JPH058402A - Ink jet recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To realize certain cleaning by executing absorbing operation following sweeping off operation as cleaning operation. CONSTITUTION:Cleaning operation is executed by bringing blade like sweeping off components 4a, 4b and an absorbing component into contact with an ink drop discharge opening part 12 of a photographic head unit 11 by reciprocating operation of a head carriage 1. The absorbing component 4c is arranged between two sweeping off components 4a, 4b. When the head carriage 1 moves in the direction A, most of ink and dust which are attached to the ink drop discharge opening part 12 are removed at first with the left side sweeping off component 4b, and the attached ink which is slightly left to be removed is absorbed thoroughly with the absorbing component 4c arranged at the center. Since the quantity of ink to be absorbed with the absorbing component 4c is only the content left to be removed with the sweeping off component 4b, it is extremely trace, and even the operation is repeated, an absorbing performance is never influenced.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an inkjet recording apparatus, and more particularly to an inkjet recording apparatus having a function of cleaning an ink droplet ejection port.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art If minute dust or ink droplets adhere to the ink droplet ejection port of the print head of an ink jet recording apparatus, the normal ejection of ink droplets is hindered, which causes deterioration of image quality. In particular, it will be impossible to fly if it is remarkable. Therefore, it is necessary to always keep the ink droplet ejection port portion clean. At the ink droplet ejection port, liquid dripping from the ink droplet ejection port due to vibration during carriage scanning, adhesion of minute droplets or mist when ink droplets fly, and adhesion of minute dust such as paper dust occur. Since this is easy and the above-mentioned problem occurs if it is left unattended, it is necessary to regularly perform cleaning of the ink ejection port portion by the cleaning means.

Further, if the ink in the ink droplet ejection port is left for a long period of time, the viscosity increases due to the evaporation of the ink, so that the ink is forcibly discharged by a pump operation when the power switch is turned on. Immediately after this, the ink droplet ejection port is wet with the ink, and therefore cleaning that maintains the initial state is also required. As a conventional cleaning means, a wiping operation using a rubber blade is generally used. This method can clean the ink droplet discharge port part to some extent easily, but there is a case where a sufficient cleaning surface cannot be surely achieved only by the wiping operation, and it is certain that the absorption operation using the absorption member is used together. Was needed for. In this case, two different operations, a wiping operation and an absorbing operation, are required, and there is a drawback that the operating mechanism becomes complicated.

[0004]

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and provides an inkjet recording apparatus capable of performing reliable cleaning by executing a wiping operation and a subsequent absorption operation as a cleaning operation. It was made for the purpose.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides (1)
In an ink jet recording apparatus having a cleaning means for removing attached ink and attached dust from an ink droplet ejection port of a print head unit, it functions by performing a contact movement operation relative to the ink droplet ejection port. The wiping member and the absorbing member are held in the same state, and when the cleaning operation is performed, the absorbing operation by the absorbing member is continued following the wiping operation by the wiping member. The operation is performed by a single movement, further, (2) the wiping member and the absorbing member are blade-shaped, and (3) in (1) or (2) above, The relative movement operation of the cleaning means with respect to the ink droplet ejection port is configured by the reciprocating movement of the printing head carriage, and the position is narrowed by at least a plurality of wiping members. Is obtained is characterized in that the absorbing member is disposed. Hereinafter, description will be given based on examples of the present invention.

1 and 2 are configuration diagrams for explaining an embodiment of an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view and FIG. 2 is a partial plan view. In the figure, 1 is a head carriage, 2 is an ink supply unit (main ink tank), 3 is recording paper, 4 is a cleaning unit, 4a and 4b are wiping members, 4c is an absorbing member, 5 is a base, and 6 is paper. Feed rollers, 6a, 6b are paper guides, 7a, 7
b is a carriage guide, 8 is a carriage drive head, 9
Is a motor pulley, 10 is a carriage drive motor, and 11 is a print head unit.

The carriage drive motor 10 reciprocally drives the head carriage 1 in the direction of arrow A, conveys the recording paper 3 in the direction of arrow B, and the nozzles mounted on the head carriage 1 during scanning of the head carriage 1. Printing is performed on the recording paper 3 by ejecting ink droplets. In the ink jet recording device as described above,
In order to eject ink accurately, it is necessary to prevent bubbles from entering the ink flow path in the recording head. Further, there is a possibility that a solidified substance may be generated in the ink due to drying of the ink in the nozzle, paper dust, or the like, which may cause clogging of the nozzle, and it is necessary to prevent or remove these impurities. To this end, a cleaning unit is provided that performs a contact movement operation relative to the ink droplet ejection port of the head carriage 1.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are explanatory views of the cleaning operation of the cleaning unit for the print head unit. In the cleaning operation, the blade-shaped wiping members 4a and 4b and the absorbing member 4c are brought into contact with the ink droplet ejection port 12 of the printing head unit 11 by the forward and backward movements of the head carriage 1 to perform cleaning. In this embodiment, the absorbing member 4c includes two wiping members 4a and 4b.
It is located between.

When the head carriage 1 moves in the A ₁ direction, first, most of the ink and dust adhering to the ink droplet ejection port 12 is removed by the left wiping member 4b, and the absorbing member 4c arranged in the center. Completely absorbs the adhered ink that remains slightly. The amount of ink absorbed by the absorbing member 4c is a very small amount because it is only the remaining amount of the wiping member 4b, and even if it is repeatedly operated, it does not affect the absorbing performance. FIG. 6B shows the case of scanning in the reverse direction, that is, the A ₂ direction. The wiping members 4a, 4b,
Although each of the absorbing members 4c is a single blade, these may be configured as a plurality of blades.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing another embodiment of the cleaning operation according to the present invention. When the head carriage 1 is at the cleaning position (outside the printing area), the movement of the cleaning unit 4 causes the ink droplet ejection port 12 to move. To clean. The cleaning unit 4 performs cleaning by operating from above to below, and at this time, following the operation of the wiping members 4a and 4b, the absorbing member 4c is continued.
Is performed. Suitable wiping members 4a and 4b are soft rubbers such as silicone rubber, fluororubber, and chloroprene rubber, and have a thickness of 0.1 mm to 1 mm and a contact length of 0.5 mm.
〜2mm, and the amount of sticking out the member is about 1mm〜10mm. The absorbent member 4c is preferably a foam having absorbency (for example, polyurethane foam manufactured by Toyo Polymer Co., Ltd .:
(Rubicel, etc.), its thickness is 1mm-3mm, contact length is 0.5m
It is suitable that m to 2 mm, and the amount of protrusion of the member is about 1 mm to 10 mm. Of course, the wiping members 4a and 4b and the absorbing member 4c may be constituted by a plurality of blades as in FIG.

[0011]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, since the wiping operation and the absorbing operation are successively executed as the cleaning operation, reliable cleaning can be performed. Further, most of the ink can be removed by the wiping operation, and the absorbing operation only absorbs the minute ink, so the amount of ink absorbed by the absorbing member is reduced, and the operable life of the absorbing member is greatly extended. Furthermore, since it can be executed by a single operation, cleaning is executed by a simple method.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram for explaining an embodiment of an inkjet recording apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial plan view of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a cleaning operation.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining another example of the cleaning operation.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Head carriage, 2 ... Ink supply unit (main ink tank), 3 ... Recording paper, 4 ... Cleaning unit, 4a, 4b ... Wiping member, 4c ... Absorption member, 5 ... Base, 6 ... Paper feed roller, 6a, 6b ... Paper guide, 7a, 7
b ... Carriage guide, 8 ... Carriage drive head, 9
... motor pulley, 10 ... carriage drive motor, 11 ...
Print head unit.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An ink jet recording apparatus having a cleaning means for removing adhered ink and adhering dust from an ink droplet ejection port of a print head portion, wherein an operation of contact movement relative to the ink droplet ejection port is performed. The wiping member and the absorbing member that function by doing, the wiping member and the absorbing member are held in the same state, when performing the cleaning operation, following the wiping operation by the wiping member,
An ink jet recording apparatus, wherein the absorbing operation by the absorbing member is executed by a single movement operation. 2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wiping member and the absorbing member are blade-shaped. 3. The relative movement operation of the cleaning means with respect to the ink droplet ejection port portion is constituted by reciprocating movement of the printing head carriage, and the absorbing member is located at a position narrowed by at least a plurality of wiping members. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink jet recording apparatus is arranged.