JP2013099887A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To achieve miniaturization of an image forming apparatus, improvement in assemblability, and reduction in costs, in the image forming apparatus having a plurality of recording heads and a cap member and a suction means as a maintenance recovery mechanism for the recording heads.SOLUTION: A maintenance device 6A mainly comprises: a plurality of suction caps 10 as a cap member and a plurality of connection tubes 11 as a communication member, and a suction pump 13 as a suction means. An abutting part 10a, a storage 10b, a discharge hole 10e, and a plurality of connections 10d in communication with the discharge hole 10e and including discharge openings 10c extending in a substantially horizontal direction are integrally formed in each suction cap 10. Each suction cap 10 includes the plurality of connections 10d having the discharge openings 10c connecting respective adjacent suction caps 10 to discharge waste liquid. The connections 10d of the respective adjacent suction caps 10 are connected in series by the connection tubes 11.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly, to an image forming apparatus including a plurality of recording heads that eject droplets containing ink.

In the technical field of image forming apparatuses such as printers, facsimiles, copying machines, plotters, or multi-function machines having two or more of these functions, for example, liquid discharge recording type image formation using a recording head for discharging ink droplets As an apparatus, an ink jet recording apparatus or the like is known. This liquid ejection recording type image forming apparatus ejects ink droplets from a recording head onto a sheet or the like as a sheet-like recording medium (hereinafter also referred to as “sheet”) to be conveyed to form an image (hereinafter referred to as “image formation”). “Recording, printing, printing, and printing” are also used synonymously).
Liquid discharge recording type image forming apparatuses include a serial type image forming apparatus using a carriage that forms an image by discharging liquid droplets while the recording head moves in the main scanning direction, and a liquid droplet without moving the recording head. There is a line-type image forming apparatus using a line-type head that discharges the ink to form an image.

  In an image forming apparatus (hereinafter also referred to as “inkjet recording apparatus”) that forms an image on a sheet by ejecting ink droplets from the recording head as described above, the recording head records ink by ejecting ink from the nozzles onto the sheet. Therefore, the ink viscosity rises due to the evaporation of the solvent from the nozzle, the ink solidifies, the dust adheres, and the air bubbles are mixed, resulting in a defective discharge, resulting in a recording failure. A maintenance / recovery mechanism (or maintenance / recovery device) that maintains and recovers the performance of the head is provided.

The maintenance / recovery mechanism includes, for example, a capping unit or a nozzle cap member or a cap member, which is also called a “cap” or “nozzle cap” that covers and seals the nozzle surface of the recording head. By performing capping, drying and thickening of ink in the nozzle are suppressed. In addition, before and after the recording operation and during the recording operation, ink droplets that do not contribute to the recording operation are discharged, and the ink dried and thickened in the nozzles is discharged so that the discharge performance can be recovered and maintained. .
The ejection of ink droplets that do not contribute to image formation for maintaining the ejection performance of the nozzle is called preliminary ejection or idle ejection, and is ejected to a dedicated idle ejection receiver or ejected to a cap. .

  In a line-type ink jet recording apparatus that performs line printing by arranging a plurality of recording heads, there is a suction recovery method as a method generally used as a means for recovering the ink discharge state. In a line type ink jet recording apparatus having a plurality of recording heads using this suction recovery method, a cap member such as a suction cap corresponding to each recording head is provided, and a negative pressure is applied by a suction pump connected to the cap member. A technique for generating and discharging the ink inside the recording head is already known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In Patent Document 1, for the purpose of reducing the number of communicating members and simplifying the handling of the communicating members, a plurality of recording heads each having a nozzle surface on which ink ejection nozzles are formed, and a plurality of the recording heads, respectively. A first receiving portion that receives the ink discharged from the ink ejection nozzle and a first discharge hole that discharges the ink discharged from the ink ejection nozzle. A plurality of first ink receiving members, and a plurality of first ink receiving members disposed below the first ink receiving members corresponding to the plurality of first ink receiving members, and the ink discharged from each of the plurality of first discharge holes. A second ink receiving member having a second receiving portion for receiving, a second discharge hole for discharging the ink discharged from each of the first discharge holes, and an ink containing ink; A waste ink container having a storage chamber, an ink jet recording apparatus is disclosed comprising a communicating member for communicating with the ink storage chamber of the second discharge hole and the waste ink container of the second ink receiving member.

  In the ink jet recording apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the suction caps (cap members) are not connected to each other, and there is no connection tube or joint. That is, the ink (waste liquid) received by the first bottom surface (511) of each cap (51) is dropped from the first discharge hole (514) of each cap (51) to the lower cap case (52), and the cap case (52 This is a method of collecting and discharging at one place. Therefore, a certain amount of height is required, and there is a problem that it is difficult to reduce the size of the cap unit (50).

  On the other hand, in a conventional ink jet type image forming apparatus represented by a comparative example shown in FIG. 4 described later (hereinafter also simply referred to as “image forming apparatus”), a plurality of suction caps are provided by a single suction pump (suction means). When suctioning ink (waste liquid) from a conventional suction cap, since there is a discharge port in the vertical direction, the space in the height direction becomes large (the same applies to Patent Document 1), and a tube connecting the suction cap In addition, there are problems that the handling (crawling) of joints and joints becomes complicated and the assemblability is lowered, and that the cost increases with an increase in the number of parts such as connection / communication members.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made in order to solve the problem in view of the above-described problems. In an image forming apparatus having a plurality of recording heads and a cap member and a suction means as a maintenance / recovery mechanism, an image forming apparatus has been conventionally used. The main purpose is to reduce the size of the device, improve the assembly, and reduce the cost.

In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the above-described object, the present invention adopts the following characteristic means / invention specific items (hereinafter referred to as “configuration”).
The present invention provides a plurality of recording heads having nozzles for discharging droplets, and provided with a plurality of recording heads, facing each of the recording heads, and the nozzle surfaces are arranged to receive waste liquid discharged from the nozzles. In the image forming apparatus having a covering cap member and a suction unit that sucks the waste liquid stored in each cap member, each cap member has a discharge port for connecting the adjacent cap members and discharging the waste liquid. A plurality of connecting portions are provided, and the connecting portions of the adjacent cap members are connected in series by a communication member.

  According to the present invention, a novel image forming apparatus can be realized and provided by solving the above-described problems. That is, according to the present invention, with the above-described configuration, it is possible to reduce the size of the apparatus, improve the assemblability, and reduce the cost as compared with the conventional apparatus.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus to which a first embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the image forming apparatus in FIG. 1. It is a typical explanatory view showing an example of a head unit. FIG. 3 is a front view of a main part of a comparative example of a maintenance apparatus mounted as a maintenance / recovery mechanism in the image forming apparatus of FIGS. 1 and 2. 1 is a front view of a main part of a maintenance device of an image forming apparatus showing a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure explaining the modification 1 of 1st Embodiment, (a) is a top view of a suction cap, (b) is a front sectional view of the suction cap, (c) is a side view of the suction cap. is there. It is a figure explaining another modification 2 of the modification 1, Comprising: (a) is a top view of a suction cap, (b) is a front sectional view of the suction cap, (c) is a side view of the suction cap. is there. It is a figure explaining another modification 3 of the modification 1, Comprising: (a) is a top view of a suction cap, (b) is a front sectional view of the suction cap, (c) is a side view of the suction cap It is. It is a figure explaining the modification 4, Comprising: It is a front sectional view of the principal part of the maintenance apparatus which connected suction caps with the communicating member. It is a perspective view which shows the more concrete layout structure of the maintenance apparatus of 1st Embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention including examples will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In each embodiment and each modification, etc., components (members, components, etc.) having the same function, shape, etc. will be described by giving the same reference numerals after having been described once unless there is a possibility of confusion. Is omitted. In the case of quoting and explaining constituent elements such as published patent gazettes, the reference numerals including the above-described background art are shown in parentheses to distinguish them from those of the embodiments.

Hereinafter, in the present invention, an “image forming apparatus” of a liquid discharge recording method forms an image by landing ink on a medium such as paper, thread, fiber, fabric, leather, metal, plastic, glass, wood, ceramics, etc. The term “image formation” means not only that an image having a meaning such as a character or a figure is imparted to the medium, but also an image having no meaning such as a pattern is imparted to the medium ( It also simply means that a droplet is landed on a medium).
“Droplets” are not limited to inks, but include those called recording liquids, fixing processing liquids, resins, liquids, etc., and are droplets that are finely granulated to enable image formation. It is used as a general term for all liquid droplets that can be produced. In addition, the “sheet” is not limited to paper, but includes OHP sheets, cloths, and the like, and means a material to which liquid droplets are attached. The recording medium, the recording medium, the recording paper, the recording paper, Alternatively, it is used as a general term for what includes what is simply called paper. Further, the image is not limited to a two-dimensional image, and includes a three-dimensional image.

  An example of an image forming apparatus to which the embodiment of the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a schematic front view illustrating the overall configuration of an image forming apparatus to which the first embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the apparatus.

This image forming apparatus is a line type image forming apparatus (line type ink jet recording apparatus), and includes an apparatus main body 1, a paper feed tray 2 on which paper P as an example of a sheet is stacked and fed, and printed paper P A paper discharge tray 3 that discharges and stacks paper, a transport unit 4 that transports paper P from the paper feed tray 2 to the paper discharge tray 3, and ink droplets as an example of liquid droplets on the paper P transported by the transport unit 4 A head unit 5 constituting a recording head for discharging and printing, a maintenance device 6 that is a maintenance and recovery mechanism that performs maintenance and recovery of each recording head of the head unit 5 after completion of printing or at a required timing, and a cap member of the maintenance device 6 And a cleaner device 7 which is a wiper cleaning means for cleaning the wiper member (blade means).
The maintenance device 6 is also referred to as a maintenance / recovery device or a recovery unit.

  The apparatus main body 1 is composed of front and rear side plates and stays (not shown), and supports and attaches the above-described parts and apparatuses. The sheets P stacked on the sheet feed tray 2 are fed one by one to the transport unit 4 by the sheet feed roller 21 and the separation roller 22.

  The transport unit 4 includes a transport drive roller 41A, a transport driven roller 41B, and an endless transport belt 43 wound around these rollers 41A and 41B. A plurality of holes (not shown) are formed on the surface of the transport belt 43, and a suction fan 44 that sucks the paper P is disposed below the transport belt 43. Conveying guide rollers 42A and 42B are held by guide members (not shown) corresponding to the conveying driving roller 41A and conveying driven roller 41B, respectively, and abut against the conveying belt 43 by their own weight.

  The conveyor belt 43 rotates around when the conveyor driving roller 41A is rotated by a motor (not shown). The sheet P is sucked onto the transport belt 43 by the suction fan 44 and is transported to the downstream side of the sheet transport path X by the circumferential movement of the transport belt 43. The transport driven roller 41B and the transport guide rollers 42A and 42B rotate following the transport belt 43.

  Above the transport unit 4, a head unit 5 including a plurality of recording heads that eject ink droplets to be printed on the paper P is disposed (movable up and down here). The head unit 5 rises to a position where the maintenance device 6 secures a space for entering the lower part of the head unit 5 during the maintenance and recovery operation (maintenance).

As shown in FIG. 3, the head unit 5 includes four head rows 51 </ b> A to 51 </ b> D configured by a plurality of (in this example, five) recording heads 61 arranged in a row on the base member 52. A unit 50 is provided. In each head 61, a plurality of nozzles 62 that eject ink droplets are arranged in two rows on a nozzle surface 64. Then, one of the two nozzle rows of each head 61 in the head rows 51A and 51B ejects yellow (Y) ink droplets and the other ejects magenta (M) ink droplets, and each of the head rows 51C and 51D. One of the two nozzle rows of the head 61 ejects cyan (C) ink droplets and the other ejects black (K) ink droplets.
That is, in the head unit 5, two head arrays 51 that eject ink droplets of the same color are arranged side by side in the sheet conveying direction X, and the two head arrays 51 constitute a nozzle array corresponding to one sheet width. Yes. Here, the image resolution of 150 dpi is one line. 1 to 3, a symbol Y indicates a width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction X (hereinafter also referred to as “sheet width direction” or “main scanning direction”).

  The line configuration of each color is not limited to the above, and the arrangement of each color is not particularly limited. Further, the configuration of the head unit is not limited to the above example. For example, two head units may be arranged, one color is assigned to one head row, and the image resolution is doubled as described above.

  In the head unit 5, branch members (not shown) for supplying ink to the heads 61 of the head unit 50 are arranged for each color, and a sub tank (not shown) is arranged on the upstream side of the branch member. A negative pressure suitable for holding the meniscus of the nozzle 62 of the head 61 is formed by the head difference between the head and the head. A replaceable main tank (not shown) for storing ink is disposed on the upstream side of the sub tank.

  On the downstream side of the transport unit 4, a transport guide unit 45 that discharges the paper P to the paper discharge tray 3 is disposed. The paper P conveyed by the conveyance guide unit 45 is discharged to the paper discharge tray 3. The paper discharge tray 3 includes a pair of side fences 31 that regulate the width direction of the paper P and an end fence 32 that regulates the front end of the paper P.

A maintenance device 6 for maintaining the nozzle surface 64 of each head 61 is disposed above the transport unit 4 and downstream of the head unit 5 in the sheet transport direction X. The maintenance device 6 wipes the nozzle surface 64 corresponding to each head 61 and the suction cap 71 serving as a cap member for capping (covering and sealing) the nozzle surface 64 corresponding to each head 61 of the head rows 51A to 51D. It has a blade-like wiper (wiper blade, not shown in FIG. 1), a suction means 63 having a suction pump for sucking the inside of the suction cap 71 for one row, and the like.
The maintenance device 6 recovers the ejection performance of the head 61 by discharging the ink thickened from the nozzle 62 by suction with the suction means 63 while the nozzle face 64 of the head 61 is sealed with the suction cap 71.

  The suction means 63 of the maintenance device 6, the flow path connecting the suction cap 71 and the suction means 63, and other pressure chambers are disposed outside the rear plate of the apparatus main body 1 and connected using a route such as a tube. You can also. Further, the inside of the head 61 may be pressurized by a pressurizing means from the upstream side of the head 61 in place of or at the time of maintenance recovery.

  The maintenance device 6 is arranged so as to be slidable along the sheet conveyance direction X above the conveyance unit 4, and when the head maintenance is performed, the head unit 5 rises and then moves to the lower part of the head unit 5. During printing, the maintenance device 6 in FIG. Retreat to position.

  A cleaner device 7 for cleaning ink droplets (waste liquid) adhering to the suction cap 71 and the wiper blade (not shown) is disposed on the maintenance device 6. The cleaner device 7 is arranged so as to be vertically movable in a vertical direction (also in the vertical direction) Z with respect to the sheet conveying surface by a cleaner moving means (not shown). When the maintenance device 6 that has completed the maintenance of the head 61 is retracted to the downstream side in the sheet conveyance direction X in the head unit 5, the cleaner device 7 moves downward to clean the suction cap 71 and the wiper blade (not shown). .

  The details of the maintenance / recovery operation in the image forming apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 are, for example, the flowchart of FIG. 5 of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-025621 proposed by the present applicant, the operation explanatory diagram of FIG. Compared to the operation content shown in the explanatory diagram of the maintenance operation, the operation content is the same except that some terms and symbols are changed. Therefore, further explanation is omitted from the viewpoint of avoiding duplicate explanation. 1 to 3 of the present application, the term “suction cap 71” is “cap 61”, “head 61” is “head 101”, “nozzle 62” is “nozzle 102”, “ The “nozzle surface 64” may be read as “nozzle surface 104”.

(Maintenance device of comparative example)
With reference to FIG. 4, a comparative example of a maintenance device 6A mounted as a maintenance / recovery mechanism in the image forming apparatus shown in FIGS. FIG. 4 shows a main part of the maintenance device 6X of the comparative example.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the maintenance device 6X includes a plurality of suction caps 71 as cap members, a plurality of connection tubes 73, a plurality of joints 74a and 74b, a plurality of connection tubes 75, and a single suction means. And a suction pump 76 as a main component.

  A plurality of suction caps 71 (only three are shown in the figure) are arranged so as to be able to be capped facing a plurality of heads 61 (only three are shown in the figure) arranged for each color. Each suction cap 71 is brought into contact with a nozzle surface (not shown) of each head 61 (hereinafter referred to as “contact”), and a nozzle (not shown) of each head 61. The receiving portion 71b that receives and stores the waste liquid discharged from the storage portion and the connecting portion 71d formed with a discharge port 71c that communicates with the bottom of the receiving portion 71b for discharging the waste liquid accumulated in the receiving portion 71b are integrally formed. Is provided.

A connection tube 73 is connected to the connecting portion 71 d of each suction cap 71, and joints 74 a and 74 b are connected to each connection tube 73. Further, the joints 74a and 74b are connected and connected in series by a connection tube 75 to form a waste liquid path, and a single suction pump 76 as a suction means is disposed downstream of the waste liquid path. A waste liquid tank (not shown) is disposed as a waste liquid container further downstream of the suction pump 76. The suction pump 76 as a single (one) suction means is arranged corresponding to the plurality of heads 61 and the plurality of suction caps 71 arranged for each color.
The joint 74b is an L-shaped joint disposed on the most upstream side in the sheet width direction Y, and the joint 74a is a T-shaped joint disposed on the downstream side in the sheet width direction Y.

An operation of the maintenance device 6X of the comparative example will be described. In FIG. 4, a head portion (not shown) moves down by a predetermined amount, and the nozzle surface (not shown) of each head 61 in the head portion is capped by each suction cap 71, and in this state, a maintenance recovery operation (maintenance operation) is performed. Is done.
During standby, the nozzle surface (not shown) of each head 61 is capped by the suction cap 71, and the ink in the nozzle (not shown) of each head 61 is prevented from drying.

  During the maintenance operation, the head portion (not shown) descends, and each head 61 comes into contact with the contact portion 71a of each suction cap 71 to cap the nozzle surface (not shown). By sucking with the suction pump 76, the ink is sucked and discharged from the nozzles (not shown) of each head 61 through the connection tube 75, joints 74a and 74b, the connection tube 73 and the suction caps 71 that are in communication with each other. Is done. Waste liquid such as thickened ink and air bubbles sucked and discharged from each head 61 is collected in the accommodating portion 71b of each suction cap 71, and from the discharge port 71c of each suction cap 71, the connection tube 73, joints 74a and 74b, and connection tube. The waste liquid flows through 75 and is stored in the waste liquid tank (not shown).

  In the configuration of the maintenance device 6X of the comparative example, the height is increased because the discharge port 71b is in the vertical direction Z, and it is necessary to secure a scooping route for the connection tubes 73 and 75 and the joints 74a and 74b. Assembling is reduced due to the complexity of scooping. Further, since the connection tubes 73 and 75 and the joints 74a and 74b are used in large numbers, the number of parts of the connection / communication member increases, and as a result, there is a problem that the cost is increased.

(First embodiment)
With reference to FIG. 5, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described (claims 1, 3, 4). FIG. 5 (a) is a plan view of the main part of the maintenance device showing the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 (b) is a front view of the main part of the maintenance device, and FIG. It is a side view of the principal part of the maintenance apparatus.
The first embodiment is different from the image forming apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 only in that a maintenance device 6A instead of the maintenance device 6 is used. The configuration of the first embodiment other than this difference is the same as that of the image forming apparatus shown in FIGS.

  Hereinafter, in order to clarify the specific configuration of the present invention, the maintenance device 6A of the present embodiment will be described in detail while comparing with the maintenance device 6X of the comparative example shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the maintenance device 6A mainly includes a plurality of suction caps 10 as an example of a cap member, a plurality of connection tubes 11 as an example of a communication member, and a suction pump 13 as an example of a suction unit. It is configured.

  The plurality of suction caps 10 (only three are shown in the figure) are disposed so as to be capable of capping facing the plurality of heads 61 (only three are shown in the figure). Each suction cap 10 has a contact portion 10a that contacts a nozzle surface (not shown) of each head 61, and a storage portion 10b that receives and stores the waste liquid discharged from the nozzle (not shown) of each head 61. And a discharge hole 10e for discharging the waste liquid accumulated at the bottom of the storage portion 10b, and a discharge port 10c that communicates with the discharge hole 10e and extends in a substantially horizontal direction (also in the sheet width direction Y in FIG. 5). The plurality of connecting portions 10d are integrally configured or formed (hereinafter referred to as “formation”). Each suction cap 10 is not particularly limited in material, but is integrally formed of, for example, resin or metal.

  Here, the “substantially horizontal direction” means that it may be within a horizontal direction including a horizontal direction orthogonal to the vertical direction Z and taking into account design tolerances. In addition, “to form the suction cap 10 integrally” includes, in production, integrally forming with a mold or the like, and for example, a shape that is divided into two at the center of the suction cap 10 is manufactured with a mold or the like. After that, it may be formed by bonding by appropriate adhesion, welding or welding, or by post-processing the discharge port 10c portion (hereinafter the same).

  The connecting portion 10 d formed integrally with each suction cap 10 has a circular outer peripheral surface, and connects and connects the adjacent suction caps 10 via the connection tube 11. As shown in FIG. 5, the suction cap 10 on the uppermost stream side of the waste liquid path formed along the flow of the waste liquid has only one adjacent suction cap 10 on the left side. It is formed at one place in the flow direction. Since each suction cap 10 on the downstream side of the waste liquid path has adjacent suction caps 10 on both the left and right sides, the connecting portions 10d are formed at two locations upstream and downstream of the waste liquid path.

  The connection tube 11 is formed of rubber as an example of an elastic member. As the performance required for the elastic member of the communication member, a material that is not affected by ink as droplets is preferable. By connecting the connecting tube 11 to the connecting portion 10d of each suction cap 10, a waste liquid discharge path (hereinafter referred to as "waste liquid path") for connecting and connecting adjacent suction caps 10 in series to discharge waste liquid. And can be discharged by forming a flow of waste liquid. Further, a suction pump 13 as a single (one) suction means is disposed on the most downstream side of the waste liquid path. A waste liquid tank (not shown) is disposed as a waste liquid container further downstream of the suction pump 13.

  Here, the single suction means sucks a plurality of cap members (suction caps 10) connected and connected in series in a single row as in the suction pump 13 of FIG. 5 with one suction means (suction pump 13). It means to do. That is, it means that a single (one) suction means is arranged corresponding to a plurality of recording heads and a plurality of cap members arranged for each color (the same applies to modified examples described later). In the image forming apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 to which the present embodiment is applied, a total of four suction units are provided corresponding to a plurality of recording heads and a plurality of cap members arranged for each of four colors. Will be placed.

  As described above, in the maintenance device 6A of the present embodiment, each suction cap 10 includes a plurality of connection portions 10d including discharge ports 10c for connecting adjacent suction caps 10 in series and discharging waste liquid, The connecting portions 10 d of the adjacent suction caps 10 are connected in series by the connection tube 11.

The operation of the maintenance device 6A of this embodiment will be described. In FIG. 5, a head portion (not shown) moves downward by a predetermined amount, and the nozzle surface (not shown) of each head 61 in the head portion is capped by each suction cap 10, and in this state, a maintenance recovery operation (maintenance operation) is performed. Is done.
During standby, the nozzle surface (not shown) of each head 61 is capped by the suction cap 10 to prevent the ink in the nozzle (not shown) of each head 61 from drying.

  During the maintenance operation, the head portion (not shown) descends, and each head 61 comes into contact with the contact portion 10a of each suction cap 10 to cap the nozzle surface (not shown). Then, by suction operation of the suction pump 13, ink is sucked and discharged from the nozzles (not shown) of each head 61 through the connection tube 11 and each suction cap 10 in communication. Waste liquid such as thickened ink and bubbles sucked and discharged from each head 61 is collected in the accommodating portion 10b of each suction cap 10, and the waste liquid flows through the discharge hole 10e through the discharge port 10c and further through the connection tube 11. Thus, it is stored in the waste liquid tank (not shown).

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to reduce the size of the apparatus, improve the assemblability, and reduce the cost as compared with the prior art. More specifically, the maintenance device 6A of the present embodiment does not have a discharge port in the vertical direction Z as in the prior art, and each suction cap 10 has a plurality of connection portions 10d each having a discharge port 10c for connection. Since the suction caps 10 can be directly connected and connected in series via the connection tube 11, space can be saved in the height direction (vertical direction Z), miniaturization, and a very thin maintenance device. 6A can be realized. Further, since the suction caps 10 can be directly connected and connected in series in the substantially horizontal direction via the connection tube 11, the height can be further reduced, and further space saving and downsizing can be achieved.

Further, since there is no joint as in the comparative example of FIG. 4, the number of parts can be reduced, and the assembly efficiency can be improved and the cost can be reduced by simplifying the waste liquid path. Furthermore, since there is no need for branching or the like, exchangability is excellent, and only one suction cap 10 disposed on the most upstream side of the waste liquid path is sufficient without having a plurality of discharge ports 10c.
In addition, since the suction caps 10 are connected and connected in series using the connection tube 11 as a communication member made of an elastic member, the connection tube 11 does not hinder the vertical movement of each of the connected suction caps 10. .

(Modification 1)
A first modification of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 6 (claims 2, 3, 4). 6A is a plan view of the suction cap according to the first modification, FIG. 6B is a front sectional view of the suction cap, and FIG. 6C is a side view of the suction cap. In addition, the front sectional view of FIG. 6B is drawn as an end view (the same applies to FIGS. 7B, 8B, and 9).
Modification 1 is different only in that a suction cap 10A as a cap member is used instead of the plurality of suction caps 10 used in the maintenance device 6A of FIG. The configuration of the modification 1 other than this difference is the same as that of the maintenance device 6A shown in FIG.

  As illustrated in FIG. 6, the suction cap 10 </ b> A according to the first modification is integrally configured with a nip member 15 and a base member 16 that holds the nip member 15. The suction cap 10A according to the first modification includes a nip member 15 including an abutting portion 10Aa that abuts against and seals the nozzle surface of the head (not shown), as compared with the integrally formed suction cap 10 of FIG. The point which is comprised integrally with the member 15 and the base member 16 which hold | maintains the nip member 15, The point which the base member 16 has several connection part 10Ad provided with discharge port 10Ae Is mainly different.

  The suction cap 10A is integrally formed with the contact portion 10Aa, the accommodating portion 10Ab, the discharge hole 10Ae, and a plurality of connecting portions 10Ad including the discharge port 10Ac. However, the suction cap 10A disposed on the uppermost stream side of the waste liquid path only needs to have one connecting portion 10Ad provided with the discharge port 10Ac on the downstream side, as explained with reference to FIG.

  The base member 16 ensures the rigidity of the entire suction cap 10A and is preferably made of resin. The nip member 15 is a portion that abuts against a nozzle surface of a head (not shown) to ensure a sealed state, and is preferably made of an elastic body such as rubber or elastomer.

  The connecting portion 10Ad provided with the discharge port 10Ac is provided in a substantially horizontal direction at both ends of the suction cap 10A. Each connecting portion 10Ad is connected and connected in series with an adjacent suction cap 10A via a communication member. The communicating member is an elastic material, and is preferably a tubular elastic body such as a rubber tube. The waste liquid path inside the suction cap 10A is discharged from the discharge hole 10Ae to the discharge port 10Ac after the ink in the container 10Ab is collected in the center.

  According to the modified example 1, when the suction cap 10A is employed instead of the suction cap 10 in the maintenance device 6A similar to the first embodiment, it is needless to say that the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained. Further, since the function is divided into the nip member 15 provided with the contact portion 10Aa having a function of contacting and sealing with the nozzle surface of the head and the base member 16 having a function of holding the nip member 15, the first function is divided. There exists an effect of exhibiting a function more as a cap member than the suction cap 10 of embodiment.

(Modification 2)
With reference to FIG. 7, another modification 2 of the modification 1 will be described (claims 2, 3, 4). FIG. 7A is a plan view of the suction cap of Modification Example 2, FIG. 7B is a front sectional view of the suction cap, and FIG. 7C is a side view of the suction cap.
The modification 2 is different only in that a suction cap 10B as a cap member is used instead of the suction cap 10A of the modification 1.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the suction cap 10 </ b> B of Modification 2 removes the bottom wall of the accommodating portion 10 </ b> Ab of the suction cap 10 </ b> A formed by the base member 16 and the discharge hole 10 </ b> Ae, compared to the suction cap 10 </ b> A of FIG. 6. The difference is that the waste liquid containing the ink is discharged from the side surface of the housing portion 10Bb of the suction cap 10B to the plurality of discharge ports 10Be for direct connection. Other than this difference, the configuration of the second modification is the same as that of the first modification shown in FIG.

  The suction cap 10B is integrally formed with a plurality of connecting portions 10Bd including an abutting portion 10Ba, an accommodating portion 10Bb, and a discharge port 10Bc. However, the suction cap 10B arranged on the uppermost stream side of the waste liquid path only needs to have one connecting portion 10Bd provided with the discharge port 10Bc on the downstream side, as explained with reference to FIG.

  According to the second modification, when the suction cap 10B is adopted in the maintenance device 6A similar to the first embodiment instead of the suction cap 10, it is needless to say that the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained. Further, since the functions are divided into the nip member 15 having the contact portion 10Ba having a function of contacting and sealing with the nozzle surface of the head and the base member 16 having a function of holding the nip member 15, the modification 1 Has the same effect as. Further, compared to the suction cap 10A of the first modification, the cost can be reduced because the bottom wall of the accommodating portion 10Ab and the discharge hole 10Ae are removed.

(Modification 3)
With reference to FIG. 8, yet another modification 3 of the modification 1 shown in FIG. 6 will be described (claims 2, 3, 4). FIG. 8A is a plan view of the suction cap of the third modification, FIG. 8B is a front sectional view of the suction cap, and FIG. 8C is a side view of the suction cap.
Modification 3 is different only in that a suction cap 10C as a cap member is used instead of the suction cap 10A of FIG.

  As illustrated in FIG. 8, the suction cap 10 </ b> C according to the third modification is different from the suction cap 10 </ b> A illustrated in FIG. 6 in which the nip member 15 and the base member 16 are integrally formed. Is different in that it is configured (formed) separately. Except for this difference, the configuration of the third modification is the same as that of the first modification shown in FIG.

The suction cap 10C includes a nip member 15 having a contact portion 10Ca and a housing portion 10Cb having the same functions as described above, and a plurality of nip members 15 that hold the nip member 15 and have a discharge hole 10Ce and a discharge port 10Cc. The base member 16 integrally formed with the connecting portion 10Cd is formed separately. However, the suction cap 10C disposed on the uppermost stream side of the waste liquid path only needs to have one connecting portion 10Cd having a discharge port 10Cc on the downstream side, as explained with reference to FIG.
The functions and materials of the nip member 15, the base member 16, and the communication member are the same as described in the first modification.

  According to the modified example 3, when the suction cap 10C is employed instead of the suction cap 10 in the same maintenance device 6A as in the first embodiment, it is needless to say that the same effects as those in the first embodiment can be obtained. Further, since the functions are divided into the nip member 15 having the contact portion 10Ca having a function of contacting and sealing with the nozzle surface of the head and the base member 16 having a function of holding the nip member 15, the first is used. There exists an effect of exhibiting a function more as a cap member than the suction cap 10 of embodiment.

(Modification 4)
With reference to FIG. 9, the modification 4 of 1st Embodiment shown in FIG. 5 is demonstrated (Claim 5). FIG. 9 is a front sectional view of a main part maintenance device in which suction caps of Modification 4 are connected by a communication member.
Modification 4 uses a plurality of suction caps 10C1, 10C2, and 10C3 in which the sectional area of the discharge port of the suction cap 10C employed in Modification 1 is changed instead of the plurality of suction caps 10 in FIG. 10C1, 10C2, and 10C3 are mainly arranged in this order from the downstream side of the waste liquid path to the upstream side and connected by the connection tube 11.

  The plurality of (three) suction caps 10C1, 10C2, and 10C3 are formed so that the cross-sectional areas of the discharge ports are different for each base member 16. As illustrated in FIG. 9, the cross-sectional area of the discharge port 10A1c of the suction cap 10C1 is d1, the cross-sectional area of the discharge port 10A2c of the suction cap 10C2 is d2, and the cross-sectional area of the discharge port 10A3c of the suction cap 10C3 is d3. Each is formed.

If the cross-sectional areas of the discharge ports 10A1c, 10A2c, and 10A3c from the downstream side of the waste liquid path are d1, d2, and d3 as described above, the relationship satisfying d1 <d2 <d3 (Equation 1) is set. ing.
That is, the cross-sectional areas d1, d2, and d3 of the discharge ports 10A1c, 10A2c, and 10A3c decrease in order from the upstream side to the downstream side with respect to the waste liquid flow in the waste liquid path (in other words, from the downstream side to the upstream side). Are set to increase in order.

According to the modification 4, the cross-sectional area of the discharge port of the cap member disposed from the upstream side to the downstream side of the waste liquid path is reduced in this order, so that the flow path resistance is maintained even when a plurality of cap members are connected. The suction state has a low flow resistance and can realize a suction state with low flow resistance from the upstream side to the downstream side regardless of the position of the connected cap members, reducing suction variation when each cap member is connected To do.
When the cross-sectional area of the outlet of the cap member arranged from the upstream side to the downstream side of the waste liquid path is the same, the flow path resistance applied to the outlet of the cap member arranged on the upstream side and the downstream side However, although the fluid dynamics are greatly different, in the fourth modification, by arranging in the above-described relationship, the channel resistance due to the difference in the arrangement position can be canceled and the uniform channel resistance can be set.

  In the modification example 4, the suction cap 10A of the modification example 1 has been described by changing the cross-sectional area of the discharge port 10Ac. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the suction cap 10 of the first embodiment or the modification It goes without saying that the cross-sectional area of the suction cap 10B of Example 2 or the suction cap 10C of Modification 3 can be adopted by arranging so as to satisfy the above formula 1.

With reference to FIG. 10, the maintenance apparatus 6A of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 5 is supplementarily described. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a more specific layout configuration of the maintenance device 6A of the first embodiment.
Each suction cap 10 is connected in series by a connection tube 11, between the discharge port of the suction cap 10 on the most downstream side of the waste liquid path and the suction pump 13, and between the suction pump 13 as the suction means and the waste liquid. The waste liquid tank 18 as a container is connected by waste liquid tubes 17 and 19 which are communication members.

  The suction pump 13 is driven and ink is sucked from a head (not shown in FIG. 10) to recover the discharge state. The ink adhering to the nozzle surface of the head after suction is wiped off by a blade-like wiper 20 and simultaneously A meniscus on the nozzle surface is formed, and discharge is possible.

  In FIG. 10, the suction cap 10 used in the maintenance device 6 </ b> A of the first embodiment has been described. However, by adopting the suction cap described in Modifications 1 to 4 and the connection configuration of the suction cap, the maintenance device ( Of course, it is possible to construct a maintenance / recovery device) and an ink jet recording apparatus having the same.

  As described above, the present invention has been described with respect to specific embodiments and modifications. However, the technology disclosed by the present invention is limited to those exemplified in the embodiments and modifications including the above-described embodiments. However, those skilled in the art can configure various embodiments, modifications, and examples in accordance with the necessity and application within the scope of the present invention. If so, it is clear.

  The image forming apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to the line-type inkjet recording apparatus as the line-type image forming apparatus in the above-described embodiment, but can be applied to, for example, a serial-type inkjet recording apparatus as a serial-type image forming apparatus. . Further, the present invention can be applied to an image forming apparatus including an ink jet recording apparatus in a printer, a plotter, a word processor, a facsimile machine, a copying machine, etc., or a multifunction machine having two or more functions.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Apparatus main body 2 Paper feed tray 3 Paper discharge tray 4 Conveyance part 5 Head part 6A Maintenance apparatus (maintenance recovery apparatus)
7 Cleaner device 10, 10A, 10B, 10C Suction cap (cap member)
10c, 10Ac, 10Bc, 10Cc Discharge port 10d, 10Ad, 10Bd, 10Cd Connecting part 11 Connection tube (communication member)
13 Suction pump (suction means)
15 Nip member 16 Base member 17, 19 Waste liquid tube (communication member)
18 Waste liquid tank (waste liquid container)
20 wiper 50 head unit 61 head (recording head)
62 nozzles 64 nozzle surfaces P paper (sheet, sheet-like recording medium)
X Sheet conveyance direction (sub-scanning direction)
Y Sheet width direction (main scanning direction)
Z Vertical direction, vertical direction

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-25496 (FIG. 9A, etc.)

Claims (5)

A plurality of recording heads provided with nozzles for discharging liquid droplets and provided with nozzle surfaces; and a cap member disposed to face each of the recording heads and covering the nozzle surfaces to receive waste liquid discharged from the nozzles. An image forming apparatus having suction means for sucking the waste liquid stored in each cap member,
Each of the cap members has a plurality of connecting portions having discharge ports for connecting the adjacent cap members and discharging the waste liquid,
An image forming apparatus, wherein the connecting portions of the adjacent cap members are connected in series by a communication member. Each cap member has a nip member that contacts and seals with the nozzle surface, and a base member that is configured integrally with the nip member and holds the nip member,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each base member includes a plurality of the connecting portions.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of connecting portions are arranged in a substantially horizontal direction of the adjacent cap members.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication member is an elastic member. The cross-sectional area of the discharge port is different for each of the cap member or the base member,
5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a cross-sectional area of each of the discharge ports decreases in order from an upstream side to a downstream side in a waste liquid discharge path.

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