JP4550200B2 - Ink suction device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to, for example, an ink suction device that actively sucks ink from an ink discharge port of a recording head of an inkjet printer to clean the ink discharge port.
[0002]
[Prior art]
The ink jet printer has a recording head arranged to face an upper side of a conveying surface that conveys a recording medium in a substantially horizontal direction. The recording head has a large number of ink ejection ports arranged in parallel in a direction that faces the conveyance surface and crosses the conveyance direction of the recording medium. In order to form a high-definition image, the diameters of the ink discharge ports are extremely fine and are arranged side by side with high density.
[0003]
As described above, the ink discharge port having an extremely small diameter is likely to be clogged with ink, and needs to be periodically cleaned. For this reason, after performing a positive pressure purge forcibly supplying ink from the ink supply side to the recording head, cleaning is performed by pressing the suction nozzle against the ink discharge port and sucking the ink discharge port and its periphery. Ink suction devices are known.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the conventional ink suction device, there is a problem that excess ink around the discharge port adheres around the suction nozzle in the suction after performing the positive pressure purge, and the inside of the apparatus is soiled by the attached ink.
[0005]
The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide an ink suction device capable of reliably sucking ink in a sucked portion and reliably collecting ink that could not be sucked by a suction nozzle. is there.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, an ink suction device of the present invention is a device for cleaning an ink discharge port of a printer head, and includes an ink chamber that is in a negative pressure state for sucking ink, and an upper wall of the ink chamber. A nozzle hole that penetrates the nozzle hole, a suction nozzle that is received in the nozzle hole, and an ink that is provided on the upper surface side of the upper wall so as to surround the periphery of the nozzle hole and is not sucked by the suction nozzle. An elastic member that deforms so as to seal a gap between the nozzle hole and the suction nozzle when a receiving ink receiving portion and a tip of the suction nozzle that protrudes upward from the ink receiving portion are pressed by the ink discharge port And.
[0007]
According to the present invention, when the tip of the suction nozzle is pressed by the ink discharge port , the elastic member is deformed, and the gap between the suction nozzle and the nozzle hole is sealed. In other words, in a state where the tip of the suction nozzle is pressed against the ink discharge port , negative pressure in the ink chamber acts on the ink discharge port via the suction nozzle, and air flows through the gap between the suction nozzle and the nozzle hole. Leakage is prevented.
[0008]
Furthermore, according to the above-described invention, it further includes a biasing member that biases the suction nozzle toward the tip end side.
[0009]
Thereby, when the ink discharge port is separated from the tip of the suction nozzle, the suction nozzle is pushed upward, the deformation state of the elastic member is released, and a gap is formed between the suction nozzle and the nozzle hole. As described above, when the ink discharge port is separated from the tip of the suction nozzle, the gap is formed between the suction nozzle and the nozzle hole so that the ink is not sucked through the suction nozzle and collected by the ink receiving unit. Ink is sucked into the ink chamber through the gap.
[0010]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
[0011]
FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of an ink jet printer (hereinafter simply referred to as a printer) 1 to which the present invention is applied.
[0012]
The printer 1 has a housing 2, and a substantially cylindrical drum 3 that rotates counterclockwise in the figure at a constant peripheral speed is disposed at a predetermined position in the center of the housing 2. The rotating shaft of the drum 3 extends in a horizontal direction from the front side to the rear side of the printer 1 and is rotatably attached to a frame (not shown) fixed to the housing 2.
[0013]
Around the drum 3, a charge charger 4 that charges the outer peripheral surface 3 a of the drum 3 and charges it to a predetermined potential, and a sheet as a recording medium that is electrostatically adsorbed on the outer peripheral surface 3 a by the action of the charging charger 4. The nozzle unit 5 that forms a color image by spraying ink thereon, and the peeling claw 3b that peels the paper on which the image is formed by being adsorbed on the outer circumferential surface 3a from the outer circumferential surface 3a of the drum 3 are arranged in the rotation direction of the drum 3. Are arranged in order.
[0014]
The nozzle unit 5 is moved up and down by the lifting mechanism 6 in the illustrated position close to the top of the drum 3, a maintenance position spaced a predetermined distance above the printing position, and a retreat spaced further above the maintenance position. It is provided to be selectively movable at the position.
[0015]
Further, the nozzle unit 5 is arranged at the illustrated printing position, and has four nozzle heads 5C, 5M, 5Y each having a tip portion facing the outer peripheral surface 3a of the drum 3 with an interval of 1 mm, for example. 5B (recording head). Each of the nozzle heads 5C, 5M, 5Y, and 5B is held by the nozzle unit 5 so as to extend radially from the central axis 3c of the drum 3, and a predetermined distance from each other along the rotation direction of the drum 3, that is, the sub-scanning direction. They are spaced apart. In addition, a large number of ink discharge ports (not shown) arranged in parallel at equal intervals along the axial direction of the drum 3, that is, the main scanning direction, are provided at the tip portions of the nozzle heads 5C, 5M, 5Y, and 5B. .
[0016]
A maintenance mechanism 10 for cleaning a large number of ink discharge ports provided at the tip of each nozzle head 5C, 5M, 5Y, 5B of the nozzle unit 5 is swingably attached to the rotating shaft of the drum 3. Yes. The maintenance mechanism 10 is interposed between the drum 3 and the nozzle unit 5 in a state where the nozzle unit 5 is moved to the above-described maintenance position, and passes through a large number of ink ejection ports of the nozzle heads 5C, 5M, 5Y, and 5B. Aspirate the ink positively and clean the ink outlet. The maintenance mechanism 10 is rocked by a rocking mechanism (not shown) around the rotating shaft 3c of the drum 3, and can move between the retracted position A and the maintenance position B shown in FIG.
[0017]
A paper feed cassette 7 that stores a plurality of sheets in a stacked state is disposed at the bottom of the housing 2, and a discharge tray 8 that discharges sheets on which images are printed is disposed on the top surface of the housing 2. ing. A manual tray 9 for manually feeding paper is attached to the right side wall portion of the housing 2 in the drawing.
[0018]
Further, in the housing 2, ink of each color (C: cyan, M: magenta, Y: yellow, B: black) is supplied to a large number of ink discharge ports of the nozzle heads 5 C, 5 M, 5 Y, and 5 B of the nozzle unit 5. An ink supply mechanism 11 for supplying is provided. The ink supply mechanism 11 includes a plurality of ink tanks 11a (only one is shown in FIG. 1) each containing ink of each color, and a plurality of ink pumps 11b (only one is shown in FIG. 1) for sending ink from each ink tank. ).
[0019]
Thus, the sheets stored in the sheet feeding cassette 7 are picked up one by one from the top end by the pickup roller 7a, or the sheets supplied through the manual feed tray 9 are picked up one by one by the pickup roller 9a. The tip of the aligning roller 12 is once aligned. On the other hand, a predetermined charge is applied to the outer peripheral surface 3 a of the drum 3 rotated at a constant speed through the charging charger 4 in accordance with the feeding timing of the sheet aligned by the aligning roller 12. A predetermined region of the outer peripheral surface 3a is charged to a predetermined potential.
[0020]
Then, the paper aligned by the aligning roller 12 is supplied toward the outer peripheral surface 3 a charged to a predetermined potential, and the paper is electrostatically attracted to the outer peripheral surface 3 a of the drum 3. The sheet electrostatically attracted to the outer peripheral surface 3a of the drum 3 is moved in the sub-scanning direction as the drum 3 rotates, and passes through the printing area between the nozzle unit 5 disposed at the printing position. Ink of each color is ejected through a large number of ink ejection openings of the nozzle heads 5C, 5M, 5Y, and 5B of the nozzle unit 5 to form a color image on the paper.
[0021]
The paper on which the color image is formed in this manner is peeled off from the outer peripheral surface 3a of the drum 3 by the peeling claw 3b, is nipped and conveyed by the pair of feed rollers 13, and passes through a plurality of pairs of discharge rollers 14, 15, and 16. It is discharged onto the discharge tray 8.
[0022]
Next, the maintenance mechanism 10 described above will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0023]
2 and 3 are operation explanatory views for explaining a maintenance operation for cleaning a large number of ink ejection ports of the nozzle heads 5C, 5M, 5Y, and 5B of the nozzle unit 5 by the maintenance mechanism 10. FIG. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view in which the suction nozzle unit 20 incorporated in the maintenance mechanism 10 is disassembled into a plurality of components. The suction nozzle unit 20 functions as the ink suction device of the present invention.
[0024]
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the maintenance mechanism 10 includes an arm 21 swingably attached to the rotating shaft 3c of the drum 3, a support stage 22 attached to the tip of the swing of the arm 21, and the support. It has a carrier 23 slidably attached to the stage 22 via a shaft 22 a in the main scanning direction, and a suction nozzle unit 20 accommodated in the carrier 23. The suction nozzle unit 20 is mounted on the carrier 23 via a spring 24 as a biasing member for balance, and can move in the main scanning direction by moving the carrier 23 along the shaft 22a.
[0025]
As shown in detail in FIG. 4, the suction nozzle unit 20 has a suction chamber 25 (ink chamber) for generating negative pressure inside and sucking ink. Near the bottom of the suction chamber 25, a tube 25a connected to a suction pump (not shown) is connected.
[0026]
In the upper part of the suction chamber 25, the ink functions as a lid (upper wall) for sealing the suction chamber 25 and also functions as an ink tray for collecting ink that has not been sucked through the suction nozzle 29 described later. A receiving portion 26 is attached. The ink receiving portion 26 is brought into close contact with the upper end flange portion of the suction chamber 25 via an annular packing 26a, and is fixed by a screw (not shown). In the ink receiving portion 26, four nozzle holes 27C, 27M, 27Y, 27B penetrating the lid toward the suction chamber 25 are formed.
[0027]
Suction nozzles 29C, 29M, 29Y, and 29B (here, suction nozzles 29) are attached to the nozzle holes 27C, 27M, 27Y, and 27B via elastic members 28, respectively. The elastic member 28 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape having an outer diameter larger than the diameter of the nozzle hole 27, and a substantially rectangular plate-shaped flange portion 29 a fixed near the upper end (tip) of the suction nozzle 29 and the ink receiving portion 26. It is mounted between the nozzle hole 27 and the bottom surface around it. The elastic member 28 is sandwiched and pressed between the flange portion 29a and the bottom surface of the ink receiving portion 26 when the tip end of the suction nozzle 29 is pressed by the tip end (suctioned portion) of the nozzle unit 5 described above. It is deformed and functions to seal a slight gap between the suction nozzle 29 and the nozzle hole 27.
[0028]
A stopper 31 is attached near the lower end of the suction nozzle 29 that is inserted into the nozzle hole 27 and exposed in the suction chamber 25 to prevent the suction nozzle 29 from coming out above the ink receiving portion 26. The stopper 31 is attached at a position where the elastic member 28 is not pressed between the flange portion 29 a of the suction nozzle 29 and the upper surface of the ink receiving portion 26. That is, there is a backlash between the suction nozzle 29 and the nozzle hole 27 in a state where the stopper 31 is attached near the lower end of the suction nozzle 29.
[0029]
Further, a spring 32 that functions as a biasing member is inserted from the lower end side of the suction nozzle 29 so that the suction nozzle 29 is always biased toward the tip end side. That is, the spring 32 always urges the suction nozzle 29 upward so that the elastic member 28 mounted between the flange portion 29a and the ink receiving portion 26 is not normally pressed and deformed between the two. To do. Thereby, the elastic member 28 is not brought into close contact with the ink receiving portion 26, and a slight gap is formed between the suction nozzle 29 and the nozzle hole 27.
[0030]
Next, a cleaning operation by the maintenance mechanism 10 configured as described above will be described.
[0031]
First, as shown in FIG. 2, the lifting / lowering mechanism 6 moves the nozzle unit 5 to the retracted position, and the swing mechanism (not shown) moves the maintenance mechanism 10 from the retracted position A to the maintenance position B. Then, the nozzle unit 5 is lowered to bring the tip of each nozzle head 5C, 5M, 5Y, 5B closer to the support stage 22 of the maintenance mechanism 10, and in this state, each nozzle head 5C, 5M, 5Y, 5B of the nozzle unit 5 is placed. A positive pressure purge is performed to cause the ink to flow out via the, and the discharged ink is collected by the support stage 22.
[0032]
Thereafter, the nozzle unit 5 is lifted slightly, the carrier 23 of the maintenance mechanism 10 is slid under the nozzle unit 5, and the nozzle unit 5 is lowered to the maintenance position shown in FIG. As a result, the tips of the nozzle heads 5C, 5M, 5Y, and 5B are pressed against the tips of the suction nozzles 29C, 29M, 29Y, and 29B of the suction nozzle unit 20 of the maintenance mechanism 10.
[0033]
At this time, the suction nozzles 29C, 29M, 29Y, and 29B are slightly pushed into the suction chamber 25 against the biasing force of the spring 32, and the elastic members 28 are connected to the flange portion 29a of the suction nozzle 29 and the ink receiving portion. It is pressed between the bottom surface of the portion 26 and deformed. When the elastic member 28 is deformed in this way, a slight gap between each suction nozzle 29 and the nozzle hole 27 is sealed by the elastic member 28.
[0034]
In this state, when a suction pump (not shown) is operated to generate a negative pressure in the suction chamber 25, the negative pressure acts only through the four suction nozzles 29, and the suction efficiency can be improved.
[0035]
In the suction operation, the carrier 23 is moved along the main scanning direction, and the tips of the suction nozzles 29C, 29M, 29Y, and 29B are slid along the tips of the corresponding nozzle heads 5C, 5M, 5Y, and 5B. A large number of ink discharge ports and their peripheral portions are sequentially sucked by the suction nozzle 29.
[0036]
When the suction operation from all the ink ejection ports is completed, the nozzle unit 5 is raised to the retracted position by the lifting mechanism 6, and the suction nozzle 29 is pushed upward by the restoring force of the elastic member 28 and the biasing force of the spring 32. . At this time, a suction operation by a suction pump (not shown) continues. When the deformed state of the elastic member 28 is released and the elastic member 28 does not come into close contact with the bottom surface of the ink receiving portion 26, a slight gap is formed between the suction nozzle 29 and the nozzle hole 27, and this gap is interposed. Negative pressure is applied.
[0037]
As described above, when a gap is formed between the suction nozzle 29 and the nozzle hole 27, the ink collected in the ink receiving unit 26 without being sucked through the suction nozzle 29 is sucked through the suction chamber 25 through the gap. Sucked in.
[0038]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the tips of the nozzle heads 5C, 5M, 5Y, and 5B of the nozzle unit 5 are pressed against the tips of the suction nozzles 29C, 29M, 29Y, and 29B of the suction nozzle unit 20, Since the elastic member 28 is deformed, the gap between each suction nozzle 29 and the nozzle hole 27 is sealed. Therefore, the negative pressure in the suction chamber 25 can be efficiently applied to the tip of the nozzle head, the suction efficiency can be increased, and the ink at the ink discharge port can be reliably sucked.
[0039]
Further, according to the present embodiment, when the nozzle unit 5 is retracted upward and the suction nozzles 29C, 29M, 29Y, 29B are separated from the nozzle heads 5C, 5M, 5Y, 5B, the elastic member 28 is deformed. Therefore, a slight gap is formed between each suction nozzle 29 and the nozzle hole 27. Therefore, after the suction operation is completed, the ink collected by the ink receiving unit 26 without being sucked through the suction nozzle 29 can be sucked into the suction chamber 25 through the gap, and the ink collected by the ink receiving unit 26 is also It can be reliably recovered.
[0040]
In addition, this invention is not limited to embodiment mentioned above, A various deformation | transformation is possible within the scope of this invention.
[0041]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, since the ink suction device of the present invention has the above-described configuration and operation, ink can be reliably sucked from the ink discharge port of the nozzle head and is not sucked from the suction nozzle. Further, the ink collected by the ink receiving portion can be reliably collected by the suction device.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an ink jet printer including an ink suction device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is an operation explanatory diagram for explaining an operation by a maintenance mechanism incorporated in the ink jet printer of FIG. 1. FIG.
3 is an operation explanatory diagram for explaining an operation by a maintenance mechanism incorporated in the ink jet printer of FIG. 1. FIG.
4 is an exploded perspective view in which a suction nozzle unit incorporated in the maintenance mechanism of FIGS. 3 and 4 is disassembled. FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 ... Inkjet printer,
3 ... Drum,
3a ... outer peripheral surface,
5 ... Nozzle unit,
5C, 5M, 5Y, 5B ... Nozzle head,
6 ... Elevating mechanism,
10 ... Maintenance mechanism,
20 ... suction nozzle unit,
23 ... Career,
25 ... suction chamber,
26: Ink receiving part,
27C, 27M, 27Y, 27B ... nozzle holes,
28 ... an elastic member,
29C, 29M, 29Y, 29B ... suction nozzle,
29a ... flange portion,
31 ... Stopper,
32 ... Spring,
A: Retraction position,
B: Maintenance position.

Claims (2)

An ink suction device for cleaning an ink discharge port of a printer head,
An ink chamber that is in a negative pressure state to suck ink;
Nozzle holes provided through the upper wall of the ink chamber;
A suction nozzle that is received in the nozzle hole;
An ink receiving portion that is provided on the upper surface side of the upper wall so as to surround the periphery of the nozzle hole and receives ink that has not been sucked by the suction nozzle;
An elastic member that deforms to seal a gap between the nozzle hole and the suction nozzle when a tip protruding upward from the ink receiving portion of the suction nozzle is pressed by the ink discharge port ;
An ink suction device comprising:   The ink suction device according to claim 1, further comprising a biasing member that biases the suction nozzle toward a tip side thereof.

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