JP3832991B2 - Inkjet printing device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an inkjet printing apparatus, and more particularly to an inkjet printing apparatus that performs printing by discharging ink from a print head to a recording material.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, in an ink jet printing apparatus that performs printing by discharging ink from a print head ink discharge port to a recording material, clogging of the ink discharge port portion of the print head due to drying or dust or bubbles in the ink discharge port In order to eliminate the cause of the ink ejection failure due to the above, means for protecting the ejection port and ejection recovery processing means are provided.
[0003]
Here, “ejection recovery” means not only the case of eliminating the cause of the ejection failure but also a recovery process for maintaining good ink ejection performance at the ink ejection ports of the print head. .
[0004]
The main configuration of the above ink discharge port protecting means is a cap formed of an elastic material such as rubber, and covers a discharge port forming surface formed on a print head (hereinafter also simply referred to as a head). It is. Also, the main configuration and action of the discharge recovery processing means is that the air in the cap is sucked and reduced by a negative pressure generating means such as a pump and the ink is forcibly discharged from the discharge port, thereby causing the discharge failure of the ink. Is to eliminate.
[0005]
Further, as another ejection recovery means, there is a preliminary ejection process for recovering the cause of ejection failure by ejecting ink from the head a predetermined number of times. In this preliminary ejection process, a cap is generally used as a receiving port for ejected ink. This is because if an existing cap is used as a receiving port, it is not necessary to provide an ink receiving means, and the space can be reduced in size or the cost can be reduced.
[0006]
Further, as a mechanism for opening the cap (in a separated state with respect to the discharge port forming surface of the head) or closing (in a contact state between the head and the discharge port forming surface), a cap support member is provided with a certain rotation center. It is common to rotate around the center. The advantage of adopting this method is that it is easy to control the relative position between the ejection port forming surface of the head and the cap with high accuracy while reducing the size.
[0007]
Furthermore, if the cap needs to cover the discharge port forming surface of the head securely and a relatively high accuracy is required for the positional relationship between the cap and the head in order to ensure sealing with the discharge port forming surface, the head In some cases, each unit (including a carriage or the like) and a cap unit (including a cap support member or the like) are provided with relative positioning means. For example, the cap support member is provided with a positioning boss, and a positioning hole into which the boss is inserted is provided on one of the carriages, so that the relative positioning of the cap and the head can be reliably performed.
[0008]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, when the above conventional method is used, in order to ensure that the cap is open, that is, the cap unit and the head unit are separated from each other, the required amount of rotation of the cap support member must be considerably large. In particular, when a boss-shaped protrusion or the like is provided as the positioning means, the tendency is remarkable, which is an obstacle to downsizing the printing apparatus.
[0009]
One of the objects of the present invention is to solve the problems in the prior art by providing an ink jet printing apparatus capable of accurately positioning the head unit and the cap unit in a desired posture when the cap is opened or closed. Is to provide.
[0010]
Another object of the present invention is to provide a surface on which an ink discharge port of an inkjet print head is formed. (Discharge port forming surface) And a cap support member that rotates while holding the cap to open or close the cap with respect to the ink jet print head. (Cap case) And the cap is open. From the cap open state Closed state The process leading up to In , Discharge port forming surface The cap is in a parallel position Be able to That is.
[0011]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention Inkjet printing device A cap that covers the ejection port forming surface of the inkjet print head, and a cap holder that supports the cap Slidably fitted A cap guide to be guided; a first guide boss which is disposed on the cap guide and protrudes from a side surface; and an opening; In order to make the cap guide pivotable about the first guide boss, A guide portion disposed on an inner peripheral surface of the opening and engaged with the first guide boss; , Have In order to obtain a cap closed state where the cap covers the discharge port forming surface and a cap open state where the cap is separated from the discharge port forming surface, A cap case arranged to be rotatable, In order to give a rotational moment about the first guide boss to the cap guide, A plurality of cap case springs arranged between the cap guide and the cap case and elastically supporting the cap guide; The above Cap guide of On the side surface on which the first guide boss is arranged Distributed With the second guide boss A third guide boss of the cap guide on which the first guide boss is disposed, the third guide boss being disposed on the opposite side of the second guide boss with respect to the first guide boss, Cap open In a state where the cap case is rotated to obtain a state, So that the cap guide is in a parallel state with respect to the discharge port forming surface, Placed on the base A first stopper abutting against the second guide boss; Said From the cap open state Said Cap closed To get A second abutting on the third guide boss disposed on the inner peripheral surface of the cap case so that the cap guide is in a parallel state with respect to the discharge port forming surface when the cap case is rotated. The stopper of With It is characterized by that.
[0014]
Furthermore, the inkjet printing apparatus of the present invention is characterized by having positioning means for performing relative positioning between the cap and the inkjet print head.
[0015]
The ink jet printing apparatus of the present invention is characterized in that the relative positioning means includes a protruding member on one of the cap unit or the head unit and a hole into which the protruding member is inserted on the other.
[0017]
Furthermore, the inkjet printing apparatus of the present invention is When the second guide boss and the first stopper are in contact with each other and the cap guide is in a parallel state with respect to the discharge port forming surface, preliminary ejection is performed from the inkjet print head into the cap. Characterized by .
[0018]
Furthermore, the inkjet printing apparatus of the present invention is When the third guide boss and the second stopper come into contact with each other and the cap guide is in a parallel state with respect to the discharge port forming surface to obtain the cap closed state, a suction force is obtained via the cap. And negative pressure generating means for discharging ink from the discharge port by acting .
[0019]
The ink jet printing apparatus of the present invention is characterized in that the ink jet print head includes an electrothermal transducer that generates thermal energy in response to energization as energy used for ejecting ink.
[0020]
In the ink jet printing apparatus of the present invention, the ink jet print head ejects ink from the ejection port toward the print medium by utilizing film boiling generated in the ink by the thermal energy applied from the electrothermal transducer. It is characterized by doing.
[0021]
Thus, in the present invention, ,Up With the configuration as described above, the required amount of rotation of the cap support member can be minimized when opening and closing the cap. From cap open to cap close In the process of transition, the cap is parallel to the head. Take a state It becomes possible. Accordingly, it is possible to save the space of the printing apparatus, and at the time of positioning the head unit and the cap unit, a part of the cap or cap unit (including a member related to positioning) and a part of the head or head unit (related to positioning) And the performance of preliminary discharge and positioning can be improved.
[0022]
Ki It is desirable that the head unit and the cap unit be substantially parallel when performing preliminary discharge in the cap or at the moment when the cap unit and the head unit are relatively positioned. The reason for this is that when preliminary ejection is performed, ink can be reliably received by increasing the area when the ink receiving portion of the cap is projected in the head direction.
[0023]
If the parallel surfaces are horizontal, it is possible to maximize the maximum amount of ink that has been preliminarily ejected.
[0024]
Further, if the cap posture at the time of positioning is made parallel to the cap posture in the capping state, accurate positioning is possible.
[0025]
In addition, the parallel state of the cap with respect to the discharge port forming surface referred to in the present invention does not mean only physical parallelism of at least some of the constituent members, but functions performed by the ink jet printing apparatus using the cap, for example, the above example A state in which a desired posture is taken to execute positioning start, preliminary discharge, and the like for obtaining a reliable close as described above.
[0026]
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
[0027]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of an inkjet printing apparatus of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the same reference numerals denote the same or corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
[0028]
FIG. 1 is a front view of an outline part of an ink jet printing apparatus embodying the present invention, wherein A is a head unit on which a print head H is mounted, and P is an ejection recovery processing apparatus according to the present invention. S is a recording medium sent by a transport system, and is printed with ink ejected from an ink ejection port formed in the print head H when passing under the head unit A. In addition, C is a cap unit according to the present invention.
[0029]
In the present invention, the print head H includes an electrothermal converter that generates thermal energy as energy used for ejecting ink, and an ink state that causes film boiling due to generation of thermal energy in response to energization. A configuration in which the ink is ejected by causing a change is used. In addition, the print heads can be provided in a number corresponding to inks having different colors and densities (color tones), or even if the print heads are integrated with respect to a plurality of color tones, different ejections are provided for each color tone. It may have a part. Furthermore, as the discharge unit, a plurality of discharge ports may be arranged in an appropriate direction.
[0030]
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the cap unit C for showing an example of a main part configuration according to the present invention in the ink jet printing apparatus. It should be noted that a portion that may be omitted in the description of the function, for example, a shape of a hook portion for connecting parts to each other, is omitted.
[0031]
As shown in FIG. 2, the cap unit C includes a cap 3 to which the absorber 1 is attached, a cap holder 5 that supports the cap 3, a cap spring 9 that elastically supports the cap holder 5, and a cap down spring 11. A cap guide 7 that guides the cap holder 5 that supports the cap 3 in the vertical direction in the figure, a plurality of cap case springs 17 that elastically support the cap guide 7, a cap case 15 that is rotatably supported, The bottom plate 19 is provided to close the bottom of the cap case 15.
[0032]
The absorber 1 mounted in the cap 3 generates a negative pressure in the cap 3 by an appropriate negative pressure generating means and forcibly discharges ink from the ink discharge port of the head H during the so-called suction recovery process by suction. This is to suppress the amount of ink remaining in 3 to the minimum. Further, the cap 3 is formed of an elastic material such as chlorinated butyl rubber, for example, and forms a rib 31 that is joined and covered around the discharge port forming region of the print head H and a flow path that leads to a negative pressure generating means (not shown). A tube portion 33 is provided. Although not shown in the figure, a tube made of silicon rubber that leads to the negative pressure generating means is connected to the tube portion 33 through a resin joint.
[0033]
The cap holder 5 that fixes and supports the cap 3 is provided with a cover portion 51, an opening 52 for the cap 3, an outer peripheral surface 53 that is slidably fitted to the cap guide 7, and a claw portion 55. The cover portion 51 prevents paper dust, ink mist, and the like from adhering to the sliding portion. The outer peripheral surface 53 is formed in a rectangular shape so as to protrude downward from the bottom surface of the cover portion 51, and is fitted into the opening 72 portion of the corresponding cap guide 7 to be slidably engaged with the inner peripheral surface 71. It is formed to be attached to 52.
[0034]
The cap guide 7 is an inner peripheral surface 71 provided so as to form an opening 72 into which the outer peripheral surface 53 of the cap holder 5 is fitted to support the cap holder 5, and a protruding member provided at the upper surface corner. The positioning pin 73 and a plurality of guide bosses 75, 77, 79 provided so as to protrude laterally from the left and right side surfaces are configured, and the inner peripheral surface 71 and the outer peripheral surface 53 of the cap holder 5 are formed. It is formed so as to be movable relative to the cap holder 5 in the vertical direction by sliding.
[0035]
Further, the positioning pin 73 is inserted into positioning holes 211 and 213 having a diameter of 3 mm (one of which is preferably a long hole) provided in the carriage 21 (FIG. 3) of the head unit A to be described later. The head unit A is provided so as to be positioned with respect to the ink discharge port forming surface H1. The positioning pin 73 is configured such that, for example, the diameter of the base portion is 3 mm and the diameter of the tip portion is 0.5 mm, so that the positional deviation between the hole portions 211 and 213 and the positioning pin 73 is within 1.25 mm. If so, the cap guide 7 can be positioned relative to the cap case 15 by the configuration described later. In the present invention, only the pin portion of the positioning pin 73 is formed of, for example, stainless steel, and the other portion is formed of polyacetal resin, but it is needless to say that it can be made of other similar materials. is there.
[0036]
The cap spring 9 elastically supports the cap holder 5 to which the cap 3 is attached, and presses the cap 3 with a predetermined load against the discharge port forming surface H1 of the head H to bring the rib 31 into close contact. In the embodiment, the nominal value is set to 280 gf. The cap spring 9 is hung between the cap holder 5 and the cap plate 13. Here, since the claw portion 55 of the cap holder 5 is hooked in the hole portion 131 of the cap plate 13, the cap spring 9 is sandwiched between the cap holder 5 and the cap plate 13 and is assembled in a state of being bent by a predetermined amount. Yes.
[0037]
The cap down spring 11 is hooked between the boss 74 provided on the back surface, that is, the bottom surface of the cap guide 7 and the boss 133 provided on the cap plate 13. The cap down spring 11 is provided so that a spring force is applied in a direction in which the cap holder 5 is pushed down with respect to the cap guide 7. The cap down spring 11 can be operated by, for example, a case where the ink interposed between the cap 3 and the head H is fixed by being left for a long period of time, or a negative pressure (not shown) inside the cap 3 as an ejection recovery process. It can be mentioned that when a negative pressure is applied by the generator, the cap 3 is fixed to or adsorbed to the head H, so that the cap opening is not normally performed.
[0038]
The cap case 15 is formed as a rotatable cap support member. Guide portions 151 and stoppers 153 are provided on both sides of the inner peripheral surface of the opening 152, and the guide portions 151 are provided on the cap guide 7. By engaging or abutting with the guide boss 77, the center of rotation of the cap guide 7 is formed, and the cap guide 7 can be controlled to a desired position or a desired state. The stopper 153 acts as a second stopper, and holds the cap 3 in a horizontal state at the second position by contacting the guide boss 79 provided on the cap guide 7. Further, a boss portion 155 that protrudes to the left and right is provided on one side of the cap case 15, and forms a member of a rotating means that rotatably supports the cap case 15 on a bearing portion 271 described later. .
[0039]
The plurality of cap case springs 17 are used to apply a rotational moment about the guide boss 77 to the cap guide 7 or to move the cap guide 7 up and down when the cap is opened and closed. Is formed. In the present embodiment, the cap case spring 17 is set to 17.5 gf when the nominal value is 11.3 mm, and the spring constant is set to 5.3 gf / mm.
[0040]
The bottom plate 19 forms the bottom surface of the cap case 15, and the boss 191 provided on the upper surface side is formed to function as a receiving portion of the cap case spring 17 or a receiving portion of the cap plate 19. Further, a contact surface 171 for a cap cam 23 described later is also formed at a portion corresponding to the back surface side of the bottom plate 19.
[0041]
FIG. 3 is a side view of the carriage 21 on which the print head H of the ink jet printing apparatus is mounted, and H1 is a surface on which the discharge port is formed. Reference numerals 211 and 213 indicated by dotted lines are positioning holes provided on the carriage 21 for inserting the positioning pins 73 provided on the cap guide 7 when the cap is closed.
[0042]
Next, the state in which the cap 3 changes from the cap closed state to the cap open state will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0043]
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a cap open state, and the cap cam 23 is a member in which a cam and a gear whose radial dimension changes within a range of 5.7 mm to 15.5 mm during one rotation are integrally coupled. . Reference numeral 25 denotes a cap open spring for pushing down the cap case 15 to the lowest point against the load of the cap case spring 17 and the cap down spring 11. Reference numeral 27 denotes a pump base, which is a member on which a cap unit C is mounted and a motor, a gear train, and the like which are driving sources for moving the cap 3 up and down. Further, reference numeral 271 denotes a bearing portion that rotatably supports a boss portion 155 that is a rotation center of the cap case 15, and reference numeral 273 denotes a height of the cap 3 that supports the cap plate 13 at a predetermined height when the cap is opened. Ribs 275 for restraining the cap guide 7 to a desired position are first stoppers for restraining the rotational movement of the cap guide 7 when the cap is opened. Here, the cap guide 7 receives a clockwise (CW) rotational moment in the figure (calculation for verification will be described later), but at the position where the first stopper 275 and the guide boss 75 abut, Since the rotation stops, the cap guide 7 is in a parallel state with respect to the discharge port forming surface H1, and therefore the cap 3 is also in a parallel state. Accordingly, it can be understood that the cap 3 and the pin 73 that require a large rotation angle to be retracted by conventional simple rotation can be sufficiently retracted by slight rotation.
[0044]
Further, since the cap plate 13 is pushed up to a predetermined height by the rib 273 and the distance from the ejection port forming surface H1 is suppressed to about 2.2 mm, the landing position is too far at the time of preliminary ejection, and ink droplets are scattered. It is possible to minimize the occurrence of ink mist that occurs due to trapping or rebounding. In the following FIG. 5 to FIG. 7, external views such as a spring and a cap cam are omitted within a range that does not disturb the description.
[0045]
FIG. 5 shows a state where the cap case 15 starts to move from the cap open state to the closed state and is slightly displaced. Here, the guide boss 75 begins to move away from the first stopper 275, the cap guide 7 rotates in the clockwise (CW) direction around the guide boss 77, and the guide boss 79 contacts the second stopper 153. Is understood.
[0046]
FIG. 6 shows the moment when the positioning pin 73 starts to enter the holes 211 and 213 provided in the carriage. In the present invention, since the chamfering of C0.3 is provided at the ridge line at the entrance of the holes 211 and 213, the state in which the tip of the positioning pin 73 is about 0.3 mm in the holes 211 and 213 is used for positioning. It is defined as the moment when it starts to enter the hole portions 211 and 213, and at this time, the discharge port forming surface H1 and the cap 3 are configured to be parallel. At this time, the guide boss 79 is in contact with the second stopper 153, and as a result, the cap 3 is again parallel to the discharge port forming surface H1. That is, since the axes of the positioning holes 211 and 213 and the axis of the positioning pin 73 are parallel to each other, positioning can be performed accurately, and relative displacement between the holes 211 and 213 and the positioning pin 73 is allowed. It is understood that the capacity is maximized.
[0047]
In addition, at least from the cap open state to the positioning start state, a clockwise (CW) direction rotational moment must be applied to the cap guide 7, and the rotational moment becomes the smallest during this period. It is clear from the figure that the time is in the state shown in FIG. Therefore, it is proved here that the rotational moment is surely generated in the clockwise (CW) direction in the state of FIG.
[0048]
In the state of FIG. 6, only the cap case spring 17 gives a rotational moment to the cap guide 7, so only the cap case spring 17 will be considered. Here, of the four cap case springs 17, the length of the left two in the figure (one of which is hidden behind the front spring) is 10.87 mm, so the load is 19.79 gf. It is. On the other hand, the two on the right (one of them is hidden by overlapping with the front spring) has a length of 11.94 mm, so the load is 14.09 gf. The distance from the guide boss 77 to the guide boss 75 is 9 mm, and the distance from the guide boss 77 to the guide boss 79 is 16.5 mm. At this time, assuming that the spring load tolerance of the cap case spring 17 is 20% including the margin, it is understood that the clockwise (CW) rotational moment acting around the guide boss 77 is at least 218 gf · mm. The Therefore, during the period from the state shown in FIG. 4 to FIG. 6, it was proved that the clockwise moment (CW) rotational moment acts on the cap guide 7 around the guide boss 77 reliably.
[0049]
FIG. 7 shows the cap closed state. In the present embodiment, the cap 3 and the discharge port forming surface H1 start to come into contact after the positioning pin 73 is securely inserted into the holes 211 and 213 to the root. At this time, the cap spring 9 becomes a load value of 280 gf by bending a predetermined amount. Further, the guide bosses 75 and 79 are not in contact with the first and second stoppers 275 and 153, and the guide boss 77 is also detached from the bottom of the V-shaped groove of the guide portion 151 of the cap case 15. It is understood that the state is movable in the direction.
[0050]
On the other hand, FIGS. 8, 9, and 10 are schematic views showing the positional relationship between the cap case 15 and the cap guide 7. The cap case 15 is cut at the position of the alternate long and short dash line (IX-IX) shown in FIG. FIG. Here, FIG. 9 shows a state where the guide boss 77 typified when the cap is open is at the bottom of the V-shaped groove of the guide portion 151 of the cap case 15. As is clear from the figure, the cap guide 7 is restrained from moving in the X direction and the Y direction in the figure, and is accurately held at a predetermined position. On the other hand, FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a state represented when the cap is closed. The guide boss 77 is detached from the bottom of the V-shaped groove of the guide portion 151 and is movable in the X and Y directions.
[0051]
Therefore, as is apparent from the drawings from FIG. 4 to FIG. 10, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, the cap 3 that is accurately fixed at a predetermined position when the cap is open is at least between the cap 3 and the head H. This state is maintained until positioning is started. On the other hand, in the cap closing process, clearance is formed between the guide portion 151 formed on the cap case 15, the stopper 153, and the guide bosses 75, 77, 79 provided on the cap guide 7. It can move freely within a predetermined range with respect to a direction parallel to the discharge port forming surface H1. Further, the cap spring 9 is bent in a direction perpendicular to the discharge port forming surface H1, so that the positional deviation can be absorbed. By adopting such a configuration, as described above, the relative positional deviation in the parallel direction between the cap unit C and the head unit A can be allowed up to 1.25 mm.
[0052]
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a timing at which a photo interrupter (not shown) outputs a signal by a cam chart of the cap cam 23 and a sensor cam (not shown) constituting a part of the gear train. Here, cap light open (cap light open) generates negative pressure in the cap 3 by a negative pressure generating device, sucks ink from the ink discharge port formed in the head H, and then removes the cap 3. This is a step for opening the cap 3 slightly apart from the discharge port forming surface H1, that is, by slightly opening the cap 3 to reliably suck the ink in the cap 3 toward the tube portion 33 and minimize the residual ink. . The motor as a drive source is, for example, a 48-step stepping motor, 2-2 phase driving, speed is 300 ppS, and the reduction ratio of the cap cam and sensor cam to the motor is 1/5.
[0053]
FIG. 12 to FIG. 16 are flowcharts showing an example of the ejection recovery process in this embodiment.
[0054]
FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the discharge recovery process. First, the cap is closed in step S101, and suction is performed by the negative pressure generating means in step S103. After slightly opening the cap in step S105, a negative pressure is further generated in step S107 to reliably suck ink remaining in the cap 3, and in step S109, the cap 3 is completely opened. Subsequently, in step S111, preliminary ejection is performed in the cap 3, and in step S113, the ejection recovery processing device P is reciprocated in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. Finally, in step S115, the cap 3 is closed and the process is terminated.
[0055]
FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing processing when cap closing is performed. First, in step S201, it is confirmed that the cap cam sensor (photo interrupter) is OFF. If it is not OFF, the motor is rotated counterclockwise (CCW) in step S203, and if it is not turned OFF within 140 steps, error processing is performed in step S205. Next, the motor is rotated counterclockwise (CCW) by a maximum of 140 steps until the cap cam sensor is turned on in steps S207 and S209. Here, if it does not turn on within 140 steps, error processing is performed in step S211. Finally, the cap closing process is completed by rotating the motor 87 steps counterclockwise (CCW) in step S213.
[0056]
FIG. 14 shows a process for performing a cap light open (cap light open) from a cap close. In step S301 and step S303, the motor is rotated counterclockwise (CCW) until the cap cam sensor is turned off. At this time, if it is not turned off within 140 steps, error processing is performed in step S305. Next, in step S307, the motor is driven in the counterclockwise (CCW) direction for 14 steps to complete this process.
[0057]
FIG. 15 shows a process for performing cap opening from cap closing through cap light open. In step S401, the motor is rotated in the counterclockwise (CCW) direction by 73 steps, and the process ends.
[0058]
FIG. 16 is a process used when, for example, it is desired to set the cap open state in order to perform printing from the cap closed state regardless of the ejection recovery process. First, in step S501 and step S503, the motor is rotated counterclockwise (CCW) until the cap cam sensor is turned on. At this time, if it does not turn on within 140 steps, error processing is performed in step S505. Subsequently, in step S507 and step S509, the motor is rotated counterclockwise (CCW) until the cap cam sensor is turned off. At this time, if it is not turned off within 140 steps, error processing is performed in step S511. Next, in step S513, the motor is driven 87 steps to open the cap, and the process is terminated.
[0059]
FIG. 17 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a control system of the printing apparatus illustrated in the present embodiment.
[0060]
The cap motor 1006 is driven by the cap motor 1006. Further, the head unit, the discharge recovery processing device, the phase of the cap cam, and the like can be known based on the detection of the home position sensors 1007 and 1008 and the cap cam sensor 1009. Further, 1010 is a suction pump of the discharge recovery processing apparatus, and 1011 is a wiping mechanism. On the other hand, 1000 is an MPU for controlling each unit, 1001 is a ROM storing a program corresponding to a control procedure, 1002 is a RAM used as a work area during control execution, 1003 is a timer for measuring time, 1004 Is an interface part. In the printing apparatus according to the present embodiment, command data or the like can be input from the keyboard 100. A print head 1200 includes, for example, a plurality of discharge ports, and a print head including an electrothermal transducer 1200a that generates thermal energy used to discharge ink from each discharge port, and 1201 is a driver thereof. 1202 is a motor for driving the head unit or carriage in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 1, 1204 is a motor for generating a driving force for transporting the print medium, and 1203 and 1205 are motor drivers for each part. is there.
[0061]
FIG. 18 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of an ink jet printing apparatus to which the head unit and the cap unit of the present embodiment are applied. Such a printing apparatus has a replaceable ink tank integrated print head cartridge in black (Bk). , Cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y).
[0062]
In FIG. 18, IJC is four print head cartridges corresponding to Y, M, C, and Br inks. A print head and an ink tank storing ink for supplying ink to the print head are integrally formed. Yes. Each print head cartridge IJC is detachably attached to the carriage 820. The carriage 820 is slidably engaged along the guide shaft 811 and is connected to a part of the drive belt 852 that is moved by the carriage motor 1202, so that the print head cartridge IJC can perform scanning along the guide shaft 811. Movement is possible. Reference numerals 815, 816, 817, and 818 denote transport rollers that extend substantially in parallel with the guide shaft 811 on the back side and the near side in the drawing of the print area by the print head cartridge IJC. Conveying rollers 815, 816, 817, and 818 are driven by a sub scanning motor (not shown) to convey the recording medium S. The recording medium S to be conveyed constitutes a printing surface opposite to the surface on which the discharge port forming surface H1 of the print head cartridge IJC is disposed.
[0063]
A discharge recovery processing device P is provided facing a movable region of the cartridge IJC adjacent to the print region of the print head cartridge IJC, and the cap unit C of the discharge recovery processing device P includes a plurality of cartridges IJC having print heads H. The caps can be moved up and down in the vertical direction or can be opened and closed by turning. When the carriage 820 is at the home position, the print head H is joined and capped. In the discharge recovery processing apparatus P, reference numeral 840 denotes a blade as a wiping member, which can be moved up and down by, for example, the wiping mechanism 1011 shown in FIG. 17, thereby enabling wiping with respect to the discharge port forming surface H1. Reference numeral 1010 denotes a pump unit for absorbing ink or the like from the discharge port of the print head H and its vicinity via the cap unit C.
[0064]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the ink jet printing apparatus includes a cap that covers a surface of the ink jet print head on which an ink discharge port is formed, and the cap for opening or closing the cap with respect to the ink jet print head. Cap support member that rotates while holding (Cap case) And In the cap open state and the positioning start state in the process from the cap open state to the closed state, the discharge port forming surface and the cap are in a parallel state. Can take. Therefore, when the cap is opened and closed, the required amount of rotation of the cap support member can be minimized. Also when the cap is open From cap open to cap close In the process of transition, the cap is parallel to the head. Take a state Therefore, it is possible to reduce the space of the apparatus, and at the time of positioning the head unit and the cap unit, a part of the cap or the cap unit (including a member related to positioning) and the head or the head unit. Part (including members related to positioning) can be made parallel, and the performance of preliminary discharge and positioning can be improved.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a front view showing an ink jet printing apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a cap unit section according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a side view of a head unit (carriage on which a head is mounted).
FIG. 4 is a side view of the cap unit when the cap is open.
FIG. 5 is a side view of the cap unit.
FIG. 6 is a side view of the cap unit.
FIG. 7 is a side view of the cap unit when the cap is closed.
FIG. 8 is a top view of the cap case.
9 is a schematic view taken along the line IX-IX in FIG. 8 showing the relationship between the cap case and the cap guide when the cap is open.
FIG. 10 is a schematic view similar to FIG. 9 showing the relationship between the cap case and the cap guide when the cap is closed.
FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a cap open / close operation, a cap cam cam chart, and a motor step number;
FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a sequence of discharge recovery processing.
FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a cap closing sequence.
FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a partial sequence of a cap opening process.
FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a partial sequence of a cap opening process.
FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a sequence when the cap is closed to the cap open.
FIG. 17 is a block diagram of an ink jet printing apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing an ink jet printing apparatus according to the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
A Head unit
C Cap unit
H Print head
H1 discharge port forming surface
S print media
P Discharge recovery processing device
1 Cap absorber
3 cap
5 Cap holder
7 Cap guide
9 Cap spring
11 Cap down spring
13 Cap plate
15 Cap case
19 Bottom plate
21 Carriage
23 Cap Cam
25 Cap open spring
27 Pump base
31 ribs
33 Tube section
51 Cover part
53 Sliding surface
55 Claw
71 Sliding surface
73 Positioning pin
75, 77, 79 Guide boss
131 hole
133 Boss
151 Guide part
153 Second stopper
155 axis of rotation
191 Boss
211, 213 Positioning hole
271 Bearing
273 ribs
275 First stopper

Claims (7)

A cap covering the discharge port forming surface of the inkjet print head;
A cap guide that slidably fits and guides a cap holder that supports the cap;
A first guide boss disposed on the cap guide and projecting from a side surface;
Has a opening, a guide portion to be engaged with said first guide center the cap guide to the boss disposed on the inner peripheral surface of said opening in order to allow rotation of the first guide boss, and In order to obtain a cap closed state in which the cap covers the discharge port forming surface and a cap open state in which the cap is separated from the discharge port forming surface, the cap case is arranged to be rotatable with respect to a bearing portion of a base When,
A plurality of cap case springs arranged between the cap guide and the cap case to elastically support the cap guide in order to give a rotational moment about the first guide boss to the cap guide; ,
A second guide boss the first guide boss of said cap guide is arranged to arranged the side,
A third guide boss on the side of the cap guide on which the first guide boss is disposed, the third guide boss being disposed on the opposite side of the second guide boss with respect to the first guide boss;
In order to obtain the cap open state, with the cap case rotated, the cap guide is placed in parallel with the discharge port forming surface and is in contact with the second guide boss. A first stopper that contacts,
In a state that the cap casing is rotated from the cap-open state in order to obtain the cap closed state, the cap guide to the parallel state with respect to the discharge port forming surface, the inner peripheral surface of the cap casing A second stopper disposed and abutting against the third guide boss;
Ink-jet printing apparatus, characterized in that it comprises a.   The inkjet printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising positioning means for performing relative positioning between the cap and the inkjet print head.   3. The ink jet printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the positioning unit includes a protruding member on one of the cap unit and the head unit, and a hole into which the protruding member is inserted on the other. Preliminary ejection from the inkjet print head into the cap when the second guide boss and the first stopper abut and the cap guide is in a parallel state with respect to the ejection port forming surface. An ink jet printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3. When the third guide boss and the second stopper come into contact with each other and the cap guide is in a parallel state with respect to the discharge port forming surface to obtain the cap closed state, a suction force is obtained via the cap. 5. The inkjet printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a negative pressure generating unit that discharges ink from the discharge port by causing the ink to act. 6. The ink jet according to claim 1 , wherein the ink jet print head includes an electrothermal converter that generates thermal energy in response to energization as energy used for ejecting ink. Printing device.   The ink jet printing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the ink jet print head ejects ink from an ejection port using film boiling generated in the ink by heat energy applied from the electrothermal transducer.

Images