JP4710640B2 - Liquid ejector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects liquid onto a target.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, an ink jet recording apparatus that is a liquid ejecting apparatus includes an ink jet recording head. This ink jet recording head is provided with a large number of nozzles arranged in a row in order to eject ink onto recording paper or the like.
However, if the nozzles are left as they are during non-printing (when the ink is not ejected from the nozzles on the recording paper), the ink in the nozzles will dry out, resulting in ejection failure when printing is started. There is a fear.

For this reason, at the time of non-printing, the cap for covering the nozzle is in contact with the nozzle plate to cover the nozzle and prevent the ink in the nozzle from being dried.
At this time, an ink absorbing material is disposed in the cap as a device for preventing the atmosphere in the cap covering the nozzle from further drying the ink in the nozzle (for example, see Patent Document 1).
By arranging the ink absorbing material impregnated with ink in the cap in this way, the atmosphere in the cap when the nozzle is covered with the cap is maintained in a moist state. It can be prevented appropriately.
The atmosphere in the cap is configured to be sucked by a suction pump, and the ink impregnated in the ink absorbing material is discharged by the suction pump.

On the other hand, when a carriage mounted with a liquid ejecting head and reciprocally moved in the main scanning direction is in a printing area and printing is performed on a target paper, one of the printing formats is called borderless printing. is there.
In other words, the borderless printing is a method in which a liquid such as ink is ejected to the region of the peripheral edge SP of the paper P in FIG.

When such borderless printing is performed, when the paper P is fed, the inside of the platen that supports the paper P from below is located at a position corresponding to the peripheral edge SP of the paper P to be fed. A borderless printing absorbent material is arranged to receive and absorb ink ejected from the outer edge of the paper P to the outside.
However, with such a configuration, the total amount of ink absorbed that is discarded by borderless printing is very limited.
Therefore, in this case, in order to reliably guide the ink to the borderless printing absorbent in the platen, it is preferable to perform suction from the bottom surface side of the borderless printing absorbent.
The need for suction is particularly high when borderless printing is performed using ink with low penetrating ability such as pigment ink. Therefore, a technique for sucking the inside of the platen is also known (see Patent Document 2).
JP 2001-96756 A (FIG. 2 etc.) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-225311 (FIGS. 1, 5, etc.)

  However, providing a suction means (pump) used for suction during borderless printing and a suction means (pump) for sucking the inside of the cap described above makes it possible to reduce the size of this type of liquid ejecting apparatus. This is a factor that hinders production and increases manufacturing costs.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problem. Even if the borderless printing is repeatedly performed, the discarded ink can be reliably sucked, and the combined use of the suction means for the platen and the capping means is realized. An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid ejecting apparatus that can realize a reduction in manufacturing cost.

  In the present invention, the above-described object is a liquid ejecting apparatus including a liquid ejecting head that ejects liquid and a carriage that is mounted with the liquid ejecting head and is reciprocated in the main scanning direction. And capping means arranged so as to be able to cover the nozzles appropriately when in the non-printing area, and the carriage is in the printing area and is arranged behind the printing object when performing borderless printing. And an edgeless printing absorbent, which is provided in the platen and is adapted to receive the liquid ejected in an area protruding from an outer edge of the printing object, and is connected to each of the capping means and the platen. A suction means for exerting a suction force, and connecting paths respectively extending from the suction means to the capping means and the platen, The liquid ejecting apparatus configured to be opened and closed in response to movement of the serial carriage is achieved.

According to the above configuration, only one suction means for exerting suction force is provided, and connection paths extending from the suction means to the inside of the platen and the capping means are opened and closed according to the movement of the carriage. It is the composition which is done.
For this reason, even if only one suction means is provided, the inside of the platen and the capping means are sucked according to the position of the carriage.
Therefore, even if a lot of borderless printing is performed, the waste ink in the platen can be sucked and discarded as appropriate, so that the waste liquid absorbent that is the absorber for borderless printing becomes full immediately due to space constraints, for example, Maintenance errors can be effectively prevented.
Thus, it is possible to provide a liquid ejecting apparatus that can surely suck out discarded ink even when repeated borderless printing, and can also be used as a suction means for a platen and a capping means, and can realize downsizing and reduction in manufacturing cost. Can do.

Preferably, the connection paths extending from the suction means to the capping means and the platen are alternatively opened and closed.
According to the above configuration, the negative pressure generated by the suction unit acts on either the capping unit or the platen, so that more reliable suction can be realized.

Preferably, when the carriage is in a non-printing area, a connection path for connecting the capping means and the suction means is opened, and when the carriage is in a printing area, the suction means and the platen are connected. The connection path to be connected is configured to open.
According to the above configuration, when the carriage is in the printing area and the liquid ejecting head performs borderless printing, or when the carriage is in the non-printing area and the liquid ejecting head is capped, Suction is performed.

Preferably, a plurality of projecting portions projecting at least in a certain direction are arranged along the main scanning direction of the carriage, and the carriage is located at each position of the non-printing area and the printing area. Each protrusion is configured to be closed by selectively pushing each tube as the connection path.
According to the above configuration, each connection path is opened and closed accurately corresponding to the operation of the carriage without adding any special driving means.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The embodiments described below are preferable specific examples of the present invention, and thus various technically preferable limitations are given. However, the scope of the present invention is particularly limited in the following description. Unless otherwise stated, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an ink jet recording apparatus (hereinafter referred to as “recording apparatus”) 100 according to an embodiment of a liquid ejecting apparatus of the invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, the recording apparatus 100 includes a carriage 101. The carriage 101 is guided by a guide member 104 via a timing belt 103 driven by a carriage motor 102, and is a guide member in the main scanning direction. 104 is configured to reciprocate in the axial direction.

For example, an ink jet recording head (hereinafter referred to as “recording head”) 110 that is a liquid ejecting head is mounted on the side of the carriage 101 in FIG. For example, an ink cartridge unit 106 that supplies ink, such as liquid, is detachably loaded in the recording head 110. The ink cartridge unit 106 includes a plurality of independently replaceable ink cartridges, as will be described later with reference to FIG.
Further, the lower surface of the recording paper 200 is supported by the platen 10 and is fed along a sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction by a paper feed roller or the like.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a capping unit 120, a suction pump 130 as a suction unit, a wiping member 140, and the like are arranged in a non-printing area (home position H) where the recording paper 200 is not arranged.
FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a state where the carriage 101 of FIG. 1 has moved to the home position and the capping means 120 is in contact with the recording head 110.
As shown in FIG. 2, a nozzle plate 111 having a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink is disposed on the lower surface of the recording head 110.

Further, the nozzle plate 111 abuts against the wiping member 140 when the recording head 110 moves together with the carriage 101 from the home position to the print area in FIG. 1, and the surface of the nozzle plate 111 is wiped by the wiping member 140 to perform cleaning. It becomes the composition which is done.
As shown in FIG. 2, the capping unit 120 includes a cap holder 121 having an open upper surface and a concave shape, and a cap member 122 accommodated in the cap holder 121.
Further, for example, an ink absorbing material 123 which is a liquid holding means impregnated with ink is disposed on the inner bottom of the cap member 122. The ink absorbing material 123 is preferably formed of a hydrophilic material, and can be formed of, for example, a sponge made of polyvinyl alcohol which is a foaming material.
The capping means 120 has a slider 124 and a rotating arm 125 for moving the slider 124 up and down.

  Then, when the capping unit 120 is moved by the rotating arm 125 and the cap member 122 of the capping unit 120 contacts the nozzle plate 111 of the recording head 110 as shown in FIG. 2, the capping unit 120 covers the nozzle. Will be placed.

As shown in FIG. 2, the capping unit 120 is provided with an atmosphere opening port 128, and the suction pump 130 is connected to the first tube 11 as a connection unit. The first tube 11 is excellent in air tightness and liquid tightness, and is preferably a flexible tube that can be combined with the tube pump as the suction pump 130.
For this reason, when the atmosphere opening 128 is closed and the suction pump 130 sucks the atmosphere in the capping unit 120, the atmosphere in the capping unit 120 becomes negative pressure, and the ink impregnated in the ink absorbent 123 is sucked into the suction pump. 130 is configured to be discharged to the waste ink tank 14 through the third tube 13.
Further, the suction pump 130 is connected to the platen 10 via the second tube 12, and as described later, the ink impregnated in the borderless printing absorbent in the platen 10 is absorbed by the suction pump 130. The configuration is such that the waste ink tank 14 is discharged through the third tube 13.

FIG. 3 is a main part configuration diagram for explaining an example of a configuration for switching an object to be sucked by the suction pump 130 in accordance with the movement of the carriage 101.
The carriage 101, the platen 10 and the like are actually more complicated shapes, and the shape configuration can be changed variously, so that they are shown in a simplified manner.
Similarly, FIGS. 4 and 5 are configuration examples of the platen 10, and FIG. 6 is an operation diagram for explaining an operation of switching a suction target by the suction pump 130 according to the movement of the carriage 101.

First, FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 will be referred to.
4 is a schematic plan view showing a part of the platen 10, and FIG. 5 is an end view taken along line AA of FIG.
In FIG. 4, the arrow A is the main scanning direction in which the carriage moves, and the arrow B is the sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction, which is the direction in which the paper P is fed.
As shown in FIG. 4, the platen 10 has a rectangular shape that is long in one direction, and has a length dimension that is larger than at least the width direction of the paper P (the paper P has a plurality of sizes such as B5 and A4). Have.

The platen 10 has, for example, a shallow tray shape, and a low rib-shaped support portion 15 stands from the inner bottom surface. A plurality of support portions 15 are formed as 15a, 15b, 15c, 15d... At a predetermined interval in the length direction.
The support portion 15 can support the paper P at a position above the inner bottom surface of the platen 10. The paper P is fed along the sub-scanning direction B by a paper feed roller or the like (not shown).

In FIG. 4, a borderless printing absorbent 16 (hereinafter referred to as “absorbent 16”) is disposed in a predetermined region 17 inside the platen 10 and close to the outer edge thereof. The absorbent material 16 can be the same as the absorbent material 123 of the cap member 122. For example, the absorbent material 16 is made of a hydrophilic material, for example, a sponge made of polyvinyl alcohol, which is a foaming material. can do.
In addition, by performing suction described later, it is possible to use an adsorbing sheet or the like that can handle ink mist, which has been a problem until now.
That is, when borderless printing is performed on the paper P, the absorbent material 16 is within a range in which the waste ink ejected outside the peripheral edge SP of FIG. Are arranged (refer to FIG. 5 together).

With reference to FIG. 3, the switching means 20 for opening and closing the connection of the suction pump to the tube, which is a connection path for transmitting the suction force, will be described.
In FIG. 3, the carriage 101 is formed with a protruding portion 21 that protrudes in the sub-scanning direction B, which is a direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction A, on the side thereof. With the overhang portion 21 as a base, two cam portions 22 and 23 projecting downward are formed on the lower surface of the overhang portion 21.
The cam portions 22 and 23 or at least the cam surfaces 22a and 23a protruding from the respective lower surfaces are formed at positions shifted in the main scanning direction A and at positions shifted in the sub-scanning direction B. ing.

An opening / closing portion 25 is disposed below each cam portion 22, 23.
The opening / closing unit 25 includes pressing pieces 26 and 27 for crushing and closing the middle of the first tube 11 and the second tube 12 corresponding to each connection path, or returning to the original shape and opening. Yes.
That is, each of the pressing pieces 26 and 27 has, for example, a shape that is long in one direction, the tip is relatively round so as not to damage the tube, and the other end is pivotally supported. In addition, for example, a torsion spring or the like is arranged around the axis of the rotation shaft, so that the tip end portion is biased in a tilting direction.

The 1st tube 11 and the 2nd tube 12 are being fixed to the same height in parallel in the location of the opening-and-closing part 25, for example.
When the pressing piece 27 presses the first tube 11 and crushes a part thereof, the suction force of the suction pump 130 cannot suck the cap member 122 of the capping unit 120. For this reason, the suction force of the suction pump 130 acts only on the platen 10 via the second tube 12.
Conversely, when the tip of the pressing piece 27 rises to release the pressure, and the pressing piece 26 presses the second tube 12 and crushes a part thereof, the suction force of the suction pump 130 is changed to the first suction force. The tube 11 acts only within the cap member 122 of the capping means 120. As a result, even if two tubes are connected to one suction pump, the suction power is not halved.

  6 and 7 show that such an operation is performed in response to the movement of the carriage 101. The pressing pieces 26 and 27 are expressed at positions shifted in the main scanning direction for convenience of understanding, but actually, as shown in FIG. 3, they are arranged side by side at the same position in the main scanning direction. It is what.

When the printer 10 performs borderless printing, the carriage 101 is in the printing area. By performing borderless printing, printing is performed over the peripheral edge SP of the paper P in FIG. 4, so that the ink discharged beyond the outer edge of the peripheral edge SP is held in the absorbent material 16. Is done. At this time, the amount of ink held in the absorbent 16 is counted, or the time for borderless printing is counted. When the predetermined amount is exceeded, the carriage is slightly moved from the printing area in the direction of the arrow A1 in FIG. Move to the position. In this position, in the opening / closing part 25 (see FIG. 3) of the carriage 101, the apex of the cam surface 22a protruding downward from the cam part 22 pushes one end part of the pressing piece 27 downward fully, 1 tube 11 is crushed. For this reason, the connection between the suction pump 130 and the capping means 120 is closed.
On the other hand, since the cam portion 23 of the opening / closing portion 25 of the carriage 101 is separated from the pressing piece 26, the pressing piece 26 crushes the second tube 12 while being urged by the urging means described above. There is nothing. For this reason, the suction pump 130 and the platen 10 are connected.
Accordingly, since the suction force of the suction pump 130 acts only on the platen 10 depending on the position of the carriage 101, the suction force of the suction pump 130 is not impaired, and the ink impregnated in the ink absorbing material 126 is added to the third tube. 13 is discharged to the waste ink tank 14 of FIG.

Next, when the carriage 101 is moved in the arrow A1 direction in FIG. 7 in the main scanning direction, that is, in the depth direction in FIG. 3, the carriage 101 moves to the home position which is a non-printing area. Then, as described with reference to FIG. 2, the capping unit 120 is in contact with the recording head 110.
At this position, in the opening / closing part 25 (see FIG. 3) of the carriage 101, the apex of the cam surface 23a protruding downward from the cam part 23 pushes one end of the pressing piece 26 downward fully, The second tube 12 is crushed. For this reason, the connection between the suction pump 130 and the platen 10 is closed.

On the other hand, since the cam portion 22 of the opening / closing portion 25 of the carriage 101 is separated from the pressing piece 27, the pressing piece 27 crushes the first tube 11 while being urged upright by the urging means described above. There is nothing. For this reason, the suction pump 130 and the capping means 120 are connected.
Thus, as described with reference to FIG. 2, the atmosphere in the capping unit 120 is sucked by the suction pump 130 so that the atmosphere in the capping unit 120 becomes negative pressure, and the ink impregnated in the ink absorbing material 123 is sucked. The ink is discharged to the waste ink tank 14 through the third tube 13 by the pump 130.

As described above, even if only one suction pump 130 is provided, the inside of the platen 10 and the capping means 120 are sucked in accordance with the position of the carriage 101 without providing another switching drive unit. The
Accordingly, even if a large number of borderless printing is performed, the ink discarded into the platen 10 can be sucked and discarded as appropriate, so that the waste liquid absorber 16 for borderless printing is quickly filled due to space constraints, for example, maintenance errors. Is effectively prevented.
Thus, it is possible to provide a recording apparatus 100 that can surely suck out discarded ink even when borderless printing is repeated, and that can also serve as a suction means for a platen and a capping means, and can realize downsizing and reduction in manufacturing cost. Can do.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. Furthermore, a part of the configuration of the above-described embodiment may be omitted, or may be configured in combination with other configurations not mentioned.
In the present invention, the mechanism for crushing the second tube may be omitted, and only the mechanism for crushing the first tube may be used, and the first tube may be crushed only when the capping means is sucked.
In the present invention, the cam 22a and the cam 23a may be in the same position in the main scanning direction of the carriage, and the pressing pieces 26 and 27 may be shifted in the main scanning direction. That is, it is only necessary to select a tube to be crushed according to the positional relationship of the carriage.
In the present invention, it has been described that the ink in the capping unit 120 is sucked. However, the ink can be sucked from the recording head 110 by driving the suction pump 130 in a state where the recording head 110 is sealed by the capping unit 120. Good.
The present invention is not limited to an ink jet recording apparatus, but a recording head used in an image recording apparatus such as a printer, a color material ejecting head used in manufacturing a color filter such as a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, and an FED (surface emitting). Electrode material ejection heads used for electrode formation such as displays), liquid ejection devices using liquid ejection heads that eject liquids such as bio-organic matter ejection heads used in biochip manufacturing, sample ejection devices as precision pipettes, etc. Applicable.

1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an ink jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of a liquid ejecting apparatus of the invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which the carriage in FIG. 1 is moved to a home position and a capping unit is in contact with a recording head. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a main part of the recording apparatus in FIG. 1. The schematic block diagram which shows a part of platen. The AA cut | disconnection end elevation of FIG. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of a switching unit of the recording apparatus in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of a switching unit of the recording apparatus in FIG. 1. Explanatory drawing of borderless printing.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Platen, 11 ... 1st tube, 12 ... 2nd tube, 13 ... 3rd tube, 20 ... Switching means, 22, 23 ... Cam part, 25 ... Opening / closing section, 26 ... pressing piece, 27 ... pressing piece, 100 ... inkjet recording apparatus, 101 ... carriage, 102 ... carriage motor, 103 ... timing belt, 104 ... Guide member, 120 ... Capping means, 121 ... Cap holder, 122 ... Cap member, 123 ... Ink absorber, 125 ... Rotating arm, 128 ... Open to atmosphere , 130 ... Suction pump, 140 ... Wiping member

Claims (1)

A liquid ejecting apparatus having a liquid ejecting head for ejecting liquid and a carriage mounted with the liquid ejecting head and reciprocated in the main scanning direction,
Capping means arranged so as to be able to appropriately cover the nozzle when the carriage is in a non-printing area;
When the carriage is in a printing area, and performing borderless printing, the liquid ejected in the area protruding from the outer edge of the printing object is provided in a platen disposed behind the printing object. A borderless printing absorber adapted to receive,
The capping means, and one suction means connected to each of the platens for exerting a suction force;
A first connection path extending from the suction means to the capping means;
A second connection path extending from the suction means to the platen;
The first connection path is provided on the carriage and can be closed by pressing the first connection path, and the second connection path can be blocked by pressing the second connection path. A pressing portion configured to be closable;
Liquid-jet apparatus characterized by obtaining Bei a.

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