JPH06191053A - Ink jet recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the remaining of small air bubbles and the wasteful consumption of ink at the time of the connection of an ink tank, in an ink tank replacing type ink jet cartridge, by improving the operation sequence of a suction recovery pump. CONSTITUTION:With respect to the recovery sequence at the time of the replacement of an ink tank using a pump unit, at first, in a step S1, it is judged whether a suction command is issued and, when the suction command is issued, the next step S2 is executed and, when the suction command is not issued, the sequence is not adapted. In the step S2, it is judged whether the suction command is issued on the basis of the detection of the displacement of the ink tank. When the suction command is judged after the replacement of the ink tank, a step 3 is executed and, when the suction command is not judged, a step 6 is executed. In the step 6, 0 is substituted for the flag TC of the replacement of the ink tank and, thereafter, a step S7 is executed.

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, and more particularly, to an ink jet recording apparatus in which a recording head and an ink tank can be replaced, for preventing and improving ejection failure at the time of ink tank replacement and ink jet recording start. The present invention relates to an inkjet recording device provided with a means for effectively performing it.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As an ink jet recording apparatus,
Some have a recording head that can be used semi-permanently (hereinafter, also referred to as "PH") and a replaceable ink cartridge that stores ink supplied to the PH. However, in the case of PH, there should be no accidental failure due to dust clogging at the ejection port, or failure over time due to deterioration of an energy generator that generates energy used for ejecting ink. However, it was difficult, and it was usual to require a special maintenance service system to maintain the recording performance and ensure the reliability of the recording apparatus itself.

From the viewpoint of improving reliability, the ink tank and the head are integrally replaced so that the recording head, which is often damaged, can be easily and reliably replaced for each predetermined ink amount. An ink jet recording apparatus using a cartridge type recording head (hereinafter also referred to as “DH”) has been put into practical use.

[0004]

However, the amount of ink stored in the ink tank cannot be set too large from the viewpoint of ensuring the reliability of the DH and the restriction of the size and weight of the DH. However, there is a case where a user's disadvantage occurs due to an increase in running cost, and when the ink is used up, the head must be discarded even if the head is still functioning sufficiently. These are contradictions related to environmental problems, which are the global trends of recent years.

Therefore, in terms of reliability, a replaceable ink jet recording head and ink supplied to the ink jet recording head in order to take advantage of the characteristics of DH, increase running costs, and consider the global environment. An ink jet recording apparatus equipped with a replaceable ink tank that stores the ink has been proposed. In particular, an ink tank / head separation exchange type in which an ink tank and a recording head are integrally connected on a carriage has been emphasized so that ink can be efficiently supplied to the recording head.

By the way, one of the problems of the ink jet recording apparatus of this construction is that the normal head recovery operation alone is not sufficient when the recording head and the ink tank are replaced. For example, when the ink tank is replaced, air bubbles may be mixed in the ink supply path between the ink tank and the recording head, so it is necessary to remove the bubbles before starting recording. When the print head is replaced, the print characteristics may deteriorate over time when the print head is manufactured.Therefore, special pre-ejection such as special pre-ejection to recover it, or ejection during the physical distribution process It is necessary to remove the thickened ink stuck to the outlet. In addition, different recovery operations may be required depending on the mounting and fixing of the recording head to the carriage that is operated by mounting the recording head and the connection of the recording head and the ink tank with respect to the ink supply path.

On the other hand, since it is necessary to electrically control the recording head, how to electrically connect with the carriage is also an important issue when mounting and fixing the recording head. In addition, solid ink is a problem for the connection related to the ink supply path, but especially when using liquid ink, it is possible to prevent stains on the machine, recording paper, or hands due to ink leaking from the connection part. Doing is also an important issue. In particular, regarding the connection related to the ink supply path, a reliable connection is required from the above problems, and a simple separation is required from the ease of ink tank replacement,
It was difficult to satisfy both requirements with a simple configuration, and it was difficult to put them into practical use.

In order to improve the above points, the ink is held inside the ink tank at a constant negative pressure, and in the joint portion of the ink tank, the portion that comes into contact with the head portion can be easily opened and closed. A structure is devised to provide a valve portion having As a result, it was possible to avoid leakage of ink from the connecting portion when the ink jet recording head portion and the ink tank were connected. However, when the ink tank is connected, it is unavoidable that air intervenes at the contact area between the head and the ink tank, and this air acts to completely remove air bubbles from the inside of the head during suction recovery. I was not able to do this, and I had the symptom that small bubbles remained. This does not change the state even if the recovery operation is repeated several times. Further, even if the suction amount and the suction pressure of the suction pump at the time of suction recovery are increased or decreased, there was no effect in removing the bubbles. Particularly in the case of the ink tank exchange type, since a filter is often provided in the ink supply path of the head part to prevent foreign matter from entering the head, the flow resistance in this part also becomes large. The above problems are more and more inevitable.

[0009]

The present invention has been made as a result of intensive studies on the above problems, and is particularly effective in an ink jet cartridge in which an ink jet recording head portion and an ink tank portion are separated and exchangeable. so,
The inkjet recording device includes a highly reliable recovery unit.

That is, according to the present invention, there is provided an ink jet cartridge in which at least an ink tank is separable and exchangeable, in which an ink jet recording head portion and an exchangeable ink tank for storing ink supplied to the ink jet recording head portion are combined. Control means for controlling a recovery sequence in which recovery related to ink ejection from the inkjet cartridge is performed by an operation of a suction pump that sucks ink from the inkjet cartridge through a cap covering an ejection port of the inkjet recording head. In the ink jet recording apparatus, the amount of suction by the suction pump is equal to or more than the internal volume from the joint portion of the exchangeable ink tank with the ink jet recording head portion to the ejection port of the ink jet recording head portion. Mochi, the exchange type An exchange detection unit that detects that the ink tank has been exchanged, and when the exchange detection unit detects that the ink tank has been exchanged, the operation of the suction pump is automatically repeated a plurality of times, and at least the first suction is performed. The ink jet recording apparatus is characterized in that the cap is released from the ink jet recording head section and is held for a certain period of time immediately after the flow of the recording liquid is completed.

By adopting such a structure, after the suction recovery, the bubble is not always left in the ink jet recording head, and the ideal recovery state can be achieved. The effect can be explained by the phenomenon described below.

First, when starting the suction operation, a cap having a concave portion for sucking ink is brought into contact with the ejection port array surface of the ink jet recording head. The ink reaches the inside of the valve portion and a part of the flow path in the ink jet recording head by the first suction operation, but at this time, many small bubbles remain in the valve chamber portion and the head. Even if the suction is further continued in this state, the ink flow occurs, but the small bubbles remain.

However, even if a large amount of air bubbles remain in the flow path of the ink jet recording head, the ink in the flow path is once sunk, and the ink remains only in the valve portion, and then the suction operation is performed. It was found by the study of the present inventors that there is a property of removing bubbles in the flow path of the ink jet recording head when the above process is continued.

By utilizing this characteristic, the following operation becomes effective. In the first suction operation, as soon as the ink flow is completed, the cap is released from the ejection orifice array surface of the inkjet recording head, so that the ink flows once in a part of the flow path of the inkjet recording head. The incoming ink is pulled back by the negative pressure of the ink tank, and the ink in the flow path disappears to the joint between the head and the ink tank.
Therefore, it is possible to achieve a state where there is no ink in the flow path of the head. By performing the second suction after this, it is possible to fill the ink up to the ink ejection portion of the inkjet recording head, and it is also possible to simultaneously remove small bubbles in the ink in the flow path.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, a carrier 203 is equipped with a head cartridge 202 in which a recording head 200 constituting a recording unit and an ink tank 201 are connected. One end of the carrier 203 on the recording head 200 side is fitted to a lead screw 213 rotatably attached to the chassis 1 so as to be slidable in the axial direction, and the other end of the carrier 203 has a guide. Is provided, and the guide is slidably fitted in the guide rail 2 formed on the chassis 1 in parallel with the axial direction of the lead screw 213. The carrier 203 is configured to be capable of reciprocating in its axial direction as the lead screw 213 rotates while keeping its posture always constant.

That is, the lead screw 213
The lead screw gear 257 fixed to the left end of the screw meshes with the pinion gear 256 fixed to the output shaft of the carrier motor 255 as shown in the figure, and the lead screw 213 is spirally formed at a predetermined pitch. The lead pin 209 (FIG. 3) attached to the carrier 203 is fitted into the formed guide strip 268 (FIG. 2).
Therefore, when the lead screw 213 rotates as the carrier motor 255 rotates forward and backward, the carrier 203 reciprocates.

Reference numeral 211 denotes a flexi cable for transmitting a print signal from the electric circuit (not shown) to the recording head 200, and the flexi cable holder 16 positions and holds the pinch roller frame 11.

The recording head 200 is driven in synchronism with the reciprocating movement of the carrier 203 to eject ink in accordance with a recording signal, thereby recording one line on the recording material 3. That is, the recording head 200 has a fine liquid discharge port (orifice), a liquid passage, and an energy acting portion provided in a part of the liquid passage, and energy for generating droplet forming energy that acts on the liquid in the acting portion. Equipped with generating means.

As an energy generating means for generating such energy, a recording method using an electromechanical transducer such as a piezo element, electromagnetic waves such as laser are irradiated to generate heat, and droplets are ejected by the effect of the heat generation. There are a recording method using an energy generating means, a recording method using an energy generating means for heating a liquid and discharging the liquid by an electrothermal converter such as a heating element having a heating resistance.

Among them, in a recording head used in an ink jet recording method for ejecting a liquid by thermal energy, liquid ejection ports for ejecting a recording liquid to form ejection droplets may be arranged at high density. Therefore, it is possible to record with high resolution. Among them, the recording head using the electrothermal converter as the energy generating means can be easily downsized, and has the advantages of the IC technology and the microfabrication technology, which have been remarkably improved in technology and reliability in the recent semiconductor field. This is advantageous because it can be used in two parts, high-density mounting is easy, and the manufacturing cost is low.

When one line is recorded by scanning the carrier 203 in the previous period, the recording material 3 is conveyed by one line by the conveying means and the next line is recorded.
The conveyance is carried out by the conveying roller 4 and the rotating body of the pinch roller 8 that is in pressure contact with the conveying roller 4, and the discharging roller 7 and the spur 6 that is in contact with the discharging roller 7.

To explain this concretely, the recording material 3 whose recording surface faces the ejection opening surface of the recording head 200 is
The pinch roller 8 makes pressure contact with the conveying roller 4, and the conveying roller 4 is appropriately rotated by the paper feed motor 5 to convey the recording roller 4 to the recording position as needed. After recording, the recording material 3 is pressed against the discharge roller 7 by the spur 6, and is discharged and conveyed outside the apparatus by the discharge roller 7.

The conveyance roller 4 and the paper discharge roller are driven by the paper feed motor 5, and the driving force is transmitted by the reduction gear train 15.

The position of the rotary shaft of the spur 6 that contacts the recording surface of the recording material 3 is fixed, and the contact position between the spur 6 and the recording material 3 changes regardless of the thickness of the recording material 3. On the other hand, the discharge roller 7 that contacts the recording surface of the recording material 3 is deformed by the thickness of the recording material 3 to correspond to the change in the thickness of the recording material 3. It is like this. Specifically, the discharge roller 7 is made of thin rubber,
It is formed like a cone and deforms with a restoring force in the radial direction. Therefore, deformation is performed according to the pressure contact force to the spur 6 and the thickness of the recording material 3. The same effect can be obtained by forming the discharge roller 7 from a material having a large elastic deformation, such as a porous sponge or a resin or rubber having a very low hardness. Furthermore, the entire discharge roller 7 may be pressed against the spur 6 by a spring or the like. Therefore, the distance between the recording head 200 and the recording material 3 can be maintained at a predetermined amount regardless of the thickness of the recording material 3, and stable conveyance can be performed.

Reference numeral 14 denotes a paper sensor, which is the recording material 3
The presence or absence of is detected.

Next, details of the head cartridge 202 and the carrier 203 will be described. FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing the head cartridge portion and the carrier portion of the recording apparatus according to the embodiment of the invention. In the figure,
Reference numeral 200 is a recording head that ejects ink by an electric signal, 201 is an ink tank that stores ink and supplies it to the recording head 200, and 203 is provided in the recording head main body and the recording apparatus main body that holds and scans the ink tank 201. A carrier, 204 is a head lever for holding and releasing the recording head, 205 is an ink tank lever for attaching and detaching the ink tank 201, and 207 is a carrier 203.
A head holder spring for fixing the recording head 200, and a tank case 208 for holding the ink tank 201, each of which constitutes a head cartridge portion and a carrier portion of the recording apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing the recording head 200 and the ink tank 201 of the recording apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 220 is an ink supply hole that serves as a passage for supplying ink from the ink tank 201 to the recording head, 221 is an ink supply hole for supplying ink from the ink tank 201 to the recording head 200, 222
Is a coupling claw 223 for guiding and holding the recording head 200 and the ink tank 201 when they are integrated.
Reference numeral 224 is a guide groove for engaging the connection claw 222, and reference numeral 224 is an ink tank guide groove for holding the ink tank 201 when the ink tank 201 and the recording head 200 are attached and detached. Composed.

The recording head 200 includes a substrate on which a plurality of electrothermal conversion elements that generate thermal energy used for ink ejection and a drive circuit for driving the electrothermal conversion elements are formed.
On this substrate, a discharge port and a flow channel corresponding to each of the plurality of electrothermal conversion elements, and a top plate for forming a common liquid chamber communicating with each flow channel are laminated, and further, the driving is performed. Electrical contacts are provided in the circuit for providing signals from the recorder body. Furthermore, a sensor for detecting the head condition from the recording apparatus main body is provided as a recording head 20.
0, specifically, a temperature detection sensor for detecting the temperature in the vicinity of the electrothermal conversion element, and when the ink supply is stopped and ink is exhausted from the common liquid chamber described above. It is an ink remaining amount detecting sensor for detecting, or a head type determining sensor for specifying the type of the head cartridge when the head cartridge is used while exchanging ink types or head types different from each other. The printing apparatus main body can determine the signals from these sensors and control the signals applied to the electrothermal converting elements to optimize the printing state. Then, the recording head configured as described above is mounted on the recording apparatus so that the ejection port surface on which the ejection ports are arranged faces the recording medium.

The ink tank 201 is a tank for appropriately supplying ink to the recording head 200 in order to supplement ink consumed by recording while holding ink.
When the ink tank 201 alone exists, it is sealed by unillustrated sealing means so that ink does not leak from the ink supply port 221. This sealing means is automatically or manually released when it is integrated with the recording head 200 to form an ink flow path. The sealing means can be realized by, for example, a mechanism in which a metal ball is pressed against a rubber stopper with a spring. In addition, a mechanism may be provided to introduce atmospheric air from the outside according to the ink volume that decreases due to ink consumption. Furthermore, by having a mechanism inside that keeps the pressure of the ink supplied to the recording head slightly negative,
It is also possible to improve printing quality and prevent ink leakage. In this embodiment, a porous ink absorber (not shown) is housed inside the ink tank 201, and ink is impregnated and held in the ink absorber, and is connected to the ink supply hole 221. In the ink tank 201, holes and the like are adjusted so that the porous body generates and maintains a negative pressure state within a predetermined range.

The recording head 200 and the ink tank 201 are used in the recording apparatus in the recording operation in the state of the integrated head cartridge 202. Next, a method of integrating the both will be described. Basically, the recording head 200 and the ink tank 201 are provided with the ink supply hole 220 and the ink supply hole 2.
Since they are integrated by connecting 21 to each other, this portion is configured to prevent ink from leaking or entering the ink flow path. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, a system using a rigid pipe and an elastic plug is adopted. That is, the ink supply hole 220 is formed in a cylindrical shape by a molding member, and the ink supply hole 221 facing the ink supply hole 220 is a member formed of a rubber material and having a cylindrical hole. The outer diameter of the ink supply hole 220 is made slightly larger than the inner diameter of the ink supply hole 221.
When the ink supply hole 221 is press-fitted into the ink supply hole 221, the ink supply hole 221 is slightly deformed in the radial direction and is brought into close contact with and integrated with the ink supply hole 220.

Next, the recording head 200 is used as a carrier 20
A method of mechanically and electrically connecting to 3 will be described. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the connecting portion of the recording head 200 to the carrier 203 as seen from the direction a in FIG. 4, and FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view showing the order of attachment. In the figure, 225 is a positioning pin fixed to the carrier 203 and engaged with a hole provided in the recording head 200 to perform positioning in the directions of arrows a and b in FIG. A stopper that receives the recording head 200 that is pressed in the a direction, 211 is the recording apparatus main body and the recording head 20.
Flexi cable for electrically connecting to 0, 21
1a is a positioning hole a provided in the flexi cable 211, 211b is a positioning hole b provided in the flexi cable 211, 212 is a flexi that elastically supports the flexi cable 211 sandwiched between the flexi cable 211 and the carrier 203. The cable pad 212a is a positioning hole a provided in the flexi cable pad 212,
Reference numeral 212b is a positioning hole b provided on the flexi cable pad 212, reference numeral 212c is an ink barrier for preventing ink from entering a contact portion, and reference numeral 227 is electrically connected to a heater portion in the recording head 200 provided in the recording head 200. Head contact portions 227a are positioning holes a provided in the head contact portion 227, and 227b are positioning holes b provided in the head contact portion 227.
27c is a stopper contact position where the end surface of the stopper 226 hits.

The recording head 200 has a head holder spring 20.
7 is pressed in the direction a through a lever (not shown), and its position is uniquely determined by the engagement between the hole provided in the recording head 200 and the positioning pin 225 and the interference with the stopper 226. In this way, the recording head 200 and the carrier 203 are mechanically connected. Also,
Head contact portion 22 provided on the recording head 200
7 and the end surface of the flex cable 211 are provided with a plurality of electrical contacts at opposite positions, and by pressing these with a predetermined pressure, the recording apparatus main body and the recording head 200 are electrically connected. At this time, since it is necessary to press-contact a plurality of electrical contacts at once, a flexi-cable pad 212 made of an elastic material is placed in the pressing portion in order to press-contact them uniformly. The flexi cable pad 212 is made of, for example, silicone rubber or the like, and has a plurality of protrusions at positions corresponding to the above-described electrical contacts so that the pressing pressure is concentrated on the contacts. Further, the above-mentioned electrical contacts provided on the flexi cable 211 may be formed in a protruding shape in order to further concentrate the stress when pressed to ensure the connection. In addition, since the reaction force generated when pressed is much smaller than the force of the head holder spring 207 pressing the recording head 200,
The position of the recording head 200 is not displaced by the reaction force from the flexi cable pad 212.

Further, the carrier 203, the flexi cable pad 212, the flexi cable 211, the head contact portion 227 and the head cartridge 203 need to be accurately positioned with respect to each other in order to obtain a reliable electrical connection and a good recording quality. For that purpose, it is configured as follows. That is, with the positioning pin 225 of the carrier 203 as a reference, one positioning pin 225 is commonly fitted in the positioning hole a212a, the positioning hole 211a, and the positioning hole a227a, and the other positioning pin 225 is the positioning hole b212b, the positioning hole. b
211b and the positioning hole b227b are fitted in common to determine the positions in the directions a and b of FIG. Further, the end surface of the stopper 226 is attached to the head contact portion 227.
The position of the recording head 200 in the c direction in FIG. 7 can be accurately determined by pressing from the a direction until it abuts the stopper abutting place 227c.

Further, between the electrical contact surface, that is, between the flex cable 211 and the head contact portion 227,
If the ink enters for some reason, it may cause an electrical short circuit, so it is necessary to prevent this. For this reason, in this embodiment, a part of the flexi cable pad 212 is formed into a protrusion to form an ink barrier 212c, which is pressed against the end surface of the recording head 200 to prevent the ink from coming out from the ejection port of the head 200. .

In this embodiment, the electrical or mechanical coupling portion is provided on the recording head side. However, the coupling portion is not restricted to this, and the ink tank 201 side or the recording head 200 side and the ink tank 201 side is provided. It may be provided on both sides, or the electrical coupling part and the mechanical coupling part may be separately provided on either side.

Next, a method of handling the recording head 200 and the ink tank 201, that is, a case of replacing the ink tank 201 that has run out of ink with a new ink tank 201, or a case of replacing the recording head 200 that has become unusable for some reason The method will be described.

FIG. 9 shows the recording head 20 on the carrier 203.
FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which the ink tank 201 is separated from 0. In this case, by rotating the tank lever 205 from the state of FIG. 4 in the direction a of FIG. 9 and raising it to such a position, the cam (not shown) provided on the tank lever 205 causes the tank case 208 to move in the direction b of FIG. Move to. The protrusion provided on the tank case 208 engages with the ink tank guide groove 224 provided on the side surface of the ink tank 201 to move the ink tank 201 in the direction b in FIG. At this time, the recording head 200 is fixed in the same manner as in the state of FIG. 4 and does not move together with the ink tank 201, so that the engaging portion between the recording head 200 and the ink tank 201 can be disengaged and separated. Further, the ink tank 201 can be removed from the carrier 203 by moving it in the direction c in FIG. In addition,
At this time, when the recording head 200 is elastically pressed by the head holder spring 207 as in the present embodiment, the head may be disengaged due to the force applied during separation. It is good to configure like. FIG. 10 shows a schematic plan view showing how the force is applied.
In the figure, the recording head 200 is a head holder spring 20.
It is pressed against the carrier 203 by the force of f ₁ by 7. Further, in order to separate the recording head 200 and the ink tank 201, the engagement between the coupling claw 222 and the coupling claw guide groove 223, the ink supply hole 220, and the ink supply hole 221.
Assume that a force of f ₂ is required to disengage the. At this time, by setting the magnitude of the force to be f ₁ > f ₂ , it is possible to prevent the recording head 200 from being unfixed during the separation operation. In this embodiment, the tank lever 205 is used to generate a force corresponding to f ₂ for separation, but the ink is not restrained by this force and the ink tank 201 is directly pulled in the direction b in FIG. Two
00 and the ink tank 201 may be separated.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a recovery mechanism of the recording apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, a cap 101 for capping the ejection port surface of the recording head 200, and a pump unit 15 for sucking the ink from the ejection port surface to the waste ink absorber by making the inside of the cap a negative pressure.
0, further, the cap 101 is moved back and forth with respect to the ejection port surface, the driving force is transmitted to the pump unit 150, and a wiping mechanism for wiping the ink adhering to the ejection port surface is operated. A control gear 102 of a transmission mechanism section including a cam and a gear mechanism is configured. And, in the control gear 102,
The rotational driving force of the carrier motor 255 is transmitted via the above-mentioned clutch gear 259.

Next, the structure in which the recovery means is driven by the rotation of the control gear 102 will be described.

The control gear 102 is provided with a cap opening / closing cam 102a and a wiping operation cam (not shown). And this control gear 102
As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the plunger 1 described later
It is meshed with the stroke gear 103 that reciprocates the gear 15. When the control gear 102 rotates, the stroke gear 103 rotates and the plunger 11 moves.
5 reciprocates.

In FIG. 11, reference numeral 104 denotes a blade for wiping the ink ejection port surface of the recording head 200 to clean the ink ejection port surface. The blade 104 is made of rubber such as HNBR or urethane, and is attached to the blade mounting groove 105a of the blade slider 105 by sliding one end thereof. A wiping operation is performed by reciprocating the blade 104 along the slide shaft 106.

Next, regarding the pump unit 150, this has a plan jumbo structure as shown in FIG.

In FIG. 12, reference numeral 113 denotes a cylinder, which has a cylindrical cylinder portion 113a and a portion (not shown) which guides a plunger 115, which will be described later. It forms a flow path. 1
Reference numeral 13b is a cap lever receiver, and is formed so that a cap lever seal, which will be described later, is fitted therein. Further, 113c is an ink suction port, which is opened at a predetermined position. 113d
Has a tip portion integrally formed with a waste ink tube inserted into the waste ink absorber. Further, 113e is a parallel pin for opening and closing the cap, and when the parallel pin 113e is pushed by the cap opening and closing cam 102a of the control gear 102, the cylinder 113 rotates and the cap 101 moves the recording head 20.
Opening / closing operations are performed so as to closely contact and separate from the discharge port surface of 0.

FIG. 13 shows the relationship between the cap opening / closing cam 102a of the control gear 102 and the cap opening / closing operation.
Will be explained.

A switching sheet 102d is attached to the cap opening / closing cam 102a, so that the cap opening / closing operation can be changed by the forward or reverse rotation of the carrier motor 255.

In this embodiment, since the preliminary ejection for the purpose of eliminating the ink thickened substance in the nozzle is carried out in the cap 101, the ink accumulated in the cap 101 during recording is stored in the carrier 203. It is necessary to suck the ink in the cap 101 into the cylinder 113 before the cap enters the recovery means and caps.

Then, when the control gear 102 starts to rotate by the reverse rotation of the carrier motor 255, the parallel pin 113e inserted in the cylinder 113 first causes the cam 10 to move.
Pass 2e surface. In the figure, the closer the cam is to the center of the control gear 102, the more the cap 101 is opened.
Therefore, in this case, suction can be performed with the cap 101 open (this suction is called preliminary ejection suction).

Next, when the control gear 102 has finished rotating, the suction operation has been completed, and normal rotation has started, this time the parallel pin 113e passes through the surface of the cam 102f, and the cap 101 closes for the first time after the control gear 102 starts rotating. It will be. Normally, it is on standby with this cap closed.

When recording is then started, the carrier motor 255 rotates in the forward direction and the control gear 102 rotates in the direction of arrow H in the figure.

However, when suction is started, the carrier motor 255 reversely rotates and the control gear 102 moves to the arrow H.
It rotates in the opposite direction to. In this case, since the parallel pin 113e passes through the surface of the cam 102f, suction can be performed with the original cap 101 closed.

By providing the switching sheet 102d in this way, two suction operations, that is, the original suction and the preliminary discharge suction, are realized by one control gear.

During recording, the parallel pin 113e is inserted into the notch 102g provided on the cam surface, and the control gear 10 is driven by the frictional force generated by the force of the cap spring 114.
I'm trying to prevent 2 from rotating. If the control gear 102 rotates during recording, the recovery operation will start in the case of improper recording, and normal recording will be impossible.

The plunger 115 is formed with an operating shaft 115a, a piston receiver 115b, a piston retainer 115c and a pump seal retainer 115d, and a groove 115e serving as an ink flow passage is formed continuously with the operating shaft 115a. A part of this groove is fitted in the guide portion (not shown) of the cylinder 113 described above, and stops the rotation of the plunger 115. A lead groove 115f for controlling the reciprocating motion of the blanker 115 is formed on the operating shaft 115a, and a projection portion (not shown) formed on the inner surface of the stroke gear 103 is fitted in the lead groove 115b. Therefore, when the stroke gear 103 is rotated in one direction by the reverse drive of the carrier motor 255, the plunger 1
When 15 strokes in the direction of arrow I in FIG. 11 and the forward rotation of the carrier motor 255 rotates the stroke gear 103 in the other direction, the plunger 115 strokes in the direction of arrow J in FIG.

A piston 116 made of a rubber material such as NBR is attached to the plunger 115.
The outer shape of the piston 116 is larger than the inner diameter of the cylinder 113 by a predetermined amount.
When inserted in, it is designed to be compressed appropriately. As a result, when the plunger 115 strokes in the direction of arrow I in FIG. 12, a negative pressure is generated to suck the waste ink in the recording head 200, and stroke in the direction of arrow J. The sucked waste ink is discharged from the waste ink pipe 113d to the waste ink absorber. To discharge.

The pump seal 1 is attached to the plunger 115.
17 is attached. The pump seal 117 is made of a rubber material such as silicone or NBR, and its inner diameter is set to be slightly smaller than the outer shape of the plunger 115 so that a predetermined pressure contact force with the plunger 115 can be obtained. It can be reciprocated by being pushed by the pump seal holder 115d and the piston receiver 115b of the plunger 115. In addition, the surface of the cylinder 113 and the plunger 11 is coated with a lubricating coating.
The sliding force with 5 may be reduced. Further, rubber having self-lubricating property may be used for the purpose of eliminating grease in the cylinder.

In FIG. 11, reference numeral 118 denotes a cap lever, an ink guide (not shown) biases the gap lever seal 119, and the other rotating shaft 118a is snap-fitted to the hole 113f of the cylinder 113. And is rotatable. The cap lever seal 119 is press-fitted with the ink guide of the cap lever 118 and further press-fitted with the cap lever receiver 113b of the cylinder 113.

The cap 101 is an elastic member made of chlorinated butyl rubber or the like having an annular shape in cross section and is attached to the cap mounting portion 118b of the cap lever 118.

Reference numeral 120 denotes a preliminary ejection pad, which is made of a polymer absorbent like the blade cleaner 108 and is attached to the cap lever 118.
The preliminary ejection pad is for absorbing the preliminary ejection ink that ejects the ink separately from the normal recording operation during recording in order to prevent the ink on the ejection port surface from drying.

Reference numeral 121 denotes a pump absorber, which is a polymer absorber that serves to reliably transfer the waste ink in the cylinder to the waste ink absorber.

FIG. 14 shows a timing chart of the recovery means by the rotational driving force of the carrier motor 255. In this figure, the carrier 203 enters the recovery means, and the trigger teeth 259a of the clutch gear 259 are the control gear 1
The time when the control gear 102 starts to rotate in mesh with 02 is set to 0 pulse of the carrier motor 255.

In this embodiment, the carrier motor 255 has two
All the recovery operations are performed by rotating 40 steps (5 rotations) forward and backward, and simultaneously with the rotation of the carrier motor 255, the clutch gear 25
9, control gear 102 and stroke gear 10
3 begins to rotate. Since the reciprocating motion of the plunger 115 is controlled by the stroke gear 103, the plunger 115 starts moving simultaneously with the rotation of the carrier motor 255, and the reciprocating motion corresponds to the rotation of the carrier motor 255 in a one-to-one correspondence.

As described above, the movement of the blade 104 is partially changed by the forward and reverse rotations of the carrier motor 255.

Further, as described above, when the recovery operation is started by the reverse rotation from the 0 pulse of the carrier motor 255, the cap 101 remains open so that the preparatory discharge suction can be performed by the switching sheet 102d as described above. 115 moves.

The recovery sheet can when the ink tank of the present invention is replaced using the pump unit described above will be described with reference to FIG. First step S
In step 1, it is determined whether or not a suction instruction has been issued, and if so, the process proceeds to the next step S2. If not, the sequence described below is not applied and processing ends. In step S2, it is determined whether or not the previous suction instruction is issued by detecting the ink tank replacement. If it is determined that the ink tank has been replaced, the process proceeds to step S3, and if not, the process proceeds to step S6. In step S6, 0 is assigned to the flag TC for the replacement of the ink tank, and then the process jumps to step S7 (when TC is 0, it means that the ink tank has not been replaced).

Note that here, regarding the judgment as to whether or not the ink tank has been replaced, all the detection methods can be applied even if there are generally conceivable methods. For example, a micro switch or the like is arranged in the bottom portion of the carrier 203 in FIG. 9 where the ink tank is placed, and the output of this switch is switched every time the ink tank is attached or detached, and the ink tank is replaced. To judge. Another way to detect ink tank replacement is to install a light source and a light receiving element around the carrier around the carrier, and read the output of the light receiving element depending on whether the light between the two is blocked. And the weight of the print head and ink tank mounted on the carrier, and at the part where the print head and ink tank are connected, place a certain interval where ink should pass. Various methods are conceivable, such as a method of installing electrodes and determining the replacement of the ink tank based on the resistance value between the electrodes.

Subsequently, in step S3, which is performed when it is determined that the ink tank has been replaced in step S2,
Set the ink tank replacement flag to 1, then step S
Going to step 4, 1 is substituted for the variable i. Here, i indicates the number of times of the suction operation to be performed after the suction instruction is issued. After that, the process proceeds to step S5 and the variable i is 3
Judgment is made. If the variable i exceeds 3, it is not necessary to perform the suction operation in the future, and the process ends. When the variable i does not exceed 3, the process proceeds to step S7 to start the suction operation.

Steps S7 to S10 show a series of operations of the pump unit 150 described above.
Next, in step S11, the operation of the pump is stopped until the end of the suction of the ink, so that the suction of the ink is not interrupted on the way. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S12, and it is determined whether the ink tank replacement flag TC is 1 or 0. If TC is not 1, jump to step S16 and if TC is 1, step S1
Go to 3. In step S13, it is determined whether or not the value of the suction number i is 1. If i is not 1 here, step S
Jump to 16 and if i is 1, go to step S14.

Since the process proceeds to step S14 when TC = 1 and i = 1 are satisfied, that is, when the first suction operation is performed after the ink tank is replaced, step S1 is performed.
In step 4 and step S15, immediately after the suction is completed, the cap covering the discharge port surface is released and then held for 3 seconds. As a result, the ink that has reached the middle of the flow path in the print head through the contact area between the ink tank and the print head is returned to the ink tank side by the action of the negative pressure of the ink tank, There is no ink in the road. However, since a metal mesh filter is attached to the recording head side at the contact area between the ink tank and the recording head, the holding force of the ink meniscus acts in this filter, causing the ink to recede from this area. Furthermore, it does not proceed to the ink tank side. Then, in accordance with the operation of the pump unit described above, wiping in step S18 and cap contact in step S19 are performed, and the process further proceeds to step S20. In step S20, the value of the flag TC is confirmed again, and if it is 1, the suction operation further continues, so the flow proceeds to step S21.

In step S21, the value of the variable i indicating the number of suction operations is increased by 1, and the process returns to step S5.

By the way, step S12 or step S
If all of them are “No” in 13, that is, if the ink tank is not replaced or the first suction operation is not performed even when the ink tank is replaced, step S16.
However, the cap remains covered with the ejection surface of the recording head even after the suction is completed in step S11.
Hold for seconds. In this way, after the negative pressure state in the pump unit and the cap is completely restored, step S
Release the cap at 17.

The above is the flow of the recovery operation according to the embodiment of the present invention. The number of continuous suctions at the time of exchanging the ink tank and the holding time at various cappings are various depending on the type of the ink jet cartridge or the suction pump used. It may be set appropriately, and is not limited to the set values shown in FIG.

[0074]

As described above, according to the present invention, in the ink cartridge of the ink tank exchange type, by slightly improving the operation sequence of the suction recovery pump, the ink bubble is not left when the ink tank is connected, and the ink is not discharged. It was possible to create a stable recovery state without producing wasteful consumption. This can be a very effective method for making the recording apparatus smaller in the future.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an embodiment of the recording apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of a lead screw mechanism of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of a carrier bearing A228 portion of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing a carrier portion of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing a head cartridge portion of the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view showing a partially enlarged view of a carrier portion of the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view showing a method of connecting the carrier portion and the head cartridge portion of the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view showing a head cartridge connecting portion of the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view showing an exchange system according to an embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view showing how to apply a force according to the embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a detailed view of the recovery device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a detailed view of the pump unit according to the embodiment.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a cap opening / closing cam of the embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a timing chart of the recovery means of the embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart of a recovery operation according to the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 chassis 2 guide rail 3 recording material 4 transport roller 5 paper feed motor 6 spur 7 discharge roller 8 pinch roller 9 pinch roller spring 10 pinch roller holder 11 pinch roller frame 12 release angle 13 release lever 14 paper sensor 15 reduction gear train 101 cap 102 control gear 103 stroke gear 104 blade 105 blade slider 106 slide shaft 107 blade link 108 blade cleaner 109 blade stopper 110 blade spring 111 carrier stopper 112 carrier hook spring 113 cylinder 114 cap spring 115 plunger 116 piston 117 pump seal 118 kicker lever 119 cap lever Seal 120 Preliminary discharge pad 121 Pump Container 122 Bearing 150 Pump unit 200 Recording head 201 Ink tank 202 Head cartridge 203 Carrier 204 Head lever 205 Tank lever 206 Head holder 207 Head holder spring 208 Tank case 209 Lead pin 210 Lead pin spring 211 Flexi cable 212 Flex cable pad 213 Lead screw 221 Ink supply hole 222 Coupling claw 223 Coupling claw guide groove 224 Ink tank guide groove 225 Positioning pin 226 Stopper 227 Head contact part 230 Shielding plate 231 Carrier hook 255 Carrier motor 256 Pinion gear 257 Lead screw gear

Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁵ Identification code Office reference number FI Technical display location B41J 29/00 9113-2C B41J 29/00 U (72) Inventor Tamaki Sato 3-30 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo No. 2 within Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Kazuhiro Nakajima 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Within Canon Inc.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An ink jet cartridge having an ink jet recording head unit and a replaceable ink tank for storing ink supplied to the ink jet recording head unit, wherein at least the ink tank is separable and exchangeable, and the ink jet cartridge. And a control unit for controlling a recovery sequence for performing recovery related to ink ejection from the inkjet recording head by an operation of a suction pump that sucks ink from the inkjet cartridge through a cap covering an ejection port of the inkjet recording head. In the recording apparatus, a single suction amount by the suction pump has a capacity equal to or more than an internal volume from a joint portion of the exchangeable ink tank with the inkjet recording head unit to a discharge port of the inkjet recording head unit, Replaceable ink tank Replacement detection means for detecting the replacement, and when the replacement detection means detects replacement of the ink tank, the operation of the suction pump is automatically repeated a plurality of times, and at least the first time, the recording liquid by suction is used. The ink jet recording apparatus characterized in that the cap is held for a certain period of time in a state of being released from the ink jet recording head section immediately after the completion of the flow.