JP3102081B2 - Ink suction cap - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink suction cap for cleaning a nozzle of a print head of an ink jet printer, and more particularly to an ink suction cap formed of an elastic material having a height lower than an inner height at an inner bottom of the cap. The present invention relates to an ink suction cap which is provided with a pressing member and can seal the nozzle with the pressing member when printing is stopped.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, an ink jet printer for directly recording by spraying fine particles of ink on a print medium has no restriction on a print medium, has high speed printing, and has low noise.
Due to the ease of colorization, it is rapidly spreading.

[0003] The nozzles of the ink jet head (hereinafter referred to as print head) of this ink jet printer increase the viscosity of the ink during printing pauses or contain air bubbles, which makes it difficult for the ink to come out when printing is started. When printing is paused, the nozzles are usually capped with a cap made of an elastic material such as rubber to prevent the ink from drying out. When the ink thickens or bubbles enter the nozzles, a suction purge is performed to remove the ink having increased viscosity or ink mixed with bubbles.

However, the effect of preventing thickening due to capping is low, and the frequency of suction purging is high. Therefore, a method for enhancing the capping effect has been desired.

[0005]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 4 shows an outline of an ink jet printer. As shown in the figure, a guide shaft 3 is fitted to a carrier 2 on which a print head 1a is mounted, and a feed screw 4 is screwed to the carrier 2, and the feed screw 4 is connected to a motor not shown. The carrier 2 is arranged on the front surface of the platen 5, and is moved in the directions of arrows A and B in parallel with the platen 5 by the feed screw 4 by forward and reverse rotation of the motor. Print head
Reference numeral 1a denotes a plurality of nozzles (nozzles 10 ₁ , 10 ₂ ,... Shown in FIG.
For example, 12 × 2 = 24).

A backup unit 6 is provided in front of the home position of the print head 1a. The backup unit 6 includes a cap mechanism 6a and a wiper mechanism.
6b.

Accordingly, while the carrier 2 moves, the ink 7 is selectively ejected from the nozzles 10 ₁ , 10 ₂ ,... Of the print head 1 a to form a print on the print paper 8 by matrix dots. The printing paper 8 is fed in the direction of arrow C by driving a moving mechanism (not shown) and rotating the platen 5.

FIG. 5 shows the inside of the print head 1a. As shown in the figure, one row is branched from the common ink chamber 9, provided with pressure chambers 11 ₁ , 11 ₂ ,... At intermediate positions, and formed with a nozzle portion 10a having nozzles 10 ₁ , 10 ₂ ,. Thus, twelve ink supply passages 12 ₁ , 12 ₂ ,... Are formed in the plate 13.

The plates 13 and blank plates (not shown) are alternately laminated and fixed by, for example, diffusion welding so that the ink supply passages 12 ₁ , 12 ₂ ,. Has been created.

The pressure chambers 11 ₁ , 11 ₂ ,... Are formed by selectively applying a voltage to, for example, a piezoelectric element (not shown) disposed outside one of the plates and vibrating the nozzles 10 ₁ , 11 ₂ , as described above. The particles of the ink 7 are ejected from 10 ₂ , ─.

Here, the backup unit 6 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 6. As shown in the figure, the cap mechanism 6a has an opening 61a and a suction port 62a, and has a trapezoidal cross section made of an elastic material such as rubber. Formed cap 60
a, a suction pump 6 connected to a suction port 62a by a tube 64
3 and a drive mechanism (not shown)
It is arranged at a position almost opposite to the home position of a.

The wiper mechanism 6b is located next to the cap mechanism 6a and includes a belt mechanism 66 having a plurality of wipers 65 and a drive source (not shown). Therefore, when the apparatus is to be stopped, the print head 1a is positioned so as to face the cap mechanism 6a, the cap 60a is advanced, and capping is performed by covering the nozzles 10 ₁ , 10 ₂ ,... With the opening 61a.

When a suction purge is instructed by an operator when a printing failure occurs, the print head 1a
Is moved in front of the wiper mechanism 6b, the belt mechanism 66 is driven, and the wiper 65 cleans the ink 7 having increased viscosity in the nozzle portion 10a and dust such as paper dust attached to the surface of the nozzle portion 10a.

Next, when the print head 1a is moved in front of the cap 60a, the opening 61a of the cap 60a is brought into close contact with the front surface of the nozzle 10a, and is suctioned by the suction pump 63, the nozzles 10 ₁ , 10 ₂ ,. The ink 7 inside is sucked into the cap 60a, and further sucked and discharged from the suction port 62a.

[0015]

According to the above-mentioned conventional method, air remains in the cap and the tube when capping is performed, and the ink evaporates until the air is saturated. Even if left alone, the ink thickens, and it is often necessary to perform suction purge.
Each time the ink is sucked and removed, there is a problem that a large amount of waste ink is consumed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an ink suction cap capable of reducing the number of suction purges and saving ink consumption.

[0017]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the principle of the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a print head, 10 is a nozzle, 61 is an opening, 62 is a suction port, 60 is a cap formed of an elastic material, and has an opening 61, a suction part 62 and a holding member 14 , and 14 is a cap. It is provided at the inner bottom of 60, is formed of elastic material with a dimension shorter than the height from the bottom to the opening 61,
It has a surface corresponding to the nozzle 10 and is in close contact with the nozzle 10
It is a holding member for preventing air from touching the nozzle 10 .

Accordingly, when the opening 61 of the cap 60 is brought into contact with the nozzle 10, there is a gap between the nozzle 10 and the pressing member 14, and when the opening 61 is pressed against the nozzle 10, the pressing member 14 Are configured to adhere to each other.

[0019]

[Function] When sucking the ink in the nozzle 10, the nozzle 10
When the opening 61 of the cap 60 is brought into contact with the ink, the gap can be provided between the nozzle 10 and the pressing member 14, so that the ink can be sucked from the suction port 62. When printing is paused,
When the opening 61 is pressed against the nozzle 10, the holding member is pressed against the nozzle 10.
Since the nozzles 14 are in close contact with each other, the ink in the nozzles 10 does not come into contact with the air and the viscosity of the ink is suppressed, so that the frequency of ink suction can be reduced and the consumption of ink can be reduced.

[0020]

2 and 3, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. The same reference numerals indicate the same objects throughout the drawings.

As shown in the side view of FIG.
Has an opening 61a, a suction port 62a and a holding member 14a,
The cap 60b is made of an elastic material, for example, rubber and has the same outer shape as the cap 60a described in the conventional example.

The holding member 14 is provided on the inner bottom of the cap 60a.
a is integrally formed of the same material as the cap 60b. The holding member 14a has a rectangular section and a surface corresponding to the nozzle 10a, and the height from the bottom of the cap 60b is set to be shorter than the height to the opening 61a.

A cam mechanism 15 is provided behind the cap 60b, on the right side in the figure. The cam mechanism 15 includes a cam 16 and a shaft 17, and the shaft 17 is connected to a motor M.
The diameter of the cam 16 from the center of the shaft 17 is a short diameter a ₁ , a medium diameter a ₂ , and a long diameter a ₃
It is formed so that it can be switched to three stages. The cap 60b is pressed in the direction of the cam 16 by a pressing support member (not shown) so that the bottom portion always contacts the outer periphery of the cam 16.

The dimensions of the minor axis a ₁ , the medium diameter a ₂ , and the major axis a ₃ are such that when the minor axis a ₁ is in contact with the cap 60 b,
The opening 61b of the print head 1b is located farther from the front surface of the nozzle 10a of the print head 1a.

[0025] When the medium-diameter a ₂ is in contact with the cap 60b has an opening 61a of the cap 60b is in close contact with the front surface of the print head 1a, the surface of the front and the presser member 14a of the nozzle portion 10a are separated.

[0026] When the cap 60b is longer diameter a ₃ are in contact, faces the nozzle 10 ₁ of the pressing member 14a cap 60b is pressed, 10 _2, adheres to ─. It is set as follows.

[0027] Since having such a structure, during the printing operation is in contact with the position of the minor diameter a ₁ of as shown in the drawing the cam 16, when performing the suction barge ends the printing operation, the operator suction purge Press the instruction button to give an instruction.

Then, although not shown, the nozzle portion 10a is cleaned by the wiper mechanism 6b as described in the conventional example. When the cleaning is completed, next, the print head 1a is moved in front of the cap 60b, the cam 16 is rotated by 90 degrees by the rotation of the shaft 17 by the driving of the motor M, and the cap 60b is advanced in the direction of the print head 1a, as shown in FIG. 3 (a), middle diameter a ₂
Stops at the position where it contacts the cap 60b, and the cap 60b
The opening 61a is in close contact with the surface of the nozzle 10a.

In this state, the suction pump 63 (not shown) is operated to suck the ink, and the ink 7 in the nozzles 10 ₁ , 10 ₂ ,... Is sucked and discharged from the suction port 62 a through the tube 64.
After the suction of the ink 7 has been performed for a predetermined time, the motor M
Rotated 90 degrees, it stops at a position where the cap 60b is in contact with retracted minor diameter a _1, the cap 60b is returned to its original position, the suction purge of the print head 1a is completed.

Further when allowed to stand the printing remains dormant, OFF the power to the printer Then, the motor M is rotated 180 degrees, as shown in FIG. 3 (b), cap diameter a ₃ 60
b, and stops at the position where it comes into contact with
The surface of a is closely attached to the surface of the nozzle portion 10a, and the nozzles 10 ₁ , 10 ₂ ,.
Seal completely.

Then, even if the printer is left idle,
Nozzles 10 _1, 10 _2, the ink 7 in ─ the air does not contact the nozzle 10 _1, 10 _2, thickening of the ink 7 in ─ is prevented,
The period of time during which the suction purge is required can be extended, and the frequency of the suction purge can be reduced. Therefore, the consumption of the ink 7 can be reduced.

In the above example, the case where the cap 60b is pressed against the nozzle portion 10a of the print head 1a by the cam mechanism 15 has been described. However, other methods may be used. A rack mechanism or the like that presses the cap 60b at the tip may be used.

[0033]

As described above, according to the present invention, a pressing member which is formed of an elastic material with a dimension shorter than the height from the bottom to the opening and has a surface corresponding to the nozzle is provided on the inner bottom of the cap. When the opening of the cap is brought into contact with the nozzle, there is a gap between the nozzle and the holding member, and when the opening is pressed against the nozzle, the holding member comes into close contact with the nozzle, so that suction is performed when necessary. A purge can be performed, and when the ink jet printer is stopped, if the holding member is kept in close contact with the nozzle, the ink in the nozzle does not come into contact with the ink, so that the viscosity can be prevented, and a suction purge is required. Is extended, the frequency of suction purge is reduced, and the consumption of ink can be saved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a principle diagram of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of an embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an outline of an inkjet printer.

FIG. 5 is an internal configuration diagram of a print head.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

1,1a is the print head, 10,10 ₁ , 10 ₂ is the nozzle, 10
a is the nozzle portion, 14 and 14a are holding members, 16 is a cam,
60, 60a, 60b are caps, 61, 61a are openings,
62 and 62a are suction ports,

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Chikako Kawana 1015 Uedanaka, Nakahara-ku, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture Inside Fujitsu Limited (72) Inventor Shuji Kawamoto 1015 Kamiodanaka, Nakahara-ku, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture Fujitsu Limited ( 56) References JP-A-3-114337 (JP, U) (58) Fields surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B41J 2/165 B41J 2/18-2/185

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] An ink jet nozzle jets ink to perform dot printing on a medium, and covers the nozzle with a cap when printing is stopped. When necessary, the ink in the nozzle is drawn from a suction port provided in the cap. In the ink jet printer for sucking, the cap is formed of an elastic material, and the inner bottom of the cap is formed of an elastic material with a dimension shorter than the height from the bottom to the opening , and has a surface corresponding to the nozzle , Close contact with the nozzle and no air contact with the nozzle
When the nozzle is brought into contact with the opening of the cap,
An ink suction cap having a gap between the nozzle and the pressing member, wherein the pressing member is in close contact with the nozzle when the opening is pressed against the nozzle.