JP2008238692A - Reutilizing method for waste ink, and recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize a recording apparatus which can efficiently use a curl-preventing liquid as a consumable. <P>SOLUTION: A first separating unit 15 removes a coloring material from waste ink which is thrown away from an ink jetting head 12 for the front surface. The solvent (the waste ink after the coloring material has been removed) which is obtained by removing the coloring material from the waste ink is fed to a curl-preventing liquid tank 21 for the front surface by a pump 16. The coloring material which has been removed from the waste ink is fed to a waste liquid tank 17. A second separating unit 35 removes a coloring material from a waste ink which is thrown away from an ink jetting head 32 for the rear surface. A solvent which is obtained by removing the coloring material from the waste ink is fed to a curl-preventing liquid tank 41 for the rear surface by a pump 36. The coloring material which has been removed from the waste ink is fed to the waste liquid tank 17. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for reusing waste ink generated in a recording apparatus that ejects ink onto a recording material, an anti-curl liquid on the back side of a portion of the recording material that ejects ink and ejects ink on the recording material. The present invention relates to a recording apparatus that performs recording by ejecting a nozzle.

In a recording apparatus that performs recording by ejecting ink onto the recording surface of a recording material, curling, wavy deformation, and the like that occur in the recording material due to ink ejection become a problem. As a conventional technique capable of reducing such curling and undulation deformation of the recording material, for example, an anti-curling liquid made of a transparent aqueous liquid or aqueous ink is sprayed on the back side of the portion of the recording material where the ink is ejected. Recording apparatuses that execute recording are known. The stress relaxation caused by the ink jetted on one side of the recording material balances with the stress relaxation caused by the anti-curl liquid jetted on the other side, thereby reducing the curl or the like generated on the recording material ( For example, see Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-216389

  However, since the anti-curl liquid is ejected to a large part on the back side of the portion where the ink of the recording material is ejected, when recording on the recording material, the amount of the ink is substantially the same as the total ejection amount of each color ink. The anti-curl solution may be consumed. Therefore, in such a recording apparatus, an enormous amount of anti-curl liquid is consumed, and the cartridges filled with the anti-curl liquid must be replaced more frequently than the replacement frequency of each color ink cartridge or the like. Things that must be done can occur. In this case, if the cartridge or the like filled with the anti-curl solution is enlarged, the replacement frequency is lowered, but there arises a problem that the recording apparatus is increased in size.

  The ink forms dots on the recording surface of the recording material to form an image or the like, whereas the anti-curling liquid exclusively prevents the recording material from curling or wavy deformation after recording. Therefore, it is not indispensable for executing recording by the recording apparatus. That is, a recording apparatus using an anti-curl solution has a higher recording cost than the recording apparatus that does not use an anti-curl solution. For these reasons, it has been desired to develop a recording apparatus that can efficiently use an anti-curl solution as a consumable.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to realize a recording apparatus that can efficiently use an anti-curl solution as a consumable.

  In order to achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present invention is a method of reusing waste ink generated in a recording apparatus that ejects ink onto a recording material, wherein the color material is removed from the collected waste ink, The waste ink after removing the material is reused as an anti-curl liquid ejected on the back side of the portion of the recording material on which the ink is ejected.

  In a recording apparatus that ejects ink onto a recording material, waste ink is usually generated from an ink ejecting head due to its configuration. In order to prevent the ink supplied from the ink tank, ink cartridge, etc. to the ink ejecting head from thickening over time, this waste ink is periodically contained in a cap called flushing. This is caused by throwing ink into an ink absorbing material or the like.

  In addition, in order to eliminate clogging of the ink ejection nozzles disposed on the head surface of the ink ejection head, waste ink is also generated during head cleaning in which the head surface of the ink ejection head is sealed with a cap or the like for suction. It will be. Furthermore, waste ink is also generated when borderless recording is performed while discarding ink outside the recording material. In the conventional recording apparatus, the waste ink is generally accumulated in a waste ink tank, an ink absorbing material, or the like in the recording apparatus and discarded as it is.

  Here, black ink and cyan, magenta, yellow, and other color inks used in a recording apparatus that ejects ink onto a recording material are mainly composed of a coloring material such as a dye or a pigment and a solvent such as a transparent aqueous solution. Liquid. That is, the waste ink generated from the ink ejecting head includes a color material of each color ink and a solvent such as a transparent aqueous solution. Therefore, a solvent such as a transparent aqueous solution can be obtained by removing the color material from the waste ink. That is, the waste ink after the color material is removed can be reused as an anti-curl liquid ejected to the back side of the portion of the recording material on which the ink is ejected.

  As described above, according to the method for reusing waste ink described in the first aspect of the present invention, waste ink that has been conventionally discarded can be reused as an anti-curl solution. The effect that the recording apparatus which can use an prevention liquid efficiently can be implement | achieved is acquired.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the waste ink recycling method according to the first aspect described above, a step of separating the waste ink into a coloring material and a solvent by electrophoresis, and a step of taking out the separated solvent A method for reusing waste ink, characterized in that

  First, waste ink is separated into a color material and a solvent by electrophoresis. More specifically, by applying a DC high voltage to the waste ink, the negatively charged color material is moved to the positive electrode side by electrophoresis, and the waste ink is moved to the color material layer and the solvent layer. Can be separated. Then, by removing the solvent of the separated solvent layer, a solvent such as a transparent aqueous solution can be obtained from the waste ink, and it can be reused as an anti-curl solution.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording apparatus that performs recording by ejecting ink onto a recording surface of a recording material and ejecting an anti-curl liquid to a back side of the portion of the recording material that ejected ink. An ink ejection head that ejects ink onto a recording material, an anti-curl liquid ejection head that ejects anti-curl liquid onto the recording material, a recovery unit that recovers waste ink generated from the ink ejection head, and recovered waste ink The recording apparatus includes: a color material removing unit that removes the color material from the colorant; and a supply unit that supplies the waste ink after the color material is removed to the anti-curl liquid ejecting head.
According to the recording apparatus of the third aspect of the present invention, the recording is performed by ejecting ink onto the recording surface of the recording material and ejecting the anti-curl liquid on the back side of the portion of the recording material where the ink is ejected. In the recording apparatus, the operational effects of the invention described in the first aspect described above can be obtained.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the recording apparatus according to the third aspect, the color material removing unit includes a unit that separates waste ink into a color material and a solvent by electrophoresis, and a separated solvent. The recording apparatus has a taking-out means.
According to the recording apparatus of the fourth aspect of the present invention, the recording is performed by ejecting ink onto the recording surface of the recording material and ejecting the anti-curl liquid on the back side of the portion of the recording material where the ink is ejected. In the recording apparatus, the operational effects of the invention described in the second aspect described above can be obtained.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the recording apparatus according to the third aspect or the fourth aspect, a part of the anti-curl liquid sucked or discarded from the anti-curl liquid ejecting head is collected. A recording apparatus comprising: means for supplying to the anti-curl liquid ejecting head.
In this way, the anti-curl liquid sucked or discarded from the anti-curl liquid ejecting head is recovered without being discarded, supplied to the anti-curl liquid ejecting head, and reused. Accordingly, an effect of being able to use the curl prevention liquid as a consumable more efficiently can be obtained.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the recording apparatus according to any one of the third to fifth aspects described above, the front surface ink ejecting head and the anti-curl liquid ejecting head, and the back surface ink ejecting head and the curl. An anti-liquid ejecting head; a first collecting means for collecting waste ink generated from the front surface ink ejecting head; a second collecting means for recovering waste ink generated from the back surface ink ejecting head; A first color material removing means for removing the color material from the waste ink collected by the means, and a second color material removing means for removing the color material from the waste ink collected by the second collection means, wherein the supply means The waste ink after the color material is removed by the first color material removing means is supplied to the back anti-curl liquid jet head, and the waste ink after the color material is removed by the second color material removing means is the surface. Anti-curl liquid jet head for Supplies, it is a recording apparatus wherein.

  The amount of waste ink generated from the surface ink jet head during head cleaning, flushing, borderless recording, or the like increases or decreases in proportion to the amount of ink ejected from the surface ink jet head onto the surface of the recording material. Therefore, the amount of the solvent obtained in the first color material removing unit from the waste ink collected by the first collecting unit increases or decreases in proportion to the amount of ink ejected from the surface ink ejection head onto the surface of the recording material. Will be. Further, the anti-curl liquid is ejected from the anti-curl liquid ejecting head for the back side of the portion where the ink is ejected from the front ink ejecting head. Therefore, the amount of the anti-curl liquid consumed by the back-curl preventing liquid ejecting head increases or decreases approximately in proportion to the amount of ink ejected from the front-surface ink ejecting head onto the surface of the recording material.

  That is, both the amount of the solvent obtained in the first color material removing unit and the amount of the anti-curl liquid consumed by the back anti-curl liquid ejecting head are ejected from the front ink ejecting head onto the surface of the recording material. The ink volume increases or decreases in proportion to the amount of ink. Similarly, the amount of the solvent obtained in the second color material removing unit and the amount of the anti-curl liquid consumed by the front-surface anti-curl liquid ejecting head are both ejected from the back-side ink ejecting head onto the back surface of the recording material. Increases or decreases in proportion to the amount of ink that is applied.

  Accordingly, the solvent obtained by the first color material removing means (the solvent obtained by removing the color material from the waste ink generated from the front ink ejecting head) is prevented from being curled by the back anti-curl liquid ejecting head. The solvent reused as the liquid and obtained in the second color material removing means (the solvent obtained by removing the color material from the waste ink generated from the ink jet head for the back surface) is obtained from the anti-curl liquid jet head for the surface. Reuse as anti-curl liquid to be sprayed. As a result, the solvent obtained by removing the coloring material from the waste ink according to the consumption of the anti-curl liquid in each of the anti-curl liquid ejecting head for the front surface and the anti-curl liquid ejecting head for the back surface is used. It can be rationally distributed and reused for the prevention liquid ejection head and the anti-curl liquid ejection head for the back surface.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
First, a first embodiment of a double-sided printer 50 as a “recording apparatus” according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

<First embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a double-sided printer 50 according to the present invention.
The double-sided printer 50 has a configuration in which ink is ejected onto the recording surface of the recording paper P as a “recording material” and recording is performed by ejecting an anti-curl liquid on the back side of the portion of the recording paper P on which the ink has been ejected. is doing. The recording paper P fed to the double-sided printer 50 is ejected with ink and an anti-curl liquid on the front and back surfaces while being transported along the transport path A by the transport roller pairs 51 to 56, and is recorded and discharged. . The double-sided printer 50 includes a front surface ink ejecting head 12 that ejects ink onto the surface of the recording paper P, a front surface anti-curl liquid ejecting head 22 that ejects anti-curl liquid onto the surface of the recording paper P, and the back surface of the recording paper P. A back surface ink ejection head 32 that ejects ink on the back surface, and a back surface anti-curl liquid ejection head 42 that ejects an anti-curl liquid onto the back surface of the recording paper P.

  The front surface ink ejecting head 12 ejects ink supplied from the front surface ink tank 11 onto the surface of the recording paper P to form dots. The waste ink sucked into the cap 13 from the surface ink jet head 12 during head cleaning and flushing and the waste ink discarded into a discarding section (not shown) during borderless recording are “first recovery means”. Is sent to a first separation unit 15 to be described later.

  The back ink ejecting head 32 ejects ink supplied from the back ink tank 31 onto the back surface of the recording paper P to form dots. Waste ink sucked into the cap 33 from the back-side ink jet head 32 during head cleaning or flushing and waste ink discarded into a discarding section (not shown) during borderless recording are “second recovery means”. Is sent to a second separation unit 35 to be described later.

  The front-surface anti-curl liquid ejecting head 22 ejects the anti-curl liquid supplied from the front-surface anti-curl liquid tank 21 to the back side (front surface) of the portion where ink is to be ejected from the back-surface ink ejecting head 32. However, the anti-curl liquid is not ejected in the area where the ink is ejected on both the front surface and the back surface. The anti-curl liquid sucked into the cap 23 from the surface anti-curl liquid ejecting head 22 at the time of head cleaning and flushing and the anti-curl liquid discarded at the discard part (not shown) at the time of borderless recording are pump 24. To return to the anti-curl tank for surface 21.

  The back surface anti-curl liquid ejecting head 42 ejects the anti-curl liquid supplied from the back surface anti-curl liquid tank 41 to the back side (back surface) of the portion where the ink is ejected from the front surface ink ejecting head 12. However, the anti-curl liquid is not ejected in the area where the ink is ejected on both the front surface and the back surface. The anti-curl liquid sucked into the cap 43 from the back anti-curl liquid ejecting head 42 at the time of head cleaning and flushing and the anti-curl liquid discarded at the discard part (not shown) at the time of borderless recording are pump 44. Is returned to the anti-curl tank 41 for the back surface.

  The first separation unit 15 as the “coloring material removing unit” removes the coloring material from the waste ink discarded from the surface ink jet head 12. The solvent obtained by removing the color material from the waste ink (waste ink after the color material is removed) is supplied to the surface anti-curl liquid tank 21 by the pump 16 as a “supply unit”. The color material removed from the waste ink is sent to the waste liquid tank 17.

  The second separation unit 35 as “coloring material removing means” removes the coloring material from the waste ink discarded from the back surface ink jet head 32, and the solvent obtained by removing the coloring material from the waste ink is “ It is supplied to the anti-curl tank 41 for the back surface by a pump 36 as “supply means”. The color material removed from the waste ink is sent to the waste liquid tank 17.

  The double-sided printer 50 includes a recording control unit (not shown), and includes a drive motor (not shown) for the conveyance roller pairs 51 to 57, a front-side ink jet head 12, a front-side anti-curl liquid jet head 22, and a rear-side printer. The ink ejection head 32, the back anti-curl liquid ejection head 42, the pump 14, the pump 16, the pump 24, the pump 34, the pump 36, the pump 44, the first separation unit 15 and the second separation unit 35 are controlled by this recording control unit. Be controlled.

  Next, the first separation unit 15 and the second separation unit 35 as “coloring material removing means” will be described.

  The ink ejected from the front surface ink ejecting head 12 and the back surface ink ejecting head 32 is a color ink such as black ink, cyan, magenta, yellow, etc., and a color material such as a dye or pigment and a solvent such as a transparent aqueous solution. Is a liquid containing as a main component. That is, the ink that is ejected from the surface ink ejecting head 12 to the cap 13 and processed as waste ink includes the color material of each color ink and a solvent such as a transparent aqueous solution. Therefore, a solvent such as a transparent aqueous solution can be obtained by removing the color material from the waste ink. Since the anti-curl liquid is a liquid mainly composed of a transparent aqueous solution or the like, the waste ink after the color material is removed can be reused as it is as the anti-curl liquid.

  Hereinafter, the configuration of the first separation unit 15 will be described with reference to FIGS. Note that the second separation unit 35 has the same configuration as the first separation unit 15 and thus will not be described.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of the first separation unit 15.
The first separation unit 15 has a waste ink tank 151 in which waste ink is stored. Waste ink generated from the front surface ink jet head 12 is stored in the waste ink tank 151 via the inflow path 152 and separated into a color material and a solvent. The solvent separated from the waste ink is sent to the surface anti-curl liquid tank 21 by the pump 16 through the solvent delivery path 153. The color material separated from the waste ink is delivered to the waste liquid tank 17 via the color material delivery path 154. The color material delivery path 154 is provided with an on-off valve 155 so that the color material delivery path 154 can be opened and closed.

  The first separation unit 15 includes a voltage application device 156 that separates waste ink into a color material layer and a solvent layer by electrophoresis. The voltage application device 156 is a device for applying a DC voltage to waste ink, and is connected to a + electrode 157 and a − electrode 158 provided in the waste ink tank 151. The + electrode 157 and the − electrode 158 are electrodes formed of a mesh-like or plate-like copper plate or the like. The + electrode 157 is disposed near the bottom of the waste ink tank 151, and the − electrode 158 is disposed near the ceiling of the waste ink tank 151. The pump 16, the on-off valve 155 and the voltage application device 156 are controlled by the recording control unit 100. Hereinafter, separation of waste ink in the first separation unit 15 will be described.

3 and 4 are schematic configuration diagrams schematically illustrating the configuration of the first separation unit 15, and illustrates a state where the waste ink is stored in the waste ink tank 151.
Waste ink generated from the front surface ink jet head 12 is stored in the waste ink tank 151 via the inflow path 152 (FIG. 3). The waste ink tank 151 is provided with a sensor (not shown) that detects that the waste ink has been stored up to a position exceeding the negative electrode 158. -When the waste ink is stored in the waste ink tank 151 up to a position exceeding the electrode 158, the inflow of the waste ink from the inflow path 152 to the waste ink tank 151 is stopped by stopping the recording on the recording paper P. (FIG. 4). During this time, the stop state (OFF state) of the pump 16, the closed state (OFF state) of the on-off valve 155, and the stop state (OFF state) of the voltage application device 156 are maintained.

FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of the first separation unit 15 and illustrates a state in which waste ink is separated into a color material layer and a solvent layer by electrophoresis.
-With the waste ink stored in the waste ink tank 151 to a position exceeding the electrode 158, the voltage application device 156 is operated (ON state) and a predetermined DC voltage is applied to the waste ink for a certain period of time. Since the negatively charged color material moves to the + electrode 157 by electrophoresis, the color material gathers on the bottom side where the + electrode 157 is disposed as shown in the figure, and the − electrode 158 is disposed. Solvent collects on the ceiling side. Accordingly, the waste ink in the waste ink tank 151 can be separated into the color material layer and the solvent layer. It should be noted that a sensor or the like for detecting the transmittance of the solvent layer may be provided in the waste ink tank 151 so that the voltage application device 156 is operated until a certain transmittance or more is detected. As a result, it is possible to reliably obtain a solvent with a low mixing ratio of the color material.

6 and 7 are schematic configuration diagrams schematically showing the configuration of the first separation unit 15, and the solvent obtained by removing the color material from the waste ink is supplied to the anti-curl tank 21 for the surface by the pump 16. The state of sending is illustrated.
As shown in the drawing, the solvent delivery path 153 is disposed at a position where only the liquid in the upper half of the waste ink tank 151 can be delivered. As a result, the solvent in the solvent layer occupying substantially the upper half of the waste ink tank 151 keeps the anti-curl tank 21 for the surface through the solvent delivery path 153 by keeping the pump 16 in an operating state (ON state) for a certain period of time. (FIG. 6). During this time, the on-off valve 155 of the color material delivery path 154 maintains a closed state (OFF state).

  Then, when the solvent in the solvent layer has been sent to the anti-curl tank for surface 21, the pump 16 is stopped (OFF state) (FIG. 7). A flow rate sensor or the like may be provided in the solvent delivery path 153, and the pump 16 may be controlled to be turned on / off based on the detection state of the flow rate sensor or the like. The solvent delivery path 153 is preferably further provided with a filter that can block the coloring material. As a result, it is possible to more reliably deliver a solvent having a low color material mixing rate to the surface anti-curl liquid tank 21.

FIG. 8 is a schematic configuration diagram schematically showing the configuration of the first separation unit 15, and shows a state in which the color material removed from the waste ink is sent to the waste liquid tank 17.
After the pump 16 is stopped (OFF state), the open / close valve 155 of the waste liquid delivery path 154 is opened (ON state). Accordingly, the color material in the waste ink tank 151 can be sent to the waste liquid tank 17. Then, when the color material in the waste ink tank 151 has been sent to the waste liquid tank 17, the on-off valve 155 is closed (OFF state), so that the waste ink generated from the surface ink jet head 12 is removed from the waste ink. The tank 151 can be stored.

  In this way, waste ink that has been disposed of in the past can be reused as an anti-curl solution, so that the ink is ejected onto the recording surface of the recording paper P and the ink on the recording paper P is curled on the back side. In the double-sided printer 50 that performs recording by ejecting the prevention liquid, the anti-curl liquid as a consumable can be used efficiently.

  Further, the anti-curl liquid sucked or discarded from the anti-curl liquid jet head 22 for the front surface or the anti-curl liquid jet head 42 for the back surface during head cleaning, flushing or borderless recording is recovered without being discarded. Then, it is returned to the front surface anti-curl solution tank 21 or the back surface anti-curl solution tank 41 and reused. Thereby, the curl prevention liquid as a consumable can be used more efficiently.

  The “color material removing unit” for removing the color material from the waste ink is not particularly limited to an apparatus using electrophoresis. For example, an apparatus that simply removes the color material with a filter may be used. That is, as long as the “color material removing unit” is a unit that can remove the color material from the waste ink to the extent that the waste ink after removing the color material can be reused as an anti-curl liquid, Even if it is a simple means, implementation of this invention is possible.

<Second embodiment>
Next, a second embodiment of the double-sided printer 50 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The description of the parts common to the first embodiment is omitted.

FIG. 9 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a second embodiment of the double-sided printer 50 according to the present invention.
In the double-sided printer 50 according to the second embodiment, the waste ink discarded from the front-side ink jet head 12 is removed from the color material in the first separation unit 15 and then returned to the back-curl prevention liquid tank 41 by the pump 16. It is sent out and supplied to the back surface anti-curl liquid ejecting head 42. Further, the waste ink discarded from the back surface ink jet head 32 is sent to the anti-curl liquid tank 21 by the pump 36 after the color material of the second separation unit 35 is removed, and the anti-curl liquid jet head for the front surface. 22 is supplied.

  That is, in the double-sided printer 50 in the second embodiment, the solvent obtained by removing the color material from the waste ink generated from the front-side ink jet head 12 is used as the anti-curl liquid ejected from the back-side anti-curl liquid jet head 42. Reuse. On the other hand, the solvent obtained by removing the color material from the waste ink generated from the back surface ink ejecting head 32 is reused as an anti-curl liquid ejected from the front anti-curl liquid ejecting head 22.

  As described above, the double-sided printer 50 has a configuration in which ink is ejected onto the recording surface of the recording paper P and recording is performed by ejecting the anti-curl liquid on the back side of the portion of the recording paper P on which the ink has been ejected. . That is, in the double-sided printer 50, the anti-curl liquid is ejected from the back anti-curl liquid ejecting head 42 to the back side (back surface) of the portion where the ink is ejected from the front ink ejecting head 12 to the front surface. The anti-curl liquid is ejected from the anti-curl liquid ejecting head 22 for the front surface of the portion where ink is to be ejected from the ejecting head 32 to the back surface.

  Therefore, the amount of the solvent obtained by removing the color material from the waste ink generated from the front-side ink jet head 12 and the amount of the anti-curl liquid consumed by the back-side anti-curl liquid jet head 42 are both the front-side ink jet. The amount of ink increases or decreases in proportion to the amount of ink ejected from the head 12 onto the surface of the recording paper P. Similarly, the amount of the solvent obtained by removing the color material from the waste ink generated from the back surface ink ejection head 32 and the amount of the anti-curl liquid consumed by the front surface anti-curl liquid ejection head 22 are both the back surface ink. The amount of ink increases or decreases in proportion to the amount of ink ejected from the ejection head 32 to the back surface of the recording paper P.

  For this reason, the double-sided printer 50 according to the second embodiment is configured as described above, so that the anti-curl liquid ejecting head 22 for the front surface and the anti-curl liquid ejecting head 42 for the back surface are each provided with anti-curl liquid. Depending on the amount of consumption, the solvent obtained by removing the color material from the waste ink can be rationally distributed and reused by the anti-curl liquid ejecting head 22 for the front surface and the anti-curl liquid ejecting head 42 for the back surface. it can.

<Third embodiment>
Next, a third embodiment of the double-sided printer 50 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The description of the parts common to the first embodiment is omitted.

  In the double-sided printer 50 according to the third embodiment, the removal of the waste ink color material discarded from the front-side ink ejection head 12 and the removal of the waste ink color material discarded from the back-side ink ejection head 32 are 1 It has the structure performed by the two shared separation units 15a. More specifically, the waste ink discarded from the front surface ink ejecting head 12 and the waste ink discarded from the rear surface ink ejecting head 32 are both sent to the shared separation unit 15a to remove the color material. The shared separation unit 15a has the same configuration as the first separation unit 15 described above. The solvent obtained by removing the color material from the waste ink in the shared separation unit 15a is supplied to the front-side anti-curl liquid tank 21 by the pump 16, and is also supplied to the back-side anti-curl liquid tank 41 by the pump 36. .

  By adopting such a configuration, the double-sided printer 50 in the third embodiment can reduce the number of parts, and thus the double-sided printer 50 according to the present invention can be configured at a lower cost. Further, by controlling the pump 16 and the pump 36 according to the remaining amount of the anti-curl liquid in the front-surface anti-curl liquid tank 21 and the back-surface anti-curl liquid tank 41, the anti-curl liquid in the front-curl liquid tank 21 is controlled. It is possible to adjust the remaining amount and the remaining anti-curl liquid amount of the anti-curl liquid tank 41 for the back surface.

<Fourth embodiment>
Next, a description will be given of a fourth embodiment of the double-sided printer 50 according to the present invention with reference to FIG. The description of the parts common to the first embodiment is omitted.

  The recording paper P fed to the double-sided printer 50 in the fourth embodiment is recorded by being ejected with ink and anti-curl liquid on the surface while being transported along the transport path A1 by the transport roller pair 51 and 52. The recording sheet P after the recording is performed on the front surface is conveyed in the direction indicated by the reference numeral B, and is moved to the end side in the direction indicated by the reference numeral C by the forward / reverse rotation of the conveying roller pair 53 and a switchback mechanism (not shown). Then, the sheet is conveyed by the conveying roller pair 54 and 55 in the reverse conveyance path A2 in the direction indicated by the symbol D, and is fed again in the state where the front surface and the back surface are reversed (reference E). The recording paper P, which was re-fed in a state where the front surface and the back surface were reversed, was recorded on the back surface by being ejected with ink and anti-curl liquid while being transported along the transport path A1 by the transport roller pairs 51 and 52. Thereafter, the paper is discharged via a paper discharge path A3.

  The double-sided printer 50 according to the fourth embodiment includes a common ink ejection head 62 that ejects ink onto the front and back surfaces of the recording paper P, and a common anti-curl liquid ejection that ejects anti-curl liquid onto the front and back surfaces of the recording paper P. And a head 72. The ink ejecting head 62 ejects ink supplied from the ink tank 61 to the front and back surfaces of the recording paper P to form dots. During head cleaning, flushing or borderless recording, waste ink sucked or discarded by the cap 63 from the ink jet head 62 is sent out to the separation unit 65 by the pump 64.

  The anti-curl liquid ejecting head 72 ejects the anti-curl liquid supplied from the anti-curl liquid tank 71 to the back side of the portion where the ink is ejected from the ink ejecting head 62. The anti-curl liquid sucked or discarded by the cap 73 from the anti-curl liquid ejecting head 72 during head cleaning, flushing or borderless recording is returned to the anti-curl liquid tank 71 by the pump 74. The separation unit 65 has the same configuration as the first separation unit 15 described above. The solvent obtained by removing the color material from the waste ink in the separation unit 65 is supplied to the anti-curl liquid tank 71 by the pump 66. The color material removed from the waste ink is sent to the waste liquid tank 67.

  As described above, in the double-sided printer 50 having the reversing means for the recording paper P by the switchback mechanism or the like, and performing the recording on the front surface and the recording on the back surface by the single ink ejection head 62 and the anti-curl liquid ejection head 72 Also, the present invention can be implemented.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the invention described in the claims, and these are also included in the scope of the present invention. Needless to say.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a double-sided printer according to the present invention. The schematic block diagram which illustrated the structure of the 1st separation unit typically. A state in which waste ink is stored in a waste ink tank. A state in which waste ink is stored in a waste ink tank. A state in which waste ink is separated into a color material layer and a solvent layer. A state in which the solvent obtained by removing the coloring material is being sent out. A state in which the solvent obtained by removing the coloring material is being sent out. The figure shows the state where the removed color material is being sent to the waste liquid tank. FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a second embodiment of a double-sided printer according to the present invention. FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a third embodiment of a double-sided printer according to the present invention. FIG. 9 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a fourth embodiment of a double-sided printer according to the invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Surface ink tank, 12 Surface ink ejection head, 15 1st separation unit, 15a Shared separation unit, 17 Waste liquid tank, 21 Surface anti-curl liquid tank, 22 Surface anti-curl liquid ejection head, 31 Back ink tank , 32 Back side ink jet head, 35 Second separation unit, 41 Back side anti-curl liquid tank, 42 Back side anti-curl liquid jet head, 51 to 57 Conveying roller pair, 65 Separation unit, 100 Recording control unit

Claims (6)

A method of reusing waste ink generated in a recording apparatus that ejects ink onto a recording material,
The waste material is characterized in that the color material is removed from the collected waste ink, and the waste ink after the color material is removed is reused as an anti-curl liquid that is sprayed to the back side of the portion where the ink of the recording material is ejected. How to reuse ink.   The waste ink recycling method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of separating the waste ink into a coloring material and a solvent by electrophoresis and a step of taking out the separated solvent. How to reuse ink. A recording apparatus that performs recording by ejecting ink onto a recording surface of a recording material and ejecting an anti-curl liquid onto a back side of the portion of the recording material that ejected ink,
An ink ejecting head for ejecting ink onto a recording material;
An anti-curl liquid ejecting head for ejecting an anti-curl liquid onto the recording material;
A collecting means for collecting waste ink generated from the ink ejecting head;
A color material removing means for removing the color material from the collected waste ink;
A recording apparatus comprising: a supply unit configured to supply waste ink from which the color material has been removed to the anti-curl liquid ejecting head.   4. The recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the color material removing means includes means for separating waste ink into a color material and a solvent by electrophoresis and means for taking out the separated solvent. Recording device.   5. The recording apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising means for recovering a part of the anti-curl liquid sucked or discarded from the anti-curl liquid ejecting head and supplying the anti-curl liquid ejecting head to the anti-curl liquid ejecting head. A recording apparatus characterized by that. The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein a front-side ink jet head and an anti-curl liquid jet head, a back-side ink jet head and an anti-curl liquid jet head,
First recovery means for recovering waste ink generated from the ink jet head for the surface;
A second recovery means for recovering waste ink generated from the ink jet head for the back surface;
First color material removing means for removing the color material from the waste ink collected by the first collection means;
A second color material removing means for removing the color material from the waste ink collected by the second collection means,
The supply means supplies the waste ink after the color material is removed by the first color material removal means to the back anti-curl liquid jet head, and the color material is removed by the second color material removal means. A recording apparatus for supplying waste ink to an anti-curl liquid jet head for a surface.

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