JP4543682B2 - Inkjet recording device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording by discharging ink from a recording head to a recording medium.

  2. Description of the Related Art Currently, there is a printing method called serial scan in which ink jet output devices that are widely used perform printing one line at a time by reciprocating a recording head while conveying recording paper.

  This method is small and low in cost, but has a drawback that the printing speed is slow because the recording head needs to be scanned a plurality of times in order to form an image over the entire sheet. In order to solve this problem, as a non-scanning printing method in which printing is performed with a paper-width recording head, an ink jet recording apparatus is used in which recording is performed by moving the recording paper with respect to a fixed recording head. .

  By the way, in general, in an ink jet recording apparatus, for example, a so-called dummy jet is used to eliminate clogging of the nozzle, or a capping around the nozzle to prevent thickening due to ink drying, etc. A recovery device (maintenance device) is provided in the ink jet recording apparatus.

  For example, Patent Document 1 describes an ink jet recording apparatus that moves the entire recording head horizontally from the printing surface during maintenance and moves the maintenance apparatus to the position of the moved recording head. However, since the entire recording head is slid in parallel with the printing surface, a space for the recording head to retract is required in the inkjet recording apparatus, and the inkjet recording apparatus is increased in size.

  In addition, a drive device that moves the recording head horizontally from the print surface and a drive device that moves the maintenance device to the recording head side are required. This will increase the number of times.

  On the other hand, in Patent Document 2, an opening having a size through which the maintenance device can pass is formed in the conveyance belt, and the maintenance device is provided in the conveyance belt so as to face the ink jet recording head with the opening interposed therebetween. An arranged ink jet recording apparatus is described. The maintenance device moves in the direction of the ink jet recording head and sucks ink by covering the ink ejection surface. Then, the ink discharge surface of the inkjet recording head is cleaned with the cleaning member.

  Further, in Patent Document 3, a recording head is disposed along the circumference of a cylindrical conveying drum that conveys a paper medium around a circumferential surface, and a maintenance device is provided at a position facing the recording head inside the conveying drum. An ink jet recording apparatus is described.

  In these configurations, since the entire recording head is fixed and the maintenance device is moved vertically with respect to the recording head, a retreat space for the recording head is not required, and the ink jet recording apparatus does not become large.

However, since the maintenance is performed by fixing the recording head and moving the maintenance device, the maintenance is performed above the transport surface of the transport belt or transport drum. As a result, ink scattered when the cap member is removed from the nozzle during maintenance adheres to the transport belt, and the recording paper is soiled. Also, when wiping the nozzle surface of the recording head, ink may be scattered and the conveying belt may be soiled.
JP-A-2-179754 Japanese Patent No. 2693224 JP-A-5-330030

  In consideration of the above facts, an object of the present invention is to prevent the conveyance surface of the conveyance unit from being damaged by ink splattering during ink suction during maintenance without moving the recording head during maintenance.

The present invention according to claim 1 is provided at a position having a recording medium width ejection area, ejecting ink droplets onto the recording medium, and facing an ink droplet ejection surface of the recording head, A cap that performs maintenance of the recording head, and a conveying unit that is arranged to have a space that allows movement of the cap between the recording head and the cap, and that conveys the recording medium to an ejection region of the recording head ; A partition provided in the space and preventing the ink from splashing from the recording head to the conveying means during maintenance; and the partition moves and falls between the recording head and the cap when the partition moves; And dummy jet receiving means for receiving ink droplets discharged from the recording head .

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the recording medium is conveyed to the ejection area of the recording head by the conveying means disposed between the recording head and the maintenance device, and ink droplets are ejected from the recording head to the recording medium. The On the other hand, a partition is provided between the recording head and the conveying means, and this partition prevents ink droplets from being scattered during maintenance.

During maintenance, for example, when the cap is removed from the recording head, ink droplets are scattered between the recording head and the cap. At this time, the scattered ink droplets adhere to the partition provided between the recording head and the conveying means, so that the recording medium is not soiled. A dummy jet receiving means is disposed between the recording head and the cap, and a dummy jet discharged from the recording head is received by the dummy jet receiving means. Thus, the ink droplets at the time of the dummy jet can be received by the dummy jet receiving means without moving the cap to the vicinity of the recording head, so that the printing is started immediately after the dummy jet. Accordingly, productivity is increased because there is no time loss compared to a structure in which the cap is moved to the vicinity of the recording head during dummy jet and the cap is moved during printing. In addition, since the dummy jet receiving means is retracted when the cap moves, even if the dummy jet receiving means is disposed between the recording head and the cap, the operation of capping the recording head is not hindered.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the time of maintenance is when wiping the ink droplet ejection surface, when removing the cap from the recording head, or when using a dummy jet, and the partition wall is formed between the recording head and the recording head. It is characterized by being movable between caps.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the gap between the recording head and the upper part of the partition wall can be eliminated by moving the partition wall between the recording head and the cap at the time of maintenance. It is possible to prevent the conveying means from being soiled.

  For example, when removing the cap from the recording head, the partition is moved to the position of the recording head and the cap. Thereby, since the ink droplets scattered when the cap is removed from the recording head are received by the partition wall, it is possible to prevent the ink droplets from adhering to the conveying means. Further, when the surface of the recording head that ejects ink droplets is cleaned by a cleaning member or the like, the partition is moved to the vicinity of the surface of the recording head that ejects ink droplets. Further, during the dummy jet, the partition is moved between the recording head and the cap. As a result, the scattered ink droplets adhere to the partition wall, so that the conveying means can be prevented from being soiled by the ink droplets.

  The present invention described in claim 3 is characterized in that the partition wall has a structure surrounding the cap and the recording head.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the partition wall surrounds the cap and the recording head, and ink droplets (including ink mist) scattered during maintenance can be reliably received by the partition wall. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the conveying means from being soiled by ink droplets generated during maintenance.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the partition wall is formed by two plate portions facing each other and having a size extending between the cap and the recording head, and the conveying means, the cap, and the recording head. It is characterized by being located between.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the partition wall is formed by two plate portions having a size extending between the cap and the recording head, and can reliably receive ink droplets scattered during maintenance. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the conveying unit from being soiled with ink droplets. Further, since only two plate portions are required to form the partition wall, the cost of the members constituting the partition wall is reduced.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the partition is formed of a U-shaped plate portion having an opening in the transport direction of the recording medium in a plan view surrounding the cap and the recording head, and the cap is on the foundation are provided, the cleaning member for wiping is characterized by being provided with a discharge surface of the ink of the recording head enters into the partition through the opening.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the partition wall is U-shaped, the partition wall is provided with an opening, and the cleaning member can be easily entered from the opening. A sufficient movement width of the member can be ensured.

  Moreover, a cleaning member can be used instead of a partition by arrange | positioning the cleaning member in the opening part of a partition. Thereby, since there is no possibility that the cleaning member and the partition wall interfere, the positioning of the cleaning member and the partition wall becomes easy.

  The present invention according to claim 6 is characterized in that the wiping direction of the cleaning member is directed toward the plate portion of the partition wall.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, by causing the cleaning member to be wiped toward the plate portion of the partition wall, ink droplets scattered during wiping are received by the plate portion. Thereby, it is possible to prevent ink droplets scattered during wiping from adhering to the conveying means.

  The present invention according to claim 7 is characterized in that a charging member is provided on the partition wall.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, by installing a charging member on the partition wall, it is possible to charge the partition wall by applying a voltage, so that ink droplets scattered during maintenance attract the charge charged on the partition wall. Attached to the partition wall. Also, when ink droplets ejected from the nozzles of the recording head during the dummy jet pass between the partition walls, they adhere to the partition walls due to static electricity charged to the partition walls, so that the ink droplets scattered during maintenance or during the dummy jet are transported. Can be prevented from adhering to.

The present invention according to claim 8 , wherein the dummy jet receiving means is constituted by a spindle spanned over the ink jet recording apparatus, and a dummy jet receiving plate having one end supported by the spindle. The dummy jet receiving plate rotates to the cap side about the support shaft.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the support shaft is spanned over the ink jet recording apparatus, and the end of the dummy jet receiving plate is supported on the support shaft to form the dummy jet receiving means. . The dummy jet receiving plate rotates toward the cap around the support shaft during maintenance, and the cap moves toward the recording head. With such a configuration, since the dummy jet receiving means does not require a space for retreating from the conveyance surface during maintenance, the apparatus does not become large.

The present invention according to claim 9 is characterized in that the dummy jet receiving means rotates during maintenance to constitute a part of the partition wall.

According to the invention described in claim 9 , during the maintenance, the dummy jet receiving plate rotates toward the cap centering on the support shaft. At this time, the dummy jet receiving plate becomes a part of the partition wall, and ink scattered at the time of maintenance is also received by this dummy jet receiving plate. As described above, by using the dummy jet receiving plate as a part of the partition wall, the number of constituent members of the partition wall can be reduced.

The present invention according to claim 10 is characterized in that the dummy jet receiving means is provided with an absorbing member.

According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, the dummy jet receiving means is provided with the absorbing member, and the ink droplets ejected from the recording head toward the dummy jet receiving means are absorbed by the absorbing member. Therefore, it is possible to prevent ink droplets ejected toward the dummy jet receiving plate during the dummy jet from splashing back by the dummy jet receiving means and adhering to the transport belt.

The present invention described in claim 11 is characterized in that the dummy jet receiving means is provided with a detection device for detecting the landing state of the ink droplets ejected from the recording head.

According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, the ejection state of the ink droplets ejected from the dummy jet is examined by the detection device provided in the dummy jet receiving means. For example, in a recording head in which ink droplets are ejected from a plurality of nozzles, whether or not ink droplets are ejected from all nozzles is energized when the ink droplets land on the electrodes provided in the dummy jet receiving means. Detected. In this way, since the ejection state of the recording head is always managed, such as detecting a nozzle from which ink droplets are not ejected, image disturbance does not occur on the recording medium.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, the detection device includes the same number or more electrodes as the nozzles of the recording head, and energizes the electrodes, and landing of ink droplets ejected from the nozzles of the recording head. And determining means for determining the presence or absence of the feature.

According to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, the dummy jet receiving means is provided with the same number of electrodes as the nozzles of the recording head, and it is determined whether or not the electrodes are energized by the determination means connected to the electrodes. The The presence or absence of ink droplet landing from all the nozzles of the recording head is detected.

  Accordingly, it is possible to check whether the nozzle state of the recording head is normal at the time of the dummy jet, and thus it is possible to prevent the image on the recording medium from being disturbed in advance.

  Since the present invention is configured as described above, it is possible to prevent the conveyance surface of the conveyance unit from being damaged due to ink scattering during maintenance without moving the recording head during maintenance.

An ink jet recording apparatus 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described.
(Overall configuration of inkjet recording apparatus)
First, the overall configuration of the inkjet recording apparatus 10 will be briefly described.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the inkjet recording apparatus 10 includes a sheet supply unit 12 that sends out a sheet as a recording medium, a registration adjustment unit 14 that controls the position of the sheet, and a recording that forms an image on a sheet by ejecting ink droplets. The recording head 20 basically includes a head 38, a recording unit 20 that includes a maintenance device 64 that performs maintenance of the recording head 38, and a discharge unit 22 that discharges a sheet of paper on which an image is formed.

  The sheet supply unit 12 includes a stocker 24 in which sheets are stacked and stocked, and a transport device 26 that transports the sheets one by one from the stocker 24 to the registration adjusting unit 14.

  The registration adjustment unit 14 includes a loop forming unit 28 and a guide member 30 that controls the posture of the sheet. By passing through this portion, skew is corrected using the stiffness of the sheet, and the conveyance timing is adjusted. Is controlled to enter the recording unit 20.

  The recording unit 20 is provided with a recording head 38, a maintenance device 64, and a conveyance belt 58 that conveys paper between the recording head 38 and the maintenance device 64. The conveyance belt 58 continuously (without stopping). In this configuration, ink droplets are ejected from the recording head 38 on the conveyed paper and an image is formed on the paper.

The discharge unit 22 discharges the sheet on which the image is formed by the recording unit 20 to the tray 34 via the discharge belt 32.
(Configuration of recording head)
Next, the recording head 38 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

  A plurality of unit recording heads 36 are arranged in a paper width direction (arrow Y direction, hereinafter sometimes referred to as width direction) orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction (arrow X direction, hereinafter referred to as conveyance direction). A recording head 38 is provided for each color at regular intervals in the paper transport direction.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the unit recording head 36 has nozzles 40 arranged two-dimensionally, and ejects ink droplets by a piezo ink jet method. By disposing the unit recording heads 36 in an inclined manner with respect to the paper transport direction, a print area covering the paper width is secured. Thus, the recording head 36 can be configured at low cost by continuously arranging the unit recording heads 36 having a low unit price in the nozzle arrangement direction.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the print area of the recording head 38 is set corresponding to the maximum paper width PW of the paper P to be printed. Here, the printing area is basically the largest printing area obtained by subtracting a margin for non-printing from both ends of the paper, but is generally larger than the maximum paper width PW to be printed. This is because there is a possibility that the sheet is conveyed at an angle (skew) with respect to the conveyance direction, and there is a high demand for borderless printing.

As shown in FIG. 2, the recording head 38 is configured to perform full color printing by printing yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) in this order from the upstream side in the transport direction. . Note that the order of colors to be arranged is not limited to this.
(Maintenance device configuration)
As shown in FIG. 6, a maintenance device 64 is disposed in a space between the upstream side conveyor belt 58 and the downstream side conveyor belt 58 (position facing the recording head 38). The maintenance device 64 includes a cap member 66 and a wiping member 68.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the cap member 66 includes a box-shaped receiving portion 70 and a packing 71 (for example, silicone rubber) attached to the opening peripheral edge portion of the receiving portion 70.

  An ink absorber 72 is provided on the bottom surface of the receiving unit 70, and the ink droplets ejected from the recording head 38 (see FIG. 6) are held by the ink absorber 72. As the material of the ink absorber 72, a polyester fiber material or the like is used.

  Further, a tube (not shown) is connected to the bottom surface of the cap member 66, and a negative pressure is generated by the suction device to collect ink and dust on the nozzle surface of the recording head 38 and ink droplets collected in the nozzle when pressed. It has a configuration.

  Then, at the home position (a position in a state where image recording is not performed on the unit recording head 36), the cap member 66 is positioned below the nozzle surface of the recording head 38 as shown in FIGS. It is supposed to be.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a wiping member 68 for cleaning the nozzle surface of the recording head 38 is provided along the longitudinal direction of the cap member 66.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the wiping member 68 and the cap member 66 are placed on the common base 74. A rack 80 is formed on a side surface of the common base 74 that is orthogonal to the conveyance direction, and a drive gear 82 is engaged with the rack 80. The drive gear 82 is attached to a drive shaft 81 of a drive motor 78, and the common base 74 moves through a rack 80 meshed with the drive gear 82 when the drive gear 82 rotates.

  A guide groove 75 is formed on the lower surface of the common base 74 along the sheet conveyance direction, and is slidably engaged with a rail 79 formed on a support plate 77 on which the common base 74 is placed. ing. Accordingly, the common base 74 is slid in the paper transport direction by the rotation of the drive gear 82 attached to the support plate 77.

  Further, the eccentric cam 54 of the lifting device 48 is in contact with the lower surface of the support plate 77. The eccentric cam 54 is attached to the drive shaft 52 of the drive motor 50, and the eccentric cam 54 rotates to move the support plate 77 in the vertical direction.

  Guide rails (not shown) are installed at the four corners of the support plate 77, and the four corners of the support plate 77 are slidably supported. As a result, the support plate 77 moves in the vertical direction without tilting. Further, as the support plate 77 moves in the vertical direction, the maintenance device 64 placed on the support plate 77 can also move in the vertical direction.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a partition wall 88 is disposed between the recording head 38 and the maintenance device 64. The partition wall 88 is composed of four rectangular plates having a size surrounding the maintenance device 64 and the recording head 38, and has a rectangular cylindrical shape.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, a rack 83 is provided on the side surface of the partition wall 88 along the moving direction, and a drive gear 87 attached to the drive shaft 84 of the drive motor 85 meshes with the rack 83. is doing. Further, guide members (not shown) are installed at the four corners of the partition wall 88, and the partition wall 88 is guided by the guide member while maintaining a horizontal posture without being inclined. As a result, when the drive gear 87 rotates, the partition wall 88 moves up and down via the rack 83.

  Here, the movement of the partition wall 88 during maintenance will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  First, at step 200, when an instruction to drive the maintenance device 64 is received, the routine proceeds to step 202 where it is detected whether or not there is a sheet on the conveyor belt 58. If it is detected that there is a sheet, the process proceeds to step 204 to discharge the sheet. If it is detected that there is no paper, the process proceeds to step 206.

  In step 206, as shown in FIG. 9, the drive gear 87 rotates clockwise to move the partition wall 88 above the sheet conveyance surface of the conveyance belt 58 and surround the nozzle surface of the recording head 38. Then, the process proceeds to step 208, and a capping operation is performed. In step 208, first, as shown in FIG. 10, the eccentric cam 54 is rotated, and the maintenance device 64 is raised. Then, the packing 71 (see FIG. 7) of the cap member 66 of the maintenance device 64 is pressed against the nozzle surface of the recording head 38. As a result, airtightness of the nozzle surface is ensured, ink thickening and drying are prevented, and dust is prevented from adhering to the nozzle surface.

  Next, the process proceeds to step 210, and the suction device (not shown) sucks the air in the space sealed by the cap member 66 pressed against the nozzle surface of the recording head 38, and the ink and dust on the nozzle surface of the recording head 38 are collected. Collect ink droplets collected in the nozzle.

  Then, the process proceeds to step 212, and the eccentric cam 54 is rotated to lower the maintenance device 64 to a position where the tip of the wiping member 68 contacts as shown in FIG. In this manner, the operation of releasing the cap member 66 from the nozzle surface of the recording head 38 is performed, and the process proceeds to Step 214.

  In step 214, as shown in FIG. 12, the drive gear 82 rotates clockwise to move the common base 74 in the paper transport direction. As a result, the tip of the wiping member 68 on the common base 74 moves in the transport direction while coming into contact with the nozzle surface to remove dust, dried ink, and the like attached to the nozzle surface.

  When the wiping member 68 passes through the nozzle surface, the wiping operation is finished and the process proceeds to Step 216. In step 216, the eccentric cam 54 rotates to lower the maintenance device 64. Then, the drive gear 82 rotates counterclockwise, and the common base 74 is moved in the direction opposite to the paper transport direction. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 13, the wiping member 68 and the cap member 66 return to the home position.

  In step 218, the drive gear 87 rotates counterclockwise, lowers the partition wall 88 below the transport surface of the transport belt 58, and returns the partition wall 88 to the home position. Then, the recording head 38 enters a printing start state.

  Next, the operation of the dummy jet will be described.

  The dummy jet is performed before the leading edge of the succeeding sheet arrives at the time of non-printing or whenever a predetermined number of sheets are printed during continuous printing of a plurality of sheets. In other words, ink droplets are ejected from the arbitrary nozzle 40 (see FIG. 3) toward the cap member 66 (so-called dummy jet).

  When the dummy jet is performed, first, as shown in FIG. 14A, the drive gear 87 is rotated to raise the upper surface of the partition wall 88 to a position above the conveying surface of the conveying belt 58. Next, as shown in FIG. 14B, the eccentric cam 54 of the lifting device 48 is rotated to raise the cap member 66 to the vicinity of the recording head 38. Then, ink droplets are ejected from the nozzle 40 of the recording head 38 toward the cap member 66. As a result, the ink droplets ejected from the recording head 38 during the dummy jet adhere to the partition wall 88, so that the ink droplets can be prevented from adhering to the transport belt 58.

  The dummy jet may be performed by all the nozzles 40 of all the unit recording heads 36, or only the selected unit recording head 36 or only the nozzles 40 that have not ejected ink droplets for a predetermined time.

  For example, by ejecting ink droplets (dummy jets) from all the nozzles 40 of the unit recording head 36, it is possible to initialize a change in ejection performance due to drying of ink (particularly water-based ink, solvent ink). Moreover, even if the ink is oily ink or solid ink that hardly dries, it is possible to eliminate bubbles adhering to the ink flow path or the like inside the recording head 38 by printing, or to remove dust adhering to the nozzle surface, The ink droplet ejection performance of the nozzle 40 can be initialized.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 14C, the dummy jet may be performed at a position where the partition wall 88 and the cap member 66 are not raised and are at the home position. Even in this case, ink droplets scattered while the ink droplets ejected from the recording head 38 are received by the cap member 66 are received by the partition wall 88 between the recording head 38 and the cap member 66, so that the ink is transferred to the transport belt 58. It is possible to prevent the droplets from adhering. Further, the partition 88 moves up to surround the nozzle surface of the recording head 38 and performs a dummy jet.

  Next, the effect | action which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated.

  The paper is transported to the ejection area of the recording head 38 by the transport belt 58 disposed between the recording head 38 and the maintenance device 64, and ink droplets are ejected from the recording head 38 onto the paper. On the other hand, a partition wall 88 is provided between the recording head 38 and the conveying belt 58, and the partition wall 88 prevents ink droplets from being scattered during maintenance.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 and 12, during maintenance, the partition wall 88 is raised to a position surrounding the recording head 38. Thereby, a gap between the recording head 38 and the upper part of the partition wall 88 can be eliminated. When the cap member 66 is removed from the recording head 38, the surface of the recording head 38 on which ink droplets are ejected is removed by the wiping member 68. Since the ink droplets scattered when wiping are received by the partition wall 88, the ink droplets can be prevented from adhering to the transport belt 58. Further, at the time of dummy jet, as shown in FIG. 14, the partition wall 88 is raised to a position where the upper surface of the partition wall 88 is above the transport surface of the transport belt 58. As a result, the scattered ink droplets adhere to the partition wall 88, so that the conveyance belt 58 can be prevented from being soiled by the ink droplets.

  Further, the partition wall 88 is configured to surround the cap member 66 and the recording head 38, and ink droplets scattered during maintenance are reliably received by the partition wall 88. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the conveyance belt 58 from being soiled by ink droplets generated during maintenance.

  In the present embodiment, the partition wall 88 is moved by driving the drive gear 87, but the partition wall 88 can also be moved by a rack and pinion, a hole screw, a solenoid, a linear actuator, or the like. The method for moving the partition wall 88 is not limited to the above configuration.

  In this embodiment, the partition 88 is raised to prevent ink droplets from adhering to the transport belt 58 during maintenance and dummy jets. However, the partition 88 is not necessarily raised. There is no need. As shown in FIG. 13, by fixing the partition wall 88 between the recording head 38 and the transport belt 58, ink droplets can be scattered on the transport belt 58 without raising the partition wall 88 during maintenance and dummy jet. Can be prevented.

  Next, an ink jet recording apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Note that a description of the same parts as those in the first embodiment will be omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 15A, the partition wall 89 has a U shape in a plan view in which one side in the longitudinal direction is opened. A wiping member 68 of the maintenance device 64 is disposed on the opening side of the partition wall 89. Thereby, the wiping member 68 performs wiping toward the surface of the partition wall 89 facing the opening side.

  Next, the operation of the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 15A, by making the partition wall 89 U-shaped, the partition wall 89 is provided with an opening, and the wiping member 68 can be easily entered from the opening. A sufficient movement width of the wiping member 68 can be secured.

  Further, by wiping the wiping member 68 toward one side facing the opening side of the partition wall 89, ink droplets scattered during wiping adhere to one side facing the opening portion of the partition wall 89.

  Further, by disposing the wiping member 68 in the opening of the partition wall 89, the wiping member 68 serves as a partition wall during the capping operation. In this way, by using the wiping member 68 as one side of the partition wall 89, there is no possibility that the wiping member 68 and the partition wall 89 interfere with each other, so that the wiping member 68 and the partition wall 89 can be easily positioned.

  In the present embodiment, the partition wall 89 has a U shape in plan view, but as illustrated in FIG. 15B, the partition wall is formed using two plate members in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction. 90 may be used. As described above, the partition wall is not particularly limited to the above structure as long as ink scattering can be prevented.

  Next, an ink jet recording apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. Note that a description of the same parts as those in the first embodiment will be omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 16, a voltage application device 98 for applying a voltage to the partition wall 88 to charge the partition wall 88 is attached to the longitudinal end of the partition wall 88.

  Next, the operation of the third embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 16, by installing a voltage applying device 98 on the partition wall 88, the partition wall 88 is charged by applying a voltage, and ink droplets scattered during maintenance are attracted to the charge of the partition wall 88, Adhere to. In addition, when ink droplets scattered during the dummy jet pass between the partition walls 88, the ink droplets adhere to the partition walls 88 due to the charges charged in the partition walls 88.

  Therefore, by applying a voltage to the partition wall 88, ink droplets can be prevented from adhering to the transport belt during maintenance or dummy jet.

  Next, an ink jet recording apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. Note that a description of the same parts as those in the first embodiment will be omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 17, the support shaft 92 is stretched around the corner of the partition wall 93 along the longitudinal direction of the partition wall 93. An end portion of a plate-like dummy jet receiving plate 94 having an area larger than the ejection area of the ink droplets ejected from the recording head 38 is connected to the support shaft 92, and the end portion to which the support shaft 92 is connected is connected. It is designed to rotate around the axis. Further, the support shaft 92 is urged in a direction opposite to the arrow H (see FIG. 18) by a torsion spring (not shown).

  Further, a stopper (not shown) is provided on the shaft portion of the dummy jet receiving plate 94, and is configured to hold the dummy jet receiving plate 94 in a horizontal posture by being pushed by a torsion spring. Note that the dummy jet receiving plate 94 is located below the conveyance surface of the conveyance belt 58 and is not in contact with the paper when in the horizontal posture.

  Further, an absorbing member 96 is provided on the surface of the dummy jet receiving plate 94 on the recording head 38 side. The absorbing member 96 is formed of a polyester fiber material, and the ink droplets ejected from the recording head 38 toward the dummy jet receiving plate 94 are absorbed by the absorbing member 96. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent ink droplets ejected toward the dummy jet receiving plate 94 during the dummy jet from bouncing back and adhering to the conveying belt 58 by the dummy jet receiving plate 94.

  In the present embodiment, the dummy jet receiving plate 94 is provided with the absorbing member 96 for absorbing ink droplets. However, the dummy jet receiving plate 94 itself is formed of an absorbent body such as a polyester fiber material. Even so, the ink droplets ejected from the recording head 38 during the dummy jet can be absorbed by the dummy jet receiving plate 94. The absorbing member 96 can be formed of various members as long as it is a member that absorbs ink droplets as well as a polyester fiber material.

  Next, the operation of the fourth exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 17, at the time of dummy jet, ink droplets ejected from the recording head 38 are received by a dummy jet receiving plate 94 that maintains a horizontal posture. As a result, the ink droplet at the time of the dummy jet can be received by the dummy jet receiving plate 94 without moving the cap member 66 to the recording head 38 side. be able to. Accordingly, since the time loss is less than the structure in which the cap member 66 is moved to the recording head 38 side during the dummy jet and the cap member 66 is returned to the home position during printing, the printing speed is increased.

  On the other hand, at the time of maintenance, the drive gear 87 (see FIG. 6) is rotated to raise the partition wall 93. At this time, as shown in FIG. 18B, the dummy jet receiving plate 94 is pushed toward the maintenance device 64 by the recording head 38, and rotates in the direction of arrow H about the support shaft 92.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 18C, the eccentric cam 54 is rotated to raise the maintenance device 64. The nozzle surface of the recording head 38 is pressed against the packing 71 (see FIG. 7) of the cap member 66, and a maintenance operation is performed.

  Thus, by rotating the dummy jet receiving plate 94 toward the cap member 66 during maintenance, a space for sliding the dummy jet receiving plate 94 in the horizontal direction with respect to the transport surface is not required during maintenance. The recording device does not become large.

  When the maintenance operation is completed, the eccentric cam 54 is rotated to lower the maintenance device 64 to the home position, and at the same time, the drive gear 87 is rotated counterclockwise to lower the partition wall 93 to the home position. When the partition wall 93 is lowered, the dummy jet receiving plate 94 returns to the horizontal posture as shown in FIG. 18A by the urging force of the torsion spring attached to the support shaft 92.

  At the time of wiping, the partition wall 88 is moved in the direction opposite to the paper transport direction by a moving mechanism (not shown). Thereby, the wiping operation of the wiping member 68 is not hindered by the dummy jet receiving plate 94.

  In this embodiment, the partition wall 93 surrounds the recording head 38 and the cap member 66. However, two plate members are used in a substantially U shape in a plan view or in a direction orthogonal to the paper transport direction. You may use the partition formed. In this case, the dummy jet receiving plate 94 rotates to the cap member 66 side during maintenance to form a part of the partition wall, so that ink scattered during maintenance can also be received by the dummy jet receiving plate 94.

  Next, an ink jet recording apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In addition, description is abbreviate | omitted about the part similar to 1st Embodiment and 2nd Embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 19, the dummy jet receiving plate 142 is provided with an electrode 144. The same number of electrodes 144 as the nozzles 40 (see FIG. 3) of the recording head 38 are provided. A determination device (not shown) is connected to the electrode 144, and the determination device is connected to a control device (not shown).

  Next, the operation of the fifth exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  When ink droplets are ejected from the nozzles 40 of the recording head 38, the ink droplets abut on the electrodes 144 provided on the dummy jet receiving plate 142 at a position facing the nozzles 40. When an ink droplet adheres to the electrode 144, energization of the electrode 144 is confirmed by a determination device connected to the electrode 144, and a signal is sent to a control device connected to the determination device. When the control device receives a signal from the determination device that all the electrodes 144 are energized, it determines that the ink droplet ejection state of the nozzles 40 of the recording head 38 is normal, and sends a print start signal to the recording head 38. When a signal indicating that some of the electrodes 144 are not energized is received from the determination device, it is determined that the ink droplet ejection state of the nozzle is abnormal, and a print stop signal is sent to the recording head 38 to An error message is displayed on the display.

  In this way, by detecting the nozzle 40 from which ink droplets are not ejected by the electrode 144 provided on the dummy jet receiving plate 94, the ink droplet ejection state of the nozzles 40 of the recording head 38 is always managed. There is no image distortion.

  In the present embodiment, the inkjet recording apparatus in which the conveyance unit that conveys the sheet is configured by the upstream conveyance belt and the downstream conveyance belt has been described, but the configuration of the conveyance unit is not limited to the above configuration.

  For example, the present invention can also be applied to an ink jet recording apparatus configured with a transport unit as shown in FIG.

  Here, the conveyance unit will be briefly described.

  Unit recording heads 160 are provided at predetermined intervals on the upstream side in the direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction. On the downstream side, the unit recording head 160 is provided so as to cover the non-printing area of the upstream unit recording head 160. A conveyance belt 162 is stretched over a region (non-printing region) where printing is not performed by the upstream unit recording head 160 and the downstream unit recording head 160. Since the non-printing areas are alternately arranged with the printing areas, the conveying belts 162 are also alternately arranged to form a so-called staggered pattern.

  When the present invention is applied to an ink jet recording apparatus having a transport unit having such a configuration, a position facing the unit recording head 160 across the transported paper P, that is, a print region between the transport belts 162. The maintenance device 164 is arranged so as to correspond one-to-one with the unit recording head 160. A partition wall 166 having a size surrounding the maintenance device 164 and the recording head 160 is disposed between the maintenance device 164 and the recording head 160. As in the first embodiment, the partition 166 is configured to move in the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 21, the partition 166 rises to a position surrounding the recording head 160 during maintenance.

  As described above, since the unit recording head 160 is surrounded by the partition 166 at the time of maintenance, ink droplets scattered during the maintenance adhere to the partition 166. Accordingly, the conveyance belt 162 can be prevented from being soiled by ink droplets generated during maintenance.

  Similarly to the first embodiment, at the time of the dummy jet, the partition 166 rises to a position where the upper surface of the partition 166 is above the transport surface of the transport belt 162. Thereby, it is possible to prevent ink droplets from adhering to the conveyor belt 162 during the dummy jet.

  Furthermore, also in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 22A, the partition 168 formed using two plates, or as viewed in a plan view with one side open as shown in FIG. A character-shaped partition 170 may be used. In this case, the wiping operation is performed in the directions of the arrows J and K toward the plate portions of the partition walls 168 and 170, so that ink droplets scattered during the wiping operation are received by the plate material, and the conveying belt 162 is soiled. There is nothing to do.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an ink jet recording apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic plan view of a recording unit of an ink jet recording apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. (A) It is explanatory drawing of the variation of the unit recording head concerning the 1st Embodiment of this invention, (B) It is explanatory drawing of the variation of a recording head. It is explanatory drawing of the printing area | region of the inkjet recording device which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the partition of the maintenance apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the moving mechanism and partition of a maintenance apparatus which concern on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of a cap member concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows the drive mechanism of the maintenance apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and the movement state of a partition. (A) It is a perspective view which shows the drive mechanism of the maintenance apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and a motion of a partition, (B) It is a side view. (A) It is a perspective view which shows the drive mechanism of the maintenance apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and a motion of a partition, (B) It is a side view. (A) It is a perspective view which shows the drive mechanism of the maintenance apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and a motion of a partition, (B) It is a side view. (A) It is a perspective view which shows the drive mechanism of the maintenance apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and a motion of a partition, (B) It is a side view. (A) It is a perspective view which shows the drive mechanism of the maintenance apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and a motion of a partition, (B) It is a side view. (A)-(C) It is a side view which shows the drive mechanism of the maintenance apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and a motion of a partition. (A) It is a front view of the partition which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, (B) It is a front view of the partition of other embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the partition which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the structure of the partition which concerns on the 4th Embodiment of this invention. (A)-(C) It is a schematic block diagram which shows the drive state of the partition which concerns on the 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the dummy jet receiving plate which concerns on the 5th Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the inkjet recording device which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. (A), (B) It is a perspective view which shows the inkjet recording device which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. (A), (B) It is a perspective view which shows the inkjet recording device which concerns on other embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

10 Inkjet recording device 38 Recording head 58 Conveying belt (conveying means)
62 Endless belt 64 Maintenance device 66 Cap member (cap)
68 Wiping member (cleaning member)
88 Bulkhead 89 Bulkhead 90 Bulkhead 92 Support shaft (dummy jet receiving means)
94 Dummy jet backing plate (dummy jet receiving means)
96 Absorbing member 98 Charging member 142 Dummy jet receiving plate (dummy jet receiving means)
144 Electrode (detection device)
160 unit recording head (recording head)
162 Conveying belt (conveying means)
164 Maintenance device 166 Bulkhead

Claims (12)

A recording head having an ejection area of a recording medium width and ejecting ink droplets onto the recording medium;
A cap installed at a position facing the ink droplet ejection surface of the recording head and performing maintenance of the recording head;
A conveying unit arranged between the recording head and the cap so as to have a space allowing the movement of the cap, and conveying the recording medium to an ejection area of the recording head ;
A partition wall provided in the space and preventing ink scattering from the recording head to the transport unit during maintenance ;
A dummy jet receiving means for receiving an ink droplet ejected from the recording head, which rotates and falls between the recording head and the cap when the partition wall moves;
An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: The time of maintenance is when wiping the ink droplet discharge surface, when removing the cap from the recording head, or when using a dummy jet, and that the partition is movable between the recording head and the cap. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink jet recording apparatus is an ink jet recording apparatus.   The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the partition wall has a structure that surrounds the cap and the recording head.   The partition wall is formed by two plate portions facing each other and having a size extending between the cap and the recording head, and is located between the transport unit, the cap, and the recording head. Item 3. The ink jet recording apparatus according to item 1 or 2. The partition is formed of a U-shaped plate portion having an opening in the transport direction of the recording medium in a plan view surrounding the cap and the recording head,
On the foundation of the cap is provided, according to claim 1 or claim, wherein a cleaning member for wiping the discharge surface of the ink of the recording head enters into the partition wall from said opening is provided Item 3. The ink jet recording apparatus according to Item 2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein a wiping direction of the cleaning member is directed to a plate portion of the partition wall.   The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a charging member is installed on the partition wall. The dummy jet receiving means includes a spindle spanned over the inkjet recording apparatus, and a dummy jet receiving plate supported at one end by the spindle, and the dummy jet receiving plate supports the spindle. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the ink jet recording apparatus rotates toward the cap as a center . The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the dummy jet receiving unit rotates during maintenance to constitute a part of the partition wall . The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the dummy jet receiving means is provided with an absorbing member . The inkjet according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the dummy jet receiving means is provided with a detection device that detects a landing state of ink droplets ejected from the recording head. Recording device. The detection device includes the same number or more electrodes as the nozzles of the recording head, and a determination unit that energizes the electrodes and determines whether or not the ink droplets ejected from the nozzles of the recording head have landed. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the inkjet recording apparatus is configured.

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