JP2006315269A - Inkjet recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To adequately wipe ejection nozzle faces of a plurality of recording heads by means of wipers of which the number is smaller than that of the recording heads. <P>SOLUTION: This inkjet recorder comprises a carriage 6 having mounted thereon the plurality of recording heads 31 for performing recording on a recording medium by ejecting ink, the wipers 8 for wiping the recording heads 31 by virtue of the movement of the carriage 6, and a wiper cleaner 9 for cleaning the wipers 8. The number of wipers 8 is made to be smaller than that of the recording heads 31. The wipers 8 are cleaned by the wiper cleaner 9 just before the wipers 8 wipe the recording heads 31. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an inkjet recording apparatus that records by discharging ink from a plurality of recording heads to a recording material.

  There are various recording methods for recording apparatuses that record on a recording material such as recording paper based on image information. As one of them, an ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording by ejecting ink from an ejection port provided in a recording head is used. The recording apparatus can be classified into a serial type and a line type according to the scanning method of the recording head. In the serial type, recording of the entire recording material is performed by alternately repeating recording for one line to be recorded while performing main scanning in a direction intersecting the conveyance direction of the recording material and conveyance for one line of the recording material. Done. On the other hand, in the line type, the entire recording material is recorded while alternately repeating line recording for collectively recording one line and conveyance for one line.

  The ink jet recording apparatus is configured to supply ink from an ink tank to a recording head through an ink flow path, and to discharge ink droplets from fine discharge ports by driving the recording head based on image information. In such an ink jet recording apparatus, if ink or dust adheres to the vicinity of the ejection opening or bubbles are included in the ink in the ejection opening, the ink ejection direction becomes unstable or ink ejection failure occurs. Or the quality of the recorded image may deteriorate. For the purpose of preventing this, a cleaning mechanism for maintaining and recovering the discharge performance by wiping the discharge port surface of the recording head or refreshing the ink in the discharge port is mounted.

  The wiping of the discharge port surface mainly prevents disturbance in the discharge direction, and is performed using a wiper that is in sliding contact with the discharge port surface. As the wiper, a blade-like member made of an elastic material such as urethane rubber is usually used. The wiping performance of the wiper depends on the material and the shape structure, but in order to maintain the performance, it is preferable to clean the wiper wiping surface. For this reason, a wiper cleaner that scrapes off deposits such as ink adhering to the wiper is provided. In a serial type ink jet recording apparatus, a discharge head surface is wiped by using a movement of a carriage mounted with a recording head and moving along a recording material. In this case, the wiper cleaner is provided integrally with the carriage.

In an ink jet recording apparatus using a plurality of recording heads mounted on a carriage, when wiping a plurality of recording heads with a single wiper, ink wiped from one recording head ejection port surface is discharged to the ejection port surface of another recording head. Adhesion (transfer) may cause ejection failure or ink color mixture. For this reason, in the case of using a plurality of recording heads, a configuration is adopted in which individual wipers are provided for each recording head to prevent ink transfer between the recording heads (for example, Patent Document 1).
USP (US Patent) 6165257

  However, in the conventional inkjet recording apparatus using a plurality of recording heads, wipers for wiping the recording heads are provided for each recording head, so that the wiper and its driving mechanism are complicated and large, leading to an increase in cost, There is a disadvantage that miniaturization is hindered due to an increase in parts space.

  The present invention has been made in view of such technical problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus that can wipe off a plurality of recording heads with a smaller number of wipers than the number of recording heads. That is.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention provides a carriage that reciprocates by mounting a plurality of recording heads that discharge ink to record on a recording material, a wiper that wipes the recording head by the movement of the carriage, And an wiper cleaner for cleaning the wiper, wherein the number of wipers is selected to be less than the number of the recording heads, and the wiper cleaner is immediately before the wiper wipes the recording head. The wiper is cleaned.

  According to the present invention, the number of wipers for wiping the recording head is selected to be smaller than the number of recording heads, and the wiper wipes the recording head immediately before wiping the recording head. Provided is an ink jet recording apparatus that can wipe off a plurality of recording heads with a smaller number of wipers than the number of heads.

  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. In addition, when a plurality of similar parts or parts are indicated by adding symbols to the same numbers, when referring to all or arbitrary ones, the symbols are omitted and only the numbers are indicated. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of an ink jet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied. In FIG. 1, the illustrated inkjet recording apparatus includes a paper feed unit 201, a transport unit 202, a recording mechanism unit (scanning unit) 203, and a recovery mechanism unit (cleaning mechanism unit) 204. The paper supply unit supplies a recording material such as recording paper into the apparatus main body. The transport unit transports the recording material through the apparatus main body. The recording mechanism unit records an image on the recording material based on the image information. The recovery mechanism unit maintains and recovers the ink ejection performance of the recording head in order to maintain the image quality to be recorded.

  Recording materials such as recording sheets stacked on the sheet feeding unit 201 are separated one by one by a sheet feeding roller driven by a sheet feeding motor and fed to the conveying unit 202. The recording material fed to the conveyance unit 202 is conveyed through the recording unit by a conveyance roller 221 and a pinch roller 222 driven by a conveyance motor. In the recording unit, the recording material is recorded by the recording mechanism unit 203. The recording of the recording material is performed by driving the recording head 3 mounted on the carriage moving in the main scanning direction based on the image information and discharging ink from the discharge port of the recording head. The recorded recording material is discharged out of the apparatus main body by a discharge roller 223 driven in synchronization with the transport roller 221 and a spur pressed by the discharge roller 223.

  The recording mechanism unit 203 includes a carriage 6 guided and supported so as to be reciprocally movable in the main scanning direction, and a plurality (two) of recording cartridges 3A and 3B mounted on the carriage. The carriage 6 is guided and supported so as to be able to reciprocate along guide rails installed in the apparatus main body. The carriage 6 is driven to reciprocate via a carriage belt 224 by a carriage motor. The movement of the recording mechanism unit 203 is controlled by detecting the position and speed with an encoder sensor mounted on the carriage 6 and an encoder scale 225 stretched on the apparatus main body side. Recording of the entire recording material is performed by repeating the recording operation of the recording cartridge 3 synchronized with the movement of the carriage 6 (main scanning) and the conveyance (sub-scanning) of the recording material.

  The recovery mechanism unit 204 is for maintaining and recovering the quality of the recorded image normally by eliminating clogging of the ejection openings of the recording head 31 (FIGS. 2 and 3). The recovery mechanism section includes a capping unit for covering the ejection port, a suction unit such as a pump for sucking ink from the ejection port, a wiping unit for wiping the ejection port surface, and the like. The recovery mechanism unit 204 of the present embodiment includes a slider 7 that can move over a predetermined range as the carriage 6 enters the recovery mechanism unit as shown in FIG. The caps 1 </ b> A and 1 </ b> B for capping means and the wiper 8 for wiping means are mounted on a slider 7. Details of the slider 7 will be described later.

  In the present embodiment, a plurality of (two) recording cartridges 3 are mounted on the carriage 6, and each recording cartridge is composed of an ink cartridge in which a recording head 31 and an ink tank are integrated. That is, the recording head 31 is provided as a part of the ink cartridge 3. 2A and 2B show a color recording cartridge 3A using a plurality of colors of ink, wherein FIG. 2A is a perspective view seen from above, and FIG. 2B is a perspective view seen from below. FIG. 3 shows a one-color recording cartridge 3B using one color ink, (a) is a perspective view seen from above, and (b) is a perspective view seen from below.

  2 and 3, a pair of ribs 32a and 32b are provided on the tops of the recording cartridges 3A and 3B. Each recording cartridge is fixed to the carriage 6 by engaging a head set 62 described later with these ribs. Is done. A color recording head 31A is provided below the recording cartridge 3A, and a recording head 31B for one color (for example, black) is provided below the recording cartridge 3B. Both sides of the lower part of each recording cartridge 3 are stepped and narrow in width. The step portion 53 constitutes a space for providing a guide for mounting the recording cartridge 3 on the carriage 6 and a wiper cleaner 9 described later.

  Three rows of ejection port arrays 52 are formed on the ejection port surface 51 of the color recording head 31A. These ejection port arrays can eject, for example, three colors of ink of cyan, magenta, and yellow. Further, the recording head 31A may be exchangeable with one capable of ejecting light cyan, light magenta and black ink. Each of the plurality of recording heads 31 is configured by a recording head that discharges ink of different colors.

  Only one ejection port array 52 is formed on the ejection port surface 51 of the recording head 31B. Although there is only one type of ink in the recording cartridge 3B, its capacity can be about three times the capacity of each color of the recording cartridge 3A. For this reason, if it is assigned to black ink that is relatively frequently used, the use efficiency of the recording cartridge can be increased. Therefore, monochrome printing and color printing are widely performed by combining a recording cartridge filled with black ink and a recording cartridge filled with cyan, magenta, and yellow ink.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the carriage on which the recording cartridge shown in FIG. 1 is not mounted as seen from the front side. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a carriage loaded with a plurality of recording cartridges as viewed from the front side. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the carriage of FIG. 5 viewed from below. The carriage 6 is provided with head sets 62A and 62B for fixing the recording cartridges, and head contacts 61A and 61B for supplying power from the main substrate and transmitting and receiving signals to the recording heads 31.

  Each of the headsets 62 is attached to the upper portion of the carriage 6 so as to be hooked on the rib 32 on the upper portion of the recording cartridge 3 to fix the recording cartridge. That is, when the recording cartridge is inserted into the carriage 6, a headset spring (not shown) is elastically deformed and the headset 62 is pushed away. When the recording cartridge is pushed into it and the critical point of the pushing load is exceeded, the recording cartridge is pulled into the carriage by the headset. Then, the headset 62 is hooked on the rib 32 by the force of the headset spring, and the recording cartridge is positioned and fixed to the carriage.

  In FIG. 4, the surfaces 63 </ b> A and 63 </ b> B of the carriage 6 are surfaces that come into contact with the transport direction positioning surface on the top of the recording cartridge 3. The surfaces 66 </ b> A and 66 </ b> B of the carriage 6 are surfaces that come into contact with the vertical positioning surface provided at the lower portion of the recording cartridge 3. The carriage surfaces 65 </ b> A and 65 </ b> B are surfaces that come into contact with the conveyance direction positioning surface on the opposite side of the recording cartridge. The carriage surfaces 64A and 64B are surfaces that contact the positioning surface in the main scanning direction of the recording cartridge. Each of the positioning surfaces 63 to 66 is formed in a substantially symmetrical position, and the plurality of recording cartridges 3 are mounted on the carriage 6 by these surfaces 63 to 66 as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the slider 7 of the recovery mechanism 204 in FIG. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the main part of the recording mechanism 203 of the embodiment of the ink jet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied as viewed from below. FIG. 9 is a partial cross-sectional front view showing a state in which the slider 7 has moved to the wiper trigger position PA when the carriage 6 enters the recovery mechanism 204 in an embodiment of the ink jet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional side view taken along line 10-10 in FIG. FIG. 11 is a partial cross-sectional front view showing a state immediately before the wiper 8 starts wiping the recording head 31 when the carriage 6 (recording mechanism unit 203) reversely moves toward the recording area from the state of FIG. It is.

  In FIG. 7, caps 1A and 1B corresponding to recording heads 31A and 31B are held by cap holders 2A and 2B. Each cap holder is mounted so as to be vertically movable with respect to the slider by a cap spring (not shown). The inside of each cap 1 is connected to a negative pressure generating means (suction pump) (not shown) via a tube (not shown) attached to the cap holder. The cap 1 is formed of a rubber-like elastic body that forms an internal space having a contact sealing surface around the cap 1. When the suction pump is operated with the cap 1 covering the ejection port array 52 of the recording head, ink is sucked from the ejection port of each recording head by the negative pressure generated in each cap. The wiper 8 is formed of an elastic body such as a blade-like urethane rubber.

  The slider 7 is biased obliquely downward toward the recording area (to the left in FIG. 9) by a slider spring (tensile spring) 15 stretched between the base portion 13 (FIG. 1) of the apparatus main body. Has been. Bar-shaped protrusions (shaft portions) 7b are provided at a total of four locations, two on each side of the slider 7. These shaft portions 7b are in contact with upper surfaces of slider cams 13a and 13b provided on the base portion 13 as shown in FIGS. That is, the slider 7 can move in the carriage movement direction while controlling the vertical position along the cam surfaces 13a and 13b in a state where the shaft portions 7b are in contact with the slider cams 13a and 13b on both sides by the slider spring 15. It is installed.

  The slider 7 is provided with an abutting portion 7 a with which the side surface of the carriage 6 that has entered the recovery mechanism portion 204 abuts. As the carriage abuts against the abutting portion 7a, the slider 7 moves following the movement of the carriage. A wiper 8 for wiping the ejection port surface 51 of the recording head 31 is attached to the end of the slider 7 opposite to the abutting portion 7a. The slider 7 is equipped with a lock lever 16 that can rotate in a vertical plane that intersects the carriage movement direction. As shown in FIG. 10, the lock lever 16 is rotatably supported by a support shaft 16e at an intermediate portion thereof, and can be rotated in the direction of a double arrow T about the support shaft 16e. The lower end portion 16 a of the lock lever 16 can be engaged with the lock surface 13 d of the base portion 13.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, in an inkjet recording apparatus in which a plurality of recording heads that discharge ink and record on a recording material are mounted on a carriage, a wiper that wipes the recording head by moving the carriage and a wiper that wipes the wiper A cleaner is provided, the number of wipers is selected to be smaller than the number of recording heads, and the wiper is wiped with a wiper cleaner immediately before wiping the recording head. This will be specifically described below.

  In FIG. 8, wiper cleaners 9 </ b> A and 9 </ b> B for cleaning foreign matter such as ink and dust adhering to the wiper 8 are provided below the carriage 6. These wiper cleaners are arranged using a space formed by the stepped portion 53 on the side portion of the recording head. Here, the wiper cleaner 9A is provided at a position immediately before the wiper 8 enters the ejection port surface 51 of the recording head 31A, that is, a proximity position on the recording area side of the recording head 31A. One wiper cleaner 9B is provided at a position immediately before the wiper 8 enters the ejection port surface 51 of the recording head 31B, that is, a proximity position on the recording area side of the recording head 31B.

  Each wiper parker 9 includes a ridge line part (edge part) 91 and a flat part 92. Each of the ridge lines 91A and 91B is formed in a direction substantially orthogonal to the entry direction of the wiper 8, and is formed so as to scrape off foreign matters such as ink and dust adhering to the wiper. The wiper 8 on the slider 7 overlaps the wiper cleaners 9A and 9B by the entry distance S as shown in FIG. 10 during the wiping operation for wiping the discharge port surface 51. The portions other than the edge-shaped ridge lines 91A and 91B of the wiper cleaners 9A and 9B are configured by flat surfaces 92A and 92B so as not to damage the wiper 8 that comes into contact therewith.

  As shown in FIG. 8, wiper passage surfaces 93 </ b> A, 93 </ b> B, 93 </ b> C, 93 </ b> D with which the wiper 8 can come in contact with the wiper cleaners 9 </ b> A, 9 </ b> B at the lower part of the carriage 6. Each wiper passage surface has a concave shape. In the illustrated example, wiper passage surfaces 93A and 93B are formed on both sides of the recording head 31A of the carriage 6 between the wiper cleaners 9A and 9B, and the wiper passage surfaces are adjacent to both sides of the recording head 31B. 93C and 93D are formed. The concave portions of each wiper passage surface are formed by curved surfaces having curvature radii of a certain value or more, and are configured so that foreign matters such as ink are not held after the wiper 8 contacts. The radius of curvature of each corner is preferably 0.3 mm or more.

  Next, an operation when the carriage 6 enters the recovery mechanism unit 204 and reversely moves will be described. 9 to 11, when the carriage enters the recovery mechanism portion, the side surface of the carriage 6 comes into contact with the abutting portion 7 a of the slider 7. When the carriage further moves in the entry direction, the slider 7 similarly moves in the arrow U direction in conjunction with the movement of the carriage 6. At this time, the slider 7 gradually rises along the slider cams 13a and 13b, and also moves in the direction of arrow W toward the recording heads 31A and 31B.

  A lock lever 16 is pivotally supported on the slider 7 at an intermediate portion thereof so as to be rotatable about a support shaft 16e in a direction intersecting the carriage movement direction (direction of a double arrow T in FIG. 10). The lock lever 16 is urged by an elastic member such as a spring in the radial direction or the thrust direction with respect to the support shaft 16e, and unless the external force torque of a predetermined value or more acts, the lock lever 16 is rotated at a constant speed by a frictional force (rotational frictional resistance). Held in the moving position. Before the recording mechanism unit 203 enters the recovery mechanism unit 204, the lock lever 16 is in an inclined position where the lower end portion 16a can come into contact with the recording mechanism unit.

  When the recording mechanism unit 203 moves to the wiper trigger position PA shown in FIG. 9 (indicated by the relationship between the protruding portion 7b and the slider cams 13a and 13b), the contact portion (not shown) of the recording mechanism unit is the upper end of the lock lever. Press 16a. Accordingly, the lock lever is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 10, and the lower end portion 16 a is rotated to the lock position (vertical position) where the lock lever 13 is engaged with the lock surface 13 c of the base portion 13. In this lock position, the lower end 16a of the lock lever 16 is engaged with the lock surface 13c, so that the slider 7 is held at a height position (wiping position) suitable for the wiper 8 to wipe the discharge port surface ( Locked). That is, the position of the slider 7 in the W direction is set to a position where the entry amount S of the wiper 8 with respect to the recording heads 31A and 31B is determined (preparation for the wiping operation is completed) as shown in FIGS.

  The recording mechanism 203 and the slider 7 are further movable in the direction of arrow U (the approach direction) from the position shown in FIG. When the slider 7 is further raised and moved to a capping position PB set at a predetermined position in the back (indicated by the relationship between the protruding portion 7b and the slider cams 13a and 13b), the caps 1A and 1B incorporated in the slider 7 are respectively The recording heads 31 </ b> A and 31 </ b> B are brought into pressure contact with the discharge port surfaces 51 to be in a capping state for protecting the respective discharge ports 52.

  Even when the recording mechanism 203 is moved to the capping position PB, the lock lever 16 remains held in a vertical posture (lock position) as shown in FIG. Therefore, when the recording mechanism portion reverses the moving direction and returns to the wiper trigger position PA, the lower end portion 16 a of the lock lever 16 engages with the lock surface 13 c of the base portion 13. Accordingly, when the discharge port surface 51 is wiped with the wiper 8 by using the return movement of the recording mechanism (movement in the direction opposite to the arrow U) as will be described later with reference to FIG. The overlap amount S) is kept constant without changing.

  When the carriage 6 reverses the moving direction and moves toward the recording area through the wiper trigger position PA, the lock lever 16 in the vertical posture comes into contact (engagement) with the lock surface 13c, as shown in FIG. The slider 7 is locked at the wiper trigger position. For this reason, the recording mechanism section is separated from the slider 7. As the recording mechanism further moves toward the recording area, the wiper 8 starts to enter the recording mechanism, and a wiping operation (wiping operation) for each recording head 31 is started.

  As described above with reference to FIG. 8, the wiper cleaners 9 </ b> A and 9 </ b> B are provided in the lower portion of the carriage 6 at positions immediately before the recording heads 31 </ b> A and 31 </ b> B in the wiper entry direction. The wiper cleaner 9A is composed of a flat part 92A and a ridge line part (edge part) 91A in a direction intersecting the carriage movement direction, and the wiper cleaner 9B is similarly composed of a flat part 92B and a ridge line part 91B. In the wiping operation, the wiper 8 first enters the wiper cleaner 9A, and foreign matter such as residual ink and dust adhering to the wiper is wiped off by the edge portion 91A.

  The wiper 8 cleaned by the wiper cleaner 9 </ b> A enters the recording head 31 </ b> A through a concave wiper passage surface 93 </ b> A provided at the lower portion of the carriage 6, and passes while wiping the discharge port surface 51. Thus, the discharge port surface of the recording head 31 </ b> A is always wiped by the cleaned wiper 8. For this reason, the ejection port surface is maintained in a state in which ink can be properly ejected without causing foreign color such as ink and dust to be effectively removed and causing color mixing with different inks. At this time, foreign matter such as ink may adhere to the wiper 8 due to the wiping operation.

  When the scanning unit 203 further moves in the direction opposite to the arrow U, the wiper 8 passes while contacting the wiper passage surface 93B, and enters the wiper cleaner 9B provided between the two recording heads 31A and 31B. Here, as with the wiper passage surface 93A, the wiper passage surface 93B is also formed of a curved surface with a curvature radius of 0.3 mm or more, so that even after the wiper passes, The adhered foreign matter such as ink is hardly transferred and held in the concave portion of the wiper passage surface 93B. The wiper 8 that has entered the wiper cleaner 9B scrapes off foreign matters such as ink adhering when the recording head 31A is wiped off by the edge-shaped ridgeline portion 91B.

  The wiper 8 whose surface has been wiped (cleaned) by the wiper cleaner 9B enters the recording head 31B via the wiper passage surface 93C similar to the above, and passes through the discharge port surface while rubbing. Thus, the discharge port surface of the recording head 31B is always wiped (wiped and cleaned) by the cleaned wiper 8. Therefore, the discharge port surface is also effectively removed of foreign matters such as ink and dust, and is maintained in a state where ink can be properly discharged without causing the problem of color mixing due to different inks. When the carriage 6 further moves toward the recording area, the unlocking protrusion 67 (FIGS. 4 and 10) provided on the recording mechanism (such as the carriage) abuts on the upper end 16b of the lock lever 16, Press this. Then, the lock lever 16 rotates about the support shaft 16e in the clockwise direction in FIG. 10, and is returned to the original release position (the lock position). As a result, the slider 7 is returned along the slider cams 13 a and 13 b by the slider spring 15, and is returned to the position where the wiper 8 is completely retracted from the scanning unit 203.

  According to the embodiment described above, the number of wipers 8 is selected to be smaller (one) than the number (two) of the recording heads 31, and the wiper cleaners 9 </ b> A and 9 </ b> B are arranged such that the wipers use the ejection port surface of the recording head. Since the wiper is wiped immediately before wiping, the number of wipers is smaller than the number of recording heads, does not hinder downsizing of the device, does not increase costs, and does not cause ink color mixing. It becomes possible to wipe off the discharge port surfaces of the plurality of recording heads satisfactorily.

  Further, a wiper passage surface 93 made of a concave portion is provided in a region other than the discharge port surface and the wiper cleaner at the lower part of the recording mechanism unit 203, and the region where the wiper 8 can contact or come into contact during the wiping operation. Since all the corners of the concave portion are curved surfaces having a curvature radius of 0.3 mm or more, foreign matters such as ink adhering to the wiper by the wiping operation are transferred to the recording mechanism side (wiper passage surface) and held and accumulated. Therefore, it is possible to prevent ink from dropping from the recording mechanism section to the recording material during the recording operation.

  In the above embodiment, the case where two recording heads are wiped with one wiper has been described as an example. However, the present invention has three or more recording heads and the number of wipers is recorded. The present invention can be similarly applied to a case where the number of heads is one or more than the number of heads, and the same effects can be obtained. Further, the plurality of recording heads may be recording heads using different color inks, recording heads using the same color and different concentrations of ink, or a combination of these recording heads.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the wiper is mounted on the slider together with the cap has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to any other wiping mechanism as long as the wiper and the recording head are relatively moved. Can be implemented. That is, the present invention can be similarly applied to a configuration in which the recording head is moved with respect to the fixed wiper, a configuration in which the wiper is moved with respect to the fixed recording head, or a configuration in which both are moved. It is possible to achieve the same effect.

1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of an inkjet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 shows a color recording cartridge using a plurality of colors of ink used in the ink jet recording apparatus of FIG. 1, (a) is a perspective view seen from above, and (b) is a perspective view seen from below. FIG. 2 shows a one-color recording cartridge using one color ink used in the ink jet recording apparatus of FIG. 1, wherein (a) is a perspective view seen from above, and (b) is a perspective view seen from below. . FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a carriage on which a recording cartridge is not mounted in FIG. 1 as viewed from the front side. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a carriage on which a plurality of recording cartridges are mounted as viewed from the front side. It is the perspective view which looked at the carriage of Drawing 5 from the lower part. It is a perspective view which shows the slider in which the cap of the recovery mechanism part in FIG. 1, a wiper, etc. were integrated. It is the perspective view which looked at the principal part of the recording mechanism part of one Embodiment of the inkjet recording device to which this invention was applied from the downward direction. FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional front view showing a state in which the slider has moved to a wiper trigger position when the carriage enters the recovery mechanism in one embodiment of the ink jet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied. It is the partial cross section side view seen from the line 10-10 in FIG. FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional front view showing a state immediately before the wiper wipes the ejection port surface of the recording head by the wiper when the carriage reversely moves toward the recording area from the state of FIG. 9.

Explanation of symbols

1 (1A, 1B) Cap 2 (2A, 2B) Cap holder 3 (3A, 3B) Recording cartridge (recording means)
6 Carriage 7 Slider 7a Abutting part 7b Protruding part (shaft part)
8 Wiper 9 (9A, 9B) Wiper liner 13 Base (device body)
13a, 13b Slider cam (cam surface)
13d Lock surface 15 Slider spring 16 Lock lever 16a Lower end portion 16b Upper end portion 16e Spindle 31 (31A, 31B) Recording head 51 Discharge port surface 52 Discharge port array 53 Stepped portion 61 (61A, 61B) Head contact 62 (62A, 62B) ) Headset 67 Protrusion 91 (91A, 91B) for releasing the lock lever Ridge (edge)
92 (92A, 92B) Plane portion 93 (93A, 93B, 93C, 93D) Wiper passage surface 201 Paper feed portion 202 Conveyance portion 203 Recording mechanism portion (scanning unit)
204 Recovery mechanism (cleaning mechanism)
PA wiper trigger position PB capping position S wiper entry amount (overlap amount)
T Rotation direction of the lock lever

Claims (6)

A carriage that reciprocates by mounting a plurality of recording heads that eject ink and records on a recording material; a wiper that wipes the recording head by movement of the carriage; and a wiper cleaner that cleans the wiper. In the inkjet recording apparatus,
The number of wipers is selected to be less than the number of recording heads,
The inkjet recording apparatus, wherein the wiper cleaner cleans the wiper immediately before the wiper wipes the recording head.   The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wiper cleaner is provided on the carriage.   The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wiper cleaner includes a ridge line part and a flat part provided on the carriage.   Forming a wiper passage surface comprising a recess in a region other than the recording head and the wiper cleaner and passing through the wiper, and setting a radius of curvature of all corners of the wiper passage surface to 0.3 mm or more. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein   5. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of recording heads is a recording head that discharges pigment ink or dye ink of a different color.   6. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording head is provided in an ink cartridge integrated with an ink tank.

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