JP4389850B2 - Inkjet recording device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus. More specifically, the present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus having a cleaning unit that contacts a belt cleaning roller with a conveyance belt that conveys a recording medium to clean the conveyance belt.

  In an inkjet recording apparatus in which a recording medium is intermittently conveyed by an endless conveying belt wound around a plurality of conveying rollers, and ink is ejected from a recording head installed opposite to the conveying belt. When using a fabric with high ink permeability, such as a thin fabric, or when providing a print function for the entire surface of the recording medium that ejects ink around the recording medium, or by ejecting ink droplets from the recording head The generated ink mist may cause ink to adhere to the conveyor belt and contaminate the conveyor belt. Ink adhering to the conveyance belt returns to the recording medium conveyance path, and there is a problem that the back surface of a new recording medium is soiled at the next printing. As a countermeasure against this problem, it is known to provide a conveyor belt cleaning means such as a method of abutting an absorber that absorbs ink on the conveyor belt, for example, an absorption roller.

  The ink adhering to the conveyance belt is absorbed by the absorbing ability of the absorber at the contact portion with the absorber. Thereby, the ink adhered on the conveyance belt is cleaned. In order to maintain the cleaning ability, it is essential to always make contact with a portion having ink absorption ability.

Regarding the maintenance of the cleaning ability of the absorbing roller, the absorbing roller that has contacted the conveyance belt and absorbed the ink is immersed in the cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning bowl to clean the absorbing roller, and then the absorbing roller is pressed with a squeezing member such as a squeezing roller. Maintaining the cleaning ability of the squeezing and absorbing rollers, and maintaining the cleaning performance of the cleaning liquid, ensure a sufficient capacity of the cleaning liquid relative to the amount of ink, and periodically replacing the cleaning liquid. Maintaining the cleaning performance or maintaining the cleaning performance of the cleaning liquid by circulating the cleaning liquid from a separately provided cleaning liquid tank with a pump or the like is disclosed (for example, see Patent Document 1).
JP 2004-123358 A

  Regarding the maintenance of the cleaning performance of the cleaning liquid, as described in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to secure a sufficient capacity of the cleaning liquid with respect to the amount of ink and to periodically replace the cleaning liquid. In this case, since a large amount of cleaning liquid is used, a lot of time is spent on supplying or replacing the cleaning liquid. On the other hand, the time can be shortened by increasing the number of pumps that circulate the cleaning liquid or increasing the number of pumps. However, when these measures are taken, a large space is required as a place for installing the pump. It becomes a factor of enlargement. In addition, increasing the number of pumps or increasing the number of pumps increases the cost.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described situation, and has a simple configuration, and maintains the cleaning performance of the cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning tub. It is an object of the present invention to provide an ink jet recording apparatus equipped with a conveyor belt cleaning means which is easy and does not take time, and prevents the apparatus from becoming large and costly.

The above object is achieved by the following configuration.
(Claim 1)
A recording medium conveying unit that conveys the recording medium in a predetermined direction by an endless conveying belt wound around a plurality of conveying rollers, a belt cleaning roller that contacts and cleans the conveying belt, and the belt cleaning roller is in contact with the liquid The recording medium by discharging ink from a recording head disposed opposite to the conveyance surface of the recording medium of the conveyance belt. In an inkjet recording apparatus for recording on
The cleaning trough is composed of an overflow means for draining a cleaning liquid exceeding a predetermined water level to the outside of the cleaning trough, and a cleaning liquid having a bottom surface of the cleaning trough configured as an inclined surface and connected to and connected to a water supply / drain tube at the deepest portion of the bottom surface. a plumbing unit having a water supply and drainage port, and the remaining amount detecting means of the cleaning liquid, possess a cleaning liquid supply devices, the tip of the plumbing tubes, and above the upper portion of the cleaning trough and below the bottom surface of the cleaning tub The position of the water supply / drainage tube is drained with the tip of the water supply / drainage tube below the bottom surface of the cleaning rod when draining, and water is supplied from the tip with the tip of the water supply / drainage tube above the top of the cleaning rod when watering. An ink jet recording apparatus.
(Claim 2)
2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning liquid replenishing means is a pump.
(Claim 3)
3. The inkjet according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning tub is provided with a blocking member having a size covering the water supply / drainage port at an upper portion of the water supply / drainage port and above the water supply / drainage port and below the upper surface of the cleaning tub. Recording device.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to easily and quickly perform the water supply and drainage operations when the cleaning liquid is replaced with a cleaning rod having a simple configuration, and the cleaning liquid can be supplied and replaced with the cleaning liquid. Therefore, the shortage can be replenished without reducing the cost of the apparatus and the number of work steps can be reduced.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to automatically replenish the cleaning bowl with a necessary amount of the cleaning liquid based on the information of the cleaning liquid remaining amount detecting means. It is also possible to supply appropriately.

  According to invention of Claim 3, when supplying water to a cleaning tub, it can prevent that a cleaning liquid spouts into a cleaning tub from a water supply / drain opening, and can prevent surroundings from being contaminated.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention is not limited to the following form.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a main part of an ink jet recording apparatus provided with a conveying belt cleaning means of the present invention.

  The carriage 16 accommodates the inkjet recording head 1, a head driver, a case, and the like, and is moved along the guide rail 18 in the main scanning direction indicated by X in the figure along the guide rail 18 by the timing belt 17 that is rotated by driving the motor M. It is reciprocated. In the present embodiment, the guide rail 18 is supported by the column 21.

  The flexible cable 19 having flexibility is a printed wiring pattern including data signal lines, power supply lines, etc., and transfers image data, control signals, etc. between the carriage 16 and a control board (not shown). Follow the movement.

  The linear encoder 20 detects the movement position by an optical sensor provided on the carriage 16.

  The recording medium 3 is conveyed by the conveying belt 4 in the sub-scanning direction of the moving direction indicated by the arrow Y in the figure.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a recording medium conveyance mechanism and a conveyance belt cleaning unit of the inkjet recording apparatus.

  A recording medium (recording paper, fabric, etc.) 3 is held and conveyed on the upper surface of a conveying belt 4 around which a plurality of conveying rollers 5A, 5B, and 5D are wound, and is ejected from the inkjet recording head 1 in a recording unit. A recording image is formed by the droplets 2 and conveyed along the conveying direction of the conveying belt 4. The recording medium 3 conveyed by the conveyance belt 4 is separated from the conveyance belt 4 at the curved surface portion of the conveyance roller 5B, and is conveyed by a conveyance unit (not shown). The driven roller 5E presses the recording medium by its own weight, and exhibits the flatness of the recording medium.

  The conveyance roller 5B is driven and rotated by a driving unit (not shown), and the conveyance belt 4 around which the conveyance roller 5B is wound rotates in the direction of arrow Y in the drawing.

  The material of the conveyor belt 4 is not particularly limited, but a material that has less stretchability and ink repellency is preferable. Examples thereof include an endless belt in which a glass cloth is coated with a fluororesin, an endless belt in which an aramid cloth is coated with a fluororesin, and a metal endless belt such as SUS.

  The cleaning means 10 for the conveyor belt 4 includes a belt cleaning roller (hereinafter also referred to as an absorption roller) 101, a squeezing roller 102, a cleaning rod 11, and a cleaning liquid 103 stored in the cleaning rod.

  The belt cleaning roller 101 includes an outer peripheral portion formed of a metal cored bar such as SUS and a porous member having continuous pores. The porous member forming the outer peripheral portion is not limited, but preferably has excellent water absorption, low hardness, and water retention. In the present embodiment, a PVC (polyvinyl chloride) sponge having an Asker C hardness of 10 ° is used. Other examples include PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) sponge, polyurethane ruby cell (Toyo Polymer Co., Ltd.) and the like.

  The belt cleaning roller 101 in contact with the transport belt 4 is rotated by a rotation driving unit (not shown). In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the rotation direction is the forward direction with respect to the conveyance belt rotation direction, but it is also possible to rotate in the reverse direction. The belt cleaning roller can be always rotated or appropriately rotated. In the present embodiment, the rotation is always performed.

  A part of the belt cleaning roller 101 is immersed in the cleaning liquid 103 stored in the cleaning bowl 11, and is downstream of the belt cleaning roller rotating direction of the liquid contact portion of the belt cleaning roller and between the conveyor belt and the belt cleaning roller. A squeezing roller 102 that presses and squeezes the belt cleaning roller is disposed upstream of the contact portion in the rotation direction of the belt cleaning roller.

  The ink 6 adhering to the conveyance belt 4 that conveys the recording medium 3 passes through the conveyance roller 5B, and is absorbed and wiped off by the rotating belt cleaning roller 101.

  Next, the cleaning rod 11 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the cleaning rod 11 viewed from the direction of arrow A in FIG.

  The cleaning rod 11 has a size that covers the water supply / drainage port below the cleaning rod upper surface above the water supply / drainage port 11C, and the water supply / drainage device 11C having the water supply / drainage port 11C at the deepest part of the bottom surface 11A formed by the inclined surface. A blocking member 11D is provided, and a cleaning liquid remaining amount detecting means 11E and a cleaning liquid replenishing means 11F are provided.

  An overflow tube 121 is connected to the overflow unit 11B, and the cleaning liquid exceeding a predetermined water level is discharged from the overflow port of the overflow unit 11B to the drain tank 122 through the overflow tube 121. Thereby, the cleaning liquid is kept below a predetermined water level without overflowing from the cleaning bowl.

  A water supply / drainage tube 124 is connected to the water supply / drainage port 11C of the water supply / drainage means. When a large amount of cleaning liquid is supplied or drained during maintenance of the cleaning rod 11 or the like, the drainage is performed with the tip of the water supply / drainage tube 124 being below the bottom surface of the cleaning rod 11 during drainage, and the tip of the water supply / drainage tube 124 is placed above the cleaning rod 11 during water supply. By supplying water from the tip upward, water can be quickly supplied and drained without using a pump or the like. Further, by providing the water supply / drain port 11C at the deepest portion of the bottom surface 11A formed by an inclined surface, the water can be smoothly drained without leaving the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tub during the drainage.

  In order to improve workability, it is preferable to use a wide member 126 such as a funnel at the tip of the water supply / drainage tube 124 during water supply. Further, it is preferable in terms of safety that a backflow prevention member 125 such as a backflow prevention valve is disposed in the middle of the water supply / drainage tube 124.

  The blocking member 11D prevents the cleaning liquid flowing into the cleaning rod 11 from the water supply / drain port 11C from being ejected outside the cleaning rod during the water supply. The blocking member 11D is preferably disposed below the overflow surface of the cleaning liquid. Thereby, the interruption | blocking member 11D is always in cleaning liquid, and the time-dependent contamination of the interruption | blocking member 11D can be reduced.

  The cleaning liquid remaining amount detecting means 11E detects the level of the cleaning liquid absorbed by the belt cleaning roller or decreased by evaporation or the like, and issues cleaning liquid remaining amount information. In this embodiment, a float switch is used.

  The cleaning liquid replenishing means 11 </ b> F is connected to the supply tube 127 and replenishes the cleaning tank with the cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning liquid tank 129 with the replenishment pump 128. The replenishment of the cleaning liquid is performed by driving the replenishment pump 128 based on the cleaning liquid remaining amount information. Since the replenishment of the cleaning liquid is limited to the shortage, the replenishment pump 128 can sufficiently fulfill its role with a small pump.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to easily and quickly perform water supply and drainage operations when changing the cleaning liquid with a simple cleaning rod, and a small pump is sufficient for replenishing the cleaning liquid. It is possible to reduce the number of work steps such as downsizing, cost reduction and assembly of the apparatus. As a result, it is possible to provide an ink jet recording apparatus provided with cleaning means for the conveyor belt which prevents the apparatus from becoming large and expensive.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a main part of an ink jet recording apparatus provided with a conveyor belt cleaning unit according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a recording medium transport mechanism and a transport belt cleaning unit of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention. It is a schematic diagram of the cleaning rod according to the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inkjet recording head 2 Ink droplet 3 Recording medium 4 Conveying belt 5A, 5B, 5D Conveying roller 5E Follower roller 6 Ink 10 Conveying belt cleaning means 11 Cleaning trough 11A Cleaning trough bottom surface 11B Overflow means 11C Water supply / drain port 11D Blocking member 11E Remaining cleaning liquid Quantity detection means 11F Cleaning liquid replenishing means 101 Belt cleaning roller 102 Squeezing roller 103 Cleaning liquid 121 Overflow tube 122 Drain tank 124 Water supply / drainage tube 125 Backflow prevention member 126 Wide member 127 Supply tube 128 Replenishment pump 129 Cleaning liquid tank

Claims (3)

A recording medium conveying unit that conveys the recording medium in a predetermined direction by an endless conveying belt wound around a plurality of conveying rollers, a belt cleaning roller that contacts and cleans the conveying belt, and the belt cleaning roller is in contact with the liquid The recording medium by discharging ink from a recording head disposed opposite to the conveyance surface of the recording medium of the conveyance belt. In an inkjet recording apparatus for recording on
The cleaning trough is composed of an overflow means for draining a cleaning liquid exceeding a predetermined water level to the outside of the cleaning trough, and a cleaning liquid having a bottom surface of the cleaning trough configured as an inclined surface and connected to and connected to a water supply / drain tube at the deepest portion of the bottom surface. a plumbing unit having a water supply and drainage port, and the remaining amount detecting means of the cleaning liquid, possess a cleaning liquid supply devices, the tip of the plumbing tubes, and above the upper portion of the cleaning trough and below the bottom surface of the cleaning tub The position of the water supply / drainage tube is drained with the tip of the water supply / drainage tube below the bottom surface of the cleaning rod when draining, and water is supplied from the tip with the tip of the water supply / drainage tube above the top of the cleaning rod when watering. An ink jet recording apparatus. 2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning liquid replenishing means is a pump. 3. The inkjet according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning tub is provided with a blocking member having a size covering the water supply / drainage port at an upper portion of the water supply / drainage port and above the water supply / drainage port and below the upper surface of the cleaning tub. Recording device.

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