JP3353857B2 - Inkjet printer - 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 printer. More specifically, a so-called flushing operation in which the ink is periodically ejected from all the nozzles to the cap to prevent the particular nozzle from drying due to the ink not being ejected from the particular nozzle due to the print pattern is directed to the cap. In particular, the present invention relates to an ink jet printer that reduces the size of the printer and reduces wasteful ink consumption.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, an ink jet printer has a printing area in which printing is performed on a sheet by a head mounted on a carriage reciprocating in a direction orthogonal to a paper feeding direction, and an outer area adjacent to the printing area. And a non-print area where printing by the head is not performed.

In an ink-jet printer, if the printing operation is not performed for a certain period of time, the ink at the nozzle tip of the head dries and clogs the nozzle. In this case, it is necessary to perform so-called capping for covering the head with a cap. There is.

If clogging occurs,
It is necessary to perform so-called pumping, in which ink is forcibly sucked from nozzles using a suction pump to recover the function of the head.

Further, even during a printing operation, depending on a printing pattern, a state may occur in which no ink is ejected from a specific nozzle at all. If such a state continues, the ink at the tip of the specific nozzle is dried. As a result, clogging of the nozzles occurs. To prevent this, it is necessary to periodically perform so-called flushing in which ink is ejected from all the nozzles.

[0006] Such capping operation, pumping operation, and flushing operation are performed when the carriage, that is, the head is in the non-printing area.

[0007] Conventional ink jet printers have the following two types of modes for performing the flushing operation.

The first type is a type in which a flushing-only area provided with an ink absorbing material such as felt is provided in a non-printing area, and a flushing operation is performed in the flushing-only area toward the ink absorbing material.

The second type is a type in which a flushing operation is performed toward a cap used for the capping operation without providing the above-mentioned special flushing-dedicated area.

[0010]

The above-mentioned conventional ink jet printers have the following problems.

In the case of the first type, since it is necessary to provide a flushing-dedicated area in the non-printing area, there is a problem that the width of the printer is increased accordingly. Particularly, in a printer capable of color printing, a head for monochrome and a head for color are attached to the carriage along the reciprocating direction, or the ink ejection surface of the head is attached to the carriage along the reciprocating direction of the carriage. Since the monochrome nozzles and the color nozzles are formed, the flushing-dedicated area must be made wider correspondingly, and there is a problem that the width of the printer is further increased.

According to the second type, there is no need to provide a special flashing-dedicated area as described above.
It is possible to reduce the size of the printer.

However, in the second type, since the flushing operation is performed toward the cap, ink gradually accumulates in the cap.

Therefore, conventionally, before the ink is accumulated in the cap and the ink overflows from the cap, the capping is performed and the suction pump is operated to suck the ink (that is, the pumping operation is performed).

However, by performing such pumping, there is a problem that ink is sucked from the head separately from the ink ejected by flushing, and the ink is wasted accordingly.

An object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet printer which can solve the above problems, reduce the size of the printer, and reduce wasteful ink consumption.

[0017]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink jet printer which is mounted on a carriage which reciprocates in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which paper fed by paper feeding means is fed. A head that ejects ink from nozzles formed on the ejection surface, a cap that can be in close contact with the ink ejection surface of the head, and a suction pump that communicates with the cap, wherein the head faces the cap. An ink jet printer for performing flushing, comprising a pump driving mechanism capable of driving the suction pump even when the ink ejection surface of the head and the cap are not in close contact with each other .
Motor for driving paper feeding means, and pump driving mechanism
The motor that drives the motor is shared by one motor,
A pump drive mechanism for supplying power from the motor to the suction pump.
The pump position that transmits to the pump and the non-pump position that does not transmit
Possible switching gear and this switching gear
The ink ejection surface of the blade and the cap are not
Also has holding means that can be held at the pump position.
Switching of the switching gear between the pump position and the non-pump position
Is carried out by the movement of the carriage.
The cap moves with the carriage
And the carrier
In the movement range of the carriage, the cap is attached together with the carriage.
But not in close contact with the ink ejection surface of the head
The non-adhesion range and the adhesion range to be in close contact with the ink ejection surface
The carriage enters the close contact area
The switching gear is switched to the pump position when
With the holding means at the pump position.
When the carriage escapes from the non-contact area,
The holding by the holding means is released .

An ink jet printer according to a second aspect is the ink jet printer according to the first aspect,
A monochrome head and a color head are attached to the carriage along the reciprocating direction of the carriage, or a monochrome nozzle and a color head are attached to the ink ejection surface of the head along the reciprocating direction of the carriage. Nozzles are formed.

[0019]

[0020]

[0021]

[0022]

According to the ink jet printer of the first aspect, the ink fed from the nozzle formed on the ink ejection surface of the head attached to the carriage reciprocating in the direction perpendicular to the direction of paper feeding by the paper feeding means. Is ejected to perform printing on the paper, and flushing is performed toward the cap during the printing operation.

A suction pump is connected to the cap, and the cap has a pump driving mechanism capable of driving the suction pump even when the ink ejection surface of the head is not in close contact with the cap. With this pump drive mechanism, the suction pump is driven in a state where the ink ejection surface of the head and the cap are not in close contact with each other, so that only the ink accumulated in the cap by the flushing operation is sucked without sucking ink from the head. can do.

In other words, according to the ink jet printer of the first aspect, by performing the flushing operation toward the cap, the size of the printer can be reduced, and at the same time, the flushing operation can be performed without sucking ink from the head. As a result, only the ink accumulated in the cap can be sucked, so that wasteful consumption of ink is reduced. Further, the ink according to claim 1
According to the jet printer, the paper feeding means is driven.
A motor and a motor for driving the pump drive mechanism are 1
And the pump drive mechanism is shared by the two motors.
Pump position for transmitting power from the motor to the suction pump
Gear that can be in a non-pump position that does not transmit
And the switching gear is keyed to the ink ejection surface of the head.
Can be held at the pump position even when the cap is not in close contact
The paper feed means.
Separate the motor that drives the pump drive mechanism
Printer more compact than the one provided in
In addition, cost can be reduced. Furthermore, this claim
Item 1. According to the inkjet printer of Item 1, the cutting
Before switching between the pump position and non-pump position of the replacement gear
It is performed by the movement of the carriage.
No switching means such as an electromagnetic solenoid is required,
Printers to be more compact and reduce costs
You. The ink jet printer according to claim 1.
According to the data, the cap moves with the movement of the carriage.
It is composed of a cap that can move
Carry the cap over the range of movement of the carriage.
With the head, but adheres closely to the ink ejection surface of the head
The non-adhesion range that is not
And a carriage area.
The switch gear switches to the pump position when
To the pump position by the holding means.
Held and the carriage escapes from the non-contact area
The holding by the holding means is released.
To move the carriage into the close contact area
Capping and pumping
I can. In addition, move the carriage out of the contact area.
Only moved to the contact range, cut conversion example gear pumps
Since it remains in the position
By operating the suction pump, ink is
Capping by flushing operation without suction
Only the ink accumulated in the inside can be sucked. sand
In other words, according to the ink jet printer according to claim 1,
Between the pump position and the non-pump position of the switching gear.
Replacement, and check that the ink ejection surface is
Switching of non-contact state is only the movement of the carriage
Is performed at the same time, so separate electromagnetic solenoid etc.
No need for switching means
Pact reduction and cost reduction are achieved.

In the ink jet printer capable of performing color printing, the carriage may be provided with a monochrome head and a color head along the reciprocating direction of the carriage, or the ink ejection of the head. Since the monochrome nozzles and the color nozzles are formed on the surface along the reciprocating direction of the carriage, applying the configuration according to claim 1 to such a printer requires:
Especially effective.

That is, according to the ink jet printer of the second aspect, in a printer capable of performing color printing, the width of the printer can be further reduced and the wasteful consumption of color ink can be reduced.

[0027]

[0028]

[0029]

[0030]

[0031]

[0032]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a side view showing the internal structure of one embodiment of the ink jet printer according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view with a part omitted, and FIG. 3 is an expanded view of the gear train in FIG. .

First, an outline of the printer will be described with reference to FIG.

Reference numeral 1 denotes a paper feed tray on which sheets to be printed are stacked and held, and reference numeral 2 denotes a paper feed roller for feeding paper from the paper feed tray 1 one by one.

The paper fed by the paper feed roller 2 is wound around a paper feed roller 3 constituting a paper feed means and inverted, and is sent out from the paper feed roller 3 with its feed angle being defined by a pinch roller 4. It is. The sent paper is
The back surface is guided while being in contact with the upper surface of the defining member 5, so that the distance from the inkjet head 6 is defined, and ink is ejected from the head 6 to the front surface for printing. The printed sheet is discharged onto a discharge tray 8 via a pair of discharge rollers 7a and 7b.

The ink-jet head 6 includes a monochrome head 6a and a color head 6b capable of performing color printing by discharging a plurality of colors of ink (see FIG. 4). 60 is attached along the reciprocating direction.

The carriage 60 is guided by a guide shaft 61 and a guide rail 62, and reciprocates in a direction perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 1 by driving a carriage motor (not shown). The heads 6a and 6b are moved relative to the carriage 60.
It is mounted along the direction of its reciprocation. On the carriage 60, a monochrome ink tank and a color ink tank (not shown) are simultaneously mounted.

Next, the configuration of each section will be described.

In FIGS. 2 and 3, A is a print area where printing is performed on paper by the heads 6a and 6b attached to the carriage, and B is an outer area adjacent to the print area A and the heads 6a and 6b This is a non-printing area where printing is not performed.

Reference numeral 10 denotes a motor, which is fixed to the side plate 31 of the frame 30. The power of the motor 10 is transmitted to the paper feed roller 3 via a pinion 11 fixed to the output shaft and reduction gears 12 and 13. The paper feed roller 3 is
The shaft 3a is rotatably supported by the side plates 31, 32 of the frame, and the reduction gear 13 is fixed to one end of the shaft 3a. The reduction gear 12 is rotatably attached to the side plate 31.

A main transmission gear 14 is fixed to the other end of the shaft 3a of the paper feed roller 3. The power from the motor 10 is transmitted from the main transmission gear 14 to a pump drive mechanism 40G for driving a suction pump (hereinafter also simply referred to as a pump) 40 on the one hand, and a gear train which can be interlocked with a knob 50 on the other hand. 51.

The pump driving mechanism 40G includes a frame 30
, The switching gear 20, the pump transmission gear 44, the transmission gear 45, and the holding means 37a (see FIG. 6).

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 70 denotes a capping device.

As shown in FIG. 4, when the carriage 60 enters the non-printing area B and stops at the capping position (the position shown in FIG. 4C), the capping device 70 moves the heads 6a and 6b. It has two caps 71a and 71b which cover the ink ejection surfaces 6n and 6n and are in close contact with each other.

The caps 71a and 71b are
It is attached to the upper surface of.

The slider 72 has a substantially central portion connected to a base 74 by arms 73, 73 (only the near side is shown in FIG. 4), and a right end thereof is guided by a guide rail 34. ing.

The arm 73 is rotatably and vertically movable with respect to a pin 74a of a base 74 by an elongated hole 73 provided below the arm 73. The slider 72
A compression spring 76 that urges the slider 72 upward and leftward is provided between the slider 74 and the base 74.

The base 74 is fixed to the side plate 33 of the frame, and the guide rail 34 is also fixed to the side plate 33. A hook portion 34a is formed at the left end of the guide rail 34. The hook portion 34a formed at the right end of the slider 72 engages with the hook portion 34a, so that the slider 72 can move to the left. Regulated.
A pin 72b is provided on the upper right end of the slider 72, and the pin 72b can be brought into contact with the operating piece 63 provided on the right end of the carriage 60.

Therefore, the capping device 70 operates as follows.

As shown in FIG. 4A, the carriage 60
Is in the print area A (see FIG. 2) and the ink is ejected from the head 6a or 6b while reciprocating to perform printing on the paper P, the capping device 70 does not operate at all.

When printing is performed for a certain period of time, depending on the printing pattern, a state may occur in which no ink is ejected from a specific nozzle at all. If such a state continues, the ink at the tip of the specific nozzle may dry. As a result, clogging of the nozzles occurs, and in order to prevent this, a flushing operation of discharging ink from all nozzles is performed.

In the flushing operation, as shown in FIG. 4B, the carriage 60 enters the non-printing area B (see FIG. 2) until the heads 6a and 6b face the caps 71a and 71b. This is performed by discharging ink from all nozzles.

At this time, the capping device 70 does not operate at all.

The carriage 60 moves further into the non-printing area B (see FIG. 2) than the position shown in FIG.
The capping operation is started when the operation piece 63 comes into contact with the pin 72b of the slider 72.

When the carriage 60 further moves to the right in the figure, the operating piece 63 is moved to the pin 72 of the slider 72.
Since it is in contact with b, the slider 72 moves to the right and moves upward with the turning operation of the arm 73. As a result, the caps 71a and 71b rise in the direction of the heads 6a and 6b while moving in the same direction as the carriage as the carriage 60 enters,
As shown in FIG. 4C, the ink ejection surfaces 6n,
6n will be in close contact.

As can be seen from the above description, FIG.
The position of the carriage 60 indicates the start position of the non-contact area in which the caps 71a and 71b are moved together with the carriage but not in close contact with the ink ejection surfaces 6n and 6n of the head, and the position of the carriage 60 in FIG. Indicates the end position of the contact area where the caps 71a and 71b are brought into close contact with the ink ejection surfaces 6n and 6n. Carriage 6
During the movement of 0 from the position shown in FIG. 4 (b) to the position shown in FIG. 4 (c), the caps 71a and 71b start to come into close contact with the ink ejection surfaces 6n and 6n. This is the boundary position between the close contact areas.

As shown in FIG. 2, the pump 40 is constituted by a tube pump and communicates with the caps 71a and 71b by tubes 43a and 43b.

One end of each of the tubes 43a and 43b is connected to the cap, an intermediate portion is fixed in the pump case 42, and the other end is directed to a waste ink tank (not shown). And the intermediate part is the pump case 4
The ink is sucked from the cap by being pressed by a rotating roller (not shown) provided in the inside 2.

In FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, reference numeral 44 denotes a pump transmission gear, which is detachable from the switching gear 20.

As shown in FIG. 2, the switching gear 20 is provided with a substantially cylindrical holder 21 for holding the switching gear 20 so as to allow the switching gear 20 to rotate.

As shown in FIG. 5, the holder 21 has a tubular portion 21a and claws 21b formed integrally with the tubular portion.

A hook 21c is provided on the cylindrical portion of the holder 21. As shown in FIG. 2, a tension spring 22 is provided between the hook 21c and the side plate 32 of the frame.

Therefore, the switching gear 20 is urged leftward in FIG. 2 by the tension spring 22, and normally does not mesh with the pump transmission gear 44.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the carriage 60
A switching lever 64 (hereinafter, also simply referred to as a lever) and a release portion 65 are provided at the bottom of.

The lever 64 is rotatably mounted on a shaft 66. As shown in FIG. 8, a hook 64f is provided near the tip 64a. The front end portion 64a and the rear end portion 64b are supported by support portions 67 and 68 (see FIG. 7) provided at the bottom of the carriage, respectively, so that the lever 64 does not fall off the carriage. A spring 69 is provided between the lever 64 and the bottom of the carriage.
The spring 69 is a leaf spring having a bent shape as shown in FIG. 9 in a free state. The bent portion 69a is fitted into the holding groove 64c of the lever shown in FIG. Are engaged with the locking pieces 64d, 64d of the lever shown in FIGS.
9c is held between the lever 64 and the carriage bottom surface by being supported by the support portion 67 (see FIG. 7). As shown in FIG. 6, the tip portions 69c, 69c sandwich a convex portion 67a provided at the bottom of the carriage, whereby the lever 64 is held at the neutral position unless an external force acts.

In FIG. 6, reference numeral 30 denotes a frame also shown in FIG. 1, and a portion of the frame 30 located in the non-printing area B has a first bent-shaped "H" shape in plan view. The partition wall 35 and the second partition wall 3 which is linear in plan view
6 are formed.

When the carriage 60 enters the non-printing area B by the first and second partition walls 35 and 36, a first path R1 for allowing the hook portion 64f of the lever 64 to enter the non-printing area, When the carriage 60 escapes from the non-printing area B to the printing area A, the hook portion 64f
Path R2 that escapes from the non-print area to the print area
Are formed. In the drawings, the first and second partition walls 35 and 36 are shaded, the first route R1 is indicated by a dashed line, and the second route R2 is indicated by a two-dot chain line. In the portion along the second partition wall 36, the first and second paths R1 and R2 are common paths, but are separately shown for convenience of illustration.

Reference numeral 80 denotes a leaf spring member for forming a third path R3 (a three-dot chain line). This leaf spring member 80
As shown in FIG. 10, the mounting portion 81 includes a mounting portion 81 and a leaf spring portion 82 integrally formed with the mounting portion 81.
Are fixed to the frame 30. Leaf spring part 82
As shown in FIG. 10 (a), is slightly bent counterclockwise in the free state with respect to the mounting portion 81, and the tip end 82a is further bent counterclockwise. Therefore, when the leaf spring portion 82 is attached to the frame 30, the leaf spring portion 82 comes into close contact with the second partition wall 36 as shown in FIG.
2 and lightly contacts the first partition wall 35.

The carriage 60 is controlled by the leaf spring portion 82.
Has entered the non-printing area B, and then re-enters the non-printing area B before completely exiting from the non-printing area B toward the printing area A, the hook portion 64f enters. A third route R3 is formed.

The first, second and third routes R1, R2,
The operation of R3 and the lever 64 will be described in detail below.

In FIG. 6, when the carriage 60 first moves rightward and enters the non-printing area B, the hook portion 64f of the lever enters the first path R1 and the first partition wall 3
5 and reaches one side of the second partition wall 36. When the hook portion 64f gets over the first partition wall 35, the lever 64 rotates in the direction of arrow a, and after getting over, returns to the original position by the action of the spring 69.

Next, when the carriage moves to the left, the hook portion 64f is guided by the first partition wall 35 and enters the second route R2, and the hook portion 64f deflects the leaf spring portion 82 so as to be bent. It passes through the tip 82a. When the hook portion 64f has passed the distal end 82a of the leaf spring portion 82, the leaf spring portion 82
Returns to the original position (a position where it is lightly in contact with the first partition wall 35). At this point, if the carriage continues to move further to the left, the carriage moves to the print area A.
6, the state shown in FIG. 6 is reached, and when the carriage moves rightward, the hook 64f enters the third route R3. The lever 64 rotates in the direction of arrow b when the hook portion 64f gets over the first partition wall 35. When the hook 64f enters the print area A, the lever 6
4 returns to the original position, but when the hook portion 64f enters the third route R3, the hook portion 64f remains rotated in the direction of the arrow b. The third route R by being slightly pressed against the portion 82
3 will be moved.

As described above, the elongated hole 37 is formed in the frame 30 as a result of bending the second partition wall 36.

Then, the claw 21b of the holder 21 projects upward through the elongated hole 37, as shown in FIG. 11, and faces the third path R3.

Therefore, when the hook 64f enters the third route as described above, the hook 64f
And the claw 21b are engaged with each other, and as the carriage moves to the right, the holder, ie, the switching gear 20, also moves to the pump position as shown by the phantom line in FIG. The gear 44 meshes.

Switching gear 20 and transmission gear 44 for pump
Are engaged with each other, the power from the main transmission gear 14 is switched to the switching gear 20, the pump transmission gear 44, and the transmission gear 45.
To the pump 40, and the pump is operated to be able to suck ink from the head 6a or 6b through the cap 71a or 71b. A compression spring 46 is provided between the pump transmission gear 44 and the side plate 33 of the frame so that when the switching gear 20 moves to the right, the two gears 20 and 44 smoothly mesh with each other. ing.

The elongated hole 37 has a stepped portion 37a, and the stepped portion 37a constitutes means for holding the claw 21b. Since the extension spring 22 is provided obliquely as shown in FIG. 6, when the claw 21b of the holder 21 moves rightward and reaches the stepped portion 37a, it enters the stepped portion and engages with it. This engagement is achieved by the release portion 65 provided on the carriage 60.
The switching gear 20 is held in the pump position until it is released.

Next, the overall operation of the above-described ink jet printer will be described.

<Printing Operation> As described above, the paper is fed by the paper feed roller 2 and the carriage 60 reciprocates in the print area A while being fed by the paper feed roller 3.
Ink is ejected from the head 6 and printing is performed.

In this case, the carriage 60 moves to the non-printing area B
Therefore, no capping operation or pumping operation is performed.

<Flushing Operation> The flushing operation is periodically performed during the printing operation.

In the flushing operation, as shown in FIG. 4B, the carriage 60 enters the non-printing area B (see FIG. 2) until the heads 6a and 6b face the caps 71a and 71b. This is performed by discharging ink from all nozzles. After that, the carriage 60
Returning to the printing area A, the printing operation is continued.

When the carriage 60 enters the non-printing area B, the hook 64f of the lever 64 at the bottom of the carriage enters the first path R1. When the carriage 60 returns to the printing area A, the hook 64f moves to the second position. The flow returns to the print area via the route R2.

<Flushing Ink Suction Operation> This flushing ink suction operation is performed after the flushing operation has been performed a predetermined number of times (before the ink overflows from the cap).

In this case, first, the carriage 60 enters the non-printing area B from the printing area. Then, the hook portion 64f of the lever also enters the first route R1.

Next, the carriage 60 moves to the left until the hook portion 64f passes through the tip end 82a of the leaf spring portion 82.

Thereafter, the carriage 60 moves rightward,
The hook 64f enters the third route R3.

As a result, the hook 64f and the claw 21b engage with each other, and as the carriage moves to the right, the switching gear 20 also moves to the pump position as shown by the phantom line in FIG. The pump 40 is engaged with the gear 44.
Can be driven. This state is maintained by engaging the claw 21b of the holder 21 with the step 37a. FIG. 12 shows the state at this time. At this time, simultaneously, as shown in FIG.
1b covers the heads 6a and 6b, and the ink ejection surfaces 6n and 6b.
At this stage, the pump 40 is not operated.

Thereafter, the carriage 60 moves to the left to the non-contact area. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 4B, the close contact between the caps 71a, 71b and the ink ejection surfaces 6n, 6n of the heads 6a, 6b is released. That is, the amount of movement at this time is such that the close contact between the caps 71a, 71b and the ink ejection surfaces 6n, 6n of the heads 6a, 6b is released, and the release portion 65 of the carriage
The distance is such that the engaged state between the first claw 21b and the stepped portion 37a is not released. FIG. 13 shows the movement amount L at this time.
In the figure, positions C, D, and E indicate the positions of the release portion 65 (that is, the carriage), respectively, position C indicates a capping position (same as a pumping position described later), position D indicates a holder reset position, and
Position E indicates a flushing ink suction position. The position C is the same as the position shown in FIG.

In the position E, the motor 10 is operated to drive the pump 40, and the caps 71a, 71
From b, the flushing ink accumulated in this is sucked. After the suction, the release operation is performed by slightly rotating the motor 10. That is, at the time of the suction operation, the motor 10 is slightly rotated reversely when the motor 10 is normally rotated, and slightly rotated forward when the motor 10 is rotated reversely.
This release operation is for preventing the inner surfaces of the tubes from sticking together while the tubes of the pump are kept pressed by the rotating rollers.
This release operation ends the pump operation.

When the pump operation is completed, the carriage 60 returns to the printing area A and continues the printing operation. In the process in which the carriage 60 returns to the print area A, FIG.
As shown in (position D), the release portion 65 is
The first claw 21b is pressed to release the engagement between the claw 21b and the step portion 37a. As a result, the switching gear 20 returns to the original position, and the power transmission to the pump 40 is cut off.

<Capping Operation> If the printing operation is not performed for a certain period of time, the capping operation is performed.

In this case, the carriage 60 is moved to the position shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, the capping operation is started when the operating piece 63 comes into contact with the pin 72b of the slider 72 as shown in FIG. When 60 reaches the right end, cap 7
The caps 1a and 71b cover the heads 6a and 6b and come into close contact with the ink ejection surfaces 6n and 6n to complete the capping operation.

The hook portion 64 of the switching lever 64
f enters the first route R1, but does not participate in the capping operation at all. Further, when shifting from the capping operation to the printing operation, the carriage 60 returns to the printing area. At this time, however, the hook portion 64f of the lever 64 only passes through the second route R2.

<Pumping Operation> When nozzle clogging occurs, a pumping operation is performed.

In this case, first, the carriage 60 enters the non-printing area B from the printing area A. Then, the hook portion 64f of the lever also enters the first route R1.

Next, the carriage 60 moves to the left until the hook 64f passes through the tip 82a of the leaf spring 82.

Thereafter, the carriage 60 moves rightward,
The hook 64f enters the third route R3.

As a result, the hook 64f and the claw 21b engage with each other, and the switching gear 20 also moves to the pump position as shown by the imaginary line in FIG. The pump 40 is engaged with the gear 44.
Can be driven. This state is maintained by engaging the claw 21b of the holder 21 with the step 37a. FIG. 12 shows the state at this time.

At the same time, as shown in FIG. 4C, when the carriage 60 reaches the right end, the cap 71
a, 71b cover the heads 6a, 6b,
The capping is completed by completely contacting n and 6n.

Therefore, the motor 10 is operated to suck ink from the head. After the suction, the release operation is performed by slightly rotating the motor 10 as described above, and the pumping operation is completed.

According to the above-described ink jet printer, the following effects can be obtained.

(I) Since the pump drive mechanism 40G capable of driving the suction pump 40 is provided even when the ink ejection surfaces 6n, 6n of the head and the caps 71a, 71b are not in close contact with each other, this pump is used. By the drive mechanism 40G, the ink ejection surfaces 6n, 6n of the head and the cap 71 are formed.
By driving the suction pump 40 in a state where the a and 71b are not in close contact with each other, it is possible to suck only the ink accumulated in the cap by the flushing operation without sucking the ink from the heads 6a and 6b.

That is, the flushing operation is performed
1a and 71b, the size of the printer can be reduced, and at the same time, only the ink accumulated in the caps 71a and 71b by the flushing operation can be sucked without sucking the ink from the heads 6a and 6b. Therefore, wasteful consumption of ink is reduced.

(Ii) The ink jet printer of this embodiment is an ink jet printer capable of performing color printing. The carriage 60 is provided with a monochrome head 6a and a color head 6b along the reciprocating direction. Since the flushing operation is temporarily
If the configuration is made so as to be directed not to 1a and 71b but to a separately provided flushing-dedicated area, the flushing-dedicated area becomes considerably large, and the width of the printer must be increased accordingly.

On the other hand, in this embodiment, since the flushing operation is performed toward the caps 71a and 71b, the size of the printer can be remarkably reduced, and at the same time, wasteful consumption of color ink is reduced. be able to.

The same applies to the case where monochrome nozzles and color nozzles are formed on the ink ejection surface of the head along the reciprocating direction of the carriage.

(Iii) The motor for driving the paper feed roller 3 and the motor for driving the pump drive mechanism 40G are shared by one motor 10, and the pump drive mechanism 40G transfers the power from the motor 10 to the suction pump 40. A switching gear 20 capable of taking a transmitting pump position and a non-pumping position not transmitting, and this switching gear 20 can be held at the pump position even when the ink ejection surfaces 6n, 6n of the head and the caps 71a, 71b are not in close contact. And a more compact holding means 37a, so that the printer can be made more compact and the cost can be reduced as compared with the case where a motor for driving the paper feed roller 3 and a motor for driving the pump drive mechanism 40G are separately provided. Is achieved.

(Iv) Since the switching of the switching gear 20 between the pump position and the non-pump position is performed by the moving operation of the carriage 60, no separate switching means such as an electromagnetic solenoid is required. Reduction is achieved.

(V) The caps 71a and 71b are constituted by caps that can move with the movement of the carriage 60, and the caps 71a and 71b are moved together with the carriage 60 within the moving range of the carriage 60, but the ink ejection of the head is performed. It has a non-adhesion range that does not make close contact with the surfaces 6n, 6n, and a contact range that makes close contact with the ink ejection surfaces 6n, 6n. When the carriage 60 enters the close contact range, the switching gear 20 moves to the pump position. The carriage 60 is held at the pump position by the holding means 37a, and when the carriage 60 escapes from the non-contact area, the holding by the holding means 37a is released. Capping and pumping Kill.

Further, simply by moving the carriage 60 from the close contact range to the non-close contact range, the switching gear 20 remains in the pump position. Therefore, by operating the suction pump 40 in this state, Head 6
It is possible to suck only the ink accumulated in the caps 71a and 71b by the flushing operation without sucking the ink from the nozzles a and 6b.

That is, the switching gear 20 is switched between the pump position and the non-pump position, and the ink discharge surface 6 is switched.
Since the switching between the close contact state and the non-contact state between the caps n and 6n and the caps 71a and 71b is simultaneously performed only by the movement operation of the carriage 60, no separate switching means such as an electromagnetic solenoid is required, further reducing the size and cost of the printer. Is reduced.

(Vi) Since the state of close contact between the head 6 and the cap 71 is released before the operation of the pump 40 is completed (FIG. 4).
(B)) Even if a positive pressure is generated at the end of the operation of the pump 40, the positive pressure is not applied to the head 6. Therefore, the operation of the pump 40 can be completed in a short time without deteriorating the function of the head 6.

As described above, one embodiment of the present invention has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately modified within the scope of the present invention.

[0116]

According to the present invention, in an ink jet printer of a type in which a flushing operation is performed toward a cap, the size of the printer can be reduced, and wasteful ink consumption can be reduced.

[0117]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing the internal structure of an embodiment of an ink jet printer according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially omitted enlarged plan view of the same.

FIG. 3 is an expanded view of the gear train shown in FIG. 2;

4 (a), (b) and (c) are explanatory views of the structure and operation of the capping device.

5A is a detailed view of the holder, FIG. 5A is a plan view, FIG. 5B is a front view, FIG. 5C is a left side view, FIG. 5D is a right side view, and FIG.
FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line ee in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a perspective plan view of a main part.

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the carriage.

FIG. 8 is a detailed view of a switching lever, (a) is a plan view,
(B) is a partially cut front view, and (c) is a bottom view.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of a spring.

10A is a plan view of a leaf spring member, and FIG. 10B is a front view of the same.

FIG. 11 is a partially omitted side view mainly showing a carriage and a frame.

FIG. 12 is an operation explanatory view.

FIG. 13 is an operation explanatory view.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A Printing area B Non-printing area 3 Paper feed roller 6a Monochrome head 6b Color head 6n Ink ejection surface 10 Motor 20 Switching gear 37a Holder 40 Pump 40G Pump driving mechanism 60 Carriage 64 Switching lever 71 Cap

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] A head that is attached to a carriage that reciprocates in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the paper fed by the paper feeding unit is ejected, and that discharges ink from nozzles formed on an ink discharge surface; An ink jet printer having a cap that can be in close contact with a surface, and a suction pump that is in communication with the cap, wherein the head performs flushing toward the cap, wherein the ink ejection surface of the head and the cap are in close contact with each other. together and a possible pump drive mechanism driving the suction pump in the absence, a motor for driving the paper feeding means, said pump drive motor
The motor for driving the structure is shared by one motor,
A pump driving mechanism transfers power from the motor to the suction port.
Pump position transmitting to pump and non-pump position not transmitting
A switching gear that can take
The ink ejection surface of the pad is not in close contact with the cap
Holding means capable of holding at the pump position, and switching the switching gear between the pump position and the non-pump position.
Replacement is performed by the movement of the carriage, and the cap is moved with the movement of the carriage.
A movable cap, and
In the range of movement of the ridge, the cap is
The head, but do not bring it into close contact with the ink ejection surface of the head.
The non-adhesion range and the adhesion range to make close contact with the ink ejection surface
The carriage enters the close contact area
The switching gear is switched to the pump position
At the pump position by the holding means.
When the carriage escapes from the non-contact area,
An ink jet printer, wherein the holding by the holding means is released . 2. A monochromatic head and a color head are attached to the carriage along a reciprocating direction of the carriage, or a monochromatic head and a color head are mounted on an ink ejection surface of the head along a reciprocating direction of the carriage. 2. The ink jet printer according to claim 1, wherein said nozzle and said color nozzle are formed.