JP3822701B2 - Inkjet printer recovery device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a recovery device for an ink jet printer that performs recording by ejecting ink onto a recording medium.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, a recording head that performs recording by ejecting ink onto a recording medium, and a suction pump unit that has a suction cap that comes into contact with and separates from the nozzle surface of the recording head and sucks ink of the recording head through the suction cap; An ink jet printer having a control means for driving and controlling the suction pump means is known.
[0003]
In such an ink jet printer, the suction means is controlled by controlling the suction pump means by the control means. Generally, such suction action generates one large suction negative pressure, and the ink in the recording head is discharged through the suction cap. It is done so as to suck it at a stretch.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, when such an ink jet printer is used, the ink path between the recording head and the ink cartridge is filled with air when the ink cartridge is replaced, including when the ink cartridge is first connected to the recording head. Although it may occur, in such a state, a large suction force is applied through the suction cap to suck the ink of the recording head at once, similarly to the case of the normal purge operation for recovery of ejection failure during the recording operation. As a result, the ink suddenly flows from the ink cartridge toward the recording head in a state of being mixed with air, the ink bubbles, and bubbles in the ink in the ejection channel of the recording head are included. This tendency is particularly noticeable when a filter member is provided at the connecting portion of the recording head and the ink cartridge (for example, the ink supply hole of the ink cartridge) so that dust or the like does not move with the ink toward the recording head. .
[0005]
Therefore, when the ink cartridge is replaced, there is a demand for sucking ink from the recording head in such a manner that the above-mentioned bubbling does not occur.
[0006]
On the other hand, when the nozzles of the recording head become defective in discharge due to ink drying or dust clogging, it is desirable to suck the ink in the recording head all at once with a large negative pressure. In addition, when the automatic suction is automatically performed according to the length of the non-use period by the timer means built in the printer, it is only necessary to remove the drying ink from the nozzles, so a relatively small negative pressure may be used. .
[0007]
SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides an ink jet printer recovery device that can change the mode of ink suction according to the state of nozzles and ink passages of a recording head. To do.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to a first aspect of the present invention, a recording head that performs recording by ejecting ink onto a recording medium, and a suction cap that comes into contact with and separates from the nozzle surface of the recording head, the ink of the recording head is sucked through the suction cap. In a recovery apparatus for an ink jet printer, comprising: a suction pump means for controlling the suction pump means;
The suction pump means has a plurality of predetermined suction operations as a series of operations, two piston members that can move independently within the pump housing, and a plurality of predetermined suctions for the two piston members. A cam member associated therewith to be moved in accordance with the operation, and a drive means for rotationally driving the cam member, the control means being associated with the drive means;
The cam member moves each of the two piston members in the direction in which the pump chamber between them expands in response to the plurality of suction operations, and stops each cam portion in the expanded state. Have multiple in the direction,
Resting said control means, over the previous SL rotation of the cam member in a position to stop the two piston member of the respective cam portions corresponding to the suction operation, in accordance with the embodiment of the suction of said plurality of types of ink walking selectively inserting the time has been made to omit the hibernation time, at the position of each cam unit stopping the two piston member, before moistened with Kikyu stop time, there have in hibernation By omitting the time, a series of operations including the plurality of suction operations are sequentially performed, or two adjacent suction operations are controlled almost at a stretch.
[0009]
In this way, the driving means controlled by the control unit, the two piston member at the position of the cam portion to be stopped with the pump chamber is expanded, moistened with pre Kikyu stop time in the suction pumping means , there have by omitting the hibernation time, sequentially performs a series of operations including a plurality of suction operation, or Aspirate the suction pumping means performs the contain altered by performing two adjacent suction operation almost at once It is done. As a result, the ink suction mode is changed according to the state of the nozzles and ink passages of the recording head.
[0010]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the recovery device for an ink jet printer according to the first aspect, a wiper member and the suction cap are associated with the cam member, and the advancement / retraction of the wiper member with respect to the nozzle surface and the nozzle of the suction cap. Advance and retreat with respect to the surface is controlled by rotation of the cam member.
[0011]
In this way, the cam member rotates, the wiper member, the suction cap, and the suction pump are controlled, and in order to ensure a good discharge state, a series of recovery operations for the recording head, that is, the nozzle surface The operation of contacting and separating the suction cap and the wiper member and the suction / discharge operation are performed by the suction pump.
[0012]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recovery device for an ink jet printer according to the first aspect, wherein the control means controls the suction pump means so that when the ink cartridge is replaced, the suction force is small and the suction time is short. When a suction operation is performed arbitrarily or automatically by a user, a suction operation with a large suction force and a long suction time is performed.
[0013]
In this way, when the ink cartridge is replaced, the suction pump means is controlled by the control means, and a plurality of suction operations with a small suction force and a short suction time are performed. As a result, the ink cartridge is moved to the recording head. The ink is gradually sucked while expelling the air in the ink passage, and the situation that the ink bubbles and bubbles are included in the ink in the recording head is avoided, and a good discharge state is secured.
[0014]
In addition, during the suction operation that is arbitrarily performed by the user by key operation or the suction operation that is automatically performed according to the length of the non-use period of the printer, the driving of the suction pump unit is controlled by the control unit, and the suction force The suction operation is large and the suction time is long, and the ejection state is reliably maintained, or the non-ejection and ejection failure of ink are avoided.
[0015]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the recovery device for an ink jet printer according to the first aspect, in the suction operation performed when the ink cartridge is replaced, the series of operations is repeated a plurality of times, and at least the first series In the operation, a plurality of suction operations with a small suction force and a short suction time are performed, and in a series of subsequent operations, a suction operation with a large suction force and a long suction time is performed.
[0016]
Therefore, in the suction operation performed at the time of replacing the ink cartridge, a series of operations are repeated a plurality of times, and at least in the first series of operations, a plurality of suction operations with a small suction force and a short suction time are performed. The passage is filled with ink while air in the ink passage is expelled. Then, in a series of subsequent operations, a suction operation with a large suction force and a long suction time is performed, so that the liquid can be reliably discharged.
[0017]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0018]
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the overall configuration of the ink jet printer. In FIG. 1, an ink jet printer 1 has a cylindrical platen roller 3 rotatably supported on a frame 2 by a rotation shaft (not shown) extending in the left-right direction. The platen roller 3 conveys printing paper 4 (recording medium) supplied from a paper feeding cassette or a manual paper feeding unit while facing the recording head 5, and constitutes a part of a so-called paper feeding mechanism LM. ing. The recording head 5 is an ink jet type that has a nozzle for ejecting ink droplets on the printing paper 4 and performs a recording operation on the printing paper 4. The paper feeding mechanism LM drives the paper feeding mechanism LM. An LF motor 14 (see FIG. 5) is provided as a paper feed motor for transporting the printing paper 4.
[0019]
The printing paper 4 is supplied in the direction of arrow A from a paper supply port (not shown) at the back of the frame 2, is fed in the direction of arrow B by the rotation of the platen roller 3, and is supplied from a paper discharge port (not shown). It is configured to be discharged in the direction of arrow C. A carriage 6 is provided in front of the platen roller 3 so as to be movable in the direction of arrow D along the axis of the platen roller 3.
[0020]
The carriage 6 is detachably mounted with a recording head 5 and an ink cartridge 7 containing ink supplied to the recording head 5. In this example, a recording head 5 and an ink cartridge 7 each having a head portion for four colors of yellow, black, cyan, and magenta are mounted.
[0021]
As shown in detail in FIG. 2, the ink cartridge 7 is connected to the recording head 5 supported by the head support member 16 via the manifold member 15 when mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 6 a of the carriage 6. It has come to be. The rear end of the manifold member 15 passes through the vertical wall 6b of the cartridge mounting portion 6a and is connected to the ink cartridge 7 via the joint member 17. At the connecting portion, an ink supply hole 7a of the ink cartridge 7 is provided with an adapter 18 and a net-like filter member 19 is provided on the recording head 5 side so that dust and the like do not move with the ink.
[0022]
A carriage shaft 8 is provided in parallel with the axis of the platen roller 3, and a carriage 6 is slidably fitted on the carriage shaft 8. Further, the engaging portion 6 c of the carriage 6 is guided by a guide rail 9 extending in parallel with the carriage shaft 8. As a result, the recording head 5 mounted on the carriage 6 can reciprocate by sliding along the axis of the platen roller 3. The carriage 6 is fixed to a part of a timing belt 11, and the timing belt 11 is wound around timing pulleys 12 and 13 to form a carriage mechanism CM. A CR motor 10 (carriage drive) is mounted on the one timing pulley 12. Motor) is connected. Therefore, when the CR motor 10 is driven to rotate, the carriage 6 reciprocates in the recording area for recording on the printing paper via the carriage mechanism CM. Further, the carriage mechanism CM and the CR motor 10 constitute moving means for moving between the recording area and a recovery area in which a recovery operation by a suction cap 41, a suction pump 42, and a wiper member 32 described later is performed. . As the CR motor 10, a step motor or a DC motor is used. Although not specifically shown, the carriage 6 is provided with a cartridge replacement detection switch 21 for detecting replacement of the ink cartridge 7 (see FIG. 5).
[0023]
Further, on the right side of the recording area corresponding to the platen roller 3, there is formed a recovery area in which a purge mechanism RM for recovering the non-ejection or ejection failure of the recording head 5 is disposed. The reason why such a purge mechanism RM is provided is that the ink jet recording head 5 causes a discharge failure due to the occurrence of bubbles in the interior or the drying of ink during use. This is for recovering to a good discharge state.
[0024]
A flushing area in which a waste ink receiving member 22 is disposed is formed on the left side of the recording area corresponding to the platen roller 3. Such a waste ink receiving member 22 is provided immediately before the recording operation by the recording head 5 in order to eliminate clogging of the nozzles of the recording head 5 or to remove bubbles mixed in the ink in the nozzles. This is because the ink is preliminarily discharged.
[0025]
The purge mechanism RM can move between a protruding position protruding into the moving path of the recording head 5 and a standby position retracted from the moving path of the recording head 5, and is in close contact with the nozzle surface of the recording head 5 at the protruding position. A suction pump 41 for sucking and removing ink in the recording head 5 through the suction cap 41 when the suction cap 41 is in close contact with the nozzle surface of the recording head 5 at the protruding position. The suction means 31 is provided.
[0026]
A wiper member 32 that can move relative to the recording head 5 so as to wipe the nozzle surface of the recording head 5 on the recording area side adjacent to the suction means 31 does not perform recording on the opposite side. A storage cap device 33 is provided for covering the nozzle surface 5 and preventing the ink surface from evaporating to prevent the nozzle surface from drying.
[0027]
The wiper member 32, the suction cap 41, and the suction pump 42 are associated with a rotationally driven cam member 43. The advance and retreat of the wiper member 32, the advance and retreat of the suction cap 41, and the operation of the suction pump 42 are common cams. It is configured to be controlled by the rotation of the member 43.
[0028]
Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the cam member 43 has a drive gear 46 provided integrally, and is rotationally driven by a drive means such as a motor. For example, the drive gear 46 is configured to engage and disengage with a drive gear (not shown) that is rotationally driven by the LF motor 14 of the paper feed mechanism LM, and the cam member 43 uses the LF motor 14 as drive means. Is driven to rotate forward.
[0029]
Further, the rear end portion (cam follower portion) of the wiper holder 34 that supports the wiper member 32 is movably engaged with the first cam groove 43 a of the cam member 43, whereby the wiper member 32 moves the recording head 5. It is possible to reciprocate in a direction orthogonal to the moving path of the recording head 5 between a protruding position protruding into the path and a standby position retracted from the moving path of the recording head 5, and at the protruding position the recording head It is controlled to wipe the nozzle surface of 5.
[0030]
The suction cap 41 is supported by a cap holder 44, and the rear end portion (cam follower portion) of the cap holder 44 is the second cam groove of the cam member 43 on the same surface side as the first cam groove 43a. 43b is movably engaged.
[0031]
In the suction pump 42, first and second piston members 53 and 54 are inserted into a cylindrical pump housing 52 attached and fixed to a frame member 51 so as to be independently movable. The pump housing 52 is provided with a suction port 52a and a discharge port 52b at a constant interval in the axial direction. The suction cap 41 is connected to the suction port 52a via a suction pipe 55, and the discharge port 52b. Are linked to a waste ink tank 58 in which an ink absorbing material 57 is accommodated (see FIG. 1). Moreover, the one end part side of the pump housing 52 becomes the air | atmosphere open | release part 52c open | released by air | atmosphere, and the 1st piston member 53 is arrange | positioned by this air | atmosphere open | release part 52c side.
[0032]
The first and second piston members 53 and 54 are connected to one end portions of the first and second drive shaft members 61 and 62, respectively, and are driven by the drive shaft members 61 and 62. A pump chamber 52e is formed between the piston members 53 and 54.
[0033]
The first drive shaft member 61 is slidably inserted into the second drive shaft member 62, and the other end portions of the drive shaft members 61 and 62 are opposite to the cam grooves 43a and 43b. The cam member 43 on the side is movably engaged with the third and fourth cam grooves 43c and 43d. The cam grooves 43c and 43d (cam portions) of the cam member have shapes corresponding to a plurality of suction operations, and the cam member 43 is rotated or temporarily stopped as described later. By changing the above, the suction force and the suction time of the suction operation performed by the suction pump 42 are controlled.
[0034]
Accordingly, when the cam member 43 is rotationally driven at a constant timing, the capping of the suction cap 41, the suction of ink by the suction pump 42, and the wiping of the nozzle surface of the recording head 5 by the wiper member 32 are sequentially performed. The ink sucked by the suction pump 42 is discharged to the waste ink tank 58 through the suction pump 42 and is absorbed by the ink absorbing material 57 in the waste ink tank 58.
[0035]
As shown in FIG. 1, the storage cap device 33 includes a storage cap 71 that covers each head portion of the recording head 5, and a casing 72 that supports the storage cap 71 is parallel to the moving direction of the carriage 6. The extending guide rod member 73 is supported so that it can slide and rotate. Further, the casing 72 is provided with an engaging projection 72a protruding forward so as to engage the carriage 6 when the carriage 6 moves to the outside of the recording area and to slide integrally with the carriage 6. ing. When the carriage 6 moves from the recording area to the recovery area side, the carriage 6 engages with the engagement convex portion 72a of the casing 72, so that the storage cap 71 slides following the movement of the carriage 6 (FIG. 1). To the right). During this sliding movement, the tilting cam means (not shown) rotates around the guide rod 73. As a result, the storage cap 71 rotates in a direction approaching the recording head 5, and the storage cap 71 is rotated by the recording head 5. The capping is performed in contact with the nozzle surface. Thereafter, when the carriage 6 moves again in the direction of the recording area, the storage cap 71 moves away from the recording head 5 while moving toward the recording area. When the carriage 5 leaves the recovery area, the initial state is restored.
[0036]
Next, the control unit of the inkjet printer 1 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. This control unit is configured around a CPU 100 that is a known arithmetic processing unit. The CPU 100 is connected to a host computer 102 such as a personal computer via an interface 101, receives a print command from the host computer 1102, and executes various printings according to the command.
[0037]
A typical functional configuration of the host computer 102 is a window system. Various applications (A), (B),... (N) are provided on the window system, and font drivers, CRT drivers, keyboard drivers, mouse drivers, printer drivers, and the like are incorporated. When printing using the inkjet printer 1 during execution of various applications, output data relating to an image suitable for the printing function of the printer is created by the printer driver.
[0038]
An operation panel 103, ROM 104, and RAM 105 are connected to the CPU 100. The operation panel 103 sets various parameters such as paper size and displays them. The ROM 104 stores various programs necessary for controlling the inkjet printer 1. The RAM 105 temporarily stores print data transferred from the host computer 102 and various numerical values necessary for controlling the ink jet printer 1, and includes a backup memory 105a.
[0039]
The CPU 100 drives and controls the LF motor 14, the CR motor 10, and the recording head 5 via an LF driving circuit 111, a CR driving circuit 112, and a head driving circuit 113. A signal from a cartridge replacement detection switch 21 provided on the carriage 6 for detecting replacement of the ink cartridge 7 is also input.
[0040]
The LF motor 14 is configured to drive either the purge mechanism RM or the paper feed mechanism LM via a switching mechanism 121 including a gear that can be engaged and disengaged with respect to the drive gear 46. The CPU 100 constitutes control means for controlling the operation of the suction pump 42 to perform the purge operation.
[0041]
As shown in FIG. 8A, the suction pump 42 can perform a plurality of suction operations in a series of operations, and the CPU 100 passes the suction pump 42 through a cam member 43. Thus, the suction force is changed together with the number of suction operations by selectively combining the plurality of suction operations. For example, when the ink cartridge 7 is replaced, a plurality of suction operations with a small suction force and a short suction time are performed in order to suck ink without causing the problem of foaming. In order to maintain the discharge state, a suction operation with a relatively large suction force and a relatively long suction time is performed. In the case of a discharge failure, a suction operation with a large suction force and a long suction time is performed in order to recover the discharge failure.
[0042]
The CR motor 10 drives the carriage mechanism CM, and the switching mechanism 121 is switched by the movement of the carriage 6 of the carriage mechanism CM.
[0043]
The purge mechanism RM, the paper feed mechanism LM, and the carriage mechanism CM are provided with respective sensors, and detection signals from the sensors are input to the CPU via the counter group 122. The purge mechanism RM has a purge HP sensor 131, and the purge HP sensor 131 notifies the purge position counter 122a of the counter group 122 when the suction pump 42 is at the origin position. This signal is used as a reference for the purge operation by the purge mechanism.
[0044]
The paper feed mechanism LM has a PE sensor 132. The PE sensor 132 generates a signal by the leading edge of the newly supplied printing paper 4, and notifies the LF position counter 122b of the counter group 122. This signal becomes the reference for the recording position control in the vertical direction.
[0045]
The carriage mechanism CM includes a CR position sensor 133. The CR position sensor 133 counts the drive pulses of the CR motor 10 to detect the position of the carriage, and notifies the CR position counter 122c of the counter group 122. This position information serves as a reference for the maintenance position control in the horizontal direction, and also serves as a reference for determining whether or not a new supply operation for the printing paper 4 and a discharge operation for the printed paper are possible.
[0046]
The operation of the inkjet printer 1 configured as described above will be described.
[0047]
First, in the ink jet printer 1, the recording head 5 is normally in a standby position while being covered with the storage cap 71. When recording data is input, recording is performed.
[0048]
The printing paper 4 is supplied between the platen roller 3 and the recording head 5, and the recording head 5 is moved from the standby position to the recording start position by the operation of the CR motor 10. Printing is performed on the printing paper 4 by causing the recording head 5 to reciprocate in the recording area while ejecting ink based on the recording data. When printing is completed, the recording head 5 is moved to the standby position, and the nozzle surface is prevented from being dried while it is covered with the storage cap 1 and not used.
[0049]
Further, for example, when an ink ejection failure occurs, when a purge switch on the operation panel 103 is operated by a user's judgment and a purge command is input, a purge mode for operating the purge mechanism RM is entered, which will be described later. The suction operation program is executed as described above.
[0050]
By the way, the purge switch is operated when an ink discharge failure occurs, and as a result, the suction operation is performed by the suction pump 42 as described above. In addition, the suction operation by the suction pump 42 is performed in addition to the ink cartridge 7. When the ink is exchanged and it is necessary to suck ink into the recording head 5 or when the recording cap 5 is kept in a state where the recording operation is not performed even if the storage cap 71 is used, the nozzles of the recording head 5 begin to dry. In order to ensure a proper discharge state, the maintenance is automatically performed according to the length of the non-use period. That is, when the ink cartridge 7 is replaced, the cartridge replacement detection switch 21 provided on the carriage 6 detects this, so that the CPU 100 controls the suction operation for sucking ink by replacing the ink cartridge 7. In addition, when the printing is started by the timer means constituted by the CPU 100, the ROM 104, and the RAM 105, the suction operation is automatically performed according to the length of the non-use period immediately before that.
[0051]
In the purge mode, first, the CPU 100 drives the carriage mechanism CM by the CR motor 10 via the CR drive circuit 112 based on the suction operation program, so that the recording head 5 faces the suction cap 41 from the position facing the storage cap 71. It is moved to the position to be. When in the recovery area, the switching mechanism 121 has already switched the LF motor 14 to a state in which the driving force can be transmitted to the purge mechanism RM. Then, the cam member 43 is rotated by the driving force from the LF motor 14, and the wiper member 32, the suction cap 41 and the suction pump 42 are controlled, and in order to ensure a good discharge state, The recovery operation, that is, the operation of contacting and separating the suction cap 41 and the wiper member 32, and the suction / discharge operation by the suction pump 42 are performed. Here, in the suction operation, the suction cap 41 is brought into close contact with the nozzle surface and ink is sucked from the recording head 5 by the suction pump 42. At least a part of the suction cap 41 is separated from the nozzle surface and sucked by the suction pump 42. A so-called idle suction operation for sucking ink from the cap 41 is included.
[0052]
Subsequently, regarding the operation of bringing the suction cap 41 and the wiper member 32 into and away from the recording head 5 and the suction / discharge operation by the suction pump 42 as described above, the rotation angle of the cam member 43 will be described with reference to FIGS. A description will be given along the change of
[0053]
First, in the state where the rotation angle of the cam member 43 is around 0 °, the piston members 53 and 54 of the suction pump 42 minimize the volume of the pump chamber therebetween, and the pump chamber is positioned near the discharge port 52b. The suction cap 41 is in an initial state located at a standby position away from the recording head 5 (see FIG. 7).
[0054]
Then, when the cam member 43 is driven to rotate, the first and second piston members 53 and 54 gradually move together from around 6 °, and around 57 ° (FIG. 6B). Slow down the movement speed a little at 97 ° and increase the speed around 97 °. On the other hand, when the rotation angle of the cam member 43 is about 57 ° during the movement of the piston members 53 and 54, the suction cap 41 is moved from the standby position to the moving path side of the recording head 5 as shown in FIG. The suction cap 41 covers the nozzle surface of the recording head 5 at around 86 °.
[0055]
When the rotation angle of the cam member 43 reaches about 108 ° (see FIG. 6C), the second piston member 54 stops moving, and only the first piston member 53 continues to move, and the pump chamber 52e is enlarged and the suction port 52a is opened (see FIG. 6D). Then, the first piston member 53 stops near 114 °, and the state where the movement of both piston members 53 and 54 is stopped up to 121 ° is maintained. At this time, the rotation of the cam member 43 is stopped for a certain time (3 seconds) near 121 ° (position A), whereby the first suction operation is performed (see FIGS. 8A to 8D). reference).
[0056]
Then, both piston members 53 and 54 move to the discharge port 52b side, and the first piston member 52a closes the suction port 52a and stops (see FIG. 6 (e)). The rotation angle of the cam member 43 is maintained up to 158 °, and the second piston member 53 remains stationary while the first piston member 53 is in contact with the second piston member 54 while changing from 158 ° to 164 °. , The pump chamber 52e between the first and second piston members 53 and 54 is enlarged again and the suction port 52a is opened (see FIG. 6 (f)). The state where the movement of the piston members 53 and 54 is stopped is maintained. At this time, the rotation of the cam member 43 is stopped for a fixed time (3 seconds) in the vicinity of 171 ° (position B), whereby the second suction operation with a small suction force and a short suction time is performed (FIG. 8). (See (b) of (a) and (c)).
[0057]
Then, during the period from 179 ° to 184 °, the second piston member 54 moves away from the first piston member 53 (see FIG. 6G), and the pump chamber 52e is enlarged to 184 °. The first and second piston members 53 and 54 maintain the stopped state up to 200 °. At this time, the rotation of the cam member 43 is stopped for a certain time (3 seconds) in the vicinity of 192 ° (position C), whereby a third suction operation with a small suction force and a short suction time is performed (FIG. 8). (See (a) c). Without stopping at position B, when stopping at position C for a fixed time (5 seconds), cam member 43 normally rotates at a speed of rotating 360 ° in 3 seconds. Although the negative pressure appears instantaneously, the expansion of the pump chamber 52e from 164 ° to 184 ° is almost the same as that performed at a stretch, and the suction is greater than the case where the pump chamber 52e is expanded and stopped at the position B. The negative pressure is increased, and a suction operation with a large suction force and a relatively long suction time is performed (see e in FIG. 8B).
[0058]
Further, the second piston member 54 further moves in the direction away from the first piston member 53 during the period from 200 ° to 205 ° (see FIG. 6H), and the pump chamber 52e is further enlarged. The first and second piston members 53 and 54 maintain the volume of the pump chamber 52e between 205 ° and 239 °. At this time, the rotation of the cam member 43 is stopped for a fixed time (3 seconds) in the vicinity of 211 ° (position D), whereby a fourth suction operation with a small suction force and a short suction time is performed (FIG. 8). (D) (a). Without stopping at position C and stopping for a certain period of time (3 seconds) at position D, negative pressure appears instantaneously at the position of 184 °, but the pump chamber 52e from 184 ° to 205 ° This is equivalent to the fact that the enlargement is performed almost at once, and the suction negative pressure is increased as compared with the case of stopping at the position C, and a suction operation with a large suction force and a relatively long suction time is performed (FIG. 8C). ))). Moreover, if the stop at the position D is stopped for a certain time (5 seconds) without performing the temporary stop at the positions B and C, the expansion of the pump chamber 52e from 164 ° to 205 ° is performed almost at once, and the suction negative is performed. The pressure is greatly increased, and a suction operation with a large suction force and a long suction time is performed (see (d) in FIG. 8D).
[0059]
The second piston member 54 further moves away from the first piston member 53 from 239 ° to 272 ° (see FIG. 6 (i)), and a suction operation is performed, so that the first piston member starts from around 272 °. 53 also moves following the second piston member to close the suction port.
[0060]
Then, the second piston member 54 stops in the state where the discharge port 52b is opened at around 282 ° (see FIG. 6 (j)), but the first piston member 53 moves the movement of the cam member 43 at the rotation angle. Is continued until the pressure reaches about 338 °, the pump chamber 52e is compressed, and the discharge operation is actively performed (see FIG. 6 (k)). As a result, the ink in the pump chamber 52e is discharged to the waste ink tank 58.
[0061]
On the other hand, the suction cap 41 is maintained in close contact with the nozzle surface of the recording head 5 from 86 ° to around 250 °, and the suction cap 41 is gradually retracted from 250 ° to 268 °, and the speed is slightly increased to 298 °. Slow down and go back further to return to the initial state. Therefore, the movement of the piston members 53 and 54 from around 250 ° does not suck ink from the recording head 5 and discharges the residual ink in the suction cap 41 and the tube 55.
[0062]
After the discharging operation, the piston members 53 and 54 remain stopped while the cam member 43 is moved from 338 ° to 345 °, and then the piston members 53 and 54 are slightly returned until 354 °. The state is returned to the same state as the initial state, the state is maintained from 354 ° to 360 ° (0 °), and the initial state is obtained.
[0063]
Further, the wiper member 32 maintains the standby state from 0 ° to 287 ° of the rotation angle of the cam member 43, gradually advances from 287 ° to 300 °, becomes a protruding position at 300 °, and from 300 ° to 320 °. During this time, the protruding position is maintained, and the nozzle surface of the recording head 5 moving to the recording area side is wiped off (see FIG. 7). The vehicle gradually moves back from 320 ° to 333 °, becomes a standby position, and reaches 360 ° as it is.
[0064]
After the nozzle surface of the recording head 5 is wiped by the wiper member 32, the recording head 5 is first moved to the flushing area, and ink is ejected from all nozzles of the recording head 5 to the waste ink receiving member 22. The preliminary ejection is performed, and then the recording head 5 is moved to the recording start position.
[0065]
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8 (a), basically, there are four suction operations, but the CPU 100 determines whether or not the rotation of the cam member 43 is paused at positions B, C, and D. The four suction operations can be selectively combined to change the suction force together with the number of suction operations as shown in FIGS.
[0066]
That is, for example, when replacing the ink cartridge, when the suction pump 42 performs the suction operation in a state where the ink passage between the recording head 5 and the ink cartridge 7 is filled with air, the suction cap 41 is used. When a large negative pressure is applied to suck the ink of the recording head 5 at a stroke, the ink suddenly flows from the ink cartridge 7 toward the recording head 5 in a state of being mixed with air, the ink bubbles and the recording head 5 Although the ink in the inside contains bubbles, as shown in FIG. 8A, by performing four suction operations with a small suction force and a short suction time, the ink in the ink passage is more than the ink cartridge 7. It becomes possible to gradually suck ink while expelling air, and the ink bubbles in the suction of the ink. Situation that contains air bubbles is avoided.
[0067]
For example, in the first suction operation (a), the ink is sucked so as to gradually pass through the filter member 19, and in the second suction operation (b), the manifold member 15 is gradually filled with ink. Ink can be introduced into a large number of channels of the recording head 5, and a predetermined amount of ink can be sucked from the recording head 5 to the suction cap 41 in the fourth suction operation d.
[0068]
Further, at the time of maintenance that is automatically performed according to the length of the non-use period before the start of printing, the ink passage between the ink cartridge and the recording head 5 is filled with ink. Although it does not foam, it only removes the ink that is being dried. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 8B and 8C, the suction operation e and the suction operation are relatively large and the suction time is relatively long. And a good discharge state is maintained. 8B and 8C may be appropriately selected according to the length of the non-use period.
[0069]
Further, at the time of purging to eliminate the discharge failure, as shown in FIG. 8D, a suction operation with a larger suction force and a longer suction time is included, and the ink is sucked through the suction cap 41 at once. Good discharge state is recovered.
[0070]
In this way, the ink suction mode is changed at the time of ink cartridge replacement, periodic maintenance, and ejection failure elimination purge, so that the optimum state can be obtained according to the state of the nozzles and ink passages of the recording head 5. A suction operation can be performed. 8A to 8D, a suction operation with a small suction force and a short suction time is first performed, but this first suction operation is omitted as necessary. be able to.
[0071]
A series of operations including the plurality of suction operations are performed a plurality of times depending on the purpose. For example, after the ink cartridge 7 is replaced, the first to fourth suction operations are sequentially executed in the first series of operations, and the ink is introduced into the recording head 5 without foaming as described above. Since no ink is bubbled, one of FIGS. 8B to 8D is executed. By doing so, it is possible to reliably fill the recording head 5 with new ink and make it ejectable. As described above, the purge operation appropriately performed by the user's key operation and the maintenance operation automatically performed by the printer can be performed a plurality of times by combining FIGS. 8B to 8D. In particular, in the case of automatic maintenance, the number of repetitions may be set according to the length of non-use time.
[0072]
In the above-described embodiment, whether the ink cartridge is replaced or not is determined based on the presence / absence of a signal from the detection switch 21. However, the user may be able to select it by key operation.
[0073]
【The invention's effect】
The present invention is implemented in the form as described above, and has the following effects.
[0074]
In the invention of claim 1, as described above, the suction pump means has a plurality of predetermined suction operations as a series of operations, and two piston members that are independently movable within the pump housing, and the two The piston member has a cam member associated therewith so as to move in accordance with the plurality of predetermined suction operations, and a driving means for rotationally driving the cam member, and the control means includes the control means. The cam member is configured to move each of the two piston members in a direction in which the pump chamber therebetween expands in response to the plurality of suction operations, and stop the cam portions in the expanded state. a plurality in the rotational direction of the member, said control means, over the previous SL rotation of the cam member at a position for stopping the two piston member of the respective cam portions corresponding to the suction operation, before The walk selectively inserting a pause time according to the embodiment of the aspiration of a plurality of types of ink be one which omit the hibernation time, at the position of each cam unit stopping the two piston member, before Symbol moistened with hibernate time, there have by omitting the hibernation time, sequentially performs a series of operations consisting of the plurality of suction operation, or two adjacent suction operation so as to substantially once performed control since it is, the by selective simple control of inserting pair Shi hibernate time to a plurality of positions of said cam member corresponding to the suction operation, and controls the Aspirate the suction pump means performs a recording head The mode of ink suction can be changed according to the state of the nozzle and the ink passage.
[0075]
In the invention of claim 2, the cam member rotates, the wiper member, the suction cap and the suction pump are controlled, and in order to ensure a good discharge state, a series of recovery operations for the recording head, that is, the nozzle surface, The operation of contacting and separating the suction cap and the wiper member and the suction / discharge operation are performed by the suction pump.
[0076]
According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the ink cartridge is replaced, the suction pump means is controlled so as to perform a plurality of suction operations with a small suction force and a short suction time. It is possible to avoid a situation in which ink suddenly flows into the ink passage in a state of being mixed with air, the ink bubbles, and bubbles in the ink in the recording head are included.
[0077]
In addition, when the user performs a suction operation arbitrarily or automatically, the suction pump means is controlled so as to perform a suction operation with a large suction force and a long suction time. Maintenance, non-ejection, and ejection failure can be reliably avoided.
[0078]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the suction operation performed when the ink cartridge is replaced, a series of operations are repeated a plurality of times, and at least in the first series of operations, a plurality of suction operations with a small suction force and a short suction time are performed. Then, in the subsequent series of operations, the suction operation having a large suction force and a long suction time is performed. Therefore, as in the case of the invention of claim 2, in the first series of operations, The ink can be sucked in the state where the passage is filled with ink while expelling the air, and by performing a suction operation with a large suction force and a long suction time in the subsequent series of operations, It is possible to reliably fill and discharge new ink.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of an ink jet printer according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a connection portion between a recording head and an ink cartridge according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a relationship among a wiper member, a suction cap, a suction pump, and a cam member according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a suction pump according to the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a control unit of the inkjet printer.
6A to 6J are operation explanatory views of the suction pump. FIG.
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the rotation angle of the cam member and the operation of the suction cap, the wiper member, and the suction pump.
FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of an aspect of a change in suction negative pressure by the suction pump means.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inkjet printer 5 Recording head 7 Ink cartridge 14 LF motor 32 Wiper member 41 Suction cap 42 Suction pump 43 Cam member 43c Cam groove 43d Cam groove 52 Pump housing 53 1st piston member 54 2nd piston member 100 CPU
121 switching mechanism

Claims (4)

A recording head that performs recording by ejecting ink onto the recording medium; a suction pump unit that has a suction cap that comes into contact with and separates from the nozzle surface of the recording head; and sucks the ink of the recording head through the suction cap; and a suction pump means in the recovery device of an ink jet printer and a control means for driving and controlling in the manner of a suction double several inks,
The suction pump means has a plurality of predetermined suction operations as a series of operations, two piston members that can move independently within the pump housing, and a plurality of predetermined suctions for the two piston members. A cam member associated therewith to be moved in accordance with the operation, and a drive means for rotationally driving the cam member, the control means being associated with the drive means;
The cam member moves each of the two piston members in the direction in which the pump chamber between them expands in response to the plurality of suction operations, and stops each cam portion in the expanded state. Have multiple in the direction,
Resting said control means, over the previous SL rotation of the cam member in a position to stop the two piston member of the respective cam portions corresponding to the suction operation, in accordance with the embodiment of the suction of said plurality of types of ink walking selectively inserting the time has been made to omit the hibernation time, at the position of each cam unit stopping the two piston member, before moistened with Kikyu stop time, there have in hibernation A recovery device for an ink jet printer that performs control by sequentially performing a series of operations including the plurality of suction operations or performing two adjacent suction operations at a stretch by omitting time. A wiper member and the suction cap are associated with the cam member,
2. The recovery device for an ink jet printer according to claim 1, wherein advancement / retraction of the wiper member with respect to the nozzle surface and advancement / retraction of the suction cap with respect to the nozzle surface are controlled by rotation of the cam member. The control means controls the suction pump means,
When replacing the ink cartridge, the suction force is small and the suction time is short.
3. The recovery device for an ink jet printer according to claim 1, wherein a suction operation with a large suction force and a long suction time is performed during a suction operation that is arbitrarily or automatically performed by a user.   In the suction operation performed at the time of replacing the ink cartridge, the control means performs the series of operations by repeating the plurality of times, and at least in the first series of operations, performs a plurality of suction operations with a small suction force and a short suction time. The recovery device for an ink jet printer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein in the subsequent series of operations, a suction operation with a large suction force and a long suction time is performed.

Images