JPH05162320A - Ink jet recording apparatus, recording head therein and method for cleaning cap member - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enhance the sealing property of the capping of a recording head due to a cap member and to prevent the damage of a capping contact surface. CONSTITUTION:At first, the first wiper part 11A of a wiper 11 revolves a wiper lever 12 to the position opposed to the emitting orifice forming surface 1A of a recording head 1 and, thereafter, ink is emitted from the recording head 1, and deposited on the first wiper part 11A. In the same way, ink is also deposited on a second wiper part 11B. The emitting orifice forming surface 1A and capping contact surface of the recording head 1 and the capping contact surface of a cap member 7 are respectively wipen and cleaned by the first and second wiper parts 11A, 11B wetted with ink. Thereafter, the emitting orifice forming surface 1A of the recording head 1 is hermetically closed by the cap member 7.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a recording head for recording by ejecting ink onto a recording medium from an ejection port, and a cap member for contacting the recording head and sealing the ejection port forming surface. And a method for cleaning a recording head and a cap member in the inkjet recording apparatus, the inkjet recording apparatus including a wiper for cleaning the recording head.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A recording apparatus for recording on a recording medium such as a sheet of paper or an OHP sheet has been proposed in the form of mounting recording heads of various recording systems. That is, this recording head includes a wire dot system, a heat-sensitive system, a thermal transfer system, or an inkjet recording system. Among these, a recording apparatus equipped with an inkjet recording system recording head ejects ink onto a recording medium. Since the recording is done by this, the lining cost is low and
It is attracting attention as a quiet recording method.

In this ink jet recording apparatus, the recording head is formed with a plurality of fine ejection openings through which ink is ejected and an ejection opening formation surface which is an opening on which the ejection openings are arranged and opened. .. If dust such as paper dust or dust or thickened ink adheres to each of the ejection ports, or if air bubbles are mixed in the ink in the recording head, each ejection port is clogged, and the ejection of the ink becomes unstable. Not only that, defective ejection occurs. Therefore, a head recovery device has been proposed in order to stabilize the ejection and normalize the ejection.

This head recovery device is shown in FIG. 14 and FIG.
5, a cap member 101 made of an elastic material that moves forward and backward with respect to the recording head 100,
When the cap member 101 moves forward, the recording head 1
And a capping mechanism that presses the front surface of 00 to seal the space formed by the cap member 101 and the recording head 100, and thus the ejection port forming surface.
1 has a negative pressure generating source 102 connected via a suction tube 103, a pump mechanism for operating the negative pressure generating source 102, and the like.

When the recording apparatus is not used or when recording is interrupted, the ejection port forming surface of the recording head 100 is hermetically sealed by the cap member 101 to prevent drying of each ejection port and adhesion of dust to each ejection port. ..

When an ink ejection failure occurs during recording, pressure is applied to the ink in the recording head 100 with the cap member 101 facing the ejection port forming surface to forcibly eject the ink from each ejection port. Eject or print head 1
The discharge port forming surface of No. 00 is covered with a cap member 101, the inside of the cap member 101 is made a negative pressure by a negative pressure generation source 102, and ink is forcibly discharged from each discharge port, or the cap member 101 is discharged. An ejection recovery process for removing the cause of ejection failure such as dust, thickened ink, and air bubbles by ejecting ink from each ejection port of the recording head 100 in the state of facing the formation surface in the same manner as during recording. Is done.

Further, in order to remove paper dust and dust adhering to the front surface of the recording head 100 during recording, a head recovery equipped with a cleaning mechanism for sliding a wiper made of an elastic material such as rubber on the front surface for cleaning. There is also a device.

[0008]

However, in the above-described conventional example, when the recording head is capped with the cap member, the capping contact surfaces (sealing surfaces) of the recording head and the cap member are in a dry state. There are problems as described below.

(1) First, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, paper dust and dust 1 attached to the capping contact surfaces of the recording head 100 and the cap member 101, respectively.
04 is dried together with the ink and adheres to the capping contact surface, and if the capping contact surface of the recording head 100 is simply wiped with a wiper, the wiping force due to the wiping force causes the paper dust and the dust 104 to adhere. Is large, the paper dust and the dust 104 are not reliably removed, and the recording head 100 with the paper dust and the dust 104 attached to the capping contact surface (seal surface).
Will be capped by the cap member 101. As a result, as shown in FIG. 15, a gap 105 is generated between the cap member 101 and the recording head 100 in the capping state, a sufficient sealed state cannot be obtained, and each ejection port of the recording head 100 is dried. In addition, in order to suck the ink from the recording head 100, the negative pressure source 102
When the cap member 10 is actuated,
The air flows into the inside of the nozzle 1, the ink is not sufficiently sucked from the recording head 100, and the ejection cannot be normalized.

(2) By wiping the dry capping contact surface of the recording head 100 with a dry wiper, solid objects such as ink and dust adhering to each other are rubbed, and thus the recording head 100 is rubbed. The surface on which the ejection ports are formed is scratched or the water repellent surface is peeled off, which adversely affects the ink ejection performance.

(3) The capping abutting surfaces of the recording head 100 and the cap member 101 are microscopically uneven, and part tolerances are piled up, the capping abutting surfaces are scratched, or the like. If the capping contact surface of the recording head is not flat but has a groove or an inclined surface in the structure of a recent recording head, the sealing performance of the capping will be significantly reduced.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and the capping performance of the recording head is greatly improved by the cap member, and the capping contact surface is cleaned by the wiper. An object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus in which the capping contact surface (seal surface) is not scratched and a method for cleaning a recording head and a cap member in the ink jet recording apparatus.

[0013]

An ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention for achieving the above object is a recording head for recording by ejecting ink from a discharge port onto a recording medium, and a recording head contacting the recording head. A cap member for hermetically closing the ejection port forming surface, a first wiper portion and a second wiper portion for cleaning the capping contact surfaces of the recording head and the cap member, respectively, and A wiper is provided for moistening at least one of the capping contact surfaces by slidingly contacting the respective capping contact surfaces to perform cleaning at substantially the same time.

Another aspect of the present invention is a recording head for recording by ejecting ink onto a recording medium from an ejection port, and a cap member for contacting the recording head and sealing the ejection port forming surface. And a first wiper portion and a second wiper portion for cleaning the respective capping contact surfaces of the recording head and the cap member, and slidingly contacting the respective capping contact surfaces for cleaning at substantially the same time. A method for cleaning a recording head and a cap member in an ink jet recording apparatus including a wiper for removing the ejection port forming surface of the recording head with the cap member, the capping member being covered by the wiper. By cleaning the contact surface, each capping Characterized in that to wet the at least one capping abutment surface of the abutment surface.

Then, after the ink is ejected from the recording head toward at least one of the first wiper portion and the second wiper portion of the wiper, the capping contact surfaces of the recording head and the cap member are respectively caused by the wiper. Cleaning the recording head, after ejecting ink from the recording head toward the capping contact surface of the cap member, and then cleaning the respective capping contact surface of the recording head and the cap member with a wiper, A non-volatile solvent is attached to at least one of the first wiper portion and the second wiper portion of the wiper, and then the capping contact surfaces of the recording head and the cap member are cleaned by the wiper. You can

Further, the recording head is of a full line type in which ejection openings are formed over the entire width of the recording area of the recording medium, or one which ejects ink by utilizing thermal energy, It may be provided with an electrothermal converter for generating the thermal energy.

[0017]

According to the inventions of claims 1 and 2 configured as described above, at least one of the capping contact surfaces (seal surfaces) of the recording head and the cap member is wetted to form a cap. By capping the ejection port forming surface of the recording head with a member, dust or paper dust that has dried and adhered to the one capping contact surface due to some cause can be wetted or melted, or wiped with a wiper after being wet and melted. It is surely removed.

The capping contact surface (seal surface) can be wiped with lubricity and low resistance, and the capping contact surface and the discharge port forming surface are not scratched.

Since moisture enters the irregularities of the capping contact surface (sealing surface) during capping, the sealing performance of the capping is significantly improved.

[0020]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. (First Embodiment) First, the structure of an ink jet recording apparatus will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the recording head 1 is mounted on a carriage 2 slidable on two guide shafts 8A and 8B, and is supported by a platen 3A. Record to 3B. This recording head 1
Is electrically connected to a control board (not shown) on the carriage 2 and further electrically connected to a control circuit (not shown) inside the printing apparatus main body via a cable (not shown). In addition, the recording head 1 includes an ink jet head element having a function of ejecting ink and an ink tank for supplying ink to the ink jet head element, which is integrated with a signal from the control circuit. Based on this, ink is ejected onto the recording paper 3B from a plurality of ejection openings (not shown) arranged in rows.

The details of the recording head 1 will be described below.

As shown in FIG. 3, the recording head 1 has an electric heat for generating thermal energy supplied with an applied voltage in order to eject the recording liquid from a plurality of ejection openings 1B arranged in a row. A converter 1C is provided for each liquid path.
Then, by applying a drive signal, heat energy is generated in the electrothermal converter 1C to cause film boiling to form bubbles in the ink liquid path, and the growth of the bubbles ejects ink droplets from the ejection port 1B. Let

Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, the cap member 7 made of an elastic material capable of sealing the recording head 1 is used.
Is formed of silicon rubber, chlorinated butyl rubber, or another appropriate material having elasticity. The cap member 7 is fixed to a cap holder 9 guided by the base 14. The protrusion 1 is provided on one side of the cap holder 9 described above.
0 is integrally provided, and the tip end portion of the protrusion 10 is inserted into the groove of the gear 16 described later. The gear 16 is integrally provided with a positioning cam 17 connected to an output shaft of a motor (not shown). Suction pump 5 with piston 5A
Communicates with the cap member 7 via the suction tube 4 and operates when the piston 5A is pressed by the pump lever 6. The spring 15 is attached to the shaft of the cap holder 9 and biases the cap member 7 so as to push it forward.

The gear 16 rotates together with the rotation of a motor (not shown) in accordance with an instruction from a control device such as a microprocessor incorporated in the recording device main body, and the cap holder 9 including the cap member 7 is moved back and forth to move the home. The cap member 7 is pressed against and separated from the recording head 1 of the carriage 2 located at the position. The open / closed state of the cap member 7 can be detected by turning on / off the cap contact of a contact (not shown) by the positioning cam 17 of the gear 16, and the result is input to the above-mentioned control device. The on / off of the suction pump 5 is detected by opening and closing the pump contact of the contact at one end of the pump lever 6.

The sealing force (sealing force) of the cap member 7 on the recording head 1 is generated by the advancing force of the cap holder 9 guided by the spring 15 to the base 14. Since the recording head 1 and the base 14 are installed in a fixed positional relationship, the sealing force is constant, and the sealing force is preferably about 300 g.

Next, details of the head recovery device will be described.

An ink absorber (not shown) is housed in the cap member 7, and the ink absorber is connected to a suction pump 5 by a suction tube 4. This allows
The ejection port forming surface 1A of the recording head 1 is formed by the cap member 7.
When the suction pump 5 is started in a state where the ink is sealed, the ink from the nozzle of the recording head 1 is absorbed by the ink absorber (not shown), and the air in the nozzle and the ink chamber passes through the ink absorber and the suction tube 4. Is discharged to the outside of the cap member 7.

A shaft 13 is fixed to an upper portion of the base 14, and one end of a wiper set lever 29 having a curved shape in a side view is rotatably supported on the shaft 13. The wiper set lever 29 is driven by a cam (not shown) rotated by a driving force of a motor (not shown) to rotate the shaft 1
The wiper lever 12 which will be described later is rotated about the fulcrum 3.
Is held at a predetermined position such as a standby position. A groove 29A is formed at the other end of the wiper set lever 29, and a columnar projection 29B is integrally formed on the side surface of the shaft 13 side of the groove 29A.

The wiper lever 12 has substantially the same shape as the wiper set lever 29 described above, and one end thereof is rotatably supported by the shaft 13. The other end of the wiper lever 12 has a support shaft 28 of the wiper 11 which will be described later.
Is rotatably supported.

The wiper 11 is a first wiper integrally fixed to the support shaft 28 at an interval of 180 degrees for wiping the support shaft 28, the recording head 1 and the cap member 7 at substantially the same time. Part 11A and second
Wiper portion 11B and the first wiper portion 1 of the support shaft 28.
It is composed of a lever portion 11C integrally provided in a portion on the 1A side. The lever portion 11C of the wiper 11 is inserted into and engaged with the groove 29A of the wiper set lever 29, and the first wiper portion 11A and the second wiper portion 11B are respectively formed of the same material. Specifically, it is made of an appropriate material such as urethane rubber or silicon rubber. Also, of the wiper lever 12,
A long hole 12A is formed in a portion of the wiper 11 closer to the shaft 13 than the other end, and the projection 29B of the wiper set lever 29 described above is inserted into the long hole 12A. When the upper end or the lower end of the elongated hole 12A is in contact with and engaged with, the wiper lever 12 also rotates about the shaft 13 as a fulcrum following the rotation of the wiper set lever 29.

The rotational position of the wiper 11 is determined by the wiper 11
And the other end of the wiper lever 12 are substantially parallel to each other (see FIGS. 2, 4, 5 and 6) and the wiper 1
1 and a cleaning position (see FIGS. 7 and 8) at which the other end of the wiper lever 12 is substantially orthogonal to each other, and setting to each position is performed by a wiper set lever 29. That is, as shown in FIGS. 2, 4, 5 and 6,
In the state where the protrusion 29B of the wiper set lever 29 is in contact with the upper end of the elongated hole 12A of the wiper lever 12, the lever portion 11C engaged with the groove 29A of the wiper set lever 29 is pushed up, and the wiper 11 moves to the wiper lever. 12 is substantially parallel to the other end of 12 and is in a standby position.
On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, from this state, when the wiper set lever 29 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction by a slight angle, the lever portion 11C engaged with the groove 29A of the wiper set lever 29 is pushed down. By doing so, the wiper 11 rotates about 90 degrees in the direction of the arrow in the figure, and reaches the cleaning position substantially orthogonal to the other end of the wiper lever 12. Two blades 18 and 19 are provided in front of the recording head 1 for wiping off dust, ink, and the like adhering to the first and second wiper portions 11A and 11B.

Next, a method of cleaning the recording head and the cap member in the ink jet recording apparatus of this embodiment will be described.

As shown in FIG. 2, when the recording head 1 is capped by the cap member 7, the CPU
When a wiping signal is input from (not shown) to the drive circuit of the motor (not shown) for moving the cap member 7, as shown in FIG. Retreat against the force. At this time, the wiper 11 is in the standby position.

By the motor (not shown) for driving the wiper set lever 29, the wiper set lever 29 is rotated in the clockwise direction in the figure by a predetermined angle, so that the wiper engaged with the protrusion 29B of the wiper set lever 29. The lever 12 also rotates, the wiper 11 moves in the direction of arrow A, that is, diagonally upward, and as shown in FIG. 5, the first wiper portion 11A is stopped at a position facing the ejection port forming surface 1A of the recording head 1. It Then, a predetermined amount of ink is ejected from the recording head 1 to adhere the ink to the first wiper portion 11A, and first, the first wiper portion 11A.
A is wetted with ink. Then, as shown in FIG.
Until the second wiper portion 11B faces the ejection opening forming surface 1A of the recording head 1, the wiper set lever 29, and thus the wiper lever 12, is rotated clockwise in the drawing, and then a predetermined amount of the recording head 1 is fed again. By ejecting the ink, the second wiper portion 11B is wetted with the ink.

After that, as shown in FIG. 7, the wiper set lever 29, and further the wiper lever 12, are further rotated by a certain angle in the clockwise direction in the drawing, whereby the wiper 11 is moved above the recording head 1 and the cap member 7. Moved between parts. Here, only the wiper set lever 29 is reversely rotated by a predetermined minute angle until the protrusion 29B of the wiper set lever 29 comes into contact with the lower end of the elongated hole 12A of the wiper lever 12, so that the groove 29A of the wiper set lever 29 is rotated.
By this, the lever portion 11C of the wiper 11 is pushed down, the wiper 11 is rotated 90 degrees in the counterclockwise direction in the drawing as indicated by the arrow, and is held at the cleaning position. At this time, the first wiper portion 11A and the second wiper portion 11B project toward the recording head 1 and the cap member 7, respectively.

In this state, as shown in FIG. 8, when the wiper set lever 29, and thus the wiper lever 12, is moved counterclockwise in the drawing, the wiper 11 moves in the direction of arrow B, that is, diagonally downward. The first wiper portion 11A and the second wiper portion 11B, which are respectively wet with ink, are slidably in contact with the ejection port forming surface 1A and the capping contact surface of the recording head 1 and the capping contact surface of the cap member 7 while flexing. To clean. At this time, the ejection port forming surface 1A and the capping contact surface of the recording head 1 and the capping contact surface of the cap member 7 are wetted by the first wiper portion 11A and the second wiper portion 11B that have been respectively wetted with ink. At the same time, dust and paper dust attached to the ejection port forming surface 1A and the capping contact surface of the recording head 1 and the capping contact surface (seal surface) of the cap member 7 are removed while being moistened and cleaned. Is possible.

After the cleaning, the first wiper portion 11
A and the second wiper portion 11B further move in the direction of the arrow B to contact the blades 18 and 19, respectively, and the blades 18 and 19 cause the first wiper portion 11A to move.
After the dust and ink on the second wiper portion 11B are scraped off, the wiper lever 12 returns to the standby position. Further, the wiper set lever 29 is reset, that is, the wiper set lever 29 rotates clockwise by the minute angle in the clockwise direction in the drawing, so that the groove 29B of the wiper set lever 29 causes the wiper 11 to move.
Lever portion 11C of the wiper 11 is pushed up, the wiper 11 rotates 90 degrees clockwise in the drawing and returns to the standby position (see FIG. 4).
reference).

The capping contact surfaces of the recording head 1 and the cap member 7 are in a wet state, and the cap holder 9 containing the cap member 7 is moved forward so that the tip of the cap member 7 contacts the recording head 1 and slightly moves. Press to deform. Then, since the spring 15 is compressed, the repulsive force causes the cap member 7 to move to the recording head 1.
Is pressed against and the surface 1A on which the ejection port is formed is sealed.

In the present embodiment configured as described above, the ejection port forming surface 1A and the capping contact surface (seal surface) of the recording head 1 and the capping contact surface of the cap member 7 are wet with ink (wet). State),
The ejection port forming surface 1A of the recording head 1 is formed by the cap member 7.
By capping, the dust and paper dust that has dried and adhered to the ejection opening forming surface 1A of the recording head 1 and the capping contact surface of the recording head 1 and the capping contact surface of the cap member 7 are wiped with the wiper 11 while being wet and melted. It is surely removed by doing.

The capping contact surface (seal surface) can be wiped with lubricity and low resistance, and the capping contact surface and the discharge port forming surface 1A are not scratched.

At the time of capping, ink enters into the irregularities of the capping contact surface (sealing surface), so that the hermeticity of the capping is greatly improved.

In this embodiment, the dust and paper dust that has dried on the ejection port forming surface 1A and the capping contact surface (sealing surface) for some reason and is firmly fixed with ink are as shown in FIGS. By repeating the operation, the moist air is surely given, the adhered ink is melted, and the ink can be surely removed by the wiping.

Further, in this embodiment, both the first and second wiper portions 11A and 11B are wetted with ink, and the capping contact surface of the recording head 1 and the cap member 7 are formed.
Both of the capping contact surfaces of the first and second wiper parts 11A, 11A are not limited to this.
It is also possible to wet only one side of B with the ink and wet only one of the capping contact surfaces. (Second Embodiment) In a method of cleaning a recording head and a cap member in an ink jet recording apparatus according to the second embodiment, ink ejected from the recording head is directly attached to a capping contact surface (seal surface) of the cap member to be wetted. This will be described in detail below.

As shown in FIG. 9, the position indicated by the symbol X indicates the home position of the carriage 2, that is, the position where the recording head 1 faces the cap member 7, and the carriage 2 is at the position X. Wiper lever 12
When a wiping signal is input to the drive circuit of the drive motor (not shown), as shown in FIG.
However, it is moved to a position Y where the ejection port of the recording head 1 faces the left rib front surface 25 (see FIG. 12) of the rib 24 forming a part of the capping contact surface of the cap member 7. In this state, when a certain amount of ink is ejected from the recording head 1, the ink adheres to the central portion of the front surface 25 of the left rib (see FIG. 12) and becomes wet.

Next, as shown in FIG. 11, the carriage 2
However, when the ejection port of the recording head 1 moves to the position Z where the right rib front surface 26 (see FIG. 12) of the cap member 7 faces, and a certain amount of ink is ejected from the recording head 1 as well,
The central portion of the right rib front surface 26 becomes wet. In this state, as shown in FIGS. 4, 7 and 8, the ejection port forming surface 1A of the recording head 1, the capping contact surface and the capping contact surface of the cap member 7 are wiped as in the first embodiment. By doing so, the capping contact surface of the cap member 7 is uniformly wetted and cleaned.
After that, the recording head 1 is capped by the cap member 7.

By providing the ink absorbers 22 and 23 (see FIG. 9) at the rear of both sides of the cap member 7, the ink overflowing from the ribs 24 (see FIG. 12) of the cap member 7 is collected.

In this embodiment, ink is directly discharged onto the rib front surface of the cap member 7, that is, the capping contact surface (sealing surface), so that the capping contact surface (sealing surface) is surely brought into a wet state (wet state). It has become possible to reduce the amount of ink required for wetting.

Further, in this embodiment, the cap member 7
After ejecting ink on the front surface of the rib of FIG.
By sequentially performing the operations shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 8, respectively, the first wiper portion 11A is wetted with ink, and thereafter, the ejection port forming surface 1A of the recording head 1, the capping contact surface and the cap member 7 are capped. By wiping the contact surface, the capping contact surface of the recording head 1, the ejection port forming surface 1A, and the capping contact surface of the cap member 7 may be uniformly wetted for cleaning. (Third Embodiment) In the method of cleaning the recording head and the cap member in the ink jet recording apparatus of the present embodiment, the ink of the recording head 1 is not used for wetting the capping contact surface of the cap member 7, and the non-volatile solvent is used. It is used and will be described in detail below.

As shown in FIG. 13, reference numeral 27 indicates a non-volatile sponge containing a solvent such as glycerin,
The sponge 27 is provided at a position where the second wiper portion 11B for wiping the capping contact surface of the cap member 7 is curved and contacts the sponge 27 when the wiper lever 12 is at the standby position.

The second wiper portion 11B is always wet with the non-volatile solvent, and as shown in FIGS. 4, 7 and 8, the ejection port forming surface 1A of the recording head 1, the capping contact surface and the cap. By wiping the capping contact surface of the member 7 with the first and second wiper portions 11A and 11B, respectively, the cap member 7 can be brought into a wet state. After that, the recording head 1 is capped by the cap member 7.

In the present embodiment, the number of printable characters of the recording head is improved because the printing ink of the recording head is not used for wetting the capping contact surface of the cap member 7.

In the present embodiment, the operations shown in FIGS. 4, 5, 7 and 8 are sequentially performed from the state shown in FIG. 13 to wet the first wiper portion 11A with ink, After that, the ejection port forming surface 1A and the capping contact surface of the recording head 1 and the capping contact surface of the cap member 7 may be wiped.

Also in the second and third embodiments described above, the cleaning may be repeated several times.

The present invention is provided with a means (for example, an electrothermal converter or a laser beam) for generating thermal energy as energy used for ejecting ink, particularly in the ink jet recording system, and the ink is generated by the thermal energy. In the recording head and the inkjet recording apparatus of the type that cause the change of state, the effect is excellent.

Regarding its typical structure and principle, see, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4740.
What is done using the basic principles disclosed in 796 is preferred. 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, a liquid (ink) is used.
By applying at least one drive signal to the electrothermal converter arranged corresponding to the sheet or liquid path holding the , Heat energy is generated in the electrothermal converter, and the film is boiled on the heat acting surface of the recording head,
As a result, bubbles can be formed in the liquid (ink) in a one-to-one correspondence with individual drive signals, which is effective. The growth of this bubble,
The contraction causes the liquid (ink) to be ejected through the ejection opening to form at least one droplet. It is more preferable to make this drive signal in a pulse shape, because bubbles can be grown and contracted immediately and appropriately, so that particularly highly responsive liquid (ink) ejection can be achieved. This pulse-shaped drive signal is disclosed in U.S. Pat.
Those described in 345262 are suitable. If the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 of the invention relating to the rate of temperature rise on the heat acting surface are adopted, more excellent recording can be performed.

As the constitution of the recording head, in addition to the combination constitution of the ejection port, the liquid passage, and the electrothermal converter (the straight liquid passage or the right-angled liquid passage) as disclosed in the above-mentioned respective specifications. US Pat. No. 4,558,333 and US Pat. No. 4, which disclose a configuration in which a heat acting portion is arranged in a bending region.
The structure using the specification of 459600 is also included in the present invention. In addition, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 123670/1984 discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as a discharge portion of a plurality of electrothermal converters, and an opening for absorbing a pressure wave of thermal energy. The present invention is also effective as a configuration based on Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 138461/1984, which discloses a configuration in which the above is associated with the discharge portion.

Further, as a full-line type recording head having a length corresponding to the maximum recording medium width that can be recorded by the recording device, a combination of a plurality of recording heads as disclosed in the above-mentioned specification is used. Either the structure that satisfies the length or the structure as one recording head integrally formed may be used, but the present invention can more effectively exhibit the above-described effects.

In addition, by being mounted on the apparatus main body, it can be electrically connected to the apparatus main body and can be supplied with ink from the apparatus main body by a replaceable chip type recording head or the recording head itself. The present invention is also effective when a cartridge-type recording head that is specially provided is used.

Further, it is preferable to add a recovery means for the recording head, a preliminary auxiliary means, and the like, 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. If these are specifically mentioned,
It is also effective to perform stable recording by applying a pressing means to the recording head, an electrothermal converter, a heating element other than this, or a preheating means by a combination thereof.

Further, the recording mode of the recording apparatus is not limited to the recording mode of only the mainstream color such as black, but the recording head may be integrally formed or a plurality of combinations may be used. The present invention is also extremely effective for a device provided with at least one of full color by color mixing.

In the embodiments of the present invention described above, the ink is described as a liquid, but it is an ink that solidifies at room temperature or below, and is softened or liquid at room temperature, or the ink itself is 30 in the above ink jet. Generally, the temperature is controlled in the range of ℃ to 70 ℃ to control the temperature of the ink so that the viscosity of the ink is within the stable ejection range. Good. In addition, it is possible to prevent the temperature rise due to thermal energy from being positively used as energy for changing the state of the ink from a solid state to a liquid state, or to use an ink that solidifies when left standing for the purpose of preventing ink evaporation. However, in any case, by applying heat energy such as ink that is liquefied by being applied according to a recording signal of heat energy and ejected as an ink liquid or that has already started to solidify when it reaches the recording medium. The use of an ink having a property of liquefying for the first time is also applicable to the present invention. In such a case, the ink is disclosed in JP-A-54-5684.
No. 7 or JP-A-60-71260, a mode in which the porous sheet is opposed to the electrothermal converter in the state of being held as a liquid or a solid in the recess or through hole of the porous sheet. May be In the present invention,
The most effective one for each of the above-mentioned inks is to execute the above-mentioned film boiling method.

Regarding the type or number of recording heads to be mounted, for example, only one is provided corresponding to a single color ink, or a plurality of inks having different recording colors and densities are supported. A plurality of them may be provided.

In addition, the form of the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention is used as an image output terminal of information processing equipment such as a computer, a copying machine combined with a reader or the like, and a facsimile machine having a transmitting / receiving function. It may take the form of.

[0065]

Since the present invention is constructed as described above, it has the following effects.

In the inventions described in claims 1, 2 and 3,
After moistening at least one of the capping contact surfaces of the recording head and the cap member (sealing surface), the recording head is capped by the cap member so that fine irregularities existing on the capping contact surface. Moisture and the like entered, and the sealing performance due to capping could be greatly improved.

Further, since the capping contact surface is wet or wiped while being wet, the capping contact surface is not scratched.

Furthermore, solid matter such as paper dust and dust that has dried and adhered to the capping contact surface can be reliably removed by wetting, melting and wiping.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, in addition to the above effects, ink is ejected directly onto the capping contact surface (sealing surface) of the cap member to ensure that the capping contact surface is in a wet state (wet state). In addition, it is possible to reduce the amount of ink required for wetting.

In the fifth aspect of the invention, in addition to the above effects, since it is desired to use the printing ink of the recording head for wetting the capping contact surface, the number of printable characters of the recording head and thus the running cost are improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic top view of an inkjet recording apparatus according to a first embodiment of a method of cleaning a recording head and a cap member in an inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the recording head shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a method of cleaning a recording head and a cap member in the inkjet recording apparatus of the first embodiment, showing a state in which a wiper lever is at a standby position.

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4, showing a state in which ink is ejected from the recording head toward the first wiper portion of the wiper.

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 4, showing a state in which ink is ejected from the recording head toward the second wiper portion of the wiper.

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 4, showing a state in which the wiper has rotated 90 degrees and is in the cleaning position.

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 4, showing a state in which the recording head and the cap member are cleaned by a wiper.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a method of cleaning the recording head and the cap member in the ink jet recording apparatus of the second embodiment, showing a state where the carriage is at the home position.

10 is a view similar to FIG. 9, showing a state in which the ejection port forming surface of the recording head faces the front surface of the left rib of the cap member.

FIG. 11 is a view similar to FIG. 9, showing a state in which the ejection port forming surface of the recording head faces the front surface of the right rib of the cap member.

FIG. 12 is a front view of the cap member shown in FIGS. 9, 10 and 11 and the like.

FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a method of cleaning the recording head and the cap member in the ink jet recording apparatus of the third embodiment, showing a state in which the wiper lever is in the standby position.

FIG. 14 is a view for explaining a conventional cleaning method, and is a schematic perspective view of a head recovery device.

FIG. 15 is a view similar to FIG. 14, showing a state in which the recording head is capped by a cap member.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Recording Head 1A Discharge Port Forming Surface 1B Discharge Port 1C Electrothermal Converter 2 Carriage 3A Platen 3B Recording Paper (Recording Medium) 4 Suction Tube 5 Suction Pump 5A Piston 6 Pump Lever 7 Cap Member 8A, 8B Guide Shaft 9 Cap Holder 10 Protrusion (Pin) 11 Wiper 11A First Wiper Part 11B Second Wiper Part 11C Lever Part 12 Wiper Lever 12A Long Hole 13 Shaft 14 Base 15 Spring 16 Gear 17 Positioning Cam 18, 19 Blade 20, 21 Ink 22, 23 Ink absorber 24 Rib 25 Left rib front face 26 Right rib front face 27 Sponge 28 Spindle 29 Wiper set lever 29A Groove 29B Protrusion

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A recording head for performing recording by ejecting ink onto a recording medium from an ejection port, a cap member for contacting the recording head and sealing the ejection port forming surface, the recording head, and First for cleaning the capping contact surface of each of the cap members
A wet wiper portion and a second wiper portion, and wets at least one of the capping contact surfaces by slidingly contacting and cleaning the respective capping contact surfaces at substantially the same time. Inkjet recording device equipped with a wiper. 2. A recording head for performing recording by ejecting ink onto a recording medium from an ejection port, a cap member for contacting the recording head and sealing the ejection port forming surface, the recording head, and First for cleaning the capping contact surface of each of the cap members
A method for cleaning a recording head and a cap member in an ink jet recording apparatus, comprising: a wiper section and a second wiper section, and a wiper for slidingly contacting the respective capping contact surfaces to perform cleaning at substantially the same time. Before the ejection port forming surface of the recording head is sealed by the cap member, the respective capping contact surfaces are cleaned by the wiper,
A method of cleaning a recording head and a cap member in an inkjet recording apparatus, which comprises moistening at least one of the capping contact surfaces. 3. A first wiper for applying ink from the recording head.
3. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the capping contact surfaces of the recording head and the cap member are cleaned by the wiper after the ink is ejected toward at least one of the wiper portion and the second wiper portion. A method for cleaning a head and a cap member. 4. The inkjet according to claim 2, wherein after ejecting ink from the recording head toward the capping contact surface of the cap member, the capping contact surface of each of the recording head and the cap member is cleaned by a wiper. A method of cleaning a recording head and a cap member in a recording apparatus. 5. A first wiper portion and a second wiper portion of the wiper.
3. The recording head and the cap in the ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein after the non-volatile solvent is attached to at least one of the wiper parts, the capping contact surfaces of the recording head and the cap member are cleaned by the wiper. How to clean members. 6. The recording head according to claim 2, 3, 4 or 5, wherein the recording head is a full line type in which ejection openings are formed over the entire width of the recording area of the recording medium.
Item 5. A method for cleaning a recording head and a cap member in an inkjet recording apparatus according to the item. 7. The recording head is for ejecting ink by utilizing thermal energy, and is provided with an electrothermal converter for generating the thermal energy.
7. A method for cleaning a recording head and a cap member in an ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of 3, 4, 5 and 6.