JP2006231551A - Inkjet recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem that a service person suffers the inconvenience of having to prepare a dedicated container for recovery of waste ink, because the dedicated container is required for the manual removal of ink from inside an ink feed passage, in an inkjet recording apparatus wherein a printhead and a feed unit for feeding the ink to the printhead are connected together via an ink feed tube, and which is equipped with a replaceable waste ink cartridge. <P>SOLUTION: A tube joint, which enables the connection/disconnection of the ink feed passage, is held in a position midway through a section between the printhead and the feed unit and below the printhead in the direction of gravitational force, so that the replaceable waste ink cartridge can be installed below the tube joint in the direction of gravitational force. The waste ink cartridge is installed in a second installation position, so that the waste ink in the manual removal of the ink from inside the ink feed passage can be recovered by means of the waste ink cartridge. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus that forms an image by ejecting ink onto a recording medium such as recording paper.

  Recording devices having functions such as printers, copiers, facsimiles, etc., or recording devices used as output devices such as composite electronic devices including computers and word processors and workstations, recording paper, plastic thin plates, etc. An image (including characters and symbols) is recorded on the recording medium. The recording apparatus can be classified into an ink jet type, a wire dot type, a thermal type, a laser beam type, and the like according to a recording method.

  In a serial type recording apparatus that records while performing main scanning in a direction crossing the conveyance direction (paper feeding direction, sub-scanning direction) of the recording medium, an image is recorded by a recording means (recording head) that moves along the recording medium. (Main scanning), after recording for one line is completed, a predetermined amount of paper is fed (pitch conveyance as sub-scanning), and then the image of the next line is recorded on the recording medium stopped again (main scanning). By repeating the operation of scanning, recording is performed in a desired range of the recording medium. On the other hand, in a line type recording apparatus that records only by sub-scanning in the conveyance direction of the recording medium, the recording medium is set at a predetermined recording position, and a predetermined amount of recording is performed while continuously recording one line at a time. Paper feeding (pitch feeding) is performed, and an image is recorded in a desired range of the recording medium.

  Among them, an ink jet recording apparatus (ink jet recording apparatus) performs recording by ejecting ink from a recording means (recording head) to a recording medium, and the recording means can be easily made compact and a high-definition image can be obtained. Can be recorded at high speed, without requiring special processing on plain paper, low running costs, low noise due to the non-impact method, and many types of ink (for example, color) Ink) is advantageous in that it is easy to record a color image.

  In particular, an ink jet recording means (print head) that discharges ink using thermal energy is subjected to a semiconductor manufacturing process such as etching, vapor deposition, sputtering, etc., and an electrothermal transducer, electrode, By forming the liquid channel wall, the top plate, etc., it is possible to easily manufacture a device having a high density liquid channel arrangement (discharge port arrangement), and to achieve further compactness. Further, by utilizing the advantages of the IC technology and the micro processing technology, it is easy to make the recording means long and planar (two-dimensional), and it is easy to make the recording means full-multiple and high-density mounting. .

  In addition, there are various requirements for the material of the recording medium. In recent years, development for these requirements has progressed, such as paper (including thin paper and processed paper) and resin thin plates (OHP, etc.) that are normal recording media. In addition, a recording apparatus using cloth, leather, nonwoven fabric, metal, or the like as a recording medium is also used. In such an ink jet recording apparatus, there is an object in which an ink tank and a recording head are connected by an ink tube (for example, see Patent Document 1).

  Hereinafter, a conventional ink jet recording apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 is an external perspective view of the ink jet recording apparatus, and FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state where the upper cover 121 of the ink jet recording apparatus is removed.

  In FIG. 7, a roll holder unit 122 that can be opened and closed is provided on the front surface of the ink jet recording apparatus, and a recording medium such as recording paper is supplied from the roll holder unit 122 to the recording unit. The ink jet apparatus includes an apparatus main body 190 supported by two legs 180, a stacker 123 on which a recording medium such as discharged recording paper is stacked, and a transparent, openable and closable upper cover 121. Yes. A recovery unit 300 and a supply unit 320 that holds the main tank 130 are disposed on the right side of the apparatus main body 100 in the figure.

  In FIG. 7, the ink jet recording apparatus further includes a pair of transport rollers 110 for transporting a recording medium such as recording paper in the direction of arrow A (sub-scanning direction), and the width direction of the recording medium (arrow B direction, main scanning direction). ), A carriage 200 guided and supported so as to be reciprocally movable, a carriage motor (not shown) for reciprocating the carriage 200 in the direction of arrow A, belt transmission means 270, and printing as recording means attached to the carriage 200. Appropriate negative pressure (negative pressure due to the water head difference between the liquid levels of the print head 201 and the supply unit 320) is applied in order to hold the meniscus of the head 201 and the nozzle opening (not shown) of the print head 201, and the ink tank 130. Supply unit 320 that holds the ink, and eliminates ink ejection defects due to clogging of the ejection openings of the print head 201. And a recovery unit 300 for performing head cleaning suction type for.

  In the illustrated inkjet recording apparatus, the carriage 200 is equipped with a plurality of print heads 201 for performing color recording on a recording medium. The plurality of print heads 201 include, for example, six print heads 201 (for example, Y (yellow) head, M (magenta) head, C (cyan) head, Bk ( Black) head, light C (light cyan) head, and light M (light magenta) head). The print head 201 is connected to the supply unit 320 by a supply tube 335 (each color is separate), and printing is enabled when ink is sent to the print head 201. Further, all of the supply tube 335 is bundled by a caterpillar 260 so that the supply tube 335 does not get out of order when the carriage 200 reciprocates.

  When recording on a recording medium such as recording paper with the above configuration, after the recording medium is conveyed to a predetermined recording start position by the conveying roller pair 110, the main scanning by the print head 201 and the sub-scanning by the conveying roller 110 are performed from here. By repeating, recording on the entire recording medium is performed.

  That is, the carriage 200 is moved in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 7 by the carriage belt 270 and a carriage motor (not shown), and recording is performed on the recording medium. When the carriage 200 is returned to the position before the main scanning, the recording medium is conveyed in the sub-scanning direction (the direction of arrow A in FIG. 7) by the conveying roller pair 110, and then the carriage is again moved in the direction of the arrow B in FIG. By performing 200 main scans, images, characters, and the like are recorded on the recording medium. When the above operation is repeated and the recording for one sheet of recording medium is completed, the recording medium is discharged into the stacker 123, and the recording for one sheet is completed. In the following description, “recording paper” refers to an example of a recording medium including a plastic thin plate or cloth.

  The ink flow path will be described with reference to FIG. In order to simplify the description, only one color channel is shown. Reference numeral 201 denotes a print head 201, and a head connecting portion provided at the tip of the supply tube 335 is connected to the insertion port 201a. The insertion port 201a is connected to a liquid chamber 201f described later. The liquid chamber 201f described above is connected to a nozzle portion having a plurality of nozzles 201g, and supplies ink directly to the nozzles 201g. Therefore, the ink from the insertion port 201a is supplied to the nozzle 201g. Needless to say, the space from the insertion port 201a to the nozzle 201g is kept airtight with respect to the atmosphere. The nozzles 201g are arranged with the front end (ejection port) for ejecting ink facing downward, and the ink fills the nozzle 201g with a meniscus formed at the ejection port. Therefore, the inside of the print head 201, particularly the inside of the liquid chamber 201f, is maintained at a negative pressure with respect to the atmospheric pressure. However, if the negative pressure is too small, when foreign matter or ink adheres to the tip of the nozzle 201g, the meniscus at the ink discharge port may be broken and the ink may leak out of the nozzle 201g. On the other hand, if the negative pressure is too large, the force to pull the ink back into the nozzle 201g (in the liquid chamber 201f) becomes stronger than the energy given to the ink during ejection, resulting in ejection failure. Therefore, the negative pressure in the liquid chamber 201f is kept in a certain range that is slightly lower than the atmospheric pressure. The range of the negative pressure varies depending on the number of nozzles 201g, the cross-sectional area, the performance of the heating resistor element, and the like, but generally the range of −20 mmAq to −200 mmAq is preferable. As a method for setting the inside of the print head 201 to the negative pressure described above, the print head 201 is arranged at a position higher than the supply unit 320, and both are connected by a supply tube 335, and a negative pressure is generated by the water head difference. .

  Next, the supply unit 320 and the main tank 130 will be described. The main tank 130 is detachable from the supply unit 320, and has an ink supply port sealed with a rubber plug 130b and an air introduction port sealed with a rubber plug 130c at the bottom.

  On the other hand, the supply unit 320 includes an ink supply needle 321 for taking out ink from the main tank 130 and an air introduction needle 322 for introducing air into the main tank 130. The ink supply needle 321 and the air introduction needle 322 are both hollow needles, and are arranged with the needle tips facing upward corresponding to the positions of the ink supply port and the air introduction port of the main tank 130. By being mounted on the supply unit 320, the ink supply needle 321 and the air introduction needle 322 penetrate the rubber plugs 130b and 130c, respectively, and enter the main tank 130. The ink supply needle 321 is connected to the supply tube 335 via a liquid path 323, a supply valve 325, and a liquid path 327. The air introduction needle 322 communicates with the atmosphere via the liquid path 328, the buffer chamber 330, and the atmosphere communication port 329. The supply valve 325 has a diaphragm 325a made of a rubber material, and the two liquid passages 327 and 323 are shielded and opened by displacing the diaphragm 325a. A spring holder 325b that holds a pressing spring 325c is attached to the upper surface of the diaphragm 325a. The diaphragm 325a is crushed by the pressing spring 325c to shield the liquid passages 327 and 323 from each other. The supply valve 325 is operated by transmitting (rotating) the driving force of the motor 325e to the cam 325f via a gear train (not shown). The lever 325d is operated by the rotation of the cam 325f and the spring holder 325b is lifted against the spring force of the pressing spring 325c, so that the liquid paths 327 and 323 communicate with each other. The supply valve 325 is opened when the print head 201 is discharging ink, and is shielded during standby and rest. Further, the configuration of the supply unit 320 described above is provided for each ink color.

  With the above configuration, when the ink in the print head 201 is consumed, the negative pressure causes the ink to be supplied from the main tank 130 to the print head 201 through the supply unit 320 and the supply tube 335 as needed. At that time, the same amount of air as the ink supplied from the main tank 130 is introduced into the main tank 130 through the air communication port and the buffer chamber via the air introduction needle 322.

Then, in order to stably maintain the discharge performance of the print head 201, the recovery unit 300 periodically performs a suction recovery operation, and the waste ink discharged at that time is accumulated in the waste ink tank 400. In the case of a large-sized ink jet recording apparatus, a waste ink tank 400 having a considerable capacity is required to accumulate waste ink until the life of the main body, which hinders downsizing of the main body. As a solution, an ink jet recording apparatus of a type in which the waste ink tank 400 is replaced with a replaceable waste ink cartridge has been proposed.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-248777

  The ink jet recording apparatus described above is configured so that ink in the supply tube 335 can be manually removed so that the apparatus can be transported when the apparatus fails. This is because if ink cannot be removed, there is a risk of ink leakage during transportation. In particular, in the case of a large-sized ink jet recording apparatus, the supply tube becomes long, so that the amount of ink increases accordingly, and the damage when ink leakage occurs increases.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the manual ink removal configuration is such that the tube joint 450 located below the print head 201 in the gravity direction is cut off, the print head 201 is removed, and the ink in the supply tube 335 is removed by its own weight. The ink is discharged toward the joint 450 and the ink is removed. The ink (waste ink) removed at this time is collected by the service person in the dedicated container 460.

  However, such a manual ink removal configuration requires a dedicated container 460 for collecting waste ink as a service tool, which is troublesome.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a technical problem. In the present invention, a print head, a supply unit for supplying ink to the print head, and a replaceable waste ink cartridge are provided, and the print head and the supply are provided. In the inkjet recording apparatus connected by a supply tube, a tube joint capable of connecting / disconnecting an ink supply path in the middle of the print head and the supply unit and below the print head in the direction of gravity The second installation position of the (replaceable) waste ink cartridge is provided below the tube joint in the gravity direction, and the waste ink at the time of manual ink removal is installed in the second position of the (replaceable) waste ink cartridge. It is configured to be collected by being installed at a position.

  In the present invention, it is possible to eliminate the annoyance of requiring a dedicated container for collecting waste ink when performing manual ink removal.

  An embodiment of an ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an ink jet recording apparatus. In FIG. 1, an ink jet recording apparatus 1 houses various components and members. The ink jet recording apparatus 1 is fixed so as to straddle the upper ends of the two mounts 180 and 180 arranged to face each other. Two support plates (not shown) facing each other at a predetermined interval are fixed inside. Between each support plate, a cylindrical carriage rail 16 extending in the main scanning direction (arrow B direction) perpendicular to the conveyance direction (arrow A direction and sub-scanning direction) in which the recording medium is conveyed is provided. A housing (not shown) is arranged. In addition, both ends in the longitudinal direction of the housing are fixed to the support plates.

  The carriage 200 has a substantially C-shaped sliding groove (not shown), and the carriage rail 16 is fitted into the sliding groove so as to be able to reciprocate in the direction of arrow B in FIG.

  As the reciprocating drive, the inkjet recording apparatus 1 is provided with a drive motor (not shown) and pulleys (not shown) at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the carriage rail 16, respectively. Is covered with an endless belt 270. A carriage 200 is fixed to a part of the endless belt 270.

  The drive motor is controlled based on a drive control pulse signal transmitted from a carriage conveyance drive control unit (not shown). Accordingly, when the drive motor is driven at a predetermined timing and the pulley rotates, the carriage 200 reciprocates in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 1 together with the endless belt 270. During this reciprocation, the carriage 200 is guided by the carriage rail 16.

  The carriage 200 is equipped with a print head 201 for each color such as yellow, magenta, cyan, black, light cyan, and light magenta. The print head 201 is connected to the supply unit 320 by a supply tube 335 for each color, and printing is enabled when ink is sent to the print head 201. Further, all of the supply tube 335 is bundled by a caterpillar 260 so that the supply tube 335 does not get out of order when the carriage 200 reciprocates.

  A drive pulse signal is sent to the print head 201 from a print head control unit (not shown) that controls the print head 201. This drive pulse signal is formed based on the image data, and the print head 201 is controlled to eject ink at a predetermined timing based on this drive pulse signal.

  Next, the ink supply system of the present invention will be described.

  2 is a schematic diagram of the ink flow path of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the supply unit 320 and the waste ink cartridge, FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the waste ink cartridge, and FIG. 5 is a second installation position of the waste ink cartridge. The schematic diagram of the state installed in is shown. FIG. 2 schematically shows one color as in the conventional example. 2 to 5, reference numeral 60 denotes a replaceable waste ink cartridge, which has an absorber 65 inside and has a box shape, and waste ink from the recovery unit 300 flows into the absorber 65 from the hole on the upper surface. It is configured to be absorbed and retained. The waste ink cartridge 60 is normally installed at the first installation position (below the recovery unit 300). The installation is performed by inserting the waste ink cartridge 60 into the ink tray 90 having a cavity inside, and the side portion of the waste ink cartridge 60 is latched by the resin spring portion 91 of the ink tray 90 at the installation position. Thus, the memory unit 66 described later comes into contact with a contact of the ink tray 90 and is electrically connected. Further, the waste ink cartridge 60 has a memory unit 66 made of a non-volatile recording medium, stores the amount of waste ink that has flowed into the waste ink cartridge 60, and is close to the storage capacity of the waste ink cartridge 60. It is controlled to urge the replacement or to prohibit the operation of the device when it is full. Then, the side of the waste ink cartridge 60 has a hooking portion 62 for installation at the second setting position 95 (FIG. 4), and the hooking portion 62 is hooked on a rib 85 of a supply base 80 described later. Installation at the second installation position 95 is performed.

  Reference numeral 70 denotes a tube joint, which has a three-part structure in which a rubber joint 70b is press-fitted between supply tubes 335 press-fitted into the plastic joints 70a and 70c. At the time of manual ink removal, the plastic joint 70a and the rubber joint 70b are separated. Reference numeral 80 denotes a supply table that supports the supply unit 320, and has a rib 85 for installing a waste ink cartridge (second installation position).

  In such a configuration, a manual ink discharging operation will be described.

  First, the waste ink cartridge 60 is pulled in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 3 to be removed from the ink tray 90 and installed at the second installation position 95 beside the supply table 80. The installation is performed by inserting the waste ink cartridge 60 hook 62 into the supply base 80 rib 85 (state shown in FIG. 5).

  Then, the print head 201 is removed, and the plastic joint 70a and the rubber joint 70b of the tube joint 70 are removed, whereby the supply tube 335 is cut off, and the plastic joint 70a is moved to the upper surface hole of the waste ink cartridge 60. (State of FIG. 5).

  In a state where the waste ink cartridge 60 is installed at the second installation position 95, the waste ink cartridge 60 is lower than the tube joint 70 in the gravity direction as well as the print head 201. Therefore, the supply tube is caused by its own weight. Ink 335 flows down toward the tube joint 70. Further, in order to improve the workability of detaching the tube joint 70, the supply tube 335 is incorporated in the vicinity of the tube joint 70 with a slack in advance.

  When all the ink has been removed, the supply tube 335 is connected by connecting the plastic joint 70a and the rubber joint 70b of the tube joint 70 in the opposite direction.

  Since the rubber joint 70b is formed of rubber which is an elastic member, the connection of the tube joint 70 can be maintained by the elastic force of the rubber.

  Then, the waste ink cartridge 60 is removed from the second installation position 95 and returned to the ink tray 90 (first installation position), and the operation is completed.

  As described above, when manual ink is drained, the (replaceable) waste ink cartridge 60 is installed at the second installation position so that the waste ink flows through the waste ink cartridge 60. The trouble of having to prepare a special container can be eliminated.

Schematic diagram of the inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention Ink flow path diagram of the present invention Schematic diagram of supply unit and waste ink cartridge of the present invention Schematic diagram of waste ink cartridge of the present invention Schematic diagram of supply unit and waste ink cartridge of the present invention Schematic diagram of a conventional inkjet recording apparatus Schematic diagram of a conventional inkjet recording apparatus Conventional ink flow chart

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inkjet recording device 60 Waste ink cartridge 62 Hook part 70 Tube joint 80 Supply stand 85 Rib 95 Waste ink cartridge 2nd installation position

Claims (2)

In an inkjet recording apparatus comprising a print head, a supply unit for supplying ink to the print head, and a replaceable waste ink cartridge, wherein the print head and the supply unit are connected by a supply tube.
A tube joint capable of connecting / disconnecting the supply tube in the middle of the print head and the supply unit and at a position below the print head in the direction of gravity;
An ink jet comprising: a first installation position that receives waste ink from a recovery unit; and a second installation position that is located near the tube joint and below the gravitational direction as the installation position of the waste ink cartridge. Recording device.   2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the waste ink cartridge is installed at the second installation position by a hook provided on the waste ink cartridge.

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