JP2023002954A - Ink jet recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide image disturbance due to the color mixture of an ink at wiping.SOLUTION: An ink jet head surface 321 of an ink jet head 311 provided with nozzle rows of a plurality of colors on the ink jet head surface, has projecting portions 323 disposed along the nozzle rows between the plurality of nozzle rows, and inclined surfaces 321a and 321b inclining downward toward both sides from a center portion in a direction orthogonal to the nozzle rows. A tip end portion of the wipe blade 330 has a notch portion 333 provided so as to fit with the projecting portion 323, and inclined portions 331a and 331b inclined downward toward both sides from a center portion in the direction orthogonal to the nozzle rows so as to contact with the inclined surfaces 321a and 321b. A cleaning mechanism 33 moves the wipe blade 330 while the inclined surfaces 321a and 321b and the inclined portions 331a and 331b are contacted with each other and the projecting portions 323 and the notch portions 333 are fitted with each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to an inkjet recording apparatus that ejects ink onto a print medium.

2. Description of the Related Art A line-type inkjet recording apparatus performs printing by ejecting ink from an inkjet head based on image data onto conveyed paper.

In such an inkjet printing apparatus, maintenance is periodically performed in order to maintain a normal ejection state of the inkjet head. For example, purging is performed to forcibly discharge ink from the ink discharge surface of the inkjet head, and together with the discharged ink, dust and the like adhering to the ink discharge surface are wiped off (wiped) with a wiper blade.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200002 proposes a technique for preventing nozzles on the downstream side from becoming dirty with ink and dust coming from the upstream side when cleaning (wiping) an inkjet head.

JP-A-2004-167928

However, the method described in Patent Document 1 has difficulty in cleaning an inkjet head having nozzle rows of multiple colors (eg, gray and yellow). For example, there is a problem that when an ink pool formed after purging is wiped, mixed ink on the nozzle plate enters the nozzle holes of other colors, resulting in a disturbed image.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an ink jet recording apparatus that prevents image disturbance due to color mixture of ink during wiping.

In order to achieve the above object, the inkjet recording apparatus according to the present invention is characterized by:
an inkjet head provided with nozzle rows of multiple colors on the inkjet head surface;
a cleaning mechanism that cleans the inkjet head surface by moving a wipe blade along the nozzle row;
The ink-jet head surface includes protrusions arranged along the nozzle rows between the nozzle rows of the plurality of colors, and inclined surfaces that slope downward toward both sides from a central portion in a direction orthogonal to the nozzle rows. has
The tip of the wipe blade is inclined downward from a central portion in a direction orthogonal to the nozzle row toward both sides so as to come into contact with a notch provided to fit the projection and the inclined surface. has an inclined portion that
The cleaning mechanism moves the wipe blade in a state in which the inclined surface and the inclined portion are in contact with each other and the protrusion and the notch are engaged with each other.

According to the features of the inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to prevent image distortion due to ink color mixture during wiping.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an inkjet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a cleaning operation of an inkjet head included in the inkjet recording apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a cleaning operation of an inkjet head included in the inkjet recording apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention;

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The same or equivalent reference numerals are attached to the same or equivalent parts and components throughout each drawing. However, it should be noted that the drawings are schematic and differ from reality. In addition, there are portions with different dimensional relationships and ratios between the drawings.

Further, the embodiments shown below are examples of apparatuses and the like for embodying the technical idea of the present invention. not specific to The technical idea of this invention can be modified in various ways within the scope of claims.

(Configuration of Inkjet Recording Apparatus 1)
An embodiment of an inkjet recording apparatus 1 according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an inkjet recording apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the invention.

In the following description, the front side of FIG. 1 where the user is positioned is the left direction, and the back side of the paper is the right direction. Also, in FIG. 1, the up and down direction is defined as the up and down direction as viewed from the user. Further, the path indicated by the dashed line in FIG. 1 is the transport path R along which the paper PA, which is the print medium, is transported. The transport direction of the sheet of paper PA is defined as the front-rear direction. Upstream in the following description means forward direction and downstream means backward direction.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the inkjet recording apparatus 1 includes a paper feeding section 2 , a suction transport section 3 , a printing section 4 and a paper discharging section 6 .

The paper feed unit 2 feeds paper PA, which is a print medium. The paper feed unit 2 includes a paper feed table 11 , paper feed rollers 12 , and registration rollers 13 .

Sheets of paper PA used for printing are stacked on the paper feed tray 11 .

The paper feed rollers 12 pick up the paper sheets PA stacked on the paper feed table 11 one by one and convey them toward the registration rollers 13 . The paper feed roller 12 is arranged above the paper feed table 11 . The paper feed roller 12 is rotationally driven by a motor (not shown).

The registration rollers 13 temporarily stop the paper PA conveyed by the paper feed rollers 12 and then convey it toward the suction conveying section 3 . The registration rollers 13 are arranged downstream of the paper feed rollers 12 . The registration rollers 13 are rotationally driven by a motor (not shown).

The suction transport unit 3 transports the paper PA transported from the registration rollers 13 toward the printing unit 4 and the paper discharge unit 6 . The suction conveying section 3 includes a conveying belt 21 , a drive roller 22 , driven rollers 23 to 25 , a belt drive motor 26 , a platen plate 27 and a suction fan 28 .

The conveying belt 21 is an annular endless belt stretched over a driving roller 22 and driven rollers 23-25. The conveying belt 21 is formed with air intake holes, which are through holes for sucking and holding the sheet of paper PA, at predetermined intervals along the conveying direction of the conveying belt 21 . The conveying belt 21 sucks and holds the sheet of paper PA on the conveying belt 21 by means of negative pressure (adsorption force) generated in the suction holes by driving the suction fan 28 .

The conveying belt 21 rotates clockwise in FIG. As a result, the conveying belt 21 conveys the sheet of paper PA to the right by endlessly moving.

The driving roller 22 and the driven rollers 23 to 25 are over which the conveying belt 21 is stretched. The driving roller 22 is rotationally driven by a belt driving motor 26 to rotate the conveying belt 21 . The driven rollers 23 to 25 are driven by the driving roller 22 via the conveying belt 21 . The driven roller 23 has substantially the same height as the drive roller 22 and is spaced apart from the drive roller 22 in the left-right direction by a predetermined distance. The driven rollers 24 and 25 are arranged below the driving roller 22 and the driven roller 23 at substantially the same height, separated from each other by a predetermined distance in the horizontal direction.

A belt drive motor 26 rotates the drive roller 22 .

The platen template 27 is arranged below the conveying belt 21 between the driving roller 22 and the driven roller 23 and supports the lower surface of the conveying belt 21 so as to be slidable.

The suction fan 28 is arranged below the platen plate 27 to generate a downward airflow.

The printing unit 4 prints on the paper PA conveyed by the suction conveying unit 3 . The printing unit 4 is provided above the suction transport unit 3 . The printing unit 4 is fixed inside a housing (not shown) of the inkjet recording apparatus 1 . The printing unit 4 includes black (K) and cyan (C) inkjet heads 311 , magenta (M) and yellow (Y) inkjet heads 312 , and a head holder 32 .

The inkjet heads 311 and 312 have a plurality of nozzles in the lower part, and print by ejecting ink from the nozzles onto the paper PA conveyed while being sucked by the suction conveying unit 3 . The nozzles form a linearly arranged nozzle row. Details will be described later.

The head holder 32 holds the inkjet head 31 above the suction/conveyance unit 3 . The head holder 32 is formed in a hollow, substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape.

The paper PA printed by the printing unit 4 is discharged to the paper discharge unit 6 .

2 and 3 are explanatory diagrams explaining the cleaning operation of the inkjet head 311 provided in the inkjet recording apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. 2 shows a view from below, and FIG. 3 shows a view from the rear. Here, the inkjet head 311 will be described as an example, but the inkjet head 312 has the same configuration as the inkjet head 311 although the ink color is different.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the inkjet head 311 has a nozzle row N01 for ejecting black (K) ink and a nozzle row N02 for ejecting cyan (C) ink.

The inkjet recording apparatus 1 also has a cleaning mechanism 33 that cleans the inkjet head surface 321 of the inkjet head 311 .

The cleaning mechanism 33 has a wipe blade 330, and cleans the inkjet head surface 321 by moving the wipe blade 330 in the front-rear direction along the nozzle rows N01 and N02.

The inkjet head surface 321 has a protrusion 323 and inclined surfaces 321a and 321b.

The protrusion 323 is provided to protrude downward from the front end to the rear end of the inkjet head surface 321 along the nozzle rows N01 and N02 between the nozzle rows N01 and N02.

The inclined surface 321a is provided so as to be inclined downward to the left from the central portion C1 in the direction (horizontal direction) perpendicular to the nozzle rows N01 and N02. In addition, the inclined surface 321b is provided so as to be inclined downward to the right from the central portion C1 in the direction (horizontal direction) perpendicular to the nozzle rows N01 and N02.

The tip of the wipe blade 330 has a notch portion 333 and inclined portions 331a and 331b.

The notch portion 333 has a shape that is notched according to the shape of the projection portion 323 so as to fit the projection portion 323 .

The inclined portion 331a is provided so as to be in contact with the inclined surface 321a so as to be inclined downward to the left from the central portion C1 in the direction (horizontal direction) orthogonal to the nozzle rows N01 and N02. In addition, the inclined portion 331b is provided so as to be in contact with the inclined surface 321b so as to be inclined downward to the right from the central portion C1 in the direction (horizontal direction) orthogonal to the nozzle rows N01 and N02.

As shown in FIG. 2, the cleaning mechanism 33 moves in the front-rear direction along the nozzle rows N01 and N02 when performing the cleaning operation.

At this time, the cleaning mechanism 33 rotates the wipe blade 330 such that the inclined portion 331a and the inclined surface 321a are in contact, the inclined portion 331b and the inclined surface 321b are in contact, and the notch portion 333 and the projection portion 323 are engaged with each other. to move forward or backward.

By moving the wipe blade 330 back and forth in this manner, the purged ink IK on the inkjet head surface 321 is removed.

At this time, the protrusion 323 provided between the nozzle rows N01 and N02 prevents the ink IK from moving from the nozzle row N01 side to the nozzle row N02 side or from the nozzle row N02 side to the nozzle row N01 side. , the ink IK can be removed to the left and right (outside) of the inkjet head surface 321 .

In addition, since the inclined surfaces 321a and 321b are inclined downward toward both sides from the central portion C1 in the direction orthogonal to the nozzle rows N01 and N02, the ink IK wiped (wiped off) by the wipe blade 330 is an inkjet ink. It can be guided to the left and right (outside) of the head surface 321, and movement of the ink in an unintended direction can be prevented. As a result, it is possible to prevent the mixed ink on the inkjet head surface 321 from entering the nozzle holes of other colors and disturbing the image. Therefore, it is possible to prevent image disturbance due to color mixture of ink during wiping.

In addition, since the ink guided to the left and right (outside) of the inkjet head surface 321 travels along the wipe blade 330 and is collected in an ink pan (not shown) waiting under the wipe blade 330, the ink leaks to the surroundings. never put out.

(Appendix)
This application discloses the following inventions.

(Appendix 1)
an inkjet head provided with nozzle rows of multiple colors on the inkjet head surface;
a cleaning mechanism that cleans the inkjet head surface by moving a wipe blade along the nozzle row;
The ink-jet head surface includes protrusions arranged along the nozzle rows between the nozzle rows of the plurality of colors, and inclined surfaces that slope downward toward both sides from a central portion in a direction orthogonal to the nozzle rows. has
The tip of the wipe blade is inclined downward from a central portion in a direction orthogonal to the nozzle row toward both sides so as to come into contact with a notch provided to fit the projection and the inclined surface. has an inclined portion that
The inkjet recording apparatus, wherein the cleaning mechanism moves the wipe blade in a state in which the slanted surface and the slanted portion are in contact with each other and the protrusion and the notch are engaged with each other.

In this way, since the protrusion and the notch are engaged during cleaning, it is possible to prevent the ink from moving across the nozzle rows. Furthermore, since the slanted surface and the slanted portion are in contact with each other, the ink wiped (wiped off) by the wipe blade can be guided to the left and right (outside) of the ink jet head surface, and the ink may flow in an unintended direction. movement can be prevented. As a result, it is possible to prevent the ink mixed on the ink jet head surface from entering the nozzle holes of other colors and disturbing the image. Therefore, it is possible to prevent image disturbance due to color mixture of ink during wiping.

1 Inkjet recording device 2 Paper feed unit 3 Suction transport unit 4 Print unit 6 Paper discharge unit 31 Inkjet head 32 Head holder 33 Cleaning mechanism 311, 312 Inkjet head 321 Inkjet head surface 321a Inclined surface 321b Inclined surface 323 Projection 330 Wipe blade 331a , 331b inclined portion 333 notch portion

Claims (1)

an inkjet head provided with nozzle rows of multiple colors on the inkjet head surface;
a cleaning mechanism that cleans the inkjet head surface by moving a wipe blade along the nozzle row;
The ink-jet head surface includes protrusions arranged along the nozzle rows between the nozzle rows of the plurality of colors, and inclined surfaces that slope downward toward both sides from a central portion in a direction orthogonal to the nozzle rows. has
The tip of the wipe blade is inclined downward from a central portion in a direction orthogonal to the nozzle row toward both sides so as to come into contact with a notch provided to fit the projection and the inclined surface. and a sloping portion that
The inkjet recording apparatus, wherein the cleaning mechanism moves the wipe blade in a state in which the inclined surface and the inclined portion are in contact with each other and the protrusion and the notch are engaged with each other.

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