JP4543664B2 - Inkjet recording device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an inkjet recording apparatus that records an image on a recording medium.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a line type ink jet recording apparatus as an apparatus for recording an image on a recording medium such as paper. A line-type ink jet recording apparatus ejects ink onto a recording medium from a line-type recording head disposed substantially orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the recording medium.

  In recent years, in such a line-type ink jet recording apparatus, the length of the recording head is longer than the width of the recording medium, which enables recording of images without margins, so-called borderless recording. (For example, see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

Incidentally, in the ink jet recording apparatus, maintenance such as empty ink discharge is performed at regular intervals so that the ink discharge ports of the recording head are not clogged. In addition, the waste of ink is saved by reusing the ink ejected idle (see, for example, Patent Document 3).
JP-A-8-169155 JP 2003-191545 A JP-A-7-76099

However, in the ink jet recording apparatuses disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, ink discharged toward the outside of the recording medium is stored in the same tank or absorbed by the ink absorber regardless of the type of ink. It is impossible to reuse.
In particular, in the ink jet recording apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, since the recording head is a serial type and is arranged in the main scanning direction, the ink protruding outside the recording medium cannot be collected for each color. Further, when the recording heads are arranged in the sub-scanning direction (recording medium conveyance direction), the ink can be collected for each color, but the recording speed is lowered.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus capable of eliminating waste of ink ejected toward the outside of a recording medium.

The invention described in claim 1
A transport device for transporting the recording medium in the transport direction;
A line type recording head that ejects ink from a plurality of ejection openings from a position outside one side edge of the recording medium to be conveyed to a position outside the other side edge;
In an inkjet recording apparatus comprising: an ink supply device that supplies the ink to the recording head;
An ink receiving portion for receiving the ink ejected from the recording head toward the outside of the recording medium;
A supply pipe for supplying the ink received by the ink receiver to the ink supply device ;
The recording head includes a central recording head that discharges ink to a central portion of the recording medium, and an end recording head that discharges the ink to a side edge and the outer position of the recording medium,
The ink supply device has a central supply device that supplies the ink to the central recording head, and an end supply device that supplies the ink to the end recording head,
The supply pipe supplies the ink received by the ink receiving portion to the central supply device .

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the ink ejected toward the outside of the recording medium lands on the ink receiving portion and is supplied to the ink supply device via the supply pipe. Can be reused. Therefore, waste of ink ejected toward the outside of the recording medium can be saved, and recording can be performed at low cost.
This effect is particularly noticeable when recording on a recording medium having a small size and a large ratio of ink protruding, such as a photographic recording medium.
Further, the ink that has landed on the ink receiving portion is supplied to the central supply device and discharged from the central recording head. Accordingly, since the reused ink can be landed on the recording medium, it is possible to prevent the ink from being deteriorated by being reused many times.

The invention described in claim 2 is the ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1,
The ink receiver is
When the recording medium does not exist between the ink receiving portion and the recording head, the ink discharged from all of the plurality of discharge ports is received.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the recording medium is not present between the ink receiving portion and the recording head, the ink receiving portion receives the ink discharged from all of the plurality of discharge ports. In the case of performing recording without printing, ink ejected toward the outside of the front end and the rear end of the recording medium K can also be collected. Accordingly, waste of ink can be further reduced.

The invention described in claim 3 is the ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
The ink is oil-based ink.

  According to the third aspect of the invention, since the ink is an oil-based ink, the component changes due to evaporation of a part of the volatile solvent even when the ink is reused, unlike the case of the water-based ink. There is nothing. Therefore, it is possible to reliably record an image with the reused ink.

Invention of Claim 4 is an inkjet recording device as described in any one of Claims 1-3,
An irradiation device for irradiating the ink landed on the recording medium with light;
The ink is a photocurable ink.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the ink is a photo-curable ink, the components change as a part of the volatile solvent evaporates even when reused unless light is applied. There is nothing. Therefore, it is possible to reliably record an image with the reused ink.

Invention of Claim 5 is an inkjet recording device as described in any one of Claims 1-4,
The ink receiving portion receives the ink from the recording head during maintenance of the recording head.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the ink receiving portion receives ink from the recording head during maintenance of the recording head, the ink receiving portion that receives ink that protrudes outside the recording medium, and the ink receiving portion that receives ink during maintenance. Unlike the case in which the components are provided separately, the number of components of the ink jet recording apparatus can be reduced. Accordingly, the manufacturing cost of the ink jet recording apparatus can be reduced.

Invention of Claim 6 is an inkjet recording device as described in any one of Claims 1-5,
A plurality of the recording head, the ink supply device, the ink receiving portion, and the supply pipe are provided corresponding to the number of colors of the ink.

According to the sixth aspect of the invention, since each of the recording head, the ink supply device, the ink receiving portion, and the supply pipe is provided in correspondence with the number of colors of the ink, each color ink ejected toward the outside of the recording medium. Are supplied to the ink supply device without being mixed. Accordingly, even when an image is recorded using a plurality of colors of ink, waste of ink can be eliminated.
Further, since the recording head is a line type, unlike the case where the recording head is a serial type, it is possible to prevent a decrease in recording speed due to an increase in the number of colors. In addition, the inks of the respective colors can be easily collected without mixing.

The invention according to claim 7 is the ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A plurality of the recording head, the ink receiving portion and the supply pipe;
The plurality of recording heads include a front-side recording head arranged to face the surface of the recording medium, and a back-side recording head arranged to face the back surface of the recording medium,
The plurality of ink receiving portions are respectively arranged to face the recording head.

According to the seventh aspect of the invention, even when recording is performed on the front and back surfaces of the recording medium, it is possible to eliminate waste of ink.
The phrase “the ink receiving portion faces the recording head” includes the case where the ink receiving portion faces the recording head with a recording medium interposed in part.

Invention of Claim 8 is an inkjet recording device as described in any one of Claims 1-7,
The ink received by the ink receiving portion is mixed with unused ink in the ink supply device.

  According to the eighth aspect of the invention, since the reused ink and the unused ink are mixed and used, it is possible to reduce the deterioration in image quality due to the use of the reused ink.

The invention according to claim 9 is the inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The recording head is of an on-demand type.

  According to the ninth aspect of the invention, since the recording head is of the on-demand type, the recording head can be easily made into a multi-nozzle or a line head as compared with the case of the continuous type. Can do. Accordingly, the manufacturing cost of the ink jet recording apparatus can be reduced.

The invention according to claim 10 is the ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
A detection device for detecting non-ejection of the ink in the recording head;
The transport device controls the transport of the recording medium when the non-ejection of the ink is detected by the detection device, so that the recording medium in a non-ink landing area is opposed to the recording head. To do.

  According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, when the non-ejection of the ink is detected by the detection device, the recording medium in the non-ink landing area faces the recording head by the transport device. Even when the dischargeability of the ink drops, it is possible to reliably record an image by discharging the ink again.

  As a detection device that detects non-ejection of ink, there is a detection device that uses a laser. As a method for controlling the conveyance of the recording medium, there are a method for stopping the conveyance and a method for reversing the conveyance direction.

The invention according to claim 11 is the ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
A detection device for detecting non-ejection of the ink in the recording head;
The recording head includes an upstream recording head disposed on the upstream side in the transport direction and a downstream recording head disposed on the downstream side and ejecting the same color of ink as the upstream recording head. And
The downstream recording head includes
When the non-ejection of the ink in the upstream recording head is detected by the detection device, the ink is ejected to the recording medium in a non-ink landing area.

  According to the eleventh aspect of the invention, when the detection device detects non-ejection of ink in the upstream recording head, the downstream recording head ejects ink to the recording medium in the non-ink landing area. Even when the ink discharge performance is reduced by using the used ink, it is possible to reliably record an image by discharging the ink again.

The invention according to claim 12 is the ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
The recording head can discharge the ink to a position outside by 5 mm or more from a side edge of the recording medium.

  Here, according to the present invention, since the ink ejected toward the outside of the recording medium is reused, even if the amount of the ink ejected toward the outside of the recording medium is increased, the waste of the ink is lost. Does not occur.

  According to the twelfth aspect of the invention, since the recording head can eject ink to a position 5 mm or more outside the side edge of the recording medium, the recording head can surely be used regardless of a conveyance error of the recording medium or a dimensional error during manufacturing. Borderless recording can be performed.

The invention according to claim 13 is the ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12,
The supply pipe is provided with a pump unit that pumps the ink received by the ink receiving unit to the ink supply device,
The pump unit sucks air between the recording head and the ink receiving unit through the ink receiving unit during recording.

  According to the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, the air near the edge of the recording medium flows toward the ink receiving portion because the pump portion sucks air between the recording head and the ink receiving portion during recording. Therefore, the ink ejected toward the outside of the recording medium can be reliably landed on the ink receiving portion by being carried on the air flow. Further, it is possible to prevent ink from adhering to the back surface of the recording medium.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to perform recording at low cost while eliminating waste of ink ejected toward the outside of the recording medium.

  According to the second aspect of the invention, it is possible to obtain the same effect as that of the first aspect of the invention, and it is possible to further reduce the waste of ink.

  According to the invention described in claim 3, the same effect as that of the invention described in claim 1 or 2 can be obtained, and an image can be recorded reliably by the reused ink.

  According to the invention described in claim 4, it is possible to obtain the same effect as in the invention described in any one of claims 1 to 3, as well as to reliably record an image with the reused ink. It can be carried out.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to obtain the same effect as that of any one of the first to fourth aspects, and to reduce the manufacturing cost of the ink jet recording apparatus. Can do.

  According to the invention described in claim 6, the same effect as that of any one of claims 1 to 5 can be obtained, and an image is recorded using a plurality of colors of ink. Even in this case, waste of ink can be eliminated.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, it is possible to obtain the same effect as that of any one of the first to sixth aspects, as well as when recording on the front and back surfaces of the recording medium. Even if there is, waste of ink can be eliminated.

  According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to obtain the same effect as that of any one of the first to seventh aspects of the invention, but also to reduce the image quality due to the use of reusable ink. Can be reduced.

  According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to obtain the same effect as that of the first aspect of the present invention, and to reduce the manufacturing cost of the ink jet recording apparatus. Can do.

  According to the invention described in claims 10 and 11, the same effect as that of the invention described in any one of claims 1 to 9 can be obtained. Even when the discharge performance is lowered, the image can be reliably recorded by re-ejecting the ink.

  According to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to obtain the same effect as that of any one of the first to eleventh aspects, as well as the conveyance error of the recording medium and the dimensional error during manufacture. Regardless of this, it is possible to perform borderless recording reliably.

  According to the thirteenth aspect of the invention, it is possible to obtain the same effect as that of any one of the first to twelfth aspects, as well as ink ejected toward the outside of the recording medium. Can be reliably landed on the ink receiving portion by being put on the airflow.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, the ink jet recording apparatus will be described as an ink jet printer. This ink jet printer is a device that records desired images on both sides by ejecting ink from left and right recording heads onto a recording medium conveyed in the horizontal direction in an upright state.
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of an ink jet printer 1 according to the present embodiment.

As shown in this figure, the inkjet printer 1 has a recording unit 2 that performs recording on the front side of a recording medium K and a recording unit 3 that performs recording on the back side.
Each of the recording units 2 and 3 includes a transport device 4 that transports the recording medium K in the transport direction X.

The transport device 4 includes rollers 41 to 43 that extend in the vertical direction.
The rollers 41 and 41 are rotated in conjunction with each other by a motor (not shown).

  Each of the rollers 42 and 43 holds the recording medium K together with the roller 41. The roller 43 is formed of a thin plate having needle-like protrusions in the radial direction, and is in point contact with the recording surface of the recording medium K so as not to damage the image formed on the recording medium K. .

Between the rollers 42 and 43, a plurality of recording heads 5 are disposed for ejecting photo-curable ink onto the recording medium K being conveyed.
The recording heads 5,... Are on-demand type heads that eject any one of process colors of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black. These recording heads 5,... Are of a line type and extend in the width direction of the recording medium K and are arranged at a predetermined interval in the transport direction X.

  As shown in FIG. 2, each recording head 5 includes a central recording head 51, 51 that ejects ink to the central portion of the recording medium K, and an end recording head 52 that ejects ink to the end of the recording medium K, 52. The central recording heads 51 and 51 and the end recording heads 52 and 52 are arranged in a staggered manner. In FIG. 2, illustration of ink supply devices 53 and 54, which will be described later, is omitted for convenience.

  A plurality of ink ejection ports (not shown) for ejecting ink droplets are arranged in parallel with the width direction of the recording medium K on the surface of the central recording head 51 and the end recording head 52 on the recording medium K side. It is arranged. The ink discharge port of the end-side recording head 52 can discharge ink from the side edge of the recording medium K to a position 5 mm outside.

  An ink supply device 53 that supplies ink is connected to the central recording head 51. An ink supply device 54 that supplies ink is connected to the end recording head 52. Each of these ink supply devices 53 and 54 stores therein any one of process colors including yellow, magenta, cyan, and black.

  The central recording head 51 and the end recording head 52 are each provided with a detection device (see FIG. 4) 55 that detects non-ejection of ink. The detection device 55 includes a laser irradiation unit (not shown) and a laser detection unit (not shown) facing each other, and whether or not the laser is blocked by the ink droplets ejected from the recording head 5. Thus, the non-ejection of ink is detected.

An irradiation device 6 for irradiating the ink that has landed on the recording medium K with a light beam is disposed downstream of the recording heads 5,.
The irradiation device 6 has any one of a fluorescent tube, a laser, an LED, and an electron beam irradiation device as a light source, and extends in the width direction of the recording medium K. The light beam irradiated by the irradiation device 6 does not hit the ink receiver 81 described later.

A plurality of platens 71 and 72 for supporting the recording medium K to be conveyed are disposed between the rollers 41 and 41.
The platens 71,... Extend in the width direction of the recording medium K (the front and back direction in FIG. 1) and support the recording medium K flatly. These platens 71 are connected by connecting members 7.
The connecting members 7,... Are integrally moved in the ink discharge direction Y by a drive unit (see FIG. 4).

  The platens 72 are disposed in a state where the platens 71 are sandwiched from the upstream side and the downstream side in the transport direction X, and are fixed to a chassis portion (not shown) of the ink jet printer 1.

Ink recovery mechanisms 8 are disposed between the platens 71 and 71 and between the platens 71 and 72, respectively. The number of ink collection mechanisms 8 is four, the same as the number of ink colors.
Each ink recovery mechanism 8 includes an ink receiver (ink receiving portion) 81 facing the recording head 5 with the recording medium K interposed therebetween.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the ink receiver 81 is a box-like body having an opening at the upper end, and extends in parallel with the recording head 5. In FIG. 3, for the sake of convenience, the illustration of the recording head 5 is simplified and the illustration of the platen 71 and the like is omitted.

  A cap member 81 a made of an elastic material such as rubber is provided at the opening of the ink receiver 81. The cap member 81 a has a shape larger than the bottom surface of the recording head 5. When there is no recording medium K between the ink receiver 81 and the recording head 5, the cap member 81 a extends from all the ink discharge ports of the recording head 5. The ejected ink can be received at a position away from the bottom surface of the recording head 5. More specifically, the cap member 81 a is formed to be longer than the bottom surface of the recording head 5 and receives ink ejected from the recording head 5 toward a position 5 mm outside the side edge of the recording medium K. Be able to.

  The ink receiver 81 is fixed to the connection member 7 described above, and is moved by the drive unit 70. More specifically, the ink receivers 81 are positioned away from the recording heads 5 when images are recorded by the recording heads 5..., And when the ink is sucked from the recording heads 5. During standby, the cap member 81a is brought into contact with the bottom surface of the recording heads 5,. FIG. 1 shows a state where the ink receiver 81 and the recording head 5 are separated from each other.

A suction tube (supply pipe) 82 is connected to the ink receiver 81.
The suction tube 82 is a tube that connects the ink receiver 81 and the ink supply device 54, and guides the ink received from the recording head 5 to the ink supply device 54 by the ink receiver 81. The suction tube 82 is provided with a replaceable filter (not shown) for removing impurities in the ink.

The suction tube is provided with a suction pump 83 and a switching valve 84.
The suction pump 83 generates suction force during image recording and ink suction from the recording head 5.

  The switching valve 84 seals the inside of the suction tube 82 or communicates with the outside according to the progress of the suction operation when sucking ink from the ink discharge port of the recording head 5.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the ink jet printer 1 is connected to the transport device 4, the detection devices 55,..., The recording head 5,..., The irradiation devices 6,. A control device 9 is provided.

The control device 9 controls the transport device 4 to transport the recording medium K in the transport direction X at a predetermined speed.
In addition, when the non-ejection of the ink in the recording head 5 is detected by the detection device 55, the control device 9 transports the recording medium K in the reverse direction by the transport device 4, and the recording medium K in the non-ink landing area is transported. The recording head 5 is opposed to the recording head 5.

Further, the control device 9 causes the recording heads 5,... To eject ink based on the image data.
Further, the control device 9 controls the irradiation of light rays by the irradiation devices 6.

Further, the control device 9 operates the suction pump 83 during image recording and during maintenance of the recording heads 5.
Further, the control device 9 moves the platen 71,... And the ink receiver 81 in the ink discharge direction Y by operating the drive unit 70.

Next, “ink” used in the present embodiment will be described.
The ink used in the present embodiment is a high-viscosity ink having a viscosity of about 10 to 500 [mpas] at 30 ° C. In addition, this ink is not cured by contact with air (air in the atmosphere) but is cured by a system that is open to contact with air. Specifically, the ink used in the present embodiment has a property of being cured by irradiation with ultraviolet rays as light, and includes a polymerizable compound (including a known polymerizable compound) as a main component. It is preferable that it contains at least a photoinitiator and a coloring material and is oil-based. The viscosity of the ink is 10 to 500 m · Pa at 30 ° C.

  The photocurable ink is roughly classified into a radical polymerization type ink containing a radical polymerizable compound and a cationic polymerization type ink containing a cationic polymerizable compound as a polymerizable compound. Both inks are used in the present embodiment. As the ink used in the present embodiment, a hybrid ink in which a radical polymerization ink and a cation polymerization ink are combined may be used as the ink used in the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, a cationic polymerization ink is used among the photocurable inks.

Next, the “recording medium K” used in the present embodiment will be described.
As the recording medium K used in the present embodiment, various papers such as plain paper, recycled paper, glossy paper, photographic paper, etc. applied to ordinary ink jet printers, various fabrics, various non-woven fabrics, resin, metal, glass, etc. A recording medium consisting of can be applied. As the form of the recording medium K, a roll shape, a cut sheet shape, a plate shape, or the like is applicable.

Next, the operation of the inkjet printer 1 during image recording will be described.
First, the transport device 4 transports the recording medium K in the transport direction X.

  When the front end of the recording medium K is conveyed in the vicinity of the recording head 5, the recording heads 5,... Eject ink until the rear end of the recording medium K completely passes between the recording head 5 and the ink receiver 81. To do. As a result, the ink is landed without creating blanks at the front end, the side edge, and the rear end of the recording medium K.

  When the recording head 5 is ejecting ink, the suction pump 83 sucks air in the vicinity of the edge of the recording medium K via the ink receiver 81. As a result, the ink ejected toward the outside of the recording medium K rides on the cap member 81a in the air flow. Further, ink is prevented from adhering to the back surface of the recording medium K. The ink that has landed on the cap member 81a is supplied to the ink supply device 53 on the center side by the suction pump 83 via the suction tube 82, mixed with the ink inside, and reused.

  Here, since the ink collection mechanism 8 performs reuse of ink for each color, the collected ink is not mixed with ink of other colors. In addition, since the ink is photocurable, the component does not change due to evaporation of a part of the volatile solvent even when the ink is reused as long as it is not exposed to light. In addition, since the reuse ink and the unused ink are mixed in the ink supply device 53, the deterioration in image quality due to the use of the reuse ink is reduced. Further, since the reuse ink is ejected from the central recording head 51 and landed on the recording medium K, it is not reused many times.

  When the recording head 5 ejects ink, the irradiation device 6 irradiates the recording medium K with light rays. As a result, the ink landed on the recording medium K is cured and an image is recorded.

  When the image recording is finished, the recording heads 5,... Further, the ink receivers 81,... Are moved by the drive unit 70 to cover the ink discharge ports with the cap members 81a,. At this time, by closing the switching valve 84,..., The ink discharge port is sealed, and the ink in the vicinity of the ink discharge port is prevented from being dried to increase in viscosity or solidify.

  Next, the operation of the ink jet printer 1 when the detection device 55 detects non-ejection of ink will be described.

  When the detection device 55 detects the non-ejection of the ink in the recording head 5, the conveyance device 4 conveys the recording medium K in the reverse direction, and the recording medium K in the non-ink landing area is opposed to the recording head 5 in which the ink non-ejection has occurred. Let

  Then, the recording head 5 ejects ink again to the recording medium K in the non-ink landing area. As a result, even when the ink ejection performance is reduced by using the reused ink, the image is surely recorded.

  Next, the operation of the inkjet printer 1 during maintenance of the recording heads 5,... Will be described with reference to FIGS. During maintenance, the recording medium K does not exist between the recording head 5 and the ink receiver 81 as shown in FIGS. However, in FIGS. 5 and 6, illustration of the ink supply devices 53 and 54, the suction pump 83, and the like is omitted for convenience.

  First, when ink is ejected idle, as shown in FIG. 5, the recording heads 5,... And the cap members 81 a,.

  At this time, the suction pump 83 sucks air between the recording head 5 and the ink receiving air 81 through the ink receiver 81. As a result, the ink ejected toward the outside of the recording medium K rides on the cap member 81a in the air flow. The ink that has landed on the cap member 81a is supplied to the ink supply device 53 on the center side via the suction tube 82 by the suction pump 83 for each color, mixed with the ink inside, and reused.

  Further, when ink is sucked, as shown in FIG. 6, the drive unit 70 moves the ink receivers 81, so that the cap members 81a,. cover.

  When the cap members 81a,... Cover the ink discharge ports, the suction pumps 83,... Operate with the switching valves 84,. Thereby, ink is sucked from the ink discharge port of the recording head 5. The sucked ink is sucked by the suction pump 83 for each color, supplied to the ink supply device 53 on the center side, and reused. In addition, foreign matters such as bubbles, dust, and solidified ink are removed from the vicinity of the ink discharge port of the recording head 5, and the discharge state of the ink discharge port is restored to the optimum state.

  According to the inkjet printer 1 described above, since ink that does not land on the recording medium K can be reused, waste of ink ejected toward the outside of the recording medium K can be eliminated. Therefore, recording can be performed at low cost.

  In addition, when performing recording without four edges, the ink ejected toward the outside of the front end and the rear end of the recording medium K can also be collected, so that waste of ink can be further reduced.

  Further, since the ink receiver 81 receives ink from the recording head 5 both during image recording and during maintenance, a portion that receives ink that protrudes outside the recording medium K during image recording and a portion that receives ink during maintenance are separated. Unlike the case where it is provided, the number of parts of the ink jet printer 1 can be reduced. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the inkjet printer 1 can be reduced.

  Further, since the recording head 5 is of the on-demand type, the recording head 5 can be easily made into a multi-nozzle and a line head as compared with the case of the continuous type. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the inkjet printer 1 can be reduced.

  In addition, since the recording head 5 can eject ink to a position 5 mm or more outside the side edge of the recording medium K, the recording head 5 reliably performs borderless recording regardless of the conveyance error of the recording medium K or the dimensional error during manufacturing. be able to.

  In the above embodiment, the cap member 81a of the ink receiver 81 has been described as having a shape larger than the bottom surface of the recording head 5, but it is ejected toward the outside of the side edge of the recording medium K. As long as the ink can be received, it may have a shape smaller than the bottom surface of the recording head 5 as shown in FIG.

  Further, the recording unit 2 that performs recording on the front side of the recording medium K is described as being disposed on the upstream side in the transport direction X, and the recording unit 3 that performs recording on the back side is described on the downstream side. The recording head 5 and the recording head 5 of the recording unit 3 may be alternately arranged from the upstream side to the downstream side in the transport direction X. In this case, since recording can be performed within a narrow area in the transport direction X, the recording speed can be increased and the inkjet printer 1 can be downsized.

  Further, when the detection device 55 detects the non-ejection of the ink, it has been described that the conveyance device 4 conveys the recording medium K in the reverse direction so that the recording medium K in the non-ink landing area is opposed to the recording head 5. However, the recording medium K in the non-ink landing area may be opposed to the recording head 5 by stopping the conveyance of the recording medium K simultaneously with the detection of the ink non-ejection.

  In the above description, the image is recorded on the recording medium K in the non-ink landing area by ejecting the ink again from the recording head 5 in which the ink has not been ejected. 5 may be arranged on the upstream side and the downstream side in the transport direction X, and the recording head 5 on the downstream side may eject the ink onto the recording medium K in the ink non-landing area to record an image.

  Further, although it has been described that the idle ejection is simultaneously performed from all the recording heads 5,..., Each of the recording heads 5 may perform the idle ejection at an individual timing.

It is a top view which shows schematic structure of an inkjet printer. FIG. 3 is a side view illustrating a configuration of a recording head. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of an ink collection | recovery mechanism. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of an inkjet printer. It is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement of the inkjet printer at the time of idle discharge. It is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement of the inkjet printer at the time of ink suction. It is a perspective view which shows the ink collection | recovery mechanism in other embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

1 Inkjet printer (inkjet recording device)
4 Conveying device 5 Recording head (front side recording head, back side recording head)
6 Irradiation device 51 Central recording head 52 End recording head 53 Ink supply device (central ink supply device)
54 Ink supply device (end-side ink supply device)
55 Detection Device 81 Ink Receiver (Ink Receiver)
82 Suction tube (supply pipe)
K Recording medium X Transport direction

Claims (13)

A transport device for transporting the recording medium in the transport direction;
A line type recording head that ejects ink from a plurality of ejection openings from a position outside one side edge of the recording medium to be conveyed to a position outside the other side edge;
In an inkjet recording apparatus comprising: an ink supply device that supplies the ink to the recording head;
An ink receiving portion for receiving the ink ejected from the recording head toward the outside of the recording medium;
A supply pipe for supplying the ink received by the ink receiver to the ink supply device ;
The recording head includes a central recording head that discharges ink to a central portion of the recording medium, and an end recording head that discharges the ink to a side edge and the outer position of the recording medium,
The ink supply device has a central supply device that supplies the ink to the central recording head, and an end supply device that supplies the ink to the end recording head,
The ink jet recording apparatus , wherein the supply pipe supplies the ink received by the ink receiving portion to the central supply apparatus. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
The ink receiver is
An ink jet recording apparatus that receives the ink ejected from all of the plurality of ejection ports when the recording medium does not exist between the ink receiving portion and the recording head. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
An ink jet recording apparatus, wherein the ink is an oil-based ink. In the ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
An irradiation device for irradiating the ink landed on the recording medium with light;
An ink jet recording apparatus, wherein the ink is a photocurable ink. In the ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The ink jet recording apparatus, wherein the ink receiving portion receives the ink from the recording head during maintenance of the recording head. In the ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
An ink jet recording apparatus comprising a plurality of the recording head, the ink supply device, the ink receiving portion, and the supply pipe corresponding to the number of colors of the ink. In the ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A plurality of the recording head, the ink receiving portion and the supply pipe;
The plurality of recording heads include a front-side recording head arranged to face the surface of the recording medium, and a back-side recording head arranged to face the back surface of the recording medium,
The ink jet recording apparatus, wherein each of the plurality of ink receiving portions is disposed to face the recording head. In the ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The ink jet recording apparatus, wherein the ink received by the ink receiving portion is mixed with unused ink in the ink supply device. In the ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
An ink jet recording apparatus, wherein the recording head is of an on-demand type. In the ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
A detection device for detecting non-ejection of the ink in the recording head;
The transport device controls the transport of the recording medium when the non-ejection of the ink is detected by the detection device, so that the recording medium in a non-ink landing area is opposed to the recording head. Inkjet recording apparatus. In the ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
A detection device for detecting non-ejection of the ink in the recording head;
The recording head includes an upstream recording head disposed on the upstream side in the transport direction and a downstream recording head disposed on the downstream side and ejecting the same color of ink as the upstream recording head. And
The downstream recording head includes
An ink jet recording apparatus, wherein when the non-ejection of the ink in the upstream recording head is detected by the detection device, the ink is ejected to the recording medium in a non-ink landing area. In the ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
The ink jet recording apparatus, wherein the recording head is capable of discharging the ink to a position outside by 5 mm or more from a side edge of the recording medium. In the ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12,
The supply pipe is provided with a pump unit that pumps the ink received by the ink receiving unit to the ink supply device.
The ink jet recording apparatus, wherein the pump unit sucks air between the recording head and the ink receiving unit through the ink receiving unit during recording.

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