JPH01291947A - Ink jet recorder and ink jet recording head - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable an ink discharge part to be automatically capped when a recording head is not attached to a recorder, by a method wherein when the recording head is attached to the recorder, an operation means established related to an attached part comes in contact with a cap member, and an ink discharge part of the recording head is released from the cap member. CONSTITUTION:When a recording head 1 is guided from upside onto a carriage 2 along a guide member 5 and a detent member 6, by protruding an engaged part 3E of a cap member 3 with a pushing up member 7, the cap member 3 is made to pivot, and an ink discharge part 1A is released to be prepared for recording. That is, engaging a click 6A of a detent member 6 with an engaged groove 1E can fix the recording head 1 to the carriage 2; further, a contact 8 and a contact 9 on the carriage 2 are electrically connected to each other. At an opposed position in a home position of the recording head 1, a recovery unit 14 is established on a base 13. When recording is not performed, a capping rubber 14B of a capping holder 14A is brought into contact with the ink discharge part 1A, and the ink discharge part 1A is sealed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an inkjet recording device, and more specifically, an inkjet recording device in which an ink cartridge and a head nozzle chip are provided in an integrated head, and which can be used as a disposable recording head. The present invention relates to an inkjet recording device.

(Prior Art) In a conventional inkjet recording device of this type, a nozzle unit (hereinafter referred to as an ink discharge unit) that discharges ink from a liquid path to perform recording has an ink cartridge serving as an ink tank that supplies the ink. The recording head is formed integrally with the carriage so that it can be attached to and detached from the carriage. Therefore, when not attached to the carriage and before use, such an integrated recording head must be stored in a sealed container to prevent clogging. It was customary to be protected by Furthermore, a method has been proposed in which a cap is fitted onto the ink ejection portion of a nozzle tip like a fountain pen, and the cap is removed and attached to a recording device when used.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, when storing the container in an airtight container as mentioned above, most cases are sealed with a laminated material such as aluminum welded to seal the container, and this is torn to open the container. If the removed recording head is left unattended, such as when replacing it for use, there is no way to store it in a sealed manner, which may cause clogging.

Also, if the cap is removable, it takes a lot of effort to put it on and take it off.
Not only is it inconvenient to use when replacing it, but it can also cause troublesome clogging if you forget to attach the cap.

The purpose of the present invention is to focus on the conventional problems as mentioned above,
In order to solve this problem, the ink ejection part of the print head is automatically capped when it is not attached to the printing device, and when it is attached, the capping is retracted to a position where it does not interfere with printing. It is an object of the present invention to provide an infusierato recording device which is free from danger and can realize a high degree of reliability and good operability.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to achieve such an object, the present invention provides an inkjet recording apparatus in which a removable recording head is mounted at a predetermined position and recording is performed by ejecting recording ink from an ink ejection section of the recording head. established in
A cap member capable of holding an ink ejection part in a covered position by a spring force, and an actuating means provided in relation to a predetermined position and configured to move the cap member in accordance with the attachment/detachment operation of the recording head. This device is characterized in that the ink ejection portion is exposed by the cap member only when the device is attached. Furthermore, another aspect of the present invention provides an inkjet recording head that is detachably attached to a predetermined position and that performs recording by discharging recording ink from an ink discharge section, and that is capable of holding the ink discharge section in a covered state. and an actuating means for actuating the cap member to expose the ink ejection portion in response to the operation of attaching the ink to a predetermined position.

(Function) According to the present invention, when the recording head is attached to the recording device,
An actuating means provided in association with the mounting portion contacts the cap member, moves the cap member against a force biased by, for example, a spring, and releases the ink ejection portion of the recording head from the cap member. Furthermore, when the recording head is removed from the mounting position, the locking state of the engaging portion by the operating member is released as the recording head is removed from the mounting position, and the cap member returns to the cap state due to the biased force. Then, the ink ejection part is sealed to prevent ink from evaporating.

(Example) Examples of the present invention will be described below in detail and specifically based on the drawings.

1 and 2 show one embodiment of the invention. Figure 1 shows a state where the recording head 1 is mounted on the carriage 2, and a state where the recording head 1 is mounted on the carriage 2.
The figure shows the state before the recording head 1 is mounted or when the recording head 1 is removed from the carriage 2. In these figures, the recording head 1 has an ink chamber (not shown) inside thereof, and this ink chamber may be formed into a bag-like shape made of an elastic material, or a spongy ink holding tank inside the tank. It may have some material.

Further, a head chip IB having an ink ejection portion IA of the recording head 1 is provided protruding from an inclined surface, and a seal member IC is attached to the inclined surface. Note that the member used here is at least an elastic body, such as rubber (SDII
, NOR, CR, silicone), plastic (urethane or nylon), or single-cell sponge, etc., which have good adhesion to the cap and are required to be airtight (low gas permeability). (prevents clogging). 3 is rotation @
A rotating shaft 3^ provided on the arm portion 30 is pivotally supported by the housing 10 of the recording head 1, and the cap member is rotatable around the recording head 1 from the carriage 2. In the released state as shown in FIG. 2, the spring force of the spring 4 can keep the cap member 3 closed to the ink discharge portion I. The spring 4 is a torsion coil spring, and one end of the spring 4 is hooked to a hook hole IE provided in the housing 10, and the other end is hooked to the cap member 3. In addition, as mentioned above, by forming the inclined surface on the head, when capping is performed by rotating around the rotation tilII3^, capping is easy.
In addition, the flat portion of the cap member can be brought into contact with the cap member reliably, and a sealed state can be maintained reliably.

Therefore, when in the capping state, the box-shaped protruding cap portion 3B of the cap member 3 is crowned on the head chip IB, and the surrounding flat portion 3C is brought into close contact with the sealing member IC. The periphery of the discharge part IA can be completely sealed. Furthermore, in FIG. 2, IF is an engagement groove as a pivot S foot means protruding from both sides of the casing 10, and on the other hand, on the carriage 2, when the recording head 1 is installed on the carriage 2, Guide member 5 that guides the
, serves as a left and right guide for the locking member 6 and has a claw portion 6^, and these claw portions 6^ are locked in the engagement groove IF, and the engagement portion 3E of the cap member 3 is pushed up from below. A push-up member 7 is provided upright as an operating means for rotating the cap member 3 around its rotation axis 3Δ. Reference numeral 8 denotes an electrical contact point provided on the lower surface side of the recording head 1 for supplying a signal to a control board (not shown) of the recording head 1.

Such a recording head 1 is connected to a guiding member 5 and a locking member 6.
When guided onto the carriage 2 from above along the direction, the push-up member 7 pushes up the engaging portion 3E of the cap member 3, thereby rotating the cap member 3 and moving the ink ejection portion IA as shown in FIG. It can be kept open and ready for recording. That is, by locking the pawl 6A of the locking member 6 in the engagement groove IE, the recording head 1 can be fixed to the carriage 2, and the contact 8 shown in FIG. 2 and the contact on the carriage 2 can be fixed. 9 are electrically connected.

10 is a flexible cable whose one end is connected to the contact point 9, and 11 is a carrier wire connected to the carriage 2 for reciprocating the carriage 2 along a guide @ 12 by a driving means (not shown). Thus, carriage 2
By reciprocating the recording head 1 mounted on the base 13, recording is performed by ejecting ink from the ink ejection section IA during the reciprocating movement. A recovery unit 14 is provided as shown in FIG. This recovery unit 14
can be reciprocated in the direction of the arrow by a driving means (not shown), and is normally retracted in six directions, but when not recording, it advances in the direction B and the capping rubber 14B of the cap holder 14A is applied to the ink ejection section 1^. are brought into contact with each other to seal the ink ejection part IA. Further, when recovery is requested, suction is performed by a pumping means (not shown), and ink is sucked from the ink discharge portion IA, so that so-called bombing (recovery operation) can be performed.

In the inkjet recording apparatus as described above, when the recording head 1 is to be attached or replaced, the carriage 2 is moved from the home position to the recording area by operating a head change key (not shown). After the attachment is completed, the carriage 2 is returned to the Baume position by pressing the head change key again, capping is performed by the recovery unit 14, and the carriage 2 enters a standby state.

Also, when replacing ink with a different color or when drying
When replacing the recording head with a recording head with a different pitch or dot diameter, the above procedure is sufficient.The replaced recording head 1 is automatically capped by the cap member 3, so the cap must be manually inserted and removed each time. There is no need for any troublesome operations. Note that since the mounting of the recording head 1 is confirmed by electrical continuity, it is also possible to have the carriage 2 automatically return after a predetermined period of time. That is, after replacing the head, the carriage motor can be automatically driven to return to the home position after waiting for a certain period of time by contacting the head without operating the head change key.

FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of the invention. In this example, the cab member 30 can be opened to the ink ejecting section 1 by sliding the cab member 30 in the vertical direction instead of by rotating the cab member 30. Its opening/closing operation is the same as that of the above-mentioned embodiment, and its explanation will be omitted.

FIG. 4 shows yet another embodiment of the invention. In this example, a spring latch lever 3F extends downward from the arm 3D of the cap member 3, and a coil is inserted between the latch hole of the latch lever 3F and the latch hole IE provided in the recording head housing 10. Both ends of the torsion coil spring 40, which is kept free, are hooked. Further, the tip of the push-up member 7 provided on the carriage 2 is bent into a hook shape as shown in the figure to form a bent arm 7A.

To explain the operation when configured in this way, in this case, the torsion coil spring 4o has the function of a spring used for the toggle link, and in the closed state as shown in the figure, a force is applied in the direction to maintain the closed state. works, and recording head 1
During tube loading, the engaging portion IE of the cap member 3 is pushed up by the push-up member 7, and as the cap member 3 rotates around the rotation axis 3A, it opens after passing a certain equilibrium point. A force acts in the direction.

That is, as the cap member 3 is rotated so that the ink discharge portion 18 is maintained in an open state (not shown), the torsion coil spring 40 is initially rotated as the bending arm 7A is rotated clockwise. A compressive force acts on the cap member 3, thereby attempting to return the cap member 3 to the closed state. However, when the bending arm 7A is further rotated and the latching lever 3F is rotated toward the back side of the bending arm 7A of the push-up member 7, the compressive force of the spring 40 is applied to the cap member 3. It acts as a biasing force in the opening direction, that is, in the clockwise direction.

Therefore, when the recording head 1 is removed, the cap member 3 only needs to be slightly rotated with a fingertip, and then the cap member 3 can be automatically closed by the spring force. However, 1. With this configuration, when the recording head 1 is attached, the spring does not act in a direction to lift the recording head l from the carriage 2, so that a stable positioning state can be maintained.

FIG. 5 shows yet another embodiment of the invention. This example is an application example where the recording head 1 has two ink ejection sections IA. In other words, although the ink is common, it is possible to selectively use head chips with different head pitches or dot diameters, or to partition the ink chambers to record in different colors (in this example, two colors). In this case, there is no need to store the removed recording head when it is not in use, and it is only necessary to change the orientation and install it.Moreover, since the head on the unused side is sealed by the cap member 3, there is no risk of ink clogging. do not have.

Note that by providing an identification member IG as shown in the housing ID for the recording head on one side, the identification member IG turns on the identification switch 15 when the recording head on this side is installed. By pressing it, you can distinguish it from other heads I+. For example, if the dot pitch is different, the pitch change control in the digit direction or sheet feeding direction will be automatically controlled according to the discrimination. It is also possible to have the software perform the recording, and a recording device suitable for such software can be provided.

FIG. 6 shows yet another embodiment. In this example, an engagement hole 3G is formed in the arm 3D of the cap member 3, and the recording head 1 is
A locking rod 16 having a hook pawl 168 and a locking release protrusion 16tl is provided upright on the side thereof, and when the recording head 1 is not attached, the cap member 3 is locked by the locking rod 16 and cannot be opened. This makes it possible to prevent the ink ejection surface IA from being inadvertently exposed.

Further, when mounting, the locking state is released by the release bottle 17 set upright from the carriage 2 pressing down on the release protrusion 16B, and then the cap member 3 is released by the above-mentioned operation procedure.
is rotated, and the ink ejection part IA is exposed.

In each of the embodiments described above, a serial type inkjet recording device has been described, but the present invention is of course applicable not only to a serial type but also to a line type recording device. When the head is attached, a portion of the main body and the cap member may come into contact with each other to expose the ink ejection portion. Further, the present invention makes it possible to provide a line printer in which dyes can be easily changed.

Further, in the embodiments described above, the cap member is pushed up by the push-up member, but instead of this, for example, a magnet is provided on the carriage side, and on the other hand, at least a part of the cap member is pushed up by the magnet. Other actuation means can also be used, such as arranging gold scraps to be attracted so that the cap member is rotated by magnetic force when installed.

Furthermore, instead of erecting the push-up member independently from the carriage, it is also possible to configure it integrally with a guide member, a locking member, etc., and have a part of these members perform the push-up operation. It is.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, the recording head is equipped with an openable and closable cap member that can expose and close the ink ejection portion, and the recording head mounting section is equipped with a cap member that can be opened and closed when the recording head is installed. Since an actuating member is provided that operates the opening/closing cap member to expose the ink ejection portion, (1) when the recording head is removed and stored, there is no need to put the cap back on each time, making it easy to use.

(2) There is no need to worry about forgetting to put on the cap, and cabling is done automatically when the cap is removed, which prevents clogging of the head and contributes to improving the reliability of the recording device.

(3) Furthermore, in each of the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, when the recording head is installed, the cap member moves 8 times in the opposite direction to the installation direction, and the ink ejection surface faces the recording material. Until the cap member is guided to the position, the cap of the cap member is completely pulled up from the opposing position to the retracted position, so the cap member is not interposed between the ink ejection surface and the recording material. Therefore, there is no need to increase the distance between the recording head and the platen due to the cap member, and there is no risk that the cap member will come into contact with the recording material held by the platen when it is removed.

It is possible to provide an inkjet recording device with improved usability and high compatibility.

In the above explanation, the recording head is mounted from above, but the mounting direction may be, for example, horizontally from the rear of the carriage toward the recording surface.
Alternatively, it may be mounted horizontally along the eighth shift direction of the carriage, and such mounting direction does not limit the scope of the claims of the present invention in any way.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 with the recording head removed, and FIGS. 3 and 4 FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing two other embodiments of the present invention, and FIGS. 5 and 6 are perspective views showing two further embodiments of the present invention. 1... Recording head, 1^... Ink ejection unit, 1 [1... Head chip, IC... Seal member, 10... Housing, IE... Latching hole, 1F... - Engagement groove, 1G... Identification member, 2... Carriage, 3.30... Cap member, 3A... Rotating shaft, 3B... Cap portion, 3C... Flat portion, 3D ... Arm, 3E ... Engagement part, 3F ... Spring latching lever, 3G ... Engagement hole, 4.40 ... Torsion coil spring, 5 ...
Guide member, 6... Engagement member, 68... Claw, 7... Push-up member, 8.9... Contact, 14... Recovery unit, 15... Identification switch, 16. ... Locking rod, 168... Hook claw, 16B... Release protrusion, 17... Release pin. 4 Neshirifiban Haiko 2nd figure t To TV record ・To N3 figure I Aster? j Hecht

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1) In an inkjet recording apparatus in which a removable recording head is mounted at a predetermined position and recording is performed by discharging recording ink from an ink discharge portion of the recording head, the recording head is provided with: a cap member capable of holding the ink ejection section in a covered state; and an actuating means provided in relation to the predetermined position and actuating the cap member in accordance with the attachment/detachment operation of the recording head; An inkjet recording apparatus, characterized in that the ink ejection section is exposed by the cap member when the recording head is attached. 2) The recording head has locking means for prohibiting operation of the cap member when the recording head is not mounted, and the locking means is released when the recording head is mounted at a predetermined position. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1. 3) The recording head has ink ejection sections provided in a plurality of different directions, and the cap member is provided on each of the ink ejection sections.
The inkjet recording device described in . 4) An inkjet recording head that is detachably attached to a predetermined position and performs recording by discharging recording ink from an ink discharge part, comprising: a cap member capable of keeping the ink discharge part covered; and the predetermined position. 1. An inkjet recording head comprising: an actuator for actuating the cap member to expose the ink ejection portion in response to an operation of attaching the inkjet recording head to the inkjet recording head.