JPH04131247A - Ink jetting device and recovery method for the device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To shorten an initializing time by a method wherein the phase of a recovery means is detected by a plurality of times, and if the result of the second or succeeding detection shows 'abnormality', the drive method of the recovery means is changed before a recovery action is again conducted. CONSTITUTION:In a first detection process, a phase of a recovery means for recovering a failure in delivering ink from an ink delivery port is detected. In a first recovery process, a first recovery action is conducted by driving the recovery means when the detection result of the first detection process is normal. In a second detection process, the phase of the recovery means is detected. In a second recovery process, a second recovery action is conducted by a drive method different from that of the first recovery action when the detection result of the second detection process is abnormal. The phase of the recovery means is detected by a plurality of times. If the result of the second or succeeding detection shows 'abnormality', the drive method of the recovery means is changed before a recovery action is again conducted. In this manner, an initializing time can be shortened, and a noise generated by an ink jet device can be reduced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an inkjet device that performs recording by ejecting ink, and a recovery method for the inkjet device. This inkjet device includes printers, copiers,
Examples include devices that use an inkjet method as a recording method, such as facsimile machines, word processors, and electronic typewriters.

[Prior Art] In an inkjet recording device, for example, ink is supplied from an ink cartridge filled with recording ink to an inkjet recording head, and the ink is released as recording droplets from an ejection port provided in the inkjet recording head. Discharging is performed.

In such an inkjet recording apparatus, dust and air bubbles may get mixed into the ink supply system from the ink tank to the inkjet recording head. The ejection ports provided in the inkjet recording head or the liquid path that communicates with them generally have a small inner diameter of about several tens of microns, so when dust or air bubbles reach the liquid path of the inkjet recording head,
Ejection that adheres to the liquid path and obstructs the flow of ink, reducing ink ejection efficiency, reducing ejection responsiveness to recording signals, or in extreme cases causing clogging, which may result in ink being unable to be ejected. There is a risk of causing defects.

Further, even if an inkjet recording device is filled with ink and is not ejected for a long period of time, components constituting the ink may precipitate and similarly cause abnormal ink ejection.

In order to solve these problems, it is desirable to restore the ink ejection state of the inkjet recording head to a good state. Recovery means for this purpose include a pressure recovery method and a suction recovery method. Among these, the suction recovery method closes the area around the ink ejection port with a cap, uses a suction pump, etc. to suck ink from the ejection port, and removes obstacles such as ink sticks, air bubbles, and dust that accumulate in the liquid path. It is removed from inside the liquid path. Further, such a suction recovery mechanism is also used to fill ink from an ink cartridge to an inkjet recording head at an initial time such as when the power is turned on.

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of a conventional ink jet apparatus including such a suction recovery system.

The suction recovery system includes a pump section 27 that generates negative pressure for sucking ink from the ejection port, and a cap section 17 that creates a sealed space for the ejection port of the inkjet recording head 1.
It has an atmosphere communication section 100 for controlling the amount of ink suction and for preventing air from being forced into the inkjet recording head during capping.

The suction recovery system in FIG. 13 is a region surrounded by a dashed line.

Furthermore, in FIG. 13, the area surrounded by dotted lines is the carriage portion of the inkjet device in the form of a serial printer, and the inkjet recording head 1 and the sub-tank 76 are mounted on the carriage.

The other main parts are called an ink supply system, and include an ink cartridge 90 that can be detached from the inkjet device main body, a needle 171, a remaining ink level sensor 72 in the form of a pressure sensor, etc., and these are connected to a connecting tube 75 and a sub-tank tube 75a, respectively. , are connected by a waste ink tube 75b.

Here, the ink cartridge 90 includes an ink bag 92 containing ink and a waste ink absorber 93. The ink bag 92 is made of a bag formed by laminating aluminum and resin, and is filled with ink. The waste ink absorber 93 is provided to absorb waste ink from the suction pump 31. The waste ink absorber 93 is replaced together with the ink cartridge 90 when the ink in the ink bag 92 runs out.

The needle 171 is fixed to a part of the inkjet apparatus main body side facing the ink bag 92 by an appropriate fixing member. This needle 171 is made of, for example, a stainless steel tube whose end is shaped into a point to close the opening, and then small holes for ink communication are provided at several locations at the tip.

The ink sensor 72 is also attached to the main body of the inkjet apparatus, and is provided in the middle of the supply tube 75 to detect the pressure inside the supply tube 75 (the pressure inside the ink pack 92). That is, when the ink in the ink bag 92 becomes low, the pressure in the supply tube 75 (the pressure in the ink pack 92) decreases, so the ink sensor 72 is turned off, and it is detected that the remaining amount of ink is low. be done.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in the conventional example as described above, when ink sticks, it takes a load that is, for example, twice to three times as much as normal to move the piston of the pump up and down. Therefore, in the past, recovery operations were performed in accordance with the maximum load. That is, the piston is moved up and down slowly by decelerating the motor, which is the driving source, or lowering the rotational speed of the motor.

Therefore, there were problems such as a long recovery operation and a long waiting time (initial time) after the power was turned on.

By the way, when an inkjet recording device prints continuously for a long time, bubbles accumulate inside the inkjet head, and dust, paper dust, ink droplets, etc. adhere to the ejection port surface, which deteriorates the print quality. May cause deterioration. For this reason, conventionally, for example, an inkjet recording apparatus has been provided with a timer to automatically perform a recovery operation when a predetermined time has elapsed.

However, with technological trends such as improvements in print quality due to higher density ejection 80 of inkjet heads and increase in the number of sheets printed due to faster speeds, cases have come to arise where the conventional recovery operation alone is insufficient. Ta.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention has the following configuration.

``a recovery means that performs a recovery operation for ink ejection failure from an ejection port of an inkjet head that ejects ink; a detection means that detects the phase of the recovery means; and a first detection result by the detection means that is normal. In this case, the recovery means is driven to perform a first recovery operation, and if the second pressure detection result by the detection means is abnormal, a driving method different from that used for the first recovery operation is performed. An inkjet apparatus comprising: a control means for driving the recovery means to perform a second recovery operation. a first detection step of detecting; a first recovery step of driving the self-recovery means to perform a first recovery operation when the detection result in the first detection step is normal; a second detection step of detecting the phase of the means; and, if the detection result in the second detection step is abnormal, driving the recovery means with a driving method different from that used in the first recovery operation. 2. A recovery method for an inkjet apparatus, comprising: a second recovery step in which the recovery operation of 2 is performed; If so, change the driving method of the recovery means and perform the recovery operation again. Thereby, the initial time can be shortened. The details will be described later, but the relationship between the rotation speed of the motor as a drive source and the output torque. We are using.

In other words, according to the present invention, it is possible to shorten the initial time. Furthermore, since the motor can be driven in accordance with the optimum load of the pump, the noise caused by the inkjet device can be further reduced significantly. In addition, since there is no need to increase the deceleration of the motor, part of the reduction gear can be omitted, and therefore costs can be reduced.

[Embodiments] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a suction recovery device for an inkjet recording apparatus according to the present invention. In Figure 1,
Reference numeral 1 denotes an energy generating body (electrothermal transducer, piezoelectric element, etc.) that generates energy used to eject ink, and a plurality of ejection ports that eject ink droplets in accordance with a word based on recorded information. 2 is a carriage on which the recording head 1 is mounted and moves in the main scanning direction; 3 is a carriage shaft that slidably supports the carriage 2; 4 is a recording medium to be recorded; 5 is a recording medium 4 This is a feed roller that conveys the paper according to the recording situation.

Reference numeral 6 denotes a pulse motor that serves as a drive source for the feed roller 5 and automatic paper feeding; 7 a pump carriage that can recover the cap unit and move parallel to the carriage shaft 3; 8 a guide that guides the parallel movement of the pump carriage 7. The shaft 9 is a return spring for urging the pump carriage 7 to the right in the figure. The pump carriage 7 is provided with an arm portion 7a, and a hole 7b into which a protrusion 2a provided on the right side of the carriage 2 can be inserted is provided at the tip thereof. A protrusion 2a fits into this hole 7b when the carriage 2 moves to the left, and prevents the carriage 2 from rotating in the vertical direction when the cap 17 is placed on the ejection surface of the recording head 1. .

At the rear of the pump carriage 7, as shown in FIG.
One end of a leaf spring 10 having elasticity in the carriage running direction is fixed. Further, the other end of the leaf spring 10 is held so as to be sandwiched between a slide gear support base 12 that supports a slide gear 11. Further, the slide gear support stand 12 is provided so as to be movable along the slide shaft 13 in the carriage traveling direction. Therefore, the slide gear 11 is stopped at the position pressed by the elastic force of the leaf spring 10. Therefore, carriage 2 moves,
The protrusion 2a of the carriage 2 comes into contact with the arm portion 7a of the pump carriage 7 and moves together, so that the slide gear 11 moves in the carriage traveling direction.

As shown in FIG. 3, the slide gear 11 meshes with a gear that rotates independently in parallel to the carriage running direction.

In the figure, 14 is a feed gear that transmits driving force to the paper feeding gear, 15 is an ASF gear that transmits the driving force for ASF paper feeding, and 16 is a pump gear that transmits driving force to the suction recovery device.

The pump gear 16 is made up of two gears, and the left gear 16b meshes with an idler gear 70 of the suction recovery device. Therefore, depending on the stop position of the carriage 2, the slide gear 1 is
1 meshes with one of the gears 14.degree. 1516, so that the driving force of the pulse motor 6 can be selectively transmitted.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing details of the capping unit.

The cap 17 is made of an elastic member such as rubber that presses against the outer edge of the ejection surface of the head with elastic force, and has a ventilation hole 17a and a drive space 17b. Also,
The cap 17 is supported by a cap holder 18, and this cap holder 18 is held by a holder 19. On the back surface of the cap holder 18, a rod-shaped projection 18a is formed whose tip end passes through the rear wall of the holder 19, and a coil spring 20 is fitted onto the projection 18a.

Further, a cap holder 18 is provided at the tip of the protrusion 18a.
An E-ring 21 is attached to restrict the movement of the head toward the head. Note that the cap holder 18 is the same as the holder 1.
9, the holder 19 is movable in the horizontal direction in the figure by a guide (not shown) provided on the holder 19, and the holder 19 is movable relative to the pump carriage 7.
It is movable in the left-right direction in the figure by a guide (not shown) provided in the figure.

A groove 19a is provided at the rear of the holder 19.
A rail 22 is inserted into this groove 19a. rail 2
2 is divided into two in the vertical direction (in this case, rails 22a and 22b only need to move independently (even if they are independent of each other, one rail may be divided into two in the middle) , the lower rail 22b is used to move the recording head 1 forward or backward, and the upper rail 22a is used to move the recording head 1 forward or backward.
is used to open and close the atmosphere release valve 23. A rail arm portion 22c is provided at the back of the rail 22, and a rail dowel portion 22d is provided at the tip thereof.

Note that the rail 22 is fixed to a pump base 25 as shown in FIG.

Further, an atmosphere release valve 23 is provided on the back side of the holder 19, and is biased toward the left side in the figure by a spring 24. Therefore, the atmosphere release valve 23 is movable along the rail 22a in the left and right directions in the figure.

Note that the atmospheric release valve 23 is installed by inserting it into the holder 19 from above and fixing it. Further, the atmosphere release valve 23 is located in front of the vent 17a provided in the cap 17,
By closing this vent 17a with the atmosphere release valve 23, the space 17b can be sealed. moreover,
An ink absorber 69 is disposed at the bottom of the cap 17, and absorbs and retains ink during ink suction, thereby preventing the nozzle from drying out during capping.

The rail 22 is made of an elastic material, and when viewed from the top of the printer, has a shape that protrudes toward the recording head 1 in the direction of the drawings, as shown in each figure in FIG. 7. Therefore, the protrusion 2a of the carriage 2 comes into contact with the arm portion 7a of the pump carriage 7, the pump carriage 7 and the carriage 2 move together, the holder 19 and the atmosphere release valve 23 move along the shape of the rail 22, and the Figure 7 (b
), the cap 17 comes into pressure contact with the head ejection surface.

First, when the carriage 2 is in the printing range as shown in FIG. 1, the pump carriage 7 is urged by the return spring 9 and comes into contact with the side surface of the pump base 25 as shown in FIG. 7(a). There is. In this state, the cap 17 is positioned so as not to overlap the recording head 1, and the atmosphere release valve 23 does not close the vent port 17a.

Next, the carriage 2 moves to the left beyond the printing range, the protrusion 2a comes into contact with the arm part 7a, and as it moves further to the left, the atmosphere release valve 23 and the holder 19 move to the rails 22a and 23.
Carriage 2 moves along
When the cap 17 moves, the cap 17 comes into pressure contact with the ejection surface of the recording head 1. Note that the pressing force at this time is about 300 g due to the spring 20. At this time, as shown in FIG. 7(b), the position where the holder 19 is in contact with the rail 22 and the position where the atmospheric release valve 23 is in contact with the rail 22 are separated by a distance in the longitudinal direction of the rail 22. Since β is off,
Even if the rising positions and rising angles of the rails 22a and 22b and the shifting position of the rails 22 are the same, the atmosphere release valve 23 does not fully climb the rail 22a, and the cap 17
Since the ventilation port 17a is not closed, the space 17b between the cap 17 and the recording head 1 is in communication with the atmosphere, and since the recording head 1 is not pressurized by capping, there is no possibility of ejection failure due to meniscus retreat at the ejection port. It will never occur.

Furthermore, when the carriage 2 moves to the left and the atmosphere release valve 23 climbs up the rail 22a, the atmosphere release valve 23 closes the vent 17a of the cap 17, and the space 17b becomes sealed. When the carriage 2 further moves to the left from this state and reaches the position shown in FIG. 7(C), the slide gear 11 meshes with the pump gear 16 and the suction recovery device is activated. At this time, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the suction tube 26 is connected to the cap 17, and the other end is connected to the cylinder 27 as shown in FIG.
The negative pressure generated in 7 is passed through the suction tube 26 to the space 17.
be guided by b.

By positioning the carriage 2 in the position shown in FIG. 7(C), the rotational force of the pulse motor 6 is applied to the suction recovery device from the pump gear 16 to the gear 16b to the gear 70a of the idler gear 70.
→It is sequentially transmitted to the gear 70b of the idler gear 70 and the gear portion of the pump cam 28. The idler gear 70 is integrally formed with a gear portion 70b that meshes with the pump cam 28 and a cam portion 70c that drives the rubbing member 37. pump cam 2
8 and 29 are integrated with positioning dowels (not shown), and are rotatable with respect to the pump camshaft 30. Opposite surfaces of the pump cams 28 and 29 are provided with oval grooves so that both ends of a parallel pin 32 integrally connected to the piston 31 can slide as shown in FIG. In response, the parallel pin 32 moves up and down, causing the piston 31 to move up and down.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the pump cam 29 is provided with a projection 34 that pushes down one end of a pump flag 33, and the pump flag 33 is allowed to rotate about the guide shaft 8. Also, pump flag 3
A transmission type sensor 35 is provided at a position opposite the other end 33a of the carriage 2 (at the bottom of the carriage 2 shown in FIG. 1).

While the protrusion 34 rotates and comes into contact with one end of the pump flag 33, the other end 33a blocks the light beam being sent from the light emitting part of the transmission type sensor 35 to the light receiving part.
By managing the number of pulses of the pulse motor 6 from this point of interruption, it becomes possible to control the position of the suction recovery device.

From this state, the protrusion 34 further rotates and the pump flag 33
When it comes off one end, the pump flag 33 rotates in the opposite direction about the guide shaft 8 due to its own weight or the elastic force of the spring. The other end 33a of the pump flag 33 allows the light beam emitted from the transmission type sensor 35 to pass therethrough. Note that the rotation of the pump flag 33 is stopped by a stopper (not shown) provided on the pump base 25. pump cam 2
On the right side of 8 is an arm 22 provided on the rail 22a.
A dowel 36'a, which is held by a cam that guides the dowel portion 22d of c and is provided on the rubbing lever, is coupled to the cam portion 70c of the idler gear.

Therefore, the motor 6 is driven by the pump gear 16. b to the idler gear 70, and as the cam 70c formed integrally with the idler gear rotates, the groove provided in the cam 70c (
The dowel 36a moves along the dowel (not shown) (therefore, the rubbing lever 36
receives a rotational moment about the rotation center 36b,
It moves forward and backward relative to the recording head.

Therefore, the rubbing member 37 (for example, an ether-based polyurethane continuous pore material is used) is attached to the recording head 1.
It is possible to move the robot forward to a position where it overlaps with the robot. Then, by moving the carriage 2 from left to right with the rubbing member 37 advanced until it comes in front of the rubbing member 37, ink, impurities, etc. from the ejection surface of the recording head l are removed, and the recording spatula 71 removes ink, impurities, etc. It can be managed. (For example, the contact force is 10
(approximately 0g). Note that 72 is a holder that holds the rubbing member 37. Here, it is important that the gear ratio between the gear portion 28a of the pump cam and the gear portion 70b of the idler gear 70 is an integer. This is because the pump cam 29 and the gear part 28b are integrated, and the protrusion 34 provided on the pump cam 29 drives the pump flag 33 and blocks the light beam of the transmission type sensor 35 provided on the carriage 2. This is because the position of the suction recovery device is controlled by managing the number of pulses of the pulse motor 6. That is, one rotation of the gear portion 28a of the pump cam 28 (shaft 30
When the idler gear 70 rotates an integral number of times relative to the 360° rotation relative to the rotation angle, the cam portion 70c also rotates the same integral number of times, and accordingly, the rubbing member 37 repeats forward and backward movements the same integral number of times. Therefore, the phase relationship between the pump cam 28 and the rubbing member 37 before the pump cam 28 rotates is maintained even after one revolution of the pump cam is completed.

That is, by controlling the rotational position of the pump cam 28, the forward and backward movements of the rubbing member 37 can be managed. In this embodiment, the gear portion 28a of the pump cam had 50 teeth, the idler gear 70 had 25 teeth, and the gear ratio was 2:1. As a result, for every revolution of the pump cam 28, the idler gear 70 rotates twice, and the rubbing member 37 moves forward and backward twice (and repeats).The phase relationship between the pump cam 28 and the rubbing member 37 before the pump cam rotates is maintained even at the end of one rotation of the pump cam.

Further, a wiper 38 is provided on the right side plate of the pump base 25 in order to ensure the ejection stability of the recording head.

This wiper 38 is made of a silicone rubber plate with a wall thickness of 0.3 mm, for example, and always overlaps the recording head 1 (the amount of overlap is, for example, 1.0 mm).
m) is fixed so that As a result, when the recording head 1 passes in front of the wiper 38, the ejection surface is always wiped, so paper powder, dust, ink scum, etc. adhering to the ejection surface are removed.

Next, the recovery operation will be explained with reference to the timing charts of FIGS. 7(a) to (d) and FIG. 9.

The recovery operation signal is sent to the control unit's CPU (or MP
U), the carriage 2 moves from the printing area to the area where the suction recovery device can be activated. During this movement process, the ejection surface of the recording head 1 is cleaned when passing in front of the wiper 38 .

Next, the protrusion 2a of the carriage 2 is connected to the pump carriage 7.
7a, and move as one to the left in FIG. 7(a). The holder 19 and the atmosphere release valve 23 are on the rail 22a.

22b, the surface of the cap 17 first comes into pressure contact with the recording head l. At this time, as shown in FIG. 7(b), the holder 19 and the atmosphere release valve 23 are connected to the rail 2.
Since the position in contact with 2 is shifted by ρ, the cap 17
is not closed, the discharge port is not pressurized, and discharge due to capping does not occur.

When the carriage 2 moves further to the left from this state, it comes to a position where the suction recovery device is driven.

In this state, the atmosphere release valve 23 has already closed the vent 17a of the cap 17, and the recording head 1 and the cap 1
The space 17b with 7 is in a sealed state.

At this point, the idler gear 70 and the pump cams 28 and 29 begin to rotate, and the protrusion 34 on the surface of the pump cam 29 pushes up one end of the pump flag 33, and the pump flag 33
The other end 33a provided at the other end blocks the light beam from the transmission type sensor 35 disposed at the bottom of the carriage. This position is set as the initial position of the suction recovery device, and the number of pulses of the pulse motor 6 is managed. From this state, the idler gear 70. When the pump cams 28 and 29 rotate and the projection 34 passes the position of the pump flag 33, the pump flag 3
3 returns to its original position, and the light beam of the transmission type sensor 35 becomes unblocked. When the idler gear 70 and the pump cam 28 further rotate, the dowel portion 36a of the rubbing lever 36 receives a moment from the cam 70c provided on the right side of the idler gear 70, and as a result, the rubbing lever 36 moves toward the rotation center 36.
Rotating around b, the rubbing member 37 advances to a position where it overlaps the recording head 1. At this point, the rotation of the idler gear 70 is stopped, that is, the rotation of the pump cam 28 is stopped, and the carriage 2 is moved to the right so as to pass the rubbing member 37. At this time,
The ejection surface of the recording head 1 is rubbed by the rubbing member 37,
Ink, adhered substances, etc. adhering to the ejection surface are removed.

Then, the carriage 2 is moved to the left again and set at a position where the suction recovery device can be driven. Then, the idler gear 70 and the pump cam 28 are rotated to move the rubbing member backward, and the piston 3 is rotated by the rotation of the pump cam 28 and 29.
Press down on 1. At this time, the negative pressure generated in the cylinder 27 acts on the space formed in the cap 17 via the suction tube 26, and sucks the ink inside the ejection port. This removes the microbubbles 8 inside the ejection port and the dust, impurities, etc. adhering to the front surface of the ejection port, which are the cause of ejection failure.

However, in this state, the ink sucked from the ejection ports of the recording head 1 remains inside the cap 17 and in the suction tube 26, and this re-adheres to the ejection surface, resulting in non-ejection and deflection of the ejection direction. This causes the accuracy of the landing point position of the ink droplet to deteriorate. Furthermore, there is a possibility that the ink scattered during wiping with the wiper 38 may contaminate the inside of the recording apparatus.

Therefore, in order to solve this problem, in this embodiment, the dowel 22d provided at the tip of the rail 22 is pulled backward by the cam 28b, the rail 22a is elastically deformed and pulled backward, and the atmosphere release valve 23 is opened. I'm trying to retreat.

As a result, the vent of the cap 17 is opened, the spaces 1 and 7b of the cap 17 are communicated with the atmosphere, the ink suction from the discharge port is stopped, and the negative pressure inside the cylinder 27 causes air to flow out from the vent 17a. The ink flows into the cylinder 27 and is sucked into the cylinder 27 together with the ink in the space 17b. Therefore, ink does not overflow within the cap 17, and ink adhering to the ejection surface is removed. As the pump cam 28 further rotates, the rearward tension of the rail 22a is released.
Due to the elasticity of the rail 22a, it returns to its original shape, and the vent 1
7a is again closed by the atmosphere release valve 23.

At this time, the pump cam 28 and the rubbing member 37 are connected to the gear portion 28a of the pump cam 28 and the gear portion 7 of the idler gear 70.
Since the gear ratio with 0b is an integral multiple, the phase relationship is the same as before the 1st recovery operation.

Note that when the piston 31 moves upward, the inside of the cylinder 27 is pressurized, so that the sucked ink is transferred as waste ink from the waste ink intake port to the waste ink reservoir in the ink cartridge via the waste ink tube. is discharged.

Now, after the pump cam has returned to phase 360°, that is, phase O°, in this embodiment, characteristically, the phase is 1 again.
The phase is operated up to 20 degrees, and then the phase is returned to 0 degrees. In this way, the pump flag is turned ON again and phase detection is performed multiple times. If an abnormality is detected in the phase as a result of the plurality of phase pressure detections, a recovery operation is performed by changing the driving method of the recovery means. As a result, the content of the -th recovery operation is made different from the content of the recovery operation of the plurality of times. Although the details will be described later, it is preferable that the first recovery operation after turning on the power of the inkjet device is a recovery operation in which the number of revolutions per unit time of the motor is relatively large, that is, a speedy initial recovery operation, and multiple The content of the multiple recovery operations based on the result of the first phase detection is a recovery operation in which the number of revolutions per unit time of the motor is relatively small but the output torque is large, that is, the recovery operation is large in recovery force.

In addition, as shown in Fig. 9, the phase changes from 360° to 240°.
By rotating the motor in the reverse direction up to a phase of 360° and then rotating the motor in the normal direction up to a phase of 360°, the pump can be pulled up with the atmosphere release valve open. This makes it possible to perform a so-called empty suction operation in which ink in the cap is sucked toward the waste ink reservoir.

Hereinafter, a flowchart of the entire recovery operation of the inkjet apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described using FIGS. 10(a) to 10(e), FIGS. 11 and 12.

10(a) to 10(c) are flowcharts for explaining the initial recovery operation after Na injection of the inkjet apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 10(d)
and Fig. 10(e) are respectively Fig. 10(a) to Fig. 10(
It is a flowchart for explaining the error loop in c). Further, FIGS. 11 and 12 are flowcharts for explaining recovery operations performed by key operations, respectively. In these figures, A to G shown on the left side of the flow are modes in which a plurality of steps are blocked.

In block A in FIG. 10(a), the position where the flag is turned on is mainly detected. After the power of the inkjet device is turned on, in the rICGJ step, it is determined whether the ink cartridge is installed in the main body of the inkjet device. As a result, if it is attached, proceed to the next step.

If it is not installed, immediately stop driving the motor and
Displays no ink cartridge. If the ink cartridge is installed in the main body of the inkjet apparatus after being displayed, the process starts again from rsTARTJ in FIG. 10(a).

Next, in the flag 0FFJ step, it is determined whether the flag is ON or OFF. If the flag is OFF, proceed to the next step. If the flag is ON, rLF 28
8 (R)J Go to step. This rLF 288
(R) In the J step, the phase of the pump cam is advanced by 288 steps in the negative direction, that is, the motor is reversed. In this embodiment, the phase advances by 10° in 24 steps. Therefore, this rLF 288(R)J step reverses the motor by 120°. If the flag does not turn OFF even after this reversal is performed, it is determined as "error 1" and the drive of the motor is stopped. rLF 288
(R) If the flag turns OFF in the J step, proceed to the next step. In the A block after the rM=0 step, the motor is rotated forward and the phase is 360' (864
If the flag is not turned on before the step)
Enters error loop 1. On the other hand, if the flag is turned ON, the process moves to the B block. "Error loop 1" will be described later using FIG. 10(d).

By the way, hereafter, in this specification, as described above in part, the LF step will be defined as follows.

The number after LF: Number of rotation steps of the motor If there is no symbol after the number, the motor's normal mode rotation (usually forward rotation, 600 pps) L after the number: Motor's low mode rotation (usually LL after the number: Super low mode rotation of the motor (usually 200 ppS in normal rotation) R after the number: Reversal of the motor Now, block B in Figure 10 (a) In this case, the position where the flag is turned OFF is mainly detected. In order to eliminate mechanical chattering, first drive the motor for 10 steps with rLFlo.

After that, rotate the motor forward so that the phase is 120° (288°).
If the flag is not turned off before proceeding (steps),
Error 2" and stops the motor. On the other hand, if the flag turns OFF, the process moves to block C.

In the C block, the flag is set around the phase 60° in FIG. 9 in steps rLF 144-(N/2). Taking this kind of treatment makes it relatively easy to obtain highly accurate cam shape symmetry, but if the distance between the cam and the sensor is large, the sensor may not turn on. This is because if the center of the flag is set using only the timing of , the variation will become large.

By the way, in this C block, suction recovery is performed by pushing down the pump, but when this pushing down, the torque becomes larger than normal. Therefore, for the corresponding phase 130° to 300'' in FIG. 9, rLF 84 (L)
In the J step, the pump is pushed down by low mode drive. At this time, it is checked in the rICGJ step whether or not the ink cartridge is installed in the main body of the apparatus.

After the C block ends, a waiting time of 350 m5eC is provided in this embodiment. By changing this waiting time, the amount of waste ink can be changed.

Next, the D block will be explained using FIG. 10(b). In block D, the flag is mainly detected again.
Based on the results, recovery with contents different from the previous recovery is performed depending on the case.

rLF 384 (L) Rotate forward by 160° (384 steps) in low mode drive with J steps.

As a result, the phase of the motor reaches around 360°. After that, if the flag is not turned ON before proceeding by 80 degrees (192 steps), "error loop 2" is entered. If the flag is turned ON, proceed to the next step.

In the latter half of the D block, the motor is driven in normal mode and rotates in the forward direction, and if the flag does not turn OFF before the phase advances by 120 degrees (288 steps), it is determined as "error 3" and the motor drive is stopped. On the other hand, if the flag turns OFF, the process moves to block E.

In block E, the center of the flag is mainly set again. First, in the rLF 24J step, the motor is rotated forward by 1° (24 steps) in normal mode driving. After that, in this embodiment, a waiting time of 0.2 seconds is provided. After that, the motor is reversed in normal mode drive, and the phase is 120°.
If the flag does not turn ON before proceeding (for 288 steps), it is determined as "error 4" and the motor drive is stopped. On the other hand, if the flag is turned on, the process proceeds to the next step.

In the rLF 10(R)J step in the latter half of the E block, the normal mode drive is reversed by 10 steps in order to remove rocky chattering. After that, the motor is reversed in normal mode driving, and the phase becomes 120.
° (288 steps) Flag is OFF before reversing
If it does not, the motor will stop driving as "Error 5".

On the other hand, if the flag turns OFF, proceed to the next step. rL
F 16g-(N/2)(R) Reset the flag center in J steps and proceed to the next F block.

Next, the F block will be explained using FIG. 10(C). This F block mainly performs so-called empty suction. r
LF 96 (L) (R) In J steps, etc., the motor is reversed in low mode drive. At this time, rICGJ
This step is performed while checking whether the ink cartridge is installed in the main body of the apparatus. The motor is reversed to around 240 degrees of phase to perform so-called dry suction. After that, a waiting time of 0.2 seconds was provided, and rLF168+5
(L) Return the phase to 360° by J step, etc. This completes one set sequence of the initial recovery mode of this embodiment.

"Error loop 1" will be explained using FIG. 10(d). This error loop 1 is a loop that is mainly used when the user stops the inkjet apparatus during the recovery operation. In the case of normal mode drive, if the pump is stopped while being pushed down, the load will increase, which may cause the motor to step out or the gear to skip teeth. To solve this problem, when error loop 1 is entered, the motor is driven in low mode. However, if the pump still sticks and is too heavy to move (Fig. 10 (d)
), the flag does not turn ON even if the motor is rotated forward in low mode for 360 degrees of phase (864 steps). In this case, run the motor in super low mode. However, if the pump is stuck and heavy (and difficult to move), the flag will not turn ON even if the motor is rotated forward in super low mode for 360 degrees of phase (864 steps) in Figure 10 (d). .In this case, "Error 6"
to stop the motor.

"Error loop 2" will be explained using FIG. 10(e). This error loop 2 shows one of the most characteristic requirements of the present invention. That is, C in FIG. 10(e)
In the block, suction recovery is performed in the low mode drive, but if the flag is not detected again after the phase has advanced to 360°, the motor is operated in the super low mode. If the flag is not detected again, this is considered to be an abnormal situation, such as the pump being stuck and heavy and difficult to move. However, if the pump is stuck, heavy, and difficult to move, the flag will not turn ON even if the motor is rotated forward in super low mode for 360" phase (864 steps) in Figure 10(d). In this case, "Error 7
” and stops the motor.

The inkjet apparatus described above is controlled using a control means (not shown) such as a CPU. That is, for example, when the detection results of the phases of the recovery means in blocks A and B in FIG. 10(a) are normal, the control means controls the
The recovery means is driven like block C in figure (a) and the
perform the recovery action. After that, if the second detection result by the detection means in the first half of block D in FIG. 10(b) is abnormal, the drive is different from that during the first recovery operation as shown in error loop 2. The second method is to drive the recovery means in a second manner.
perform the recovery action.

Next, the recovery mode (I) shown in FIG. 11 will be explained. This recovery mode (I) is a mode that is executed when the user detects a printing failure and presses the cleaning key of the inkjet device. Unlike the initial recovery mode, the mode ends without detecting the flag after the suction recovery operation. This is because the mode is after the initial recovery mode has already been executed, so it can be considered that the pump is no longer stuck.

In the recovery mode (1), first, the steps of block A (hereinafter also referred to as "mode A") are executed, and the ejection orifice surface of the inkjet head is cleaned with a rubbing member made of urethane, and then the phase is returned to Oo. After that, modes A, B, and C are executed, and after a suction waiting time of 350 m5ec, empty suction is performed in mode F and the process ends.

Next, the recovery mode (II) shown in FIG. 12 will be explained. This recovery mode (II) is used when the ink supply tube becomes low as a result of the inkjet device not being used for a long period of time, or when the ink level drops after replacing the inkjet head. This mode is executed by key operation when you want to quickly supply ink into the system.

In recovery mode (II), a cycle from phase ○° to 360° including suction recovery is repeated four times. After that, so-called empty suction is performed twice, and finally, mode G (ie, recovery mode (■)) is performed - times, and the process ends.

Now, although the initial recovery operation after power-on of the inkjet apparatus has been described above, this recovery operation may be performed at the following timing, for example.

1) Perform preliminary ejection of ink from the ejection port when it reaches a predetermined number of times.

2) Perform this when the predetermined number of sheets of cut paper has been printed.

3) Preliminary ejection of ink from the ejection port is performed after a predetermined number of times the paper is not in contact with the paper.

4) After the preliminary ejection of ink from the ejection port reaches a predetermined number of times, the top of the page of continuous paper (T, 0.F, ・Top of
Form).

However, in any case, the recovery operation in the embodiment described above is optimally performed as an initial recovery operation after the inkjet apparatus is powered on. This is because after an inkjet device is powered on, it is almost always the case that the device is left unused for a certain period of time, so ink stickiness most often occurs in the supply recovery system, especially the pump.

Therefore, the contents of the recovery operation performed at the four timings described above do not necessarily have to be the same as the contents of the initial recovery operation. For example, omit modes D and E among the initial modes, and rLF 288 (L) before mode F.
J and rLF24(R)".

The present invention brings about excellent effects particularly in a bubble jet type recording head and recording apparatus proposed by Canon Co., Ltd. among inkjet recording types.

As for typical configurations and principles thereof, it is preferable to use the basic principles disclosed in, for example, US Pat. No. 4,7231.29 and US Pat. No. 4,740,796. This method can be applied to both the so-called on-demand type and continuous type, but especially in the case of the on-demand type, it is necessary to arrange the liquid (ink) in accordance with the sheet and liquid path that hold it. By applying at least one drive signal to the electrothermal transducer that is not currently being used, the drive signal corresponds to the recorded information and causes a rapid temperature rise exceeding nucleate boiling, thereby causing the electrothermal transducer to generate thermal energy to drive the recording head. This is effective because it causes film boiling on the heat acting surface, resulting in the formation of bubbles in the liquid (ink) in one-to-one correspondence with this drive signal. The growth and contraction of the bubble causes liquid (ink) to be ejected through the ejection opening to form at least one drop. It is more preferable to use this drive signal in a pulse form, since the growth and contraction of bubbles can be carried out immediately and appropriately, so that ejection of liquid (ink) with particularly excellent responsiveness can be achieved. As this pulse-shaped drive signal, those described in US Pat. No. 4,463,359 and US Pat. No. 4,345,262 are suitable. Incidentally, U.S. Patent No. 43 of the invention regarding the temperature increase rate of the heat acting surface
If the conditions described in the specification of No. 13124 are adopted, even more excellent recording can be performed.

The configuration of the recording head includes, in addition to the combined configuration of ejection ports, liquid paths, and electrothermal converters (straight liquid flow path or right-angled liquid flow path) as disclosed in the above-mentioned specifications, a heat acting section. US Pat. No. 4,558,333 and US Pat. No. 4,459,600 disclose a configuration in which the
The present invention also includes a configuration using the specification of the above specification.

In addition, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 123670 of 1982 discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as a discharge part for a plurality of electrothermal converters, and a hole that absorbs pressure waves of thermal energy is disclosed. The present invention is also effective as a configuration based on Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 138461 of 1982, which discloses a configuration in which the discharge portion corresponds to the discharge portion.

Furthermore, as a full-line type recording head having a length corresponding to the width of the maximum recording medium that can be recorded by the recording apparatus, the length can be increased by combining multiple recording heads as disclosed in the above-mentioned specification. Either a configuration that satisfies the above requirements or a configuration as a single recording head formed integrally may be used, but the present invention can more effectively exhibit the above-mentioned effects.

A replaceable chip-type recording head that is attached to the main body of the device enables electrical connection to the main body of the device and supply of ink from the main body of the device, or a print head that is integrated into the print head itself. The present invention is also effective when a cartridge type recording head is used.

Further, it is preferable to add recovery means, preliminary auxiliary means, etc. for the recording head, which are provided as a configuration of the recording apparatus of the present invention, because the effects of the present invention can be further stabilized. Specifically, these include preheating means for the recording head using a caving means, a cleaning means, a pressurizing or suction means, an electrothermal transducer or another heating element, or a combination thereof. It is also effective to perform a preliminary ejection mode in which ejection is performed separately from printing in order to perform stable printing.

Furthermore, the recording mode of the recording device is not limited to a recording mode in which only the mainstream color such as black is used; the recording head may be configured integrally or in combination with a plurality of recording heads; The present invention is also extremely effective for devices equipped with at least one full color image.

Although the embodiments of the present invention described above are explained using liquid ink, the present invention can also use ink that is solid at room temperature or ink that is soft at room temperature. can. In the above-mentioned inkjet devices, the temperature of the ink itself is generally adjusted within the range of 30°C to 70°C to keep the viscosity of the ink within a stable ejection range. It is sufficient if the ink is liquid. In addition, it is possible to actively prevent temperature rise due to thermal energy by using it as energy to transform the ink from a solid state to a liquid state, or to use ink that solidifies when left in order to prevent ink evaporation. In any case, the ink may be liquefied by application of thermal energy in accordance with the recording signal and ejected as liquid ink, or the ink may have already begun to solidify by the time it reaches the recording medium. The present invention is also applicable to the use of ink that is liquefied for the first time. In such a case, the ink is
JP-A-54-56847 or JP-A-60-7
In a state where it is held as a liquid or solid in the porous sheet recesses or through holes, as described in Japanese Patent No. 1260,
It may also be in a form that faces the electrothermal converter.

In the present invention, the most effective method for each of the above-mentioned inks is to implement the above-mentioned film boiling method.

[Effects of the Invention] As detailed above, in the present invention, the phase of the recovery means is horizontally compared multiple times, and when the detection result of the plurality of times is abnormal, the driving method of the recovery means is changed and the recovery operation is performed again. I do. Thereby, the initial time can be shortened. It utilizes the relationship between the rotational speed and output torque of the motor as a drive source, that is, when the rotational speed is low, a large output torque can be obtained, and when the rotational speed is high, the output torque is small.

In other words, according to the present invention, it is possible to shorten the initial time. In addition, since the motor can be driven according to the optimum load of the pump, the noise generated by the inkjet device can be significantly reduced.In addition, since there is no need to increase the deceleration of the motor, the reduction gear It is possible to save time and reduce costs.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a suction recovery device for an inkjet recording apparatus according to the present invention. FIGS. 2 and 3 are perspective views of a gear mechanism that switches between paper feed drive and cap drive. FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing details of the capping unit. 5 and 6 are perspective views showing details of the suction recovery device. FIGS. 7(a) to 7(d) are plan views illustrating the operation of the capping and atmospheric release valves. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of the rubbing lever. FIG. 9 is a timing chart for explaining the operation of one embodiment of the suction recovery device of the inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention. FIGS. 10(a) to 10(e) are flowcharts for explaining the operation of one embodiment of the suction recovery device of the inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention. FIGS. 11 and 12 are flowcharts showing examples of recovery operations of the inkjet recording apparatus, respectively. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of a recovery system of a conventional inkjet recording apparatus. 1... Inkjet recording head 2... Carriage 6... Pulse motor 7... Pump carriage 7a... Arm portion 8... Guide shaft 10... Leaf spring 16... Pump gear 17... Cap 22...・Rail 27・・Cylinder 28.29・・Pump cam 31・・Piston 36・・Rubbing lever 37・・Rubbing members not shown (C) Figure 10(c) Figure 10(b) to Figure 10(d) Figure 10(e)

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1) A recovery means for performing a recovery operation from an ink ejection failure from an ejection port of an inkjet head that ejects ink, a detection means for detecting a phase of the recovery means, and a first detection means by the detection means. driving the recovery means to perform a first recovery operation when the detection result is normal;
After that, if a second detection result by the detection means is abnormal, a control means for driving the recovery means to perform a second recovery operation by a driving method different from that used during the first recovery operation; An inkjet device comprising: 2) The recovery means is a suction pump that sucks ink from the discharge port, and the control means is set so that the torque of the suction pump is greater in the second recovery operation than in the first recovery operation. The inkjet device according to claim 1. 3) The inkjet device according to claim 1, wherein the inkjet head includes a thermal energy generator that generates thermal energy used to eject ink from the ejection ports. 4) The inkjet device according to claim 3, wherein the thermal energy generator is an electrothermal converter. 5) a first detection step of detecting the phase of a recovery means for recovering from a defective ink ejection from an ejection port that ejects ink; and when the detection result in the first detection step is normal, the recovery means a first recovery step in which a first recovery operation is performed by driving the recovery means; a second detection step in which the phase of the recovery means is detected; and a second detection step in which the detection result in the second detection step is abnormal; A recovery method for an inkjet apparatus, comprising: a second recovery step in which the recovery means is driven by a driving method different from that used in the first recovery operation to perform a second recovery operation. 6) The first recovery operation and the second recovery operation are suction recovery operations using a suction pump that sucks ink from the ejection port, and the second recovery operation is better than the first recovery operation. 6. The recovery method for an inkjet apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the torque of the suction pump is set to be larger. 7) The recovery method for an inkjet apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first detection step is performed when preliminary ejection of ink from the ejection port reaches a predetermined number of times. 8) The recovery method for an inkjet apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first detection step is performed when a predetermined number of sheets of cut paper have been printed. 9) The recovery method for an inkjet apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first detection step is performed after a predetermined number of ink preliminary ejections from the ejection ports have been performed and the paper runs out. 10) The recovery method for an inkjet apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first detection step is performed at the beginning of a page of continuous paper after preliminary ejection of ink from the ejection port reaches a predetermined number of times.