JPH04338552A - Ink-jet recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To remove dust, ink drops, etc., adhering on a nozzle surface easily by simple structure through the constitution of a cleaner and a cleaning method. CONSTITUTION:A cleaner 3 mounted in the moving path of an ink-jet recording head so that it can advance and retract thereon is composed of the bonding member of a spatular wiper 3a having elasticity and a rubbing member 3b having water absorption properties, and a nozzle surface 2a is cleaned by the edge sections C1 and C2, thus removing dust, ink drops, etc., adhering on the nozzle surface 3a while easily taking off fixed substances firmly attached on the nozzle surface with the drying of ink by simple structure.

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 ejects minute ink droplets from a nozzle, and more particularly to a recovery means equipped with a cleaner for cleaning the nozzle surface of a head.

0002

[Prior Art] Minute ink droplets are ejected from the nozzles of an inkjet recording head onto a recording medium to print desired characters and characters.
In an inkjet recording device that records images such as figures, the inkjet recording head comes close to the recording medium during the recording operation, so the ink droplets generated when the ink droplets collide with the recording medium bounce off the nozzle surface of the inkjet recording head. Contaminates the nozzle surface.

In particular, in on-demand type inkjet recording heads that eject ink droplets by applying a weak pressure change to the ink near the nozzle, as described above, the ink droplets are ejected due to the weak pressurizing force. Although only a gap of several millimeters is formed between the gap and the medium, and ink droplets often bounce back, once clogging occurs, the clogging cannot be easily corrected by itself.

[0004] Furthermore, ink discharged from the nozzles during non-printing operations to prevent or recover from clogging of the nozzles of the ink jet recording head also remains on the nozzle surfaces, thereby contaminating the nozzle surfaces.

[0005] Such contamination of the nozzle surface of the inkjet recording head causes the adhesion of fibers and dust to the recording medium, which may cause nozzle clogging during long-term use of the inkjet recording device, and may cause the inkjet recording head to become clogged. This may have adverse effects on the recording head, such as inability to eject ink or bending of ink ejection.

Conventionally, an inkjet recording apparatus having a spatula-shaped wiper for cleaning an inkjet recording head and its cleaning means have been constructed using, for example, a spatula-shaped wiper as shown in FIG. It was known to have a cleaner consisting of 3a. That is, the cleaner consists of a spatula-shaped wiper 3a made of rubber or foamed plastic, whose free end 3
d protrudes into the movement path connecting the printing area of the inkjet recording head 2 and the standby position, and the nozzle surface 2a of the inkjet recording head 2 moving in sliding contact with the free end 3d as shown in FIG. Cleaning is done by stripping or wiping.

On the other hand, it is not only liquid ink that adheres to the nozzle surface 2a of the inkjet recording head 2, but also ink dye and fibrous dry adhesion due to evaporation of the ink solvent. Contamination of surface 2a must also be addressed.

[0008] Therefore, as a cleaner,
A rubbing means 3b constructed of a porous elastic body set in a wet state as disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 128034 is suitable. However, when cleaning the nozzle surface 2a of the inkjet recording head 2 only by such a rubbing means 3b, the cleaner becomes contaminated as the cleaning operation is performed, so that if the contamination becomes significant, the original cleaning effect will not deteriorate. There wasn't.

[0009] Therefore, an inkjet recording apparatus 1 has been proposed which has both the above-mentioned spatula-shaped wiper 3a and scrubbing means 3b as cleaners. FIG. 8 shows an inkjet recording apparatus having a spatula-shaped wiper 3a and a rubbing means 3b, which is described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-518. Further, FIG. 9 shows a cleaner described in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 61-5647, which is composed of a scrubbing means 3b composed of a porous elastic body set in a wet state and a spatula-shaped wiper 3a protruding from the scrubbing means 3b. 3 indicates an inkjet recording device protruding onto the moving path.

0010

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in the case of FIG. 8, since the spatula-shaped wiper and the scrubbing means are independent, the structure of the cleaning means is complicated, and the structure and control thereof are complicated. Has a point.

Also, in the case of FIG. 9, the spatula-shaped wiper 3a and the rubbing means 3b are separated, which makes manufacturing complicated. Further, since it was not possible to obtain a sufficient contact force of the rubbing means 3b or to control the contact load, the effect of the rubbing member 3b could not be fully exhibited. In particular, depending on the degree of wetness, almost no contact force could be expected. Furthermore, since the cleaner 3 always protrudes into the movement path of the inkjet recording head 2,
Cleaner 3 must have high durability.

The present invention is intended to solve these problems, and its purpose is to remove dust, dirt, ink droplets, etc. adhering to the nozzle surface, and to strengthen the nozzle surface as the ink dries. It is an object of the present invention to provide an inkjet recording device having a cleaning means that can easily remove the solidified matter adhering to the inkjet recording device with a simple structure.

[0013]

[Means for Solving the Problems] The inkjet recording device of the present invention uses a cleaner constructed of a member in which an elastic spatula-shaped wiper and a water-absorbing rubbing member are joined together on the entire surface of the contact portion. Cleaning is performed by bringing the edge portions of the end surfaces of the wiper and the rubbing member into contact with the nozzle surface of the inkjet recording head.

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Examples of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an inkjet recording apparatus 1 of the present invention.
An example is shown below. In the figure, the inkjet recording head 2 is located in a printing area 5 during printing, and when printing is not performed for a certain period of time, the inkjet recording head 2 is in a standby position 6 where the ink suction means 4 is located.
Move to. The cleaner 3 has a print area 5 and a standby position 6.
is placed between. The inkjet recording head 2 can be moved in the direction of arrow A by a carriage motor 8. Further, a printing medium 11 such as printing paper is wound around a platen 10 and can be moved in the direction of arrow B by a paper feed motor 9.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the process in which the cleaner 3 of the present invention comes into contact with the nozzle surface 2a of the inkjet recording head 2.

FIG. 2A shows a case where the inkjet recording head 2 is printing within the printing area 5. In FIG. If printing is not performed for a certain period of time or more, the inkjet recording head 2 returns to the standby position 6.

FIG. 2(b) shows the ink jet recording head 2 passing in front of the cleaner 3 disposed between the print area 5 and the standby position 6. Normally, the cleaner 3 is pulled backward by the spring 12, so it does not come into contact with the inkjet recording head 2.

FIG. 2(c) shows a case where cleaning is performed using a spatula-shaped wiper 3a. When cleaning is performed, the inkjet recording head 2 first has ink sucked by the suction means 4 at the standby position 6 . Next, the inkjet recording head 2 passes in front of the cleaner 3 pushed forward by the electromagnetic plunger 13. At this time, the inkjet recording head 2
The nozzle surface 2a is wiped with the spatula-shaped wiper 3a of the cleaner 3.

FIG. 2(d) shows the case where a rubbing action is performed by the rubbing member 3b. When a rubbing operation is performed, the inkjet recording head 2 is first moved to the standby position 6.
At this point, the ink is sucked by the suction means 4. Next, the inkjet recording head 2 moves to the print area 5 side from the position where the cleaner 3 is installed. Subsequently, it passes in front of the cleaner 3 pushed forward by the electromagnetic plunger 13. At this time, the nozzle surface 2a of the inkjet recording head 2 is cleaned by the rubbing member 3b.

Here, the spatula-shaped wiper 3a is installed on the standby position 6 side by wiping.
This is to prevent the ink adhering to the cleaner 3 from being splashed onto the print area 5 and contaminating the print area 5 when the cleaner 3 returns to its original shape.

Further, according to experiments conducted by the inventors, the wiping operation by the spatula-shaped wiper 3a needs to be performed frequently in normal use, but the frequency of the scrubbing operation by the scraping member 3b is lower than that by the spatula-shaped wiper 3a. Very little compared to wiping action.

Accordingly, the printing efficiency of the inkjet recording head can be improved by shortening unnecessary time for frequently performed wiping. Therefore, when the spatula-shaped wiper 3a is placed toward the standby position 6,
Printing can be started immediately after the inkjet recording head 2 moves to the printing area 5 side by wiping, and unnecessary time can be shortened.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of the above cleaning operation. FIG. 3(a) shows a case where the nozzle surface 2a is wiped with a spatula-shaped wiper 3a after ink suction, and FIG. 3(b) shows a case where the nozzle surface 2a is cleaned with a rubbing member 3b after ink suction.

In FIG. 3A, when the cleaning operation is started (step 20), the inkjet recording head 2 first moves to the standby position 6 (step 21). If the inkjet recording head 2 has already moved to the standby position 6 when the cleaning operation is started,
This action is not performed. Next, a suction operation is performed (step 22), and when the suction operation is completed, the cleaner 3 is pushed forward (step 23). Next, the inkjet recording head 2 moves to the print area 5 (step 24) to perform wiping, and the cleaner 3 is pulled backward (step 25), ending the wiping operation (step 26). It goes without saying that the wiping operation may be performed before the suction operation or may be unrelated to the suction operation.

In the case of cleaning using the rubbing member 3b shown in FIG. 3(b), when the cleaning operation is started (step 27), the inkjet recording head 2 moves to the standby position 6 (step 28), and then , suction operation (
Perform step 29). Next, the inkjet recording head 2 is moved closer to the printing area than the position of the cleaner 3 (step 30). Subsequently, the cleaner 3 is pushed forward (step 31). The inkjet recording head 2 moves toward the standby position 6 to perform a rubbing operation (step 32), and the cleaner 3 is pulled backward (step 33), ending the rubbing operation shown in FIG. 3(b). (Step 34).

Although the flow shown in FIG. 3 shows a flow in which the wiping operation and the rubbing operation are each performed only once, the wiping operation or the rubbing operation may be performed multiple times during one cleaning. For example, when performing two rubbing operations and one wiping operation during one cleaning operation, in FIG. 3(b), after step 33, step 28, step 30, step 31, step 32, step 24 , step 33, and step 34 in this order.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing an embodiment of the cleaner 3 of the present invention. 4(a) shows a state in which the cleaner 3 is not in contact with the nozzle surface 2a, FIG. 4(b) shows a state in which the spatula-shaped wiper 3a is in contact with the nozzle surface 2a and performs a wiping operation, and FIG. 4(c) shows a state in which the cleaner 3 is not in contact with the nozzle surface 2a. 1 shows a case where the rubbing member 3b is in contact with the nozzle surface 2a and performing a rubbing operation.

In FIG. 4(a), a spatula-shaped wiper 3a is bonded to a water-absorbing rubbing member 3b with an adhesive 3c. The spatula-shaped wiper 3a, the adhesive 3c, and the rubbing member 3b must be made of materials that will not deteriorate or change in quality due to ink. That is, silicone rubber, butyl rubber, or the like is suitable for the spatula-shaped wiper 3a, and a silicone adhesive or the like is suitable for the adhesive 3c. Also, rubbing member 3
In addition to ink resistance, abrasion resistance and high water absorption are required for b, and a nonwoven fabric using fine fibers is suitable.

According to the inventors' experiments, the spatula-shaped wiper 3
Although the wiping operation by a needs to be performed frequently in normal use, a sufficient effect can be obtained even if the load applied to the inkjet recording head 2 is about 10 g to 50 g or less. However, although the frequency at which the rubbing action by the rubbing member 3b is required is much less than the wiping action, a pressing load of about 50 g to 150 g or more is preferable. When the cleaner 3 configured as shown in FIG. 4 is used, when the spatula-shaped wiper 3a comes into contact with the nozzle surface 2a, the rubbing member 3b on the back side is easily deformed, so it contacts with a weak force, and the rubbing member 3b comes into contact with the nozzle surface. When the wiper 2a comes into contact with the wiper 2a, the spatula-shaped wiper 3a supports the wiper 2a, so it is possible to make the contact with a strong force. For example, if a cleaner 3 made of silicone rubber with a thickness of 1 mm and a hardness of 40 degrees and a nonwoven fabric with a thickness of 1.3 mm is used with a protrusion length of 8 mm, the load during wiping operation is 40 g, and the load during scrubbing operation is 130 g. becomes. Therefore, the thickness of the spatula-shaped wiper 3a is from 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm.
5 mm, and the thickness of the rubbing member 3b is preferably about 1 mm to 3 mm, and it is necessary to make the thickness of the rubbing member thicker than the thickness of the spatula-shaped wiper.

In addition, when performing a wiping operation as shown in FIG. 4(b) and when performing a rubbing action as shown in FIG. It is efficient to perform cleaning by contacting the nozzle surface 2a with the nozzle surface 2a. That is, when wiping is performed, when the spatula-shaped wiper 3a makes surface contact with the nozzle surface 2a,
After the spatula-shaped wiper 3a passes, dust, dirt, and ink tend to remain, making it impossible to perform sufficient wiping. Further, when performing a rubbing operation, a strong contact force can be obtained by the edge portion C2 of the end surface of the rubbing member 3b coming into contact with the nozzle surface 2a, and reliable contact can be achieved at all the contact portions. Thereby, the ink immediately adjacent to the nozzle hole, which is a fine hole, can be reliably absorbed.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing an embodiment of a moving means for moving the cleaner 3 forward and backward.

FIG. 5(a) shows a friction clutch mechanism based on the rotation of the platen 10. The platen 10 is the middle frame 1
4 is rotatably supported. At one end of the platen 10 is a friction disk 15 secured to the platen shaft. A compression coil spring 1 is provided between the middle frame 14 and the friction disk 15.
6 and a cleaner opening/closing plate 17. In the system configured in this manner, the cleaner opening/closing plate 17 is always pressed against the friction disk 15 by the compression coil spring 16.

As a result, the cleaner opening/closing plate 17 rotates in synchronization with the rotation of the platen 10. Further, if the rotation of the cleaner opening/closing plate 17 is restricted by some method, slippage will occur between the friction disk 15 and the cleaner opening/closing plate 17.

FIG. 5(b) shows a side view of a construction in which such a friction clutch mechanism is incorporated into the advancing and retracting mechanism of the cleaner 3, as seen from the cleaner side. The cleaner 3 is fixed to a cleaner support member 7. Cleaner support member 7
is rotatably supported by a shaft 18 fixed to the middle frame 14, and the pin 7a attached to the cleaner support member 7 is connected to the groove 17a attached to the cleaner opening/closing plate 17.
is fitted. The groove portion 17a is the cleaner opening/closing plate 17.
The radius is designed to change in the circumferential direction. In a system configured in this way, the platen 10
When the cleaner rotates in the paper feeding direction (direction of arrow D in the figure), the radius of the groove 17a of the cleaner opening/closing plate 17 increases with the rotation. Therefore, the groove 17a
The pin 7a of the cleaner support member 7 fitted therein moves along with it, and the cleaner support member 7 rotates around the shaft 18 and moves to the end of the groove 17a of the cleaner opening/closing plate 17.

FIG. 5(c) shows this state. In this state, the cleaner 3 retreats to a position where it does not interfere with the nozzle surface 2a of the inkjet recording head 2,
Even if the inkjet recording head 2 crosses in front of it, it will not come into contact with the nozzle surface 2a. When the platen 10 further rotates, as described above, a slip occurs between the cleaner opening/closing plate 17 and the friction disk 15, and this state is maintained. On the contrary, Figure 5
When the platen 10 rotates in the opposite paper feeding direction in the state shown in FIG. 5(c), the cleaner 3 is displaced to the state shown in FIG. 5(b) by a similar mechanism. In this manner, the cleaner 3 can assume the states shown in FIGS. 5(b) and 5(c) depending on the rotational direction of the platen 10. Thereby, the cleaner 3 can be moved forward and backward without providing a special drive source.

When moving the cleaner 3 forward and backward using the moving means configured as described above, when the inkjet recording head 2 is moved to a position facing the cleaner 3 and then the cleaner 3 is projected, the cleaner 3 moves toward the nozzle surface 2a.
The load imposed on will have a certain limit value. In other words, the cleaner 3 with a load exceeding a certain limit
Even if an attempt is made to press the clutch against the nozzle surface 2a, the clutch will slip. Therefore, even if the distance between the nozzle surface 2a and the platen changes by moving the inkjet recording head 2 according to the thickness of the print medium 11, etc., the cleaner 3 can always be brought into contact with the nozzle surface 2a with a constant load. Can be done.

FIG. 6 shows a moving means for advancing and retracting the cleaner 3 using the electromagnetic plunger 13.
By inserting a load adjustment spring 19 between
It can be brought into contact with a.

The cleaning means configured as described above not only removes dust, dirt, ink, and dried solidified substances thereof that adhere to the nozzle surface 2a of the inkjet recording head 2 during use of the inkjet recording apparatus, but also
It can also be used for other purposes. That is, this is cleaning of the nozzle surface of the inkjet recording head 2 at the beginning of use of the inkjet recording apparatus. During the shipping period from the time the inkjet recording device is manufactured until the user starts using it, a liquid called shipping liquid is placed inside the inkjet recording head to maintain the hydrophilicity of the ink on the wall surface of the ink flow path. May be filled. This shipping liquid generally consists of components different from ink, and is less volatile than ink and has a higher viscosity, so it must be thoroughly removed at the beginning of use. In addition, in order to prevent ink from adhering to the nozzle surface 2a and bending the ejected ink, if the nozzle surface 2a is treated with ink repellency,
If the delivery liquid adheres to the nozzle surface for a long period of time, the ink repellency of the nozzle surface may be reduced, and in order to recover this, a rubbing operation is performed using the rubbing member 3b set in a wet state. This is effective.

[0040] Therefore, when the delivery liquid is filled inside the inkjet recording head during the delivery period, in order to sufficiently remove the delivery liquid at the beginning of use of the inkjet recording apparatus, a sequence including a suction operation and a rubbing operation is performed. is executed.

[0041]

Effects of the Invention As is clear from the above description, in the inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention, the cleaner provided in a structure capable of advancing and retracting in the moving path of the inkjet recording head is composed of a spatula-shaped wiper having an elastic force and a water-absorbing wiper. Since it is composed of a combination of parts, it can remove dust, dirt, ink droplets, etc. that have adhered to the nozzle surface, and can also easily remove stuck objects that have firmly adhered to the nozzle surface as the ink dries. can be removed.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of an inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the relationship between the inkjet recording head and the cleaner of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the cleaning operation of the inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a partial plan view showing an embodiment of the cleaner of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing an embodiment of a moving means for moving the cleaner forward and backward.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing another embodiment of a moving means for moving the cleaner forward and backward.

FIG. 7 shows an example of a conventional cleaner.

FIG. 8 shows an example of a conventional cleaner.

FIG. 9 shows an example of a conventional cleaner.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Inkjet recording device 2 Inkjet recording head 2a Nozzle surface 3 Cleaner 3a Spatula-shaped wiper 3b Rubbing member 3c Adhesive 4 Ink suction means 5 Print area 6 Standby position 7 Cleaner support member 10 Platen 10a Platen axis 11 Print media 12 Spring 13 Electromagnetic plunger 14 Medium frame 15 Friction disk 16 Compression coil spring 17 Cleaner opening/closing plate 19 Load adjustment spring

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An inkjet recording head that ejects ink droplets from a nozzle, a cleaner that protrudes into a movement path of the inkjet recording head and cleans a nozzle surface of the inkjet recording head, and a cleaner that is applied to the nozzle surface of the inkjet recording head. In the inkjet recording apparatus, the cleaner is a member in which a spatula-shaped wiper having an elastic force and a rubbing member having a water absorbing property are integrally joined. An inkjet recording apparatus comprising: an edge portion of an end surface of the spatula-shaped wiper and the rubbing member is cleaned by coming into contact with the nozzle surface. 2. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the spatula-shaped wiper is arranged on the standby position side of the inkjet recording head, and the rubbing member is arranged on the printing area side. 3. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the rubbing member is thicker than the thickness of the spatula-shaped wiper. 4. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a contact force between the spatula-shaped wiper and the rubbing member and the nozzle surface is controlled.