JPH0542675A - Ink jet recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve emission capacity by providing a slide member moving within a non-recording region following the movement of a carriage means within the non-recording region and utilizing the slope on the front surface side of said member to allow a capping means and a wiping means to advance and recede. CONSTITUTION:In a capping state, a slide lever 17 moves rightwardly and the protrusion 17b of the lever 17 is engaged with the lower part of the cap holder part 19b of a cylinder 19 and the cylinder 19 becomes a clockwise rotation state against a spring 20. In this state, the cap 10 provided to a part of the cap holder part is opposed to the emitting orifice forming surface 51 of a recording head 1 to be brought into contact therewith under pressure to cap said surface 51. When a recording head l is moved leftwardly in this state, the emitting orifice forming surface 51 is wipen off and cleaned by a wiper 16 but, at this time, the lever 17 is returned in the left direction by a spring 18 and, at the same time, the cylinder 19 is also rotated in the left direction by spring force and the cap 10 is also rotated leftwardly to release a capping state.

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 for recording by ejecting ink from recording means onto a recording material.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A recording device having functions such as a printer, a copying machine, and a facsimile, or a recording device used as an output device of a composite type electronic device including a computer, a word processor, etc. An image is recorded on a recording material (recording medium) such as a plastic thin plate. The recording device can be classified into an ink jet type, a wire dot type, a thermal type, a laser beam type and the like depending on the recording type.

In a serial type recording apparatus which employs a serial scan system in which main scanning is performed in a direction intersecting a conveying direction (sub-scanning direction) of a recording material, the recording material is set at a predetermined recording position and then the recording material is recorded. An image is recorded (main scanning) by a recording unit (recording head) mounted on a carriage that moves along the material, and a predetermined amount of paper is fed (pitch conveyance) after the recording for one line is completed. The recording of the entire recording material is performed by repeating the operation of recording (main scanning) the image of the next row on the recording material that has stopped again. On the other hand, in a line type recording apparatus that records only by sub-scanning in the conveyance direction of the recording material, the recording material is set at a predetermined recording position and the
After recording a line, the paper is fed by a predetermined amount (pitch feed), and the recording of the next line is collectively performed, whereby the entire recording material is printed.

Among the above recording apparatuses, an ink jet type recording apparatus (ink jet recording apparatus) performs recording by ejecting ink from a recording means (recording head) onto a recording material, and the recording means can be made compact. Easy and
High-definition images can be recorded at high speed, plain paper can be recorded without requiring special processing, running costs are low, and the non-impact method reduces noise, and multicolor It has an advantage that it is easy to record a color image using ink. Above all, the line type apparatus using the line type recording means in which a large number of ejection openings are arranged in the paper width direction can further speed up the recording.

In particular, an ink jet type recording means (recording head) for ejecting ink by utilizing heat energy,
Through the semiconductor manufacturing process such as etching, vapor deposition, and sputtering, the electrothermal converter formed on the substrate, the electrode,
By forming the liquid passage wall, the top plate and the like, it is possible to easily manufacture a liquid discharge device having a high-density liquid passage arrangement (discharging port arrangement), and to further reduce the size. On the other hand, there are various requirements for the material of the recording material,
In recent years, ordinary recording materials such as paper and resin thin plate (OHP)
Etc.), thin paper and processed paper (paper with punched holes for filing, perforated paper, paper of any shape, etc.) have been required to be used.

In the above ink jet recording apparatus,
If foreign matter such as paper dust or dust adheres to the ink ejection portion of the recording means (recording head), or if the ink at the ejection port portion dries and thickens or sticks, the ejection port becomes clogged and ejection failure ( (Including discharge) may occur. Therefore,
In order to prevent this clogging, the ink ejection part is sealed with a cap during non-recording, and the ink is ejected from the ejection port through the cap by a suction means such as a pump so that the ejection port is normalized. The device is in use. In the serial type ink jet recording apparatus, the sealing operation (capping operation) by the cap moves the recording head to a capping position provided outside the recording area, and the cap and the ink ejecting portion are brought into contact with each other at the capping position. It is done by letting.

In the above ink jet recording apparatus,
A cleaning unit is provided to remove foreign matter attached to the ink ejection portion (ejection port forming surface) of the recording head. As an example of this cleaning means,
A mechanism for wiping the ejection port forming surface of the recording head with a flexible wiper (wiping member) is employed.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a main structure of an ink jet recording apparatus having a conventional suction recovery device. In FIG. 8, reference numeral 1 is a recording head provided with a plurality of ejection ports for ejecting ink droplets according to recording information by a built-in energy generating means (piezoelectric element, resistance heating element, etc.), 2 is a recording head A carriage that reciprocates in the main scanning direction by mounting thereon, a carriage shaft 8 that slidably supports the carriage 2, and a sheet-shaped recording material to be recorded,
Reference numeral 5 denotes a feed roller that conveys (paper feed) the recording material 4 in accordance with the recording status.

Reference numeral 6 denotes a pulse motor which serves as a drive source for the feed roller 5 and the automatic paper feeder, and reference numeral 7 denotes a cap unit for covering (sealing) the ejection port forming surface of the recording head 1 in parallel with the carriage shaft 8. A movable pump carriage, 3 is a guide shaft for guiding the parallel movement of the pump carriage 7, and 9 is a return spring for urging the pump carriage 7 in the right direction in FIG. The pump carriage 7 is provided with an arm portion 7a, and a tip portion thereof is provided with a hole 7b into which the protrusion 2a provided on the right side surface of the carriage 2 can be fitted. When the carriage 2 moves to the left side in FIG. 14, the protrusion 2a fits into the hole 7b so that the carriage 2 rotates around the carriage shaft 8 when the cap 10 is pressed against the ejection port forming surface of the recording head 1. It is prevented from rotating by.

When the carriage 2 moves from right to left in FIG. 8, the arm portion 7a is pushed by the carriage 2 and the pump carriage 7 moves leftward along the guide shaft 3. The rear portion of the cap 10 mounted on the pump carriage 7 is engaged with a rail 11, and the rail 11 formed so as to project toward the left as it goes to the left causes the cap 10 to move as it moves to the left. No. 1 ejection port formation surface is approached and pressed. That is, when the cap 10 mounted on the pump carriage 7 moves to the left end due to the movement of the carriage 2, the recording head 1 is sealed by the cap (capping state) due to the shape of the rail 11 described above.

In this capping state, the pulse motor 6
Drive the pump cam 13 through the pump gear 12
Is driven, and the piston of the pump 14 is driven by the cam 13 (the pump 14 is driven). A tube 15 is connected to the pump 14 via a joint 16, and the tube 15 is connected to the inside of the cap 10. Therefore, by driving the pump 14 in a state where the recording head 1 is located at the left end, an operation of sucking ink from the ejection port of the recording head 1 through the tube 15 and the cap 10, that is, a recovery operation is executed.

In FIG. 8, at the position on the right side of the pump carriage 7 and on the left side of the conveying path of the recording material 4,
A wiper 16 is fixedly installed for wiping the ejection port forming surface of the recording head 1. The wiper 16 is installed in a positional relationship in which it overlaps with the recording head 1, that is, a positional relationship in which the wiper 16 slightly protrudes in the movement path of the recording head 1. Therefore, when the carriage 2 moves to the left of the conveyance path of the recording material 4 and pushes the pump carriage 7, the ejection port forming surface (ink ejection portion) of the recording head 1 is moved by the wiper (wiping member) 16. It will be wiped and cleaned (wiping). Further, even when the carriage 2 moves from the pump carriage 7 side to the recording material 4 side, that is, from the left end portion to the right direction, the ejection port forming surface of the recording head 1 is wiped by the wiping member 16.

[0013]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional example, since the wiper 16 is always fixed while traveling, when the carriage 2 reciprocates left and right,
Each time, the ejection port forming surface of the recording head 1 is wiped off, and the wiping operation is inevitably performed twice. In addition, the wiping operation is also performed when preliminary ejection is performed in which ink is ejected from the recording head without capping. Therefore, the wiping operation is frequently performed even when it is not necessary, and there is a problem that the wiping operation (wiping operation) itself causes a discharge failure. Further, there is also a problem that surface deterioration due to abrasion of the ejection port forming surface of the recording head 1 or the surface state of the wiping member occurs early. Therefore, it is conceivable to provide a special drive system for moving the wiper 16 in and out only when necessary.
This leads to a large increase in cost.

The present invention has been made in view of the above technical problems, and an object of the present invention is to perform a necessary and sufficient wiping operation only when it is necessary to wipe off a discharge port forming surface. An object of the present invention is to provide an inkjet recording apparatus capable of preventing ejection failure due to wiping itself and preventing early deterioration of the ejection port forming surface and the wiping member.

[0015]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, recording means for recording by ejecting ink onto a recording material can be mounted, a carriage means for scanning between a recording area and a non-recording area, and a non-recording means. An ink jet recording apparatus having a capping unit arranged in an area for covering an ink ejection unit of the recording unit at the time of non-recording, and a wiping unit wiping and cleaning the ink ejection unit of the recording unit by movement of the carriage unit, A slide member that moves in the non-recording area according to the movement of the carriage means in the non-recording area is provided, and the slope of the front surface side of the slide member is used to make the recording means side of the capping means and the wiping means. In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, it is configured to perform a forward movement to a recording medium and a backward movement away from the recording unit side. That. Further, according to another aspect of the present invention, in addition to the above-described configuration, the wiping unit is retracted in association with the movement of the recording unit in the same direction after the ink ejection unit is wiped and cleaned. Is achieved.

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In each of the embodiments described below, the present invention is applied to an inkjet recording device as shown in FIG.
The parts other than those shown have substantially the same configuration as that of the ink jet recording apparatus of FIG. In addition, each figure is outside the recording area of the inkjet recording device (in the example shown,
2 illustrates a configuration of a portion near a right end portion of the recording device). 1 to 5 show an essential part of a first embodiment of an ink jet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied. FIGS. 1 and 2 show a recording head (recording means) capped,
FIG. 3 is a partial front view and a side view showing a state in which a wiper (wiping means) is protruding, and FIGS. 3 and 4 are partial front views and side views showing a state in which the wiper (wiping means) is retracted after wiping the recording head. FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view schematically showing the structure of the ink ejection portion of the recording means in FIG.

1 to 4, a recording head 1 is mounted on a carriage (carriage means) 2 in a posture of ejecting ink downward in the drawings, and the carriage 2 is moved along a guide shaft 8 (mainly). An image is recorded on the recording material 4 (FIG. 8) while being scanned. When the recording for one line is completed, the recording operation (ink ejection) is interrupted, the recording material 4 is fed by a predetermined amount in the direction (sub-scanning direction) perpendicular to the carriage movement direction, and then the carriage 2 is guided again. The image of the next row is recorded while moving (main scanning) along the axis 8. The recording material 4 is pressed against a feed roller 5 (FIG. 8), and the recording material 4 is fed (conveyed) by rotating the feed roller by a predetermined amount.

On the apparatus main body side, a slide member (slide lever) 1 movable in the moving direction of the carriage 2 (left and right directions in FIGS. 1 and 3) by a slide shaft (not shown) or the like.
7 is attached. As the carriage 2 moves rightward in the non-recording area, the carriage 2 pushes the engaging portion 17a of the slide lever 17, whereby the slide lever 17 moves rightward in the non-recording area. A slide spring 18 is connected to the slide lever 17, and as the carriage 2 returns to the left, the contraction force of the slide spring 18 also moves the slide lever 17 to the left and returns to the original position. ing.

A cylinder 19 which is rotatable about a shaft portion 19a perpendicular to the moving direction of the carriage means (carriage) 2 is mounted on the apparatus body side. This cylinder 19 is normally driven by a cylinder spring 20.
It is urged in the left rotation direction. In the capping state of FIGS. 1 and 2, the slide member (slide lever) 17 moves to the right, the protrusion 17b of the slide lever 17 engages with the lower portion of the cap holder portion 19b of the cylinder 19, and the cylinder 19 is moved. It is in a state of being rotated in the clockwise direction against the urging force of the cylinder spring 20.
In this state, the cap holder portion 19 of the cylinder 19
The capping means (cap) 10 attached to b is
The recording head 1 faces the ejection port forming surface 51 and is pressed against the ejection port forming surface 51 to seal the ejection port forming surface 51, that is, the capping state.

The recording means (recording head) 1 is an ink jet recording means for ejecting ink by utilizing heat energy, and is provided with an electrothermal converter for generating heat energy. Further, the recording unit 1 uses the film boiling generated by the thermal energy generated by the electrothermal converter, and uses the pressure change generated by the growth and contraction of the bubbles due to the film boiling to eject the ink from the ejection port. Then, it records.

FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view schematically showing the structure of the ink ejection portion of the recording means (recording head) 1.
In FIG. 5, the discharge port forming surface 51 facing the recording material 4 such as a recording sheet or a plastic thin plate with a predetermined gap (for example, about 0.5 to 2.0 mm) at a predetermined pitch. A plurality of ejection ports 52 are formed, and an electrothermal converter (such as a heating resistor) for generating energy for ejecting ink along the wall surface of each liquid passage 54 that connects the common liquid chamber 53 and each ejection port 52. ) 55 is provided. In this example, in the recording head 1, the ejection port 52 has the carriage 2
The carriages 2 are mounted in such a positional relationship that they are arranged in a direction intersecting with the scanning direction. In this way, the corresponding electrothermal converter 55 is driven (energized) based on the image signal or the ejection signal to cause the ink in the liquid path 54 to film-boil, and the pressure generated at that time causes the ink to be ejected from the ejection port 52. The recording head 1 is configured.

Next, the operation of the wiping means (wiper) 16 will be described with reference to FIGS. The wiper 16 is mounted on the wiper holder 21, and the wiper holder 21 is rotatably mounted about the shaft hole portion 21a as a rotation center. A wiper spring 22 which is a torsion coil spring is connected to the wiper holder 21.
The wiper spring 22 is a spring that exerts an urging force in a direction in which the distance between two engagement portions formed in a large round shape increases. Therefore, this wiper spring 22 is
An unstable neutral position in which the two engaging portions of the wiper spring 22 and the shaft hole portion 21a of the wiper holder 21 are aligned with respect to the wiper holder 21 rotatably mounted around 1a as a rotation center, That is, when the wiper holder 21 is positioned in the right rotation direction around the shaft hole 21a with the position where the biasing forces are equalized as a boundary (the position in FIG. 2).
Is installed so as to exert an urging force in the right rotation direction and to exert an urging force in the left rotation direction when the wiper holder 21 is positioned in the left rotation direction (position in FIG. 4). The abutting portion 21b of the wiper holder 21 abuts on a part of the recording head 1, so that the overlap amount of the ejection port forming surface 51 and the wiper 16 in the wiping operation (to the ejection port forming surface 51 of the wiper 16). The amount of invasion) is constantly managed.

In the state shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, since the cylinder 19 is rotating in the clockwise direction in FIG. 1, the cap 10 mounted on the cylinder 19 causes the cap 10 to be attached to the discharge port forming surface 5.
1, the wiper holder 21 is pushed toward the discharge port forming surface 51 (upward) by the lever portion 19c of the cylinder 19. In this way, the wiper holder 21 is rotated in the right rotation direction in FIG. 2 beyond the balance position of the wiper spring 22 described above, so that the wiper spring 22 exerts an urging force in the right rotation direction, and the wiper holder 2
1 is further rotated in the clockwise direction to move the head contact portion 2
1b comes into contact with the recording head 1 and the state shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is obtained. That is, the wiping means 16 moves to a position overlapping the ejection port forming surface 51 in association with the capping operation, and the wiping operation is enabled. Thus, after the capping is performed, the capping is released and the ejection port forming surface 51 can be wiped.

From the state shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the recording head 1
When the carriage 2 on which is mounted is moved to the left, a wiping operation is performed in which the ejection port forming surface 51 is wiped and cleaned by the wiper 16.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, a state in which the capping means (cap) 10 is opened and the wiper 16 is in the retracted position after performing the wiping operation (wiping means) is shown. The states shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 are the same as the states when normal recording is performed. 1 and 2 from the capping state (usually when the carriage is at the left end) to the carriage means (carriage) 2
Is moved to the left, the slide means (slide lever) 17 returns to the left by the spring force of the slide spring 18 as the carriage 2 moves as described above, and at the same time, the cylinder 19 also rotates to the left in the left rotation direction. Rotate to. Therefore, the cap 10 mounted on the cap holder portion 19b of the cylinder 19 also rotates counterclockwise and is separated from the ejection port forming surface 51, so that the capping state is released.

When the carriage 2 is further moved to the left, wiping is performed by the wiper 16 at the projecting position (the position overlapping the discharge port forming surface 51) as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The wiping operation is completed. When the carriage 2 is further moved to the left after the wiping operation is completed, as shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 4, the cam-shaped wiper return portion 17c provided on the slide lever 17 rotates the wiper holder 21 in the protruding state in the leftward rotation direction in FIG. As a result, the wiper spring 22 is rotated to a position beyond the balanced position, so that the urging force of the wiper spring 22 as described with reference to FIG. 2 causes the wiper holder 21 to further rotate in the counterclockwise rotation direction in FIG. And then Figure 2
The wiper 16 is retracted as shown in FIG.

After the wiping is performed in this manner, the wiper holder 21 is in the state shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.
The wiper 16 mounted on the wiper holder 21 is stably held in a position where it does not overlap the ejection port forming surface 51 of the recording head 1, that is, in a normal state in which the wiping operation is not performed. Therefore, in this state, even if the ejection port forming surface 51 of the recording head 1 mounted on the carriage 2 passes the position of the wiper 16 in either the left or right direction, the wiper 16 contacts the ejection port forming surface 51. And no wiping is done. Also,
For example, the position where the recording head 1 faces the cap 10 but is not capped, that is, the recording head 1 is located in FIG.
Even when the recording head 1 is moved to a position facing the cap 10 at an oblique position as shown in (4) to perform preliminary ejection (ink ejection from the ejection port into the cap 10),
The wiping operation is not performed by the movement of the recording head 1 before and after that.

According to the embodiment described above, the slide member 17 which moves in the non-recording area according to the movement of the carriage means (recording head) 1 in the non-recording area is provided, and the front side of the slide member 17 is provided. By using the inclined surface of the recording head 1 and the wiping means 16, the capping means 10 and the wiping means 16 are advanced toward the recording means 1 side and retracted away from the recording means 1 side.
The wiping member 16 is moved forward to a position where it overlaps the ejection port forming surface 51 by the capping operation for capping 1, and the wiping operation is performed by using the movement of the recording head 1, and then the recording head 1 is further moved. The wiping member 16 can be automatically returned to the retracted position by utilizing it, and the wiping operation of the recording head 1 is performed only after the recording head 1 is capped.
For example, capping is performed when a suction recovery operation is performed, but only after that, wiping is performed. Therefore, the recording head 1 immediately before the capping operation
The wiping operation is not performed even by the movement of the wiper, and the wiping operation is performed only immediately after the capping opening in which the wiping is required. Therefore, the wiper 1 does not increase in cost.
The number of times of rubbing between the nozzle 6 and the ejection port forming surface 51 can be suppressed to a necessary minimum, and the frequency of occurrence of ejection failure due to the wiping itself can be reduced and wear of the wiper 16 and the recording head 1 can be reduced. It was

6 and 7 show the essential parts of a second embodiment of an ink jet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 6 shows a state in which the recording head is capped and the wiper (wiping member) is protruding. FIG. 7 is a partial front view showing a state in which the wiper is retracted after wiping the recording head. In addition,
The second embodiment shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 has substantially the same configuration as that of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 in other portions not described below.

In FIGS. 6 and 7, the slide lever 17 is mounted so as to be movable in the moving direction of the carriage 2 (left-right direction in the drawings). As the carriage 2 moves to the right, the carriage 2 pushes the engaging portion 17a of the slide lever 17, so that the slide lever 17 moves to the right. The cap 10 is mounted on a cap carriage 23a that is movable in the left-right direction. Also,
The cap 10 is connected via a tube 15 to a cylinder 19 forming a suction pump.
From the side through the cap 10 to the ejection port 52 of the recording head 1.
It is configured to be able to suck ink from. The cap carriage 23 is engaged with the rail 25,
It is possible to move in the left-right direction along the step shape of the rail 25. The stepped shape of the rail 25 is such that the right side portion travels toward the recording head 1 side (upper side). Therefore, as the cap carriage 23 moves to the right side, the cap carriage 23 moves toward the recording head 1 (ejection port forming surface 51). Move gradually to the side.

Further, the cap carriage 23 is provided with an arm portion 23a protruding leftward, and the arm portion 23a also moves up and down in conjunction with the vertical movement of the cap carriage 23. The arm portion 23a is for moving the wiper holder 21 to which the wiper 16 is attached upward. Wiper 16 and wiper holder 2
1 is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIGS.

In FIG. 6 showing the capping state, when the recording head 1 moves the slide lever 17 to the right, the projection 17b provided at the left end of the slide lever 17 also moves the cap carriage 23 to the right. Be done. At that time, the cap carriage 23
Is pushed out toward the recording head 1 side along the shape of the rail 25, the cap 10 mounted on the cap carriage 23 is brought into close contact with the ejection port forming surface 51 of the recording head 1 and the capping state as shown in FIG. Becomes At this time, the arm portion 23 provided on the cap carriage 23
Since a also protrudes toward the recording head 1 side, the wiper holder 21 is pushed upward. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, the wiper 16 attached to the wiper holder 21 is in a state of protruding to a position where it overlaps with the ejection port forming surface 51 of the recording head 1, and wiping is possible by the movement of the recording head 1. It becomes a state.

In the state shown in FIG. 7, the recording head 1 has moved to the left to end the wiping operation, and is further moved to the left. As the carriage 2 moves leftward, the slide lever 17 moves leftward by the slide spring 18 (FIG. 1), and the cap carriage 23
Also moves to the left by a spring force (not shown). During the movement to the left, the cap carriage 2
3 moves backward (moves downward) in accordance with the stepped shape of the engaged rail 25, and moves the cap 10 capping the ejection port forming surface 51 of the recording head 1 downward in the drawing to release capping ( Open the cap 10).

Next, when the carriage 2 further moves to the left, the ejection port forming surface 51 is wiped by the wiper 10 held in the projecting position in FIG. Wiper return part 17c of slide lever 17 moving to
Thus, the wiper holder 21 is pushed down. Therefore, the wiper 1 mounted on the wiper holder 21
6 is retracted downward, and wiping is impossible.

After the wiping is performed in this way, the wiper holder 21 is in the state shown in FIG. 7, and the wiper 16 mounted on the wiper holder 21 is at a position where it does not overlap the ejection port forming surface 51, that is, the wiping. It will be stably held in an inoperable position. Therefore, other than the above wiping operation, no wiping is performed no matter how the recording head 1 moves.

The second described above with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.
As in the case of the above-described first embodiment, the embodiment also includes the slide member 17 that moves in the non-recording area in accordance with the movement of the carriage means (recording head) 1 in the non-recording area. Utilizing the slope on the front side of 17, capping means 10 and wiping means 16
Since the printing head 1 is moved forward to the recording means 1 side and retracted away from the recording means 1 side, the wiping member 16 overlaps the ejection port forming surface 51 by the capping operation when the recording head 1 is capped. The wiping member 16 can be automatically returned to the retracted position by further moving the recording head 1 after the wiping operation is performed by moving the recording head 1 forward. The wiping operation of the recording head 1 is performed only after the cap has been capped. For example, capping is performed when a suction recovery operation is performed, but only after that, wiping is performed. Therefore, the recording head 1 immediately before the capping operation
The wiping operation is not performed even by the movement of the wiper, and the wiping operation is performed only immediately after the capping opening in which the wiping is required. Therefore, the wiper 1 does not increase in cost.
The number of times of rubbing between the nozzle 6 and the ejection port forming surface 51 can be suppressed to a necessary minimum, and the frequency of occurrence of ejection failure due to the wiping itself can be reduced and wear of the wiper 16 and the recording head 1 can be reduced. It was

In each of the above-described embodiments, the serial type ink jet recording apparatus in which the recording unit (recording head) 1 is mounted on the carriage 2 and the main scanning is performed along the recording material 4 has been described. The present invention can be similarly applied to the case of a line type ink jet recording apparatus using a line type recording means corresponding to the whole or a part of the recording width of the recording material, and achieves the same effect. It is possible. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case of the inkjet recording apparatus for single color recording using one recording head has been described as an example, but the present invention provides a plurality of recording heads for recording with different color inks. The same applies regardless of the number of recording heads, such as an inkjet recording apparatus for color recording to be used, or an inkjet recording apparatus for gradation recording using a plurality of recording heads recording with inks of the same color but different densities. It is possible to achieve the same effect.

Further, the recording means (recording head) 1 is of a cartridge type in which the recording head and the ink tank are integrated, or the recording head and the ink tank are provided separately and are connected by an ink supply tube. Even if the recording unit and the ink tank have any configurations, the same can be applied and the same effect can be achieved.

The present invention can be applied to an ink jet recording apparatus that uses a recording means (recording head) using an electromechanical transducer such as a piezo element, but among them, thermal energy is used. In this way, an excellent effect can be obtained in an ink jet recording apparatus of the type that ejects ink. This is because such a system can achieve high density recording and high definition recording.

Regarding the typical structure and principle thereof, see, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4740.
This is preferably done using the basic principles disclosed in US Pat. No. 7,967. This method can be applied to both the so-called on-demand type and the continuous type, but particularly 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 Since the electrothermal converter generates heat energy to cause film boiling on the heat acting surface of the recording means (recording head), as a result, bubbles can be formed in the liquid (ink) in a one-to-one correspondence with this drive signal. It is valid.

The liquid (ink) is ejected through the ejection openings by the growth and contraction of the bubbles to form at least one droplet. It is more preferable to make this drive signal into a pulse shape, because the bubble growth and contraction are immediately and appropriately performed, so that the ejection of the liquid (ink) with excellent responsiveness can be achieved. As this pulse-shaped drive signal, US Pat.
Those described in US Pat. Nos. 4,633,359 and 4,345,262 are suitable. Incidentally, US Pat. No. 43131 of the invention relating to the rate of temperature rise of the heat acting surface
If the conditions described in No. 24 are adopted, even 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 linear liquid passage or the right-angled liquid passage) as disclosed in the above-mentioned respective specifications. US Pat. No. 4,558,333, US Pat. No. 4,558,333, which discloses 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. That is, according to the present invention, recording can be reliably and efficiently performed regardless of the form of the recording head.

Further, the present invention can be effectively applied to a full line type recording head having a length corresponding to the maximum width of a recording material (recording medium) which can be recorded by the recording apparatus. Such a recording head may have a configuration that fills the length by combining a plurality of recording heads or a configuration as one recording head integrally formed. In addition, even with the serial type as in the above example, it is possible to electrically connect to the device body or supply ink from the device body by mounting it on the recording head fixed to the device body or on the device body. The present invention is also effective when a replaceable chip type recording head or a cartridge type recording head in which an ink tank is integrally provided in the recording head itself is used.

Further, it is preferable to add recovery means for the recording head, preliminary auxiliary means, and the like, which are provided in the present invention as a configuration of the recording apparatus, because the effects of the present invention can be further stabilized. If these are specifically mentioned,
Capping means, cleaning means, pressurizing or suctioning means, electrothermal converter or other heating element or preheating means by a combination thereof, and ejection different from recording are applied to the recording head. Performing the preliminary ejection mode is also effective for stable recording.

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. And a plurality of them may be provided. That is, for example, the recording mode of the recording apparatus is not limited to the recording mode only for mainstream colors such as black,
The recording head may be integrally configured or a combination of a plurality of recording heads may be used. However, the present invention is extremely effective for an apparatus having at least one of a mixed color of different colors or a full color of mixed colors.

In addition, in the above-described embodiments of the present invention, the ink is described as a liquid, but it is an ink that solidifies at room temperature or lower and that softens or liquefies at room temperature, or an ink jet. In the method, the temperature of the ink itself is generally adjusted within a range of 30 ° C. or higher and 70 ° C. or lower to control the temperature of the ink so that the viscosity of the ink is within a stable ejection range. Any liquid may be used. in addition,
Whether the temperature rise due to thermal energy is positively used as the energy for changing the state of the ink from the solid state to the liquid state, or the ink that solidifies when left standing for the purpose of preventing ink evaporation is used. In any case, the ink is liquefied by applying the thermal energy according to the recording signal and the liquid ink is ejected,
The present invention is also applicable to the case of using an ink which has a property of being liquefied only by thermal energy, such as one which has already started to solidify when it reaches the recording medium.

The ink in such a case is described in JP-A-54-54.
As described in JP-A-56847 or JP-A-60-71260, a mode in which it is held as a liquid or a solid in a concave portion or a through hole of a porous sheet and faces the electrothermal converter. 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.

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

[0049]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, it is possible to mount a recording means for ejecting ink onto a recording material to perform recording, and to scan between a recording area and a non-recording area. Carriage means, a capping means arranged in a non-recording area for covering the ink ejecting portion of the recording means during non-recording, and a wiping means for wiping and cleaning the ink ejecting portion of the recording means by movement of the carriage means, An inkjet recording apparatus having: a slide member that moves in a non-recording area according to the movement of the carriage means in the non-recording area, and the capping means and Since the wiping means is configured to be moved forward to the recording means side and retracted from the recording means side, Inkjet recording that can prevent ejection failure due to the wiping itself and prevent early deterioration of the ejection port forming surface and the wiping member by performing the necessary and sufficient wiping operation only when the forming surface needs to be wiped off. A device is provided.

According to another aspect of the present invention, in addition to the above configuration,
Since the wiping means is retracted in conjunction with the movement of the recording means in the same direction after the ink ejection portion is wiped and cleaned, an inkjet recording apparatus capable of achieving the above effect more efficiently is provided.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial front view showing a state in which a wiping means is projected in a capping state in an ink jet recording apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of FIG.

3 is a partial front view showing a state in which a wiping unit in the inkjet recording apparatus of FIG. 1 is retracted.

FIG. 4 is a side view of FIG.

5 is a partial perspective view schematically showing the structure of an ink ejection unit of the recording means of the inkjet recording apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a partial front view showing a state in which the wiping means is projected in the capping state of the second embodiment of the ink jet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

7 is a partial front view showing a state in which the wiping means in the inkjet recording apparatus of FIG. 6 is retracted.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of an inkjet recording apparatus including a conventional wiping unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 recording means (recording head) 2 carriage means 4 recording material 5 feed roller 6 pulse motor 8 guide shaft 10 cap (capping means) 16 wiper (wiping means) 17 slide member 17a engaging portion 17b protrusion 17c wiper returning portion 18 slide Spring 19 Cylinder 19a Shaft portion 19b Cap holder portion 19c Lever portion 20 Cylinder spring 21 Wiper holder 21a Shaft hole portion 21b Head contact portion 22 Wiper spring 23 Cap carriage 23a Arm portion 25 Rail 51 Discharge port forming surface 52 Discharge port 55 Electrothermal conversion body

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Tetsuo Suzuki 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Satoshi Saikawa 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Kya Non-corporation

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A recording means for ejecting ink onto a recording material for recording can be mounted, and a carriage means for scanning between a recording area and a non-recording area, and a non-recording area arranged in a non-recording area. In an inkjet recording apparatus having a capping unit for covering the ink ejection unit of the recording unit and a wiping unit for wiping and cleaning the ink ejection unit of the recording unit by movement of the carriage unit, a non-recording area of the carriage unit A slide member that moves in a non-recording area in accordance with the movement within the inside, and by utilizing the slope of the front side of the slide member, the capping means and the wiping means are advanced to the recording means side and the recording means. An ink jet recording apparatus characterized in that it is moved backward from the side. 2. After the ink discharge section is wiped and cleaned,
The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wiping means is retracted in association with the movement of the recording means in the same direction. 3. The ink jet recording means, wherein the recording means comprises an electrothermal converter for generating thermal energy for ejecting ink.
Inkjet recording device. 4. The ink jet recording according to claim 3, wherein the recording unit ejects the ink from an ejection port by utilizing film boiling generated in the ink by thermal energy applied by the electrothermal converter. apparatus.