JP6167695B2 - Inkjet recording device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an inkjet recording apparatus including an inkjet head that ejects ink toward a recording sheet.

  In an ink jet recording apparatus, when ink is ejected from an ink jet head, a part of ink droplets may not land on a recording paper and become ink mist and float in the apparatus, which may cause various problems. In the conventional ink jet recording apparatus, as a countermeasure against such ink mist, methods such as suppression of ink mist floating by suction and suppression of ink mist floating by static electricity are adopted.

  Patent Document 1 discloses an ink jet recording apparatus having mist suction means for electrostatically adsorbing ink mist. This mist suction means can cause the potential difference between the nozzle plate and the electrode member by grounding the nozzle plate, and can adsorb the ink mist to the electrode member. Patent Document 2 discloses an ink jet printer in which a conductive brush attached to an ink jet head and a nozzle plate are grounded to have the same potential. In this configuration, since the tip of the conductive brush contacts the recording paper, the recording paper and the nozzle plate are at the same potential, and there is no electric field between the nozzle plate and the recording paper. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the charged ink mist and paper dust from being attracted to the nozzle plate side.

JP 2009-241578 A JP 2011-156777 A

  In the configurations of Patent Documents 1 and 2, floating or adhesion of the ink mist is suppressed by controlling the potential of the nozzle plate and its surrounding members. However, if the ink mist is charged, it is unavoidable to be affected by the electric field and static electricity generated in the machine of the ink jet recording apparatus, and the ink mist that cannot be collected by the suction means or the like has some trouble in the machine. May be generated. Further, the configurations of Patent Documents 1 and 2 require wiring and electrodes for ground connection, and there is a problem that the configuration becomes complicated.

  In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to propose an ink jet recording apparatus that can suppress problems caused by charged ink mist with a simple configuration.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to solve at least a part of the problems described above, and the invention can be implemented as the following forms or application examples.

  Application Example 1 An inkjet head that ejects ink onto a recording medium, a carriage on which the inkjet head is mounted, and a static elimination member that is attached to one or both of the inkjet head and the carriage. Is an ink jet recording apparatus configured to be able to remove charges of an object in a non-contact state.

  According to this configuration, the ink jet recording apparatus includes the static elimination member that can neutralize the surrounding object in a non-contact manner on the inkjet head or the carriage. Conventionally, when ink is ejected from an ink jet head, the rear end portion of the ink droplet main body flying toward the recording paper is separated into fine ink droplets, which are charged and floated to form an ink mist. It was converted. In the present invention, since the charge can be removed from the ink droplets by the charge eliminating member, the fine ink droplets that have been conventionally made into ink mist easily fall on the recording paper together with the ink droplet main body, and the floating of the fine ink droplets is suppressed. Further, even if fine ink droplets are in a floating state, charging of the ink droplets can be suppressed, so that it is possible to suppress the ink droplets from being attracted to a member charged with static electricity and causing a problem. In addition, the structure is simple because it is only necessary to attach a static eliminating member and there is no need to make a ground connection.

  (Application Example 2) A carriage movement mechanism that reciprocates the carriage in a scanning direction orthogonal to the recording medium conveyance direction, and the charge removal member changes a traveling direction when the carriage moves to one end side of a scanning section. It is affixed to one or both of the side of the carriage or the inkjet head that faces and the side of the carriage or the inkjet head that faces the traveling direction when moving to the other end of the scanning section. The above-described ink jet recording apparatus.

  When ink is ejected by scanning the carriage and the inkjet head, ink droplets are attracted by a negative pressure or the like in the vicinity of the side surface facing the traveling direction during scanning. Therefore, by disposing the charge removal member on the side surface facing the traveling direction during scanning, the ink droplet can be effectively discharged, and the ink droplet can be prevented from floating in a charged state.

  (Application Example 3) One end of the scanning section of the carriage is a standby position where the inkjet head is retracted from above the recording medium, and the charge eliminating member is moved from the standby position to the other end side of the scanning section. The ink jet recording apparatus as described above, wherein the ink jet recording apparatus is affixed to a side surface of the carriage or the ink jet head that faces a traveling direction when moving.

  In the ink jet recording apparatus, at the time of printing standby, the ink jet head is moved to a standby position to stand by, and a flushing operation is performed in order to keep the ink nozzles in a normal state at the standby position. Therefore, by disposing the charge removal member on the surface facing the other end of the scanning section, it is possible to suppress ink droplets generated during the flushing operation from floating in the apparatus.

  (Application Example 4) The inkjet recording apparatus, wherein the inkjet head includes a nozzle plate on which ink nozzles are formed, and the neutralizing member is attached to the nozzle plate.

  According to this configuration, the ink droplet can be neutralized in the vicinity of the ink nozzle, so that charging can be suppressed when a fine ink droplet is separated from the ejected ink droplet main body. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the separated fine ink droplets from being charged and floating, and it is possible to promote the drop of the ink droplet main body together with the ink droplet main body.

  Application Example 5 It has an inkjet head that discharges ink to a recording medium, and a static elimination member, and the static elimination member is disposed at a position where one surface thereof can face the inkjet head. An inkjet recording apparatus.

  According to this configuration, in the inkjet recording apparatus, the neutralizing member that can neutralize the surrounding object in a non-contact manner is disposed at a position that can face the inkjet head. Conventionally, when ink is ejected from an ink jet head, the rear end portion of the ink droplet main body flying toward the recording paper is separated into fine ink droplets, which are charged and floated to form an ink mist. It was converted. In the present invention, since the charge can be removed from the ink droplets by the charge eliminating member, the fine ink droplets that have been conventionally made into ink mist easily fall on the recording paper together with the ink droplet main body, and the floating of the fine ink droplets is suppressed. Further, even if fine ink droplets are in a floating state, charging of the ink droplets can be suppressed, so that it is possible to suppress the ink droplets from being attracted to a member charged with static electricity and causing a problem. In addition, the structure is simple because it is only necessary to attach a static eliminating member and there is no need to make a ground connection.

  (Application example 6) A head movement mechanism that moves the inkjet head along a predetermined movement path, wherein the static elimination member has the one surface exposed to the movement path. Inkjet recording device.

  In the configuration in which the ink jet head moves, fine ink droplets having a charge are easily floated by the air flow generated due to the movement of the ink jet head. Therefore, if one surface of the charge removal member is exposed to the movement path, the charge can be removed from the fine ink droplets floating in the movement path.

  (Application example 7) A medium conveyance path extending via a printing position on the recording medium by the inkjet head, and the head moving mechanism includes a carriage on which the inkjet head is mounted, and the printing medium in the medium conveyance path A carriage guide shaft extending in a width direction orthogonal to the direction in which the sheet is conveyed, and a carriage moving mechanism for moving the carriage along the carriage guide shaft, and the charge removal member is disposed to face the carriage guide shaft The inkjet recording apparatus as described above.

  Static electricity is likely to occur between the carriage guide shaft and the carriage due to these sliding movements. Accordingly, the carriage guide shaft is easily charged, and fine ink droplets having a charge are attracted from the inkjet head to the vicinity of the carriage guide shaft. If the charge eliminating member is arranged so as to face the ink jet head and the carriage guide shaft as in this configuration, electric charges can be removed from fine ink droplets drawn near the carriage guide shaft.

  (Application example 8) The ink jet recording apparatus described above, wherein the ink jet recording apparatus includes a frame extending along the moving path, and the static elimination member is attached to the frame.

  According to this configuration, one surface of the static elimination member can be exposed to the movement path in a wide range along the movement path.

  (Application example 9) A pair of side frames disposed in front and rear in the moving direction of the inkjet head with the moving path interposed therebetween, and the charge removal member is at least one of the pair of side frames It is attached to the above-mentioned ink jet recording apparatus.

  According to this configuration, fine ink droplets having a charge that moves forward in the movement direction due to the positive pressure accompanying the movement of the inkjet head, or a charge that soars behind the movement direction due to the negative pressure accompanying the movement of the inkjet head. The charge of the fine ink droplets can be removed by the charge eliminating member.

  (Application example 10) The inkjet head and the head moving mechanism are accommodated, and an exterior case is formed in which the movement path is formed. The exterior case opens and closes at least a part of the movement path. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a lid, wherein the charge eliminating member is attached to an inner surface of the opening / closing lid.

  Such an opening / closing lid is provided for maintenance inside the outer case, and is provided adjacent to the movement path. Therefore, if the charge eliminating member is attached to the open / close lid, the charge removing member can remove the fine ink droplets that are charged with the air flow generated by the movement of the inkjet head.

  (Application example 11) The medium transport path extending through a printing position by the ink jet head is provided, and the head moving mechanism is configured such that the first outer position and the other side are separated from one side in the width direction of the medium transport path. A head maintenance mechanism for maintaining the inkjet head is disposed at the first outer position, and the second outer position is disposed at the second outer position. Is provided with a lower frame which can be opposed to the ink nozzle surface of the inkjet head, and the charge eliminating member is attached to the lower frame.

  According to this configuration, the second outer position is the paper edge portion of the recording paper in the paper width direction when printing on the recording paper conveyed through the medium conveyance path while moving the print head in the width direction of the medium conveyance path. The space for retracting the ink-jet head during printing is likely to be an air flow path. In other words, fine ink droplets having a charge move to various places in the casing through the space provided at the second outer position. Therefore, if a static eliminating member is attached to the lower frame arranged in such a space, the movement of fine charged ink droplets to various places in the housing can be prevented or suppressed.

  (Application Example 12) The ink jet recording apparatus, wherein the charge eliminating member is a charge eliminating cloth in which a fiber material including conductive short fibers is formed in a sheet shape.

  According to this configuration, the neutralizing cloth in which the short fibers of the conductive member are woven can generate countless corona discharges with a low charge, and becomes a neutralizing member that is non-contact and has a high neutralizing performance.

  According to the present invention, since the charge can be removed from the ink droplets by the charge eliminating member, it is possible to promote the drop of the fine ink droplets, which have been conventionally made into ink mist, onto the recording medium, and to suppress the floating of the fine ink droplets. Further, even if fine ink droplets are in a floating state, charging of the ink droplets can be suppressed, so that it is possible to suppress the ink droplets from being attracted to a member charged with static electricity and causing a problem. In addition, the structure is simple because it is only necessary to attach a static eliminating member and there is no need to make a ground connection.

1 is an external perspective view of a printer to which the present invention is applied as viewed from the front side. FIG. 2 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing an internal configuration of the printer. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the printer of FIG. 1 as viewed from an obliquely upper rear side of the printer with the outer case and the paper discharge tray removed. FIG. 2 is a perspective view when the print head, the head moving mechanism, and the ink flow path of the printer of FIG. 1 are viewed from diagonally below in front of the printer. The perspective view which shows the affixing position of the static elimination cloth of the 1st modification of 1st Embodiment. The perspective view which shows the affixing position of the static elimination cloth of the 2nd modification of 1st Embodiment. The perspective view which shows the affixing position of the static elimination cloth of the 3rd modification of 1st Embodiment. The perspective view which looked at the printer which concerns on 2nd Embodiment which removed the exterior case from the printer front. The perspective view which looked at the printer which concerns on 2nd Embodiment which removed the exterior case from the printer back. The perspective view which shows the state which opened the opening-and-closing lid | cover of the printer which concerns on 3rd Embodiment.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, an ink jet printer as an embodiment of an ink jet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings referred to in the following description, the vertical and horizontal scales of members or parts may be shown differently from the actual ones for convenience of description and illustration.

(About overall printer configuration)
First, an overall configuration of an ink jet printer (hereinafter simply referred to as “printer”) to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a printer to which the present invention is applied as viewed from the front side. 1 indicates the width direction of the printing paper, the Y direction indicates the discharge direction of the printing paper, and the Z direction indicates a direction orthogonal to the X direction and the Y direction.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 1 includes a printer main body 2 and a reversing unit 3. The printer main body 2 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the printer width direction X as a whole. A concave portion 4 is formed in the central portion of the back surface of the printer main body 2, and the reversing unit 3 is attached thereto. The reversing unit 3 is a unit for returning the printing paper P to the printer main body 2 with the front and back sides of the printing paper P (see FIG. 2), which is a sheet-like recording medium, reversed.

  The printer main body 2 is provided with a paper feed cassette mounting portion 5. The paper feed cassette mounting unit 5 is open to the front of the printer (front of the printer front-rear direction Y) in the lower part of the printer vertical direction Z on the front surface of the printer main body unit 2. A paper feed cassette 6 is detachably attached to the paper feed cassette mounting portion 5 from the front of the printer. A paper discharge tray 7 is attached to the upper side of the paper cassette mounting unit 5. The front end portion of the paper discharge tray 7 protrudes from the printer main body 2 toward the front of the printer. A rectangular paper discharge port 8 is formed on the upper side of the paper discharge tray 7 so as to extend rearward of the printer (backward in the front-rear direction Y of the printer).

  The exterior case 9 of the printer main body 2 includes an operation surface 9 a on the front surface portion on the upper side of the paper discharge port 8. A power switch, a status display lamp, and the like are arranged on the operation surface 9a. In the exterior case 9, rectangular open / close doors 9 b and 9 c are attached to the front surface of the printer on both sides of the paper discharge tray 7 and the paper discharge outlet 8. When these open / close doors 9b and 9c are opened, the ink cartridge mounting portion 10 (see FIG. 3) is opened, and the ink cartridge (not shown) can be replaced. The upper surface portion of the printer in the outer case 9 is a substantially flat surface, and a maintenance opening / closing lid 11 is attached to the central portion thereof.

(About the internal configuration of the printer)
Next, the internal configuration of the printer will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing the internal configuration of the printer. The X direction, Y direction, and Z direction shown in FIG. 2 indicate the same directions as the X direction, Y direction, and Z direction shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, a printing paper supply path 12, a main body side conveyance path 13, and a reverse conveyance path 14 are formed inside the printer 1. The printing paper supply path 12 and the main body side conveyance path 13 are formed inside the exterior case 9 of the printer main body 2, and the reversal conveyance path 14 is formed inside the reversing unit 3.

  The printing paper supply path 12 is a conveyance path for supplying printing paper P having a predetermined size stored in the paper cassette 6 in a stacked state to the main body conveyance path 13. The printing paper supply path 12 and the paper feed cassette 6 are disposed below the main body side conveyance path 13. The printing paper supply path 12 extends obliquely upward toward the rear of the printer from the rear end portion of the printer front-rear direction Y in the paper feed cassette mounting portion 5, curves in front of the printer, and is connected to the main body side conveyance path 13. . The print paper P stored in the paper feed cassette 6 is sent out to the print paper supply path 12 by the paper feed roller 15. The fed printing paper P is fed one by one through the nip portion of the retard roller 16 and the transport roller 17 and transported toward the main body side transport path 13 through the nip portion of the transport roller 17 and the driven roller 18. Is done.

  The main body side conveyance path 13 is a conveyance path that extends in a straight line substantially horizontally in the longitudinal direction Y of the printer and reaches the discharge port 8. A paper edge sensor 20, a paper feed roller pair 21, a print head 22 (inkjet head), a first paper discharge roller pair 23, and a second paper discharge are sequentially arranged from the rear of the printer toward the front of the printer along the main body side conveyance path 13. A roller pair 24 is arranged.

  The paper edge sensor 20 and the print head 22 are located above the main body side conveyance path 13. A platen 25 is disposed at a printing position A facing the print head 22 in the main body side conveyance path 13 with a predetermined gap from the print head 22. The print head 22 is an ink jet head, and is reciprocated by a head moving mechanism 26 in a printer width direction X that coincides with the width direction of the main body side conveyance path 13. The head moving mechanism 26 includes a carriage 27 on which the print head 22 is mounted, a carriage guide shaft 28 extending in the printer width direction, a carriage moving mechanism 29 that moves the carriage 27 along the carriage guide shaft 28, and a carriage motor 30. These are arranged above the main body side conveyance path 13.

  The transport roller 17 and the driven roller 18, the paper feed roller pair 21, the first paper discharge roller pair 23, and the second paper discharge roller pair 24 are the main body side transport mechanism 31 that transports the printing paper P along the main body side transport path 13. Is configured. The main body side transport mechanism 31 is driven by a transport motor 32 arranged on the side of the paper feed cassette 6 in the printer width direction X. The main body-side transport mechanism 31 transports the printing paper P toward the front of the printer by driving the transport motor 32 in the forward direction, and transports the printing paper P toward the rear of the printer by driving the transport motor 32 in the reverse direction. . Printing by the print head 22 is performed when the printing paper P passes through the printing position A toward the front of the printer.

  The reversing conveyance path 14 is arranged below the printer vertical direction Z with respect to the main body side conveyance path 13 and is a conveyance path that draws a loop in the printer vertical direction Z as a whole. In the reversing transport path 14, a first reversing transport roller pair 41 and a second reversing transport roller pair 42 are arranged as a reversing transport mechanism 40 that transports the printing paper P along the reversing transport path 14. ing. The reversing transport mechanism 40 is driven by a reversing transport motor 43 disposed inside the reversing transport path 14. The reverse transport mechanism 40 transports the printing paper P fed from the main body side transport path 13 along the reverse transport path 14 in the clockwise direction in FIG. The printing paper P passes through the reversing conveyance path 14 so that the front and back are reversed, and is returned to the main body side conveying path 13.

  When duplex printing is performed by the printer 1, first, the printing paper P stored in the paper feeding cassette 6 is sent out to the printing paper supply path 12 by the paper feeding roller 15. Further, the transport motor 32 is driven in the forward direction, and the print paper P sent out to the print paper supply path 12 is transported by the retard roller 16 and the transport roller 17 and sent out to the main body side transport path 13. The printing paper P sent out to the main body side conveyance path 13 is conveyed to the front of the printer by the main body side conveyance mechanism 31 and passed through the printing position A. At the printing position A, a printing operation for ejecting ink droplets while moving the print head 22 in the printer width direction X is performed in synchronization with the conveyance operation of the printing paper P by the main body side conveyance mechanism 31. Thereby, printing is performed on the surface of the printing paper P.

  When printing on the surface of the printing paper P is completed, the transport motor 32 is driven in the reverse direction. Further, the reversing transport motor 43 is driven. By driving the transport motor 32, the printing paper P is transported toward the rear of the printer by the main body-side transport mechanism 31 and is sent from the main body-side transport path 13 to the reversal transport path 14. The printing paper P sent to the reversing transport path 14 is transported along the reversing transport path 14 by the reversing transport mechanism 40 and returned to the main body transport path 13 with the front and back sides reversed.

  The printing paper P returned to the main body side conveyance path 13 is again conveyed to the front of the printer by the main body side conveyance mechanism 31 and passed through the printing position A by the print head 22. At the printing position A, a printing operation for ejecting ink droplets while moving the print head 22 in the printer width direction X is performed in synchronization with the conveyance operation of the printing paper P by the main body side conveyance mechanism 31. Thereby, printing is performed on the back surface of the printing paper P. When printing on the back surface of the printing paper P is completed, the main body side transport mechanism 31 further transports the printing paper P to the front of the printer and discharges it from the paper discharge port 8.

(Head moving mechanism and print head moving path)
Next, the movement path of the head moving mechanism and the print head will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the printer of FIG. 1, and is a view of the printer from which the outer case and the paper discharge tray have been removed as viewed obliquely from behind the printer. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the print head, the head moving mechanism, and the ink flow path of the printer shown in FIG. The X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 indicate the same directions as the X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the carriage 27 supports the print head 22 in front of the printer with respect to the carriage guide shaft 28. The carriage moving mechanism 29 and the carriage motor 30 are configured on the rear side of the printer with respect to the carriage guide shaft 28.

  One end portion of the carriage guide shaft 28 is supported by a first side frame 45 (see FIG. 3) extending in the front-rear direction of the printer and upward at one end portion in the printer width direction X. The first side frame 45 is arranged at a predetermined distance from the main body side conveyance path 13. The other end portion of the carriage guide shaft 28 is supported by a second side frame 46 that extends in parallel with the first side frame 45 at the other end portion in the printer width direction X. The second side frame 46 is disposed at a predetermined interval from the main body side conveyance path 13. The carriage moving mechanism 29 includes a pair of pulleys 47 (see FIG. 4) disposed in the vicinity of the first side frame 45 and the second side frame 46, respectively, and a timing spanned between the pair of pulleys. A belt 48 (see FIG. 4) is provided. The timing belt 48 is stretched along the carriage guide shaft 28. A carriage 27 is connected to the timing belt 48, and the driving force of the carriage motor 30 is transmitted to one pulley 47. Accordingly, the timing belt 48 is rotated by the drive of the carriage motor 30, whereby the carriage 27 moves along the carriage guide shaft 28.

  Between the main body side conveyance path 13 and the first side frame 45 is a home position HP (standby position) of the print head 22 and the carriage 27. A maintenance mechanism 50 for the print head 22 is disposed at the home position HP. The maintenance mechanism 50 raises and lowers the head cap 51 disposed so as to face the ink nozzle surface 22a of the print head 22 disposed at the home position HP, and the head cap in a direction toward and away from the ink nozzle surface 22a. A cap lifting mechanism (not shown) is provided. When the printer 1 enters the standby state, the print head 22 moves to the home position HP by the head moving mechanism 26, and the ink nozzle surface 22 a is covered by the head cap 51. The print head 22 is moved to the home position HP by the head moving mechanism 26 every time a predetermined time elapses, and performs a flushing operation for ejecting ink droplets toward the head cap 51. The flushing operation is a maintenance operation that eliminates nozzle clogging caused by ink thickening or the like.

  Between the main body side conveyance path 13 and the second side frame 46 is an away position AP of the print head 22 and the carriage 27. The away position AP is printed when printing on the paper edge portion of the printing paper P in the paper width direction when printing is performed on the printing paper P conveyed through the main body side conveyance path 13 while moving the print head 22 in the printer width direction X. This is a space for retracting the head 22 outward from the main body side conveyance path 13.

  The print head 22 and the carriage 27 reciprocate linearly along the carriage guide shaft 28 between the home position HP and the away position AP. Accordingly, a section in which the home position HP is one end and the away position AP is the other end is a scanning section S of the print head 22 and the carriage 27. A flexible ink flow path 49 (see FIG. 4; not shown in FIG. 3) is connected to the print head 22, and the print head 22 is connected to an ink cartridge (not shown) via the ink flow path 49. . When the print head 22 moves between the home position HP and the away position AP, the ink flow path 49 deforms following the movement of the print head 22.

(Regarding the arrangement of static elimination members)
Here, the arrangement of the charge removal member will be described with reference to FIG.
In a printer equipped with an inkjet head as the print head 22, a part of the ink droplets ejected from the print head 22 is separated from the ink droplet main body flying toward the printing paper P during the printing operation or the flushing operation, and the printing paper Before reaching P or the head cap 51, it may become ink mist and float inside the outer case 9. The floating ink droplet (ink mist) adheres to the components in the outer case 9 and contaminates them. Further, since the ink mist is charged due to charging of the ink nozzle surface 22a of the print head 22 and charging of the platen 25, it adheres to charged components such as sensors such as the paper edge sensor 20 and a control board. , These may cause problems. With respect to such a problem, in the printer 1 of the present example, as shown in FIG. A neutralizing cloth 71) is attached.

  In the following description, when referring to the neutralization cloth in general as the static elimination member, it is referred to as the neutralization cloth 70, and when referring to the individual static elimination cloth, for example, the first static elimination cloth 71, the second static elimination cloth 72, the first This is referred to as the neutralizing cloth 73 in FIG.

  FIG. 4 shows a state where the print head 22 and the carriage 27 are moved to the home position HP. As shown in this figure, an opening is formed at the center of the bottom surface 27a of the carriage 27, and a nozzle plate 80 provided at the lower end of the print head 22 protrudes downward in the printer vertical direction Z from this opening. Ink nozzles are formed on the bottom surface 81 of the nozzle plate 80, and the bottom surface 81 constitutes the ink nozzle surface 22 a of the print head 22.

  On the bottom surface 27 a of the carriage 27, a rectangular parallelepiped projecting portion 27 b that projects downward is formed at a position adjacent to the away position AP side with respect to the nozzle plate 80. The first charge eliminating cloth 71 is affixed to the side surface 27c of the protruding portion 27b facing the away position AP. The side surface 27c is a side surface that faces the traveling direction when the print head 22 and the carriage 27 move to the away position AP side (one end side of the scanning section S). The projecting portion 27b has a projecting dimension from the bottom surface 27a smaller than the nozzle plate 80, and the side surface 27c is located above the ink nozzle surface 22a.

  The static elimination cloth 70 is a nonwoven fabric in which a fiber material including conductive short fibers is formed in a sheet shape. More specifically, a non-woven fabric in which ultrafine fibers are formed in a sheet shape is impregnated with a conductive polymer. In addition, it can also be set as the form which woven conductive short fiber in the form different from a nonwoven fabric, for example, a woven fabric or a knitted fabric. Since the conductive short fibers included in the neutralizing cloth 70 have many cross sections in which charges are likely to concentrate like a so-called needle tip electrode or the like, corona discharge occurs at a low voltage. Therefore, it has a non-contact static elimination function that removes the electric charge of the non-contact state object by corona discharge. Therefore, the charge of the ink droplet can be removed without contact. Moreover, the static elimination cloth 70 is provided with an adhesive layer on the back surface of a nonwoven fabric containing conductive short fibers, and can be used as a static elimination tape.

  As described above, in the printer 1 of the present example, since the first charge removal cloth 71 is attached to the side surface 27c of the protruding portion 27b provided on the bottom surface 27a of the carriage 27, the ink ejected from the ink nozzle surface 22a. The charge of fine ink droplets separated from the droplet main body can be removed. Accordingly, these ink droplets, which have been conventionally made into ink mist, are easy to drop onto the printing paper together with the ink droplet main body, and the floating of the fine ink droplets is suppressed. Further, even if fine ink droplets are in a floating state, charging of the ink droplets can be suppressed, so that it is possible to suppress the ink droplets from being attracted to a member charged with static electricity and causing a problem. Furthermore, since it is only necessary to affix the first static elimination cloth 71 and it is not necessary to perform ground connection, the configuration is simple.

  Further, in the printer 1 of this example, the side surface 27c to which the first charge removal cloth 71 is attached is a side surface that faces the traveling direction when the carriage 27 moves to the away position AP side. When the first charge-removing cloth 71 is affixed to the side surface 27c, the main body side conveyance path 13 is used when performing a flushing operation for discharging ink from the print head 22 toward the maintenance mechanism 50 at the home position HP during printing standby. And the home position HP, the charge of the ink droplets generated by the flushing operation can be removed. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the ink mist generated by the flushing operation from flowing out to the main body side conveyance path 13. Further, since the side surface on the away position AP side is a portion facing the passage of the ink droplet floating in the apparatus, the charge of the floating ink droplet is removed by disposing the first neutralizing cloth 71 here. it can. Further, during the printing operation, a negative pressure is generated in the vicinity of the side surface 27c to which the first neutralizing cloth 71 is attached while the print head 22 and the carriage 27 are moving toward the away position AP. It is possible to effectively neutralize fine ink droplets that are generated when ink is ejected. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the ink droplet from floating in a charged state.

  Here, you may affix the static elimination cloth 70 on the other side surface of the carriage 27 located above the protrusion part 27b. For example, the neutralizing cloth 70 can be attached to the side surface of the carriage 27 that faces the traveling direction when moving to the home position HP side (the other end side of the scanning section S). When the neutralizing cloth 70 is attached to the side surface of the carriage 27 facing the home position HP side, when the print head 22 and the carriage 27 return to the home position HP, the vicinity of the neutralizing cloth 70 becomes negative pressure. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the floating of the ink droplets generated by the ink ejection while the print head 22 and the carriage 27 return to the home position HP. Further, the neutralizing cloth 70 can be attached to both the side surface facing the home position HP side and the side surface 27c facing the away position AP side.

(Modification of the first embodiment)
Although the first embodiment of the present invention has been described above, various modifications can be made to the first embodiment without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, a modification of the first embodiment is as follows.

  (First Modification) A first modification will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the attachment position of the neutralizing cloth of the first modification. The X direction, Y direction, and Z direction shown in FIG. 5 indicate the same directions as the X direction, Y direction, and Z direction shown in FIG.

  As described above, in the print head 22, the portion of the nozzle plate 80 protrudes from the bottom surface 27a of the carriage 27 in the Z direction in the drawing. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the nozzle plate 80 has three side surfaces: a side surface 82a that faces the traveling direction (X direction) when moving toward the away position AP, and side surfaces 82b and 82c adjacent to the side surface 82a. It is exposed to the outside. On the other hand, the side surface located behind the side surface 82a is covered with a rib protruding downward in the Z direction from the bottom surface 27a of the carriage 27.

  In this example, as shown in FIG. 5, the second static eliminating cloth 72 is attached to the side surface 82 a of the nozzle plate 80, which is the part of the print head 22 that faces the traveling direction when moving toward the away position AP. . As described above, when a part of the side surface of the print head 22 is exposed to the outside, the same effect as that of the above embodiment can be obtained by attaching the second charge-removing cloth 72 to the side surface. In addition, if the side surface of the nozzle plate 80 that faces the traveling direction when returning to the home position HP is exposed to the outside, the second charge-removing cloth 72 can be attached to this surface. Further, the second charge-removing cloth 72 can be attached to both side surfaces of the carriage 27 and the print head 22 (nozzle plate 80).

  (Second Modification) A second modification will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the attachment position of the neutralizing cloth of the second modified example. The X direction, Y direction, and Z direction shown in FIG. 6 are the same directions as the X direction, Y direction, and Z direction shown in FIG.

  The nozzle plate 80 includes a bottom surface 81 on which ink nozzles are formed. As shown in FIG. 6, in the second modified example, a third static eliminating cloth 73 and a fourth static eliminating cloth 74 are attached to the bottom surface 81. The third neutralizing cloth 73 is affixed to the end of the bottom surface 81 on the away position AP side, and the fourth neutralizing cloth 74 is affixed to the end of the bottom surface 81 on the home position HP side. The third neutralizing cloth 73 and the fourth neutralizing cloth 74 are arranged so as to sandwich the ink nozzle forming portion on the bottom surface 81 from both sides in the scanning direction of the print head 22. In this way, the ink droplet can be neutralized at a position closest to the ink droplet ejected from the ink nozzle, and charging can be suppressed when the fine ink droplet is separated from the ejected ink droplet main body.

  (Third Modification) A third modification will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the attachment position of the neutralizing cloth of the third modified example. The X direction, Y direction, and Z direction shown in FIG. 7 are the same directions as the X direction, Y direction, and Z direction shown in FIG.

  As described above, in the print head 22, the portion of the nozzle plate 80 protrudes from the bottom surface 27a of the carriage 27 in the Z direction in the drawing. However, the print head 22 may be modified in various ways depending on the application of the printer 1 and the type of printing paper P used. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the side surface 82a of the nozzle plate 80 that faces the advancing direction (X direction) when moving toward the away position AP and the nozzle plate that faces the advancing direction (X direction) when returning to the home position HP. The side surface 82d of 80 may be covered with a plurality of ribs 35 protruding downward from the bottom surface 27a of the carriage 27 in the Z direction.

  The rib 35 is provided for the purpose of preventing, for example, a paper jam or the like from occurring due to interference between the swelling of the printing paper P and the side surfaces 82a and 83d of the nozzle plate 80 when the carriage 27 moves in the X direction. When such ribs 35 are provided, the fifth static eliminating cloth 75 may be attached between the ribs 35 on the side surfaces 82a and 82d of the nozzle plate 80, respectively. Thus, by sticking the 5th static elimination cloth 75, the effect similar to the said form is acquired.

(Second Embodiment)
Here, the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the printer according to the second embodiment with the outer case removed, as viewed from the front of the printer. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the printer according to the second embodiment with the outer case removed, as viewed from the rear of the printer. FIG. The X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 are the same directions as the X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction shown in FIG. In addition, about the structure and content similar to 1st Embodiment, a code | symbol is made equal and description is abbreviate | omitted.

(Head moving mechanism and print head moving path)
The head moving mechanism and the print head moving path according to the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 have substantially the same configuration and function as the head moving mechanism and the print head moving path according to the first embodiment. Have.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the distance between the main body side conveyance path 13 and the second side frame 46 is an away position AP of the print head 22. The away position AP is printed when printing on the paper edge portion of the printing paper P in the paper width direction when printing is performed on the printing paper P conveyed through the main body side conveyance path 13 while moving the print head 22 in the printer width direction X. This is a space for retracting the head 22 outward from the main body side conveyance path 13. The away position AP is provided with a lower frame 53 (see FIG. 9) that can face the ink nozzle surface 22a of the print head 22 arranged at the away position AP.

  The print head 22 moves linearly along the carriage guide shaft 28 between the home position HP and the away position AP. Accordingly, a space including the home position HP and the away position AP and continuing between the home position HP and the away position AP is the movement path S of the print head 22.

  It should be noted that the printer 1 of the present example is placed at the position on the upper end side of the first side frame 45 and the second side frame 46 at a position behind the printer in the movement path S, that is, at a position adjacent to the timing belt 48 behind the printer. A rear frame 55 is provided. Further, the front side frame 56 spanned between the upper end portions of the first side frame 45 and the second side frame 46 is provided at a position in front of the printer in the movement path S, that is, at a position adjacent to the print head 22 in front of the printer. I have. The rear frame 55 and the front frame 56 extend in the printer width direction X in a state of being parallel to each other. The front frame 56 supports a portion of a flexible ink flow path 49 that supplies ink to the print head 22.

(About static elimination members)
Here, in the printer 1 in which the inkjet head is mounted as the print head 22, during the printing operation or the flushing operation, a part of the ink droplets ejected from the print head 22 until the print paper P or the head cap 51 is reached. It may become ink mist and float inside the outer case 9. The floating ink mist adheres to the components in the outer case 9 and contaminates them. Further, since the ink mist is charged due to charging of the ink nozzle surface 22a of the print head 22 and charging of the platen 25, it adheres to charged components such as sensors such as the paper edge sensor 20 and a control board. , These may cause problems.

  With respect to such a problem, the printer 1 according to the second embodiment has a neutralizing cloth 70 (sixth to eighth examples) as a neutralizing member that removes the charge of ink droplets in a non-contact manner at a plurality of locations inside the outer case 9. The neutralizing cloth 76-78) is attached. Each of the plurality of neutralizing cloths 70 is disposed at a position where one surface thereof can face the print head 22. That is, one surface of each static elimination cloth 70 is exposed to the movement path S.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the 6th static elimination cloth 76 is affixed on the rear side frame 55 with the adhesive agent. Since the rear frame 55 extends along the movement path S of the print head 22, the surface of the rear frame 55 is exposed to the movement path S over a wide range by sticking the sixth static eliminating cloth 76 to the rear frame 55. be able to. Here, in the movement path S, the ink mist tends to float due to the airflow generated due to the movement of the print head 22. Therefore, if the sixth static eliminating cloth 76 is attached to the rear frame 55, the charge of the floating ink droplet can be removed without contact.

  Further, static electricity is likely to be generated between the carriage guide shaft 28 and the carriage 27 due to these sliding movements. Accordingly, the carriage guide shaft 28 is easily charged, and the charged ink mist is attracted to the vicinity of the carriage guide shaft 28. Also, static electricity is likely to be generated between the timing belt 48 and the pulley 47 due to these sliding movements. Accordingly, the timing belt 48 is easily charged, and charged ink droplets are attracted to the vicinity of the timing belt 48. Therefore, by disposing the sixth charge removal cloth 76 at a position facing the carriage guide shaft 28, the charge of the floating ink droplet can be removed in a non-contact manner. Therefore, it is possible to reduce adhesion of ink droplets in the printer 1, and it is possible to promote dropping and discharging to the recording medium.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the seventh static eliminating cloth 77 is attached to the front frame 56 with an adhesive. Since the front frame 56 extends along the movement path S, the surface of the front frame 56 can be exposed to the movement path S over a wide range by pasting the seventh static eliminating cloth 77 on the front frame 56. In addition, since the front frame 56 is provided at a position adjacent to the print head 22, if a seventh charge-removing cloth 77 is attached to the front frame 56, an air flow generated due to the movement of the print head 22 is caused. The electric charge of the floating ink droplet can be removed without contact.

  The eighth static eliminating cloth 78 is attached to the lower frame 53 of the away position AP with an adhesive. The away position AP is a space for retracting the print head 22, and such a space tends to be an air flow path. Therefore, if the 8th static elimination cloth 78 is affixed on the lower flame | frame 53 and the surface can be made to oppose the print head 22, the electric charge of an ink droplet can be removed non-contactingly. Therefore, it is possible to prevent or suppress the movement of the charged ink droplets to various places in the outer case 9 through this space.

(Modification of the second embodiment)
Although the second embodiment of the present invention has been described above, various modifications can be made to the second embodiment without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, modifications other than the second embodiment are as follows.

  (First Modification) In the second embodiment, the sixth to eighth neutralizing cloths 76 to 78 are arranged on the rear frame 55, the front frame 56, and the lower frame 53, but the present invention is not limited to this. . If the neutralizing cloth 70 is disposed on at least one of these frames, the charge of the ink droplet can be removed in a non-contact manner.

  (Second Modification) In addition to the rear frame 55, the front frame 56, and the lower frame 53, the surface on the home position HP side of the first side frame 45, the away position AP of the second side frame 46 You may affix the static elimination cloth 70 to at least one of the surface of this side. In this way, the charge of the ink droplet that moves forward in the movement direction due to the positive pressure accompanying the movement of the print head 22 in the printer width direction X, and the rear of the movement direction due to the negative pressure accompanying the movement of the print head 22. The electric charge of the ink droplet that rises can be removed by the neutralizing cloth 70 in a non-contact manner.

(Third embodiment)
Here, a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the opening / closing lid of the printer according to the third embodiment is opened. In addition, about the structure and content similar to 1st Embodiment and 2nd Embodiment, a code | symbol is made equal and description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In 3rd Embodiment, although the case where the 6th-8th static elimination cloth 76-78 was arrange | positioned to the back side frame 55, the front side frame 56, and the lower side frame 53 was demonstrated to the example, it is not limited to this. As shown in FIG. 10, in the printer 1 according to the third embodiment, a ninth static eliminating cloth 79 may be attached to the inner side surface of the opening / closing lid 11 provided in the exterior case 9. The open / close lid 11 opens a part of the upper part of the moving path S of the print head 22, and when the printing paper P is jammed at the printing position A, the printing paper P is transported on the main body side. It is opened and closed when the recovery work to be removed from 13 is performed. Since the opening / closing lid 11 is provided adjacent to the movement path S, the surface can be exposed to the movement path S by attaching the ninth charge eliminating cloth 79 to the inner side surface of the opening / closing lid 11. Therefore, the charge of the ink droplet that rises due to the airflow generated with the movement of the print head 22 can be removed by the ninth neutralizing cloth 79 in a non-contact manner.

(Modification)
The first to third embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but various modifications can be made to the first to third embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, modifications other than the first to third embodiments are as follows.

  (First Modification) The above first to third embodiments are examples in which the neutralizing cloth 70 is attached to the serial type ink jet printer 1, but the present invention is not limited to this. Even if the neutralizing cloth 70 is attached to a line-type inkjet printer in which the print head 22 does not move, the charge of the ink droplets floating in the outer case 9 can be removed in a non-contact manner. In this case, the neutralizing cloth 70 may be disposed at a position corresponding to the print head 22.

  (Second Modification) The first embodiment has been described by taking as an example the case where the neutralizing cloth 70 is arranged on the carriage 27 on which the print head 22 is mounted, the print head 22 or the like. In the second and third embodiments, the case where the neutralizing cloth 70 is arranged in the range related to the moving area of the carriage 27 on which the print head 22 is mounted has been described as an example. However, it is not limited to these. The arrangement of the neutralizing cloth 70 may be a combination thereof. The combined effect can be expected.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Printer as an inkjet recording device, 2 ... Printer main-body part, 3 ... Reversing unit, 4 ... Recessed part, 5 ... Paper feed cassette mounting part, 6 ... Paper feed cassette, 7 ... Paper discharge tray, 8 ... Paper discharge port, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 9 ... Exterior case, 9a ... Operation surface, 9b, 9c ... Opening / closing door, 10 ... Ink cartridge mounting part, 11 ... Opening / closing lid, 12 ... Printing paper supply path, 13 ... Main body side conveyance path, 14 ... Reverse conveyance path, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 15 ... Paper feed roller, 16 ... Retard roller, 17 ... Conveyance roller, 18 ... Driven roller, 20 ... Paper edge sensor, 21 ... Paper feed roller pair, 22 ... Print head, 22a ... Ink nozzle surface, 23 ... First discharge Paper roller pair, 24 ... second paper discharge roller pair, 25 ... platen, 26 ... head moving mechanism, 27 ... carriage, 27a ... bottom surface, 27b ... projection site, 27c ... side surface, 28 ... carriage cover 29 ... carriage moving mechanism, 30 ... carriage motor, 31 ... main body side conveying mechanism, 32 ... conveying motor, 35 ... rib, 40 ... reversing conveying mechanism, 41 ... first reversing conveying roller pair, 42 ... first 2 reverse conveying roller pair, 43. Reverse conveying motor, 45 first side frame, 46 second side frame, 47 pulley, 48 timing belt, 49 ink flow path, 50 maintenance mechanism, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 51 ... Head cap, 70 ... Static elimination cloth as static elimination member, 71-79 ... 1st-9th static elimination cloth, 80 ... Nozzle plate, 81 ... Bottom, 82a, 82b, 82c ... Side, A ... Printing position, AP ... Away position, HP ... Home position (standby position), P ... Print paper, S ... Scanning section.

Claims (9)

An inkjet head that ejects ink onto a recording medium;
A carriage on which the inkjet head is mounted;
A static elimination member attached to one or both of the inkjet head and the carriage,
The discharging member is configured to allow removal of the charge of the object non-contact state,
The inkjet head includes a nozzle plate on which ink nozzles are formed,
An ink jet recording apparatus, wherein the static eliminating member is attached to the nozzle plate. A carriage moving mechanism that reciprocally moves the carriage in a scanning direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the recording medium;
The static elimination member faces the traveling direction when the carriage moves to one end side of the scanning section, and faces the traveling direction when the carriage or the side surface of the inkjet head moves to the other end side of the scanning section. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inkjet recording apparatus is attached to one or both of the carriage and the side surface of the inkjet head. One end of the scanning section of the carriage is a standby position where the inkjet head is retracted from the recording medium,
3. The neutralizing member is attached to a side surface of the carriage or the ink jet head that faces a traveling direction when moving from the standby position to the other end side of the scanning section. Inkjet recording apparatus. An inkjet head that ejects ink onto a recording medium;
  A static elimination member,
  The neutralizing member is disposed at a position where one surface thereof can face the inkjet head.
And
A head moving mechanism for moving the inkjet head along a predetermined movement path;
,
  The static elimination member has the one surface exposed to the movement path,
A medium conveyance path extending via a printing position on the recording medium by the inkjet head
Have
  The head moving mechanism includes a carriage on which the inkjet head is mounted, and the medium carrying
A carriage guide shaft extending in the width direction orthogonal to the direction in which the print medium in the feeding path is conveyed;
And a carriage moving mechanism for moving the carriage along the carriage guide shaft
With
  The ink jet recording apparatus, wherein the charge eliminating member is disposed to face the carriage guide shaft. Having a frame extending along the travel path;
The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the charge eliminating member is attached to the frame. Having a pair of side frames disposed forward and backward in the moving direction of the inkjet head with the moving path in between,
The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the charge eliminating member is attached to at least one of the pair of side frames. Housing the inkjet head and the head moving mechanism, and having an exterior case in which the moving path is formed inside;
The outer case includes an opening / closing lid that opens and closes at least a part of the moving path,
The discharging member may claim 4, characterized in that attached to the inner surface of the lid
2. An ink jet recording apparatus according to 1. A medium conveyance path extending via a printing position by the inkjet head;
The head moving mechanism reciprocally moves the inkjet head between a first outer position deviated on one side in the width direction of the medium conveyance path and a second outer position deviated on the other side;
A head maintenance mechanism for maintaining the inkjet head is disposed at the first outer position,
The second outer position is provided with a lower frame that can face the ink nozzle surface of the inkjet head,
The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the static eliminating member is attached to the lower frame. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the charge eliminating member is a charge eliminating cloth in which a fiber material including conductive short fibers is formed in a sheet shape.

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