the lever 21 rotates around the shaft 22 and floats up from the tube 20 to secure the ink flow path. .

  The tube used here is made of a highly elastic material.

  The ink supply mechanism (not shown) to the head 4 are connected by a long tube, and the inside is always filled with ink. When the head 4 is removed from the carriage 7, the ink does not leak out from an ink inlet packing (not shown) due to the above-described ink flow path blockage.

It is sectional drawing of the carriage of 1st Example of this invention. 1 is a perspective view of a printer main body according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a top view of the principal part of the 1st example of the present invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which removed the head of the 1st Example of this invention, and opened the lever. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which removed the head of the 1st Example of this invention, and closed the lever. It is sectional drawing which shows the state without the head of 2nd Example of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which mounted | wore the carriage 7 with the head of the 2nd Example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 CR shaft 2 CR sub shaft 3 Bearing 4 Head 5 Ink discharge port 6 Contact 7 Carriage 8 Rotating shaft 9 Rotating shaft 10 Axis 11 Spring 12 Stopper 13 Stopper 14 Lever 15 Head presser 16 Ink inlet packing 17 Tube 18 Valve shaft 19 Spring 20 Tube 21 Lever 22 Shaft 51 Recording paper 53 Paper discharge stacker 54 Ink tank 55 Supply tube 56 Inkjet recording apparatus main body 57 Guide shaft 59 Transport roller 60 Cassette 61 Frame 62 Head recovery means

Claims (4)

  Using a recording head capable of ejecting ink from an ink ejection port, recording is performed on a recording medium by moving the recording head and ejecting ink from the ink ejection port, and at a predetermined recovery processing position, the recording head Recovery means capable of executing a recovery process for maintaining a good ink ejection state, and a movement restraining means capable of preventing movement of the recording head from outside the recovery process position to the recovery process position under a predetermined condition And an open / close valve that opens and closes an ink supply path on a carriage on which the print head is stacked, and opens the open / close valve in a state where the print head is coupled to the carriage, and An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: means for closing the on-off valve when the recording head is separated.   2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the on-off valve opens and closes the on-off valve using a turning force of a rotatable lever that fixes the recording head to the carriage.   2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the on-off valve opens and closes the on-off valve using a mounting pressure of a recording head.   2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the on-off valve shuts off the flow path by applying an external pressure to the tube.

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