JP2761072B2 - Ink jet recording apparatus and recording mechanism - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a recording mechanism having a cleaning mechanism for cleaning an ink ejection port surface by using scanning of a recording head, and an ink jet having this recording mechanism detachably mounted. It relates to a recording device.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an ink jet recording apparatus, a wiping member is provided at a facing portion of a recording head to clean an ink ejection surface on which ink ejection ports are arranged, and paper dust and dust adhering to the ink ejection surface are provided. In many cases, the discharge performance is stabilized by removing foreign matter such as foreign matter and scattered ink, and such a wiping member is provided integrally with the recording apparatus main body so that it cannot be easily replaced. It was common to have been.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, if the same wiping member is used for a long period of time, foreign matters and deteriorated ink deposited on the wiping member are transferred to the ink ejection surface in reverse. There is a risk of poor cleaning due to deterioration of the wiping performance, and it is extremely inconvenient to avoid such a problem because regular maintenance is required by a maintenance specialist or the user himself / herself.

This tendency is due to the fact that caps and
The same applies to a humidifying member, a water-repellent-applying member, and an ink-repellent absorbing member, and there is a problem of increasing the size to have long-term durability.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has as its object to provide a recording mechanism having a cleaning mechanism for stabilizing ink jet recording performance over a long period of time, and an ink jet recording apparatus in which the recording mechanism is detachably mounted together with the cleaning mechanism. I do.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, a recording mechanism of the present invention comprises:
A recording mechanism having an ink storage section for storing ink supplied to the recording head, the recording mechanism being detachably mountable to an ink jet recording apparatus which performs recording by scanning a recording head and discharging ink from a discharge port; The mechanism has at least a cleaning mechanism for cleaning the discharge port surface of the recording head by using the scanning of the recording head, and the cleaning mechanism performs scanning for recording of the recording head at the time of recording by the recording mechanism. Stop at a cleaning position near the home position of the recording head without following the recording mechanism, and when replacing the recording mechanism, the cleaning mechanism is integrated with the recording mechanism such that the cleaning mechanism is replaced together with the recording mechanism. It is characterized by.

In addition, the inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention is an inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording by scanning a recording head and ejecting ink from an ejection port, wherein the recording head and an ink storage unit that stores ink supplied to the recording are provided. A carriage that detachably mounts a recording mechanism having a recording mechanism, and a support member that supports a cleaning mechanism provided at the recording mechanism for cleaning at least an ejection opening surface of the recording head by using scanning of the recording head. The cleaning mechanism is configured such that the support member fixedly disposed at a cleaning position near the home position of the recording head without following the scanning of the carriage for recording of the recording head during recording by the recording mechanism. When the recording mechanism is replaced, the cleaning mechanism is replaced together with the recording mechanism. Characterized in that it is disengaged from said carriage and said support member becomes integral with said recording mechanism.

According to the present invention, the cleaning mechanism stops at the cleaning position during recording by the recording mechanism, and uses at least the ejection openings of the recording head by using the scanning of the recording head as necessary when the recording head returns to the home position. It is possible to clean the surface, prevent clogging of the discharge port, and secure discharge stability.
In addition, when the consumption amount of the ink stored in the ink storage unit of the recording mechanism is large, the number of times of cleaning by the cleaning mechanism for the discharge port surface of the recording head that has discharged and consumed a large amount of ink is inevitable. Should be more
It is expected that the cleaning performance is degraded. In such a case, the recording mechanism and the cleaning mechanism can be exchanged together in an integrated state. Thus, by attaching a new recording mechanism and a new cleaning mechanism to the ink jet recording apparatus, stable ejection characteristics and high cleaning performance can be exhibited.

[Example] Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described in detail and specifically with reference to the drawings.

In the first embodiment, a single-color ink jet recording apparatus having an absorbing wiping member (cleaning mechanism) is used for a cartridge (recording mechanism) in which a recording head and an ink tank are integrated and mounted on a carriage. In the case of this embodiment, a cap means is provided, and the wiping member is replaceable integrally with the cartridge together with the cap member.

Further, the second embodiment is applied to a multicolor ink jet recording apparatus having the same configuration as the first embodiment, and the wiping member and the cartridge having the top recording head which is frequently exchanged can be exchanged integrally. It was done.

Further, the third embodiment is applied to an ink jet recording apparatus having a detachable ink cartridge containing an ink tank in a mounting portion of the recording apparatus main body, with respect to a single recording head mounted on a carriage and performing recording during movement. This is an example in which a wiping member of a wiping type is integrally held in the ink cartridge.

First, a first embodiment of an integrally exchangeable recording head cartridge will be described with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an ink jet head having an ink tank (ink storage section) (not shown) containing a predetermined amount of ink and an ink discharge port 3 on an ink discharge surface 2 and having a discharge function. 4 is a cartridge (hereinafter referred to as a head member) integrated with the cartridge. Reference numeral 5 denotes a wiping member (cleaning mechanism) composed of an ink absorber that can be wiped to clean the ejection surface 2 of the head member 1, and 6 is formed integrally with the wiping member 5. A cover member having a cap portion that can be covered, the cover member 6 and the head member 1
Is configured to be able to be freely inserted and removed.

Therefore, before the head member 1 and the cover member 6 are attached to a recording apparatus (not shown), the locking groove 8 of the head member 1 and the locking claw 9 provided on the cover member 6 are described later. And are held together by engaging each other. Reference numeral 10 denotes a support shaft that rotatably supports a cap member (not shown).

FIG. 2 shows a state in which the head member 1 and the cover member 6 are attached to and detached from the recording apparatus with the head member 1 and the cover member 6 integrated as described above. Carriages 13 and 14 moved by the illustrated drive means
Are a head guide pin and a guide projection provided on the carriage 11 to which the head member 1 can be mounted. In addition, since the attachment / detachment to / from the recording apparatus is performed in a state where the cover member 6 is fitted to the head member 1, in this case, the carriage 11
Is a guide that is guided to a so-called capping position, and 15 is a support base that is provided at such a position and fixedly supports the wiping member 5 together with the cover member 6. Thus, the cover member mounting pin 16 is erected on the support base 15,
This mounting pin is inserted into the pin hole 17 of the cover member 6 (see FIG. 3A).
The cover member 6 can be fixed to the recording apparatus together with the wiping member 5 by inserting the cover member 16. Here, the support 15 and the mounting pin 16 constitute a support member.

FIG. 3A shows the carriage home position of the apparatus, and also the position where normal ink absence detection is performed. Therefore, attachment and detachment can always be performed as an integrally exchangeable recording cartridge.

FIG. 3A shows a state in which the head member 1 and the cover member 6 are mounted on the carriage 11 and the support base 15 as described above, wherein the carriage 11 and the support base 15 are not shown. Thus, in such a mounted state, the cap member 18 made of an ink absorber presses against the ink discharge surface 2 of the head member 1 as shown in the figure, and the discharge port is kept in a sealed state. Then, when the carriage is moved in the direction of the arrow by a carriage driving unit (not shown) from this state, the engagement between the locking groove 8 and the locking claw 9 is separated, and the first
At the time of movement as shown in FIG.
Wipes the ink ejection surface 2 of the moving head member 1. At this time, the cap member 18 opens the discharge port 3 from its sealed state while rotating around the support shaft 10. The present ink jet apparatus does not require the conventional cap moving and blade moving mechanisms, which is effective for reducing the size and cost of the apparatus.

FIG. 4 shows a state during the recording operation according to this embodiment. After wiping the inkjet head 4, an appropriate amount of test ejection is performed toward the test ejection absorber 20.
The sheet is conveyed by means (not shown) and repeatedly moves along the guide shaft 12 so as to face a recording material 21 such as paper held at a recording position, and performs recording by discharging ink according to a recording signal.
When recording is completed, the ink jet head 4 moves in a direction opposite to that shown in FIG. 3B, is wiped again by the wiping member 5, and is capped by the cap member 18.

Note that the wiping member 5 used in the present embodiment is a continuous porous body made of a material such as urethane, and has a very large effect of wiping a liquid such as ink or a foreign substance such as paper dust or dust. This is excellent in preventing the deterioration of recording quality caused by them. However,
When the amount of the wiped liquid or foreign matter increases, not only does the effect decrease, but also there is a possibility that they may be re-transferred to the inkjet head side. In this embodiment,
Since the head member 1 having a predetermined amount of ink and the wiping member 5 are detachably integrated together, the wiping member 5 can be automatically replaced simultaneously with the head member 1 which is replaced every predetermined recording amount. Therefore, good wiping performance can always be maintained.

Further, in the present embodiment, in addition to the wiping member 5, the cap member 18 that covers the ink ejection surface 2 is also integrated, so that
Even when the head is not mounted on the main body, the ink ejection surface 2 of the head can be protected, and it is possible to prevent adhesion of foreign matter, mechanical shock and damage.

FIGS. 5 to 9 relate to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 shows a cartridge (head member) with a wiping member according to the second embodiment. In the present embodiment, the film 23 is attached to the peripheral portion except for the tip portion for wiping the wiping member 5 to prevent the wiping member 5 that has absorbed the ink from soiling the hand of the user. Further, unlike the first embodiment, the separation of the head member 1 having a tank (not shown) in which a predetermined amount of ink is stored and the cover member 6 having the wiping member 5 is perpendicular to the ink ejection surface. Further, the cap member 18A of this example is pressed against the discharge surface 2 from the separating direction (the direction of the arrow in the figure).

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9 described later, recording is performed by a plurality of head members, and four colors of cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y) and black (K) are used. Four head / ink tank integrated cartridges (head members) 1C, 1 each having ink
It has M, 1Y and 1K. In this case, it is possible to provide a wiping member for each of all the head members 1C to 1K. However, as in the present embodiment, the arrangement of the head members is such that the fifth member is provided only on one end of the head member 1C. Either the wiping member 5 is integrated with the cover member 6 as shown in the figure, or the wiping member is integrated with the most frequent head member according to the expected replacement frequency. Is also good. In this embodiment, the wiping member 5 is integrated with the head member 1C, which is the leading head by the movement of the carriage 11 at the time of recording, and each head member 11C, 1M, 1Y, 1K is moved with the carriage movement. Can be sequentially wiped.

FIG. 6 shows a head member 1M, 1 which is not integrated with the wiping member.
The configuration of Y and 1K is shown. FIG. 7 shows an apparatus for attaching and detaching the head member 1 to and from the recording apparatus main body. In the second embodiment, the carriage 11 is guided to the capping position at the end of the apparatus main body and the support table provided at that position. Mounting of the head member 1 and the cover member 6 integrated from above with respect to 15
It is to take out. Here, the carriage 11 on which the head member 1 is mounted is the same for the four heads, but the support base 15 on which the cover member 6 having the wiping member 5 is mounted is separately provided for each head member as shown in FIG. Has become. This is to reduce the driving load for the operation by slightly shifting the coupling / separation between the head member 1 and the cover member 6 in time, as will be described later. 15M, 15Y, 15K) can be combined and separated at the same time. In FIG. 7, the support 15 is
A rack 33 that is movably supported by the support base moving shaft 31 and that meshes with a worm gear 32 for movement is formed below the support base 15, and the rotation of the worm gear 32 moves the support base 15 back and forth. Between the stoppers 34. FIG. 7 shows a state in which the head member and the cover member are integrally mounted and a capping state in the non-recording state, and FIG. 8 shows a state of the wiping operation. When the support table 15 is further retracted, the carriage 11 can be moved without wiping.

FIG. 9 shows a wiping operation and a state at the time of recording. The carriage 11 is fixed to a carriage drive belt 36 by a belt presser 35, and a belt drive source (not shown)
The belt is rotated via the belt rotating gear 37, so that the carriage 11 moves in synchronization with the recording signal. During the wiping operation, the ink ejection surface 2 of each head member 1 is sequentially wiped by the wiping member 5 moved to the state shown in FIG. In order to prevent color mixing of the ink due to the wiping, the recording operation is started after a small amount of ink is ejected to the test ejection absorber 20. Here, the movement of the support 15 is performed by the support drive source 38.
Through idler 39 and gear 40
This is done by rotating 32. Of course, the present invention also includes a configuration in which the absorber 20 is integrated with the recovery member for replacement, that is, a configuration in which the absorber 20 is integrated with the cover member 6.

FIGS. 10 to 13 relate to a third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 10 shows a cartridge with a wiping member. The cartridge 41 according to the present embodiment has an ink tank 42 having a predetermined amount of ink and a rubber-like wiping plate (blade wiper) constituting a cleaning mechanism provided on the side surface of the outer shell of the ink tank.
43. Reference numeral 44 denotes a wiper presser, and reference numeral 45 denotes a connection port for connecting a recording head with an ink tank (ink storage section) 42 in a cartridge (recording mechanism) 41 by a tube. The blade wiper
43 has a function of wiping off unnecessary ink and foreign matter from the ink ejection surface of the recording head. However, rubbing with the head may cause the blade wiper 43 to wear and its effect to deteriorate. In this embodiment, since the blade wiper 43 is integrated with the ink cartridge 41, the blade wiper 43 is automatically maintained and replaced, so that the performance can be stabilized.

FIG. 11 shows a state in which such a cartridge 41 is mounted on an ink jet recording apparatus. The cartridge 41 is inserted into a mounting section 46 provided at a predetermined position of the recording apparatus, so that the cartridge 41 is inserted into a connection port 45 thereof. The tube 48 is connected to the inkjet head 4 via the hollow needle 47 inserted therein. Reference numeral 49 denotes a detachable handle provided on the cartridge 41. Therefore, the carriage 11 is moved from such a mounted state.
Is driven, the blade wiper 43 slides on the ink ejection surface 2 of the head 4 as shown in FIG. 12, and cleans the dirt. After that, the recording operation is continued as shown in FIG. Recording can be performed by the transfer head 4.

The present invention is particularly suitable for a recording apparatus of a bubble jet system among ink jet recording systems.
This is because according to such a method, it is possible to achieve higher density and higher definition of recording.

Regarding the representative configuration and principle, it is preferable to use the basic principle disclosed in, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4,740,796. This method can be applied to both the so-called on-demand type and the continuous type. In particular, in the case of the on-demand type, it is arranged corresponding to a sheet or a liquid path holding a liquid (ink). By applying at least one drive signal to the electrothermal transducer to give a rapid temperature rise exceeding the nucleate boiling to the recorded information, heat energy is generated in the electrothermal transducer and the heat of the recording head is increased. This is effective because film boiling occurs on the working surface, and as a result, bubbles in the liquid (ink) can be formed in one-to-one correspondence with the drive signal. The liquid (ink) is ejected through the ejection opening by the growth and contraction of the bubble to form at least one droplet. When the drive signal is formed into a pulse shape, the growth and shrinkage of the bubbles are immediately and appropriately performed, so that the ejection of the liquid (ink) having particularly excellent responsiveness can be achieved, which is more preferable. As the pulse-shaped drive signal, those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,463,359 and 4,434,262 are suitable. Further, when the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 relating to the temperature rise rate of the heat acting surface are adopted, more excellent recording can be performed.

As a configuration of the recording head unit, although not described in detail in each of the above-mentioned specifications, a configuration in which a heat acting portion is arranged in a bent region in addition to a linear liquid flow path or a rectangular liquid flow path is disclosed. U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,333, U.S. Pat.
A configuration using the specification is also included in the present invention.
In addition, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. H11-15064 discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as a discharge section of an electrothermal converter for a plurality of electrothermal converters.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59-138461 discloses a structure in which an opening for absorbing a pressure wave of thermal energy is made to correspond to a discharge portion.
The effect of the present invention is effective even when the configuration is based on the above-mentioned publication.

Further, the present invention can be effectively applied to a full-line type recording head having a length corresponding to the maximum width of a recording medium on which a recording apparatus can record. Such a recording head may have a configuration that satisfies the length by a combination of a plurality of recording heads, or a configuration as one integrally formed recording head. In addition, a replaceable chip-type recording head that can be electrically connected to the device main body or supplied with ink from the device main body by being attached to the device main body even in the serial type as described above. The present invention is particularly effective when a recording head of a cartridge type provided integrally with the recording head itself is used.

Regarding the type or number of print heads to be mounted, for example, in addition to one provided for single color ink, a plurality of print heads are provided corresponding to a plurality of inks having different print colors and densities. May be used.

In addition, as the form of the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention, in addition to the one used as an image output terminal of an information processing device such as a computer, a form of a copying apparatus combined with a reader or the like, and a facsimile apparatus having a transmission / reception function are searched. It may be something.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and may be configured to be integrated only at the time of mounting, or preferably only at the time of detachment, during replacement.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, the cleaning mechanism stops at the cleaning position during recording by the recording mechanism, and utilizes the scanning of the recording head as necessary when the recording head returns to the home position. As a result, at least the ejection port surface of the recording head is cleaned to prevent clogging of the ejection port, thereby ensuring ejection stability. In addition, when the consumption amount of the ink stored in the ink storage unit of the recording mechanism is large, the number of times of cleaning by the cleaning mechanism for the discharge port surface of the recording head that has discharged and consumed a large amount of ink is inevitable. And it is expected that the cleaning performance is degraded. In such a case, the recording mechanism and the cleaning mechanism can be exchanged together in an integrated state. Thus, by attaching a new recording mechanism and a new cleaning mechanism to the ink jet recording apparatus, stable ejection characteristics and high cleaning performance can be exhibited.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wiping member and a cartridge according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram when the wiping member and the cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present invention are mounted on a main body. 3A and 3B are explanatory diagrams of the wiping operation according to the first embodiment, FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation state of the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a second embodiment. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the wiping member and the cartridge according to the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the cartridge without the wiping member according to the second embodiment. FIG. Fig. 8, Fig. 8 is an explanatory view of the separating operation of the wiping member according to the second embodiment, Fig. 9 is an explanatory view showing a wiping state according to the configuration of the second embodiment, and Fig. 10 is a drawing of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a wiping member and a cartridge according to a third embodiment. Body explanatory view of the mounting state of the cartridge according to, Fig. 12 is a diagram depicting the wiping operation according to the third embodiment, FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing the structure and operation of the third embodiment. 1,1C, 1M, 1Y, 1K ... cartridge (recording mechanism), 2 ...
Ink ejection surface (recording mechanism), 3 ... Ink ejection port (recording mechanism), 4 ... Inkjet head (recording mechanism), 5
…… Sweeping member (cleaning mechanism), 6… Cover member, 7…
Cap member, 8 Lock groove, 9 Lock claw, 11 Carriage, 15 Support base (support member), 18, 18A Cap member, 36 Carriage drive belt, 41 Cartridge (recording mechanism), 42: Ink tank (ink storage section), 43: Blade wiper (cleaning mechanism), 46: Mounting section.

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Atsushi Arai 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (56) References JP-A-2-188245 (JP, A) JP-A-62 -244644 (JP, A) JP-A-59-45162 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) B41J 2/165

Claims (10)

(57) [Claims] An ink storage unit for storing ink supplied to the recording head, which is detachably attached to an ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording by scanning a recording head and discharging ink from a discharge port. In the mechanism, the recording mechanism has a cleaning mechanism that cleans at least the ejection port surface of the recording head by using scanning of the recording head, and the cleaning mechanism is configured to clean the recording head during recording by the recording mechanism. The recording head stops at the cleaning position near the home position of the recording head without following the scanning for recording, and when the recording mechanism is replaced, the cleaning mechanism is integrated with the recording mechanism so that the cleaning mechanism is replaced together with the recording mechanism. A recording mechanism, characterized in that: 2. The recording mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said cleaning mechanism includes a cap member for covering a discharge port surface of a recording head of said recording mechanism. 3. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink jet recording apparatus is capable of color recording, and when a plurality of recording mechanisms are provided, only one of the recording mechanisms has the cleaning mechanism. Recording mechanism. 4. The recording mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said ink jet recording apparatus is capable of color recording, and when a plurality of said recording mechanisms are provided, all the recording mechanisms have said cleaning mechanism. . 5. The recording mechanism according to claim 3, wherein said one recording mechanism is a recording mechanism having a high exchange frequency. 6. The recording mechanism according to claim 3, wherein said one of the recording mechanisms is a recording mechanism arranged on an area where recording is most performed. 7. The recording mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said recording mechanism is separable into said recording head and said ink containing section, and said cleaning mechanism is attached to said ink containing section. 8. An ink jet recording apparatus which performs recording by scanning a recording head and discharging ink from a discharge port, comprising: a recording mechanism having the recording head and an ink storage unit for storing ink supplied to the recording head. And a support member that supports a cleaning mechanism that cleans at least the ejection port surface of the recording head provided by the recording mechanism by using scanning of the recording head, The cleaning mechanism is supported by the support member fixedly arranged at a cleaning position near the home position of the recording head without following the scanning of the carriage for recording of the recording head during recording by the recording mechanism. When the recording mechanism is replaced, the cleaning mechanism is integrated with the recording mechanism so that the cleaning mechanism is replaced together with the recording mechanism. An ink jet recording apparatus characterized by a state being disengaged from said carriage and said support member. 9. The ink jet recording apparatus is capable of color recording, and when a plurality of recording mechanisms are provided, only one of the recording mechanisms has the cleaning mechanism. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising: 10. The ink jet recording apparatus is capable of color recording, and all the recording mechanisms provided with a plurality of the recording mechanisms have the cleaning mechanism and the plurality of the supporting members corresponding to the cleaning mechanism. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 8, wherein: