JP3862008B2 - Inkjet recording device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus capable of performing so-called borderless printing by discarding ink from an end portion of a recording material.
[0002]
[Prior art]
An ink jet recording apparatus (hereinafter referred to as “printer”) includes an ink jet recording head (hereinafter referred to as “recording head”) that discharges ink, and is provided to face the recording head, and supports printing paper from below. A platen that defines a distance between the recording head and the printing surface; Further, in such a printer, there is a printer capable of performing so-called borderless printing, in which printing is performed on a printing paper without a margin.
[0003]
In a printer capable of performing borderless printing, a slot is formed in the upper surface (platen surface) of the platen. The slot includes a slot formed so as to extend in the main scanning direction on the platen surface, and a slot provided so as to be localized at a portion located at the end of the printing paper. For example, when the starting edge of the printing paper is positioned above a slot formed so as to extend in the main scanning direction, the borderless printing at the starting edge is performed by ejecting ink to an area outside the starting edge. That is, ink is thrown away into the slot.
[0004]
Here, generally, an ink absorbing material that absorbs ink (hereinafter referred to as “first ink absorbing material”) is provided in the slot. If such a first ink absorbing material is not provided, the ink abandoned in the slot becomes ink mist, resulting in a decrease in printing quality, or adhering to the driving parts of the printer and preventing a normal printing operation. This is because there is a fear.
[0005]
A plurality of through holes are provided at the bottom of the slot. The ink discarded in the slot is once absorbed by the first ink absorbing material and then dropped downward from the through hole. Accordingly, a waste liquid tray for receiving the ink dropped in this manner is provided under the platen. In the waste liquid tray, an ink absorbing material (hereinafter referred to as a “second ink absorbing material”) that absorbs ink is provided in the same manner as the slot, so that the ink stored in the waste liquid tray is stored. However, it is securely held so as not to leak to the outside.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, the ink discarded in the slot is absorbed by the first ink absorbing material, but not all of the ink absorbed in this way is dropped on the waste liquid tray. That is, some ink drops from the through hole toward the waste liquid tray, while other inks are held below the first ink absorbing material by the ink retaining property of the first ink absorbing material. It will be in the state that has been done.
[0007]
In such a state, for example, when the printer is placed in a largely inclined state during handling or transportation by the user, the ink held at the lower portion of the first ink absorbing material concentrates on the platen end, and the worst In this case, there is a risk of overflowing from the slot. When such a phenomenon occurs, the printer components (for example, a drive system or an electrical system) are adversely affected and may leak to the outside of the printer.
[0008]
Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object of the present invention is to absorb ink absorbed in the first ink absorbing material provided in the slot for discarding ink as much as possible. The object is to smoothly guide to a waste liquid tray provided below without being held by a material.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above problem, an ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1 of the present application is provided with an ink jet recording head for ejecting ink onto a recording material, and the ink jet recording head so as to face the recording material from below. A platen that defines a distance between the recording surface and the ink jet recording head by supporting and that has a slot for leading ink discarded from the end of the recording material, and is formed at the bottom of the slot. And a waste tray provided at a lower portion of the platen for receiving ink dropped downward from the plurality of through holes, wherein the slot absorbs the first ink absorption. The waste liquid tray is provided with a second ink absorbing material for absorbing ink, and at least one of the plurality of through holes includes the material The ink guide means for guiding the ink to the second ink absorbing material from the first ink absorbing material, characterized in that it is provided so as to depend from top to bottom by inserting the through-hole.
[0010]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, at least one of the plurality of through holes provided at the bottom of the slot for discarding the ink from the first ink absorbing material to the second ink absorbing material. Ink guide means for guiding the ink is provided so as to pass through the through hole and hang downward from above, so that it is difficult for the ink to be held below the first ink absorbing material. Therefore, even when the ink jet recording apparatus is greatly tilted during handling or transportation, the ink held by the first ink absorbing material is concentrated on the end of the platen and overflows to the outside. Therefore, safety during handling and transportation can be improved.
[0011]
The ink guide means is means for contacting the lower part of the first ink absorbing material and leading the ink held in the lower part to the outside. For example, the ink guiding means is more ink-absorbing than the first ink absorbing material. It can be made with a high (absent capillary action) ink absorber.
[0012]
The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 2 of the present invention is characterized in that, in claim 1, the ink guide means is made of a third ink absorbing material having higher ink absorbability than the first ink absorbing material. .
According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the ink guide means is composed of the third ink absorbing material having higher ink absorbability than the first ink absorbing material, the ink guiding means can be easily and inexpensively. Can be obtained. Note that “high ink absorption” means that the capillary phenomenon is relatively remarkable, and when the same amount of ink is absorbed, the ink is absorbed over a wider range.
[0013]
An ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 3 of the present application is characterized in that, in claim 1 or 2, the ink guide means is provided in the through hole formed in the vicinity of a flushing operation position of the ink jet recording head. To do.
[0014]
In the ink jet recording apparatus, a so-called flushing operation is performed to waste ink, so that the ink nozzles of the ink jet recording head are not clogged. This flushing operation is performed in the vicinity of the end of the main scanning region of the ink jet recording head. Therefore, a larger amount of ink is discarded at the position where the flushing operation is performed.
[0015]
Accordingly, in the invention according to claim 3 of the present application, since the ink guide means is provided in the through hole formed near the position where the flushing operation is performed, the function of the ink guide means is more effectively exhibited. Therefore, the above-described ink overflow problem can be prevented more reliably.
[0016]
An ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 4 of the present invention is characterized in that, in claim 3, the flushing operation position is set to the 80 digit side.
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the flushing operation position is set on the 80 digit side, the ink guide is provided even when a circuit board or the like on which the electronic component is mounted is arranged on the 80 digit side. The problem of ink overflow can be prevented by the function of the means, and there is no possibility of adversely affecting the electronic component.
[0017]
An ink jet recording apparatus according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the ink jet recording apparatus according to the first or second aspect, wherein the ink guide means is formed in the vicinity of an end on the low position side of the platen that is inclined in the longitudinal direction. It is provided in the through hole.
[0018]
The platen is long in the main scanning direction, and when provided in the ink jet recording apparatus, the platen may be inclined at a predetermined angle in the longitudinal direction due to the influence of component accuracy or assembly accuracy. When tilted in this way, the ink discarded in the slot is concentrated on the low position side, and the above-described ink overflow problem is likely to occur.
[0019]
Accordingly, in the invention according to claim 5 of the present application, since the ink guide means is provided in the through hole formed in the vicinity of the end portion on the low position side of the inclined platen, the ink concentrates. The function of the ink guide means is exhibited on the low position side, so that the above-described ink overflow problem can be reliably prevented.
[0020]
An ink jet recording apparatus according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of the second to fifth aspects, wherein the ink absorbability of the second ink absorber is higher than the ink absorbability of the third ink absorber. It is characterized by being expensive.
According to the invention of claim 6 of the present application, since the ink absorbability of the second ink absorber provided in the waste liquid tray is higher than the ink absorbability of the third ink absorber, it is ensured. Ink can be guided into the waste liquid tray.
[0021]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state where an upper cover is removed of an “inkjet recording apparatus” (hereinafter referred to as “printer”) 100 according to the present invention, and FIG. It is sectional drawing. First, a schematic configuration of the printer 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.
[0022]
In FIG. 1, the printer 100 includes a paper feeding device 1 at the rear, and the printing paper stacked and set on the paper feeding device 1 is placed one by one on the downstream side by the paper feeding device 1. Ink is ejected by an ink jet recording head (refer to FIG. 2; hereinafter referred to as “recording head”) 8 provided at the lower portion of the carriage 3, and after recording is performed, the ink is ejected to a front ejection stacker 5. Is done.
[0023]
The carriage 3 carries an ink cartridge 4 and supplies ink from the ink cartridge 4 to the recording head 8 (FIG. 2). Further, the carriage 3 is guided through the carriage guide shaft 7 in the main scanning direction by inserting the carriage guide shaft 7 suspended between the side frames 6 a and 6 b constituting the base of the printer 100. The carriage 3 reciprocates in the main scanning direction by a driving unit (not shown).
[0024]
In FIG. 1, the lower right side is the “0 digit side” and the upper left side is the “80 digit side”, and the carriage 3 has the 0 digit side as the home position, and the recording head 8 of the 0 digit side is the home position. In response to a maintenance operation such as capping or head cleaning, a so-called flushing operation is performed to waste ink, so that the nozzle holes of the nozzle array 9 (FIG. 2) are not clogged on the 80th digit side. .
[0025]
Next, the configuration of the recording unit of the printer 100 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 2, the transport roller 2 is composed of a transport drive roller 2a that is rotationally driven, and a transport driven roller 2a that is driven to rotate by being pressed against the transport drive roller 2a. The printing paper P fed by the paper feeding device 1 from the right side) is nipped between the transport driving roller 2 a and the transport driven roller 2 b and transported under the recording head 8.
[0026]
The recording head 8 is provided with a nozzle array 9 that ejects ink. The printing paper P conveyed to the lower part of the recording head 8 is recorded by ejecting ink from the nozzle array 9. At this time, the printing paper P is supported from below by a platen 10 provided at a lower portion of the recording head 8 so as to face the recording head 8, thereby causing a distance (PG: paper gap) from the nozzle array 9. Stipulated.
[0027]
More specifically, ribs 11a and 11b are formed on the upper part of the platen 9 (see also FIG. 3), and the printing paper P is supported from below by the ribs 11a and 11b. Slots 12a and 12b (see also FIG. 3) extending in the main scanning direction (front and back direction in FIG. 2) are formed on the upstream side and the downstream side of the rib 11b, respectively. Then, the ink deviated from the start and end of the printing paper P is discarded, and borderless printing on the start and end sides of the printing paper P is executed. That is, when the starting edge of the printing paper P is located above the slot 12b, the nozzle 9 is driven so that the ink is ejected to a portion off the starting edge of the printing paper P, and the starting edge of the printing paper P is discharged. Perform borderless printing. At this time, the ink removed from the starting edge of the printing paper P is discarded into the slot 12b. Similarly, when the end of the printing paper P is located above the slot 12a, the nozzle array 9 is driven to drive part 9a of the nozzle array 9 so that ink is ejected to a portion off the end of the printing paper P. To perform borderless printing.
Incidentally, the first ink absorbing material 17 (see FIGS. 1 and 6), which is not shown in FIG. 2 for the sake of simplicity of illustration, is provided in the slots 12a and 12b. A more detailed configuration of the platen 10 including the absorbent 16 will be described later.
[0028]
Next, a paper discharge roller 13 that is rotationally driven is provided on the downstream side of the platen 10. The paper discharge roller 13 includes a paper discharge drive roller 13a that is rotationally driven, and a paper discharge driven roller 13a that is driven to rotate by contacting the paper discharge drive roller 13a. The printed printing paper P is nipped between the paper discharge driving roller 13a and the paper discharge driven roller 13b, and is conveyed below the paper discharge stacker 5 (FIG. 1).
The above is the general configuration of the printer 100. Hereinafter, the configuration of the platen 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 is an external perspective view of the platen 10, FIG. 4 is a plan view of the platen 10, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the main part showing the main part by cutting the printer 100 in the left-right direction (front view of the platen 10). 6 is a cross-sectional view of the main part when the platen 10 and the waste liquid tray 15 are cut in the longitudinal direction.
[0029]
First, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the platen 10 has a long shape in the main scanning direction (paper width direction), and a plurality of the ribs 11a and 11b described above are formed on the upper surface thereof at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction. The above-described slots 12 a and 12 b are formed on the upstream side and the downstream side of the rib 11 b so as to extend in the longitudinal direction of the platen 10.
[0030]
Here, as described above, the slots 12a and 12b are slots for borderless printing at the start and end of the printing paper, but the slots for performing borderless printing at the left and right ends of the printing paper are illustrated in FIG. In FIG. 3, it is formed so as to be localized at positions corresponding to the width of the printing paper at the positions indicated by symbols a to g. That is, a groove is formed between two adjacent ribs 11b at the positions indicated by the symbols ag.
[0031]
The slot formed at the position a is the slot on the most 0 digit side, and the end on the 0 digit side of all sizes of printing paper passes through the slot formed at the position a. . The slots formed at the positions b to g are slots located on the 80th digit side of the printing paper, and the positions b to g match the end of the printing paper of various sizes on the 80th digit side. It is formed like this. Then, at the time of borderless printing of the left and right edges of the printing paper, the ink is discarded into any one of the slot formed at the position a and the slots formed at the positions b to g. Borderless printing at the left and right ends will be executed.
[0032]
3 and 4, the first ink absorbing material 17 (see FIGS. 1 and 6) is not shown for the sake of simplicity, but all the grooves described above formed in the platen 10. In the hole, the first ink absorbing material 17 is provided so as to fill the inside of the slot.
[0033]
Next, in the bottoms of some of the slots formed at positions a to g, through holes shown by reference numerals 13a, 13b, 13c, 13d, and 13g in FIG. 4 (hereinafter collectively referred to as through holes 13). Say) is formed. The through hole 13 is formed at the bottom of the slot formed at the positions indicated by the positions a, b, c, d, and g, so that the ink discarded in the platen 10 drops downward from the through hole 13. It is supposed to do.
[0034]
Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 5, the ink dropped downward from the through hole 13 is stored by a waste liquid tray 15 provided at the lower part of the platen 10 (see FIG. 1 for the arrangement position in the printer 100). The waste liquid tray 15 has a substantially box shape, and a second ink absorbing material 16 for absorbing ink is provided inside the waste liquid tray 15 so as to fill the waste liquid tray 15. Accordingly, the ink dropped downward from the through hole 13 is stored in the waste liquid tray 15, and the second ink absorbent 16 prevents the ink from overflowing easily even when the printer 100 is inclined. 15 is securely held in the inside.
[0035]
Next, the first ink absorbing material 17, the second ink absorbing material 16, and the third ink absorbing material 14 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.
[0036]
As shown in FIG. 6, a first ink absorbing material 17 is provided inside the slot formed in the platen 10. The first ink absorbing material 17 may be any material as long as it has a high ink absorbability and is not easily affected by ink (high ink resistance), such as polyethylene terephthalate, acrylic, rayon. It is possible to use felt materials made of synthetic fibers such as pulp and pulp, or porous materials such as sponges. This is common to the second ink absorbing material 16 and the third ink absorbing material 14 described below. In the present embodiment, a sponge (for example, trade name “Everlight”, manufactured by Bridgestone Corporation) is used as the first ink absorbing material 17. The ink discarded on the platen 10 is first absorbed by such a first ink absorber 17.
[0037]
A third ink absorbing material 14 is disposed below the ink absorbing material 17. The third ink absorbing material 14 is provided only in the slot formed at the position g as shown in FIG. 6, that is, the slot formed on the platen 10 on the most 80 digit side (see FIG. 5). ), And is provided so as to hang downward through the through hole 13g. In other words, the third ink absorbing material 14 is provided so as to connect the bottom portion of the first ink absorbing material 17 and the upper portion of the second ink absorbing material 16. In the present embodiment, “Belita” (trade name of Kanebo Co., Ltd.) as a porous body is used as the third ink absorbing material 14. The second ink absorber 16 provided in the waste liquid tray 15 uses a non-woven fabric (for example, manufactured by Oji Kinocross Co., Ltd.) in this embodiment.
[0038]
Here, the ink water absorption of the first ink absorbing material 17, the second ink absorbing material 16, and the third ink absorbing material 14 is relatively relative to the first ink absorbing material 17, the third ink absorbing material 17, and the third ink absorbing material 17. The ink absorbing material 14 and the second ink absorbing material 16 are set so as to increase in this order.
[0039]
Hereinafter, the function and effect of the first to third ink absorbers configured as described above will be described. The ink discarded in the slot formed in the platen 10 is first absorbed by the first ink absorber 17, and all of the ink absorbed in this manner is quickly transferred from the through hole 13 to the waste liquid tray 15. It is not always dripping. That is, a part of the ink drops from the through hole 13 toward the waste liquid tray 15 and is absorbed by the second ink absorbing material 16, while the other ink is retained by the first ink absorbing material 17. As a result, the state of being held at the lower portion of the first ink absorbing material 17 is obtained.
[0040]
In this state, for example, when the printer 100 is placed in a largely inclined state during handling or transportation by the user, the ink held at the lower portion of the first ink absorbing material 17 is transferred to the end of the platen 10 (for example, In the worst case, the platen 10 may overflow to the outside as shown in FIG. If such a phenomenon occurs, it may adversely affect the components (for example, drive system or electrical system) of the printer 100 and may leak to the outside of the printer 100.
[0041]
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, the third ink absorbing material 14 is provided in the through hole 13g formed in the groove on the most 80 digit side. The third ink absorbing material 14 has a higher ink absorbability than the first ink absorbing material 17, and accordingly, the third ink absorbing material 14 functions as an “ink guide means”. The ink is guided from the lower part of the first ink absorbing material 17 to the second ink absorbing material 16. Since the second ink absorbing material 16 has higher ink absorbability than the third ink absorbing material 14, the ink is smoothly transferred from the third ink absorbing material 14 to the second ink absorbing material 16. Is passed on.
[0042]
Therefore, the ink is not easily held by the first ink absorbing material 17 as described above, and thus the above-described problem, that is, when the printer 100 is tilted, the ink concentrates on the end of the platen 10 and overflows outside. It is possible to prevent problems such as coming out and to improve safety during handling and transportation.
[0043]
In particular, in the printer 100 according to the present embodiment, the position on the 80th digit side where the third ink absorbing material 14 is provided is the flushing position of the recording head 8 (FIG. 2), and therefore the platen 10 which is long in the main scanning direction. This is the place where the ink is most remarkably discarded, so that the above-described operational effect as the ink guide means can be further obtained. At the same time, the third ink absorbing material 14 is not provided in all of the plurality of through holes 13 (13a, 13b, 13c, 13g) provided locally in the main scanning direction. It is possible to prevent an increase in cost by providing it only at a specific place. However, it goes without saying that the third ink absorbing material 14 may be provided in all the through holes 13 so that the ink is surely guided to the waste liquid tank 15.
[0044]
In addition, when the platen 10 is installed in the printer 100, either the 0 digit side or the 80 digit side may be inclined depending on the component accuracy or the assembly accuracy. In this case, the ink concentrates on the low position side, and the problem of ink overflow as described above is likely to occur. Therefore, in such a case, if the third ink absorbing material 14 is provided in the through hole 13 on the low position side, the problem of ink overflow as described above can be prevented more reliably.
[0045]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, at least one of the plurality of through holes provided at the bottom of the slot for discarding the ink includes the first ink absorbing material to the second ink absorbing material. Ink guide means for guiding the ink to the bottom is provided so as to pass through the through hole and hang downward from above, so that it is difficult for the ink to be held below the first ink absorbing material. Therefore, even when the ink jet recording apparatus is tilted greatly, the ink held by the first ink absorbing material is concentrated on the end of the platen and does not cause a problem of overflowing to the outside. Safety during transportation can be improved.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an ink jet printer according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of a recording unit of an ink jet printer according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of a platen.
FIG. 4 is a plan view of a platen.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the main part of the inkjet printer according to the present invention cut in the left-right direction.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the main part when the platen and the waste liquid tray are cut in the longitudinal direction.
[Explanation of symbols]
10 Platen 11a, 11b Rib 12a, 12b Groove hole 13a, 13b, 13c, 13d, 13g Through hole 14 Third ink absorbing material 15 Waste liquid tray 16 Second ink absorbing material 17 First ink absorbing material

Claims (6)

An ink jet recording head that discharges ink to a recording material; and provided opposite to the ink jet recording head to define a distance between the recording surface and the ink jet recording head by supporting the recording material from below; and A platen with a slot formed to guide ink discarded from the end of the recording material;
A waste liquid tray provided at a lower portion of the platen that receives ink that drops downward from a plurality of through holes formed at the bottom of the slot, and an ink jet recording apparatus comprising:
A first ink absorbing material that absorbs ink is provided in the slot, and a second ink absorbing material that absorbs ink is provided in the waste liquid tray.
In at least one of the plurality of through holes, an ink guide means for guiding ink from the first ink absorbing material to the second ink absorbing material is suspended from above through the through hole. Provided to do,
An ink jet recording apparatus. 2. An ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said ink guide means comprises a third ink absorbing material having higher ink absorbability than said first ink absorbing material. 3. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink guide means is provided in the through hole formed in the vicinity of a flushing operation position of the ink jet recording head. 4. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the flushing operation position is set to the 80 digit side. 3. The ink guide means according to claim 1, wherein the ink guide means is provided in the through-hole formed in the vicinity of an end on the low position side of the platen that is inclined in the longitudinal direction.
An ink jet recording apparatus. 6. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein an ink absorbability of the second ink absorbing material is higher than an ink absorbability of the third ink absorbing material.

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