JP3253763B2 - 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 recording a plurality of types of ink.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an ink jet recording apparatus is provided with an ejection recovery processing device for eliminating defects such as clogging of an ejection port due to drying of ink, which may cause an ejection failure of ink such as dust and air bubbles. ing. The main functions of the discharge recovery processing device include the following two functions.

One is to cover a discharge port forming surface including a discharge port with a cap made of an elastic material such as rubber, and to suck and decompress air in the cap by a pump or the like to forcibly discharge ink from the discharge port. This is the “ink suction / discharge function” that solves the above-mentioned problem.

The other is an "adhered ink removing function" for removing unnecessary ink which adheres to the ejection port forming surface, destabilizes the ejection direction of ink droplets and degrades print quality. A wiper blade configured of a body or the like and capable of wiping the discharge port forming surface as needed, or a porous material that absorbs and removes the unnecessary ink by contacting the discharge port forming surface as necessary This is carried out by the absorber constituted by:

[0005]

However, when the above-mentioned "ink suction / discharge" is performed on the recording head,
The phenomenon that the residual ink adhered in the cap flows slightly backward due to the flow of the ink in the cap, that is, the ink is pushed into the ejection port provided in the recording head has occurred. Therefore, in a recording apparatus capable of recording a plurality of types of inks, if only one ejection recovery processing apparatus is provided, there is a problem that ink is mixed between various types of inks and good print quality cannot be obtained. There was something.

[0006] As a method for solving the above-mentioned problem, a large amount of ink is suctioned or discharged after suctioning or sucking a large amount of ink in order to completely remove the pushed ink in the "ink suction and discharge" process. However, according to this, the amount of ink discharged for purposes other than printing increases, and the running cost increases. Furthermore, the capacity of a "waste ink tank" for storing the discharged ink in the recording apparatus must be increased, and it is inevitable to increase the size of the entire recording apparatus.

Further, if a dedicated ejection recovery processing device is provided for each type of ink corresponding to each type of ink, there is a problem that not only the size of the entire printing apparatus is increased but also the cost is increased due to an increase in the number of components. .

As described above, in an ink jet recording apparatus capable of recording a plurality of types of inks, providing an ejection recovery processing apparatus that does not cause mixing is inconsistent with downsizing of the recording apparatus. It has been difficult to reduce the size of a compatible inkjet recording apparatus so that it can be incorporated into a notebook-sized personal computer or the like.

In a printing apparatus capable of mounting a plurality of types of printing heads at a time, a plurality of caps corresponding to various inks are provided, and one and the same pump is connected to all of the plurality of caps. There is also a method of reducing the size of the ejection recovery processing apparatus. However, according to this method, if there is a difference in the degree of fixation due to drying or the like among a plurality of print heads, ink suction is performed only from a print head having a slight fixation. In some cases, the ink is not sufficiently sucked from the head that is strongly fixed and the ink is not sufficiently recovered, and the ejection recovery process is not sufficiently performed.

[0010] Even if the above problem can be solved by instantly applying a sufficiently large suction pressure to the inside of the cap or the like, according to this method, the ejection recovery process is performed even for a recording head that does not require the ejection recovery process. It is inevitable that the consumption of ink becomes unnecessarily high and the running cost increases.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and it is possible to reduce the size and the size of an ink jet recording apparatus capable of performing recording with a plurality of types of ink without causing mixing of inks. It is an object of the present invention to provide an ink jet recording apparatus which can be achieved.

[0012]

According to the present invention, there is provided an ink jet recording apparatus which performs recording by discharging a plurality of types of ink from a recording means onto a recording medium.
A valve is provided to cover the ink ejection port of the recording means.
A plurality of vignetting cap, with respect to the plurality of caps
Cap lever selectively joined and provided with ink flow path
And the cap, communicating with the flow path of the cap lever,
Suction from the ink ejection port of the recording means covered by
Anda pump for generating a negative pressure for performing many number of said cap than the number of the pump, the valves of one of the cap of the plurality of cap cap
When the lever is selectively pushed open, the push
Of a cap provided with a valve and the cap lever
And the plurality of caps and the pump may be relatively movable with respect to the scanning direction of the carrier. In this case, the pump Is characterized in that only one is provided, wherein the cap is provided by the same number as the number of types of ink that can be recorded in a recording device equipped with the cap, The printing apparatus is characterized in that a blade capable of slidably contacting a part or all of the plurality of printing means on a discharge port forming surface of the printing means as necessary is provided. In addition, the blade in this case is characterized in that it is configured to be able to interlock with the movement of the pump, and the blade is integrated with the cap. It may be intended to be.

[0013] The recording apparatus may further include an absorber capable of contacting a part or all of the plurality of recording means on a discharge port forming surface of the recording means as necessary. The absorber may be characterized in that the absorber is configured to be interlocked with the movement of the pump.

Further, the printing apparatus is characterized in that it is possible to perform ejection from the printing means for a purpose other than printing as needed. An ink receiver for receiving and holding ink ejected for purposes other than the recording may be provided, or the absorber may be integrated with the cap. .

Further, the plurality of caps may be characterized in that they can be protruded from the recording head singly or in conjunction with one another as needed.

[0016]

According to the present invention having the above-described structure, a plurality of caps are provided, and the cap and the pump are configured to be relatively movable in the scanning direction of the carrier. After facing the corresponding cap at a predetermined position, the cap communicating with the pump
The push lever is opened by pushing the valve of the cap by connecting the cap lever to the cap and opening the valve of the cap.
The cap is provided with a closed valve , and a suction force is applied to the cap by the pump to perform a discharge recovery process. This makes it possible to avoid the problem of ink mixing between the printheads with a simple mechanism, and to selectively perform the processing only on printheads that require an ejection recovery process, minimizing waste of ink. It is possible to keep it to a minimum.

[0017]

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a main structure of a first embodiment of an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention.

The ink jet recording apparatus of this embodiment shown in FIG. 1 employs a bubble jet system and includes a head cartridge 9 having a plurality of ink jet recording heads for color compatibility. The head cartridge 9 is mounted on a carrier 11 for scanning in the S direction in FIG. To release the hook 13, the lever 15 may be operated. Carrier 1
1 is provided with a support plate 19 for supporting a connection portion for electrical connection with the head cartridge 9.
Is mounted with a flexible printed circuit 21 for connection to the main body control unit. The carrier 11 is provided with a bearing 25, and the bearing 25 of the carrier 11 is provided.
A guide shaft 23 for guiding the carrier 11 in the S direction (carrier scanning direction) is inserted through the guide shaft 23. Pulleys 29A and 29B are arranged on both sides of the apparatus, and a timing belt 27 for transmitting power for moving the carrier 11 in the S direction is stretched over the pulleys 29A and 29B. The driving force is transmitted to the pulley 29B from the carrier motor 31 via a transmission mechanism such as a gear.

Further, the ink jet recording apparatus of the present embodiment is provided with a transport roller 33 for regulating the recording surface of a recording medium such as paper and transporting the same during recording or the like. Transport motor 3
5, the paper pan 3 for guiding the recording medium to the recording position
7, a pinch roller 39 that is disposed in the middle of the recording medium feeding path and presses the recording medium toward the conveying roller 33 and conveys the recording medium, and a pinch roller 39 that faces the discharge port of the head cartridge 9, and A platen 34 for regulating the recording surface, a discharge roller 41 disposed downstream of the recording position in the recording medium transport direction and discharging the recording medium toward a discharge port (not shown); A spur 42 is provided corresponding to the roller 41, presses the paper discharge roller 41 via the recording medium, and generates a conveying force of the recording medium by the paper discharge roller 41, a pinch roller 39 when setting the recording medium, and the like. 42 is provided with a release lever 43 for releasing the respective biases. The platen 34 is rotatably supported at both ends with the axis of the discharge roller 41, the front portion 4 of the paper pan 37 from the stop position of the left and right plates 75
It is biased in five directions.

The end of the home position to become device for a recording head and a cap 51 according to the present invention is provided with a plurality so as to be opposed to the ink ejection opening forming surface of the recording head in (in the figure the left end), The plurality of caps are connected frame 700
Are connected by The connection frame 700 and the cap 51 are formed of an elastic material such as rubber, and can be moved in the scanning direction of the carrier. In the present invention, the cap is formed integrally with a blade described later. The blade-integrated cap 51 is used for protection of the recording head during non-recording or the like and for recovery processing of the recording head ejection.

There are mainly two processing methods for the ejection recovery processing of the ink jet recording head using the cap portion of the blade-integrated cap. One is to make the cap portion of the blade-integrated cap 51 face the discharge port forming surface, and to drive the energy generating element provided inside the ink discharge and used for ink discharge to thereby discharge ink from all the discharge ports. This is a process (preliminary ejection) of ejecting the ink and removing ejection failure factors such as bubbles and dust, or ink that has become thick and is not suitable for printing. The other is a process for removing the cause of the ejection failure by forcibly ejecting the ink from the ejection openings while the ejection opening formation surface is covered with the blade-integrated cap 51.

On the other hand, the blade portion of the blade-integrated cap is used to perform wiping for removing unnecessary ink attached to the ejection port forming surface of the recording head.

The blade-integrated cap waits for three stop positions. One is a retracted position from the recording head, which is a position where the blade-integrated cap and the head cartridge do not come into contact with each other regardless of the position of the carrier, that is, a retracted position at the time of recording or the like. One is a wiping position where only the blade portion can contact the ejection port forming surface of the recording head and wiping is performed by moving the carrier. The other is a capping position where the cap portion and the ejection port forming surface are in contact with each other and the cap covers the ink ejection port array of the recording head.

A pump 5 is used to apply a suction force for forcibly discharging ink and to suck ink received by the blade-integrated cap 51 at the time of discharge recovery processing by such forced discharge or discharge recovery processing by preliminary discharge.
3 is used. A tube 57 is connected to the pump 53, and the waste ink sucked by the pump 53 is stored in a waste ink tank via the tube 57.

The driving of the pump 53 and the movement of the blade-integrated cap 51 are performed by transmitting the power of the motor 61 to the cam device 63.

FIG. 2 shows the head cartridge 9 shown in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a partially exploded perspective view of the head cartridge 9 shown in FIG.

In this embodiment, a disposable type ink jet head cartridge capable of discharging four colors of ink with one head cartridge is used.
The head cartridge shown as an exploded perspective view in FIG.
Are connected. As shown in FIG. 2, the head cartridge 9 includes an ejection unit 9a as a recording head and an ink tank 9b as an ink storage unit as an ink supply source.
Is a disposable type that integrates

Here, as shown in FIG. 3, a base plate 930 made of aluminum or the like and also serving as a heat radiating plate is provided inside the head cartridge 9, and the base plate 930 includes a wiring board 921 and a heater board 9.
11 is attached. This heater board 911
Has a structure in which an electrothermal conversion element (discharge heater) and a wiring made of aluminum or the like for supplying electric power thereto are formed on a Si substrate by a film forming technique. The wiring board 921 and the heater board 911 are connected by, for example, wire bonding. On the upper surface of the heater board, a ceiling plate 940 provided with a partition for forming an ink flow path, a common liquid chamber, and the like is attached. The top plate 940 is formed of a resin material integrally having a discharge port blade portion.

FIG. 4 shows the pump 53 and the motor 6 shown in FIG.
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of an ejection recovery processing device including a cam device 1 and a cam device 63.

The cap lever 505 shown in FIG.
The blade-integrated cap 51 is attached so as to be rotatable around a pin 07 and comes into contact with / separates from the ejection port forming surface of the recording head by a force applied to the pin 507. The end 509 of the cap lever 505 is a pin 511
And the pin 511 regulates the rotation range of the cap lever 505. Further, a guide rod 722 described later is integrally formed with the cap lever 505.

A jig 513 having a hole into which a pin 507 of the cap lever 505 is fitted is used to attach the cap lever 505 to a support portion 515 provided on the pump 53, and the attachment state of the jig 513 is a fastening member 516. Secured by The cap lever 505 is provided with an action portion 517 for applying a force to abut the discharge port forming surface to the blade-integrated cap 51, and the action portion 517 is provided on the rear side of the blade-integrated cap 51. It is engaged almost at the center. The action portion 517 is provided with a projection for pushing and opening a valve provided on a back surface of a cap portion of a cap-integrated blade described later. The protrusion has an ink inlet 5 for introducing the sucked ink.
17A, inside the cap lever 505, pin 507
Ink flow paths are formed inside the jig 513 and inside the support portion 515, respectively. And the pump 53
Exerts a suction force, ink is introduced into the pump 53 through these flow paths as indicated by arrows in the figure.

A shaft 519 protrudes from the center of the end face of the pump 53, and the shaft 519 is held by a pump support plate 520. As a result, the pump 53 itself becomes rotatable, and its turning power is applied to the cap lever 505 via the support portion 515, whereby the blade-integrated cap 51 moves forward and backward. At this time, the blade-integrated cap is applied to the recording head by a spring 539. A waste ink seal 521, which bends an ink flow path communicating with the pump 53 at a right angle, is attached to and held on a shaft 519 of the pump 53 by a waste ink cap 523. Further, the waste ink cap 523 forms an ink flow path for guiding the ink from the waste ink seal 521 to the tube 57. For this reason, the ink sucked by the pump 53 is introduced into the waste ink tank 55 (see FIG. 1) via these tubes as shown by arrows in FIG.

A piston 525 is inserted into the pump 53, and a packing 529 and a cap 53 are mounted on a shaft 527 of the piston 525.
1 are mounted in order. A pin 533 is attached to the piston shaft 527 to which the cap 531 is attached.
, A force for operating the piston 525 is transmitted from the cam device 63.

The rotation of the motor 61 is transmitted to the cam device 63 via a gear train 541. The cam device 63 includes the pump 5
3 and a cam 547 for moving the blade-integrated cap by rotating the cap, and a pin 533 provided on a piston shaft 527 of the pump 53. 553 for engaging and rotating a cam 549 for operating the pump
And a cam 557 that engages with a switch 555 for detecting the home position of the cam device 63.
The operation of these cams will be described later.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are diagrams showing the configuration of the cap portion of the blade-integrated cap shown in FIG. 1, wherein FIG. 5A is a front view of the cap, FIG. 5B is a top view of the cap, and FIG. FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view taken along line MM of the cap shown in FIG. 4A, and FIG. 4D is a cross-sectional view taken along line MM of the cap shown in FIG. In this figure, the blade portion is not shown.

FIG. 5 shows a blade-integrated cap 51 shown in FIG.
The lower part of the inside is opened to form an ink suction port 561, and as shown in FIG. 5D, an ink flow path 563 is formed toward an ink introduction port 517A provided in the action portion 517 of the cap lever 505. ing. The absorber 501 is provided in the cap 52 so as not to completely cover the suction port 561. As a result, even if ink flows below the absorber 501 due to gravity, the ink is sucked through the suction port 561, so that the amount of ink remaining in the ink suction body 501 is extremely small. Therefore, the cap 51 according to the present invention
With this structure, the ink absorber and the blade-integrated cap 51 to which the ink absorber is solidified due to solidification of the ink can be significantly delayed to extend the life.

In the middle of the ink flow path 563, a valve 57 is provided.
0 is provided, and as shown in FIG.
Is pushed open by a protrusion provided on the action portion 517 of the cap lever, and the ink 563 flow path provided on the cap 51 and the flow path provided on the cap lever communicate with each other. Thereby, the inside of the cap when covering the ejection port forming surface of the recording head is shut off from the outside air except when performing suction for ejection recovery processing,
It is possible to prevent the ink from drying in the ejection openings provided in the recording head.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a cap unit including the cap 51 and the connection frame 700 shown in FIG.

Here, since there are four types of ink colors that can be printed by the printing apparatus in this embodiment, each color ink 1
Four blade integrated caps are provided to assign one blade integrated cap to the color.
Further, in this embodiment, a pump for performing suction, a cam device for performing contact and detachment of the blade-integrated cap with respect to the recording head, etc. are one irrespective of the number of ink colors, and are selectively provided depending on the position of the carrier. Is configured to engage with one of the four blade-integrated caps.

As shown in FIG. 6, the blade-integrated cap 51 is held by a connection frame 700,
Numeral 0 is movable in the carrier scanning direction by a guide groove 702 via a base 704. Also, the connection frame 700
Is engaged with a pedestal 704, and the connection frame 700 can be slid by a slide mechanism 706 in a direction perpendicular to the carrier scanning direction. Connecting frame 700 and pedestal 70
4, claws 710 and 712 are provided on the same side surface, respectively, and each end of the extension spring 708 is locked to the claws 710 and 712. Thus, when the connecting frame 700 does not receive an external force, the restoring force is applied so that the connecting frame and the pedestal return to the position shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the relationship between the cap unit and the head cartridge shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 7, the head cartridge 9 is mounted on the carrier 11 scanned along the guide shaft 23, and a connecting frame 700 is provided along the guide groove 702 at a position facing the head cartridge 9. It is provided movably in the scanning direction. One end of the carrier 11 extends toward the connection frame 700 so as to block the movement of the connection frame 700, and the ferrite magnets 714 and 716 are disposed at the one end and the side end of the pedestal 704, respectively. The position of the recording head on the carrier and the blade-integrated cap in the connection frame is determined, and the connection of the connection frame and the carrier within the movable range of the connection frame in the carrier scanning direction is enabled.

At a predetermined position in the scanning direction of the connecting frame 700, a ferrite magnet 720 is provided as a stopper for fixing and holding the connecting frame during printing, and a pedestal for connecting to the ferrite magnet 720 is provided. 7
04 is provided with a ferrite magnet 718. The ferrite magnets 714, 718 are arranged at different positions in the height direction in FIG.

A guide rod 722 formed below the cap lever 505 is interlocked with the cap lever.
At the time of capping, it engages with a groove 724 provided in the connection frame to suppress movement of the blade-integrated cap in the carrier scanning direction. This can prevent the cap lever 505 and the blade-integrated cap 51 from shifting in the carrier scanning direction during capping. The positions of the blade-integrated cap shown in FIG. 7 are all retracted positions, and capping, wiping, etc. are performed by projecting the cap lever in the direction of the arrow in the figure and controlling the amount of projection.

The cap holder 503 for holding the cap 51 is provided with the cap holder 503 and the connection frame 700.
Are elastically engaged with each other, and a tension spring 708 for applying the restoring force is locked so as to return the cap to the retracted position shown in the figure. The extension spring 708 and the extension spring 7 locked by the base 704 and the connection frame 700
The restoring force of 28 is set to be weaker than the urging force of the cap lever by the spring 539 (see FIG. 4).

The connecting frame 700 is provided with a projection 726. By pressing the projection 726 with the guide bar 722, the entire connecting frame is pushed out toward the recording head, and capping can be performed on all the recording heads. Have been. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent dust and dust from adhering to the recording head and drying of the ink during non-recording.

In this embodiment, one blade-integrated cap is provided for one color of ink. However, the present invention is not limited to this. A combination that does not cause a problem even when mixed colors such as similar colors occur. In this case, the same blade-integrated cap may be used between them.
According to this, it is possible to obtain a more compact recording apparatus.

Next, the function of the ejection recovery processing apparatus according to this embodiment will be described.

FIG. 8 is a cam chart of the discharge recovery processing device provided in the first embodiment of the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention. The horizontal axis indicates the rotation angle of the cam 549 shown in FIG. The state of the body cap 51 and the pump 53 is shown. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the position of the piston 525 in the pump 53 in each state based on the cam chart shown in FIG.

In FIG. 8, the state of FIG.
And the standby state of the discharge recovery processing device during printing. The switch 555 is ON, the blade-integrated cap 51 is separated from the ejection port forming surface of the recording head (retracted state), and the pump 53 is at the top dead center.

Next, the state (b) is a capping state, which covers and protects the discharge port forming surface in a state where the recording apparatus is not used. The switch 555 is OFF, the blade-integrated cap 51 is joined to the discharge port forming surface (closed), and the pump 53 is at the top dead center.

The state (c) is a state where the pumping is completed. The switch 55 is ON, the blade-integrated cap 51 is closed, and the pump 53 is in a state where the valve is fully opened and does not reach the bottom dead center.

In the state (d), after the pumping is completed, the blade integrated cap 51 is opened, and at the same time, the ink filled in the cap portion of the blade integrated cap 51 and the cap lever 505 is taken into the pump 53. This is a state in which the execution of the small vacuum suction has been completed. The switch 55 is ON, the blade-integrated cap 51 has moved slightly in the retreating direction, and the pump 53 is at the bottom dead center. At this time, wiping on the ejection port forming surface is also performed by moving the carrier.

Next, the state (g) will be described first. This is a preparation position for starting idle suction for discharging the ink filled in the pump 53 to the waste ink tank side by pumping. The switch 55 is ON, the blade-integrated cap is in the retracted position, and the pump 53 is slightly below the top dead center.

(E) and (f) are the stop positions when the air suction and the hollow suction are performed. In both cases, the switch 55 is ON, the blade-integrated cap is in the retracted position, and the state of the pump 53 is at the bottom dead center side in (e), but is not completely lowered in (f).

FIG. 9A shows a state where the piston 525 is at the bottom dead center in the pump. In the space inside the pump 53, pumping works by the negative pressure created by the space to the left of the piston 525.
The pump 53 is provided with a valve port 53a for transmitting the negative pressure to the cap portion of the blade-integrated cap 51 through the cap lever 505. In the state (1), it can be seen that the piston 525 has passed over the valve port 53a and is further advanced to the right. Here, since the piston 525 is pressed from the left side by the flange portion 527a of the piston shaft 527 and is in close contact therewith, the generated negative pressure is transmitted to the blade-integrated cap 51 side without leaking. Further, the ink accumulated on the right side of the piston shaft 525 is pushed out to the waste ink tank.

(2) shows a state at the top dead center. It should be noted here that the piston 525 is on the left side of the valve port 53a, and the valve port 531 is not closed. That is, in this state, the blade-integrated cap 51 is in a state of communicating with the atmosphere.

(3) shows the state of the pump 53 at the time (c) in FIG. The piston 525 is the valve port 53
Going over a and proceeding slightly to the right.

(4) is the state at the time (g) in FIG. 8. By reciprocating between this state and the state (1) or (5), the air suction and the hollow suction are executed. I have.

(5) is a state when the hollow suction has been completed. It should be noted here that the piston 525 stops immediately after having passed over the valve port 53a. If it goes to bottom dead center (1), top dead center (2)
Alternatively, when returning to the idle suction preparation position (4), the valve port 53
a cannot be closed for a long time. At this time, the piston shaft 5
A slight clearance is formed between the flange 527a of the 27 and the piston 525 so as to communicate with the space on the right side of the piston 525. However, a slight positive pressure is generated due to the resistance of the flow path or the like, so that a reverse flow occurs. When returning from the position (5) to (1) or (4), the backflow is firmly prevented.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the head cartridge 9 and the cap 51 when scanning the head cartridge 9 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 10, when performing capping for performing a discharge recovery process such as suction, first, the blade-integrated cap 51 is first retracted to a retracted position (not shown), and then the head cartridge 9 is discharged. The cap 51 is moved to a position (home position) where the forming surface and the cap 51 face each other. Thereafter, the blade-integrated cap 51 is brought into contact with the head cartridge 9 as shown in the state I in FIG.

When performing the wiping operation, the head cartridge 9 is moved to the home position during printing, that is, when the blade-integrated cap is in the retracted position, and then the blade-integrated cap 51 is moved to the position indicated by the broken line in FIG. (Wiping position). Thereafter, the wiping is executed by moving the head cartridge 9 in the direction of the arrow in the drawing to a position (not shown) where the contact with the blade 51a is released.

On the other hand, when wiping is performed from the capping state, the retracting movement amount of the blade-integrated cap is set to the wiping position, and thereafter, the carrier is moved.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the ejection recovery processing of the recording head executed by the ejection recovery processing device provided in the first embodiment of the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention.

The process starts from the capping state (b) in FIG. 8 (step S1). The pumping is executed by moving to the state (c) (step S3), and the operation is stopped for 3 seconds so that the ink suction is sufficiently performed in the state (step S5). In the state (d), the blade-integrated cap is opened at the wiping position so as to stop for one second, and at the same time suction of small air is performed (steps S7 and S7).
9), the ink is taken in the blade integrated cap 51 and the cap lever 505. Subsequently, preliminary ejection is performed (step S11), and then wiping is performed by moving the head cartridge to a position where the contact with the blade is released (step S1).
3). Next, the pump is moved to the blade-integrated cap retreat position, and idle suction for discharging the ink filled in the pump 53 is performed. First, the process moves to the empty suction preparation position (g) (step S21), and reciprocates three times between the hollow suction stop position (f) therefrom (steps S17 to S23). Next, the air suction from (e) to (g) in FIG. 8 is performed (steps S25 and S27), the ink in the pump 53 is sufficiently pushed out to the waste ink tank side, and finally the carrier is returned to the capping position. , (B) (step S29).

FIG. 12 shows the execution of the preliminary ejection during the recording operation of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and the process of taking the ink received in the cap by the preliminary ejection into the waste ink tank. It is a flowchart showing the flow.

First, upon receiving a print command, the cap is opened (step S53), and preliminary ejection is performed (step S53).
55). Subsequently, the timer starts counting (step S57), and performs preliminary ejection every 30 seconds (step S5).
9, S61). Further, every seven times of the cumulative number of the preliminary discharges (steps S63 and S65), the same processing as the above-described discharge recovery processing operation in a state where the recording head is retracted from the front of the cap is performed, and the preliminary discharge collects in the cap. An unnecessary ink suction / discharge process is performed (step S67).
To S91).

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control system of the first embodiment of the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention.

The position of the blade-integrated cap and the moving position of the carrier 11 can be known based on the detection of the recovery system home sensor 65 and the carrier home sensor 37. In the figure, reference numeral 1000 denotes an MPU for executing a control procedure such as a preset program to control each unit, 1001 a ROM storing a program corresponding to the control means, and 1002 a ROM for executing the control procedure. Used as a work area in a computer
It is. Reference numeral 1003 denotes a timer for measuring time for performing control and the like, and 1004 denotes an interface unit. Note that command data, recording data, and the like can be input from the keyboard unit to the control system.

(Second Embodiment) In the first embodiment described above, a head cartridge capable of recording four colors of ink is used. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, in a recording apparatus for mono-color printing or the like in which only a head cartridge for one color can be always mounted, a projection 800 as a color identification ID having a different length for each color of ink is provided on the head cartridge. On the other hand, the connection frame 700 is configured so as to be able to abut the projection 800, and the projections 8 having different lengths depending on the respective caps.
02 may be used to automatically select a cap according to the color of the ink in the head cartridge mounted on the recording apparatus. At this time, ferrite magnets are provided at the tips of the two projections 800 and 802 as in the first embodiment.

(Third Embodiment) FIG. 15 is a view showing an example in which the blade-integrated cap is moved not by linear motion but by rotary motion. In this case, capping is performed at the position K by rotating the blade-integrated cap clockwise from the retracted position (not shown). Wiping is performed by moving the carrier in the direction of the arrow at the wiping position L between the retracted position and the capping position. The rotational movement of the blade-integrated cap is performed by a rack gear provided on a carrier (not shown), a spur gear in a discharge recovery processing device configured to be able to engage and disengage with the rack gear, The movement of the cap lever 505 (see FIG. 4) is controlled by the cam device described above.

(Fourth Embodiment) FIG. 16 shows a case in which the blade 759 and the cap 751 are formed as separate members,
It is a figure showing the example connected by 53. Here, the material of the cap is chlorinated butyl rubber, and the material of the blade is urethane. As described above, the present invention can be implemented even if the same material is not necessarily configured as a single body.

(Fifth Embodiment) FIG.
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example in which an absorber 760 made of a porous material is integrally formed. The absorber is a member for absorbing and removing unnecessary ink attached on the surface of the recording head by contacting the surface on which the ink ejection openings are formed. What should be integrated in this way is not limited to the blade and the cap, but may be, for example, a blade and an absorber.

Further, contrary to the fourth embodiment, it is not always necessary to form the cap from a different material. For example, the member used as the absorber may be a foamed member made of the material forming the cap.

(Sixth Embodiment) Further, the absorber 760 in FIG. 17 shown in the fifth embodiment may be used as a receptor for ink ejected at the time of "preliminary ejection". According to this, when the preliminary ejection is performed in the cap, a necessary idle suction operation is not required, and the durability required for the ejection recovery processing device is reduced, and the throughput is improved.

(Seventh Embodiment) In the first embodiment, in order for the blade-integrated cap to make contact with the recording head, a total of three stop positions including a capping position, a wiping position, and a retreat position are provided. However, this is not necessarily the case. For example, while the blade-integrated cap is moved from the capping position to the retreat position and the carrier is simultaneously moved to perform wiping, the stop position is 2 The present invention can be carried out only at a certain place, and the configuration of the cam device is simplified, so that the size can be further reduced.

(Eighth Embodiment) In the above embodiment, the cap and the blade or the cap and the absorber are integrated. However, the invention is not limited to this. For example, the blade and the cap may be configured independently. The cap may be projected by the cap lever, while the blade may be projected by the guide rod.

Further, one blade provided in common for each ink color may be fixed at a protruding position, that is, a wiping position regardless of the ink color. When the same blade is used irrespective of the color of the ink, the ink attached to the blade after wiping is wiped off with a cleaner formed of an absorber or the like disposed on the carrier. In this case, color mixing due to wiping can be avoided.

(Ninth Embodiment) In the above embodiment, the number of pumps is one. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a head cartridge having a plurality of recording heads as shown in the first embodiment When the present invention is applied to a recording device capable of mounting a plurality of head cartridges at a time, if a plurality of pumps are disposed at appropriate positions,
The time required for suctioning a plurality of recording heads can be reduced, and the durability required for the ejection recovery processing device can be reduced.

This embodiment is also effective for a recording apparatus in which a plurality of types of heads having different suction pressures and suction amounts required in the ejection recovery processing can be mounted.
A plurality of pumps having different suction amounts or the like may be provided, and a pump for performing the discharge recovery processing may be selected as needed.

(Tenth Embodiment) In this embodiment, a valve is provided on the cap. However, when the ink in the discharge port is extremely slow in drying or the like, it is not necessary to completely shut off the outside air. It is not always necessary to provide the valve, for example, in the case where the ejection recovery processing is always performed in conjunction with the print command immediately before printing.

Further, in order to prevent the air from being pushed into the ink discharge port when the pressure rises due to the ink being filled in the cap and the pressure rises, for example, when the pump is not connected to the cap, the inside of the cap is provided. For example, the valve may be formed of a separate member so that it opens when the pressure becomes equal to or higher than a certain pressure, and a spring having a weak restoring force may be provided at the hinge.

Also, by suppressing the exchange between the outside air and the air in the cap by taking a sufficiently long ink flow path, etc.,
The valve may not be required.

(Eleventh Embodiment) In the above embodiment, the difference in the type of ink was described as the difference in color. However, the difference is not necessarily limited to this. It may be a dedicated ink for each recording medium.

(Twelfth Embodiment) In the above embodiment, the relative movement of the position of the pump and the cap was performed only by the movement of the cap. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the position of the pump is linked to the movement of the carrier. Alternatively, the pump and the cap connection frame may be moved together by means such as connecting the pump and the cap connection frame with idler gears.

As described above, the relative movement between the two need not be performed by moving only one of them, but can be selected according to the shape of the recording apparatus.

(Thirteenth Embodiment) The ID provided in the recording head is not necessarily required to be mechanical as in the second embodiment.
The ink may be electrically provided using the above pattern or the like, and the type of the ink may be determined through the FPC. In this case, for example, another drive motor is provided exclusively for moving the cap connecting frame, and this is connected to the connecting frame by a gear train, and a newly provided home is provided separately from the pump cam and the carrier. The movement of the connection frame may be controlled by a position sensor or the like.

(Other Embodiments) In the above-described embodiment, a disposable type head cartridge in which a recording head and an ink tank are integrated has been described. The present invention can be implemented even with an independent permanent type recording head.

In the above embodiment, the ink jet recording system using the bubble jet method has been described. However, the present invention is applicable to an ink jet recording apparatus using a recording head using an electromechanical transducer such as a piezo element. It is possible.

Further, the configuration of the coupling member composed of the cap, the blade, the absorber and the like is not limited to the above example, and one blade may be used for two caps.

[0093]

The present invention described above, according to the present invention is provided with a plurality of caps, and configured so as to be relatively movable with said cap and the pump in the scanning direction of the carrier, ejection recovery
A print head that requires processing and a cap
After facing the pump at a predetermined position, the key communicating with the pump is
The cap lever passes through the flow path of the cap lever.
By pushing open the valve of the cap
Communicate with the interior of the cap provided with an open valve
Recovery of discharge by applying suction force to the cap with the pump
By performing the processing, Ru can avoid a problem that mixing of ink between the printhead. In addition , the above- described processing can be selectively performed only on the recording head that requires the ejection recovery processing, and waste of ink can be minimized. Therefore, it is possible to realize an ink jet recording apparatus that can reduce the cost of the apparatus, reduce the size, and always obtain good printing.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a main configuration of a first embodiment of an ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the head cartridge shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the head cartridge shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a discharge recovery processing device including a pump, a motor, a cam device, and the like in FIG. 1;

5 is a configuration diagram showing a configuration of a cap portion of the blade-integrated cap shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a cap unit including the cap and the connection frame illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a plan view illustrating a relationship between a cap unit and a head cartridge illustrated in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a cam chart of the ejection recovery processing device provided in the first embodiment of the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention, in which the horizontal axis indicates the rotation angle of the cam shown in FIG. The state of is shown.

9 is a diagram showing positions of pistons in the pump in various states based on the cam chart shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a positional relationship between the head cartridge shown in FIG. 1 and a cap in scanning.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a print head ejection recovery processing operation performed by the ejection recovery processing device provided in the first embodiment of the inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 12 shows a flow of execution of preliminary ejection during the recording operation of the first embodiment of the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention and a process of taking the ink received in the cap by the preliminary ejection into the waste ink tank. FIG.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control system of the first embodiment of the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a positional relationship between a monocolor-compatible recording head having an ink type ID and an ejection recovery processing device as a second embodiment of the ink jet recording device of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a positional relationship between a head cartridge and an ejection recovery processing device as a third embodiment of the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is an external view of a fourth embodiment of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention, in which the cap and the blade are formed by different members.

FIG. 17 is an external perspective view of a fifth embodiment of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention when a cap and an absorber are integrated.

[Explanation of symbols]

 9 Head Cartridge 9a Discharge Unit 9b Ink Tank 11 Carrier 13 Hook 15 Lever 19 Support Plate 23 Guide Shaft 25 Bearing 27 Timing Belt 29A, 29B Pulley 31 Carrier Motor 33 Transport Roller 34 Platen 35 Transport Motor 37 Paper Van 39 Pinch Roller 41 Discharge Roller 42 Spur 43 Release lever 45 Paper van front part 51 Blade integrated cap 53 Pump 53a Valve port 55 Waste ink tank 57 Tube 61 Discharge recovery processing device motor 63 Cam device 65 Recovery system home sensor 67 Carrier home sensor 501 Ink absorber 503 Cap holder 505 Cap lever 507, 511 Pin 509 End 513 Jig 515 Supporting part 516 Fastening member 517 Working part 517A Ink Inlet 519 Shaft 520 Pump support plate 521 Waste ink seal 523 Waste ink cap 525 Piston 527 Piston shaft 529 Packing 531 Cap 539 Spring 541 Gear train 545 Engagement part 547, 549, 557 Cam 555 Switch 561 Suction port 563 Ink flow path 570 Valve 700 Connection frame 702 Guide groove 704 Base 706 Slide mechanism 708,728 Extension spring 710,712 Claw 714,716,718,720 Ferrite magnet 722 Guide rod 724 Guide groove 726,800,802 Projection 751 Cap 753 Connection holder 759 Blade 760 Absorber 911 Heater board 921 Wiring board 930 Base blade 940 Top plate 1000 MPU 1001 ROM 1002 RAM 1003 Timer 004 interface unit

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Fields surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B41J 2/175 B41J 2/165 B41J 2/18 B41J 2/185 B41J 2/21

Claims (13)

(57) [Claims] 1. An ink jet printing apparatus for printing by discharging a plurality of types of ink from a printing means to a printing medium, wherein a valve is provided so as to cover an ink discharge port of the printing means.
A plurality of cap kicked, the ink channel selectively joined to said plurality of caps
The cap lever is provided with a cap, and communicates with the flow path of the cap lever.
Suction from the ink ejection port of the recording means covered with
Anda pump for generating a negative pressure for many number of said cap than the number of the pump, the valves of one of the cap of the plurality of cap keys
When the cap lever is selectively pushed open, the push
The inside of the cap provided with the
An ink jet recording apparatus, wherein a flow path of a bar communicates with the bar . 2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of caps and the pump are relatively movable in a carrier scanning direction. 3. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein only one pump is provided. 4. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the number of the caps is equal to the number of types of ink that can be recorded in a recording apparatus provided with the cap. 5. The printing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a blade capable of abutting and sliding on a part of or all of the plurality of printing means on a discharge port forming surface of the printing means as required. Inkjet recording device. 6. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the blade is configured to be able to interlock with the movement of the pump. 7. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the blade is integral with the cap. 8. The apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising an absorber capable of contacting a part or all of said plurality of recording means on a discharge port forming surface of said recording means as required. Ink jet recording device. 9. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the absorber is configured to be able to interlock with the movement of the pump. 10. An ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said recording means can perform ejection for a purpose other than recording as required. 11. An ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 10 , further comprising an ink receiver for receiving and holding ink ejected from said recording means for a purpose other than said recording. 12. The absorbent body is an ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 9 or claim 11, wherein the a cap integral. 13. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of caps can be joined to a recording head singly or in combination as needed.