JP2016043539A - Ink jet recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ink jet recording device including a waste ink disposal device which can maintain good absorption performance of a waste ink absorber for a long period of time even with various inks under various use environments and achieves good space efficiency.SOLUTION: An ink jet recording device includes a waste ink disposal device. The waste ink disposal device includes: a first waste ink absorption part 23 configured to absorb and retain a waste ink; a dropping part 20c which drops the waste ink to the waste ink absorption part 23; and a waste ink receiving part 31 positioned between the dropping part 20c and the waste ink absorption part 23 and having liquid impermeability. The waste ink receiving part 31 receives the ink dropped from the dropping part 20c and then causes the ink to flow down to the first waste ink absorption part 23.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus including a waste ink processing apparatus capable of absorbing and holding waste ink that is ink that does not contribute to recording discharged from a recording head.

As waste ink processing apparatuses mounted on an ink jet recording apparatus, there are those disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2.
In Patent Document 1, an evaporation suppression member is disposed on the upper surface of a plurality of stacked waste ink absorbers, and a part of the waste ink absorber is cut out so that a part of the bottom surface is exposed, thereby aggregating the waste ink. Disclosed is a waste ink processing apparatus having a configuration for preventing deposition due to the above.
Further, in Patent Document 2, a hole having a diameter that decreases from the lower layer to the upper layer of the waste ink absorber is provided at a position where the waste ink is dropped, and the waste ink is disposed even if the waste ink is fixed on the absorber inside the waste ink tank. A waste ink processing apparatus having a configuration for absorbing ink is disclosed.

JP 2009-12457 A JP 2007-130886 A

  In the waste ink processing apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, the waste ink discharged to the waste ink storage unit is dried and accumulated, so that the vicinity of the discharge port is blocked, and the original waste ink absorption performance cannot be exhibited sufficiently. There was a problem that there was something. In particular, in the case of forming an image having high water resistance, light resistance and fastness, an ink that tends to thicken and accumulate is often used. Become prominent.

  In the invention of Patent Document 2, a hole is formed in an absorber capable of holding waste ink with a capillary force in consideration of waste ink accumulation. However, in a situation where the waste ink is not thickened and fixed, the region where the hole is formed is a region where the absorption holding power is low, and there is a problem that the space efficiency for installing the waste ink processing device is lowered.

  The present invention provides an ink jet recording apparatus having a waste ink processing apparatus capable of maintaining good absorption performance of a waste ink absorbing portion over a long period of time even under various inks and use environments, and having a space efficient waste ink processing apparatus. The purpose is to provide.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has the following configuration.
That is, the present invention is an ink jet recording apparatus comprising: a recording unit that performs recording on a recording medium; and a waste ink processing apparatus that stores waste ink that does not contribute to recording discharged from the recording unit. The waste ink processing apparatus includes: a waste ink absorption unit that absorbs and holds the waste ink; a dropping unit that drops the waste ink onto the waste ink absorption unit; and a space between the dropping unit and the waste ink absorption unit. And a liquid non-penetrating waste ink receiving section that receives the ink dropped from the dropping section and then flows down to the waste ink absorbing section.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to satisfactorily maintain the absorption performance of the waste ink absorbing portion over a long period even under various inks and usage environments. In addition, since the entire area of the waste ink absorber can be used to absorb and hold the waste ink, it is possible to provide an ink jet recording apparatus provided with a waste ink processing apparatus with good space efficiency.

1 is a perspective view illustrating an ink jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the waste ink processing apparatus of embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the waste ink processing apparatus shown in FIG. It is a top view of the waste ink processing apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which waste ink deposits are formed in the waste ink processing apparatus shown in FIG. 3.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an ink jet recording apparatus (hereinafter simply referred to as a recording apparatus) in the present embodiment. 2 is a perspective view of the waste ink processing apparatus in the present embodiment, FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the waste ink processing apparatus shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a plan view of the waste ink processing apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a state where waste ink deposits are formed in the waste ink processing apparatus.

  The recording apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a transport unit that transports a recording medium on which an image is to be formed in a predetermined transport direction (Y direction), and a carriage 2 that can move in a direction intersecting the transport direction (X direction). And a serial type ink jet recording apparatus. The transport means includes a transport roller 3 that is rotated by a transport motor (not shown). The carriage 2 is mounted with a recording head (recording means) 10 that can eject ink toward the recording medium. The recording head 10 has an ejection port surface on which a plurality of ejection ports for ejecting ink are formed facing a path (conveyance path) through which the recording medium is conveyed.

  When recording on the recording medium, the conveyance roller 3 is intermittently driven, and ink is ejected from the ejection port of the recording head 10 toward the recording medium in accordance with the recording data, thereby forming an image on the recording medium.

  On the other hand, in order to maintain the ejection performance of the recording head 10 in a normal state, ink ejection (preliminary ejection) that does not contribute to image recording is performed from the ejection port of the recording head 10 before entering the recording operation. When performing this preliminary ejection, first, the recording head moves to a position facing the cap 11 provided at a position deviating from the conveyance path of the recording medium. Next, ink is ejected from the ejection port of the recording head toward the cap 11. This preliminary discharge is performed at a predetermined timing, and the recording operation is performed by discharging the thickened ink, solidified ink, or ink containing air bubbles and dust that is not suitable for discharge. The ejection performance of the head can be kept appropriate.

  Further, there is a suction recovery operation as an operation for maintaining the ejection performance of the recording head. In this suction recovery operation, the cap 11 is brought into close contact with the discharge port surface of the recording head 10 by a lifting mechanism (not shown), and ink is forcibly discharged from the recording head 10 to the ink receiving portion 11 by a predetermined suction mechanism. Do. Then, ink discharged to the cap 11 by the preliminary discharge and suction recovery operations as described above (hereinafter referred to as waste ink) is sent to the waste ink processing unit 12 through a path (not shown) and stored.

  Here, the configuration of the waste ink processing apparatus 12 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The waste ink processing apparatus 12 includes a cover part 19 in which a space 35 for accumulating colorant components of waste ink and the like is formed, and a waste ink absorption part 25 provided on the lower and inner surfaces of the cover part 19. The cover portion 19 includes a first cover member 21 having an upper portion and a lower portion that are open, and a second cover member 22 that is detachably provided on the upper portion of the first cover member 21. In the present embodiment, the engaging portion 22 a provided on the outer side surface portion of the second cover member 22 is configured to be engageable and disengageable with the side surface portion of the first cover member 21.

  Further, a waste ink introducing portion 20 that guides the ink discharged from the cap 11 into the cover portion 19 is provided on the upper surface portion of the second cover member 22. In the present embodiment, the waste ink introduction unit 20 is formed of a T-shaped tube and includes two introduction ports 20a and 20b and one dripping port (dropping unit) 20c. The introduction port 20a is connected to a cap 11 that receives waste color ink via a path (tube or the like) (not shown), and the introduction port 20b is connected to a cap 11 (not shown) that receives black waste ink. Connected through. The waste ink introduced from the introduction ports 20a and 20b is dropped into the space 35 in the cover portion 19 from the dropping port (dropping portion) 20c. In the present embodiment, as described above, a plurality of types of ink are guided to the same waste ink introduction unit 20. However, when using an ink having a composition that promotes thickening and fixing when mixed with different types of ink, a plurality of waste ink introduction portions 20 are provided to mix the waste ink. You may make it avoid.

  In the cover portion 19, a waste ink receiving member (waste ink receiving portion) 31 that receives the waste ink droplet dropped from the dropping port 20c is provided. The waste ink receiving member 31 has a frustoconical outer shape, and is fixed to the bottom 21a of the first cover member 21 by a plurality of legs 31b. In the present embodiment, the waste ink receiving member 31 is formed integrally with the bottom 21a of the first cover member 21 formed of a material that does not absorb the ink solvent. The waste ink receiving surface 31a formed on the upper portion of the waste ink receiving member 31 is a surface (horizontal plane) perpendicular to the ink droplet dropping direction (vertical direction) in a normal use state.

  A through hole (hole) 21b is formed in the bottom portion 21a of the first cover member 21, and a waste ink receiving member 31 is disposed so as to cover the through hole 21b. Accordingly, the ink droplet dropped from the dropping port 20 c is temporarily received by the waste ink receiving surface 31 a of the waste ink receiving member 31. Thereafter, the waste ink overflowing from the waste ink receiving surface 31a flows down along the inclined surface connected to the periphery of the waste ink receiving surface 31a, and is absorbed by the waste ink absorbing portion 25 from the through hole 21b. Yes.

  The waste ink absorbing portion 25 is provided on four inner surfaces of the first waste ink absorber (first waste ink absorbing portion) 23 provided below the bottom portion 21 a of the first cover member 21 and the cover portion 19. And a fixed second waste ink absorber (second waste ink absorber) 24. The lower end portion of the second waste ink absorber 24 is in contact with the upper surface of the first waste ink absorber 23.

  The first waste ink absorber 23 has a configuration in which a plurality of ink absorbers are stacked. In the present embodiment, the first waste ink absorber 23 includes a directly lower part 23a located immediately below the cover part 19 and an extending part 23b extending forward from the front end of the directly lower part 23a. The rear end of the extending portion 23b is in contact with the front end of the direct lower portion 23a. Further, the direct lower portion 23a has a five-layer structure, and the extending portion 23b has a two-layer structure. A portion of the uppermost layer of the direct lower portion 23 is inserted and fixed to the lower portion of the first cover member 21, and faces the bottom portion 21 a of the first cover member 21 with a slight gap. The extending portion 23b is provided with a plurality of slits 23b1, and a liquid impermeable waste ink support member is inserted into each slit 23b1. For this reason, when the recording apparatus 1 is tilted for some reason in a state in which the waste ink is introduced into the extending portion 23b, the waste ink introduced into the extending portion 23b moves downward. It can be blocked by a waste ink support member inserted into 23b1. As a result, the hydraulic head pressure applied to the direct lower portion 23a is minimized, and the deterioration of the waste ink absorption / retention performance is reduced.

  In the waste ink processing apparatus configured as described above, the waste ink introduced from the cap 11 through the tube into the waste ink introduction unit 20 is dropped onto the waste ink receiving surface 31a from the dropping port 20c. This waste ink once stays on the waste ink receiving surface 31a, and then is pushed out by the waste ink discharged later, flows down the inclined surface of the waste ink receiving member 31, passes through the through hole 21b of the bottom portion 21a, The first waste ink absorber 23 is guided to the upper surface of the direct lower portion 23a. The waste ink guided to the upper surface of the direct lower portion 23a is absorbed and held inside the first waste ink absorber 23.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the waste ink dropped from the dropping port 20c is temporarily received by the waste ink receiving member 31 and retained. On the other hand, when the waste ink is dropped directly onto the waste ink absorber, only the water and solvent in the ink are absorbed and diffused in the waste ink absorber first, and the waste ink in the direct lower portion 23a is absorbed. There is a possibility that the coloring agent may be fixed at the dropping position. Such a phenomenon occurs particularly remarkably when a pigment ink that tends to thicken and stick is used and when the environmental humidity is low.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, the waste ink containing a large amount of solvent (water) immediately after being discharged from the dropping port 20c is once received by the waste ink receiving member 31 that does not absorb the solvent, and then passed through the through hole 21b. It is configured. That is, the time until the waste ink dropped from the dropping port 20c reaches the first waste ink absorber 23 is shorter than that when the waste ink is dropped directly from the dropping port 20c to the waste ink absorber 23. It is configured to be long. As a result, in the closed space covered with the cover members 21 and 22, the solvent (moisture) of the waste ink evaporates more, the inside of the closed space is kept at high humidity, and the evaporation of the waste ink and the amount of water are reduced. It is possible to reduce the thickening and sticking of the waste ink due to the decrease.

  In the present embodiment, the distance (thickness) from the lower surface to the upper surface of the first waste ink absorber 23 is set to a thickness capable of absorbing and holding the waste ink. That is, the ink absorbing member is laminated to a thickness that balances the capillary force and gravity of the waste ink. In the present embodiment, the ink absorbing member has a five-layer structure. As a result, the waste ink absorber is disposed without waste in the area where the waste ink can be absorbed, and the waste ink absorption / holding performance of the waste ink processing device 12 is maximized in a limited storage space.

  In this embodiment, the waste ink receiving surface 31a of the receiving member 31 is configured in a horizontal plane in order to temporarily retain the waste ink dropped from the waste ink introducing unit 20, but the shape of the waste ink receiving surface is a horizontal plane. It is not limited to. For example, the shape of the waste ink receiving surface 31a may be a concave shape that is slightly recessed.

  Even if the waste ink receiving member 31 is provided as described above, thickening and accumulation of the waste ink may progress depending on the composition of the ink and the use conditions of the recording apparatus 1. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a space 35 for accommodating the thickened waste ink deposit 40 (see FIG. 4) is formed between the dripping port 20 c and the waste ink receiving member 31, and the inner surface of the cover portion 19. The second waste ink absorber (second waste ink absorption unit) 41 is provided.

  By configuring as described above, even if the deposit 40 is generated in the waste ink processing apparatus 12 as shown in FIG. 4, it can be accommodated without leaking. Further, since waste ink containing a large amount of solvent (water) is discharged from the dripping port 20c onto the deposit 40, melting of the deposit 40 is promoted, and the pushed waste ink flows down the surface of the deposit 40. . Then, the ink that has flowed down the surface of the deposit 40 passes through the second waste ink absorber 24 and is absorbed and held by the first waste ink absorber 23 that is stacked therebelow.

  Since the second waste ink absorber 24 is arranged along the inner surfaces of the first cover member 21 and the second cover member 22, the second waste ink absorber 24 is thickened.・ Fixed waste ink is difficult to adhere and absorption of waste ink is less likely to be hindered. In addition, when waste ink with a large amount of water is discharged from the dripping port 20c, the waste ink passes over the deposit 40 for a longer time, so that the melting of the deposit 40 is further promoted and the inside of the space 35 is increased. Contributes to increased humidity.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the ink droplet dropped from the dripping port 20c is received by the waste ink receiving member 31, so that the closed space in the cover portion 19 is kept at high humidity, and the waste ink is evaporated and the amount of moisture is increased. It is possible to reduce thickening and sticking due to a decrease in the thickness. In addition, even if the waste ink thickens or accumulates depending on the ink composition or the usage environment of the ink jet recording apparatus, the absorption performance of the waste ink absorber is not impaired, and the waste ink absorption performance can be maintained well over a long period of time. it can.

  Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, the waste ink absorber that absorbs and holds the waste ink can be spread from the bottom surface, so that the absorption holding performance of the waste ink absorber can be exhibited well. Furthermore, since the waste ink absorber can be placed up to the height limit (thickness) that balances the rising force of the waste ink due to capillary action and the water head pressure, even when the placement space is restricted due to downsizing, the waste ink absorber is disposed. The absorption retention performance of the ink absorber can be fully utilized.

(Other embodiments)
In the above embodiment, the second waste ink absorber 24 is arranged along the four inner surfaces of the cover member 21 and the cover member 22, but the second cover member is further used as the second waste ink absorber 24. It is also possible to dispose an ink absorbing member on the inner surface of the upper plate portion 22c. According to this, until the space 35 is filled with the deposit 40, a path through which waste ink with a large amount of water is absorbed by the first waste ink absorber 23 can be secured. Absorption retention performance can be utilized to the maximum.

  The present invention is not limited to the serial type ink jet recording apparatus as in the above embodiment, but a full line type in which a recording operation is performed using a recording head held at a fixed position while continuously transporting a recording medium. The present invention is also applicable to the inkjet recording apparatus. In this case, the present invention can be applied to a waste ink processing apparatus that stores ink connected to an ink receiving member such as a cap that receives ink discharged from the ejection port of the recording head.

1 Inkjet recording device (recording device)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Recording means 12 Waste ink processing apparatus 19 Cover part 20c Drop port (drop part)
21b Through hole (hole)
23 First waste ink absorber (first waste ink absorber)
23b1 Slit 24 Second waste ink absorber (second waste ink absorption portion) 31 Waste ink receiving member (waste ink receiving portion)
31a Waste ink receiving surface

Claims (9)

An inkjet recording apparatus comprising: a recording unit that performs recording on a recording medium; and a waste ink processing device that stores waste ink that does not contribute to recording discharged from the recording unit,
The waste ink processing apparatus includes:
A waste ink absorbing portion for absorbing and holding the waste ink;
A dropping unit that drops the waste ink onto the waste ink absorbing unit;
A liquid non-permeable waste ink receiving portion that is located between the dropping portion and the waste ink absorbing portion, and that flows down to the waste ink absorbing portion after receiving the waste ink dropped from the dropping portion;
An ink jet recording apparatus comprising:   The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a cover portion that covers the periphery of the waste ink receiving portion.   The waste ink absorbing portion includes a first waste ink absorbing portion located below the waste ink receiving portion, and a second waste ink absorbing portion provided inside the cover portion, and the second waste ink absorbing portion. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the waste ink absorbing portion is in contact with the first waste ink absorbing portion.   The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the waste ink receiving portion has a waste ink receiving surface that receives the waste ink dropped from the dropping portion.   The said cover part has a hole for guiding the ink overflowing from the waste ink receiving surface to the first waste ink absorbing part. The ink jet recording apparatus described.   6. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the waste ink receiving surface is constituted by a horizontal surface provided immediately below the dropping portion.   The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the waste ink absorbing unit is formed by stacking a plurality of ink absorbing materials.   The waste ink absorbing portion includes a waste ink supporting member inserted into a slit formed in a direction intersecting with the surface of the waste ink absorbing portion. Inkjet recording apparatus.   9. The waste ink absorbing portion has a thickness that balances the head pressure of the waste ink due to the capillary phenomenon of the waste ink absorbing portion and the hydraulic head pressure. 2. An ink jet recording apparatus according to 1.

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