JPH04235056A - Ink jet recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide an ink jet recording apparatus capable of stably achieving good recording without generating the mixing of inks even when a plurality of recording heads are cleaned at once by effectively wiping off the ink bonded to a blade. CONSTITUTION:In a recording apparatus equipped with a blade cleaning the surfaces of the emitting orifices of a head, the state of the operation or position of the blade at the time of the cleaning of an emitting orifice forming surface and that at the time of the cleaning of the blade are changed to well wipe off the ink bonded to the blade.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording by depositing ink droplets on a recording medium.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, office automation equipment such as computers, word processors, and copying machines have become widespread, and many recording systems for these recording devices have been developed. Compared to other recording methods, inkjet recording apparatuses have excellent features in that they can easily achieve high definition, are high-speed, excellent in quietness, and are inexpensive. However, since the inkjet recording method records by ejecting ink droplets from a recording head onto a recording medium such as paper or OHP film, there are small ink droplets generated in addition to the main ink droplets ejected, and ink droplets ejected onto the recording medium. Ink adheres to the ejection orifice surface of the recording head due to the rebound of the ink (so-called wet state, see Figure 10), and if a large amount of this collects around the ejection orifice, ejection is obstructed and the ink is ejected in an unexpected direction (twisting). This has caused problems such as ink droplets not being ejected (non-ejecting).

For this reason, in the inkjet recording method, a blade made of an elastic material such as rubber is used to clean the ejection port surface.
A configuration is adopted in which these unnecessary ink droplets are wiped off by wiping (hereinafter referred to as wiping). In this case, some of the ink droplets adhering to the blade by wiping the ejection port surface of the print head are bounced back by the restoring force of the blade and scatter inside the printing apparatus, contaminating the interior of the apparatus. Further, some of the other ink droplets remain attached to the blade and become thickened ink. If you leave ink on the blade, it may cause problems when wiping is done next time, or the moisture in this ink may evaporate and thicken, causing foreign matter such as paper dust to adhere and accumulate. This transfers to the ejection port and causes ejection problems such as non-ejection and deviation.

Furthermore, in a recording device in which two or more recording heads are arranged side by side to record a color image using ink of different colors, the ink transferred to the blade during the first wiping is transferred to the next different color. When wiping a print head, color mixing occurs with ink in the print head, resulting in a decrease in image quality.

Furthermore, in the case of a color inkjet recording apparatus, when a plurality of heads are wiped with one blade, the amount of ink that adheres to and stains the blade increases, so that the influence of the blade stain increases. For this reason, there is a configuration in which a dedicated blade is provided for each head, but this is extremely costly and requires a considerable amount of space to provide it, creating a new problem of increasing the size of the device.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an inkjet recording apparatus has been proposed in which a means for wiping ink adhering to the blade is provided in the main body. For example, an absorber is disposed between the recording heads and the blade However, the ink may spread over a wider area than the area of the blade that contacts the ejection port surface (for example, due to the ink dripping down due to gravity), and the ink may simply be wiped off between the absorber and the blade. In some cases, it was not possible to wipe the surface thoroughly even if the surface was brought into contact with the surface.

The present invention provides an inkjet that can effectively wipe away ink adhering to the blade and stably achieve good recording without causing ink mixing even when cleaning multiple recording heads at once. The purpose is to provide a recording device.

[0008]

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention has been proposed to achieve the above-mentioned object, and by setting a blade cleaning mode, it is possible to reliably wipe away ink adhering to the blade. I learned that it is possible. The present invention has been proposed based on this knowledge, and includes an inkjet recording apparatus equipped with a cleaning member that cleans the ejection port surface of a printhead that performs printing by ejecting ink. It has a cleaning member for cleaning the member, and means for setting a first cleaning mode for cleaning the discharge port surface and a second cleaning mode for cleaning the cleaning member with the cleaning member. It is characterized by

That is, a porous absorbing member is provided in the carriage on which the recording head is mounted, particularly in the front and rear portions of the recording head in the cleaning direction, and the ink transferred to the blade by wiping the previous recording head is absorbed by the absorbing member. In addition to this, a blade cleaning mode switch is provided, or a blade cleaning mode is set every predetermined number of sheets. This is achieved by setting a dedicated cleaning mode for the blade.

In this blade cleaning mode, the amount of penetration of the blade is set to be deeper than that during normal wiping, and the blade is wiped at a predetermined interval in a wider area than the surface it comes into contact with during wiping in one direction or both directions. It is designed to be cleaned with By providing such a blade cleaning mode, it is possible to reliably remove residual ink on the blade that could not be absorbed by the absorbing member during normal wiping.
It is possible to achieve more reliable wiping.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, an embodiment to which the present invention is applied will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. (First Embodiment) FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of an inkjet recording apparatus applied to the present invention. Here, C is an inkjet cartridge, which has an ink tank section above and a recording head below, and is a type that discharges ink in the direction of gravity, and receives signals for driving the recording head. A connector is provided for this purpose. 2
The carriage has four cartridges C1, C2, and C3.
・C4 (each contains ink of a different color,
For example, in this embodiment, yellow, magenta, cyan, and black are arranged in this order from the recording area side. ) is positioned and mounted, and is provided with a connector holder for transmitting signals for driving the recording head, and is electrically connected to the recording head. Further, absorbers are provided at the bottom of the carriage 2 on both sides of each recording head, as will be described later. 11 is carriage 2
A scanning rail 52 extending in the main scanning direction and slidably supporting the carriage 2 is a drive belt that transmits a driving force for reciprocating the carriage 2 . Also, 15,
16, 17, and 18 are a pair of conveyor rollers arranged before and after the recording position of the recording head to nip and convey the recording medium; P is a recording medium such as paper; It is pressed against a regulating platen (not shown). At this time, the recording head portion of the inkjet cartridge C mounted on the carriage 2 protrudes downward from the carriage and is located between the recording medium conveying rollers 16 and 18.
The ejection orifice forming surface of the recording head section faces parallel to the recording material P pressed against the guide surface of a platen (not shown).

In the inkjet recording apparatus of this example, the recovery system unit is disposed at the home position, which is the recording retreat position in the direction of arrow A in FIG. In the recovery system unit, 300 is a cap unit provided corresponding to a plurality of inkjet cartridges C each having a recording head, and can slide in the left and right directions in the figure as the carriage 2 moves, and can also move up and down in the vertical direction. guided by a guide member so as to be possible. When the carriage is at the home position, it faces the print head section and caps it to prevent the ink in the ejection ports of the print head from evaporating, thickening and sticking, resulting in ejection failure.

Further, in the recovery system unit, 500 is a pump unit communicating with the cap unit 300,
It is used to generate negative pressure during suction recovery processing, etc., which is performed by bringing the cap unit 300 into contact with the recording head, in the event that the recording head has an ejection failure.

Furthermore, in the recovery system unit, 401
4 is a blade as a wiping member made of an elastic member such as rubber, and 402 is a blade holder for holding the blade 401. In this example, a blade elevating mechanism (not shown) driven by the movement of the carriage 2 causes the blade 401 supported by the blade holder 402 to protrude (raise ) position (wiping position) and the blade 40 that cannot be removed during wiping.
It can be set to a position that protrudes further from the wiping position (blade cleaning position) to remove ink adhering to the recording head, and a position that is retreated (lowered) so as not to interfere with the ejection orifice surface of the recording head (standby position). do.

In this example, the blade 401 is configured to perform wiping when the carriage 2 moves from the home position side where the recovery unit is located to the recording area side where the recording medium is conveyed and where recording is performed. ing. This is because the blade 401 is located between the cap unit 300 and the conveyance system that conveys the recording medium P, so if wiping is performed while moving in the opposite direction, the blade 401 will not be in contact with the head. This is because the ink that has been wiped by the force that restores the bent state when it comes off will be scattered on the conveyance section of the recording medium P, and there is a risk of inadvertently staining the recording medium. If there is no such problem, wiping in both directions is also a good idea.

FIG. 2 is a view of the carriage 2 seen from the bottom. Moreover, FIG. 3 is a diagram of the same as seen from the front. Here, 1 is an ejection port forming surface, 12 is an ejection port for ejecting ink droplets, and 3 is a blade cleaning absorber for cleaning the blade 401, which is corrosion resistant and absorbs ink. It is made of a highly absorbent material. The blade cleaning absorber 3 is provided at both ends of the ejection port surface 1 of each recording head. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the blade cleaning absorber 3 is disposed with a step at a position slightly recessed from the ejection port surface 1 of the recording head that protrudes downward from the carriage 2. .

In the inkjet recording apparatus, if the accuracy of the landing position of the ejected ink droplets on the recording material P is poor, white streaks or dark streaks may occur in the image. As one of the measures to prevent such image deterioration,
The image quality is improved by reducing the distance between the ejection port surface 1 of the print head and the print medium P to reduce the landing error of ink droplets. However, when ink is ejected onto the recording medium P, there is a large difference in moisture content between the side of the recording medium P where the ink is ejected and the back side thereof, and between the areas where the ink is ejected and the areas where the ink is not ejected. This causes a difference in the rate of expansion and causes a crack called cockling on the recording medium P. If the distance between the recording head and the recording medium P is too small, the recording head and the recording medium P will come into contact and stain the recording surface. This causes the problem of putting it away. Therefore, the distance between the recording head and the recording medium P is set so as to be as small as possible without rubbing even if cockling occurs. Therefore, the blade cleaning absorber 3 disposed at the bottom of the carriage 2 cannot be disposed flush with the recording head protruding downward from the carriage 2 or at a distance from the recording medium than the recording head. Even though
It cannot be provided so as to protrude from the recording head. especially,
Because the blade cleaning absorber 3 absorbs ink, it is very likely to stain the recording medium P. Therefore, in order to ensure safety, it is preferable to provide the blade cleaning absorber 3 at a position recessed by about 0.5 mm from the recording head.

By the way, when a recording head generally records an image by discharging ink as described above, as shown in FIG.
A so-called wet state occurs. If a large number of ink droplets adhere to the area around the ejection port, ejection may be obstructed, and the ink may be dragged by the adhered ink and ejected in an unexpected direction (twist), or it may cover the ejection port. If ink adheres to the ink, it causes problems such as ink droplets not being ejected (non-ejecting). Therefore, the discharge port surface 1 must be wiped with the blade 401 at predetermined intervals (before any discharge problems occur).

Next, the wiping operation in this embodiment will be explained with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. Figure 4 shows blade 1
This shows the overall operation during wiping by
FIG. 5 shows a partially enlarged view thereof. As mentioned above, the wiping operation is performed in the direction of movement from the home position side (left side in FIG. 4) to the recording area side (right side in FIG. 4) only when necessary. First, (a) of FIG. 4 shows a state immediately before performing a wiping operation. Initially, blade 40
1 rises from the standby position in the direction of arrow Y and is fixed at a position (wiping position) where the amount of penetration is optimal for wiping the recording head. Next, as shown in FIGS. 4(b) and 4(c), the carriage 2 carrying the inkjet cartridge C moves horizontally from left to right along the guide rail, and each cleaning blade installed at the bottom of the carriage 2 moves horizontally from left to right along the guide rail. The ink on the ejection port surface 1 is removed while the absorber 3 and the ejection port surface 1 of the recording head protruding from the carriage 2 are alternately brought into contact with each other. When all the blade cleaning absorbers 3 have come into contact with the discharge port surface 1, the blade 401 descends in the direction of arrow Y' and waits at a standby position. By providing blade cleaning absorbers 3 on both sides of the recording head,
Since the ink swept from the ejection port surface is absorbed by the blade cleaning absorber 3, the amount of ink remaining on the blade 401 is reduced, and when wiping the ejection port surface 1 of the next print head, the ink is removed. It is extremely effective in preventing mixing of substances.

However, the blade 40 during the wiping operation
1 and the blade cleaning absorber come into contact with the blade 4.
All the ink attached to 01 cannot be absorbed. This will be explained in detail with reference to FIG. Figure 5
(a) shows the ink on the ejection port surface being removed, and the blade 401 moves relatively while contacting the ejection port surface 1 with a certain width. In a device that discharges ink downward in the direction of gravity, the collected ink is wiped off by the blade 40.
1 tends to flow downstream in the gravity direction, so the width of the ink stain on the blade 401 is wider than the width of the blade 401 where it contacts the ejection port surface 1.

After this, as shown in FIG. 5(b), the blade comes into contact with the blade cleaning absorber 3 to absorb the ink attached to the blade 401, but as mentioned earlier,
The blade cleaning absorber 3 cannot be provided in a position that protrudes beyond the discharge port surface 1, and for safety reasons it is set to be recessed from the discharge port surface by about 0.5 mm. The amount of penetration into the body is smaller than that into the discharge port surface 1. As a result, the blade cleaning absorber 3
Although it is possible to absorb ink at the tip of the blade 401, that is, in the area where it contacts the absorber, ink remaining beyond that area remains on the blade 401. In the initial stage of use, even if you wipe the ejection port surface 1 of the next recording head with a small amount of ink remaining below the width of the contact with the ejection port surface, the ejection characteristics such as wobbling or non-ejection, and the image quality such as color mixture may be affected. The effect on the ink was almost negligible, but when used for a long time, this small amount of ink evaporates, thickens and solidifies, and gradually accumulates along with foreign substances such as paper dust. This deposit deteriorates the wiping performance of the blade and affects the ejection characteristics and image quality.

[0022] Therefore, it was decided to provide a mode in which the entire ink adhering range of the blade 401 is cleaned.

The blade cleaning mode will be explained with reference to FIG. In the blade cleaning mode, the blade 401 is further projected in the Y direction from the wiping position, and the blade 401 is positioned at a position where the amount of penetration into the blade cleaning absorber 3 is deeper than the amount of penetration during normal wiping, which is more than twice as much in this embodiment. set to position,
The carriage 2 is moved from left to right, and when the carriage 2 finishes passing, the blade 401 is lowered to a standby position to wait, and the carriage 2 is returned to the home position. This increases the contact area between the blade 401 and the blade cleaning absorber 3, making it possible to clean areas that could not be wiped off during normal wiping. Although this operation may be performed once, it is preferable to perform it two or more times in succession for even greater effects.

The penetration amount of the blade is not limited to twice, but may be any amount that allows the ink adhering to the blade to be wiped off well, and a practical range of about 1.5 to 4 times is sufficient.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 7, if an absorber is disposed on the side surface of the ejection port forming surface of the recording head, especially on the upstream side in the wiping direction, the ink adhering to the blade can be ensured at the edge of the absorber. It is possible to achieve more reliable wiping.

Furthermore, in order to further improve reliability, by performing a normal wiping operation or preliminary ejection after this blade cleaning operation, it is possible to almost eliminate the influence of the ink on the head that was previously wiped. and can make good records.

The conditions under which this example was carried out are shown below. Blade: Thickness 0.7mm±0.1 width
12.0mm±0.1 Free length 8.0mm±0.1 Amount of penetration during wiping (toward the discharge port surface) 1.5mm±0.5 Amount of penetration during blade cleaning (toward the discharge surface)
Exit surface) 4.0mm±0.5 Carriage movement speed: 200mm/sec ±30 during wiping 100mm/sec ±30 during cleaning Recording head used: 400dpi 128 nozzle wiping operation sequence: A4 blade cleaning mode sequence for each recording :A4 Test environment for every 100 sheets recorded: High temperature/low humidity (35°C/10%) Regarding the wiping speed, the faster the wiping speed, the more the wiping effect tends to decrease due to slip-through, and the ink absorption effect tends to decrease. , 300mm/sec
I have confirmed that there is no problem if the following is true. Further, it is preferable that the speed during cleaning be slower than during normal wiping. This is because the ink adhering to the blade has thickened due to evaporation, so the rate of absorption into the absorber is slow. The test environment was harsh: a high temperature with a large amount of discharge and a large amount of coating, and a low humidity environment where it dries and evaporates easily.

Under the above conditions, the amount of wetting on the ejection orifice surface of the head is maximized by solid black recording with a recording ratio of 100%, and the A4
As a result of a durability test of 5,000 size sheets, no ejection failures such as twisting or non-ejection occurred.

On the other hand, as a result of carrying out a durability test under the above-mentioned conditions excluding the blade cleaning mode sequence, ejection failure occurred after several hundred sheets.

As described above, by providing the blade cleaning mode, it was possible to dramatically increase the number of durable sheets.

In this embodiment, an example of color recording using four inkjet cartridges in the carriage 2 has been described, but this number is not particularly limited, and even one or other number of recording heads can be used. may be installed. In the case of color image recording, there is a unique problem of color mixing, and the present invention can also solve this problem, so that it is extremely effective in color recording.

(Embodiment 2) In the blade cleaning mode, the blade 401 is further projected in the Y direction from the wiping position, and the amount of penetration into the blade cleaning absorber 3 is set to a position that is deeper than the amount of penetration during normal wiping. Then, the carriage 2 is moved from left to right, and when the first blade cleaning absorber 3 of the carriage 2 finishes passing, the blade 401 is lowered to a standby position to stand by, and the carriage 2 is returned to the home position. Although this operation may be performed once, it is preferable to perform it two or more times in succession for even greater effects. By doing so, there is no need to retransfer ink to the ejection orifice surface of the recording head, and there is no need to perform a normal wiping operation and preliminary ejection after a series of operations. In this case as well, as in the first example, we were able to achieve a dramatic improvement in the number of durable sheets used.

[0033] Also, other than the carriage 2, for example,
Even if a blade cleaning absorber for the blade cleaning mode is separately provided at a predetermined position in the blade passage path, the same operation and effect can be achieved.
If the capacity of the blade cleaning absorber itself decreases, it can be easily replaced and the absorption capacity can be maintained over a long period of time.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 7, a blade cleaning absorber for the blade cleaning mode may be provided on the side of the recording head, and since the absorber is replaced at the same time as the head is replaced, the blade cleaning ability is not reduced. maintained.

(Embodiment 3) When the discharge port surface 1 is wiped as shown in FIG. 8, the tip surface 401b of the blade 401
It also gets dirty, which causes unwiped residue, which deteriorates the wiping performance. This tendency is particularly noticeable in a type of wiping that cleans by contacting the discharge port surface in both directions.

Therefore, it is necessary to clean the tip end surface 401b of the blade as well. This example is a blade cleaning method that is effective in such cases. In the blade cleaning mode, as shown in FIG. 9, the blade cleaning absorbent body 3 is reciprocated in the front-rear direction while the blade 401 is kept in contact with the blade cleaning absorbent body 3. Then, the blade performs a reversal operation as shown by the solid line and the broken line, so the tip surface 401b temporarily contacts the blade cleaning absorber 3 and is cleaned at this time. In this cleaning operation, if the amount of penetration is too high, it is difficult to cause the above-mentioned reversal behavior, so it is preferable that the amount of penetration of the blade at this time is set to the amount of penetration of the normal wiping operation or shallower. . This third embodiment exhibits even greater effects when used together with the first embodiment or the second embodiment.

(Embodiment 4) In the previous embodiments, the amount of intrusion was changed by ejecting from the blade side, but if there is sufficient space, the blade and the blade can be moved up and down by raising and lowering the carriage side or by raising and lowering both. If the positional relationship between the cleaning absorber and the discharge port surface is the same, similar actions and effects can be obtained.

(Others) The present invention particularly relates to means for generating thermal energy as energy used for ejecting ink in an inkjet recording system.
For example, the present invention provides an excellent effect in a recording head or recording apparatus that is equipped with an electrothermal converter (for example, an electrothermal converter, a laser beam, etc.) and uses the thermal energy to cause a change in the state of the ink. This is because such a system can achieve higher recording density and higher definition.

For its typical configuration and principle, see, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4,740.
Preferably, it is carried out using the basic principles disclosed in the '796 specification. This method can be applied to both the so-called on-demand type and continuous type, but
In particular, in the case of the on-demand type, an electrothermal transducer is placed corresponding to the sheet holding the liquid (ink) or the liquid path, and the electrothermal transducer is placed at a temperature that rapidly exceeds nucleate boiling, corresponding to the recorded information. By applying at least one drive signal that provides a rise, the electrothermal transducer generates thermal energy that causes film boiling on the thermally active surface of the recording head, resulting in a liquid ( This is effective because it can form air bubbles within the ink. The growth and contraction of these bubbles causes the liquid (ink) to be ejected through the ejection opening.
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. This pulse-shaped drive signal is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,463,359 and U.S. Pat.
262 is suitable. Further, if the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 concerning the temperature increase rate of the heat acting surface are adopted, even more excellent recording can be achieved.

[0040] The recording head may have a configuration other than the combination 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. U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,333 and U.S. Pat. No. 4 disclose a configuration in which a heat acting part is arranged in a bending region.
A configuration using the specification of No. 459600 is also included in the present invention. 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, 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 can be produced by combining a plurality of recording heads as disclosed in the above-mentioned specification. Either a configuration that satisfies the length 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.

In addition, a replaceable chip-type recording head that is attached to the apparatus main body enables electrical connection with the apparatus main body and ink supply from the apparatus main body, 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 capping means, cleaning means, pressure or suction means, preheating means for the recording head using 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 apparatus is not limited to a recording mode for only mainstream colors such as black, but may also include a recording head that is configured integrally or a combination of a plurality of recording heads, or multiple colors of different colors or The present invention is also extremely effective for devices equipped with at least one of the following: , full color by color mixing.

Although the embodiments of the present invention described above are explained using liquid ink, the present invention can be applied to ink that is solid at room temperature or ink that is soft at room temperature. Can be used. The above-mentioned inkjet device generally adjusts the temperature of the ink itself 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, the temperature rise caused by thermal energy can be actively prevented by using the energy to change the state of the ink from a solid state to a liquid state, or an ink that solidifies when left standing is used 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 held in a liquid or solid state in the recesses or through holes of the porous sheet, as described in JP-A-54-56847 or JP-A-60-71260. 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.

[0046]

As explained above, according to the present invention, a blade cleaning mode is provided so that the amount of penetration of the blade into the blade cleaning absorber becomes deeper than during normal wiping, or a different operation is performed. This prevents thickened and solidified ink from accumulating on the blade, making it possible to maintain stable wiping characteristics at all times.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram of an inkjet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram seen from the bottom of a carriage on which a recording head is mounted.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a carriage on which a recording head is mounted, viewed from the front.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining a wiping operation.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged explanatory diagram of a wiping operation.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation in blade cleaning mode.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram for explaining a wiping operation.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram for explaining yet another wiping operation.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram for explaining the blade cleaning operation of the third embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a front view showing ink stains (wet state) on the ejection orifice surface of the recording head.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Discharge port surface 2 Carriage 3 Blade cleaning absorber 401 Blade P Recording medium

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An inkjet recording apparatus comprising a cleaning member for cleaning an ejection port surface of a recording head that performs recording by ejecting ink, the cleaning member for cleaning the cleaning member by coming into contact with the cleaning member. An inkjet recording apparatus comprising: a means for setting a first cleaning mode for cleaning the ejection port surface and a second cleaning mode for cleaning the cleaning member with the cleaning member. 2. In the second cleaning mode, the contact area between the cleaning member and the cleaning member is changed to the first cleaning mode.
2. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inkjet recording apparatus is enlarged by switching the intrusion amount from the cleaning mode. 3. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in the second cleaning mode, a relative movement speed is set slower than in the first cleaning mode. 4. The recording head ejects the ink by causing film boiling in the ink using thermal energy, and includes an electrothermal converter for generating the thermal energy. 1. The inkjet recording device according to 1.