JP7047518B2 - Cap member and inkjet recording device equipped with it - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cap member that caps the ink ejection surface of a recording head that ejects ink to a recording medium such as paper, and an inkjet recording apparatus provided with the cap member.

As a recording device such as a facsimile, a copying machine, and a printer, an inkjet recording device that ejects ink to form an image is widely used because it can form a high-definition image.

Conventionally, in an inkjet recording device, in order to prevent the ink ejection port of the recording head from drying or clogging, the recording head is usually capped when printing is not performed for a long period of time. Therefore, the inkjet recording apparatus is provided with a recording head that ejects ink to a recording medium and a cap unit having a cap portion that caps the ink ejection surface of the recording head. The cap portion has a very tightly sealed structure in order to prevent the ink ejection port from drying and clogging.

By the way, in the inkjet recording apparatus, the interface (surface) of the ink is slightly recessed by the surface tension at the ink ejection port to form a meniscus. The meniscus is destroyed with a very small pressure, but when the meniscus is destroyed, the ink ejection becomes unstable.

When the cap portion is pressure-welded (capped) to the ink ejection surface or separated from the ink ejection surface, the meniscus may be destroyed due to the change in the air pressure in the internal space of the cap portion.

Therefore, an inkjet recording device provided with an atmospheric communication passage that communicates the internal space of the cap portion with the outside of the cap portion has been proposed. As such an inkjet recording device, a device including a cap portion made of rubber or the like that caps the ink ejection surface of the recording head and a tube that communicates the internal space of the cap portion with the outside of the cap portion is known. ing. A vent is formed in the cap portion, and one end of the tube is connected to the vent.

In this inkjet recording device, the internal space of the cap portion communicates with the outside of the cap portion. Therefore, when the cap portion is pressure-welded (capped) to the ink ejection surface or separated from the ink ejection surface, the change in the air pressure in the internal space of the cap portion can be suppressed, and the meniscus is destroyed. It can be suppressed.

An inkjet recording device provided with an atmospheric communication passage that communicates the internal space of the cap portion with the outside of the cap portion is disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-144585

However, in a conventional inkjet recording device provided with the cap portion and a tube for communicating the internal space of the cap portion with the outside of the cap portion, steam (vaporized ink) is generated from the connection portion between the vent port of the cap portion and the tube. ) Leaks, or steam leaks from the tube itself (steam penetrates the tube in the thickness direction). Therefore, there is a problem that the internal space of the cap portion becomes dry and the ink ejection port is clogged.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is a cap member capable of suppressing clogging of an ink ejection port while suppressing destruction of meniscus. It is to provide an inkjet recording apparatus equipped with it.

In order to achieve the above object, the cap member of the first aspect of the present invention is a cap member that caps the ink ejection surface where the ink ejection port of the recording head opens, and stands from the bottom surface portion and the bottom surface portion. It is provided with an annular side surface portion that comes into contact with the ink ejection surface, and a cap portion made of an elastic body having the same. The bottom surface of the cap portion is provided with a groove portion formed by a first rib protruding from the upper surface of the bottom surface portion and extending in a predetermined direction, and a lid member covering the groove portion is provided in close contact with the upper end of the first rib portion. The lid member is pressed against the first rib by a plurality of pressing members arranged in a predetermined direction at predetermined intervals, and the groove portion and the lid member form an air passage through which air passes. One end of the air passage communicates with the internal space of the cap portion, the other end of the air passage communicates with the outside of the cap portion, and the inner surface of the groove portion faces the intermediate portion of the adjacent pressing member. A mountain-shaped convex portion protruding into the air passage is provided in the portion.

According to the cap member of the first aspect of the present invention, one end of the air passage communicates with the internal space of the cap portion, and the other end of the air passage communicates with the outside of the cap portion. As a result, the internal space of the cap portion communicates with the outside of the cap portion via the air passage. Therefore, when the cap portion is pressure-welded (capped) to the ink ejection surface or separated from the ink ejection surface, the change in the air pressure in the internal space of the cap portion can be suppressed, and the meniscus is destroyed. It can be suppressed.

Further, the bottom surface of the cap portion is provided with a groove portion formed by a first rib protruding from the upper surface of the bottom surface portion, and a lid member covering the groove portion is closely provided at the upper end of the first rib portion. The groove and the lid member form an air passage through which air passes. As a result, unlike the conventional inkjet recording device, there is no connection portion between the cap portion and the tube, so that vapor (vaporized ink) does not leak from the connection portion. Further, even if steam leaks from the side surface (first rib) or the upper surface (lid member) of the air passage (the steam permeates the side surface or the upper surface of the air passage in the thickness direction), the steam returns to the internal space of the cap portion. Because it is only, the internal space of the cap part does not dry. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the internal space of the cap portion from drying out, and thus it is possible to prevent the ink ejection port from being clogged .

Further, the lid member is pressed against the first rib by a plurality of pressing members arranged in a predetermined direction at predetermined intervals. As a result, the first rib is compressed downward by the pressing force of the pressing member. At this time, the portion of the first rib facing the intermediate portion of the adjacent pressing member has a smaller amount of compression deformation than the portion of the first rib facing the pressing member. Therefore, the cross-sectional area of the portion of the air passage facing the intermediate portion of the adjacent pressing member becomes larger than the cross-sectional area of the portion of the air passage facing the pressing member.

Therefore, in the cap member of the first aspect of the present invention, a mountain-shaped convex portion protruding into the air passage is provided on the inner surface of the groove portion at a portion facing the intermediate portion of the adjacent pressing member. As a result, it is possible to prevent the cross-sectional area of the portion of the air passage facing the intermediate portion of the adjacent pressing member from becoming larger than the cross-sectional area of the portion of the air passage facing the pressing member. .. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the change in the cross-sectional area of the air passage along the longitudinal direction of the air passage, so that the air flow in the air passage can be smoothed. As a result, when the cap portion is pressure-welded (capped) to the ink ejection surface or separated from the ink ejection surface, the change in the air pressure in the internal space of the cap portion can be further suppressed, so that the meniscus is formed. It can be more suppressed from being destroyed.

When the cross-sectional area of the air passage changes along the longitudinal direction of the air passage, air stays in a region (space) having a large cross-sectional area, so that the air flow cannot be smoothed in the air passage.

It is a figure which showed the schematic structure of the printer provided with the cap member of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which showed the 1st transport unit and the recording part of the printer of 1st Embodiment of this invention from above. It is a figure which showed the structure of the recording part of the printer of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which showed the structure of the recording head which constitutes the line head of the recording part of the printer of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which showed the recording head of the printer of 1st Embodiment of this invention from the ink ejection surface side. It is a figure which shows the meniscus formed in the ink ejection port of the recording head of the printer of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which showed the structure of the cap unit, the 1st transport unit, etc. of the printer of 1st Embodiment of this invention, and is the figure which shows the state which the 1st transport unit is arranged in the raised position. It is a figure which showed the structure of the cap unit, the 1st transport unit, etc. of the printer of 1st Embodiment of this invention, and is the figure which shows the state which the 1st transport unit is arranged in the descending position. It is a figure which showed the structure of the cap unit and the like of the printer of 1st Embodiment of this invention, and is the figure which shows the state which the cap unit and the wipe unit are arranged in the 1st position. It is a figure which shows the state which raised the cap unit and the wipe unit from the state of FIG. It is a figure which showed the structure of the cap unit of the printer of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which showed the structure of the cap unit, the wipe unit, etc. of the printer of 1st Embodiment of this invention, and is the figure which shows the state which the cap unit is arranged in the 2nd position, and the wipe unit is arranged in the 1st position. be. It is a figure which shows the state which raised the wipe unit from the state of FIG. It is a figure which shows the state which moved the wiper carriage in the direction of arrow B from the state of FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure around the unit elevating mechanism of the printer of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure around the connecting pin and the push-up piece of the printer of 1st Embodiment of this invention, and is the figure which shows the state which the wipe unit and the cap unit are not connected. It is a figure which shows the structure around the connecting pin and the push-up piece of the printer of 1st Embodiment of this invention, and is the figure which shows the state which the wipe unit and the cap unit are connected. It is a figure which shows the structure of the cap member and the recording head of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the cap member of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the cap member of 1st Embodiment of this invention from above. It is a figure which shows the structure of the support member and the cap part of the cap member of 1st Embodiment of this invention from above. It is a figure which shows the structure of the cap part of the cap member of 1st Embodiment of this invention from above. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 200-200 of FIG. It is sectional drawing along the line 300-300 of FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of the support member of the cap member of 1st Embodiment of this invention from above. It is a figure which shows the structure of the cap member of 1st Embodiment of this invention from above, and is the figure which shows the positional relationship between the 1st communication port and the ink ejection area of a recording head. It is a figure which shows the structure around the 1st communication port of the lid member of the cap member of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure around the 1st communication port of the lid member of the cap member of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which follows the line 310-310 of FIG. It is a partially enlarged view of FIG. It is sectional drawing which follows the line 320-320 of FIG. FIG. 21 is a partially enlarged view. It is sectional drawing which follows the 210-210 line of FIG. It is sectional drawing which follows the line 220-220 of FIG. It is a partially enlarged view which shows the structure of the support member and the cap part of the cap member of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention from above. It is a figure which shows the structure of the convex part of the cap member of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention from above. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 230-230 of FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment)
An inkjet printer 100 (inkjet recording device) provided with a cap member 140 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 34. As shown in FIG. 1, in the printer 100, a paper feed cassette 2 which is a paper accommodating portion is arranged below the inside of the printer main body 1. Paper P, which is an example of a recording medium, is housed inside the paper cassette 2. The paper feed device 3 is arranged on the downstream side of the paper feed cassette 2 in the paper transport direction, that is, above the right side of the paper feed cassette 2 in FIG. By this paper feeding device 3, the paper P is separated and sent out one by one toward the upper right side of the paper feed cassette 2 in FIG.

Further, the printer 100 is provided with a first paper transport path 4a inside. The first paper transport path 4a is located on the upper right side of the paper feed cassette 2 in the paper feed direction. The paper P sent out from the paper feed cassette 2 is vertically upwardly conveyed along the side surface of the printer main body 1 by the first paper transfer path 4a.

A resist roller pair 13 is provided at the downstream end of the first paper transport path 4a in the paper transport direction. Further, the first transport unit 5 and the recording unit 9 are arranged in the immediate vicinity of the resist roller pair 13 on the downstream side in the paper transport direction. The paper P sent out from the paper feed cassette 2 reaches the resist roller pair 13 through the first paper transport path 4a. The resist roller pair 13 measures the timing of the ink ejection operation executed by the recording unit 9 while correcting the diagonal feed of the paper P, and feeds the paper P toward the first transport unit 5.

The second transport unit 12 is arranged on the downstream side (left side in FIG. 1) of the first transport unit 5 with respect to the paper transport direction. The paper P on which the ink image is recorded by the recording unit 9 is sent to the second transport unit 12, and the ink discharged on the surface of the paper P is dried while passing through the second transport unit 12.

A decaler portion 14 is provided on the downstream side of the second transport unit 12 with respect to the paper transport direction and in the vicinity of the left side surface of the printer main body 1. The paper P to which the ink has been dried by the second transport unit 12 is sent to the decaler unit 14, and the curl generated on the paper P is corrected.

A second paper transport path 4b is provided on the downstream side (upper side of FIG. 1) of the decaler portion 14 with respect to the paper transport direction. When double-sided recording is not performed, the paper P that has passed through the decaler unit 14 is discharged from the second paper transport path 4b to the paper ejection tray 15 provided outside the left side surface of the printer 100.

An inversion transport path 16 for double-sided recording is provided above the recording unit 9 and the second transport unit 12 in the upper part of the printer main body 1. When double-sided recording is performed, the paper P that has passed through the second transfer unit 12 and the decaler section 14 after the recording on the first surface is completed is sent to the reverse transfer path 16 through the second sheet transfer path 4b. The paper P sent to the reverse transfer path 16 is subsequently switched in the transfer direction for recording on the second side, passes through the upper part of the printer main body 1, and is sent toward the right side, and is sent to the right side, and is sent to the first paper transfer path 4a. And, it is sent to the first transfer unit 5 again in a state where the second surface faces upward through the resist roller pair 13.

Further, a wipe unit 19 and a cap unit 50 are arranged below the second transport unit 12. The wipe unit 19 horizontally moves below the recording unit 9 when performing a purge described later, wipes the ink extruded from the ink ejection port of the recording head, and collects the wiped ink. The cap unit 50 moves horizontally below the recording unit 9 when capping the ink ejection surface of the recording head, and further moves upward and is mounted on the lower surface of the recording head.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the recording unit 9 includes a head housing 10 and line heads 11C, 11M, 11Y, and 11K held in the head housing 10. These line heads 11C to 11K are such that a predetermined distance (for example, 1 mm) is formed with respect to the transport surface of the first transport belt 8 stretched on a plurality of rollers including the drive roller 6 and the driven roller 7. A plurality of (here, three) recording heads 17a to 17c are arranged in a staggered pattern along the paper width direction (arrow BB'direction) which is supported by the height and is orthogonal to the paper transport direction (arrow A direction). ..

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the ink ejection surface F of the recording heads 17a to 17c is provided with an ink ejection region R in which a large number of ink ejection ports 18 (see FIG. 2) are arranged. Since the recording heads 17a to 17c have the same shape and configuration, the recording heads 17a to 17c are shown in one figure in FIGS. 4 and 5.

As shown in FIG. 6, in the ink ejection port 18 of the recording heads 17a to 17c, the ink (hatched region in FIG. 6) forms a meniscus M curved inward of the recording heads 17a to 17c.

In the recording heads 17a to 17c constituting each line head 11C to 11K, inks of four colors (cyan, magenta, yellow and black) stored in ink tanks (not shown) are contained in the line heads 11C to 11K. It is supplied for each color.

Each of the recording heads 17a to 17c is attracted to the transport surface of the first transport belt 8 according to the image data received from an external computer or the like by a control signal from the control unit 110 (see FIG. 1) that controls the entire printer 100. Ink is ejected from the ink ejection port 18 toward the paper P that is held and conveyed. As a result, a color image in which four color inks of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black are superimposed is formed on the paper P on the first transport belt 8.

In this printer 100, in order to clean the ink ejection surface F of the recording heads 17a to 17c, the ink ejection ports 18 of all the recording heads 17a to 17c are used at the start of printing after a long-term stop and between printing operations. The ink is forcibly discharged from the ink ejection surface F, and the ink ejection surface F is wiped off by the wipers 35a to 35c described later to prepare for the next printing operation.

Next, the cap unit 50, the wipe unit 19, and the peripheral structures will be described in detail.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the first transport unit 5 is housed in the storage frame 70. The first transport unit 5 is configured to be vertically movable by a transport lift mechanism (not shown) including a lift drive source and a gear train. The first transport unit 5 is arranged at an ascending position (position in FIG. 7) during the printing operation, and is close to the ink ejection surface F of the recording heads 17a to 17c. Further, the first transport unit 5 is arranged at a lowered position (position in FIG. 8) during the recovery operation and the capping operation described later of the recording heads 17a to 17c.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the cap unit 50 has a first position (position in FIG. 9) directly below the recording unit 9 and a second position (FIG. 9) retracted from the first position in the horizontal direction (arrow A direction). It is configured to be able to move back and forth between (position 8) and. When the cap unit 50 is arranged at the first position, the first transport unit 5 is arranged at the lowered position. Further, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the cap unit 50 is configured to be able to move up and down in the vertical direction at the first position.

The cap unit 50 is arranged at the second position (position in FIG. 7) during the printing operation and the recovery operation. The cap unit 50 is configured to move upward at the first position (positions of FIGS. 9 and 10) and cap the recording heads 17a to 17c during the capping operation. As will be described later, the cap unit 50 is configured to be connected / disconnected from the wipe unit 19 at the second position, and the wipe unit 19 can move the cap unit 50 in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction. It is done by moving in a state of being connected to.

As shown in FIG. 11, the cap unit 50 is formed on a cap tray 51 made of sheet metal, a pair of tray side plates 52 formed at both ends in the paper width direction (arrow BB'direction) of the cap tray 51, and an upper surface of the cap tray 51. It includes twelve concave cap portions 53 to be arranged and four height-direction positioning protrusions 54. The detailed structure of the cap member 140 (see FIG. 18) having the cap portion 53 will be described later.

The cap portion 53 is arranged at a position corresponding to the recording heads 17a to 17c. As a result, as shown in FIG. 10, the cap unit 50 moves upward at the first position, so that each cap portion 53 caps the ink ejection surface F of each recording head 17a to 17c. The height positioning protrusion 54 abuts on the housing 10 of the recording unit 9 when the cap unit 50 is raised toward the recording unit 9 in order to cap the recording heads 17a to 17c, whereby the height of the cap tray 51 is reached. Position the direction. A cap spring 55 made of a compression spring is arranged between the lower ends of both ends of the cap portion 53 in the longitudinal direction (direction of arrow BB') and the cap tray 51. The cap spring 55 keeps the contact state between the cap portion 53 and the ink ejection surface F constant.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 12, the wipe unit 19 has a first position (position in FIG. 12) directly below the recording unit 9 and a second position (FIG. 12) retracted from the first position in the horizontal direction (arrow A direction). It is configured to be able to move back and forth between (position 8) and. When the wipe unit 19 is arranged at the first position, the first transport unit 5 is arranged at the lowered position. Further, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the wipe unit 19 is configured to be able to move up and down in the vertical direction at the first position.

The wipe unit 19 is arranged at the second position during the printing operation. The wipe unit 19 is configured to move upward at the first position (position in FIG. 12) during the recovery operation and the capping operation.

As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the wipe unit 19 includes a substantially rectangular wiper carriage 31 to which a plurality of wipers 35a to 35c are fixed, and a support frame 40 that supports the wiper carriage 31.

Rail portions 41a and 41b are formed on the end edges of the upper surface of the support frame 40 facing the arrow AA'direction, and the rollers 36 provided at the four corners of the wiper carriage 31 abut on the rail portions 41a and 41b. , The wiper carriage 31 is slidably supported in the direction of arrow BB'with respect to the support frame 40.

On the outside of the support frame 40, a wiper carriage moving motor 45 for moving the wiper carriage 31 in the horizontal direction (arrow BB'direction), and rack teeth (not shown) of the wiper carriage moving motor 45 and the wiper carriage 31 An engaging gear train (not shown) and is attached. When the wiper carriage moving motor 45 rotates in the forward and reverse directions, the gear train rotates in the forward and reverse directions, and the wiper carriage 31 reciprocates in the horizontal direction (arrow BB'direction).

The wipers 35a to 35c are elastic members (for example, rubber members made of EPDM) for wiping the ink extruded from the ink ejection ports 18 of the recording heads 17a to 17c. The wipers 35a to 35c are pressed in a substantially vertical direction to the wiping start position outside the ink ejection region R (see FIG. 5) where the ink ejection port 18 opens, and the ink ejection region R including the ink ejection region R is ejected by the movement of the wiper carriage 31. The surface F is wiped off in a predetermined direction (direction of arrow B in FIG. 13).

The four wipers 35a are arranged at substantially equal intervals, and similarly, the four wipers 35b and the four wipers 35c are also arranged at substantially equal intervals. The wipers 35a and 35c are arranged at positions corresponding to the recording heads 17a and 17c (see FIG. 3) constituting the line heads 11C to 11K, respectively. Further, the wiper 35b is arranged at a position corresponding to the recording heads 17b (see FIG. 3) constituting the line heads 11C to 11K, and is arranged in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the wiper carriage 31 with respect to the wipers 35a and 35c (see FIG. 3). It is fixed by shifting it by a predetermined distance in the direction of the arrow AA'.

A collection tray 44 for collecting waste ink wiped from the ink ejection surface F by the wipers 35a to 35c is arranged on the upper surface of the support frame 40. An ink discharge hole (not shown) is formed in the substantially central portion of the ink recovery tray 44, and the tray surfaces 44a and 44b on both sides of the ink discharge hole have a downward gradient toward the ink discharge hole. ing. Waste ink that has been wiped from the ink ejection surface F by the wipers 35a to 35c and has fallen on the tray surfaces 44a and 44b flows toward the ink ejection holes (not shown). After that, the ink is collected in a waste ink recovery tank (not shown) through an ink recovery path (not shown) connected to the ink discharge hole.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the wipe unit 19 is housed in the carriage 80 having a U-shaped cross section and is arranged below the cap unit 50 at the second position. The wipe unit 19 moves integrally with the carriage 80 when moving in the horizontal direction (arrow AA'direction) as shown in FIGS. 8 and 12, and moves in the vertical direction as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. In the case, it moves in the vertical direction with respect to the carriage 80.

The carriage 80 includes a sheet metal carriage bottom plate 81 on which the wipe unit 19 is mounted (see FIG. 15) and a pair of carriage side plates 82 erected at both ends of the carriage bottom plate 81 in the paper width direction (arrow BB'direction). , Consists of. The carriage side plate 82 is configured to be slidable with respect to a carriage support rail (not shown) of the printer main body 1. As shown in FIG. 15, a rack portion 82a having rack teeth is formed on the upper surface of the carriage side plate 82. A gear 85a is engaged with the rack portion 82a, and a gear train including the gear 85a is connected to a carriage drive source (not shown) including a motor. When the carriage drive source rotates in the forward and reverse directions, the gear train rotates in the forward and reverse directions, and the carriage 80 reciprocates between the first position and the second position. The unit horizontal movement mechanism 85 for moving the cap unit 50 and the wipe unit 19 in the horizontal direction is configured by the gear train including the gear 85a and the carriage drive source.

As shown in FIG. 15, a unit elevating mechanism 60 for raising and lowering the wipe unit 19 in the vertical direction is provided inside the carriage 80. The unit elevating mechanism 60 includes wires 61a and 61b, a take-up pulley 62 for winding the wires 61a and 61b, pulleys 63a and 63b for changing the directions of the wires 61a and 61b, and a take-up drive motor (winding drive source). 64 and.

The wire 61a is attached to the lower part of the wipe unit 19 in the arrow A'direction from the take-up pulley 62 via the pulley 63a. The wire 61b is attached to the lower part of the wipe unit 19 in the arrow A direction from the take-up pulley 62 via the pulleys 63a and 63b. Each of the wires 61a and 61b, the take-up pulley 62, and the pulleys 63a and 63b is provided on both sides in the direction of arrow BB'(front side and back side with respect to the paper surface of FIG. 15). The pair of take-up pulleys 62 are fixed to both ends of one rotating shaft 65. A rotary shaft gear (not shown) that engages with a gear train (not shown) connected to the take-up drive motor 64 is fixed to the rotary shaft 65. When the take-up drive motor 64 rotates in the forward and reverse directions, the take-up pulley 62 rotates in the forward and reverse directions.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the wipe unit 19 is provided with a plurality of connecting pins 42 extending upward. A connecting hole 52a (see FIG. 16) is formed on the lower surface of the tray side plate 52 of the cap unit 50 at a position corresponding to the connecting pin 42. The connecting pin 42 and the connecting hole 52a constitute a connecting mechanism for connecting or disconnecting the cap unit 50 and the wipe unit 19.

In the state where the wipe unit 19 is lowered at the second position (the state of FIG. 15, the state of being arranged at the first height position), the connecting pin 42 is not inserted into the connecting hole 52a as shown in FIG. The unit 19 and the cap unit 50 are not connected (the connection is released). On the other hand, when the wipe unit 19 rises at the second position (is arranged at a second height position higher than the first height position), the connecting pin 42 is inserted into the connecting hole 52a as shown in FIG. It is inserted and the wipe unit 19 and the cap unit 50 are connected. As a result, the cap unit 50 is integrated with the wipe unit 19 and can be moved in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction.

At the second position, a cap support portion (not shown) that supports the cap unit 50 in a state where the wipe unit 19 and the cap unit 50 are not connected (a state in which the connection is released) is provided. .. Further, at the second position, the wipe unit 19 and the cap unit 50 are in close contact with the cap portion 53 of the cap unit 50 in a state where the wipe unit 19 and the cap unit 50 are not connected (a state other than the capping operation (printing operation and recovery operation)). A protective plate (not shown) is provided to protect the cap portion 53. The protective plate (not shown) is in close contact with the cap portion 53 from above to prevent foreign matter such as dust and paper dust from adhering to the upper surface of the cap portion 53 (the surface in close contact with the ink ejection surface F). At the same time, it suppresses the evaporation of water inside the cap portion 53.

Next, the structure of the cap member 140 having the cap portion 53 will be described in detail.

As shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, the cap member 140 caps the ink ejection surface F (see FIG. 5) of the recording heads 17a to 17c. As shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, the cap member 140 has a cap portion 53 made of an elastic body (for example, synthetic rubber having low elasticity and excellent deterioration resistance such as EPDM or butyl rubber) and a bottom portion of the cap portion 53, which will be described later. It is composed of a sheet metal support member 141 that supports the lower surface of 151, and a sheet metal lid member 143 that is arranged inside the cap portion 53.

As shown in FIGS. 19 and 21, the cap portion 53 has an oval-shaped bottom surface portion 151 and an annular side surface portion 152 that stands upright from the peripheral edge of the bottom surface portion 151 and comes into contact with the ink ejection surface F.

Here, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 22 and 23, the bottom surface portion 151 of the cap portion 53 has a groove portion 154 formed by an annular first rib 153 projecting upward from the upper surface of the bottom surface portion 151. It is provided. The groove portion 154 is composed of a first rib 153 and a bottom surface portion 151. As shown in FIG. 22, two groove portions 154 are provided at positions symmetrical with respect to the center of the cap portion 53. One groove portion 154 (lower groove portion 154 in FIG. 22) is formed so as to extend from the vicinity of the end portion of the cap portion 53 in the arrow B direction toward the arrow B'direction, and the other groove portion 154 (FIG. 22). The groove portion 154) on the upper side of the cap portion 53 is formed so as to extend from the vicinity of the end portion in the arrow B'direction of the cap portion 53 toward the arrow B direction.

As shown in FIGS. 20 and 24, the lid member 143 is provided in close contact with the upper end of the first rib 153 so as to cover the groove portion 154. The groove portion 154 and the lid member 143 form an air passage 160 through which air passes. In the present embodiment, two air passages 160 are configured by two groove portions 154 and one lid member 143. It should be noted that one groove portion 154 and the air passage 160 (lower groove portion 154 and air passage 160 in FIG. 22) and the other groove portion 154 and air passage 160 (upper groove portion 154 and air passage 160 in FIG. 22) are capped. Since the shape is the same around the center of the portion 53, the description of the other groove portion 154 and the air passage 160 will be omitted.

One end (the end in the direction of arrow B) of one air passage 160 (the lower air passage 160 in FIG. 22) is configured to communicate with the internal space S (see FIG. 24) of the cap portion 53. The other end (the end in the direction of arrow B') is configured to communicate with the outside of the cap portion 53.

Specifically, at one end of the air passage 160, a first communication port 160a for communicating the air passage 160 and the internal space S of the cap portion 53 is provided. Here, as shown in FIG. 20, the first communication port 160a is provided in the lid member 143. One end of the groove portion 154 (the left end in FIG. 22) is a circular portion 154a having a diameter larger than the width of the other portion. The circular portion 154a is arranged below the first communication port 160a (see FIG. 20). By forming the portion (circular portion 154a) corresponding to the first communication port 160a of the groove portion 154 so as to have a diameter larger than the width of the other portion of the groove portion 154, the lid member 143 is attached to the cap portion 53 with respect to the cap portion 53. Even when the first rib 153 is fixed in a misaligned state, it is possible to prevent the first communication port 160a from being blocked by the first rib 153.

Further, at the other end of the air passage 160, a second communication port 160b is provided on the bottom surface of the groove portion 154. As shown in FIG. 25, the portion of the support member 141 corresponding to the second communication port 160b is provided with a third communication port 160c that communicates the air passage 160 with the outside of the cap portion 53 via the second communication port 160b. Has been done.

Therefore, in a state where the cap portion 53 is capped on the ink ejection surface F (see FIG. 5) of the recording heads 17a to 17c, the internal space S of the cap portion 53 communicates with the outside of the cap portion 53 via the air passage 160.

As shown in FIG. 26, the first communication port 160a is located at a retracted position retracted from the position directly below the ink ejection region R where the ink ejection port 18 opens with the cap portion 53 capped on the recording heads 17a to 17c. It is provided.

As shown in FIGS. 19 and 25, the support member 141 is formed by bending a sheet metal, and has a support surface portion 141a extending in the direction of arrow BB'and a pair of support surface portions 141a extending downward from both ends in the direction of arrow AA'. It is formed in a U-shaped cross section having a bent side surface portion 141b of the above. The cap spring 55 described above is arranged below both ends of the support surface portion 141a in the direction of the arrow BB'. The bottom surface portion 151 of the cap portion 53 is adhesively fixed to the support surface portion 141a.

The support surface portion 141a is provided with a plurality of screw holes 141c (three in this case) in which a screw thread is formed and a screw 148 is attached at a predetermined interval in the direction of arrow BB'. Further, two positioning bosses 149 are fixed to the support surface portion 141a. The screw 148 is an example of the "pressing member" of the present invention, and the lid member 143 is fixed to the support member 141 in a state of being pressed against the first rib 153 as described later.

As shown in FIG. 22, in the bottom surface portion 151 of the cap portion 53, there are three openings 151a through which screws 148 are inserted and two positioning holes 151b into which positioning bosses 149 (see FIG. 25) are inserted. , Are formed. By inserting the positioning boss 149 into the positioning hole 151b, the cap portion 53 is positioned at a predetermined position of the support member 141 as shown in FIG.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 22 and 23, the bottom surface portion 151 is provided with a plurality of (here, two) annular second ribs 155 protruding from the upper surface of the bottom surface portion 151 by the same amount as the first rib 153. ing. Like the first rib 153, two second ribs 155 are provided at positions symmetrical with respect to the center of the cap portion 53. As shown in FIG. 24, a lid member 143 is provided in close contact with the upper end of the second rib 155, similarly to the first rib 153. The second rib 155 constitutes the groove portion 156 like the first rib 153, but the groove portion 156 and the lid member 143 do not form an air passage.

As shown in FIG. 22, the second rib 155 is arranged at a position as if the first rib 153 was extended. Specifically, the first rib 153 is provided along the edge portion of the lid member 143, and the second rib 155 is a portion of the edge portion of the lid member 143 where the first rib 153 is not provided. It is provided along with. As a result, the first rib 153 and the second rib 155 support substantially the entire circumference of the edge portion of the lid member 143.

As shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, the lid member 143 extends in the direction of the arrow BB'and has an annular surface portion 143a that is in close contact with the first rib 153 and the second rib 155 and an annular shape that is erected from the peripheral edge of the contact surface portion 143a. With a side surface portion 143b of. The side surface portion 143b is formed at a height that does not contact the ink ejection surface F.

Three insertion holes 143c into which the screws 148 are inserted are formed in the contact surface portion 143a at positions corresponding to the screw holes 141c. Further, two positioning holes 143d and 143e into which the positioning boss 149 is inserted are formed in the contact surface portion 143a. The positioning hole 143d is formed in a perfect circular shape, and the positioning hole 143e is formed in an oval shape.

Further, the contact surface portion 143a is provided with the above-mentioned first communication port 160a. As shown in FIGS. 27 and 28, the first communication port 160a is formed by burring, and the peripheral edge portion of the first communication port 160a projects upward from the upper surface of the contact surface portion 143a. The positioning holes 143d and 143e are also formed by burring like the first communication port 160a, and the peripheral edges of the positioning holes 143d and 143e also project upward from the upper surface of the contact surface portion 143a.

Next, the air passage 160 of the cap member 140 will be described in more detail.

The groove portion 154 constituting the air passage 160 is provided so as to extend in the arrow BB'direction (predetermined direction).

Here, the lid member 143 is fixed so as to press the first rib 153 and the second rib 155 downward by using screws 148 arranged at predetermined intervals in the arrow BB'direction (predetermined direction). Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 24 and 29, the amount of compression deformation is large in the portion of the first rib 153 and the second rib 155 facing the screw 148. On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 30 and 31, the amount of compression deformation is small in the portion of the first rib 153 facing the intermediate portion of the adjacent screws 148. That is, the lid member 143 is bent, and in the portion facing the intermediate portion of the adjacent screws 148 shown in FIG. 31, the lid member 143 is compared with the portion facing the screw 148 shown in FIGS. 24 and 29. It is pushed upward.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 32 to 34, the inner surface (here, the bottom surface) of the groove portion 154 faces the intermediate portion of the adjacent screws 148 (adjacent screw holes 141c in FIG. 32). A mountain-shaped convex portion 161a projecting into the air passage 160 is provided in the portion to be formed. The convex portion 161a is formed so as to extend along the groove portion 154. Further, the convex portion 161a faces the intermediate portion of the adjacent screws 148 of the groove portion 154 from the position adjacent to the portion of the groove portion 154 facing the screw 148 (the position near the portion facing the screw 148). It is formed so that the amount of protrusion gradually increases toward the portion to be formed. Therefore, the cross-sectional area of the air passage 160 is substantially constant along the longitudinal direction of the air passage 160. The inclination angle of the upper surface of the convex portion 161a is, for example, 0. It is set to several to 5 degrees.

Next, a method of assembling the cap member 140 will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 19 and 21, the positioning boss 149 of the support member 141 is inserted from below into the positioning hole 151b (see FIG. 22) of the cap portion 53, and the bottom surface portion 151 of the cap portion 53 and the support surface portion of the support member 141 are inserted. It is adhesively fixed to 141a. In this embodiment, since the lid member 143 is fixed to the support member 141 while being pressed by the screw 148, the cap portion 53 does not have to be adhesively fixed to the support member 141. Then, the positioning boss 149 is inserted into the positioning holes 143d and 143e of the lid member 143 from below, and the contact surface portion 143a of the lid member 143 is brought into close contact with the upper ends of the first rib 153 and the second rib 155 of the cap portion 53.

Then, by attaching the screw 148 to the screw hole 141c, the lid member 143 is fixed to the support member 141 in a pressed state as shown in FIGS. 18 and 20. As a result, as shown in FIG. 24, the tips of the first rib 153 and the second rib 155 are deformed along the lower surface of the lid member 143 and are in close contact with the lower surface of the lid member 143. In this way, the cap member 140 is assembled.

Next, an operation (capping operation) of attaching the cap unit 50 to the recording heads 17a to 17c in the printer 100 of the present embodiment will be described. In the capping operation and the recovery operation described below, the recording heads 17a to 17c, the wipe unit 19, the unit elevating mechanism 60, the unit horizontal moving mechanism 85, and the transport elevating mechanism are performed by the control signal from the control unit 110 (see FIG. 1). , It is executed by controlling the operation of each drive source and the like.

When the recording heads 17a to 17c are capped by the cap unit 50, the first transport unit 5 arranged to face the lower surface of the recording unit 9 (see FIG. 1) as shown in FIG. 8 is lowered from the state shown in FIG. Let me. At this time, the wipe unit 19 is arranged at the first height position, and the wipe unit 19 and the cap unit 50 are not connected to each other.

Then, the wipe unit 19 is raised from the first height position to the second height position by the unit elevating mechanism 60 (see FIG. 15). As a result, as shown in FIG. 17, the connecting pin 42 is inserted into the connecting hole 52a, and the wipe unit 19 and the cap unit 50 are connected to each other.

Then, as shown in FIG. 9, by horizontally moving the carriage 80 from the second position to the first position, the cap unit 50 is horizontally moved from the second position to the first position while being connected to the upper surface of the wipe unit 19. do.

Then, the wipe unit 19 and the cap unit 50 are raised by the unit elevating mechanism 60 as shown in FIG. When the cap portion 53 of the cap unit 50 comes into close contact with the ink ejection surface F of the recording heads 17a to 17c, the rotation of the take-up drive motor 64 (see FIG. 15) is stopped, so that the recording heads 17a to 17c of the cap unit 50 are stopped. The cap for is completed.

At this time, after the upper end of the side surface portion 152 of the cap portion 53 comes into contact with the recording heads 17a to 17c, the cap portion 53 is raised by several mm, that is, the side surface portion 152 of the cap portion 53 is compressed in the vertical direction. In this state, the rise of the cap portion 53 is stopped. Therefore, the air pressure (internal pressure) of the internal space S of the cap portion 53 rises, but in the present embodiment, the internal space S of the cap portion 53 communicates with the outside of the cap portion 53 via the air passage 160. The air in the internal space S of the cap portion 53 is discharged to the outside of the cap portion 53 through the air passage 160. As a result, the rise in the air pressure in the internal space S of the cap portion 53 is suppressed, so that the destruction of the meniscus M (see FIG. 6) of the ink ejection port 18 is suppressed.

In the case where the cap portion 53 is separated from the recording heads 17a to 17c (when shifting to the printing operation or the recovery operation), the operation opposite to the above is performed, and thus the description will be briefly described.

At the first position, the unit elevating mechanism 60 lowers the wipe unit 19 and the cap unit 50 until the wipe unit 19 reaches the second height position. As a result, the cap portion 53 is separated from the ink ejection surface F.

At this time, the upper end of the side surface portion 152 of the cap portion 53 is separated from the recording heads 17a to 17c at a position where the cap portion 53 is lowered by about several mm from the state where the side surface portion 152 of the cap portion 53 is compressed in the vertical direction. Therefore, the air pressure (internal pressure) of the internal space S of the cap portion 53 decreases, but in the present embodiment, the internal space S of the cap portion 53 communicates with the outside of the cap portion 53 via the air passage 160. , The air outside the cap portion 53 flows into the internal space S of the cap portion 53 through the air passage 160. As a result, the decrease in the air pressure in the internal space S of the cap portion 53 is suppressed, so that the destruction of the meniscus M (see FIG. 6) of the ink ejection port 18 is suppressed.

Then, by horizontally moving the carriage 80 from the first position to the second position, the wipe unit 19 and the cap unit 50 are arranged in the second position in a connected state.

Then, at the second position, the wipe unit 19 is lowered from the second height position to the first height position by the unit elevating mechanism 60. As a result, the connecting pin 42 comes out of the connecting hole 52a, and the connection between the wipe unit 19 and the cap unit 50 is released. In this way, the state of FIG. 8 is restored.

Next, the recovery operation of the recording heads 17a to 17c in the printer 100 of the present embodiment will be described.

When the wipe unit 19 recovers the recording heads 17a to 17c, the first transport unit 5 facing the lower surface of the recording unit 9 (see FIG. 1) as shown in FIG. 8 is moved from the state shown in FIG. Lower. At this time, the wipe unit 19 is arranged at the first height position, and the wipe unit 19 and the cap unit 50 are not connected to each other.

Then, as shown in FIG. 12, by horizontally moving the carriage 80 from the second position to the first position with the cap unit 50 left in the second position, the wipe unit 19 is moved to the first height position. Move horizontally from the 2nd position to the 1st position.

Then, the wipe unit 19 is raised by the unit elevating mechanism 60 as shown in FIG. As a result, the wipers 35a to 35c of the wipe unit 19 are pressed against the wiping start position of the ink ejection surface F of the recording heads 17a to 17c.

Then, ink is supplied to the recording heads 17a to 17c prior to the wiping operation. The supplied ink is forcibly extruded (purged) from the ink ejection port 18 (see FIG. 2). By this purging operation, thickened ink, foreign matter and air bubbles in the ink ejection port 18 are discharged. At this time, the purge ink is extruded to the ink ejection surface F along the shape of the ink ejection region R (see FIG. 5) in which the ink ejection port 18 is present.

After that, a wiping operation is performed to wipe off the ink (purge ink) extruded on the ink ejection surface F. Specifically, by rotating the wiper carriage moving motor 45 in the forward direction from the state shown in FIG. 13, the wiper carriage 31 moves horizontally in the direction of arrow B as shown in FIG. 14, and the wipers 35a to 35c move the recording heads 17a. Wipe off the ink extruded on the ink ejection surface F of ~ 17c. The waste ink wiped off by the wipers 35a to 35c is collected in the collection tray 44 arranged in the wipe unit 19.

Then, by lowering the wipe unit 19 to the first height position as shown in FIG. 12 by the unit elevating mechanism 60 (see FIG. 15), the wipers 35a to 35c are moved from the ink ejection surface F of the recording heads 17a to 17c. Separate downward. After that, the wiper carriage 31 is moved in the direction opposite to the wiping direction (direction of arrow B'), and the wipe unit 19 is returned to the original state.

Then, the carriage 80 and the wipe unit 19 arranged at the first position are horizontally moved from the first position to the second position. As a result, the wipe unit 19 is arranged below the cap unit 50. In this way, the recovery operation of the recording heads 17a to 17c is completed.

In the present embodiment, as described above, one end of the air passage 160 communicates with the internal space S of the cap portion 53, and the other end of the air passage 160 communicates with the outside of the cap portion 53. As a result, the internal space S of the cap portion 53 communicates with the outside of the cap portion 53 via the air passage 160. Therefore, when the cap portion 53 is pressure-welded (capped) to the ink ejection surface F or separated from the ink ejection surface F, it is possible to suppress a change in the air pressure in the internal space S of the cap portion 53. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the Meniscus M from being destroyed.

Further, the bottom surface portion 151 of the cap portion 53 is provided with a groove portion 154 composed of a first rib 153 protruding from the upper surface of the bottom surface portion 151, and a lid covering the groove portion 154 is provided at the upper end of the first rib portion 153. The members 143 are provided in close contact with each other, and the groove portion 154 and the lid member 143 form an air passage 160 through which air passes. As a result, unlike the conventional inkjet recording device, there is no connection portion between the cap portion and the tube, so that vapor (vaporized ink) does not leak from the connection portion. Further, even if steam leaks from the side surface (first rib 153) of the air passage 160 (steam penetrates the side surface (first rib 153) of the air passage 160 in the thickness direction), the steam still flows into the internal space of the cap portion 53. Since it only returns to S, the internal space S of the cap portion 53 does not dry. Therefore, since it is possible to prevent the internal space S of the cap portion 53 from drying, it is possible to prevent the ink ejection port 18 from being clogged. Since the support member 141 made of sheet metal is provided on the lower surface of the bottom surface portion 151 of the cap portion 53, steam does not leak from the bottom surface of the air passage 160 (bottom surface of the groove portion 154).

Further, the lid member 143 is pressed against the first rib 153 by three screws 148 arranged at predetermined intervals in the direction of arrow BB'. As a result, the first rib 153 is compressed downward by the pressing force of the screw 148. At this time, the portion of the first rib 153 facing the intermediate portion of the adjacent screws 148 has a smaller amount of compression deformation than the portion of the first rib 153 facing the screw 148. Therefore, the cross-sectional area of the portion of the air passage 160 facing the intermediate portion of the adjacent screws 148 is larger than the cross-sectional area of the portion of the air passage 160 facing the screw 148.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, as described above, the inner surface of the groove portion 154 is provided with a mountain-shaped convex portion 161a protruding into the air passage 160 at a portion facing the intermediate portion of the adjacent screws 148. .. As a result, it is possible to prevent the cross-sectional area of the portion of the air passage 160 facing the intermediate portion of the adjacent screws 148 from becoming larger than the cross-sectional area of the portion of the air passage 160 facing the screw 148. Can be done. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the cross-sectional area of the air passage 160 from changing along the longitudinal direction of the air passage 160, so that the air flow in the air passage 160 can be smoothed. As a result, when the cap portion 53 is pressure-welded (capped) to the ink ejection surface F or separated from the ink ejection surface F, the change in air pressure in the internal space S of the cap portion 53 can be further suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to further suppress the destruction of the meniscus M.

When the cross-sectional area of the air passage 160 changes along the longitudinal direction of the air passage 160, air stays in a region (space) having a large cross-sectional area, so that the air flow in the air passage 160 should be smooth. Can't.

Further, as described above, the convex portion 161a protrudes from the position adjacent to the portion of the groove portion 154 facing the screw 148 toward the portion of the groove portion 154 facing the intermediate portion of the adjacent screw 148. It is formed so that the amount gradually increases. Thereby, it is possible to easily suppress the cross-sectional area of the air passage 160 from changing along the longitudinal direction of the air passage 160.

Further, as described above, the convex portion 161a is provided on the bottom surface of the groove portion 154. When the convex portion 161a is provided on the bottom surface of the groove portion 154, the convex portion 161a is not deformed because the pressing force by the screw 148 is not applied to the convex portion 161a. Therefore, the shape of the convex portion 161a can be easily designed.

Further, as described above, at one end of the air passage 160, a first communication port 160a for communicating the air passage 160 and the internal space S of the cap portion 53 is provided, and at the other end of the air passage 160. A second communication port 160b is provided on the bottom surface of the groove portion 154, and an air passage 160 and a cap portion 53 are provided in a portion of the support member 141 corresponding to the second communication port 160b via the second communication port 160b. A third communication port 160c that communicates with the outside of the wall is provided. As a result, one end of the air passage 160 can be easily communicated with the internal space S of the cap portion 53, and the other end of the air passage 160 can be easily communicated with the outside of the cap portion 53. ..

Further, as described above, the first communication port 160a is provided in the lid member 143. As a result, the air passage 160 and the internal space S of the cap portion 53 can be easily communicated with each other.

Further, as described above, the peripheral edge portion of the first communication port 160a projects upward from the upper surface of the lid member 143. As a result, even when the ink drops from the ink ejection port 18 to the lid member 143, it is possible to prevent the ink from flowing into the first communication port 160a. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the air passage 160 from being clogged with ink.

Further, as described above, a plurality of (here, two) air passages 160 are provided. As a result, even if ink enters one air passage 160 and the air passage 160 is clogged, the remaining air passage 160 maintains the communication state between the internal space S of the cap portion 53 and the outside of the cap portion 53. Can be done.

Further, as described above, the plurality of (here, two) groove portions 154 and one lid member 143 constitute a plurality of (here, two) air passages 160. As a result, the number of parts does not increase even when a plurality of air passages 160 are provided.

Further, as described above, the bottom surface portion 151 of the cap portion 53 protrudes from the upper surface of the bottom surface portion 151 by the same amount as the first rib 153, and the second rib in which the lid member 143 is arranged in close contact with the upper end portion. 155 is provided. As a result, the lid member 143 can be supported by the first rib 153 and the second rib 155, so that it is possible to prevent the lid member 143 from being fixed in an inclined state with respect to the support member 141.

Further, as described above, the first rib 153 is provided along the edge portion of the lid member 143 and at a position symmetrical with respect to the center of the cap portion 53, and the second rib 155 is provided with the lid. It is provided along the portion of the edge portion of the member 143 where the first rib 153 is not provided, and at a position symmetrical with respect to the center of the cap portion 53. As a result, the first rib 153 and the second rib 155 can support substantially the entire circumference of the edge portion of the lid member 143, so that the lid member 143 is fixed in an inclined state with respect to the support member 141. Can be further suppressed.

Further, as described above, the first communication port 160a is provided at a retracted position retracted from the position directly below the ink ejection port 18 of the recording heads 17a to 17c with the cap portion 53 capped on the recording heads 17a to 17c. ing. As a result, even when the ink drops from the ink ejection port 18, it is possible to prevent the ink from entering the first communication port 160a.

(Second Embodiment)
In the cap member 140 of the second embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 35 to 37, adjacent screws 148 (adjacent screw holes in FIG. 35) are provided on the side surfaces of the first rib 153 constituting the groove portion 154. A mountain-shaped convex portion 161b projecting into the air passage 160 is provided at a portion facing the intermediate portion of 141c). Therefore, as in the first embodiment, the cross-sectional area of the air passage 160 is substantially constant along the longitudinal direction of the air passage 160. In this embodiment, one convex portion 161b is provided on both side surfaces of the groove portion 154.

The other structures of the second embodiment, the method of assembling the cap member 140, the capping operation and the recovery operation are the same as those of the first embodiment.

In the present embodiment, as described above, a mountain-shaped convex portion 161b protruding into the air passage 160 is provided on the side surface of the groove portion 154. As a result, as in the first embodiment, the cross-sectional area of the portion of the air passage 160 facing the intermediate portion of the adjacent screws 148 is compared with the cross-sectional area of the portion of the air passage 160 facing the screw 148. Since it is possible to suppress the increase in size, the flow of air in the air passage 160 can be smoothed. Therefore, it is possible to further suppress the destruction of the meniscus M when the cap portion 53 is pressure-welded (capped) to the ink ejection surface F or separated from the ink ejection surface F.

Other effects of the second embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment.

It should be noted that the embodiments disclosed this time are exemplary in all respects and are not considered to be restrictive. The scope of the present invention is shown by the scope of claims rather than the description of the embodiment described above, and further includes all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of claims.

For example, in the above embodiment, the recovery operation of the recording heads 17a to 17c is performed using only the ink (purge ink), but the recovery operation of the recording heads 17a to 17c is performed using the ink and the cleaning liquid. You may.

Further, in the above embodiment, an example in which the lid member 143 is fixed to the support member 141 in a pressed state by using the screw 148 has been shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the lid member 143 may be fixed in a state of being pressed against the support member 141 by using a caulking pin or by press-fitting the pin into the insertion hole of the support member 141.

Further, in the above embodiment, an example in which the first communication port 160a is provided in the lid member 143 has been shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a first communication port for communicating the air passage 160 and the internal space S of the cap portion 53 may be provided by providing an opening hole, a notch, or the like in the side surface portion 152 of the cap portion 53.

Further, for example, in the second embodiment, the example in which the convex portion 161b is provided on both side surfaces of the groove portion 154 is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the convex portion 161b may be provided only on one side surface of the groove portion 154. good.

Further, in the above embodiment, an example in which the convex portion is provided on the bottom surface or the side surface of the groove portion 154 is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the convex portion may be provided on both the bottom surface and the side surface of the groove portion 154.

17a to 17c Recording head 18 Ink ejection port 53 Cap part 100 Printer (inkjet recording device)
140 Cap member 141 Support member 143 Cover member 148 Screw (pressing member)
151 Bottom part 152 Side part 153 1st rib 154 Groove 155 2nd rib 160 Air passage 160a 1st communication port 160b 2nd communication port 160c 3rd communication port 161a, 161b Convex part F Ink ejection surface M Meniscus P paper (recording medium) )
S internal space

Claims (13)

A cap member that caps the ink ejection surface where the ink ejection port of the recording head opens.
A cap portion made of an elastic body having a bottom surface portion, an annular side surface portion erected from the bottom surface portion and in contact with the ink ejection surface, and a cap portion.
Equipped with
The bottom surface portion of the cap portion is provided with a groove portion formed by a first rib protruding from the upper surface portion of the bottom surface portion and extending in a predetermined direction.
A lid member covering the groove is provided in close contact with the upper end of the first rib.
The lid member is provided by a plurality of pressing members arranged in the predetermined direction at predetermined intervals.
Pressed by the first rib,
The groove portion and the lid member form an air passage through which air passes.
One end of the air passage communicates with the internal space of the cap portion.
The other end of the air passage communicates with the outside of the cap portion.
A cap member characterized in that a mountain-shaped convex portion protruding into the air passage is provided on the inner surface of the groove portion at a portion facing the intermediate portion of the adjacent pressing member. The amount of protrusion of the convex portion gradually increases from the position adjacent to the portion of the groove portion facing the pressing member to the portion of the groove portion facing the intermediate portion of the adjacent pressing member. The cap member according to claim 1, wherein the cap member is formed so as to be. The cap member according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the convex portion is provided on the bottom surface of the groove portion. The cap member according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the convex portion is provided on a side surface of the first rib constituting the groove portion. A support member for supporting the lower surface of the bottom surface portion of the cap portion is further provided.
At one end of the air passage, a first communication port for communicating the air passage and the internal space of the cap portion is provided.
At the other end of the air passage, a second communication port is provided on the bottom surface of the groove.
The portion of the support member corresponding to the second communication port is characterized in that a third communication port that communicates the air passage with the outside of the cap portion via the second communication port is provided. The cap member according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The cap member according to claim 5, wherein the first communication port is provided on the lid member. The cap member according to claim 6, wherein the peripheral edge portion of the first communication port projects upward from the upper surface of the lid member. The cap member according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a plurality of the air passages are provided. A plurality of the grooves are provided, and the groove portion is provided.
The cap member according to claim 8, wherein a plurality of the air passages are formed by the plurality of the groove portions and the one lid member. The bottom surface portion of the cap portion is provided with a second rib that protrudes from the upper surface portion of the bottom surface portion by the same amount as the first rib and is in close contact with the upper end portion on which the lid member is arranged. The cap member according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the cap member is characterized. A plurality of the first rib and the second rib are provided, respectively.
The first rib is provided along the edge portion of the lid member and at a position symmetrical with respect to the center of the cap portion.
The second rib is provided along the portion of the edge portion of the lid member where the first rib is not provided, and at a position symmetrical with respect to the center of the cap portion. The cap member according to claim 10. The cap member according to any one of claims 1 to 11 and the cap member.
The recording head that ejects ink onto the recording medium,
An inkjet recording device characterized by being equipped with. With the cap member according to claim 6 or 7.
The recording head that ejects ink onto the recording medium,
Equipped with
The first communication port is an inkjet recording device provided at a retracted position retracted from a position directly below the ink ejection port of the recording head with the cap portion capped on the recording head.

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