JP3157979B2 - Ink jet recording device - 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 jet recording apparatus, and more particularly, to an ink jet recording apparatus capable of reducing non-discharge and defective discharge of ink droplets and performing discharge recovery processing for stable recording.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a recording apparatus for performing recording on a recording material (hereinafter, referred to as a recording sheet) such as a sheet of paper or an OHP sheet, a type in which a recording head by various recording methods is mounted is proposed. Such recording heads include a wire dot type, a thermal type, a thermal transfer type, and an inkjet type.

[0003] Among them, the ink jet system is particularly
Ink is directly ejected toward the recording sheet,
Attention has been paid to a recording method having advantages such as low running cost and quiet recording operation.

Further, in recent ink jet recording apparatuses, especially recording heads, the production thereof is performed by a film forming technique or a micro-machining technique applied to a semiconductor device. Heads are being realized. Accordingly, a compact and simple configuration of the entire apparatus has been obtained.

On the other hand, ink jet recording apparatuses having the above-mentioned advantages are widely used as recording apparatuses for various devices such as printers for personal computers, printer-integrated personal computers, electronic typewriters, word processors, facsimile machines, and copiers. It is being used. In this case, the ink jet recording apparatus is provided with a function corresponding to each of these apparatuses, a configuration corresponding to a use mode, and the like.

[0006] One of the trends in such printers for personal computers, printer-integrated personal computers, electronic typewriters, word processors, and the like is that they are small, lightweight, portable, and inexpensive in view of their spread. From this point of view, there is a demand for a small, simple, and inexpensive ink jet recording apparatus used in these apparatuses.

In general, in a recording apparatus of the ink jet system, a recording head having an array of fine discharge ports is used. Therefore, when air bubbles and dust are mixed in the discharge ports, or when the ink solvent evaporates, the viscosity increases. If the ink is not ejected properly or becomes unsuitable for printing, a process for removing the cause of ejection failure (ejection recovery process) is performed. As one mode of means for performing such an ejection recovery process, a cap capable of covering an ejection port forming surface of a recording head (hereinafter referred to as an ink ejection port surface) and functioning as an ink receiver, There is a pump provided with a pump that generates a suction force through communication.

In such an ejection recovery process, the ink is ejected by driving an ink ejection energy generating element in the ejection port with the cap facing the ink ejection port face, or the cap covers the ink ejection port face. In this state, the suction force of the pump is applied to suck the ink, and the cause of the ejection failure is removed. In addition, the ink ejection port surface covering operation by such a cap is performed by moving the carriage on which the recording head is mounted to the recovery system position at the end of recording, and moving the cap provided to be able to advance and retreat at this recovery system position to perform recording. This is performed by contacting the head and covering the ink ejection port surface.

[0009]

However, when the recording apparatus is left for a long period of time and then is to be used again, the ink ejection port of the recording head is clogged due to an increase in ink viscosity in the ejection port, and the like. There has been a problem in that non-ejection of ink or ejection failure causes deterioration of recording quality. In order to avoid this problem, the ink is sucked every time the power is turned on, and if the power is repeatedly turned on and off frequently, the consumption of the ink becomes extremely large, causing waste and increasing the running cost. Results.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has as its object to rationally reduce non-discharge and defective discharge of ink, reduce waste of ink consumption, and reduce running cost. An object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus capable of performing stable recording.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention is an ink jet recording apparatus having a recording head for performing recording by discharging ink from ink discharge ports. Cap means capable of covering and opening the surface of the ink discharge port, discharge recovery means for performing a predetermined discharge recovery processing operation on the recording head, and detecting an ambient temperature and / or humidity in the recording apparatus. Detecting means , based on a result detected by the detecting means , for each temperature range, for each humidity range,
Or, for each combination range of temperature range and humidity range,
A counting means for counting the time from the ejection recovery operation, the meter
Value based on the time measured by the time means for each of the ranges
The higher the temperature range, or the higher the humidity range.
The value obtained by multiplying each coefficient by the coefficient that becomes larger as the box becomes lower
The history data from the previous discharge recovery operation
And control means for selecting one of a plurality of types of ejection recovery processing operations based on the history data and controlling the ejection recovery means to perform the one ejection recovery processing operation. It is characterized by having.

As an example of the discharge recovery processing operation performed by the discharge recovery means, there is a processing for recovering ink discharge by sucking ink in the discharge ports of the recording head.

Further, as an example of the control means, when the power of the recording apparatus is turned on or when the recording is started, the contents of the history data of the ambient temperature and / or the atmospheric humidity stored in the storage means are counted together with the clocking time. The table of the ejection recovery processing stored in the storage means is selected according to the counted content, and the ejection recovery means is controlled to perform the ejection recovery content.

The recording head is a recording head that discharges ink by using thermal energy, and includes an electrothermal converter for generating thermal energy to be applied to the ink. It is preferable that ink be ejected from an ejection port by utilizing a pressure change caused by growth and shrinkage of bubbles due to film boiling caused by applied heat energy.

Further, the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention can be applied to a copying machine having at least a control unit.

Further, the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention can be applied to a facsimile apparatus having at least a control unit and a facsimile transmission / reception unit.

The ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention can be applied to a word processor having at least an input unit, a control unit, and a display unit.

Further, the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention can be widely applied to computer equipment.

[0019]

According to the present invention, even when the printing apparatus is left for a long period of time and then is to be used again, the control means selectively performs one ejection recovery processing based on the time history from the previous ejection recovery processing operation. An operation is required, and in accordance with this processing operation, the ejection recovery process for the print head is automatically performed, so that non-ejection and ejection failure of ink droplets due to thickening of ink and clogging of ejection openings are avoided, and a good image In addition to being able to perform printing, at the time of turning on the printing apparatus or at the time of starting printing, the ejection recovery means based on the historical data of the atmospheric temperature and / or the atmospheric humidity of the printing apparatus since the previous suction recovery operation is performed. As a result, waste of ink consumption can be eliminated, running costs can be reduced, and stable printing can be performed.

[0020]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 shows an example of an ink jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a carriage 1 has a head cartridge 4 on which a recording head 2 and an ink tank 3 constituting recording means are integrally connected. The end of the carriage 1 on the recording head 2 side is slidably fitted along a lead screw 6 rotatably supported by a chassis 5 forming a frame of the present apparatus. The end is chassis 5
The guide portion is slidably fitted on a guide rail 7 formed in parallel with the lead screw 6. The carriage 1 reciprocates in the axial direction with the rotation of the lead screw 6 while keeping its posture constant.

A lead screw gear 8 is provided at the left end of the lead screw 6, and this gear 8 meshes with a pinion gear 10 attached to an output shaft of a carriage motor 9. Also, guide strips formed at a predetermined pitch in a screw shape on the lead screw 6 (FIG. 6A)
A lead pin (not shown) provided on the carriage 1 is fitted into the carriage 1. Therefore, the carriage 1 can be reciprocated by rotating the lead screw 6 forward and backward in accordance with the forward and reverse drive of the carriage motor 9. Numeral 11 denotes a flexible cable for sending a recording signal from an electric circuit to be described later to the recording head 2, and a part of an intermediate portion thereof is a flexible cable holder 12.
And is positioned and held by the pinch roller frame 13.

By discharging ink from the recording head 2 in synchronization with the reciprocating movement (reciprocal scanning) of the carriage 1, one line of recording can be performed on the recording sheet 14. That is, the recording head 2 includes a fine ink ejection port, a liquid path, an energy action section provided in a part of the liquid path, and an energy generating means for generating energy acting on the ink in the action section. . Using the energy generated by this means, ink droplets are ejected from the ink ejection ports, and recording is performed.

As an energy generating means for generating such energy, a means using an electromechanical transducer such as a piezo element or the like is used to irradiate electromagnetic waves such as a laser to generate heat. What to generate,
Alternatively, there is a type in which a liquid is heated by an electrothermal conversion element having a heating resistor.

Among them, a recording head of a type in which a liquid is ejected by utilizing thermal energy can perform high-resolution recording because the liquid ejection ports can be arranged at a high density. Among them, a recording head using an electrothermal transducer as an energy generating means can easily be made compact, and has the advantages of IC technology and microfabrication technology, which have made remarkable advances in technology in recent semiconductor fields and markedly improved reliability. This is advantageous because it can be used for two reasons, high-density mounting is easy, and the manufacturing cost is low.

In the ink jet recording head 2, when one line of recording is performed by scanning the carriage 1,
The recording sheet 14 is fed one line by the conveying means to record the next line.
Is carried out by a pair of rotating bodies of a conveying roller 15 and a pinch roller 16 which presses against the same, and a pair of rotating bodies of a discharge roller 19 and a spur 18 which comes into contact with the discharging roller 19.

The transport operation will be described in detail. The recording sheet 14 facing the ink ejection port surface of the recording head 2 is kept pressed against the transport roller 15 by the pinch roller 16 while the transport roller 15 is pressed. Is appropriately rotated by the sheet feed motor 17, so that the sheet is conveyed by an amount necessary for the next recording. After the recording is performed on the sheet in this manner, the recording sheet 14 is rotated by rotating the discharge roller 19 while keeping the recording sheet 14 pressed against the discharge roller 19 by the spurs 18 so that the recorded sheet 14 is removed. Discharge and transport outside. The conveyance roller 15 and the discharge roller 19 are driven by a sheet feed motor 17, and the driving force is transmitted through a reduction gear train 20.

A paper sensor 21 detects the presence or absence of the recording sheet 14. Reference numeral 22 denotes a home position sensor composed of a photo interrupter.
It is detected that the carriage 1 is at the home position (HP) by the interruption / release of the interruption by the interruption plate 230 attached to the camera. Reference numeral 25 denotes a temperature sensor for detecting an ambient temperature near the recording apparatus.

FIG. 3 shows a head cartridge type recording head 2 integrated with the ink tank 3, wherein 2A is an ink ejection port surface and 2B is an ink ejection port. At the time of non-recording, the ink discharge port 2B can be completely covered by keeping the cap 410 described later on the ink discharge port surface 2A. Here, the recording head 2
Although not shown, a substrate on which a plurality of electrothermal conversion elements for generating thermal energy used for ink ejection and a drive circuit for driving the same are formed, and each of the plurality of electrothermal conversion elements on the substrate is provided. Corresponding outlet and liquid path,
Further, a top plate for forming a common liquid chamber communicating with each liquid path is formed by lamination, and an electric contact 2C for providing a signal from the recording apparatus main body to the drive circuit is provided. ing.

Further, a sensor for detecting the state of the recording head 2 from the main body of the recording apparatus can be provided in the recording head 2. Specifically, the temperature in the vicinity of the above-mentioned electrothermal conversion element is detected. Temperature sensor, an ink remaining amount detecting sensor for detecting when ink is exhausted from the common liquid chamber, or a sensor having a different type of ink in the ink tank 3 and a different type of recording head 2. A head type discriminating sensor or the like for specifying the type of the head cartridge 4 when used can be provided as needed. Then, by judging the signals from these sensors in the main body of the recording apparatus and controlling the signals applied to the electrothermal transducers, it is possible to maintain the optimum recording state. The recording head 2 having such a configuration has an ejection port surface 2A on which the ejection ports 2B are arranged.
To the recording sheet 14 so that the carriage 1
It is mounted on.

The ink tank 3 is for appropriately supplying ink to the recording head 2 in order to supplement the ink consumed by recording while holding the ink. When the ink tank 3 exists alone, the ink supply hole ( (Not shown) so as to prevent the ink from leaking. This sealing means is automatically or manually opened when integrated with the recording head 2 to form an ink flow path. Such a sealing means can be realized by, for example, a mechanism for pressing a metal ball against a rubber stopper with a spring. Further, a mechanism may be provided for introducing the atmosphere from the outside according to the ink volume reduced by the consumption of the ink. Further, by providing a mechanism for keeping the pressure of the ink supplied to the recording head 2 at a slight negative pressure inside, it is possible to improve the recording quality and prevent ink leakage.

Reference numeral 40 denotes an ejection recovery device for preventing non-ejection of ink from the recording head 2;
0 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 4, the ejection recovery device 40 includes a cap 410 for capping the ejection port surface 2A of the recording head 2, a negative pressure inside the cap 410, and suction of ink from the ejection port surface 2A via the cap 410. Then, the pump unit 420 that feeds the ink to the waste ink absorber (not shown) and the cap 410 are moved in the front-rear direction with respect to the discharge port surface 2A, and a driving force is transmitted to the pump unit 420 to further discharge the ink. The controller gear 44 of the transmission mechanism unit including the cam and the gear mechanism for operating the wiping mechanism 430 for wiping the ink adhered to the outlet surface 2A.
0. The control gear 440
Is driven by a carriage motor 9 shown in FIG. 2 via a clutch gear (not shown), and transmission from the carriage motor 9 is switched between carriage scanning and recovery system drive by the clutch gear.

Next, the structure of a mechanism for driving the ejection recovery device by rotation of the control gear 440 will be described.

The control gear 440 has a cap opening / closing cam 441 and a wiping operation cam (not shown). Also, this control gear 440
Is a plunger 421 to be described later of the pump unit 420.
Is engaged with a stroke gear 422 disposed coaxially with the plunger 421, and by rotating the control gear 440, the stroke gear 422 can be rotated and the plunger 421 can reciprocate. .

Further, in FIG. 4, reference numeral 431 denotes a blade provided in the wiping mechanism 430 for wiping the ink discharge port surface 2A of the recording head 2 for cleaning. The blade 431 is made of a resin-based rubber such as acrylonitrile butadiene rubber or urethane, is formed into a V shape by molding, and is attached to the blade slider 432.
The blade slider 432 is provided with a through hole 432A movably along a slide shaft 434 supported on the frame 433 in parallel with the discharge port surface 2A of the recording head. By the reciprocating blade slider 432, the penetration amount of the blade 431 to the recording head discharge port surface 2A can be kept constant at any position of the discharge port surface 2A, and the discharge port surface 2A can be wiped uniformly.

The reciprocating motion of the blade slider 432 is performed by a blade link 435 described later.
The protrusion 435A of the blade link 435 engages with the engagement groove 432B of the wall of the blade slider 432 to reciprocate the blade slider 432. The operation of the blade link 435 is controlled by a wiping operation cam (not shown) formed on the control gear 440.

Thus, the reciprocating motion of the blade slider 432 wipes the discharge port surface 2A of the recording head 2,
The ink adhering to the blade 431 is removed by the blade cleaner 4.
36, and the blade 431 can always be kept in a clean state. That is, after the blade 431 that has moved in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 4 finishes wiping the entire discharge port surface 2A by the wiping operation, the blade 431 comes into contact with the blade cleaner 436, and at this time, the ink on the blade 421 is removed. It is absorbed by the blade cleaner 436.

When the blade 431 is in constant contact with the blade cleaner 436, the blade 431 is deformed due to the creep phenomenon of rubber, and the original performance cannot be exhibited. Therefore, the control gear 440
After the blade 431 comes into contact with the blade cleaner 436 by the wiping operation cam, the blade 431 is moved in the direction A ′ opposite to the direction of the arrow A in the drawing, separated from the blade cleaner 436, and No external force is applied.

The blade link 435 is always connected to the control gear 4 when the carriage motor 9 rotates normally and reversely.
Since the control is performed while following the wiping operation cam 40, the rotation angle of the control gear 440 uniquely determines the rotation operation of the blade link 435. That is, the position of the blade 431 is controlled only by the rotation angle of the control gear 440, and if the wiping operation is performed immediately after the carriage motor 9 enters the area of the ejection recovery device 40 by the reverse rotation, the carriage motor 9, the discharge recovery device 40
The wiping operation is also performed when exiting from the area. Therefore, the discharge port surface 2A is formed on both surfaces of the blade 431.
Will be wiped. However, blade 431
Can be turned upside down when cutting its tip, so wiping is essentially only possible on one side, and wiping on the side opposite to the side that can be used for wiping generally causes poor recording There is a fear. Therefore, first, as shown in FIG. 2, an inclined portion is provided at a part of the tip of the shielding plate 230,
When the carriage 1 enters the area of the ejection recovery device 40, the inclined portion of the shielding plate 230 rotates the blade stopper 437 in the direction of arrow B shown in FIG.

A series of such operations will be described below with reference to FIG.

FIG. 5A shows a state in which the carriage 1 has moved to the recovery device area, and the blade stopper 437 provided on the device 40 and the shielding plate 230 of the carriage 1 have been engaged. Then, in this state, when the control gear 440 shown in FIG. 4 starts to rotate clockwise by switching the clutch gear next, as described above, the blade link 435 as shown in FIG. Starts rotating in the direction C in the figure. Then, when the blade link 435 rotates to the position shown in FIG. 5C, the spring hook 435A of the blade link 435 engages with the first arm 437A of the blade stopper 437, and the blade stopper 437 is moved in the direction of arrow D. Start turning.

Next, when the blade link 435 is rotated to the position shown in FIG. 5D, the first arm 437A of the blade stopper 437 comes off the spring hook 435A of the blade link 435, and the blade spring 4
It is rotated in the direction of arrow E in the figure by the spring force of 38. However, at this time, since the rotation of the blade stopper 437 is stopped because the shielding plate 230 is positioned below the second arm 437B of the blade stopper 437, the blade stopper 437 is moved to the position shown in FIG. The rotation is stopped.

Thereafter, the carriage motor 9 is rotated forward, and the blade link 435 is moved to the control gear 44.
0 by the spring force of the blade spring 438 by being disengaged from the cam for wiping.
7 stops the rotation of the blade link.

Finally, when the carriage 1 completely comes out of the recovery device area, as shown in FIG.
The blade stopper 437 is further rotated in the direction E by the spring force of the spring 439, and the blade link 435 is further rotated by the spring force of the spring 438, thereby moving the blade 431 in the direction of the arrow A 'in FIG. Move to the position and wait. In this way, the wiping locus of the blade 431 is changed between the case where the carriage 1 moves to the area of the recovery device 40 and the case where the carriage 1 moves out, so that the wiping is not performed on the reverse surface of the blade 431.

Further, in FIG. 4, reference numeral 442 denotes a carriage stopper, which is provided to prevent the carriage 1 from falling out of this area to the recording position due to dropping or vibration. The carriage stopper 442 is constantly biased in the direction of arrow G by a carrier hook spring 443, and a carrier hook 231 provided on the carriage 1 by a locking projection 444 protruding from the control gear 440 during recording (see FIG. 2). It is held in the position where it waited from.

Here, the operation will be described. When the carriage 1 moves to the area of the recovery device 40, the carriage motor 9 is reversed by the switching of the clutch gear, and the control gear 440 starts rotating clockwise. The locking projection 444 of the control gear 440 releases the carriage stopper 442 from the restraint, and the carriage stopper 442 rotates in the direction of arrow G in FIG. In the standby state where printing is not performed in this manner, the carriage 1 is prevented from falling out of the printing position by keeping the carriage stopper 442 engaged with the carriage hook 231.

Next, the structure of the pump unit 420 will be described with reference to FIG.

The pump unit 420 of this embodiment is configured as a plunger pump, and 422 is its cylinder, which has a cylindrical cylinder 422A and a guide (not shown) for the plunger 421. In this case, a part is cut away in the axial direction to form an ink flow path. Reference numeral 423 denotes a cap lever receiver into which a cap lever seal is fitted. Reference numeral 424 denotes an ink suction port, which is opened at a predetermined position of the cylinder 422A.
A drain ink tube 425 is formed integrally with the cylinder 422A.
Is inserted. 427 is a control gear 44
No. 0 is a parallel pin that slides on the cap opening / closing cam 441 (see FIG. 4). The parallel pin 427 is guided by the cap opening / closing cam 441 as the control gear 440 rotates, thereby rotating the cylinder portion 422. An opening / closing operation is performed to bring the cap 410 into close contact with and away from the ejection port surface 2A of the recording head 2.

Next, referring to FIG.
The relationship between the cap opening / closing cam 441 and the cap opening / closing operation will be described.

A switching sheet 442 is provided on the cap opening / closing cam 441, and the opening / closing motion of the cap can be changed by the switching sheet 442 in accordance with the forward rotation and the reverse rotation of the carriage motor 9. In the present embodiment, since the preliminary ejection is performed in the cap 410 as described later, the cap 41 is ejected during recording.
The carriage 1 recovers the ink accumulated in the recovery device 40 by the carriage 1.
It is necessary to once suck the ink in the cap 410 into the cylinder portion 422 before moving to the area and performing capping.

When the control gear 440 starts rotating due to the reverse rotation of the carriage motor 9, the parallel pin 427 of the cylinder portion 422 first moves along the cam surface 441A. In FIG. 7, the closer the position of the cam surface to the center of the control gear 440 is, the more the cap 410 is open. Therefore, in this case, suction can be performed while the cap 410 is open, and this suction is hereinafter referred to as preliminary discharge suction.

Next, when the control gear 440 finishes rotating and the suction operation ends, and the carriage motor 9 starts to rotate forward, the parallel pin moves along the cam surface 441 this time, and the control gear 440 rotates. Only from the start will the cap 410 close. Normal recording head 2
Is waiting with this cap closed. Then, when recording is started thereafter, the control gear 440 rotates in the direction of arrow H in FIG. However, when suction starts, the control gear 440 rotates in the direction of the arrow H ′ due to the reverse rotation of the carriage motor 9. In this case, the parallel pin 427 is
Since it moves along B, suction can be performed with the original cap 410 closed. Thus, the switching sheet 442
Is provided, two suction operations of the original suction for recovery and the suction for preliminary ejection can be performed by one control gear 440.

During recording, the parallel pin 427 enters the notch 441C provided on the cam surface, and the control gear 440 does not rotate due to the pressing frictional force generated by the spring force of the cap spring 428 (see FIG. 4). Like that. This is because if the control gear 440 rotates during recording, a recovery operation is started in an inappropriate case, and normal recording becomes impossible. This is to prevent this.

Returning to FIG. 6, the plunger 421
Are formed with an operating shaft 421A, a piston receiver 421B, a piston retainer 421C, and a pump seal retainer 421D. A groove 421E serving as an ink flow path (hereinafter, referred to as a flow path groove) is formed on Is formed. Note that a part of the flow channel groove 421E is fitted to the guide portion (not shown) of the cylinder portion 422, and prohibits the plunger 421 from rotating. On the other hand, a lead groove 421F for controlling the reciprocating motion of the plunger 420 is formed on the operation shaft 421A, and a projection (not shown) formed on the inner surface of the stroke gear 422 is slidably fitted into the lead groove 421F. ing. Therefore, by rotating the stroke gear 422 in one direction by the reverse rotation drive of the carriage motor 9, the plunger 421 is stroked in the direction of arrow I in FIG.
Further, by rotating the stroke gear 422 in the other direction by the forward rotation drive of the carriage motor 9, the plunger 4 is rotated.
21 can be stroked in the direction of arrow J in FIG.

The plunger 421 is provided with a piston 428 made of a rubber material such as silicon. The outer diameter of the piston 428 is configured to be larger than the inner diameter of the cylinder 422A by a predetermined amount, and is appropriately compressed while being inserted into the cylinder 422A. Accordingly, the plunger 421 strokes in the direction of arrow I in FIG. 6 to generate a negative pressure, and sucks the ink in the recording head 2 while keeping the ink ejection surface 2A covered by the cap 410. Next, by performing a stroke in the direction of arrow J, the sucked ink is discharged from the waste ink tube 425 to the waste ink absorber 426, and a discharge recovery process by forced discharge can be performed. Note that the “ejection recovery process by forced ejection” is a process of sucking and removing an ejection failure factor such as air bubbles, dust, and ink that is thickened and is not suitable for recording.

A pump seal 429 is attached to the plunger 421. The pump seal 429 is made of a rubber material such as silicon, and has an inner diameter so that a predetermined pressure contact force with the plunger 421 can be obtained. Is set slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the plunger 421. Then, a pump seal retainer 421D provided in the plunger 421 inside the cylinder 422A and the piston receiver 4
It is possible to reciprocate by being pushed by 21B. The surface may be coated with a lubricant to reduce the sliding force between the cylinder 422A and the plunger 421. In order to eliminate the grease in the cylinder 422A, a self-lubricating rubber may be used.

In FIG. 6, reference numeral 411 denotes a cap lever integrally formed with the cap 410. One of the rotating shafts 411A is connected to the cap lever seal 422B of the cylinder 422A, and the other rotating shaft 411B is connected to the cylinder 42.
Each of the support holes 422C of 2A is rotatably fitted by a snap fit. Here, a cap member 412 for covering the ink ejection port surface 2A of the recording head 2 is provided.
Is formed of an elastic material such as chlorinated butyl rubber, and is attached to the cap attaching portion 411C of the cap lever 411. The cap member 412 is used for protecting the recording head 2 at the time of non-recording or the like and for recovering the discharge.

Further, reference numeral 413 denotes a preliminary ejection pad, which is made of a polymer absorbent like the blade cleaner 436 (see FIG. 4) and is mounted in the cap lever 411. The preliminary ejection pad 413 is for absorbing ink of preliminary ejection for ejecting ink separately from normal printing operation during printing. Preliminary ejection refers to the operation of driving the ejection energy generating element of the ink ejection port 2B after guiding the cap 410 to the position facing the ink ejection port face 2A of the recording head 2 in order to prevent the ink inside the ejection port from drying. This is a process for discharging ink from all the discharge ports 2B. The waste ink absorber 42 described above.
Numeral 6 serves to reliably transfer the waste ink in the cylinder 422A, and is also formed of a polymer absorber.

FIG. 8 is a timing chart of each member in the recovery device 40 based on the rotational driving force of the carriage motor 9. In this figure, the point at which the control gear 440 starts rotating by the clutch gear (not shown) after the carriage 1 is guided to the area of the recovery device 40 is defined as 0 pulse of the carriage motor 9. In the present embodiment, all the recovery operations are performed by the forward and reverse rotations of the carriage motor 9 in 240 steps (5 rotations), and the rotation of the carriage motor 9 is described above. Thus, the transmission is transmitted to the control gear 440 and the stroke gear 422 via the clutch gear. Further, since the reciprocating operation of the plunger 421 is controlled by the rotation of the stroke gear 422, the plunger 421 starts to move at the same time as the rotation of the carriage motor 9, and as shown in FIG. It is one correspondence. On the other hand, the movement of the blade 431 includes the forward rotation of the carriage motor 9 as shown in FIG.
The path is partially changed by the reversal. When the recovery operation is started by the reverse rotation from the 0 pulse of the carriage motor 9 so that the preliminary ejection suction can be performed by the switching sheet 442,
The plunger 421 operates with the cap 410 kept open as shown by the dashed line in (F).

Next, the configuration of an information processing apparatus incorporating the above-described ink jet recording apparatus and its electric circuit will be described.

FIG. 9 shows an example of an information processing apparatus 50 incorporating the recording apparatus according to the present embodiment. The information processing apparatus 50 of the present embodiment is a so-called personal computer, and is a handy type that integrally includes the above-described ink jet recording apparatus. In FIG. 5, reference numeral 500 denotes a printer unit including the above-described ink jet recording apparatus;
Reference numeral 10 denotes a key 511 for inputting characters, numerals and other characters, and a key 512 for giving various commands.
A keyboard unit 520 including a display unit 520 is a display unit that displays processing information, and has a display screen 521.

The window 501 provided in the printer section 500 is made of, for example, transparent plastic or the like, and the operation and the like of the head cartridge 4 can be visually recognized through the window 501. The window 501 is configured to be opened and closed when the ink tank 3 is replaced. Also, keys 502,
Reference numeral 503 and the like are for uniquely instructing operations in the printer, such as recovery processing in the printer unit 500 and conveyance of a recording sheet. Reference numeral 513 denotes a paper feed port opened on the front surface of the keyboard unit 510, and 514 denotes a floppy disk loading / unloading port opened on its side. The display unit 520 displays
It is connected to be rotatable in the direction of arrow b in the figure so that it can be folded together with the keyboard 510.
Further, when the recording sheet 14 is set on the printer unit 500, the keyboard unit 510 uses an arrow a in FIG.
Direction.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electric circuit of the information processing apparatus 50 described above. In FIG.
Reference numeral 1 denotes a controller for performing main control, and 602 denotes a microcomputer-type CP for executing a certain procedure.
U and 603 are RAMs having areas for expanding text data and image data and work areas, 604 is a ROM for storing programs corresponding to the above-mentioned procedures and other fixed data such as font data, and 605 is a CPU 6
A timer 606 for generating an execution cycle of No. 02 and for generating a timing necessary for a printing operation by the printer unit 500. An interface unit 606 connects a signal from the CPU 602 to a peripheral device. Reference numeral 607 denotes a controller of the printer unit 500. Reference numeral 608 denotes the presence or absence and type of the print head 2, the output value of a sensor for detecting the temperature of the print head 2, the output of a sensor for detecting the presence or absence of ink in the ink tank 3, and the like. A head detector 609 for detecting information of the print head 2, a line buffer 609 for storing print data of the print head 2, a head driver 610 for sending a print signal and electric power to the print head 2, and 611A to 611C.
Are the carriage motor 9 and the sheet feed motor 1, respectively.
7. A motor driver that sends out signals and electric power necessary for driving the automatic feeding motor 300, and 612 detects outputs of sensors such as the home position sensor 22, the paper sensor 21, the temperature sensor 25, and the humidity sensor 26. This is a sensor detection unit that performs the operation. Furthermore, 70 is, for example, FDD, HD
D, an external storage device such as a RAM card, and an external interface 80 for communicating with, for example, another information processing device or controlling peripheral devices by directly connecting to an internal bus. Although not included in the block diagram of FIG. 1, there is another power supply unit for supplying power to the above electric circuit, such as a rechargeable battery, a disposable dry battery, or an information processing unit. There is a converter for AC power when the apparatus main body is fixed and used. In this embodiment, even when the power of the recording apparatus is turned off, the history data of the ambient temperature and the atmospheric humidity in the recording apparatus is stored in the RAM 60.
The sub-battery 3 is provided with a sub-battery such as a dry battery (not shown).

Printing by the printer unit is performed by the above-described circuit configuration. Hereinafter, an outline of a control sequence of the printing operation will be described with reference to a flowchart of FIG.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a control procedure of the recovery process S2 performed when the power is turned on, that is, when the power is turned on. First, in step S11, the home position is initialized, that is, the initial position of the carriage 1 is determined. Specifically, after the carriage motor 9 is driven and the position at which the output of the home position sensor 25 switches is set as the initial position of the carriage 1, the carriage motor 9 is driven to cover the discharge port surface 2A of the recording head 2 with the cap 410. And put it in the capping state. Next, the process proceeds to step S12, where initialization of sheet feeding and automatic feeding is performed. Specifically, in order to eliminate play in the sheet feed driving mechanism, the sheet feed motor 17 is used.
Are driven in the reverse direction and the forward direction by a predetermined amount, respectively. Then, the process proceeds to step S13, in which the timer 605 of the controller 601 and the temperature sensor 25 and the humidity sensor 26 finally detect the recording temperature data of the atmospheric temperature and the atmospheric humidity in the recording apparatus since the last suction of the recording head 2 ( The temperature / humidity count number: N is stored in the RAM 603 as described later.
, And if N ≧ 2000, the process proceeds to step S14. Then, the large suction (3
Is performed, and the process proceeds to step S15. If N ≧ 2000 in step S13, the process proceeds to step S17, where a small suction (single suction) of the print head recovery process is performed.
Proceed to step S15. In the present embodiment, the large suction and the small suction in the recording head recovery process are performed by changing the number of suctions while keeping the suction amount and the suction pressure at one time constant. May be changed. In steps S14 and S17, the cap 4 of the recording head 2 is
10, performs cleaning of the discharge port surface 2A of the recording head 2 by the blade 431, and large and small suction of ink from the recording head 2 by the pump unit 420.
By such a recovery process, even when the recording head 2 is left unused for a long time, it is possible to prevent a defective ink ejection or the like.

In this embodiment, an example has been described in which control is performed based on detection of both temperature and humidity. However, it is also possible to simply perform control by detecting only one of temperature and humidity. is there. Further, in the present embodiment, the above-described ejection recovery processing operation when the printer unit is left for a long time when the power of the printer unit is turned on is executed. However, this operation may be performed immediately before the start of recording.

If the above-described recovery operation has been performed, the process proceeds to step S15 to determine whether or not the paper sensor 21 detects the presence of a sheet. If there is a sheet, the process proceeds to step S16. S2 ends. In step S16, the detected sheet is discharged. That is, in step S15, the paper sensor 2
After 1 detects that there is no sheet, the sheet feed motor 17 is driven in the forward direction up to a predetermined amount, thus ending the power-on processing S2.

Here, at the time of recording, the ink is guided from the ink tank 3 to the ink discharge port 2B via the liquid chamber (not shown) in the recording head 2, but if the recording apparatus is left for a long period of time, the liquid chamber Bubbles are generated, and the supply of ink is interrupted by these bubbles, causing non-ejection of ink. It is known that the higher the temperature, the more easily these bubbles are generated. In addition, if the recording head 2 is left for a long time, the ink evaporates in the ink discharge port 2B of the recording head 2 and is fixed to cause non-discharge. Such a tendency of the evaporation of the ink increases as the temperature and the humidity decrease.

The following is a description of the temperature / humidity count number N in the ejection recovery process according to the present invention derived from the above viewpoints.

In the printing apparatus, the count number N of temperature and humidity is calculated by the timer 605, the temperature sensor 25 and the humidity sensor 26 from the previous suction recovery operation regardless of whether the power is on or off, as described later. Have been. That is, the temperature / humidity count number: N is obtained by multiplying a coefficient determined by the ambient temperature and humidity shown in FIG. The clerk
The number is, as mentioned above, the evaporation of ink at high temperature and low humidity.
The more the tendency, the greater the tendency, as shown in FIG.
In addition, it is set larger as the ambient temperature increases,
It is set to increase as the atmospheric humidity decreases
I have. For example, the total time for each ambient temperature and ambient humidity from the last suction recovery operation to the current power-on is as follows: Temperature: less than 20 ° C / Humidity: 80% or more Total 37 hours Temperature: 20 ° C or more and less than 30 ° C / Humidity: 20% or more and less than 80% for a total of 53 hours Temperature: 30 ° C. or more / Humidity: 20% or more and less than 80% for a total of 46 hours, the temperature / humidity count number: N is the coefficient shown in FIG. Because it is the sum multiplied by each time,

[0072]

N = (37 × 11) + (53 × 18) + (46 × 25) = 2511, and N = 2511 is stored in the RAM 603.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the recovery process S4 when the power is turned off, that is, when the power is turned off.

First, in step S21, the recording head 2
Is determined to be in a capping state, and if not, the process proceeds to step S22, and if it is in the capping state, the process proceeds to step S23. Then, in step S22, the carriage motor 9 is driven to bring the recording head 2 into a capping state. Next, in step S23, the power of the recording apparatus is turned off to stop the function. According to the present process S4, even when the recording head 2 is not in the capping state, that is, when the power switch is turned off during the execution of recording or the like, the recording head 2 is surely put into the capping state and then the power is turned off. It is possible to prevent a discharge failure from occurring due to an increase in viscosity due to evaporation of ink when the discharge port surface 2A of the head 2 is exposed to the atmosphere.

FIG. 13 shows the processing S when the apparatus is temporarily stopped.
6 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure of No. 5.

First, in step S31, it is determined whether or not there is a process currently being executed.
The process proceeds to step S33, if not, to step S33. And
In step S32, the process currently being executed is executed for a predetermined amount. More specifically, if the printing is being performed, the operation is performed until the printing of the row being executed is completed, and if the sheet feeding or the automatic feeding operation is being performed, the operation is completed.
In addition, if the sheet is being discharged, the discharging operation is immediately interrupted. Next, the process proceeds to step S33 to store the current state. That is, if there is any interrupted processing, the interrupted state, the state of the display unit 351 or the operation panel (not shown), the online / offline state, or the state of the power saving mode for battery power, if any, is stored in the memory. . Then, the process proceeds to step S34 to put the recording head 2 in the capping state. In addition, if it is already in the capping state, it may be left as it is.

Then, the flow advances to step S35 to turn off the power of unnecessary parts in the pause state, and terminates the pause processing S5. According to the present process S5, even if the pause signal is detected during the execution of the printing, the capping of the print head 2 can be surely performed, and it is possible to prevent the print head 2 from being left capped and causing a discharge failure. it can.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the operation procedure of the process S6 during the recording operation.

First, in step S61, it is determined whether a command for executing recording, for example, a sheet feed command or data to be recorded has been received. When the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S62, and when the determination is negative, the process S6 ends. In step S62, it is determined whether or not the user is online. If the user is online, the process proceeds to step S63.
6 is ended. In step S63, a process for starting printing is performed. Specifically, the temperature of the printing head 2 is adjusted by a heater in the printing head 2, or the ejection is adjusted by the ejection of the printing head 2 outside the printing area. The home position sensor 22 measures the amount of deviation of the carriage motor 9 during forward / reverse scanning, and performs deviation correction during bidirectional printing.

Next, the flow advances to step S64 to check whether or not the sheet has been fed. For example, when the sheet 14 is not inserted at the recording position in the automatic feeding state, the automatic feeding motor 3
00 is fed to perform feeding. Then, the process proceeds to step S65 to execute recording in units of one line. Specifically, the carriage motor 9 is driven to perform printing by discharging ink from the print head 2, and when printing for one line is completed, sheet feeding is performed by a predetermined amount, and the process proceeds to step S66. Step S6
In step 6, it is determined whether there is an error. If there is an error, the process proceeds to another error process S7. If there is no error, the process proceeds to step S67. The target of the error check is, for example, detection of the trailing edge of the sheet, detection of a jam, detection of the presence or absence of ink, scanning errors of various motors, and the like. The detected error is determined in another procedure S7 (not shown). Therefore it is processed. In step S67, it is determined whether or not a command indicating the end of recording, for example, a sheet discharge command or the like has been received. If it is determined that the recording has been completed, the process proceeds to step S68. If not, the process returns to step S65 and returns to step S65. To continue. Thus, in step S68, a process of terminating the recording is performed. Specifically, sheet ejection,
The capping of the recording head 2 is performed, and the recording process S6 is completed.

[0081]

As described above, according to the present invention, according to the present invention, the cap means capable of covering and opening the surface of the ink discharge port, and the discharge recovery means for performing a predetermined discharge recovery processing operation on the recording head. And the ambient temperature in the recording device and / or
Or, detecting means for detecting the atmospheric humidity, and a humidity range for each temperature range based on the result detected by the detecting means.
Before each temperature or each combination of temperature and humidity
And counting means for counting the time from the times of the ejection recovery operation, a total of
A value based on the time measured for each range by the time means,
Higher temperature range or lower humidity range
Multiply by the larger coefficient.
Means to obtain history data from the previous ejection recovery operation
If, select one from among a plurality of types of ejection recovery processing operation based on historical data, since a control means for controlling so as to perform one ejection recovery processing operation to the ejection recovery means, a recording apparatus When the power is turned on or at the start of recording, the recording apparatus is left for a long time by performing an ejection recovery operation based on the historical data of the ambient temperature and / or the atmospheric humidity of the recording apparatus from the previous suction recovery operation,
Thereafter, even if the user tries to use the head again, the optimal head ejection recovery processing operation is performed . Therefore, it is possible to avoid non-discharge or defective discharge of ink droplets due to bubble accumulation in the liquid chamber in the recording head or clogging of the discharge port due to thickening or sticking of ink, and always perform good image recording. together is possible, unnecessarily by the ink is consumed can be prevented, it is possible to perform stable recording with reduced running costs. Also before
The means to obtain the history data from the discharge recovery operation is clocked
A value based on the time measured for each range by means,
The higher the temperature range or the lower the humidity range
Multiply by the larger coefficient
External to the recording head, which
Weighting the difference in the degree of impact and reflecting it in the time
Can be.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a circuit configuration of an information processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the outline of the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an ink tank and an integrated cartridge type recording head.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a recovery mechanism according to the present invention.

5 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the recovery mechanism shown in FIG. 4 in the order of (A) to (F).

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing details of the configuration of the pump unit shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view of the cap opening / closing cam shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a timing chart of the recovery mechanism.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of an information processing apparatus to which the present invention has been applied.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation procedure of a power-on process.

FIG. 11 is a coefficient table for calculating a temperature / humidity count number: N.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an operation procedure of a power-off process.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an operation procedure of a temporary stop process.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an operation procedure of a recording process.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 2 recording head 2A ink discharge port surface 2B ink discharge port 3 ink tank 9 carriage motor 14 recording sheet 17 sheet feed motor 21 paper sensor 22 home position sensor 25 temperature sensor 26 humidity sensor 40 discharge recovery device 50 emotion processing device 101 cap 104 blade 115 Plunger 116 Piston 150 Pump unit 230 Shielding plate 300 Automatic feeding motor 410 Cap 420 Pump unit 430 Wiping mechanism 431 Blade 435 Blade link 436 Blade cleaner 440 Control gear 500 Printer unit 601 Controller 602 CPU 603 RAM 604 ROM 605 Timer 607 Timer Unit controller 612 Sensor detection unit

Claims (9)

(57) [Claims] 1. An ink jet recording apparatus having a recording head for performing recording by discharging ink from an ink discharge port, wherein a cap means capable of covering and opening the surface of the ink discharge port; An ejection recovery means for performing a predetermined ejection recovery processing operation; a detection means for detecting an ambient temperature and / or an atmospheric humidity in the printing apparatus ; and a temperature range based on a result detected by the detection means.
Per enclosure, per humidity range, or combination of temperature and humidity ranges
A time measuring means for measuring the time from the previous ejection recovery operation for each range, and a time based on the time measured for each range by the time measuring means.
Value, the higher the temperature range, or
Multiply by a coefficient that increases as the humidity range decreases
The history from the previous discharge recovery operation is calculated by integrating the
Means for determining the data, and a control means for selecting one from among a plurality of types of ejection recovery processing operation based on the subsequent history data, and controls so as to perform said one discharge recovery processing operation with the discharge recovery means An ink jet recording apparatus, comprising: 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the ejection recovery unit to perform the one ejection recovery processing operation when the power of the printing apparatus is turned on and / or when printing is started. 3. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1. 3. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ejection recovery means has a function of recovering the ejection of the ink by sucking the ink from the ink ejection port. 4. The recording head according to claim 1, wherein the recording head ejects ink by using thermal energy, and includes an electrothermal transducer for generating thermal energy to be applied to the ink. Item 4. The inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of Items 1 to 3. 5. The recording head discharges ink from the ink discharge port by utilizing a pressure change generated by growth and shrinkage of bubbles caused by film boiling caused by thermal energy generated by the electrothermal transducer. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein: 6. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink jet recording apparatus is applicable to a copying machine having at least a control unit. 7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inkjet recording apparatus is applicable to a facsimile apparatus having at least a control unit and a facsimile transmission / reception unit.
6. The ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of items 5 to 5. 8. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inkjet recording apparatus is applicable to a word processor having at least an input unit, a control unit, and a display unit. . 9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inkjet recording apparatus is applicable to a computer device.
6. The ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of items 5 to 5.