JP7434817B2 - inkjet recording device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an inkjet recording device.

In an inkjet recording apparatus, in order to maintain high-quality image recording, it is necessary to prevent clogging of ink discharge nozzles that discharge ink onto a recording medium such as paper. Therefore, the inkjet recording apparatus can perform a flushing operation in which ink is discharged from the ink discharge nozzles during non-image recording when ink is not discharged onto the recording medium. The flushing operation may be performed, for example, after the nozzle tip is capped with a cap member. Conventional techniques related to capping of ink ejection nozzles have been proposed.

For example, in the conventional inkjet head maintenance device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the inkjet head moves upward and the maintenance section moves below the inkjet head when not printing. Then, the inkjet head is capped by the maintenance section.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-198406

However, in the case of the conventional technology, it is necessary to install a moving mechanism to move the inkjet head and the maintenance section, which may complicate the structure of the inkjet recording apparatus. Furthermore, it takes a lot of time to move the inkjet head and the maintenance section, and there is a risk that the maintenance time will become longer.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide an inkjet recording apparatus that has a simple configuration and is capable of quickly performing a flushing operation.

In order to solve the above problems, an inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention includes a recording head, a suction section, and a control section. The print head has an ink ejection nozzle that ejects ink onto a print medium. The suction section has a suction port disposed below the recording head on a side that does not overlap with the ink ejection trajectory, and sucks ink ejected downward from the ink ejection nozzles in a horizontal direction. The control section controls the operation of the recording head and the suction section. Furthermore, the control section can perform a flushing operation to eject ink from the ink ejection nozzle during non-image recording when ink is not ejected onto the recording medium, and during the flushing operation, the ink ejected from the ink ejection nozzle by the suction section can be to be absorbed.

According to the configuration of the present invention, during the flushing operation, the ink ejected from the ink ejection nozzle is sucked by the suction unit having the suction port disposed below the recording head. This eliminates the need for a moving mechanism for the recording head or the like, making it possible to perform the flushing operation quickly with a simple configuration.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an inkjet recording apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the recording section of the inkjet recording apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the vicinity of a recording section of the inkjet recording apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram showing the vicinity of the print head of the print section in FIG. 3; 4 is an overall configuration diagram of the suction section in FIG. 3. FIG. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing the vicinity of a print head of an inkjet printing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the following content.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an inkjet recording apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the recording section 5 of the inkjet recording apparatus 1 of FIG. 1. The inkjet recording device 1 is, for example, an inkjet recording printer. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the inkjet recording apparatus 1 includes an apparatus main body 2, a paper supply section 3, a paper transport section 4, a recording section 5, a drying section 6, and a control section 7.

The paper supply section 3 stores a plurality of sheets of paper (recording medium) P, and separates and sends out the sheets of paper P one by one during recording. The paper transport section 4 transports the paper P sent out from the paper supply section 3 to the recording section 5 and the drying section 6, and further discharges the paper P after recording and drying to the paper discharge section 21. When double-sided recording is performed, the paper transport unit 4 distributes the paper P after recording and drying the first side to the reversing transport unit 44 by the branching unit 43, and further switches the transport direction to transfer the paper P whose front and back sides have been reversed. It is transported again to the recording section 5 and the drying section 6.

The paper transport section 4 includes a first belt transport section 41 and a second belt transport section 42 . The first belt conveyance section 41 and the second belt conveyance section 42 adsorb and hold the paper P on the upper surface of an endless belt and convey it.

The recording unit 5 is disposed above the first belt transport unit 41 with a predetermined interval therebetween, facing the paper P that is suctioned and held on the upper surface of the first belt transport unit 41 and transported. The recording section 5 includes a line type inkjet recording head 51. As shown in FIG. 2, the recording head 51 includes recording heads 51B, 51C, 51M, and 51Y corresponding to each of four colors: black, cyan, magenta, and yellow. A plurality (for example, three) of the recording heads 51 of each color are arranged in a staggered manner along the paper width direction Dw perpendicular to the paper conveyance direction Dc.

The recording head 51 includes a plurality of ink ejection nozzles 52 in an ink ejection section at the bottom thereof. The plurality of ink ejection nozzles 52 are arranged side by side along the paper width direction Dw, and can eject ink over the entire recording area on the paper P. The recording unit 5 sequentially discharges ink from four color recording heads 51B, 51C, 51M, and 51Y toward the paper P transported by the first belt transport unit 41, and records a full-color image or a monochrome image on the paper P. .

The drying section 6 is arranged downstream of the recording section 5 in the paper conveyance direction, and is provided with a second belt conveyance section 42 . The ink is dried on the paper P on which the ink image has been recorded in the recording section 5 while being suction-held and conveyed by the second belt conveyance section 42 in the drying section 6 .

The control unit 7 includes a CPU (not shown), a storage unit, and other electronic circuits and electronic components (not shown). The CPU controls the operation of each component provided in the inkjet recording apparatus 1 based on control programs and data stored in the storage unit, and performs processing related to the functions of the inkjet recording apparatus 1. The paper supply section 3, the paper transport section 4, the recording section 5, and the drying section 6 each receive instructions from the control section 7 individually, and perform recording on the paper P in conjunction with each other. The storage unit is configured by a combination of a non-volatile storage device such as a program ROM (Read Only Memory) and a data ROM (not shown) and a volatile storage device such as a RAM (Random Access Memory).

Next, the configuration around the recording section 5 of the inkjet recording apparatus 1 will be described using FIGS. 3, 4, and 5. FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the vicinity of the recording section 5 of the inkjet recording apparatus 1 of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram showing the vicinity of the recording head 51 of the recording section 5 in FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is an overall configuration diagram of the suction section 8 of FIG. 3.

In addition, in FIGS. 4 and 5, the flow direction of the airflow generated by the suction of the suction unit 8 is drawn with broken line arrows. Furthermore, for convenience of explanation, the ink (water droplet shape) ejected from the print head 51 is drawn on the lower side of the print head 51 in FIG. 4, but the ink actually ejected is the ink drawn in FIG. (water droplet shape). Furthermore, since the recording heads 51B, 51C, 51M, and 51Y of the four colors have the same shape and the same configuration, one will be described as a representative, and identification symbols representing each color will be omitted. The same applies to FIG. 6, which will be described later.

The inkjet recording apparatus 1 includes a suction section 8, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The suction unit 8 has a suction nozzle 81. The suction nozzle 81 is arranged adjacent to the recording head 51 along the paper conveyance direction Dc. The suction nozzle 81 is located below the recording head 51 and close to the ink ejection surface 51a where a large number of ink ejection nozzles 52 are opened. The suction nozzle 81 includes a suction port 811 shown in FIG.

The suction port 811 is disposed below the recording head 51 and on the side that does not overlap with the ink ejection trajectory. The suction port 811 opens toward the ink ejection trajectory. The suction unit 8 horizontally sucks ink ejected downward from the ink ejection nozzle 52 through the suction port 811 .

The control unit 7 can perform a flushing operation to eject ink from the ink ejection nozzle 52 during non-image recording when ink is not ejected onto the paper P. Further, the control section 7 causes the suction section 8 to suck ink ejected from the ink ejection nozzle 52 during the flushing operation.

The suction unit 8 horizontally sucks ink ejected downward from the ink ejection nozzle 52 by the flushing operation. The ink ejected downward from the ink ejection nozzle 52 by the flushing operation is sucked into the suction section 8 before adhering to the upper surface of the first belt conveyance section 41 .

As in the above configuration, during the flushing operation, the ink ejected from the ink ejection nozzle 52 is sucked by the suction section 8 in which the suction port 811 is arranged below the recording head 51. This eliminates the need for a moving mechanism for the recording head 51 and the like, making it possible to perform the flushing operation quickly with a simple configuration.

Further, since the suction nozzles 81 of the suction unit 8 are individually provided for each of the plurality of recording heads 51 corresponding to the four colors, during the flushing operation, the four colors of ink ejected from the ink ejection nozzles 52 are individually Can be inhaled. Thereby, each of the four colors of ink discharged from the ink discharge nozzle 52 is suitably sucked by the suction section 8 before it adheres to the upper surface of the first belt conveyance section 41.

Four suction nozzles 81 corresponding to each of the four color recording heads 51 are arranged adjacent to the downstream side of the corresponding recording head 51 in the paper conveyance direction Dc. The airflow generated by the suction of the suction unit 8 flows along the conveyance direction Dc of the paper P. According to this configuration, the ink ejected from the ink ejection nozzle 52 is immediately sucked by the suction unit 8. That is, it is possible to prevent ink from adhering to the upper surface of the first belt conveying section 41.

As shown in FIG. 5, the suction unit 8 includes a suction tube 82, a suction duct 83, a filter 84, a fan 85, and a recovery unit 86 in addition to the suction nozzle 81.

The suction tube 82 is individually connected to each of the four suction nozzles 81 corresponding to the four colors. That is, four suction tubes 82 are provided in this embodiment. Ink sucked by the suction nozzle 81 flows into the suction tube 82.

The suction duct 83 is connected to the downstream ends of the four suction tubes 82 in the air flow direction. The air circulation paths flowing through each of the four suction tubes 82 are combined into one suction duct 83. A filter 84 and a fan 85 are provided at the downstream end of the suction duct 83 in the air flow direction. The midstream portion 83m of the suction duct 83 extends downward and further bends upward.

The filter 84 is provided at the downstream end of the suction duct 83 in the air flow direction. The filter 84 removes ink and the like from the air flow generated within the suction duct 83 when the fan 85 operates.

The fan 85 is provided downstream of the filter 84 in the air flow direction. The fan 85 is arranged at the most downstream part of the air circulation path within the suction section 8 . By suctioning, the fan 85 generates an airflow inside the suction duct 83, suction tube 82, and suction nozzle 81 from the suction nozzle 81 side toward the fan 85 side. In FIG. 5, the exhaust side of the fan 85 appears to be directed toward the recording head 51, but in reality, the exhaust side of the fan 85 is configured to be directed toward the outside of the apparatus main body 2.

The recovery section 86 is provided in the midstream section 83m of the suction duct 83. A portion of the midstream portion 83m of the suction duct 83 where the recovery portion 86 is provided is bent into a substantially U-shape. The recovery section 86 includes a recovery port 861 , a waste liquid bottle 862 , a protruding piece 863 , and an inclined section 864 .

The recovery port 861 is provided at the lower end of the midstream portion 83m of the suction duct 83 that is bent into a substantially U-shape. The recovery port 861 is arranged, for example, vertically below the suction duct 83 that extends in the up-down direction on the upstream side of the recovery port 861 in the air flow direction. A waste liquid bottle 862 is connected to the recovery port 861 . The waste liquid bottle 862 collects and stores ink that has been sucked by the suction unit 8 and passed through the suction duct 83.

The protruding pieces 863 are provided on the inner wall portions of the suction duct 83 that extend in the vertical direction on the upstream and downstream sides of the recovery port 861 in the air flow direction. For example, a plurality of protruding pieces 863 are provided. The plurality of protruding pieces 863 extend from the inner wall surface of the suction duct 83 in a direction intersecting the air flow direction, and extend downwardly toward the inside.

The inclined portion 864 is provided adjacent to the recovery port 861 on the downstream side of the recovery port 861 in the air flow direction. The inclined portion 864 extends downward toward the recovery port 861 side.

When the fan 85 is operated, air outside the suction section 8 flows into the suction section 8 from the suction nozzle 81 . The ink sucked together with air by the suction unit 8 flows into the suction tube 82 and the suction duct 83 . The ink that has reached the recovery section 86 is prevented from moving by the plurality of protruding pieces 863 and adheres to the protruding pieces 863 .

On the upstream side of the recovery port 861 in the air flow direction, ink adhering to the protruding piece 863 falls along the protruding piece 863 toward the recovery port 861 and is sent into the waste liquid bottle 862 . On the downstream side of the recovery port 861 in the air flow direction, the ink adhering to the protruding piece 863 falls along the protruding piece 863, further moves along the slope 864 toward the recovery port 861, and is sent into the waste liquid bottle 862.

As described above, the suction section 8 includes the collection section 86 that separates the ink suctioned by the suction section 8 from the airflow generated by the suction of the suction section 8 and collects it. According to this configuration, the ink ejected from the ink ejection nozzle 52 by the flushing operation and sucked by the suction unit 8 can be separated from the airflow and collected. The collected ink is sent to a waste liquid bottle 862, for example. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the ink sucked by the suction unit 8 from unintentionally flowing into a location where there is a risk of causing a problem.

Next, the configuration of the inkjet recording apparatus 1 of the second embodiment will be explained using FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram showing the vicinity of the recording head 51 of the inkjet recording apparatus 1 of the second embodiment. Note that the basic configuration of this embodiment is the same as the first embodiment described above, so common components may be given the same symbols or names as before and their explanations may be omitted. There are cases where the description of the configuration other than the characteristic parts is omitted.

The inkjet recording apparatus 1 of the second embodiment includes an air blower 9, as shown in FIG. The blower section 9 has a blower nozzle 91 . The blow nozzle 91 is arranged adjacent to the recording head 51 along the paper conveyance direction Dc. The air blowing nozzle 91 is disposed at the lower part of the recording head 51 and close to the ink ejection surface 51a where a large number of ink ejection nozzles 52 are opened.

The air blowing nozzles 91 of the air blowing unit 9 are individually provided for each of the plurality of recording heads 51 corresponding to the four colors. Four air blowing nozzles 91 corresponding to each of the four color recording heads 51 are arranged adjacent to the upstream side of the corresponding recording head 51 in the paper conveyance direction Dc.

The blower section 9 includes a blower fan (not shown). The air blower 9 blows air toward the lower side of the recording head 51 adjacent to the downstream side in the paper conveyance direction Dc. That is, the air blowing section 9 is disposed opposite the suction section 8 with the recording head 51 in between, and blows air toward the suction section 8 in a horizontal direction. The airflow generated by the air blowing unit 9 and suction by the suction unit 8 flows along the conveyance direction Dc of the paper P.

During the flushing operation, the control section 7 causes the suction section 8 to suck ink ejected from the ink ejection nozzle 52 while blowing air toward the suction section 8 using the air blowing section 9 . According to this configuration, the movement of the ink sucked by the suction unit 8 can be assisted. Therefore, it is possible to improve the accuracy of guiding the ink ejected from the ink ejection nozzle 52 into the suction section 8 during the flushing operation.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention.

The present invention can be used in an inkjet recording device.

1 Inkjet recording device 5 Recording section 7 Control section 8 Suction section 9 Air blowing section 51 Recording head 51a Ink ejection surface 52 Ink ejection nozzle 81 Suction nozzle 86 Collection section 91 Air blowing nozzle 811 Suction port

Claims (4)

a recording head having an ink ejection nozzle that ejects ink onto a recording medium;
a suction unit having a suction port disposed below the recording head on a side that does not overlap with the ink ejection trajectory, and horizontally sucking the ink ejected downward from the ink ejection nozzle;
an air blowing unit disposed opposite to the suction unit with the recording head in between, and blowing air in a horizontal direction toward the suction unit;
a control unit that controls operations of the recording head and the suction unit;
Equipped with
The control unit is capable of executing a flushing operation of ejecting the ink from the ink ejection nozzle during non-image recording when ink is not ejected onto the recording medium, and during the flushing operation, the air blower causes the suction unit to An inkjet recording apparatus characterized in that the ink ejected from the ink ejection nozzle is sucked by the suction section while blowing air toward the inkjet recording device. comprising a plurality of the recording heads,
The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the suction section is provided individually for each of the plurality of recording heads. 3. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the airflow generated by the suction of the suction section flows along the conveyance direction of the recording medium . The inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , further comprising a collection unit that collects the ink sucked by the suction unit separately from an airflow generated by suction of the suction unit. .

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