JP2020104415A - Ink jet type image formation apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To allow a waste ink absorber to be used in a wide range without the need of a control device of controlling the movement of the outlet of a tube.SOLUTION: An ink jet type image formation apparatus includes: a carriage which is movable between a printing position and a non-printing position and is provided with a printing unit; waste ink discharge means which has a waste ink discharge port for discharging waste ink not used in printing; and a waste ink absorber for storing waste ink discharged by the waste ink discharge port. The discharge position of the waste ink discharge port with respect to the waste ink absorber is freely changeable. In a case where the carriage is moved, the discharge position of the waste ink discharge port with respect to the waste ink absorber is changed with the contact of the carriage to the waste ink discharge means and the movement of the waste ink discharge means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to an inkjet image forming apparatus, and more particularly to a waste ink discharging mechanism of an inkjet image forming apparatus.

The ink ejection port of the print head may be clogged due to thickening of the ink or adhesion of dust to the nozzle surface of the head. Therefore, in order to restore the ink ejecting function of the print head, the ink jet type image forming apparatus is provided with a cap for ejecting the ink from the ejecting opening of the print head or covering the ejecting opening of the print head to protect the ink. A recovery mechanism for removing ink by sucking ink from the print head is installed.

The waste ink generated during the recovery process passes through the tube and is discharged to the waste ink absorber that is detachably attached.

For example, as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-242242, in the related art, an inkjet image forming apparatus is known that includes a moving device that moves the outlet of the tube because the waste ink absorber is used in a wide range.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-793

However, Patent Document 1 has a problem that a control device for controlling the movement of the outlet of the tube is required.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an inkjet image forming apparatus that can use a waste ink absorber in a wide range without requiring a control device that controls the movement of an outlet of a tube. And

In order to achieve this object, the inkjet type image forming apparatus of the present invention is configured to perform reciprocal scanning in a predetermined direction to eject ink from a mounted printing unit to an opposing recording medium, and a print removed from the printing unit. An ink jet type image forming apparatus comprising: a waste ink discharge means having a waste ink discharge port for discharging unused waste ink; and a waste ink absorber for containing the waste ink discharged from the waste ink discharge port. When the carriage scans, the carriage comes into contact with the waste ink discharge means and the waste ink discharge means moves, whereby the discharge position of the waste ink discharge port with respect to the waste ink absorber is changed. It is characterized by

According to the present invention, it is possible to use the waste ink absorber in a wide range without requiring a control device for controlling the movement of the outlet of the tube.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a main part of an inkjet image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the rotating member of embodiment of this invention. 2A is a perspective view and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view thereof. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state in which the rotating member starts to rotate due to movement of the carriage unit in the inkjet image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state where the carriage unit has moved from the position shown in FIG. 3 to a position for performing a suction recovery operation in the inkjet image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. In the inkjet type image forming apparatus of the embodiment of the present invention, when the carriage unit moves to the non-printing position, the waste ink absorber before the gear portion of the rotating member and the one-way gear of the carriage unit are engaged, FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a relative positional relationship of ink discharge paths. In the inkjet image forming apparatus of the embodiment of the present invention, when the carriage unit moves to the non-printing position, the waste ink absorber after the gear portion of the rotating member and the one-way gear of the carriage unit are engaged, FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a relative positional relationship of ink discharge paths.

An inkjet type image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The embodiment described below is an example as a means for realizing the present invention, and should be appropriately modified or changed according to the configuration and various conditions of the device to which the present invention is applied without departing from the spirit of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

(Schematic configuration of inkjet image forming apparatus)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a main part of an inkjet type image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The inkjet image forming apparatus 10 includes a print head 21 having an ink ejection port, a carriage unit 20 (carriage) that mounts the print head 21 (printing unit), and a recording medium transport unit that transports a recording sheet 11 in a transport direction A. (Not shown). The carriage unit 20 is capable of reciprocating (movable) in directions B1 and B2 between a printing position and a non-printing position. The direction from the print position to the non-print position is the first direction B1, and the direction B2 from the non-print position to the print position is the second direction (direction opposite to the first direction).

When forming an image on the recording sheet 11, the recording sheet 11 being conveyed by the recording medium conveying unit is temporarily stopped, and the carriage unit 20 is reciprocated in directions B1 and B2 substantially orthogonal to the conveying direction A. Meanwhile, the ink is ejected from the ink ejection port based on the image information to form an image. After that, the recording sheet 11 is conveyed by the length of the ejection nozzle array of the print head 21 and stopped, and again while the carriage unit 20 is reciprocated in the directions B1 and B2, ink is ejected from the ink ejection port based on the image information. The ejection is performed to form an image on a portion of the recording sheet 11 newly located in the image forming area. An image is formed on the recording sheet 11 by repeating such an operation.

Here, for the purpose of stabilizing the ejection of the ink from the ink ejection port and removing bubbles and foreign matters in the ink supply path formed in the print head 21 and the ejection nozzle, a part of the ink is ejected. Is used for purposes other than image formation.

Examples of the ink used for purposes other than image formation include cleaning ejection for cleaning the inside of the ejection nozzle by pressurizing and ejecting the ink inside the print head 21, or sucking ink from the outside of the ink ejection port. Cleaning suction for cleaning the inside of the discharge nozzle is known.

The waste ink discharge mechanism 30 for performing the cleaning suction has a cap 33 that covers the ink discharge port formed in the print head 21, and a waste ink absorber 31 that stores the waste ink. Then, the waste ink discharge mechanism 30 further generates an ink tube 34 for guiding the ink from the cap 33 to the waste ink absorber 31, and a negative pressure for sucking the waste ink through the ink tube 34 from the ink ejection port. And a negative pressure pump 32.

The waste ink discharging mechanism 30 further has a rotating member 40 (waste ink discharging means) for allowing the waste ink absorber 31 to be used in a wide range.

The waste ink sucked from the print head 21 is sucked from the ink discharge port covered with the cap 33 through the ink tube 34 by the negative pressure pump 32 and supplied to the rotating member 40 described later, and then the waste ink absorber. It is supplied to 31 and absorbed.

Ink used for purposes other than image formation in this way is absorbed by the waste ink absorber 31 and is discarded when a fixed amount of ink is stored.

(Suction recovery mechanism)
Next, the rotating member 40 of the waste ink discharging mechanism 30, which is a characteristic part of the present invention, will be described.

2A and 2B are views showing the configuration of the rotating member 40. FIG. 2A is a perspective view and FIG. 2B is a sectional view.

As shown in these drawings, the rotating member 40 has a waste ink receiving portion 41 that receives the waste ink discharged from the outlet of the ink tube 34. The waste ink receiving portion 41 is shaped like a mortar and has an opening 41a at the center. A waste ink discharge path 42 that is connected to the opening 41 a and discharges the ink received by the waste ink receiver 41 to the waste ink absorber 31 is provided below the waste ink receiver 41. A waste ink discharge port 42a is provided at the tip of the waste ink discharge path 42.

Further, the waste ink receiving portion 41 is connected to the shaft portion 44 (rotating shaft) via the connecting member 45. The shaft portion 44 is provided with a gear portion 43 (first contact member, first gear) for receiving power from the carriage unit 20. When the gear unit 43 receives the power from the carriage unit 20, the entire rotating member 40 is configured to rotate about the shaft 44 as the center of rotation.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state in which the rotating member 40 starts rotating due to the movement of the carriage unit 20.

As shown in the figure, the rotating member 40 is rotatably supported on the main body frame 60 by a supporting member 61. Further, the one-way gear 50 (the first unit) configured to transmit the torque to the carriage unit 20 when receiving a counterclockwise torque when viewed from above the device, and to idle when receiving the clockwise torque. Two contact members, a second gear) are supported. That is, the one-way gear 50 is configured to be rotatable only in one direction.

While the carriage unit 20 moves from the printing position to the suction recovery operation position (non-printing position), the one-way gear 50 provided in the carriage unit 20 engages with (engages with) the gear portion 43 of the rotating member 40. ) Do. At this time, the one-way gear 50 does not rotate, and the one-way gear 50 causes the rotating member 40 to rotate in the arrow C direction about the shaft portion 44.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which the carriage unit 20 has moved from the position shown in FIG. 3 to the position where the suction recovery operation is performed. The ink sucked by the cleaning suction passes through the ink tube 34, flows down to the waste ink receiving portion 41 of the rotating member 40, and is discharged to the waste ink absorber 31 from the waste ink discharge path 42.

At this time, since the rotating member 40 is rotating around the shaft portion 44, the waste ink discharge port 42a of the waste ink discharge path 42 is moving with respect to the waste ink absorber 31. By rotating and moving the waste ink discharge path 42 in this manner, the waste ink absorber 31 can be used in a wide range. Then, the carriage unit 20 comes into contact with the rotating member 40 and the waste ink discharge path 42 moves, whereby the discharge position of the waste ink discharge port 42a with respect to the waste ink absorber 31 is changed (changeable).

When the suction recovery operation is completed, the carriage unit 20 returns to the printing position, so that the one-way gear 50 and the gear portion 43 of the rotating member 40 are engaged again. However, since the one-way gear 50 idles in the direction of arrow D, the torque is not transmitted to the gear portion 43, and the carriage unit 20 returns to the printing position without rotating the rotating member 40.

5 and 6 are diagrams showing the relative positional relationship between the waste ink absorber 31 and the waste ink discharge path 42 of the waste ink discharge mechanism 30. FIG. 5 shows a state before the gear portion 43 of the rotating member 40 and the one-way gear 50 of the carriage unit 20 are engaged when the carriage unit 20 moves in the direction B1 shown in FIG. FIG. 6 shows a state after the gear portion 43 of the rotating member 40 and the one-way gear 50 of the carriage unit 20 are engaged when the carriage unit 20 moves in the direction B1 shown in FIG.

Since the suction recovery operation is performed after the printing operation is performed in the state of FIG. 5, the carriage unit 20 moves from the printing position, and as shown in FIG. 6, the gear portion 43 of the rotating member 40 and the one-way gear 50 are separated from each other. Engagement and rotation member 40 rotates about shaft 44 by rotation angle θ.

The rotation angle θ of the rotating member 40 shown in FIG. 6 should be set so as not to be an angle that divides 360° by an integer N, such as 90° or 180°. That is, the rotation angle θ is selected so that 360°/θ is not an integer. If 360° is set to a rotation angle θ that can be divided by an integer N, the drop point of the waste ink discharged from the waste ink discharge path 42 to the waste ink absorber 31 is biased to a certain position, and the waste ink absorber 31 is This is because it cannot be used in a wide range.

Further, in the embodiment, the gear 50 arranged in the carriage unit 20 is a one-way gear, but the gear portion 43 of the rotating member 40 to be engaged may be a one-way gear instead of the gear 50. The discharge position of the outlet 42a with respect to the waste ink absorber 31 can be changed.

As described above, by disposing the rotating member 40 that changes the flow path of the waste ink between the ink tube 34 and the waste ink absorber 31, it is not necessary to provide a control device that controls the movement of the outlet of the ink tube. In addition, the waste ink absorber 31 can be used in a wide range.

10... Inkjet type image forming apparatus 20... Carriage unit 21... Print head 30... Suction recovery mechanism 31... Waste ink absorber 34... Ink tube 40... Rotating member 42... Waste ink discharge path 42a... Waste ink discharge port 43... Gear part 44... Shaft 50... One-way gear

Claims (7)

A carriage that reciprocally scans in a predetermined direction and ejects ink from a mounted printing unit onto an opposing recording medium,
Waste ink discharge means having a waste ink discharge port for discharging waste ink not used for printing removed from the printing unit,
A waste ink absorber for containing the waste ink discharged from the waste ink discharge port;
In an inkjet type image forming apparatus equipped with
When the carriage scans, the carriage contacts the waste ink discharge means and the waste ink discharge means moves, so that the discharge position of the waste ink discharge port with respect to the waste ink absorber is changed. An inkjet image forming apparatus characterized by the above. The waste ink discharging unit includes a rotating member that is rotatably supported by a main body of the inkjet image forming apparatus about a rotation axis, and has the waste ink discharging port.
2. The discharging position of the waste ink discharge port with respect to the waste ink absorber is changed by the moving carriage coming into contact with the rotating member and rotating the rotating member. Inkjet image forming apparatus. The rotating member is provided with a first contact member,
A second contact member is provided on the carriage,
When the carriage moves, the second contact member comes into contact with the first contact member and the rotating member rotates, thereby changing the discharge position of the waste ink discharge port with respect to the waste ink absorber. The inkjet image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image forming apparatus is an inkjet image forming apparatus. When the carriage moves in the first direction, the second contact member comes into contact with the first contact member to rotate the rotating member, and the carriage moves in a direction opposite to the first direction. The inkjet image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the rotating member is configured not to rotate when the moving member moves in the second direction. The first contact member has a first gear,
The second contact member has a second gear rotatable only in one direction,
When the carriage moves in the first direction and the second gear contacts the first gear, the second gear meshes with the first gear and the rotating member rotates. When the carriage moves in the second direction and the second gear comes into contact with the first gear, the second gear idles and the rotating member does not rotate. The inkjet image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the image forming apparatus is an inkjet image forming apparatus. When the carriage moves in the first direction, the second contact member contacts the first contact member, and the rotating member rotates, rotation of the rotating member around the rotation axis is performed. The inkjet image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein 360°/θ is not an integer, where θ is an angle. The first direction is a direction from a recording area in which ink is ejected from the printing unit to an opposing recording medium to a non-recording area that does not face the recording medium, and the second direction is from the non-recording area to the non-recording area. The inkjet type image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the image forming apparatus is directed toward the recording area.

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